Page 52 of Beatrix

‘Hasn’t anybody noticed that your demise is very much exaggerated?’ Rob asked her.

His answer was a shrug. ‘I reckon the lot of ‘em are bloody lazy. They’ve ‘ad it far too easy. Them up ‘ere’ll be thinkin’ the guard on the gate’s seen to it…’

As they finally approached the overgrown hedge separating the backyard, the barmaid suddenly stopped and turned back to Jem. ‘I ‘ope that stink is spoiled liver,’ she muttered. ‘Right now I reckon all we need to do is let you loose near the bloody guards, an’ they’ll keel over wi’ one whiff.’ In answer Jim gave a fierce grin, a sudden increase in the stench indicating he’d removed the revolting lump out of his pocket.

‘For pity’s sake, put it back,’ Ben growled.

Moments later they were crouching down behind the hedge. ‘Bugger it,’ Gladys muttered as she peered through the gap. ‘The dogs ‘ave gone. They must ‘ave let ‘em off after I left.’

‘Can we make it to the door without them alerting everyone inside that we’re here?’ Rhys whispered.

‘I don’t…’ Gladys started when a huge shape suddenly loomed up next to her. Everyone froze apart from the barmaid. ‘There you are,’ she crooned, ‘Jus’ you wait an’ see wot Aunty Gladys ‘as got fer you…’

* * *

Unbeknown to the occupants of the folly, the guard at the front gate was presently on his way to much hotter climes. As much as Henry had balked at the idea of yet more killing, he was no fool. Having been a police officer for more than thirty years, he well knew when a battle was worth fighting. The life of the mudsill at the gate wasn’t worth the price of eggs, and the truth was they were better off knowing he was no longer a consideration.

After informing his sister and daughters that the threat had been dealt with, he and Arnold walked down the drive, taking care to keep in the shadows. They were almost at the house when Henry spotted a small arbour about ten yards off the path. Tapping Arnold on the shoulder, he pointed, and moments later the two of them were out of sight.

Now, all they could do was wait.

Charlotte, on the other hand, wasted no time at all in vacating her blanket and taking advantage of the guard’s cosy hut. Her nieces might well have been a little more squeamish at the idea they were appropriating the property of a dead man, but their aunt’s mouthwatering description of his uneaten supper was enough to convince them that such admirable sensibilities had no place at nearly ten in the evening while stranded in the pitch-dark mere yards from a bunch of murderous lunatics.

And Aggie of course didn’t give it a second thought…

CHAPTER 22

‘You might have mentioned that the bloody dogs were friendly,’ Ben hissed when the second one appeared with the obvious intent of climbing into Jem’s pocket.

‘Slipped me mind,’ Gladys responded, completely without remorse. ‘I reckon one of us needs to creep all quiet like up to the kitchen door and check there’s no one on the other side of it - aside from the scullery maid o’ course.’

Rhys started to get to his feet, but Rob held him back, turning towards the two Bristolians. ‘Have you given all that liver to the dogs?’ he quizzed. Jem shook his head.

In answer, Rob grinned, an almost macabre sight with only the moon and the oil lamp in the kitchen window to illuminate it. ‘I’ve got an idea,’ he whispered. ‘Let’s get inside, and I’ll share it.’

In the event, they reached the kitchen door without incident and were able to slip through without alerting anyone. Indeed, the biggest problem was discouraging the two dogs from trying to come in with them.

As they’d hoped, the only occupant was Anna, but the scullery maid determinedly remained in the corner.

‘Wot time does the witch go to bed?’ Gladys asked her.

‘She’ll be abed now,’ Anna answered. To Ben’s relief her voice was low but determined. ‘An most o’ the guards’ll ‘ave turned in already to play whist. There’s usually jus’ one left outside the basement door, but even ‘e don’t ‘ang around much beyond eleven.’

‘Do they share a room?’ Rob asked.

Anna nodded. ‘The old dinin’ room on the next floor. They ‘ave mattresses on the floor. An’ a table an’ chairs enough fer their bloody games.

‘So, the guard outside the basement’s our immediate problem,’ Ben concluded. ‘Rob, what’s your idea?’

‘We can’t risk dealing with four armed guards at the same time, Rob stated, ‘so we need to create some kind of conflict between them.’

‘And I take it you’ve thought of a way to make that happen?’ Rhys commented drily.

‘I think the rest of that liver, placed in the lone guard’s pocket might well provoke some interesting questions about his hygiene,’ Rob answered, ‘and more importantly, I suspect there’ll be quite a few insults…’

‘That’s bang up to the elephant.’ Gladys chortled. ‘But ‘ow do we get the bloody liver into ‘is pocket wi’out ‘im noticin’?. I mean it don’t exactly smell o’ roses.’

‘I’ll do it.’ All six turned to look at the maid still in the corner. ‘The one on tonight is John,’ she continued. ‘I know ‘e’s hopin I’ll come fer a quick dab.’ She paused, colouring up. ‘I’ll pop the liver in ‘is jacket when ‘e starts strippin’ off.’