Read The Devil's Serenade for Free Online

was.
    “Don’t you even have central heating?” she had said, holding herself and shivering with exaggerated effect.
    “Yes, of course we do,” Maddie said, feeling a strong urge to slap her. “But my mother doesn’t like it turned up too high. She says it’s unhealthy.”
    “I bet it’s ’cause your parents are poor.”
    “They’re not poor and you’re not to say things like that.”
    Diane stopped shivering and sniffed. “I’ll say what I like. You can’t stop me.”
    After that, Maddie vowed she would never bring anyone home again. Especially when Diane started telling all their classmates about her friend’s freezing cold house and Spartan conditions. The other children pitied her. Maddie could read it in their eyes and cried herself to sleep that night. It wouldn’t be the last time.
    No doubt Diane would complain about Hargest House too if she came there. Not that Maddie would ever invite her. This was her special place.
    It was simpler to keep the other children away. If no one came home with her, they’d have nothing to talk about. It was true that there weren’t many luxuries at home. No fancy freezers or color televisions in every room. Maddie kept pulling threads out of the battered sofa and catching her toe in that threadbare bit of the carpet in her bedroom. They couldn’t be poor though. Not really poor, because there was always money for her parents’ safaris, and she never went hungry, even if the food was a bit plain and basic. Not like this delicious casserole. Maddie’s mother bought the cheapest cuts of meat and there was always some gristle and chewy fat spoiling the meal. Aunt Charlotte bought only tender cuts, from the butcher up the road.
    Maddie savored every mouthful. If only she could stay with Aunt Charlotte all the time. Maybe she’d become good friends with the boy she met today. If only he’d told her his name.
    * * * * *
    The next day, rain lashed the windows. There would be no return trip to the tentacle tree today. Instead, Kelly and her brother and sisters could have an adventure. Maddie had been saving an extra special one for just such an occasion.
    She had never ventured up to the top floor. Whenever she had peered up the staircase, it always seemed darker and gloomier than any of the other floors. Today though, Kelly would lead the way on a voyage of discovery.
    Maddie felt a little thrill zip up her spine as she put her foot on the first tread of the staircase.
    It’s awfully dark up there.
    “Don’t worry, Veronica. I’ll protect you, and Tom’s got his blunderbuss.”
    Maddie had no idea what a blunderbuss was, but it had featured in one of her books and sounded quite grand and bold when it was wielded by the hero.
    The top floor turned out to be much like the others. Corridors left and right with closed doors. It was silent up there and smelled faintly of dust and beeswax. With her imaginary family behind her, Maddie tried the handle of the first door she came to. It turned smoothly enough and she peered around the door. Empty.
    “There’s nothing in here. Let’s try the next one.”
    The third room she tried looked more promising. A long, low table lay at one end of the uncarpeted floor. At each corner, huge black candles in wrought iron holders caught Maddie’s attention.
    “I’ve never seen black candles before. How strange.”
    Maddie touched one of them. A sudden rush of wind blew her hair and a pungent smell like rotten eggs made her gag. Goosebumps broke out on her arms. In the far corner a dark shadow moved. Red eyes flashed. Maddie screamed and raced to the door. She tugged at the handle. It wouldn’t move. Behind her someone laughed. One massive wrench and the door opened so fast it threw her backward. She recovered her balance and dashed out into the corridor. The door slammed behind her. Maddie ran screaming down the stairs to be met by an anxious Aunt Charlotte in the hall.
    “Maddie, whatever’s happened?”
    Maddie clung to her