Free The Snares of Death by Kate Charles Page B

his complexion were a natural condition of his extreme youth. He smiled, an open and friendly smile, and headed straight for the dog. ‘Hello, doggie. What’s your name?’
    The dog sniffed him in an interested way. ‘His name’s Bleddyn,’ Maggie said grudgingly.
    â€˜Bleddyn?’
    â€˜It’s Welsh for wolf,’ Rhys explained with a smile. ‘I reckon he’s mostly wolfhound.’
    â€˜He’s your dog, then?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    Maggie unbent slightly, disarmed by the boy’s interest in the dog. ‘Rhys rescued him,’ she explained proudly. ‘Someone had been using him for hunting and had mistreated him. You should have seen him – he was so skinny. But Rhys saved him, and there’s nothing Bleddyn wouldn’t do for Rhys.’
    Nicholas scratched the dog’s ears as Rhys introduced him to the others. Then he spied the poster and went over to examine it. ‘I love this poster,’ he said enthusiastically. ‘That’s what really caught my attention when I saw it on the telly. It’s by Lucy Kingsley, isn’t it?’
    â€˜Yes, that’s right. You’ve heard of Lucy Kingsley?’
    â€˜Oh, yes!’ Nicholas turned. ‘My father . . . well, I suppose you know he’s very rich. Rolling in it. He’s got a smart investment counsellor who’s got him started buying art – as an investment, you understand. My father doesn’t know anything about art,’ he said with a condescending sneer. ‘But this bloke reckons that Lucy Kingsley is undervalued at the moment, and will really go through the roof in the next few years. So my father’s bought several of her paintings. He doesn’t much care for them – as I said, he doesn’t know anything about art – but I think they’re smashing. This isn’t much like her usual stuff, but it’s brilliant, isn’t it? Have you actually met her?’
    Rhys smiled at the young man’s fervour. ‘Yes, when I commissioned the poster. Fiona, my . . . the woman I live with, owns an art gallery, and she suggested that Lucy Kingsley would be just the right person to do the poster, so we went down to London to talk to her about it. And Fiona’s arranged for an exhibition of her work at the gallery, opening at the end of the month.’
    â€˜What’s she like?’
    Rhys thought for a minute. ‘Youngish, sort of mid-thirties. Very pretty, very intelligent, very articulate. And ,’ he added proudly, ‘I’m pleased to say that after I finished with her, she is now a vegetarian! I’m sure you can meet her when she comes for the opening, if you like.’
    Nicholas grinned back at him. ‘Fantastic!’
    Later, after they’d watched the video and toasted their launch, they got down to business. Far from being shy in the company of those who were senior to him in age and experience, Nicholas entered into their discussions as if he had always been a member of the steering committee of BARC.
    â€˜I’ve been thinking about this all day,’ he said, ‘and I’ve got a plan.’
    Rhys raised an eyebrow. ‘Yes?’
    â€˜Well, I think I told you that I had some money.’ He turned to Maggie and Gary to explain. ‘I’ve been taking a year off before I go to university next September. My father thought that it would be good for me to travel, so he’s given me twenty thousand pounds.’
    â€˜Wow!’ breathed Gary wonderingly, and even Maggie gasped a bit. Nicholas went on. ‘I haven’t really got organised to go anywhere, so I just put it in the bank, and now there’s even more. I reckon that I really should do something with it.’ He paused, turning back to Rhys. ‘I want to buy a van – a great big van. We can have it painted with “BARC” on the side, and have it all fitted out. Then I can spend the rest of the year doing