‘There is a public convenience in the village square.’
‘But no facilities for washing, let alone baths. The girls will be all right. Their caravan is well equipped, but Lilian Saltergate was concerned for the two youths, so I felt I had to reassure her.’
‘Very well. Mind you, I expect young fellows like Tom and Bonamy eat like horses and will order two of everything.’
‘I would not be surprised if we found you yourself ordering two of everything when you have spent a week or so on that hill.’
Edward mustered his forces.
‘This afternoon,’ he said, ‘we shall walk round the site and then I shall assign specific tasks for tomorrow. I must stress that it is important we keep clear of the work Professor Veryan will be doing. Nominally, Tom and Bonamy are attached to that party, but theirs is to be a divided allegiance. After all, they came here to survey the castle on their own account, so we must be grateful for any assistance they are willing to give. Well, now, when we have finished our survey, which should take about an hour, the rest of the afternoon is free. We begin work in earnest tomorrow, but it is necessary for us first to relate what we have seen on the plan to what we shall now see on the ground.’
‘Which is most of the castle,’ said Fiona, looking disparagingly at a large block of Purbeck stone which was near where she was standing. She turned to Priscilla. ‘What shall we do when we’ve finished walking round these ruins?’ she asked almost in a whisper. They loitered a little as their seniors moved off, and held a short colloquy. Then they tailed in behind the rest of their party.
Meanwhile Malpas and Nicholas appeared to be doing nothing but converse while they looked at the broad, oddly shaped expanse of the outer bailey. Then, as Edward’s party approached a kind of slag-heap which had once been the castle stables, Veryan went over to Bonamy and drew him out of Edward’s circle. At this, Fiona took the opportunity of taking his place beside Tom, halting him for a moment or two while the others, following Edward, made their way towards the gatehouse.
‘Look here,’ she said, ‘you two don’t need both your cars while you’re here, do you?’
‘Probably not.’
‘I’d like to hire the rather smaller one.’
‘Hire it? Well, it’s mine, but why?’
‘If our labours end each day at a reasonable hour, Priscilla and I could do with some form of transport. The evenings are long, the caravan is boring and we’ve got money to burn now that the Saltergates are paying for our meals and Dr Lochlure is shouldering the cost of the caravan. I’m taking an advanced School of Motoring course and have a clean licence, so how’s about it? We’ll be immensely chuffed if you agree.’
‘Tynant and I,’ said Professor Veryan to Bonamy, ‘would like to make ourselves responsible for you two fellows while you’re working with us.’
‘Thank you very much, sir, but we have reached years of discretion and are entitled to vote and to leave home without our parents’ consent.’
‘Of course. I meant responsible so far as providing you with your breakfasts and dinners at the Barbican. It’s the least we can do in exchange for your help.’
‘It’s very kind indeed of you and Mr Tynant to bother about us,’ said Bonamy.
‘Not at all. As I always say, the labourer is worthy of his hire. Oh, I’ve had a word with Saltergate. At least, it originated with him because of the women. The weather is unusually hot and the work is trying, not only because of the manual labour involved, but because of the dust we shall be stirring up. I don’t know whether you two got my message, but we shall all be knocking off at each midday. No work will be done after lunch, so every afternoon is free.’
3
Donkey-Work
« ^ »
What do you think of Dr Lochlure?’ asked Priscilla, as they were enjoying the afternoon respite from labour.
‘Think of Susannah? How do you mean?’ asked Fiona.
‘Do you call her Susannah to her face?’
‘That, or Su. Only in private, of course.’
‘Do you have a schmaltz thing about her?’
‘Good Lord, no. What do you think of her yourself?’
‘She is very beautiful. I have had to choose between adoring her for her beauty and envying her its effect on other people. I have selected adoration. I believe in sublimating my emotions. Why do you think she invited the two of us to accompany her on this jaunt?’
‘Me for my muscles – from what we have seen today I should say we are in for heavy work on that castle mound – you for your brains and enthusiasm, and both of us because we are not potential rivals of hers where men are concerned.’
‘Is that why you bother with me? I have often wondered about it.’
‘Bother with you? Wonder about what?’
‘Wonder about our friendship. We must appear an unlikely couple to other people.’
‘Who cares about other people?’
‘I’m afraid I do. They must wonder what you see in me.’
‘I see somebody who helps me with my essays and who stands on the touchline at home matches and roots for our side, that’s all.’
‘Reverting to Dr Lochlure, have you noticed Tom Hassocks? He has eyes for nobody else.’
‘He doesn’t stand an earthly. Nicholas Tynant is her man for all seasons.’
‘So much so that perhaps it is as well she has not put up at his hotel.’
‘I’ll tell you something else about Tom Hassocks,’ said Fiona. ‘He and young Monkswood—’
‘Are not here in the interests of pure scholarship? I couldn’t agree more. They have some secret ploy in mind, otherwise surely they would have camped out at the foot of the hill near their cars and our caravan, where it’s grassy and pleasant. Instead of that, they have dragged camp-beds and sleeping-bags up to the keep.’
‘Tom has locked the boot of his car, too.’
‘How do you know that?’
‘I tried it, thinking there might be a couple of cans of beer I could manage to sink without trace. I would have paid him for them, of course.’ She was sunbathing. She turned on to her back and pulled a towel over her face.
‘What a blessedly quiet spot this is!’ said Priscilla.
‘It won’t remain so, once the school holidays begin.’
Priscilla agreed. Then she said, ‘If you like me, I wonder you never came for a holiday with me before this. I’ve often wished you and I could hire a horse-drawn caravan and lead a gypsy life for a week or two.’
‘It would bore me to death. Besides, there would be the horse to look after and feed, and the ever-present problem of finding somewhere to pull in for the night. Oh, no! Give me rock-climbing in the Cuillins!’
‘You must have a good head for heights.’
‘I’ve never thought about it.’
‘That’s the whole point, I suppose. Anybody who did not have a good head for heights would have to think about it.’
‘Oh, nonsense. They wouldn’t do it, that’s all. One soon learns one’s limitations.’
‘I climbed the stair in the keep, but my head swam. Fiona, exactly why did you accept Dr Lochlure’s invitation to come here?’
‘The sixty-thousand-dollar question! I don’t know. I’m already bored with the scenery and bored with the people. Oh, well, at least we’ve got the car now.’
The reason for Fiona’s having been able to test the lock on the boot of Tom’s car was that she had persuaded him to agree to her proposal. Once the young men had surveyed the young women and had decided that amorous dalliance was what Tom described as a non-starter, the possible advantage of having two cars at their disposal had disappeared, so when, earlier that afternoon, Fiona had approached him with her offer, he had accepted it.