Blueblood Read online

  Malorie Blackman

  * * *

  BLUEBLOOD

  WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY

  Laura Barrett

  Contents

  Chapter One - Nia

  Chapter Two - Marcus

  Chapter Three - Nia

  Chapter Four - Marcus

  Chapter Five - Nia

  Chapter Six - Marcus

  Chapter Seven - Nia

  Chapter Eight - Marcus

  Chapter Nine - Nia

  Chapter Ten - One week later

  AFTERWORD

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  Malorie Blackman has written over seventy books for children and young adults, including the Noughts & Crosses series, Thief and a science-fiction thriller, Chasing the Stars. Many of her books have also been adapted for stage and television, including a BAFTA-award-winning BBC production of Pig-Heart Boy and a Pilot Theatre stage adaptation by Sabrina Mahfouz of Noughts & Crosses. There is also a major BBC production of Noughts & Crosses, with Roc Nation (Jay-Z’s entertainment company) curating the soundtrack as executive music producer. In 2005 Malorie was honoured with the Eleanor Farjeon Award in recognition of her distinguished contribution to the world of children’s books. In 2008 she received an OBE for her services to children’s literature, and between 2013 and 2015 she was the Children’s Laureate. Most recently Malorie wrote for the Doctor Who series on BBC One, and the fifth novel in her Noughts & Crosses series, Crossfire, was published by Penguin Random House Children’s in summer 2019.

  Laura Barrett (Illustrator)

  Laura Barrett is an illustrator inspired by the darker side of folk and fairy tales, and enjoys working in the medium of traditional Scherenschnitte (paper cutting). Since graduating from University of the Arts London and with over 10 years of industry experience, Laura has worked with a stellar client list including the BBC and The Guardian. Laura works from her home studio in South East London.

  Chapter One - Nia

  ONCE UPON A TIME – maybe last year, maybe even last month – there was a woman called Nia. Now I guarantee you’ve seldom, if ever, met anyone like her before. Who was she? She was a woman who never wrote on lined paper, that’s who. Why should she allow herself to be confined by the lines on a page? That was her life philosophy. Nothing was going to pin her down or hold her back or hem her in. How old was she? The question was always met with the same reply. ‘Ha! Numbers are for maths teachers.’

  Her height? Her weight?

  Same answer!

  Her star sign? ‘Please! As if I’d believe in that nonsense!’ Her words, not mine.

  Let’s put it this way – she knew her worth. And like all women who have had to work to know their place and purpose in the world, she was a woman on a mission.

  And what was that mission?

  Why, to get married of course!

  Marcus was the perfect candidate. He was smart. I mean, he wanted to marry her, didn’t he? In fact, he was desperate to have Nia as his wife. When they first got engaged, Nia’s younger brothers, Jakob and Desmond, gave her all kinds of grief – though for different reasons.

  ‘Nia, not again! He’s double your age for a start!’ said Jakob.

  ‘He’s fifteen years older, not double. And what does that have to do with anything?’ Nia said.

  ‘Fifteen years older! Eww! That’s just nasty. That’s practically Jurassic,’ said Desmond, the younger brother. ‘And that beard of his – it’s so thick and crusty-looking, you’ll need a hedge trimmer and at least an hour to find his lips.’

  ‘Desmond, behave! Besides, his beard is his best feature. And if you must know, he offered to shave it off completely, but I wouldn’t let him.’

  ‘He’s got shifty eyes, Nia. “All the better to constantly watch you with, my dear,”’ warned Jakob.

  ‘Maybe that’s why I’m marrying him.’

  Jakob and Nia exchanged a knowing look. Watching both of them with a frown, Desmond asked, ‘What does that mean?’

  ‘It means Marcus loves me so much, he wants me with him twenty-four/seven,’ Nia replied lightly. ‘Isn’t that romantic?’

  ‘No, that’s just messed up,’ Desmond argued.

  Nia smiled and stroked her brother’s cheek. ‘Des, please don’t ever change.’

  ‘Sis, you can do better,’ Desmond persisted.

  ‘Marcus is exactly what I’ve been looking for.’

  ‘That’s what you said about all the others before they disappeared on you,’ Desmond pointed out. ‘What makes you think this one will be any different?’

  ‘He’s the son of a High Court judge –’

  ‘That’s his dad’s job –’

  ‘His mum’s job, actually,’ Nia corrected.

  ‘Who cares! What’s Marcus’s job? How does he make his money?’

  ‘Import–export.’

  ‘What does that even mean?’ asked Desmond.

  ‘Nia, please, I’m begging you. Don’t do this,’ said Jakob. ‘He’s not worth it – and you can do so much better. Why won’t you believe you deserve to be happy? Truly happy.’

  Jakob’s question made Nia inwardly wince. She glared at her brothers. They were really beginning to dance on her nerves.

  ‘Both of you know how I feel about people telling me what to do. I’m marrying Marcus and that’s all there is to it.’

  When Nia’s brothers opened their mouths to argue some more, Nia raised a hand.

  ‘ENOUGH. I hear one more disparaging remark about my fiancé and neither of you will be invited to our wedding.’

  And with that, the comments ceased.

  In spite of her family – or maybe because of them – Marcus and Nia made their wedding plans sooner rather than later. If Nia had had her way, she and Marcus would’ve eloped and had done with it, but Marcus argued that the fastest way to get both of their families to accept their marriage was to make them a part of the wedding. So Nia went along with his wishes – against her better judgement.

  Also against her better judgement, Nia realised in the weeks before her wedding just how much she liked her fiancé. Oh she loved him – that part happened naturally. But to her surprise, she discovered just how much she liked him; his bad jokes, the way he gave her his coat when she was chilly, the way he knew how to hold a decent conversation, the way he held her hand just because. She liked being with him. Loving him was comfortable. Liking him made her … uneasy. All she could do was hope against hope that her brothers – and the rumours – were wrong about Marcus and that he wouldn’t turn out to be like all the others.

  Chapter Two - Marcus

  MARCUS HAD NEVER met anyone like Nia before. Unstintingly kind, she always asked about his health and his day and was genuinely interested in his replies in a way he’d rarely experienced before. Every time he looked into her dark brown eyes, he could feel himself falling just a little bit more in love with her. What’s more, she even liked his beard, though she insisted he keep it neat and trim. Most of his previous partners had constantly nagged at him to shave it off.

  ‘Your beard is so black, in certain lights it looks almost midnight blue. I love you – you and your midnight beard!’ she teased.

  At first Marcus loved that Nia was so open and friendly, but after a while, when he realised she was that way with everyone, her amiability began to grate. Did she have to be quite so sociable? She treated everyone the same – friend and stranger alike – but he was her fiancé and soon to be her husband. He should take priority over everyone else. Never mind. Once they were married, Marcus was sure he would be the focus of Nia’s attention. Her brothers irritated him most of all – always trying to poke their unwanted noses into his business.

  And as for the malicious gossip about his fiancée? Marcus didn’t even listen to it. So what if s
he’d been married before and her husband had run off and left her? She’d divorced him afterwards so that chapter of her life was closed. And she ran her own successful jewellery-making business so why would she be only after his money, as some of his friends had suggested? Her jewellery designs were sought after by celebrities around the world and sold in exclusive boutiques for staggering sums.

  Marcus didn’t appreciate just how successful Nia really was until the first time he visited her three-storey, five-bedroom home. As Nia showed him around, he grew more and more flustered, though he did his best to hide it. He had money in the bank but he strongly suspected that Nia had far more.

  ‘This house has been in my family for generations,’ Nia answered his unasked question. ‘As the oldest, it was left to me when my father died.’

  Each bedroom had its own bathroom, plus she had a three-car garage and her vast back garden was filled with mature fruit trees, exotic flower borders, a summer house and a lawn so immaculate it looked like it had been sprayed on the ground rather than growing out of it. Nia’s house even had its own lift. One of the old-fashioned kind with a steel, lattice-work manual door that had to click and lock into place before the lift would move. The back wall of the lift was a mirror and on the front panel were six buttons: 3, 2, 1, G, a blank red button which it was impossible to press and a yellow Help button, with assistance guaranteed to arrive within the hour – day or night. Through Nia’s hard work she’d created her dream home and career – and it made Marcus love her even more.

  ‘As my home is more than big enough for both of us, why don’t you sell your flat and move in here?’ said Nia.

  She only had one condition.

  ‘The attic space will be all yours. The whole floor. You can turn it into a study, a den, a workshop or whatever you want to call it. I won’t go into your room.’ Nia favoured Marcus with a hard stare. ‘But by the same token, you don’t get to enter my study in the basement. Ever.’

  Marcus frowned. ‘Your study? Why haven’t you shown that to me yet?’

  Nia sighed. ‘Marcus, what did I just say? My study is my private space. You don’t get to enter it. If our relationship is going to work then I need you to respect my wishes.’

  ‘Of course,’ Marcus replied. ‘No problem. You’ll stay out of the attic and I’ll stay out of the basement.’

  ‘I want your word,’ Nia insisted.

  ‘I promise to stay out of your study,’ said Marcus, though he couldn’t help thinking, What’s the big deal? I have seen a desk and a chair before.

  But he kept that to himself. If Nia required a promise to be comfortable with him in her own home, then so be it. Marcus knew in his heart he’d found the woman with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life. And with a few well-chosen lies and a little luck, hopefully she’d never discover his secret.

  Chapter Three - Nia

  DURING THEIR FIRST FEW WEEKS of marriage, Nia began to wonder if perhaps the reports about Marcus were just so much vicious gossip. Maybe the so-called facts she’d been given regarding his past were mere unproven speculations. However, slowly but surely Marcus’s true colours began to shine through. With every interrogation or accusation, the fog of pretence surrounding him lifted just a little bit more to reveal what lay beneath. Each morning during breakfast Marcus asked, ‘What will you be doing today?’

  ‘Working for a few hours in the basement,’ Nia replied.

  ‘Doing what – exactly?’

  ‘Designing jewellery. Probably making a test piece or two.’

  ‘May I see?’ said Marcus.

  ‘I’ll show you a couple of designs over dinner tonight.’

  ‘Well, I hope they’re less gaudy than most of your past efforts,’ said Marcus with disdain.

  Nia shrugged. ‘You may not like them but you’re not exactly my target customer.’

  ‘Why can’t I go down to the basement and see your designs now?’

  ‘Marcus, you know you’re not supposed to ask that.’

  ‘You spend practically every morning and most afternoons down there. I’m curious, that’s all.’

  ‘Don’t forget what curiosity did to the cat,’ Nia reminded him, her shaped eyebrows arched in warning.

  ‘What harm would it do?’

  Nia sighed. ‘It’s the principle of the thing. I’m more than happy to share my home with you but I need a space and a place that’s mine and mine alone. We agreed to this – remember?’

  This bone of contention appeared each day with their morning coffee and usually left by the time the coffee was drunk so Nia tried to let it go. But Marcus was starting to behave in ways he hadn’t before. Every time she tried to set foot out of the house, Nia was met with a list of questions:

  Where are you going?

  Who are you going to see?

  When will you be back?

  Why d’you need to go out?

  Why can’t I come with you?

  At first Nia tried to put it down to the fact that they were newly-weds. After all, wasn’t it only natural that Marcus would want the two of them to spend as much time together as possible?

  ‘I do have other friends, Marcus. I love you but that doesn’t mean we’re joined at the hip and have to do absolutely everything together,’ Nia said gently.

  But Marcus couldn’t hear her, or perhaps he just stopped listening. The questioning grew steadily worse, as if Marcus resented Nia spending even one minute away from him. When she wouldn’t let him accompany her to nights out with her friends, Marcus’s questions took on a nastier tone.

  ‘Why can’t I come with you? What’re you hiding?’

  ‘Marcus, enough! Stop this,’ Nia pleaded.

  But he wouldn’t or couldn’t stop. After five months of marriage, Nia had no choice but to acknowledge that all the rumours and speculation about Marcus had been true. Their latest blazing row happened when an opportunity for a trip abroad to investigate a new source of precious gems came up and Nia wouldn’t turn it down.

  ‘If you really cared about our marriage, you wouldn’t go,’ said Marcus.

  Disappointed, Nia shook her head. ‘Marcus, this is my job. I’ll only be gone a week. Ten days at most. You have all the keys and codes for the house so there shouldn’t be a problem. But remember, stay out of my study.’

  ‘I don’t even know how to get down to the basement, so how am I going to enter your precious room?’ Marcus pointed out, resentment lending a hard edge to his words.

  Nia gave him an assessing look. ‘Seriously, Marcus, you gave me your word and I expect you to keep it.’

  ‘I don’t break my promises, Nia.’

  Nia placed her hands on either side of his face. ‘This may seem like a little thing to you. Insignificant even. But it’s really important. Please don’t even try to get down to the basement. Just leave it alone – okay? Otherwise you’ll ruin things for both of us.’

  Chapter Four - Marcus

  THAT NIGHT AFTER NIA HAD DEPARTED on her gem-hunting expedition, Marcus lay in bed, but he couldn’t sleep. He needed to stop interrogating his wife about her every movement and moment when she was away from him. Marcus knew he was upsetting Nia with the way he was acting, but he couldn’t help himself. He didn’t want to lose her but he knew that if he didn’t fix his behaviour that would be exactly what happened. The past had taught him that if nothing else.

  If you love her, then you have to trust her, he told himself.

  But trust was a two-way street.

  Why was Nia so insistent that he stay away from the basement? She never went down there until Marcus was safely installed in the attic. He’d particularly noticed that. And the house staircase started on the ground floor and provided access up to the attic but there were no stairs down to the basement – at least none that Marcus had ever seen. Was the basement entrance outside the house? Maybe there was a secret door in the summer house at the bottom of the garden. It was ridiculous that he didn’t even know where the entrance was.

  Why the
big mystery?

  What was she hiding down there?

  Chapter Five - Nia

  LIKE A VULTURE PROTECTING ITS FOOD, foreboding flapped its wings and dug its talons into Nia’s chest. Practically every day Marcus asked to see her study and she always replied no but as the days had turned into weeks had turned into months, Marcus’s manner of asking had changed, becoming less casual, more demanding.

  Nia stared out of the plane window, looking down at the clouds drifting like ice floes beneath her. She tried to tell herself that she was worrying about nothing, but the sense of unease didn’t leave her. In fact, with each passing minute, the feeling grew worse, not better. The vulture that had been occasionally pecking at her before was now ripping chunks out of her flesh.

  Nia shook her head. No, Marcus wouldn’t betray her, he just wouldn’t. She wondered how many thousands of miles it would take before she started to believe that.

  Chapter Six - Marcus

  MARCUS WALKED ALL THE WAY around the house searching for a door or entrance that would lead down to the basement. Nia had been gone for six days and wasn’t due back until the weekend, and though he missed her, he couldn’t help begrudging Nia for not having faith in him. The idea of private spaces in their own home that he was not allowed to enter just didn’t sit well with him.

  Wives shouldn’t have secrets from their husbands, he reasoned.

  Every day, he walked around the perimeter of the house, he explored the garden, he searched the summer house and the garden shed but there were no inexplicable doors – not even the hint of one.

  More determined than ever, he headed back into the house, examining each room for secret panels or disguised hidden entrances. A voice inside his head kept telling him to give it up, to stop what he was doing before it was too late – but he ignored it. He needed to see the basement – just once – then he’d never bother Nia about it again.