Page 47 of Beatrix

He spread his hands to indicate he’d finished. ‘Any questions?’

There were none. Indeed, the room was silent as its occupants grappled to absorb the enormity of the undertaking. In the end, it was Charlotte who broke it, muttering, ‘After this I fully intend to take up embroidery…’

The parlour emptied by degrees as the afternoon wore into evening. Arnold, along with Jem and Spry, retreated into the bar, leaving Ben, Henry, Rhys and Rob to go over the finer details of the plan again - this time with the medicinal assistance of a large brandy. At the same time, Gladys closeted with Charlotte, Alex and Bella to work out the finer details of Billy’s transformation on the morrow.

The object of their discussion was content to play chase with Aggie out in the yard, joined by Daisy and Florence, who were still young enough to indulge in occasional childish pursuits. Indeed, as they left the parlour, Daisy was busy telling Billy that she could quite easily deliver a very convincing bang on the head should it prove necessary…

Following on behind, Bernice and Beatrix exchanged a grin as they made their way up the narrow stairs to the sisters’ shared bedchamber.

It was the first opportunity they’d had to catch up on each other’s doings, and Beatrix found her twin’s presence even more of a comfort than she’d anticipated. Despite her initial reluctance to share her feelings with Bernie, she found herself telling her twin everything.

As always, Bernice went directly to the heart of the matter. ‘You’re afraid he won’t come back.’ It wasn’t phrased as a question, and though Bea started to deny it, she eventually sagged back with a sigh and nodded her head.

‘I know I’m being foolish,’ she confessed, ‘and please don’t tell me that now is not the time to focus on romantic nonsense - I know that too.’ She shook her head before adding, ‘I don’t feel like me anymore. Is love supposed to give one the mulligrubs?’

Bernie settled herself on the bed, leaning against the enormous carved headboard. The very notion that her twin sister might have fallen in love had in truth hit her hard, and she was struggling with… not jealousy exactly, it was more a fear of change. Fear that nothing would ever be the same again. Since birth, the two of them had shared everything. Always together. The middle twins. The ones most likely to cause a scene or make a cake of themselves – at least until Daisy and Florence left the nursery…

But, staring at Beatrix now, Bernice knew she’d already lost her. And it had happened almost overnight. She forced back the temptation to cry, to say something cutting… anything to stop it, to keep Bea hers.

Instead, she swallowed, and told her sister the truth - only the slightest wobble revealing her pent-up emotion. ‘I’ve never been in love, so I’m not really the right person to ask,’ she confessed quietly. ‘But I can tell you that I don’t believe he’s toying with you. I don’t think he’s that type of man. His eyes continually sought you out while we were in the parlour, and I doubt I was the only one who noticed. I think if he said he would come back, he will.’ She hesitated, then took hold of her sister’s hand, her heart breaking inside. ‘There is of course one other option…

‘You could go with him.’

CHAPTER 20

Gladys, Arnold and Billy slipped away immediately after breakfast the following morning while the rest of them readied themselves to leave.

After ordering the waggonette to take them to the station, Henry settled the bill for the entire party up to the next morning, declaring the whole trip a runaway success - largely due to the Crown and Thistle’s excellent proprietor. ‘It’s been a real treat for the less fortunate members of our family,’ he remarked with an overly bright chuckle, ‘though as my sister mentioned, it’s certainly put a dent in the coffers.’

* * *

I’ll keep watch from ‘ere,’ Arnold decided on reaching a small thicket fifty yards away from the gate to the folly.

He and Gladys regarded Billy critically. He was hardly recognisable as the same boy. His clothes were filthy, his hair matted and stuck to his head with dried blood – conveniently appropriated from the liver ready and waiting in Jem’s pocket. He was pale with dark rings underneath his eyes and a haunted look that was particularly convincing – mostly because it owed nothing to artifice.

‘Right, me Artful Dodger, you don’t say nothin’. Jus look like you don’t know wot bloody day it is an’ leave the rest to me.’ Billy swallowed, taking her proffered hand.

‘I’ll be watchin’,’ Arnold growled. ‘An’ no matter wot the bloomin’ peeler said, if yer in trouble, I’ll come an’ get you’

Gladys nodded, touching his arm. Seconds later, Arnold saw them appear a few yards from the gate.

‘It’s the same bloke we saw before,’ Billy hissed as the guard spotted them.

‘Not another bloody word now,’ his companion whispered back.

If Gladys was intimidated by the mountain-like specimen guarding the gate, she showed no sign of it. ‘I reckon I might o’ found summat belongin’ to you or that mausoleum over there,’ she said, nodding towards the apparently deserted building, while dragging Billy closer to the guard. The boy didn’t need to feign nitwittedness since his tongue had actually welded itself to the roof of his mouth.

‘Why would a scrawny brat like that belong here?’ The guard's words were dismissive, but his eyes told a different story as they narrowed, looking Billy up and down.

Gladys shrugged. ‘Found ‘im curled up on a lane ‘bout a mile away,’ she said. ‘The poor sprog can’t remember ‘is bloody name but kept sayin’ the word Grange. Since there ain’t another Grange anywhere hereabouts, I brought ‘im ‘ere.’ Frowning, the guard stepped closer, his hand reaching out to Billy’s arm. ‘I’ll take him up to the house,’ he growled, sounding remarkably like Arnold.

In answer, Glady’s pulled the boy tight into her skirts. ‘I reckon ‘e might ‘ave ‘it ‘is ‘ead on summat or p’raps fell out of a tree,’ she said, ‘I want to make sure ‘e’s checked over good an’ proper.’

For a second, Gladys thought the man was going to grab hold of the boy, and her left hand slipped into her skirt, seeking her one and only weapon. But before his fingers made contact, he dropped his hand and stepped back.

‘Go straight up to the door, they’ll let you know if he works here.’ He opened the gate and stood back.

Gladys nodded and pulling the mercifully still silent Billy along behind her, she stepped through the opening.