cheesecloth, perhaps, in varying shades of blue, from indigo at the hem to azure at the waist. Then she dropped over my head a smocked white cheesecloth blouse, with puffy sleeves and ribbon ties, as worn by Prince Caspian. She fastened round my waist a heavy leather belt with an ornate silver buckle. Then she turned me towards the mirror.
Oh, my, there I was, authentically bohemian, if that is a real term, perfectly comfortable, and delighted with the contrast of my new silver and shell pendant over my white top.
‘See?’ demanded Goss. ‘Now pay the lady, Daniel’s getting uptight.’
I paid the lady a surprisingly small sum. She packed my own clothes into a string bag. I replaced my straw hat, and I was out in the sunlight again.
Daniel whistled. I curtseyed, spreading my skirts. Goss beamed.
‘Now, come along this way,’ Daniel ordered, and we hurried after him. The skirts were well cut and easy to manage and flared around my ankles delightfully. Daniel led the way out of the market and around the convent. Quite a long way. I could see what he meant about the windows. Several of them did not quite fill their frames and could be jemmied. But Daniel was heading for a tree, a huge old oak which, being of weeping habit, had feathery branches going right down to the ground, like a living green cage. Daniel searched for an entrance and dived in and we followed.
‘It’s so cool,’ whispered Goss. I did not know if she referred to the air temperature or the beauty of the space under the tree but she was right about both.
‘I think they were both here,’ said Daniel. He scanned the ground. We all tracked around the green-walled haven.
‘You can’t see if anyone is here from the outside,’ I remarked. ‘And it is cool. And there’s water nearby. And a bunny was here.’ I pointed out rabbit droppings.
‘Bigger than the wild rabbits,’ said Daniel. ‘That was Bunny. And, see, if he was left here or hopped off, there’s the Children’s Farm, just down the hill. Also, this grass has been nibbled really short.’
‘I don’t like this,’ said Goss suddenly. ‘Something bad happened. Look, the grass is all torn up over here, and that’s blood on those leaves.’
‘It’s blood,’ agreed Daniel calmly, collecting a sample in a little plastic bag. ‘But I don’t know if it’s human. Not the girl, anyway, not the blood of labour, there isn’t enough of it.’
Goss shivered. We had to get her out of here. The atmosphere under the great tree had subtly changed and become threatening. I looked hard to see if there was anything else.
‘The bark of this branch has been cut,’ I said.
‘So it has,’ he agreed soberly. ‘What’s that under your foot, Goss?’
‘It’s a phone,’ she said, scrabbling in the thick soft leaf mould. ‘Been stood on,’ she added.
‘The Lone Gunmen can retrieve the data,’ Daniel said. ‘Dig a little more around there and see if there is anything else.’
‘Just some papers,’ said Goss. ‘They’re—a maths exam.’
‘Right. Out you go,’ Daniel told her, pushing her through the branches. ‘Go back to the market and buy yourself a present from us.’
Goss went without a backward look. I would have liked to join her.
‘What do we seek?’
‘Camping equipment, food bag, water bucket—all of those things are missing,’ he told me, peering into the maze of branches.
‘Stolen?’
‘Not usual if this was one of those assaults in company,’ he said. ‘They come upon some poor helpless person, beat them, spit on them, destroy anything they have and keep moving, the little bastards. There’s not enough blood to suggest anyone was seriously injured. I would guess that they struggled with the boy, saw the pregnant girl and took off. In the meantime, Bunny decided he had had it with a life of adventure and hopped off. Then they both packed up and left here. The phone was pressed right into the ground. Nothing else,’ he said, sifting the leaf mould
Oh, my, there I was, authentically bohemian, if that is a real term, perfectly comfortable, and delighted with the contrast of my new silver and shell pendant over my white top.
‘See?’ demanded Goss. ‘Now pay the lady, Daniel’s getting uptight.’
I paid the lady a surprisingly small sum. She packed my own clothes into a string bag. I replaced my straw hat, and I was out in the sunlight again.
Daniel whistled. I curtseyed, spreading my skirts. Goss beamed.
‘Now, come along this way,’ Daniel ordered, and we hurried after him. The skirts were well cut and easy to manage and flared around my ankles delightfully. Daniel led the way out of the market and around the convent. Quite a long way. I could see what he meant about the windows. Several of them did not quite fill their frames and could be jemmied. But Daniel was heading for a tree, a huge old oak which, being of weeping habit, had feathery branches going right down to the ground, like a living green cage. Daniel searched for an entrance and dived in and we followed.
‘It’s so cool,’ whispered Goss. I did not know if she referred to the air temperature or the beauty of the space under the tree but she was right about both.
‘I think they were both here,’ said Daniel. He scanned the ground. We all tracked around the green-walled haven.
‘You can’t see if anyone is here from the outside,’ I remarked. ‘And it is cool. And there’s water nearby. And a bunny was here.’ I pointed out rabbit droppings.
‘Bigger than the wild rabbits,’ said Daniel. ‘That was Bunny. And, see, if he was left here or hopped off, there’s the Children’s Farm, just down the hill. Also, this grass has been nibbled really short.’
‘I don’t like this,’ said Goss suddenly. ‘Something bad happened. Look, the grass is all torn up over here, and that’s blood on those leaves.’
‘It’s blood,’ agreed Daniel calmly, collecting a sample in a little plastic bag. ‘But I don’t know if it’s human. Not the girl, anyway, not the blood of labour, there isn’t enough of it.’
Goss shivered. We had to get her out of here. The atmosphere under the great tree had subtly changed and become threatening. I looked hard to see if there was anything else.
‘The bark of this branch has been cut,’ I said.
‘So it has,’ he agreed soberly. ‘What’s that under your foot, Goss?’
‘It’s a phone,’ she said, scrabbling in the thick soft leaf mould. ‘Been stood on,’ she added.
‘The Lone Gunmen can retrieve the data,’ Daniel said. ‘Dig a little more around there and see if there is anything else.’
‘Just some papers,’ said Goss. ‘They’re—a maths exam.’
‘Right. Out you go,’ Daniel told her, pushing her through the branches. ‘Go back to the market and buy yourself a present from us.’
Goss went without a backward look. I would have liked to join her.
‘What do we seek?’
‘Camping equipment, food bag, water bucket—all of those things are missing,’ he told me, peering into the maze of branches.
‘Stolen?’
‘Not usual if this was one of those assaults in company,’ he said. ‘They come upon some poor helpless person, beat them, spit on them, destroy anything they have and keep moving, the little bastards. There’s not enough blood to suggest anyone was seriously injured. I would guess that they struggled with the boy, saw the pregnant girl and took off. In the meantime, Bunny decided he had had it with a life of adventure and hopped off. Then they both packed up and left here. The phone was pressed right into the ground. Nothing else,’ he said, sifting the leaf mould
Similar Books
