The comte chuckled. He patted the empty chair next to him. "No, no, Mathilde, 'tis you who
must sit down, here, right beside me. Let the maids serve our lunch today."
Mathilde protested. "Cooks don't sit at table with the master, who ever heard of such a thing?"
But the comte of Veron would brook no argument. "Madame, I am ordering you to sit and
dine with us. When lunch is over, I have things to say which concern us all!"
The meal was delicious. A steaming mushroom soup was followed by salad and a collation of
cheeses, ham, brown bread, eggs and a grilled carp. Over a dessert of hot summer pudding
and cream they sipped cider, fruit juice and glasses of the local wine mixed with fresh
springwater.
Ben nodded and smiled at the amiable banter and conversation of his friends. However, he
heard little of it as he and Ned exchanged apprehensive thoughts.
The dog's paw touched his master's foot beneath the table as Ned voiced his opinion. "I don't
know why, Ben, but I'm beginning to feel rather uneasy about something or other. I can't think
what it is."
The boy reached down and stroked his Labrador's silky ear. He had forgotten the message that
the angel had woven into his dreams when he first met Karay. That night in the forest seemed
so long ago and faraway.
He answered Ned, trying not to sound perplexed. "I expect our angel will let us know if
anything's amiss. Strange, but I can't remember any warning the angel gave me about moving
on, can you?"
Ned poked his head out from under the tablecloth hem. "No, I don't recall a thing—that's
what's bothering me."
Around the table it had gone suddenly quiet. Dominic nudged Ben's arm and whispered to
him, "Sit up straight, friend. You look half asleep there. The comte has something to say to
us!"
Ben suddenly became attentive. "What? Oh, er, sorry!"
The comte drew from his finger the large gold ring that bore his family's crest. It was far too
large for him and slipped off easily. He placed it on the little finger of Adamo's right hand,
where it fitted snugly.
"This was your father's ring. He was the rightful lord of Veron. The ring carries the Bregon
seaclass="underline" a lion for strength, a dove for peace, and a knotted rope symbolising union and
togetherness. Adamo Bregon, son of Edouard, my brother, you are now to be known as comte
de Veron, as is your birthright!"
The others around the table applauded warmly. Even Ned emerged from beneath the table, his
tail wagging furiously. Wiping a joyful tear away with her apron corner, Mathilde turned to
the new comte. "Well, sir, are ye not going to say something to us all, a nice speech maybe?"
Adamo stood up. He looked so tall and strong, yet so calm and happy. His broad face broke
into a smile, which touched the hearts of everyone present. Then he bowed and kissed Karay's
hand, speaking haltingly. "You will be my comtesse, Karay... please?"
The girl's answer was inaudible—she merely nodded once.
The old comte took both their hands in his. "I have watched you both. This is what I was
hoping for. As for my other friends, Ben, Dominic and our faithful Ned, I have asked myself
what I can do to repay you for restoring Adamo to me. You are not servants—it would be
churlish and ill mannered to offer you money. But I know that you have no parents to care for
you. In view of this I have reached a decision. In a few days we will go together on a journey.
Toulouse will be our destination. There, at the cathedral, I will consult the bishop, and then I
will speak with the justices of my wishes, so that all people will know: I intend to give you
both my name, adopting you as my sons. Together you will live here as part of our family. As
for you, my dearest Mathilde, you shall become a lady companion of our household. No more
cooking and working in kitchens . . ."
Neither Ned nor Ben heard the rest of Vincente Bregon's speech. Like lightning at midnight,
the angel's message flooded into their minds, blotting out all else.
"A man who has not children
Will name you as his son.
In that hour you must be gone!
Turn your face back to the sea,
You will meet another one,
A father with no children,
Before you travel on.
Help him to help his children,
As his kinsman would have done."
Ben heard Mathilde's voice as the import of the command hit him. She was interrupting the
old comte. "No such thing, sir. I'm not going to sit about with nothing to do for the rest of my
days. Cook I am, and cook I stay! No silly young girl is going to take charge of my kitchens.
Ben, are you alright, boy? You've gone white as a sheet."
The boy stood up, swaying slightly, his mind in a daze as he made up a suitable reply. "I'll be
fine in a moment, thanks. A little too much of your good wine, Mathilde, even though there
was water in it. Please, don't fuss, I'll go and take a walk in the fresh air. I'll be alright soon.
Ned will come with me."
Dominic, the Facemaker of Sabada, stared into his friend's clouded blue eyes. They were
distant and sad. "Ben, do you want me to come with you?"
The boy knew that his friend could see the truth of what was about to happen. Ben shifted his
gaze fondly from the old comte, to Mathilde, then from Adamo to Karay, and finally back to
Dominic. He blinked a few times. "No, mate, you stay here. I only need Ned to go with me."
Then the boy and his dog left the room.
30
FOUR DAYS LATER, in the late afternoon, Ben and Ned sat on the dunes, staring out to sea
at the Gulf of Gascony. All the tears they could cry had been shed. They had travelled fast,
both night and day, stopping only to catch a brief hour's rest here and there when weariness
got the better of them. Both boy and dog had pushed themselves hard, not wanting to stay
amid dear friends who would eventually grow old and die whilst they remained forever young.
Ned snuffled at his master's hand. "Well, mate, we turned our faces back to the sea, and here
we are. Ooh, I am hungry, Ben, so hungry!"
Ben nodded absently as he replied, "What I'm wondering is, where's this other one we've got
to meet? Remember the second part of the angel's command:
'Turn your face back to the sea,
You will meet another one,
A father with no children,
before you travel on.
Help him to help his children,
as his kinsman would have done.' "
Ned's ears flopped as he shook his head from side to side. "Sounds like twaddle to me.
Another father with no children, yet we've got to help him to help his children. Huh, and
who's this kinsman who would've helped the father with no children, to help his children, eh?
Even a dog can't make head nor tail of that little lot!"
Ben did not answer right away. He turned his gaze from the sea to the hilltop where they sat
and to the trees behind. "Ned, d'you realise where we are?"
The black Labrador was still trying to solve the angel's riddle. "No, should I? Wait, don't tell
me, hmmm, sea, hills, small clump of trees ... Of course! This is the exact spot where we
came ashore from La Petite Marie's jolly boat! Well, there's a thing, we've come full circle!"
Ben was standing up, shading his eyes as he turned back to the sea. Ned looked up at him.
"What is it now?"
The boy was already descending the sandy dune top. "A little boat, coming to shore this way.