When it came time for him to wake up properly, the bed beside him was empty. He’s downstairs making breakfast. He sat up, beaming as he stretched his arms out to the side. The air was icy and he realised he hadn’t stoked the fire before going to bed. He’d had better things to do. He laughed out loud when he thought about Duke and what they’d got up to the previous night.
But Duke wasn’t downstairs. Nor was there any evidence of breakfast being made. Rob scratched the back of his head and returned up the stairs. When he looked in the spare bedroom, he saw that Duke’s backpack was missing.
“Damned fool,” he muttered. He’s gone into town by himself!
He hurried into the bathroom and splashed some water on his face. The glass in the windows had frosted over, but the wind had obviously died.
