There was a long silence and the Spook scratched at his beard again, very deep in thought.
'What happened at the end?' I asked. 'Why didn't Golgoth kill me? Why did he just go away?'
'After being summoned, his time within the pentacle was limited. Every moment he remained there he'd have been growing weaker. At last he had to go. He had no choice. Of course, had you let him out, things would have been different. He'd have been free to roam the County, which would have been gripped by an endless winter. So you did well, lad. You did your duty and nobody can ask more than that.'
'How did you find me?' I asked.
'For that, your first thanks must be to the girl. When you didn't come back as I expected, I went down to speak to Andrew and find out what time you'd left the shop. It was your friend Alice who told me where you'd gone. She wanted to come and help search for you but I'd have none of it. I work better alone -1 don't need a girl trailing at my heels. We almost had to tie her to the chair to stop her from following me. When I arrived, a blizzard was blowing in from the north-east and the chapel was deserted. I poked around the graveyard for a bit but I didn't stay long. There was only one person I could turn to then. The only one who could find you in those conditions.
'Meg soon sniffed you out. She found your staff in the copse up on the hill and traced you to the barrow. Didn't take her long to find the entrance, but when I pulled back the stone, the tunnel was blocked. So it was Marcia who dug you out. That's three who deserve your thanks.'
'Three witches,' I pointed out.
The Spook ignored me. 'Anyway, Alice will stay back at Andrew's place, as you'd expect. As for Meg and her sister, from now on they'll be down the cellar steps behind the gate - but it won't be locked.'
'So you and Meg are friends again?'
'No, things aren't the way they were when we first met. I'd like to put the clock back but it just isn't possible. You see, lad, we've come to an agreement.
Things can't carry on as they are, but I'll tell you more about it when you've rested.'
'What about Dad?' I asked. 'Will he be all right now?'
'He was a good man and now that Morgan's dead and his power broken, your dad should have nothing to fear. Nothing at all. Nobody knows exactly what happens after we die,' the Spook said with a sigh. 'If we did, there wouldn't be so many different religions all saying different things and all thinking they're right. To my mind it doesn't matter which one of them you follow. Or even if you walk alone and take your own path through life. As long as you live your life right and respect others' beliefs as your dad taught you, then you won't go far wrong. He'll find his way through to the light, all right. There's no need to worry about that. And thaf s enough talking for now. You've had a long difficult night so get yourself off to bed for a few hours.'
But it was more than just a few hours that I stayed in bed. I developed a raging fever and the doctor came up from Adlington three times before he was finally satisfied that I was on the mend. In fact it was almost a week before I was fit to come downstairs again, with most of the daylight hours spent wrapped in a blanket before the study fire.
The Spook didn't work me too hard at my lessons either, and it was another full week after that before I was finally fit enough to walk down into Adlington and see Alice. She was minding the shop alone. As no customers called, we had time for a long chat. We talked in the shop, leaning on the bare wooden counter.
While I'd been ill, the Spook had already visited and she knew most of what had happened. So all I had to do was fill in the details and apologize once more for keeping things from her.
'Anyway, Alice, thanks for telling the Spook I'd gone to the chapel. Otherwise I'd never have been found,' I said, reaching the end of my tale at last.
'I still wish you'd trusted me more, Tom. You should have told me a lot earlier what Morgan was doing to your dad.'
'I'm sorry' I told her. T won't hold anything back in future...'
'Never going to get in Old Gregory's good books though, am I? He don't trust me one little bit!'
'He thinks a lot better of you than he used to' I said. 'Give it time, that's all.'
'But in spring, when you go back to Chipenden, I'll have to stay here. Wish I could come with you ...'
'I thought you liked working in Andrew's shop.'
'Could be worse' Alice said, 'but Chipenden's lots better. I like being in that big house with its garden. And I'll miss you, Tom.'
'I'll miss you too, Alice. But at least you're not in Pendle. Anyway, next winter we'll be back and I'll try and visit you more often.'
'Be nice, that would' Alice said.
After a while she cheered up and finally, just as I was about to go, she asked me to do something.
'The morning you set off for Chipenden, will you ask Old Gregory if he'll take me as well?'
'I'll ask. But I don't think it'll do any good, Alice.'
'But you'll ask him, won't you? Ain't going to bite your head off for asking, is he?' 'OK. I'll ask him.' 'Promise?'
'I promise,' I said with a smile. Making promises to Alice had got me into trouble in the past but this one couldn't do much harm. At the worst, the Spook could only refuse.
Chapter 22
Although it had been a cold winter, within three weeks of Morgan's death the weather turned much warmer and a thaw set in. That made it possible for Shanks to make his first delivery for ages. As usual, I helped him to unload, but when he left, the Spook followed him for quite a way down the clough and they had a long conversation together.