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Authors: Scarlett Bailey
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You’re going to need help moving the elderly and the sick. We can collect dinghies, waterproofs.’
‘I’ll help too,’ Alex said.
‘No,’ Ruan said. ‘You’ll be needed up at Castle House, and I think Buoy needs you too; look at him. He’s made the trip once. I’m not sure his gammy leg can do it again.’
‘Are you using my insane love for a dog to stop me from doing something that you consider to be too dangerous for a woman?’ Alex asked him.
‘No,’ Ruan told her gently. ‘I’m using it to stop the woman I love breaking her leg or worse in the days before our wedding.’
‘On this one occasion I will concede,’ Alex nodded, looking at Buoy, whose head was on Tamsyn’s knee, as he felt duty-bound to stay close to his charge. ‘Hopefully Skipper will pull me up the hill on his lead.’
‘I can help you, Ruan,’ Jed volunteered.
‘Vicar, the thing is, we need someone to get this lot up to Castle House safely,’ the sergeant said. ‘And I know you are more than up to the job.’
A look passed between the two men that Tamsyn couldn’t identify.
‘Honestly,’ Sue said. ‘We’re women, not poor helpless creatures that can’t manage a bit of rain.’
‘Ms Montaigne, I promise you that I have never in all my years of knowing you ever thought of you as a poor, helpless creature,’ the sergeant said. ‘However, that baby there is very vulnerable, and it’s as bad out there as I’ve ever seen it. Worse. People get killed in storms like these. I think we’ll be lucky if we don’t lose someone tonight. Time is running out before the water is under the door, and I happen to know that the vicar here has the sort of training that is going to help you manage the trip.’
‘Training?’ Sue turned her gimlet eye on Jed. ‘What haven’t you told us, Vicar?’
‘I used to be a boy scout,’ Jed told her.
‘Look, if we are going to go, can we go?’ Tamsyn said. ‘The baby needs food, a nappy and a place to lie down, like a bed. Can you put a baby in a bed, or maybe a drawer … a manger?’
Just at that moment, the lights snapped out.
‘Right, that seals it.’ The sergeant crossed to the window and peered out. ‘The whole town is out. The storm must have bought the power lines down, which is dangerous in itself. I’d better get out there and, Vicar, I’m relying on you to keep these ladies – and the baby – safe.’
‘Oh, for goodness’ sake,’ Sue said, and although Tamsyn couldn’t see her, she thought she was most likely rolling her eyes. ‘Castle House has its own petrol-run generator – it’s as old as the hills but has never let us down yet, and we’ve plenty of firewood. I’m sure I’ve still got some newborn clothes somewhere. The only thing we will need to find is formula and nappies.’ Sue thought for a moment. ‘The Perkinses have just had a baby, and Elaine was poorly so couldn’t breastfeed, so I’m sure they will have some we can borrow. I will go and collect some – no arguments, Sergeant, I think you’ll find I can take care of myself. The Reverend can take this lot up to Castle House – the portcullis isn’t locked. Rory, you get the urns out from the cellar, start tea – and there twenty loaves of bread in the freezer and a ton of jam in the pantry – we can feast like kings tonight!’
‘Were you preparing for the apocalypse?’ Cordelia, nanny to the Montaigne children, asked her boss.
‘You clearly have no idea how much my children eat,’ Sue said. ‘Now, chop, chop – I think you’ll find that’s water seeping under the door. Toodle-pip!’
Sue clapped her hands together, her eyes glowing happily.
‘Ms Montaigne …’
‘No point in trying to stop her, Sergeant,’ Rory said. ‘She’s got that look in her eye. I’ll venture it’s the same one her relative had during the Spanish Raid in 1595.’
‘Oh, my pub,’ Rosie said, looking at the water that was gradually seeping into the carpet. ‘Oh Eddie, this is bad.
‘I’ll help too,’ Alex said.
‘No,’ Ruan said. ‘You’ll be needed up at Castle House, and I think Buoy needs you too; look at him. He’s made the trip once. I’m not sure his gammy leg can do it again.’
‘Are you using my insane love for a dog to stop me from doing something that you consider to be too dangerous for a woman?’ Alex asked him.
‘No,’ Ruan told her gently. ‘I’m using it to stop the woman I love breaking her leg or worse in the days before our wedding.’
‘On this one occasion I will concede,’ Alex nodded, looking at Buoy, whose head was on Tamsyn’s knee, as he felt duty-bound to stay close to his charge. ‘Hopefully Skipper will pull me up the hill on his lead.’
‘I can help you, Ruan,’ Jed volunteered.
‘Vicar, the thing is, we need someone to get this lot up to Castle House safely,’ the sergeant said. ‘And I know you are more than up to the job.’
A look passed between the two men that Tamsyn couldn’t identify.
‘Honestly,’ Sue said. ‘We’re women, not poor helpless creatures that can’t manage a bit of rain.’
‘Ms Montaigne, I promise you that I have never in all my years of knowing you ever thought of you as a poor, helpless creature,’ the sergeant said. ‘However, that baby there is very vulnerable, and it’s as bad out there as I’ve ever seen it. Worse. People get killed in storms like these. I think we’ll be lucky if we don’t lose someone tonight. Time is running out before the water is under the door, and I happen to know that the vicar here has the sort of training that is going to help you manage the trip.’
‘Training?’ Sue turned her gimlet eye on Jed. ‘What haven’t you told us, Vicar?’
‘I used to be a boy scout,’ Jed told her.
‘Look, if we are going to go, can we go?’ Tamsyn said. ‘The baby needs food, a nappy and a place to lie down, like a bed. Can you put a baby in a bed, or maybe a drawer … a manger?’
Just at that moment, the lights snapped out.
‘Right, that seals it.’ The sergeant crossed to the window and peered out. ‘The whole town is out. The storm must have bought the power lines down, which is dangerous in itself. I’d better get out there and, Vicar, I’m relying on you to keep these ladies – and the baby – safe.’
‘Oh, for goodness’ sake,’ Sue said, and although Tamsyn couldn’t see her, she thought she was most likely rolling her eyes. ‘Castle House has its own petrol-run generator – it’s as old as the hills but has never let us down yet, and we’ve plenty of firewood. I’m sure I’ve still got some newborn clothes somewhere. The only thing we will need to find is formula and nappies.’ Sue thought for a moment. ‘The Perkinses have just had a baby, and Elaine was poorly so couldn’t breastfeed, so I’m sure they will have some we can borrow. I will go and collect some – no arguments, Sergeant, I think you’ll find I can take care of myself. The Reverend can take this lot up to Castle House – the portcullis isn’t locked. Rory, you get the urns out from the cellar, start tea – and there twenty loaves of bread in the freezer and a ton of jam in the pantry – we can feast like kings tonight!’
‘Were you preparing for the apocalypse?’ Cordelia, nanny to the Montaigne children, asked her boss.
‘You clearly have no idea how much my children eat,’ Sue said. ‘Now, chop, chop – I think you’ll find that’s water seeping under the door. Toodle-pip!’
Sue clapped her hands together, her eyes glowing happily.
‘Ms Montaigne …’
‘No point in trying to stop her, Sergeant,’ Rory said. ‘She’s got that look in her eye. I’ll venture it’s the same one her relative had during the Spanish Raid in 1595.’
‘Oh, my pub,’ Rosie said, looking at the water that was gradually seeping into the carpet. ‘Oh Eddie, this is bad.
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