UNCLE MAURICE WAS IN much better humour that morning. He was so cheerful, in fact, that Tess was suspicious. Something had to be wrong.

She helped him, all the same, as he finished the milking.

'You're up early,' he said. 'Do you always get up so early? At home, I mean?'

'Not usually,' said Tess, pulling open the sliding door of the milking parlour to let the last of the cows go out. 'Specially not at weekends. It's different here, somehow.'

'It is,' said Uncle Maurice. 'The light is different. It comes earlier in the country than it does in the town.'

It didn't, but Tess knew what he meant. There was a clarity about the dawn and an urgency in it. Maybe it was the racket that the birds made, or the fact that no buildings or exhaust fumes obscured the sun. Maybe it was none of those things, but Tess's own urgency; her knowledge that time was running out.

Her uncle's voice disturbed her thoughts. 'What do you make of that boy, then?'

'Which boy?'

'The lad that took the rats away. Did you see that?'

'I did. It was amazing, wasn't it?'

'Amazing is right,' said Uncle Maurice. 'Would you say he could do it again? In another place, like?'

'I don't see why not,' said Tess.

'No. I don't either.' He took the pipe out of the creamery tank and connected the milking system up to the tap to be cleaned out. He was whistling as he worked, uncharacteristically happy. There was definitely something wrong.

After breakfast, Tess and Brian shared the washing-up. Orla sat in the corner of the kitchen wheezing, and reading the book with the deer-man on the cover.

'Did you ever read this, Tess?' she asked.

Tess shook her head. 'We did a lot of that stuff in primary school,' she said. 'I've forgotten most of it now.'

'You should read it,' said Orla. 'It's all about the Tuatha de Danaan.'

The mention of the name of the old G.o.ds of Ireland sent one of those electric feelings up Tess's spine, but before she could a.n.a.lyse it she was distracted by an excited yell from Colm outside. Brian ran to the front door and, when he didn't come back, Tess and Orla followed.

The source of Colm's excitement was Kevin, who was just arriving at the yard gate on his bicycle. Colm was there before him and had climbed up to the top bar when Uncle Maurice caught up and gathered him into his arms. It seemed that everyone was converging on Kevin.

'Come in, come in,' said Uncle Maurice, setting Colm down and opening the gate. Again his cheerful mood set alarm bells ringing in Tess's mind.

'Come in till we get a cup of tea,' he went on, leading the way into the house. Everyone followed except for the ever dutiful Brian, who was left with the job of closing the heavy gate.

Aunt Deirdre had come in from the garden and the kettle was already on. Kevin sat down at the table or, more accurately, he slumped. Tess was so accustomed to seeing him that she hadn't noticed the changes in his body, but all of a sudden they had become obvious. He was like a bag of bones, big bones, all loosely connected and not very well coordinated. His feet were enormous and his hands were long, with knuckles everywhere. He seemed acutely embarra.s.sed by this strange body but it would, Tess realised, soon begin to make more sense. The hollows would flesh out and the shambling slackness would turn to smooth strength. Kevin was growing out of being a boy and would soon be a man.

The dawning truth was a shock to Tess. Kevin shifted uncomfortably and she realised that, while the rest of the family had been bustling about getting comfortable, she had been staring at him. She turned away quickly and helped her aunt to get out cups and biscuits. Uncle Maurice was settling himself into a chair opposite Kevin. As Tess poured milk into a jug and set it down on the table he began to speak.

'Have you done much of it, then? This rat clearance?'

Kevin tapped his fingers on the table and watched them. 'Not so much, really,' he said.

'You wouldn't be well known, then? Around the place?'

'No. I wouldn't be, I suppose.'

Tess set out the cups. She didn't like the way the conversation was going. Uncle Maurice nodded, absorbing what Kevin had said. In the brief silence, Colm climbed on to a chair beside Kevin and reached across the table for the best biscuit; the pink wafer.

'Colm!' said his mother, in a warning tone.

But if Colm heard her, he made no response. He continued with what he was doing and, to everyone's surprise, handed the special biscuit to Kevin. His face was as pink as the biscuit, glowing with shy charm. When Kevin shook his head his face clouded over with disappointment.

'He wants you to have it,' said Brian. 'He'll be disappointed if you don't.'

Kevin took the biscuit and ate it. Uncle Maurice began again.

'Where do you live, then?'

'Dublin,' said Kevin.

'On holiday down here, are you?'

'Sort of,' said Kevin. Tess made a point of not looking at him, but from the corner of her eye she could see that he was acutely embarra.s.sed by the continued attention of the children. Colm was standing on the chair and gazing into his face with undisguised adoration. At a slightly more respectful distance, Orla and Brian were also staring with admiring expressions. It was clear that, as far as the younger members of the family were concerned, they were entertaining royalty. But Uncle Maurice was not of the same opinion.

'Are your mother and father on holiday with you?' he asked.

It was one question too many. Kevin stood up. 'If you don't mind,' he said, 'I'll take my money and get on my way.'

'Ah, now,' said Uncle Maurice, standing up as well. 'No need to be hasty. I didn't mean to pry. Sure, what does it matter, anyway?'

Aunt Deirdre spoke for the first time. 'Have your tea, now. 'Tis made and all.'

She poured it out and Kevin sat down again, reluctantly. Colm handed him another biscuit, a jam one. The silence while he ate it threatened to be a long one, and Tess broke it before it became too awkward.

'You have great weather, anyway. For your holiday.'

'I have,' said Kevin.

'He has, he has,' said Uncle Maurice and Aunt Deirdre together.

The silence fell again and Uncle Maurice finally got round to saying what was on his mind. 'No,' he began. 'It's only ... Just ... I thought you could make a great business out of that rat-catching game.'

'I could, I suppose,' said Kevin.

'If you had the right backing, that is. The right kind of manager.'

Tess turned away to hide the expression of disgust on her face. So that was what he was up to.

'I'm not sure,' Kevin began, but Uncle Maurice had launched his campaign and could no longer stem his excitement.

'No, c'mere, listen,' he said. 'I could get the world of business for you, the world of it. There are loads of farmers and houses in towns and all, and they have the same problem. Sure, a cure for rats is worth a fortune. A fortune!'

Tess looked around the room. Kevin was dumbstruck and she could only imagine what was going through his mind. From the expression on Aunt Deirdre's face it was clear that she hadn't been let in on the plan and was as surprised as everyone else. Once more Kevin opened his mouth to say something, but Uncle Maurice was still not finished.

'Think of it, lad,' he said. 'If you can do a farm and buildings this size, what's to stop you doing a whole village or even a small town? Can you imagine it? We could get TV people there and radio. We could set up interviews and all ...'

Kevin stood up, his tea untouched.

'Thanks for your concern,' he said. 'It's a great idea but I'm afraid I have no interest in it.'

Uncle Maurice shut his mouth and the brightness left his features with frightening speed. Anxiety, almost visible, crept over the other members of his family.

'So if you'll just pay me what we agreed,' Kevin went on, 'I won't take up any more of your time.'

There was a sinister pause, then Uncle Maurice said, 'What was it we agreed, exactly?'

'One hundred pounds,' said Kevin.

'One hundred pounds,' Uncle Maurice repeated. 'If you got rid of all the rats.'

'That's right,' said Kevin.

There was menace in Uncle Maurice's voice as he replied. 'But you didn't, did you?'

Silence dropped again. The faces of the children showed shocked disappointment, but Kevin was not going to be fobbed off without a fight. 'What makes you say that?' he asked.

'Just this,' said Uncle Maurice. He stood up and went over to a plastic bag which lay inside the back door. 'Something the dogs caught this morning.' He reached into the bag and pulled out the carca.s.s of a rat. A jolt of pain caught Tess off guard.

'That ...' she began, but stopped herself while she still could. What she had started to say was that she recognised the carca.s.s. It was the old rat, the one who had been left behind.

The others were still looking at her expectantly, even Kevin.

'That's what?' said Uncle Maurice.

In the nick of time it came to her. 'That's been dead for a couple of days,' she said. 'I saw it round behind the milking parlour yesterday.'

Kevin shut his eyes in relief and took a deep breath.

'Oh, is that right?' said Uncle Maurice. 'Well, you'd know, I suppose.'

Tess said nothing and the only sound was the high-pitched drone of Orla's constricted breath. Uncle Maurice followed up his advantage.

'I mean,' he said, 'you'd know the difference, wouldn't you, Miss Cleverclogs, between this dead rat and any other dead rat.'

He looked around triumphantly, as though expecting applause. But he hadn't won, yet.

'I think I would,' said Tess. 'I think that rat has only one top tooth at the front.'

Uncle Maurice's mouth dropped open in astonishment. But Brian was already at his side and staring into the slack mouth of the dead rat. Rapidly, Uncle Maurice dropped it back into the plastic bag, but he wasn't quick enough.

'Yep,' said Brian. 'She's right. Only one front tooth. How did you know that, Tess?'

Colm had understood little of the preceding conversation, but no nuance of mood or atmosphere ever escaped him. He knew now that his hero had been vindicated and he was delighted. An affectionate soul at the best of times, he flung his arms around Kevin's neck and hugged him tight.

But it was not a wise move, given the circ.u.mstances, and not only because of the embarra.s.sment it caused Kevin. Uncle Maurice was a tyrant, without doubt, but he loved his children with a fierce pa.s.sion. To see Colm's affection so freely given to his adversary was more than he could stand.

'Get out,' he said, his voice low, his face dangerously dark.

Kevin gently disengaged himself from Colm's embrace. As she watched, Tess saw the best of Kevin's rat nature emerge; his courage and, above all, his sense of justice.

'I'll leave when I've been paid,' he said.

'You'll leave right now,' said Uncle Maurice. 'Right this minute. And if I see you around here again I'll call the police.'

'The police? On what charge?'

'Loitering. Hara.s.sment. Whatever I like. Do you think they'll believe you for one minute? That you played on a tin whistle and the rats followed you out of my yard? They'll lock you up, more like it.'

Kevin stared at him in silent anger and Tess saw that he was defeated. Everyone knew that he was right, but that against Uncle Maurice's word he hadn't a leg to stand on. For a long moment, time seemed frozen in the room. Then Kevin strode to the door and was gone.

'Good riddance,' said Uncle Maurice, throwing the dead rat in its plastic bag out after him. But everyone knew that the matter was not closed, and the silence which still hung in the room was full of gloom and foreboding.

CHAPTER TEN.

IF TESS THOUGHT THAT the bottom had fallen out of her world, she was wrong. The worst was still to come. The dust had barely settled behind Kevin's bicycle on the drive when a Mercedes car pulled up and two men in expensive suits got out.

Uncle Maurice threw the door open wide and went out to meet them, then preceded them into the kitchen where Aunt Deirdre, yet again, put on the kettle.

'Deirdre, this is Mr Keating from Keating Development.'

'Pleased to meet you,' said Mr Keating. 'But don't make any tea for us.' He gestured to the other man and turned back to Uncle Maurice as he spoke.

'This is Peter Mahon, the surveyor I was telling you about. We've come to walk the boundaries of that land, if it suits you.'

Tess had no interest in what was happening and was about to slip out when the reaction of her cousins changed her mind.

'Can we come, Daddy?' said Orla.

'Please?' said Brian.

'Sure, we're only walking around the land,' said Uncle Maurice.

'But we love the crag,' said Orla. 'We won't get in your way. Honestly.'