Free The Gypsy Crown by Kate Forsyth Page A

snapped out his whip. The horses took off at once, anxious to be away from that strange predatory smell drifting from the undergrowth. On the other side of the hedge, Sweetheart yawned and scratched her ear, and nudged Luka’s leg with her nose as if asking him for her ale.
    â€˜Lucky we didn’t go to the inn,’ Emilia said, and rubbed the old coin between her fingers.
    Luka looked rather pale. ‘Aye!’
    â€˜I’m so tired, I don’t want to walk any more.’
    â€˜Me neither.’
    They lay on the wet ground with the black leaves dripping water all over them, their legs aching, their stomachs hollow, and felt close to weeping.
    â€˜I can’t believe they’re still looking for us,’ Luka said gruffly. ‘Why does that mean old Fishface hate us so much? Why is he hunting us down?’
    â€˜Maybe it’s because I made him sit down in some cow muck,’ Emilia said. ‘Or maybe he just hates the Rom. He looks the sort of man who hates just about everyone.’
    â€˜How could anyone hate Mimi?’ Luka bit his lip as he heard his voice tremble.
    â€˜Or Noah?’ Emilia said, and put up one hand to rub away the tears trickling down her cold, numb face.
    Sweetheart moaned and put her paw over her eyes.
    Emilia and Luka laughed, then heaved a big sigh and sat up. It was almost dark, and all they could hear was the drip, drip, drip of the rain through the trees.
    â€˜We’re still miles away from Epsom,’ Emilia said.
    â€˜Let’s go and have a look at this house then,’ Luka said. ‘Maybe there’s somewhere we can doss down for a while. It’ll be good to cook our fish. I’m starving!’
    â€˜Me too,’ Emilia said miserably.
    â€˜Well, come on then.’
    Emilia hung back. ‘But what if there’s ghosts?’
    â€˜It was Sweetheart the horses were jibbing at, not ghosts,’ Luka scoffed.
    â€˜Aye, but …’
    â€˜Come on. It’s almost dark. We won’t be able to see a thing if we don’t go now.’
    â€˜Oh, very well,’ Emilia said, and got up, shaking all the leaves and twigs off her wet skirts, which were now so muddy they were almost as brown as her everyday skirt. They pushed their way through the undergrowth and out onto the lawn in front of the house. It had stopped raining, and an eerie light hung over the silent house and garden as the setting sun shone out from under the clouds. Everything was very quiet.
    Alida dropped her head and began tearing at the long grass. Sweetheart lay down on the flagstones with a sigh and rested her head on her paws. She did not understand where her master was, or why no one had set up camp and given her any supper. It was all very tiring and bewildering.
    With Zizi scampering ahead of them, and Rollo at their heels, Emilia and Luka walked round the house, looking up at the shrouded windows and occasionally trying the handles of any door they passed. All was locked, though, and they had no desire to smash a window unless they had to. At the back of the house was a walled garden, now thick with weeds, which must once have been the kitchen garden. It was too dark to see if anything edible grew among the weeds, but they did see a door standing ajar, and went in to a musty-smelling scullery with a pump where they were able to wash their hands and faces and quench their thirst.
    Baba had hung a small lantern on the side of their pack, and Luka managed to light this and set it on the sill. In doing so, he knocked over an old saucer, which fell to the ground and broke. Among the shards of china they saw a key. They glanced at each other in excitement, then Luka snatched up the key and tried it in the kitchen door. It was stiff and rusty, but he exerted all his strength and managed to turn it in the lock. The door croaked open.
    Keeping the lantern shuttered so only a thin ray of light struck out, the two children tiptoed into the house. The