HOLLY WOKE UP STUPIDLY early on Sunday morning, glancing at the time before closing her eyes with a groan. Quarter past six. No student should be up at quarter past six unless they hadn’t been to bed yet.

She lay on her side with her eyes closed for nearly ten minutes, doing her best to get back to sleep, cursing the thinness of her curtains, the light penetrating through them enough to illuminate the room and make it impossible for her to do anything other than sit up and accept the inevitable. She was awake. After rubbing her eyes and yawning loudly, she picked up her phone, surprised to find a message waiting from Joseph.

Half two. I’ll be outside. Be ready.

When had he sent that? Two in the morning? What was he doing up at that time? She felt a flash of jealousy, picturing him out at some nightclub somewhere, girls hanging on both arms, laughing at his jokes. Stop it, she told herself. He was going on a date with her, what more did she want?

She sat up, propping her head on the pillows behind her, wondering whether to reply. No, it was too early. If he’d been up at two, he’d definitely be asleep by six. She pictured him with his eyes closed, laid on an enormous bed, her snuggled in under his arm. The thought made her sigh as she shuffled slowly downwards, drifting off into a pleasant daydream that gradually became a catnap. She jolted awake again a little after seven, feeling that was a little more respectable even if it was still early for a Sunday.

Not wanting to disturb Fiona, she tiptoed downstairs in her dressing gown, waiting for the kettle to boil whilst looking at the photos on the fridge, shuffling on the cold tiles to keep her feet from freezing. Her family looked back at her as she looked at them. The younger her looked out too, still scowling. She wanted to speak to that little version of herself, tell her it would be all right, she’d get a date eventually.

Once she had a coffee made, she went through to the lounge and opened her laptop, loading her essay and telling herself that she wouldn’t move until she had at least fifty words done. She got thirty finished by the time Fiona came down at a little after ten, leaving her feeling proud of herself even if she knew she’d probably delete them all after her date.

“Good morning,” Fiona said, sinking into her chair. “You’re up early.”

“Am I?”

“Don’t think I don’t know why. You’re seeing him again later, aren’t you? What time are you going?”

“He said he’d pick me up here at half two.”

“Does that mean I get to meet him?”

“No it does not. You are to remain glued to that chair or I’ll never speak to you again.”

Fiona protested but when it came round to the afternoon, she stopped teasing, promising to remain out of sight in return for all the gory details when Holly got back. “Good luck,” she said as Holly watched out of the window as his car drove past to the end of the street, already starting to turn round as she grabbed her handbag.

“Enjoy yourself,” Fiona shouted after her as she headed outside, pulling the door closed after her.

He stopped in the middle of the road and she jumped in next to him. “Good afternoon,” he said, nodding imperiously. “Your chauffeur is here.”

“That’s a pity,” Holly replied as she fiddled with her seatbelt. “I was hoping for my date.”

“He couldn’t come. Will I do?”

“I suppose so. Where are we headed?”

“Remember I was going to show you that mansion I found?”

“Oh yes, whereabouts is it?”

“About ten miles north, heading towards Thirsk.”

It didn’t take long to drive out of York and the conversation flowed easily enough. All it took was for Joseph to ask her what she was reading at the moment and she was off, getting into the murky territory of telling him the truth, giving him more detail about The Rake and His Ruin than anyone could ever possibly need.

When they turned off the main road, Holly finally fell silent, looking at the trees around them, lush and green in the summer sun. She had to get out of the city more. She missed the woods, the peace, the way the light hit the ground, flickering and changing as the breeze moved the branches.

They turned again, this time onto an even narrower road before finally stopping on a forestry track in front of an old wooden gate that was secured by a rusty chain and padlock.

“Are we allowed in here?” Holly asked as they climbed out of the car.

“As far as I know,” Joseph replied, already swinging his leg over the gate. “Want to take a risk?”

Holly shrugged, “I can always blame you if we get done for trespassing.”

“Yes, you can.”

He held his hand out, helping her over the gate. As she landed, she thought he’d let go but he continued to hold her hand, a minor gesture yet at the same time overwhelmingly significant. She tried her best not to read too much into it as he led her along the track, looking forwards, not at her. She kept glancing down at his hand, grinning as she looked at his fingers wrapped around hers. She liked how her hand fitted so easily into his. It was a good feeling, one that made her feel warm inside and increasingly tense, like she shouldn’t be this lucky.

“How far is it?” she asked as the track curved round to the left, starting to descend deeper into the trees.

“About five minutes,” he replied. “Think you can make it?”

“It’s a marathon kind of distance but I think I’ll manage,” she said, looking around her at the trees, trying not to think about her hand being held so tightly, worried she might pass out if she thought any harder about it, the feeling was already so intense. His skin felt rough but warm, just like his voice.

Had anyone ever held her hand? Don’t think about it, just look at the trees.

“I did a bit of research,” he said, glancing across at her as she tried to wipe the vacant grin from her lips. “Are you all right?”

“Fine,” she replied too quickly. “You were saying?”

“I did some research after I found the place. It turned out it was a Victorian hunting lodge. Built in 1865 by a Jacob Rawlinson. The forest wasn’t here then. All these trees were planted after the first world war. It was all his land and he wanted somewhere private. Apparently after he died, the family sold the estate and the house was just left to crumble. Too far from civilisation for anyone to move here.”

“Interesting.”

“Wait until you see it. I’d move in tomorrow if I could.”

“You’d live somewhere like this? In the middle of nowhere?”

“Does that sound odd to you?”

“No,” Holly said with a broadening smile. “It sounds perfect.”

As they turned the next corner, the remains of a drive came into view. It headed to the left and about fifty yards along it, Holly could see the corner of a building. “Is that it?” she asked, already impressed.

“What do you think?”

It came into view gradually, the trees falling away to leave a space in front and to the sides of the building. Made of dark stone, the walls had a slightly foreboding look, several of the windows broken and ivy covered. The curling branches suffocated most of the frontage, climbing in through the gaps in the rotten frames, avoiding the jagged edges of glass. The grounds had grown wild around the building, as if grass had tried to swallow it up but had been defeated in its attempt, knocked back and cursing from the ground, ready to attempt again in a few years.

“I think someone must own it,” Joseph said, coming to a stop and looking up at the stonework. “It looks like the weeds have been treated and can you see how it’s worn down on the way over to the porch?”

“How did you find this place? I never even knew it existed.”

“I went for a walk,” he said bluntly. “Want to go inside? There’s something I’ve got to show you.”

Holly followed him over to the front door, the grass rustling against her feet, the only sound apart from that of her own breathing.

“Close your eyes,” Joseph said, taking her hand in his again. “It’s a surprise.”

“What? What is it?”

“Hold on, step up. You’ll see in a second. I promise it’ll be worth it.”

Holly let herself be guided up over a stone step, the sound and feel under her feet changing as she crossed from the grass into the building, the light fading. She could smell the age of the place, her other senses enhanced by the lack of sight.

“Okay, stop there. Now, open your eyes.”

Holly did as he said. “Oh my God,” she said, taking a single step backwards, hardly able to believe what she was seeing. “What have you done?”