Free Brothers at Arms

leather towards them, and suddenly the other two veered off to the sides; and Matthew’s horse shied, and pitched him over the head, into the water. I never saw anything like it.”
    “Where were you when this happened?” Tom asked.
    “I was coming across the park, and met the grooms exercising the horses. The little ’uns had slipped away earlier, and I was looking for them. As soon as we saw what happened, they helped me to drag Matthew out again. He’s all right, but it will teach him not to go near the water in a hurry.”
    “Was the ambush deliberate, do you think?”
    William Rufus stopped and rubbed his chin. “Oh, yes, sir,” he said. “No doubt about it.”
    “I wonder what she did.” Tom mused. “Something dastardly, I’ll be bound.”
    “No, sir, the little wench couldn’t have done anything to affect the horses like that. We’d have seen her.”
    “But could you hear her, if she made a sound? I begin to think that I have brought, one of the Irish
little people
to Linmore,” said Tom. “From now on, William Rufus, I want you to make the children’s safety your first concern, until I sort out Matthew’s future.”
    Tom knew he would have to contend with Kate, blaming him for his lack of consideration towards her beloved son. The Cobarnes had been here for less than two weeks and Matthew was trying to kill Joshua. He could only hope that Jane’s plan to send Kate and Matthew to Rushmore Hall would come to fruition, and then they might relax.
    The underlying problem was more serious. Matthew’s friend and cousin, Nathan Stretton had a pistol, lined up on Joshua swimming in the lake. The grooms had told him they saw that. Charlie might have spooked one horse, but not three. No, he would take a bet on it being Sophie who caused Matthew’s horse to shy and the others to veer away around the side of the lake. It was bad enough for Matthew to try to hurt Joshua, but if a Stretton joined the hunt…things had turned nasty. They had no morals, scruples or fear of retribution.
    It was just as well Nathan had a sore head to nurse for the next week or two. Taking a toss had slowed him down, but when the horse dragged him back to the stables… Tom wished he could have seen it.

C HAPTER 6
    Two anxious hours later, after Joshua had been retrieved dripping and shivering from the island, Charlie sat beside his bed and finally had the chance to ask, “Why did you run away?” He realised his words sounded accusatory, but he felt aggrieved that no one had bothered to enquire how he or Sophie felt after the ordeal. The servants were more concerned with providing Joshua with a hot bath to wash the green slime and pond life from his hair.
    “I didn’t,” Joshua said, shaking with the ague.
    Charlie had no sympathy for someone who turned tail and ran, leaving him and Sophie to face the enemy unarmed apart from a stout stick apiece. They were the ones who prevailed, and yet they had missed not only their lunch but tea as well. Then they had to sit in the nursery while Joshua was cosseted by the servants, and given a cordial to ward off the effects of the cold, before slipping between the warmed sheets of his bed on which extra blankets had just been placed. He’d be well served if he had swallowed a few water beetles. It was more than Charlie or Sophie had to eat.
    “If you’d stayed with us,” he said, “they wouldn’t have dared to shoot at you.”
    “No,” said Joshua. “If I was there, they’d have thrown us all in the lake. It’s happened before.”
    That silenced Charlie for a moment.
    “What happened to the others?” said Joshua, burrowing his head into the pillows.
    Sophie, sitting at Charlie’s side, leaned forward and whispered in his ear.
    “No, you didn’t, Sophie,” her brother said, patting her hand.
    “What did she say?” Joshua asked.
    “She says that she whistled, and scared the horses.” Charlie lowered his voice, while Sophie glowered and sat nodding her head