Free Bird of Prey by Henrietta Reid Page B

housekeeper demanded of Caroline with asperity.
    “I lost sight of him for a moment,” Caroline admitted. “I was tidying up after doing the flowers and when I turned—”
    “You know you’re not supposed to come into this room,” the housekeeper told Robin sternly. “ You’re a very naughty boy. Last time you broke a lamp, and the time before that, you—”
    “I only wanted to listen to the music,” Robin told her sullenly. “Well, now look what you’ve done! You’ve broken it. Really it’s not safe to have you in the house! You’ll be in hot water if the master hears about this, I can tell you.”
    But when Randall heard it would probably be she herself who would be in hot water, Caroline was thinking bleakly.
    “You’d better take him for a walk,” Mrs. Creed turned to Caroline. “Not that I altogether blame you for what’s happened, for goodness knows the child’s unmanageable. But at least, out of doors, he’ll be able to do less damage. Anyway, it’s a lovely day and you may as well take advantage of the good weather while it lasts. But you’d better put on something warm, because the days can turn nasty very quickly in this part of the country. You can be caught in a mist before you know where you are.”
    Caroline agreed to this suggestion with alacrity. Out of doors Robin would probably be less of a handful, and it was certainly a lovely day. She was looking forward to exploring the countryside that she had glimpsed from the windows.
    It was when she was searching through Robin’s case for a coat that she discovered that his mother had neglected to pack one. True there were pyjamas, toothbrush, soap and towel and changes of socks and shirt, but no sign of a coat of any sort.
    She glanced about his room hoping that Robin might have hung his coat up somewhere. Then she remembered noting his green velvet tunic when he had come out of the car. “Did you leave your coat in the car?” she asked him.
    “Mummy didn’t tell me to bring a coat,” he told her indifferently.
    Caroline sighed. Evidently Grace intended her offspring to spend all his time indoors during her absence.
    “Anyway, I shan’t need a coat today,” he went on. “The sun’s shining and it’s quite warm.”
    Caroline looked at him doubtfully. It was true that it was a fine day, but there was an edge to the wind that proclaimed that in spite of appearances to the contrary it could easily turn into a cold, damp autumnal afternoon.
    She went to her room and put on a warm, scarlet anorak and jeans. As a last thought she snatched up a short, warm woollen jacket. If a shower came on while they were at any distance from the house, perhaps she could persuade Robin to put it over his head and shoulders.
    But Robin soon put a summary end to any hopes she might have in this direction. “I’m not going to wear any old silly girl’s coat,” he protested decisively. Then he eyed Caroline’s anorak wistfully. “I wish Mummy would buy me one of those jackets. I hate the sort of clothes she makes me wear.”
    Caroline felt a growing sympathy for the child. Certainly his clothes were more like fancy dress than the normal wear of boys of his age.
    “Never mind, perhaps she’ll get you one later,” Caroline said, without much conviction.
    Robin shook his head. “No, she won’t. She likes me in this sort of outfit.” He plucked disconsolately at his velvet tunic.
    But, childlike, Robin forgot his woes as they left the house and took a path that led high above a shimmering lake that lay between the folds of two hills, like a blob of still mercury. Looking down Caroline could see a small gaily-painted boat bobbing, moored to a tiny jetty. It would be pleasant, she thought dreamily, to row across that glassy lake under the bright blue sky.
    Robin ran ahead, as though revelling in a newfound freedom, and it struck Caroline that he wouldn’t be nearly so troublesome if he didn’t spend so much of his time cooped up in the hothouse