Kingsholt,’ said Tyler slowly, ‘then Chloe can have my bed.’
Leela, looked at Tyler, her eyes dark and bright. ‘Would that be all right, Aidan?‘’
‘I’ll take the football with me,’ said Tyler, now that he had decided what to do. ‘Judy’ll come as well.’
‘You’re more than welcome,’ said Aidan. ‘We’re going to need you in every way.’ He looked round at the small group. ‘I don’t think we have enough evidence to call in the police yet. I can hear Nimbus denying everything and making more terrible accusations. I also think Chloe, despite everything, would say there was nothing wrong.’
‘How
could
she?’ said Sam.
‘It’s possible Nimbus drugged her,’ said Aidan briefly. ‘It’s true she’s begun the good fight back but it might not be enough. It’s a difficult situation but for the moment I think it’s best if we manage on our own.’ He turned to Leela. ‘You stay here with Chloe but it would be useful if you could come over to Kingsholt – say tomorrow morning – to keep in touch and make sure everything’s in order and tell us about Chloe.’ He turned to Sam and Tyler. ‘I want you two to keep an eye open. It might be an idea if you kick a ball about and have a look round. If you see or hear anything of Nimbus or Tammy you must let me know. I’ll be up in the woods sawing branches. I’ll have a good view from there.’ He looked grave. ‘Nimbus’ll stop at nothing now he’s lost Chloe. He kidnapped her to bargain with us and now he hasn’t got her, he’ll either try to find her or go after the ‘treasure’ on his own.’
‘How can he?’ said Sam.
‘I believe he’s got the right map,’ said Aidan quietly. ‘Whether he can read it or not is another matter. So please pray. We needhelp to sort it all out, and that’s the moment we’ll call the police if we have to.’
Sam buttered a large chunk of bread and ate it slowly. This morning he was less afraid than he had been last night and yet he was haunted by what he might have to do. He had no means of defending himself. Unlike Aidan, he carried nothing in his pockets, or nearly nothing. He emptied them out. In the face of danger, what good was a scraper and a brown feather? Yet for some reason he felt unwilling to part with them. Words from nowhere came into his head.
They keep me in touch with that past world, when the valley was filled with the singing of psalms.
Leela gave him a shrewd look. She went out of the room and came back with a small brown bottle in a plastic bag. ‘Now this should take your mind off things,’ she said. ‘It’s a small present. Can you guess what it is?’
Sam unscrewed the lid and smelt the brown liquid. ‘Nice smell. Oak gall ink?’
Leela smiled. ‘You’re right. And there’s quite a story to it.
A long time ago, when I was decorating the cottage, I was scraping the wallpaper in the hall and I found a door and some stone steps leading to a cellar. Behind the door there was an old shopping bag with this ink inside it, and —’ she nodded at the fireplace, ‘I also found the silver pendant and one or two other things, maybe put there for safekeeping by one of the family. Perhaps your grandmother, Emily Penfold…’
‘Did you ever explore the cellar? asked Sam.
Leela shook her head. ‘I kept the door locked and threw away the key. After all, I didn’t want little Tyler wandering down there, did I?’ She looked thoughtful. ‘The story might be of use. Uncle George told me that a hermit once lived here and used a passage from the cellar to the stone mines. But I don’t know.’ She poured out some more tea for Aidan.
‘Anyway,’ she said, ‘don’t dwell on these things, Sam. My point is that if you do your calligraphy, it’ll take your mind offwhat happened last night. You could make a quill out of that feather in your pocket. There’s nothing like a craft to keep the mind calm. I do rugs myself.’
‘Thanks, Leela. ‘Sam smelled the
Leela, looked at Tyler, her eyes dark and bright. ‘Would that be all right, Aidan?‘’
‘I’ll take the football with me,’ said Tyler, now that he had decided what to do. ‘Judy’ll come as well.’
‘You’re more than welcome,’ said Aidan. ‘We’re going to need you in every way.’ He looked round at the small group. ‘I don’t think we have enough evidence to call in the police yet. I can hear Nimbus denying everything and making more terrible accusations. I also think Chloe, despite everything, would say there was nothing wrong.’
‘How
could
she?’ said Sam.
‘It’s possible Nimbus drugged her,’ said Aidan briefly. ‘It’s true she’s begun the good fight back but it might not be enough. It’s a difficult situation but for the moment I think it’s best if we manage on our own.’ He turned to Leela. ‘You stay here with Chloe but it would be useful if you could come over to Kingsholt – say tomorrow morning – to keep in touch and make sure everything’s in order and tell us about Chloe.’ He turned to Sam and Tyler. ‘I want you two to keep an eye open. It might be an idea if you kick a ball about and have a look round. If you see or hear anything of Nimbus or Tammy you must let me know. I’ll be up in the woods sawing branches. I’ll have a good view from there.’ He looked grave. ‘Nimbus’ll stop at nothing now he’s lost Chloe. He kidnapped her to bargain with us and now he hasn’t got her, he’ll either try to find her or go after the ‘treasure’ on his own.’
‘How can he?’ said Sam.
‘I believe he’s got the right map,’ said Aidan quietly. ‘Whether he can read it or not is another matter. So please pray. We needhelp to sort it all out, and that’s the moment we’ll call the police if we have to.’
Sam buttered a large chunk of bread and ate it slowly. This morning he was less afraid than he had been last night and yet he was haunted by what he might have to do. He had no means of defending himself. Unlike Aidan, he carried nothing in his pockets, or nearly nothing. He emptied them out. In the face of danger, what good was a scraper and a brown feather? Yet for some reason he felt unwilling to part with them. Words from nowhere came into his head.
They keep me in touch with that past world, when the valley was filled with the singing of psalms.
Leela gave him a shrewd look. She went out of the room and came back with a small brown bottle in a plastic bag. ‘Now this should take your mind off things,’ she said. ‘It’s a small present. Can you guess what it is?’
Sam unscrewed the lid and smelt the brown liquid. ‘Nice smell. Oak gall ink?’
Leela smiled. ‘You’re right. And there’s quite a story to it.
A long time ago, when I was decorating the cottage, I was scraping the wallpaper in the hall and I found a door and some stone steps leading to a cellar. Behind the door there was an old shopping bag with this ink inside it, and —’ she nodded at the fireplace, ‘I also found the silver pendant and one or two other things, maybe put there for safekeeping by one of the family. Perhaps your grandmother, Emily Penfold…’
‘Did you ever explore the cellar? asked Sam.
Leela shook her head. ‘I kept the door locked and threw away the key. After all, I didn’t want little Tyler wandering down there, did I?’ She looked thoughtful. ‘The story might be of use. Uncle George told me that a hermit once lived here and used a passage from the cellar to the stone mines. But I don’t know.’ She poured out some more tea for Aidan.
‘Anyway,’ she said, ‘don’t dwell on these things, Sam. My point is that if you do your calligraphy, it’ll take your mind offwhat happened last night. You could make a quill out of that feather in your pocket. There’s nothing like a craft to keep the mind calm. I do rugs myself.’
‘Thanks, Leela. ‘Sam smelled the
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