out to sea as Verity and Judy gybed neatly round the channel marker.
Isaac nodded to himself. ‘Not bad,’ he said quietly. ‘Not bad at all.’
‘How did the Usages worm their way into the Gentry in the first place?’ Jeb asked.
‘Didn’t have to worm their way in. They were part and parcel of us.’
‘But they’re not real Gentry.’
‘Yes they are,’ said Isaac evenly. ‘That’s the nub of it, you see. At the heart, there’s as much greed and selfishness in the Gentry as there is honour and valour. And until we admit that, we’ll never overcome—’ He broke off. ‘What has to be overcome,’ he finished.
Jeb followed his grandfather’s gaze. He was staring thoughtfully at a patrician old lady, who was watching the match from a passageway beside the club.
Further along the balcony Henry grabbed his brother Will’s arm. ‘That’s Verity’s grandmother over there,’ he said, frowning. ‘By the post office jetty. I thought she was leaving … She really is the most peculiar woman.’ She was watching the match intently.
‘Maybe she’s interested in how Verity does, after all?’ said Will.
‘Mm,’ said Henry uncertainly. If so, she didn’t look very happy to see that Verity’s dinghy was winning. In fact she seemed furious. Anger distorted her fine features and her hands twitched as if she longed to take some form of action. Finally, almost unconsciously, she snapped her fingers in frustration.
* * *
Judy looked up at the little flag at the top of the mast. It was pointing away from the main sail. Her face fell.
‘The wind’s changed,’ she shouted, looking anxiously at the water. They were tearing along now, with a strong breeze behind them. ‘We’re running on the lee.’
Verity grinned happily, not understanding the words or registering her team-mate’s anxiety.
‘The mainsail’s on the wrong side of the bow for the wind direction,’ Judy snapped angrily, all former bonhomie lost in an instant. ‘We could gybe again at any time.’
Verity’s brow furrowed with concern. ‘Well, let’s gybe then,’ she said simply.
‘Oh, let’s gybe then,’
mimicked her team-mate furiously. ‘Yes, let’s just do that.’
‘Look at Moody Makepiece.’ Miranda Blake’s spiteful little voice gusted towards them across the water. ‘She’s going to blub like she did last time she capsized. She wet her knickers too, you know.’
‘We’ll be fine,’ soothed Verity. Instinctively she placed her hand on top of her team-mate’s at the tiller, hoping to calm and reassure the obviously scared girl. But in the same moment a gust of wind seized the dinghy’s sail. Judy cried out with fear.
The sail jerked across the boat, and with no conscious thought Verity dived over, sticking her bare feet under the straps and using them to attach herself to the boat. Instinctively she threw all her weight out of the dinghy, her body thrust out across the water to counteract the force ofthe sail. Then, as it righted itself, she moved back just as swiftly to the centre of the hull.
Jeb Tempest had noticed Verity’s grandmother smirk and raise an eyebrow; now he whooped with glee. ‘Did you see that?’ he shouted jubilantly. ‘Not a second’s thought – just sat her weight out and kept it upright. Fearless.’ Turning round to his grandfather, he grinned.
Isaac was a little more circumspect but he still smiled. ‘And she had the instinct to jump back to the middle,’ he agreed. ‘Looks just like her,’ he added proudly.
He and his grandson gazed at the daring young girl with the flowing brown hair and pink cheeks. With a triumphant smile Jeb turned to stare pointedly at Verity’s grandmother. The old woman looked furious.
‘Crikey,’ said Percy to his younger brother. ‘Your girl’s got some spirit.’
‘She’s not my girl,’ said Henry automatically, gazing in astonishment at Verity’s dinghy. ‘Charming,’ he added as Mrs Blake elbowed her way furiously
Isaac nodded to himself. ‘Not bad,’ he said quietly. ‘Not bad at all.’
‘How did the Usages worm their way into the Gentry in the first place?’ Jeb asked.
‘Didn’t have to worm their way in. They were part and parcel of us.’
‘But they’re not real Gentry.’
‘Yes they are,’ said Isaac evenly. ‘That’s the nub of it, you see. At the heart, there’s as much greed and selfishness in the Gentry as there is honour and valour. And until we admit that, we’ll never overcome—’ He broke off. ‘What has to be overcome,’ he finished.
Jeb followed his grandfather’s gaze. He was staring thoughtfully at a patrician old lady, who was watching the match from a passageway beside the club.
Further along the balcony Henry grabbed his brother Will’s arm. ‘That’s Verity’s grandmother over there,’ he said, frowning. ‘By the post office jetty. I thought she was leaving … She really is the most peculiar woman.’ She was watching the match intently.
‘Maybe she’s interested in how Verity does, after all?’ said Will.
‘Mm,’ said Henry uncertainly. If so, she didn’t look very happy to see that Verity’s dinghy was winning. In fact she seemed furious. Anger distorted her fine features and her hands twitched as if she longed to take some form of action. Finally, almost unconsciously, she snapped her fingers in frustration.
* * *
Judy looked up at the little flag at the top of the mast. It was pointing away from the main sail. Her face fell.
‘The wind’s changed,’ she shouted, looking anxiously at the water. They were tearing along now, with a strong breeze behind them. ‘We’re running on the lee.’
Verity grinned happily, not understanding the words or registering her team-mate’s anxiety.
‘The mainsail’s on the wrong side of the bow for the wind direction,’ Judy snapped angrily, all former bonhomie lost in an instant. ‘We could gybe again at any time.’
Verity’s brow furrowed with concern. ‘Well, let’s gybe then,’ she said simply.
‘Oh, let’s gybe then,’
mimicked her team-mate furiously. ‘Yes, let’s just do that.’
‘Look at Moody Makepiece.’ Miranda Blake’s spiteful little voice gusted towards them across the water. ‘She’s going to blub like she did last time she capsized. She wet her knickers too, you know.’
‘We’ll be fine,’ soothed Verity. Instinctively she placed her hand on top of her team-mate’s at the tiller, hoping to calm and reassure the obviously scared girl. But in the same moment a gust of wind seized the dinghy’s sail. Judy cried out with fear.
The sail jerked across the boat, and with no conscious thought Verity dived over, sticking her bare feet under the straps and using them to attach herself to the boat. Instinctively she threw all her weight out of the dinghy, her body thrust out across the water to counteract the force ofthe sail. Then, as it righted itself, she moved back just as swiftly to the centre of the hull.
Jeb Tempest had noticed Verity’s grandmother smirk and raise an eyebrow; now he whooped with glee. ‘Did you see that?’ he shouted jubilantly. ‘Not a second’s thought – just sat her weight out and kept it upright. Fearless.’ Turning round to his grandfather, he grinned.
Isaac was a little more circumspect but he still smiled. ‘And she had the instinct to jump back to the middle,’ he agreed. ‘Looks just like her,’ he added proudly.
He and his grandson gazed at the daring young girl with the flowing brown hair and pink cheeks. With a triumphant smile Jeb turned to stare pointedly at Verity’s grandmother. The old woman looked furious.
‘Crikey,’ said Percy to his younger brother. ‘Your girl’s got some spirit.’
‘She’s not my girl,’ said Henry automatically, gazing in astonishment at Verity’s dinghy. ‘Charming,’ he added as Mrs Blake elbowed her way furiously
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