Page 44 of A Cornish Love Story
‘Sparks, what is the weather doing right now?’ I asked.
‘Expect thunderstorms for the next hour, followed by a cloudy night with no chance of a blanket of stars. The temperature is twenty-four degrees, lowering to sixteen overnight, and humidity will remain high.’
‘No chance of a blanket of stars?’ I frowned. Ethan had incorporated it into the weather reports? There was so much about the house that felt personal to us, and I imagined for a moment that I’d decided not to come: that Spence hadn’t insisted I should wangle myself a tour so we could make Connor and Amelie’s reunion more realistic; that I hadn’t gone to Wynn insisting that we needed to cover it for the paper. All these details would have been lost on anyone else.
I glanced at the fireplace, my thoughts tumbling over each other, then noticed a wall panel next to the French windows. The display announced that I was in the ‘Lounge’ and detailed its settings: temperature,air condition, lighting. At the top it said:Panic Room Mode Activated.A section for the windows indicated their status as: ‘Dark Glass’. I pressed it, and it beeped as it scrolled through the options.Clear,Frosted, thenTintedat various degrees. I pressed ‘Clear’ and waited, but nothing happened. I pressed it again. There was a chirpy beep, followed by nothing.
‘Sparks,’ I said, ‘please make the lounge windows clear.’
‘Sterenlenn is in Panic Room Mode,’ the house told me.
‘Sparks,please. Please,pleasemake the lounge windows clear.’
‘Do you want to apply this to all windows in Sterenlenn?’
I stared at the panel. ‘Yes! Please make all the windows clear.’
There was a series of beeps and then, before my eyes, the glass went from dark, through a series of greys, to frosted and then, finally, to clear. It was a strange effect, like watching a heavy fog dissipate in record time, but I suddenly had my view back.
Raindrops poured down the glass in skittish rivulets and fat, lingering drops, and beyond them Alperwick was a blur of indistinct buildings and lights. The dark sea writhed with foam-topped waves, and the sky was a canvas of threatening greys. A fork of lightning flashed over the scene, and I almost sobbed with relief. I hadn’t realized just how claustrophobic I’d felt until I could see out of the house to the world beyond.
‘All good?’ the voice asked me.
‘What the fuck?’ I stumbled to the nearest sofa and sat down. There was no way the house should be asking me that, but I couldn’t confirm it with Ethan, because he hadn’t followed me. I assumed he’d needed some space from me too, but he might come and find me now I’d got the windows to work.
I remembered what I had been about to do before the panel had distracted me. I hurried to the fireplace, knelt in front of it and slid my hand up the chimney. I felt the rough bricks, their shape familiar against the pads of my fingers, and leaned up further, just a bit more, to where I almost couldn’t reach and then – there. The ledge. My fingers brushed it, moved along it, unease curdling inside me as I realized there was nothing there. I pulled my hand out and slumped onto the rug in front of the hearth.
‘You got the windows to work.’ Ethan was standing in the doorway. He still looked dishevelled, his hair was still a mess, but the pink had faded from his lips and cheeks.
‘I don’t really know how,’ I admitted. ‘I asked the house to clear them, she said we were in Panic Room Mode, then I added another “please” and she did it. I don’t … Ethan, your Sparks system has been saying some really weird things.’
‘Like what?’ He came over and sat in front of me, cross-legged on the rug like I was. His black socks had a row of brightly coloured fish around the tops, as ifhe couldn’t wholly commit to the serious architect persona. ‘I assume you asked it if we could get out, too?’
I rubbed my forehead. ‘I didn’t think …’
He leaned back, his hands pressed into the rug behind him. ‘Sparks, unlock the house.’
‘Sterenlenn is in Panic Room Mode. The emergency services have been called.’
‘Sparks,pleaseunlock the house.’ He raised an eyebrow at me.
‘Sterenlenn is in Panic Room Mode, Ethan. The emergency services have been called.’
I stared at him. ‘Did she … did she soundbored?Ethan, is this really an automated system, or have you got someone sitting in some control room somewhere, watching everything we’re doing? Promise me,promise me, you haven’t done this to us.’
He returned my gaze without a flicker. ‘I promise you, Georgie, that I am not behind this. I’m as baffled – and annoyed – as you are, and I would love to know what the fuck is going on. But I can assure you that Sparks doesn’t do tones, because she’s not a real person.’
‘We’re on to you!’ I shouted. ‘I hope you’re enjoying the show!’
‘Georgie!’ He laughed.
‘Well,’ I sighed, ‘we’re still trapped, but at least we can watch the storm now.’
‘It’s properly settled in.’
‘It’s been muggy for days, though.’
‘Yeah.’
