[Reviews - 59]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 1546 times

- Text Size +




Chapter 16


Billy stood up looked down the corridor both ways, he could hear the voice of the guide, then he saw his mom…

“Come on Billy, keep up!” She stood for a few seconds with her hands on her hips, but she was smiling.

Grinning too, Billy scampered down the hall and turned right to hear Deborah Carling say,

“And here we are again, back in the Great Hall – now are there any questions?”

One of the little old Scottish ladies asked

“What happened to Sir Jasper Blackmore – do you know?”

“Ah, the devilish Sir Jasper, everybody always wants to know about THAT cad! We believe he was hanged for treason”

“No, he wasn’t” Young Billy piped up, and everybody turned and looked at him, the people parting to turn fully

“I’m sorry?” Miss Carling said, with a smile

“You said Sir Jasper was hanged for treason, he wasn’t – he was hanged for the murder of Miss Drusilla D’Evarle – he’d traced her back to her uncles house, strangled her, then he tried to kill the uncle too so he wouldn’t get caught out in the crime of murder - and get rid of any evidence of his doing by setting fire to the place” Billy said clearly

“Really, this is news to me!” Deborah Carling said

Billy nodded and said quite definitely,

“It’s true – but the uncle, Ethan Raine, although badly battered and burned managed to drag himself from the burning building and get himself onto his horse, which took him to the village, where he raised the alarm – about his cottage and what Sir Jasper had done to his niece, the locals dashed to the cottage, and it was saved from totally burning down, but Ethan Raine died of his injuries a few days later – the soldiers easily picked up Sir Jasper, he was sleeping rough as he had no money, and he was tried and sentenced to death – he was hanged two days later and the warrant for his arrest for treason was cancelled”

“Well! That is FACINATING!” Deborah Carling beamed at the young lad, as was everybody else.

“My son huh, ALWAYS got his nose in a book!” Buffy said, ruffling Billy’s hair.

After putting another few ‘inaccuracies’ right that Miss Carling had got wrong, Billy eventually went outside and joined everybody

“The lady said I could come here anytime – for free!”

“And how do you know such things, was it that book you bought in Cockington?” Sam asked with a grin

“Sought of!” Billy said

When nobody else was listening and talking to each other Billy went up to his dad

“Dad, I’ve had SUCH an adventure!” Spike smiled and looked at his son

“Did you – well I’m glad you enjoyed it!”

“I was there – really there – I had on knickerbockers and a lace thing round my neck, and a tight waistcoat – and Sir Jasper and Lady D’Evarle was trying to poison mom – well she looked like mom, and aunty Willow was there as my governess, and Sam was the stable groom and uncle Xander was a footman!”

Spike smiled

“Were they – gosh, sounds as if you DID have a real adventure!”

“Come on you two, keep up, else we’ll eat all the lunch!” Buffy called

Billy and his dad caught up with everyone as they walked over the footbridge to the picnic area.

They sat at two of the picnic tables and spread out the lunch. While they were busily eating, Deborah Carling came out and spoke to them

“We were fascinated by what young Billy was telling us, and the current Lord Blackmore said that Billy can come here anytime he likes, this is a free pass for him, and an adult of course – and if he has any other stories to tell, well, we’d be fascinated to hear them!”

Billy beamed and took the free pass, remembered his manners impeccably and thanked her

“I can tell you lots of stories – real stuff, not made up!”

Buffy smile/frowned and shook her head at Spike, who grinned and shrugged, then he whispered to her,

“He told me he was there, really there, Willow was his governess, Sam was a groom at the stables, Sir Jasper and this Drusilla D’Evarle were trying to poison you…” Buffy’s brows rose, she smiled and whispered back

“Well…he does seem to know an awful lot about the place, that’s for sure!”

“We’ll get him to tell us more when we get home” Buffy nodded.

**************

Home at last, Spike carried his sleeping daughter up the path

“Hey, there’s a light on” Spike opened the door

“Hmm…smell that!” Izzie stirred and woke, rubbing her eyes

“Hello my darlings!”

“Aunty Peggy – you’ll never guess what – the latest Lord at Blackmore Hall has given me a free pass to go there any time I want to – because I told them what had really happened when the guide lady had got some things wrong!”

“Did you darling – you ARE a clever boy!” She drew him into her large arms giving him a cuddly-hug.

Peggy then looked up at Buffy

“Hope you don’t mind love, I thought I’d come and put those bedding plants in for you as it was half-day closing, then I thought that you’d possibly be hungry after all that walking about, so I’ve roasted you a leg of pork – it’ll need another hour to crisp up the crackling, and I’ve prepared the veggies for you, see?”

Buffy smiled as she could see saucepans full of peeled potatoes, carrots, prepared broccoli and green beans all ready to boil

“There’s apple sauce and homemade sage and onion stuffing too” Peggy said

“YOU are an angel!” Buffy said, also spying a Victoria sponge-cake oozing raspberry jam on a plate on the side, along with some freshly baked sultana scones and some lemon and coconut buns…

“Oh Lordy I’m going to get SO FAT!” Willow said grinning and patting her tummy!

Buffy insisted that Peggy and Sam stay, after all there was plenty to go round, and then after Peggy was more than happy to baby sit while they went to the pub.

“Your aunt is an angel – that was such a delicious dinner!”

Spike spread himself out on the seat in the pub, he put his arm around Buffy and they sat chatting

While they were chatting, Spike noticed this guy who was helping him with his new book and he went and introduced Buffy to him.

This gave Willow and Sam a chance to talk privately.

“The week has gone by SO quickly!” Willow said

“I know…”

“Only got another one to go”

“Don’t” Sam said quietly Willow looked at him, but Sam was looking at his shoes

She reached for his hand and he took hers and gently squeezed it.

“Let’s not spoil things by thinking of me leaving yet”

“I’ll drink to that!” Sam said looking up and smiling – he looked deeply into her eyes and snatched a quick kiss. Buffy had been looking over at them realised that their talk seemed serious…

“Buffy?” she looked up and waved to the guy who was now heading for the door

“What – Oh sorry, miles away, bye, nice meeting you” Spike turned to Buffy

“That’ll be great, won’t it!”

“Sorry – I wasn’t listening…I was thinking…those two look awfully serious”

“Who two – oh…golly yes, they do”

Willow and Sam were gazing into each other’s eyes, totally oblivious to anybody else in the pub.

“You’re gonna have to think of something to cheer him up when she goes, you know”

“Yeah, I’ve been a bit worried about that, he seems as though he’s fallen for her awfully hard”

“Sure has…anyway come on lets get back to them before those mental arrows that Aussie barmaid is flinging their way actually start materialising! – What was great anyway, you said that’ll be great when thingy left just?”

“Oh that, he’s found out more photographs for me of the exact area I want too”

“Good – so who’s round is it?” Buffy said, nudging Sam in the back before sitting down

“Huh – oh mine if you say so” Sam stood and went to the bar

“Must be love, it was my round!” Spike said with a grin and Willow went very red.

*******************

The rest of holiday passed in a blur, with Sam being a permanent fixture either at the cottage or on their outings with the family, and when the day came for Willow to leave, well, there were tears practically all round.

A week after she’d gone, despite the nightly phone calls, Sam was still like a bear with a sore head. He and Spike were in the garage doing an oil-change on the old van. Or rather, they were TRYING to, Spike had long left Sam to it …………………

“Sodding, bloody thing – ahh!” The sound of the spanner hitting the garage floor, and Sam angrily cradling bloodied knuckles to his chest had Buffy raising her eyebrows as she bought in two mugs of coffee for them.

“Problem?”

“Bloody thing’s rusted in, I can’t shift it!”

“And what bloody thing rusted in would that be, hmm?”

Spike stood leaning against the garage wall, he shrugged and sipped his coffee.

“That nut there, holding the oil-filter in place………bloody, sodding, blinding thing, I wish to god I hadn’t ever started on the – oh, is that me? – Yes- hold on…oh, it’s Willow, I MUST take this!”

His face now wreathed in smiles, Sam strode out of the garage to take his call.

Buffy picked up the spanner and without much effort she loosened the nut.

“I was going to do that!” Spike said, grinning

“Well, I’ve saved you the bother. Anyway, I’m off to take Izzie to the playgroup, so I’ll see you at lunchtime. I’ll bring something in, shall I? - Pasties or something?”

“Great. Oh look, by the look on his face, it’s good news” Spike nodded towards his friend. Buffy looked at Sam, who was now striding back towards the garage, grinning ear to ear.

“Guess what, she’s coming home!”

“What?” Buffy and Spike asked together, confused

“My Willow, silly! – She’s moving to Exeter University for her final year, so she’ll be moving back here, she’s coming back home here to me, isn’t that great!”


The End (For now)





You must login (register) to review.