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Authors: Philippa Carr
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the beauty of the countryside, could not fail to have their effect on me. I felt more carefree than I had since I lost Beau and it seemed as though nature was telling me that I must not go on brooding forever. One season was past but another was beginning. Beau had gone and I must face that.
And yet what of the button I had found in Enderby? What of the scent of musk that had hung in the air? I had gone there again and there was no longer perfume in the air. There was nothing. I could have believed I had imagined it all but for the button.
He must have left it there before he went away. It could have remained in a corner, and perhaps when Mistress Pilkington went through the house she disturbed it. Yes, a possibility, but what of that scent?
58You could have imagined it, I told myself.
Perhaps I wanted to think that on this May morning. I began to think of riding in the woods near Eyot Abbass with Benjie and rowing over to the Eyot with him. We could picnic there and stroll among the ruins. I was conceived there. My mother had told me that much. And when she and my father, Jocelyn, had returned to the mainland he had been captured and taken off to his execution. Yes, it was not to be wondered at that I had a special feeling for the Eyot.
We rode for a long time along the coast road and made good progress the first day.
The weather was ideal and we put up at dusk at the Dolphin Inn, where I had stayed on other occasions and was known to the host. He was delighted to see me and my party and served us some very good pike. There were quarters for us all at the inn, and following a good night’s rest we left early in the morning after a hearty breakfast of ale and cold bacon with freshly baked bread to which we did justice.
The morning began well. The sun was warm and the roads fairly good, and just before midday we stopped at the Rose and Grown and there partook of pigeon pies with the inn’s special brew of cider, which was a little more potent than we realized. I had very little of it but the groom in charge of the saddlebags was less abstemious and by the time we were ready to go he had fallen into a deep sleep.
I roused him but I could see that he would be little use on the road until he had a rest.
I said to Jem, the chief of the groom guards: “We can either wait or leave him.”
“If we wait, mistress,” answered Jem, “we’ll not reach the Black Boar by dusk.”
“We could stop somewhere else, perhaps.”
“I know of no place, mistress, and your mother was insistent that we stay at the Black Boar.”
I shrugged my shoulders impatiently. “We will find somewhere else. It only means that we shall be a little late arriving at Eyot Abbass.”
“I know of no inn other than that of the Black Boar in the district; and we have to be careful. There are all sorts of wicked people on the roads. My lady impressed on me that we were to keep to the main roads and to stay only at inns which we knew could be trusted.”
“There is so much fuss,” I said.
59”Mistress, I am to guard you and I dare not disobey my orders.”
“Well, I’m giving orders now,” I said. “We have to decide whether to leave that oaf to sleep off his drunkenness and go on without him or wait.”
“To go on without him means there are only two of us to look after you.”
“Oh, come, I am not a helpless invalid. I can give a good account of myself if necessary.
Give him an hour and if he is not fully awake by then we’ll leave him here. He can follow us with the saddle horses and at least we will get to the Black Boar tonight.”
This was what we did. The grooms were very uneasy. I laughed at Jem. “You are looking over your shoulder all the time, Jem,” I cried. “Just because Old torn gets tipsy on cider we are in no greater danger. I’ll swear he would be little good to us if we were attacked and we shall get away more easily without the packhorses. Moreover we have less to be robbed of.”
“There’s bad omens,
And yet what of the button I had found in Enderby? What of the scent of musk that had hung in the air? I had gone there again and there was no longer perfume in the air. There was nothing. I could have believed I had imagined it all but for the button.
He must have left it there before he went away. It could have remained in a corner, and perhaps when Mistress Pilkington went through the house she disturbed it. Yes, a possibility, but what of that scent?
58You could have imagined it, I told myself.
Perhaps I wanted to think that on this May morning. I began to think of riding in the woods near Eyot Abbass with Benjie and rowing over to the Eyot with him. We could picnic there and stroll among the ruins. I was conceived there. My mother had told me that much. And when she and my father, Jocelyn, had returned to the mainland he had been captured and taken off to his execution. Yes, it was not to be wondered at that I had a special feeling for the Eyot.
We rode for a long time along the coast road and made good progress the first day.
The weather was ideal and we put up at dusk at the Dolphin Inn, where I had stayed on other occasions and was known to the host. He was delighted to see me and my party and served us some very good pike. There were quarters for us all at the inn, and following a good night’s rest we left early in the morning after a hearty breakfast of ale and cold bacon with freshly baked bread to which we did justice.
The morning began well. The sun was warm and the roads fairly good, and just before midday we stopped at the Rose and Grown and there partook of pigeon pies with the inn’s special brew of cider, which was a little more potent than we realized. I had very little of it but the groom in charge of the saddlebags was less abstemious and by the time we were ready to go he had fallen into a deep sleep.
I roused him but I could see that he would be little use on the road until he had a rest.
I said to Jem, the chief of the groom guards: “We can either wait or leave him.”
“If we wait, mistress,” answered Jem, “we’ll not reach the Black Boar by dusk.”
“We could stop somewhere else, perhaps.”
“I know of no place, mistress, and your mother was insistent that we stay at the Black Boar.”
I shrugged my shoulders impatiently. “We will find somewhere else. It only means that we shall be a little late arriving at Eyot Abbass.”
“I know of no inn other than that of the Black Boar in the district; and we have to be careful. There are all sorts of wicked people on the roads. My lady impressed on me that we were to keep to the main roads and to stay only at inns which we knew could be trusted.”
“There is so much fuss,” I said.
59”Mistress, I am to guard you and I dare not disobey my orders.”
“Well, I’m giving orders now,” I said. “We have to decide whether to leave that oaf to sleep off his drunkenness and go on without him or wait.”
“To go on without him means there are only two of us to look after you.”
“Oh, come, I am not a helpless invalid. I can give a good account of myself if necessary.
Give him an hour and if he is not fully awake by then we’ll leave him here. He can follow us with the saddle horses and at least we will get to the Black Boar tonight.”
This was what we did. The grooms were very uneasy. I laughed at Jem. “You are looking over your shoulder all the time, Jem,” I cried. “Just because Old torn gets tipsy on cider we are in no greater danger. I’ll swear he would be little good to us if we were attacked and we shall get away more easily without the packhorses. Moreover we have less to be robbed of.”
“There’s bad omens,
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