Michael snorted, and then he grinned. “Katie
is
an angel,” he began, innocently, “but I don’t think she’ll ever be a nun.”
He just caught a hint of the smile Katie choked back when he glanced at her, but she managed to suppress it.
“Well, Katie?” Michael said. “Are you packing up that cardboard suitcase of yours and leaving me, darling?”
Katie moistened her lips, then said firmly, “No, sir.”
“Well, in that case, we can bid our esteemed visitors good day. I hope you’ll convey my respects to Katie’s mother. Tell her that her daughter is in very good hands.”
“Will I tell her that wedding bells will be heard before long?” said the Monsignor, with a sour look on his face.
“What?” said Michael.
Mrs. Brown took up the cudgels. “Look here. You’ve made it clear that you and Miss Rafferty have become … intimate. Are we to understand that you’ll be making an honest woman of her?”
Michael bristled with annoyance. “That is a very impertinent question.”
“It was a question that needed to be asked,” added the Monsignor.
“No. It did not. Kindly leave my house before I get out of this chair and throw you out,” Michael said, as if the force of his feelings would give him back the use of his legs at any moment.
Then he saw Katie’s face, and instantly regretted his words. She looked saddened, disappointed even. She got up to show the visitors out and she kept her cool, but Michael knew she was hiding her feelings.
She must think he was acting like a complete cad. She knew nothing of the private agony he felt about their future. Katie deserved the best of everything. The very best. She’d make a fine wife, and a wonderful mother. Her strength of character and her determination were just what this place needed — what
he
needed. But how could he ask for that, when the partnership would be so unequal? When he couldn’t give her children? For the first time in his life, Michael realized that for all his money and good fortune, he didn’t really think he was good enough.
Alfie would never have believed the boys’ tales of a ghost if he hadn’t woken up one night and heard it for himself.
He decided that this ghost business needed to be investigated.
First of all, he had to work out where the noise was coming from. When he had discovered that, he had a feeling that the rest of his scientific inquiry would fall into place.
He went down the curved stone steps that led downstairs. He crept past his lordship’s bedroom, not wanting to wake him. He opened the double doors that led through the adjacent sitting room and into the Long Gallery, the huge long room where all the paintings were displayed. He was so small and light he could move without making a sound. He hid in the shadow of a defunct grandfather clock and peered along the gallery.
“Thump, thump, thump.”
Now that he was nearer, he could hear another noise, a sort of rhythmic scraping noise, and something that sounded a bit like a door with a squeaky hinge.
“Oh, my giddy aunt,” Alfie muttered under his breath as he peeked into the Long Gallery. It was Mister Lord, and he was
walking
— sort of. He had rigged a kind of walkway for himself between two rows of old wooden chairs, turned so that he could use the backs of the chairs for support. He was staggering along, very slowly, huffing and panting with the effort. His legs didn’t bend like a normal person’s legs; instead, they clanked. Alfie realized he must be wearing some kind of leg braces for support. Alfie thought they needed a little oil, because Mister Lord was squeaking like a rusty night. He kept his trap shut and watched to see what happened next.
When his lordship reached the end of the chair row, he hesitated uncertainly. He almost turned back and then decided to attempt a little unassisted walking. He took a few unsupported steps with a supreme effort. He wavered and wobbled dangerously as Alfie held his breath.
Michael tried to take the next uncertain step forward but his foot caught on the edge of the matting. Alfie wanted to close his eyes tight, but they remained wide open. Then, with all the grace of a tall pine tree being felled — and no one to call out “Timber!” — his lordship collapsed and fell heavily onto the stone floor of the Long Gallery.
He swore like a sailor, and rolled around on the floor trying to right himself for a while, while Alfie watched in horrified amazement. Alfie had two choices. He could run out from his hiding place to help, risking getting into trouble, or he could stay where he was and watch the poor man lying in pain on the floor.
He chose to give himself away. He ran forward and helped haul Michael into a sitting position.
Michael gave a start of surprise, and tried to push his assailant away. “What the devil — ”
“It’s not the devil, sir, it’s Alfie.”
“Yes, I can see that. What are you doing up and about?”
“I could ask you the same question, Mister. I don’t think Katie would be too pleased if she knew you were doing something like this.”
“You are not to tell her. I’m planning a surprise.”
“She’ll get a real surprise, all right, if she comes in here one morning and finds you in a heap on the carpet.”
“I’d like to be able to ask her to dance,” Michael said. “I’m getting better at it every night.”
Alfie seriously doubted that Michael’s staggering gait could ever be construed as dancing. He examined the leg braces critically. Michael straightened out his legs so the boy wonder could have a better look. The metal bars and struts formed a kind of supportive cage around each leg.
“Are they very heavy?”
“Very,” Michael said, rubbing his legs ruefully.
“They need to be lighter,” Alfie observed.
“I’m getting used to the weight every time I practice.”
“Yes, but it’s wearing you out. And it’s putting you off balance, too.”
Alfie examined the fastenings that went under each foot, attached with a little leather strap. “How did you get them on?”
“With great difficulty,” Michael admitted. “Took nearly an hour the first time, I’ve got it down to about twenty minutes now.”
Alfie suddenly had a light bulb moment. “I can see the problem. You’re too tall.”
“Nonsense, I’m exactly the right height.”
“The braces aren’t long enough then. They don’t give you enough support.”
Michael made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “Help me up, will you? I don’t want to waste valuable time.”
Alfie struggled to get Michael into a standing position.
“They aren’t long enough, sir. You need to have some specially made.”
Michael’s face changed. Maybe he finally realized that Alfie might be right.
“Can you keep a secret, boy?”
Alfie nodded.
“If I took you to a place where they could make metal things, could you explain what you mean about making the struts longer?”
Katie wrote a long letter to her mother, trying to undo some of the damage that Tom O’Brien had done. It was not the first time she had written home since the incident with the Monsignor. Her last letter didn’t even get a reply. This time, she painted an elaborate picture of the whole situation between her and Michael, making it sound much more respectable than it was, telling her parents they mustn’t worry, and that Tom was stirring up trouble, as always.
She felt a little guilty as she stuck the stamp on the envelope, but surely it wasn’t a sin to pour oil on troubled waters?
Then she ran downstairs. In the hallway, she collared Roy to ask him to mail it for her. “See if you can catch the last post, there’s a good boy. I’ll give you a sixpence if you do.”
“I’ll do it for a shilling. It’s a long walk down to the post office.”
“Oh, it’s not, Roy. For a big, strong lad like you, it’s practically within shouting distance.”
“Shilling. Or I’m not going.”
“I’ll take it myself if you’re going to take that attitude. Only I’ve got the dinner to cook, and you do like bangers and mash, don’t you Roy?”
“With gravy?”
“Lots of it. I might even do some onion rings if you take my letter down to the village.”
Roy thought about this for a moment. “Where’s the sixpence, then?”
Katie found it for him and told him to hurry. Then she retreated to the kitchen and set to work on the preparations for supper.
About two minutes later, she heard the unmistakable sound of a car engine. She looked up to see the MG, with Roy behind the wheel, rolling past the kitchen window.
“What in the blue blazes … ” she murmured. She abandoned the sausages and ran out of the kitchen door.
“Roy! You can’t! Stop. Wait.”
She raced after the car as it disappeared round the side of the house.
“Stop right there, young man!”
She only caught up with him because he had to stop to open the front gate. She arrived beside the car, breathless and cross.
“What on earth do you think you’re doing?”
Roy looked up at her like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. “You told me to hurry. I was only trying to do what you said.”
“I didn’t say you could take his lordship’s car.”
Then Roy leaned across and opened the passenger door for her. Impersonating Michael’s accent, he patted the seat and said, “Come on. Come for a spin. You know you want to.”
Katie stared right back at him, unimpressed.
“Roy. For the last time. Stop that nonsense and get out of the car.”
“What? And leave it here, blocking the gate? Come on Katie, it would only take a minute to whiz down to the post office and back. Don’t be a spoil sport.”
Katie sighed. “I’ve the dinner to cook.”
“We could’ve been there and back in the time we’ve spent arguing about it,” Roy pointed out. “Come on. We’ll be back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail. Honest!”
“I … suppose so,” Katie said, not wanting to give in to the boy’s demands, but keen to resolve the dispute somehow. “You’ll have to let me drive.”
“No. I’m not letting a girl walk all over me.” Roy scowled at her.
Katie scowled back. “Then you’ll be walking to the village, and getting no pocket money for a month.”
She thought she was going to get another of his cheeky remarks, but after a few seconds, he seemed to recognize that a compromise was needed. Reluctantly, he relinquished the driver’s seat and went round to the other side.
They got in the car and Kate jerked it backwards by mistake, and then ground the gears struggling to find the right one, before finally lurching into first and moving forward.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive? I’m much better at it than you.”
“Keep quiet and think about how you are going to explain this to his lordship when you get home, Roy.”
Kate headed for the road that led down to the village, thinking what an obstinate young man Roy was for persuading her into this. Twisting country lanes were difficult to navigate at the best of times, but in this state of agitation — Kate wrestled with a bend in the road and the wheels squealed.
Roy seemed nervous. “Steady on! Or pull over and I’ll drive.”
“You will not. If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times — ”
“Look out!”
Kate tried to take the next curve, and this time, the car didn’t make it. Kate lost control and the car squealed like an animal in pain. She saw Roy reach out and try to clutch at the steering wheel to help her, but it didn’t work. She could hear someone screaming as the car left the road — a high-pitched scream of dismay — and only dimly registered that it was her own voice.
• • •
Everything was eerily quiet, except for the hissing of the car, when Roy opened his eyes. The crash impact must have knocked him out for a few moments. He hoped it was only moments. He craned his neck and tried to see over the bonnet. The car must have careered off the edge of the road and down into the ditch. It was completely still now, nose down in the little stream of water at the bottom of the ditch. The windscreen was shattered and when Roy tried to move, he heard little bits of glass tinkling all around him. There was a smell of petrol and that peculiar hissing noise.
He turned awkwardly and glanced across at the passenger seat, fearful of what he might see. Katie was lying on her side, with her face away from him.
“You all right?”
She didn’t answer, not even when he shook her. He didn’t know how to take a pulse.
With a blind panic rising in his chest, he tried to get himself out of the car. The door was jammed but he slithered up and out of the window. He ran round the other side to see what had happened to Katie. Her eyes were closed.
Roy ran like the wind, only vaguely aware of an ugly looking gash on his arm. He felt no pain. He just kept running, feet slamming along the road in a rapid rhythm.
Katie’s hurt. The car’s wrecked. Got to get help.
At first, the fear and the adrenalin kept him running, but he was getting a pain in his side from running too fast. He didn’t even consider the possibility that another car might come along in the opposite direction. It hardly ever did. He had to find a house and there wasn’t one anywhere in sight. He hoped he didn’t have to run all the way back to Great Farrenden to get help. He’d just about die if he had to do that.
Then, Roy saw a small row of cottages, and with a new burst of energy, he sprinted toward the first one. He almost keeled over in the front porch, so out of breath he was unable to knock on the door. But they must have seen him coming, because the door opened, and a lady in hair rollers appeared.
“Help me, please,” gasped Roy. “There’s been an accident. She’s hurt.”
“Your mother?”
“No. Not my mum, my mum’s dead. No, Katie’s not dead. I hope not, but she wasn’t moving. You’ve got to help her!”
• • •
Katie woke to find herself on the chaise in the library. Michael had been banished from the room, and she was alone with Dr. Larchwood.
“Steady on,” he said, when she tried to hoist herself up into a sitting position. “You fainted, my dear, from the shock of the car accident. Do you remember?”
Visions of coming to in the car flooded into Katie’s mind.