“So where do we go?” Charlie repeated.
“The farm is in that direction,” Joshua pointed, then turned around. “Aunt Jane’s cottage is over there, or we could go to the river.”
“What time is it?” said Charlie, glancing up at the sky. “We don’t want to go too far away from food, so I think it should be Aunt Jane’s cottage.”
That was only half a mile away, but it meant crossing open parkland. Still they had to do it, and with luncheon on their minds, they set off.
Sophie saw them first, and tugged at Charlie’s sleeve. Thinking about food had made him forget to be cautious.
“What is it?” he said, looking around, and saw a group of three men on horseback in the distance. Matthew Norbery he was sure they could deal with, but the other two looked somewhat menacing. He did not know what it was.
Charlie shivered, and looked at Joshua.
“What do we do?” he said.
“Run,” Joshua said.
Charlie was already running, hauling Sophie behind.
“Where’re we going?” he gasped.
“Split up,” shouted Joshua, several paces ahead. “You go to the stables.”
“What about you, Josh?”
“Never mind me. I will go where he can’t get me. Keep Sophie out of his way,” he huffed, throwing down a trail of his clothes in his wake – first the coat, then his waistcoat and neckcloth followed, leaving him stripped down to his breeches and shirt.
In the background, the sound of hoof beats grew ominously louder.
“No, Josh,” said Charlie, “We should stick together. He can’t hurt us.”
“You don’t know him as I do.”
Reaching the edge of a fishpond, Joshua kicked off his boots and was half way down the bank. “I’ll see you later,” he said.
“I’m staying here,” said Charlie. “So is Sophie.”
She was out of breath, and her little legs could not have carried her any further. Charlie felt a sense of disappointment as Joshua dived into the water, and came up gasping, before striking out across the pond.
He gave one more glance and turned to face the horses. They looked huge and he felt small in comparison, but he was not going to show any fear. He braced his feet, gripped the stout stick in his hands and said, “Are you all right, Sophie?”
She took up a similar stance, held up her stick and grinned.
Nothing had changed. They were in this together, just as they always had been. Joshua would have to take care of himself, but it seemed chicken-hearted to run away from a fribble like Matthew Norbery.
The horses approached at a canter, one to each side with Joshua’s brother straggling behind. Charlie scarcely noticed the one to the left, but the harsh-faced rider to the right seemed strangely moulded to the saddle, with his hands free. He saw the man’s expression and felt a tremor of apprehension.
“Stand behind me, Sophie,” he hissed, and then gasped in disbelief, as the rider raised a pistol, and took deliberate aim across the pond.
“No,” he yelled, hurtling forward, but he was too late. There was a loud report, a puff of smoke, and the villain laughed.
Charlie stopped and looked fearfully across the lake, but there was no sign of Joshua. He felt tears threatening, but dashed them away, turning towards where Sophie stood at the edge of the pond, defiantly gripping her stick, her teeth bared in a grimace.
“Now, you interfering whelp,” the voice rasped, “I’ll deal with you, and then her, afterwards…” The man made to swing out of the saddle, but before his second foot left the stirrup, his horse bolted, dragging him across the park, with his head bouncing along the ground.
Inexplicably, the second horse veered off in a panic towards the far side of the pond, and the horse carrying Matthew Norbery, suddenly dropped its head and sent the rider hurtling over the grassy bank into the water. There was a terrified scream, a dull splash, and then nothing.
Sophie looked at Charlie, and said with a grin. “I did it.”
Before he could speak, there were half a dozen grooms on horses milling around, scrambling down the bank to the water’s edge, wading in and dragging Matthew Norbery to the side.
William Rufus came running up, “Where’s Joshua?”
Only then did Charlie remember. He looked across the lake towards the island, and saw a slender figure, huddled against the trunk of a tree.
“He’s there,” he said, pointing, as tears of relief streamed down his face. He felt a little hand grip his own, and found Sophie looking anxiously up at him. He sniffed, and said. “It’s all right, Sophie. Joshua’s safe.”
Then his knees went from under him.
“What happened, William Rufus?” Tom Norbery demanded. “I want the truth, not some story concocted by Matthew’s friends about Joshua falling in the lake and Matthew trying to save him. We all know that is not true, for he cannot swim. Then you may tell me what the deuce Nathan Stretton was doing here?
Tom was in his library, trying to piece things together after Matthew had half-drowned in the lake, with Joshua sitting on the island, refusing to come off. He had heard several garbled versions of the events, with each trying to shout the others down. He knew the one individual was a family connection of Kate, from Norcott, but the other shifty character was unknown.
“Nor would I tell you that, sir. It was the other way around. Matthew and his friends were herding the little ’uns towards the lake. Whatever they said, Joshua is not cowardly for running off like that. He knew what his brother intended, and ran ahead of the others, chucking his clothes off, and dived in. Then he was off to the island, thinking Matthew wouldn’t hurt the others if he wasn’t there.”
“I see,” said Tom, under his breath. “Dear God, where do we go from here? All right, you might as well tell me what happened to Charlie and Sophie.”
“Well, that’s the funny thing. Charlie was carrying a big stick, and he stood at the water’s edge, ready to defend his sister…”
“Yes,” said Tom, beginning to laugh, “and what did Sophie do? I feel sure that she did something to bring about this penchant for swimming in the lake.”
William Rufus shook his head. “I dunno, sir, but whatever it was, the horses didn’t like it. Matthew and his two friends were riding hell for leather towards them, and suddenly the other two veered off to the sides; and Matthew’s horse shied, and pitched him over the head, into the water. I never saw anything like it.”
“Where were you when this happened?” Tom asked.
“I was coming across the park, and met the grooms exercising the horses. The little ’uns had slipped away earlier, and I was looking for them. As soon as we saw what happened, they helped me to drag Matthew out again. He’s all right, but it will teach him not to go near the water in a hurry.”
“Was the ambush deliberate, do you think?”
William Rufus stopped and rubbed his chin. “Oh, yes, sir,” he said. “No doubt about it.”
“I wonder what she did.” Tom mused. “Something dastardly, I’ll be bound.”
“No, sir, the little wench couldn’t have done anything to affect the horses like that. We’d have seen her.”
“But could you hear her, if she made a sound? I begin to think that I have brought, one of the Irish
little people
to Linmore,” said Tom. “From now on, William Rufus, I want you to make the children’s safety your first concern, until I sort out Matthew’s future.”
Tom knew he would have to contend with Kate, blaming him for his lack of consideration towards her beloved son. The Cobarnes had been here for less than two weeks and Matthew was trying to kill Joshua. He could only hope that Jane’s plan to send Kate and Matthew to Rushmore Hall would come to fruition, and then they might relax.
The underlying problem was more serious. Matthew’s friend and cousin, Nathan Stretton had a pistol, lined up on Joshua swimming in the lake. The grooms had told him they saw that. Charlie might have spooked one horse, but not three. No, he would take a bet on it being Sophie who caused Matthew’s horse to shy and the others to veer away around the side of the lake. It was bad enough for Matthew to try to hurt Joshua, but if a Stretton joined the hunt…things had turned nasty. They had no morals, scruples or fear of retribution.
It was just as well Nathan had a sore head to nurse for the next week or two. Taking a toss had slowed him down, but when the horse dragged him back to the stables… Tom wished he could have seen it.
Two anxious hours later, after Joshua had been retrieved dripping and shivering from the island, Charlie sat beside his bed and finally had the chance to ask, “Why did you run away?” He realised his words sounded accusatory, but he felt aggrieved that no one had bothered to enquire how he or Sophie felt after the ordeal. The servants were more concerned with providing Joshua with a hot bath to wash the green slime and pond life from his hair.
“I didn’t,” Joshua said, shaking with the ague.
Charlie had no sympathy for someone who turned tail and ran, leaving him and Sophie to face the enemy unarmed apart from a stout stick apiece. They were the ones who prevailed, and yet they had missed not only their lunch but tea as well. Then they had to sit in the nursery while Joshua was cosseted by the servants, and given a cordial to ward off the effects of the cold, before slipping between the warmed sheets of his bed on which extra blankets had just been placed. He’d be well served if he had swallowed a few water beetles. It was more than Charlie or Sophie had to eat.
“If you’d stayed with us,” he said, “they wouldn’t have dared to shoot at you.”
“No,” said Joshua. “If I was there, they’d have thrown us all in the lake. It’s happened before.”
That silenced Charlie for a moment.
“What happened to the others?” said Joshua, burrowing his head into the pillows.
Sophie, sitting at Charlie’s side, leaned forward and whispered in his ear.
“No, you didn’t, Sophie,” her brother said, patting her hand.
“What did she say?” Joshua asked.
“She says that she whistled, and scared the horses.” Charlie lowered his voice, while Sophie glowered and sat nodding her head insistently. “It didn’t happen like that. I whacked the gunman’s horse, just as he was dismounting, and it bolted, dragging him with it. I would not normally have done it, but he was going to hurt Sophie. Who was he?”
“Nathan Stretton,” said Joshua, yawning. “Matthew’s cousin. They do not acknowledge me as family. I don’t know who the other man was.”
Charlie continued in a voice full of scorn. “Your bleater of a brother accused us of trying to drown him. If he can’t sit a horse better than that, he needs to be on a leading rein.” He stopped, realising that Joshua’s eyes had closed.
“Well, look at that, Sophie; he’s gone to sleep while I was talking. I must have a word with William Rufus. He looks just the man we need to toughen Joshua up.”
Charlie hoped Joshua was not going to be timid about everything. He too was terrified when the man with the face of a rat levelled a pistol, but refused to show fear before the enemy. A gun he could understand, but Josh could not have known that when he started running. He sighed, and resigned himself to the task ahead. Guarding Sophie was one thing, but Joshua quite another.
They found William Rufus sitting outside Joshua’s bedroom door, but it was a bit too public for Charlie to say what he wanted, so he bided his time, knowing there would be a better opportunity when Joshua recovered. That did not take long.
The physician visited once, stayed long enough for a quick examination, and then said, “He’ll do, Miss Jane. Just keep him warm and ensure he has plenty of rest. Let him get up in a couple of days, and give him what he wants to eat. He will come to no harm. Now, I must see his brother…again.”
Beyond the solid oak door at the far end of the corridor, servants were running around with mustard baths for Matthew Norbery, while the physician had called three times to attend him and gone away shaking his head in disbelief.
By the time Joshua recovered, and the Cobarne children similarly emerged from his bedroom, the house was a hive of activity. Everywhere they ventured above stairs, maidservants dusted and polished, while others bustled around carrying piles of bedlinen. On the lower levels, kitchen staff dashed back and forth to the storeroom, so busy that no one had time to tell them what was going on.
Moreover, on entering the stillroom in search of sustenance, they found an empty biscuit jar, and learned that Mrs Delbury, the housekeeper, was too busy to make biscuits. That was an unmitigated disaster, which could only mean one thing – visitors were expected. The question was… who was coming to stay?
For several days, they retreated to the nursery corridor, and found the answer when Hayton carried in a tray of supper.
When they finished eating, Joshua and Charlie dashed off to Aunt Jane’s sitting room, with Sophie trailing two steps behind.
“Hayton says Lord and Lady Cardington are coming, Aunt Jane.”
“Yes,” she said. “They are bringing the family, en route from London.”
“Who are they, Aunt Jane?” asked Charlie. “Are they mine and Sophie’s relations as well?”
“Yes, Charlie, they belong to you both. Lady Cardington is my older sister, but you may call her Aunt Clarissa. Her husband is Lord Cardington, and I think it best if you address him as ‘Sir’
.
He will expect that.”
Charlie nodded his understanding, as Joshua took up the story.
“When Parliament is in session, Uncle Humphrey goes to London to sit in the Upper House. Papa is in the Lower House, because he does not have a title.”
At least that was the way he understood it.
“When they are not making speeches and laws in the daytime,” he said, “they dress up and go to balls and parties in the evening.”
“Did you hear that, Sophie? They sound very important,” said Charlie.
Sophie sniffed.
“You will have a chance to meet your new cousins,” said Aunt Jane. “There will be quite a houseful when they arrive. I’ll leave Joshua to explain their names, so you know who to expect.”
Joshua tried to remember the last time he had seen his relations. It was ages ago. Linmore was not like other country houses because it did not have many visitors, and those who came rarely stayed long.