‘I did, sort of. He’d told me about the packages first.’
‘But he made you. He’d sent for you specially. He was hurting badly, waiting just for you, so he could pass the message on and have some painkiller. You couldn’t have said no, could you?’
‘No. But . . .’
‘All right, let’s try it like this. This Otto Vasa is bad news?’
‘Definitely.’
‘Not just bad news in himself – bad news for Varina, bad news for your brother?’
‘Yes. If you’d seen the way he winked when he came in through the window . . .’
‘OK, let’s take that as fixed. Now, he gave your brother the bike. Did it have these secret compartments in it when he gave it to him?’
‘I should think so. It looks sort of all one piece.’
‘So it wasn’t just a present. It was so Otto Vasa could use your brother to carry things in secret.’
‘Right – but listen! He must have had it ready before anyone knew Van was going to be thrown out. I was talking to Grandad about this. There wouldn’t have been time to get it painted up in our colours.’
‘Let’s take that as fixed too. What Otto Vasa wants is bad news for Varina. He gave the bike to your brother to do something he wanted. That has to be bad news for Varina too. Your brother had his accident and had to get you to finish the job off, but it was bad news for Varina so you found a way of not doing it. So far so good.’
‘Biddie, you’re impossible! Nothing’s ever as easy as you make it sound!’
‘When it’s over it can be. When it hasn’t happened yet it’s tricky. But listen, you’ve got it right so far, but you can’t stop there. Otto Vasa is bad news for Varina. Who is good news for Varina?’
‘Oh, lots of people. Grandad’s the obvious one, only he’s old and tired and they won’t let him go back.’
‘But he’d know some of the others?’
‘Yes, of course.’
‘Well, the best way you can help the good-news people is by telling them what the bad-news people are up to. Don’t you think?’
‘Yes, but . . .’
‘Put it the other way. Suppose you were him and you learned afterwards that you – the real you – had been in this trouble and you hadn’t been to him. How would you – your grandfather you – feel? Sad, wouldn’t you? Let down? Cheated? After all those crumpet teas?’
(Biddie had been a couple of times since she’d got back. Grandad liked her a lot, in spite of having to talk English.)
‘I promised,’ said Letta, miserable. ‘He’s my brother. It was Momma and Grandad he was mostly talking about when he said not to tell. Oh, God. And the Sister said he mustn’t be worried, and he’s going to worry himself sick about not knowing how I got on, and he’s going to ask when I see him. And . . . listen! I bet you the next thing Mr Orestes will do is try and come down and see him himself, to find out what happened to the packets!’
‘Tonight?’
‘What’s the time? No, I don’t think so. Tomorrow, though.’
Biddie sat in silence again. Letta could almost feel her thinking things through. If this, then that, or that, but not that . . . A cheeringly ridiculous thought struck her.
‘You’re too like Jeeves,’ she said.
‘Come again?’
‘The great mind turns.’
Biddie smiled and put the interruption aside.
‘That makes it easier. You’ve got to stop Mr Orestes seeing Van,’ she said. ‘You’ve got two ways. You could call him again and say you’ve made a mistake . . .’
‘No.’
‘Good, because then I think I should have to tell my parents. So you’ve got to get the hospital to say he isn’t well enough to see anyone.’
‘He doesn’t know which one.’
‘He can ring round. There’s not that many, and he’ll try the Royal first. But the only person, far as I can see, who can tell the hospital to say Van’s not well enough is your mother. That means you’ve got to tell her. Now. Tonight.’
Letta felt sick again. She couldn’t move. Anything she did would be wrong.
‘Do you want me to come with you?’ said Biddie.
She meant it, too, though it was after the time she was allowed out without permission. She’d be in serious trouble, and she wouldn’t be able to explain. She’d already worked all that out, of course, but she’d still have come if Letta had asked.
‘I’ll be all right,’ said Letta, standing up. ‘Thank you, Jeeves.’
LEGEND
The Death of Lash the Golden
NOW THE ARMY of Selim surrounded Potok, and the army of Restaur Vax waited in the hills, and each feared to fight the other where they were. So Restaur Vax called a council of chieftains and said, ‘I have word from Potok that unless we come to their help they will surrender within the week.’
The chieftains said, ‘Selim has thrice our numbers, and great guns beside. How can we fight him in the valley before the walls of Potok?’
Restaur Vax said, ‘We will do it thus. We will attack at dawn, from between the Knees of Athur.1 Selim has outposts on the ridges, and first we will capture those, and our Captain of Artillery will set up her guns there to hinder the gathering of Selim’s bazouks, and we will be upon them before their great guns are laid ready.’
‘Still they will be too many,’ said the chieftains.
‘Very like,’ said Restaur Vax, ‘and they will drive us off and pursue us, and we will retreat between the Knees of Athur as far as Tresti, where we will have strong positions dug ready, and there we will turn and make a stand. And Lash the Golden will command the rearguard, to hold them until we are ready. And we will have our best marksmen hidden along the slopes, and they will fire into the flanks of the bazouks, as will the Captain of Artillery, and so the odds will be levelled, and being Varinians fighting for Varina, we will surely win. Now, will you be men, or will you see Potok fall?’
So they agreed, and each chieftain chose from his clan the best marksmen, and among those chosen by the Kas Kalaz was the man Paulu. On the Eve of St Jafur they came quietly down from the mountains and mustered at Tresti, where they prepared positions to turn and fight. Then they stole silently down towards Potok.
Before dawn the Kas Kalaz stormed the eastern ridge and Van Jirri stormed the western ridge and the Captain of Artillery set up her guns and as the sun rose, the men of Varina hurled themselves against the encampment around Potok and slaughtered many bazouks, while the Captain of Artillery hindered the gathering of the rest from around the city. But at last they came, in great numbers, marching to surround the Varinians. Then Restaur Vax gave the order to retreat and withdrew his army between the Knees of Athur while Lash the Golden, commanding the rearguard, hindered the pursuit.
When they were not yet fully in between the ridges Selim, riding with his Commanders, looked about him and saw how the land lay and said, ‘This is a trap. Let us halt and clear the mountain sides before we pursue further.’
Then Lash the Golden, seeing they no longer pursued him, halted his men also and said, ‘These Turks are cowards. See, they outnumber us yet two to one, and still they dare not follow us. Let us encourage them a little.’
So saying, he strode back towards the Turks and stood on a little mound and mocked them for their cowardice, while they, daring to come no nearer, fired hotly upon him but did not hit, at which he mocked them the more.
Now the man Paulu, lying upon the mountain side and seeing this, said in his heart, ‘If a bullet were now to strike Lash, who but I would know who fired the shot? Thus the house of Kalaz would not be shamed.’ So he took aim and fired and hit Lash below the shoulder-blade, and Lash gave a loud shout and fell down.
Thereon the Turks were encouraged, and, forgetting Selim’s order, they charged forward between the Knees of Athur, and the men of Varina met them from the positions they had prepared, and the Captain of Artillery fired her guns into their flanks, and the marksmen shot among them until the barrels of their muskets were too hot to hold, and there was great slaughter. Notwithstanding, the battle stood in doubt, for the bazouks were so many, until Selim, riding past the mound where Lash lay, saw the body of a man with yellow hair lying face down. Rejoicing that one of his chief enemies was slain, he ordered that the body should be turned over, to be certain that it was indeed Lash.