As Max pulled up, the front door opened and a trim woman with grey hair cut into a stylish bob came out, followed by a tall man.
“My long-suffering parents.” Max got out of the car and embraced them.
Newt retrieved his bag from the boot and stood waiting.
“Mum, this is Newt. He’s going to take over from you.”
“I thought you were staying when we left,” his mother said.
“I was, but now I don’t need to. I’ll drive you home this afternoon.” He turned to Newt. “My mum, Linda, and my father, Daniel.”
Newt held out his hand. “Hello, Mrs Turner, Mr Turner.”
“Please call us Linda and Daniel,” Max’s father said. “I do hope you know what you’re letting yourself in for.”
“From what Max has said, I’m expecting Satan crossed with Beelzebub on a bad day holding aYou’re firedsign.”
Max’s parents laughed.
“He’s not quite that awful.” Linda glanced at the rip in Newt’s jacket or maybe she was thinking it was a cheap piece of crap.
“Newt had a bit of an altercation with a motorbike today while retrieving my stolen phone. Saved me a lot of hassle.”
“Oh my goodness,” she said. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.”
“Well, come on in. We’ll have some lunch before we set off.”
As Newt went into the house, he saw the suitcases standing by the door.
Linda spotted his gaze. “We’re ready for our great escape. We’re tired.”
It reminded Newt of when he’d planned his escape all those years ago.
“You do too much for him,” Max said.
“He’s…sad,” she finally settled on.
“Sad, mad, dangerous and ungrateful,” Max muttered. “Where is the little bastard?”
“In the media room,” said Daniel. “By the way, there are three items of post in the drawer.”
Max took them out, frowned at one, and put all of them in his pocket.
Newt pulled off his jacket and dropped it on top of his holdall on the hall floor, then took off his shoes. The house was warm and smelt really good.
“I’ll see to lunch,” Linda said. “Try to persuade him to join us.” She and her husband walked away.
“I’ll go and have a word with him first before I introduce you,” Max said. “Mum can fill you in on what you need to know.”
Newt followed Max’s parents. The house was amazing, big and airy, filled with natural light. The pale grey walls were dotted with striking pieces of artwork. The floor was pale grey wood and continued into rooms he could just see through part-open doors.
The kitchen was huge. Not just a kitchen but with areasfor dining and lounging as well. A sectional couch and matching circular chair faced the biggest TV Newt had ever seen. A bank of floor-to-ceiling windows looked out onto a patio, and beyond that was a lawn edged by trees, with rolling fields at the bottom of the garden. On the right, probably backing onto the garage, was a long building that seemed to be all windows. There were solar panels on the roof and he guessed it housed the pool.
“It’s lovely, isn’t it?” said Linda.
“Yes. He’s…” Newt had been going to sayluckybut River wasn’t lucky. He’d probably give all this up to be back to the way he was before the accident. And although he was rich enough to afford a place like this, he’d had to work for it. “Fortunate,” Newt said.
