The caller in the rain

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

At half past nine, Clara slid the bolt across the front door. Rain stitched faint lines against the windows as she turned towards the stairs. Then the gravel outside cracked beneath one careful footstep. Another followed. By the time she lifted the curtain, the path was empty and the gate stood still.

“A loose shutter,” her uncle said, though he closed his newspaper and listened.

Three knocks came next, so gentle that Clara wondered whether the old wood had made them. Nobody in the room moved. The candle flame bent as she approached the door, and cold air crept beneath it towards her feet.

“Who is there?”

Her words seemed too loud. There was no reply. She drew back the bolt and raised the latch, but before she could pull the door inwards, a folded card slid across the floor and stopped beside her shoe.

Analyse how the writer's use of language and the order in which details are revealed make the person outside seem mysterious.

You should consider:

• the descriptions of sounds and movement
• how Clara's understanding changes.

Support your answer with references to the passage.