Sherlock Holmes the detective thinks Dot may have found a vital clue about all the spooky goings-on at Dendringham Hall when she met the mystery person in the darkness of the attic floor… but he has his own ideas too about what may be behind it all – and he’s about to put those ideas to the test!
“Ah, Holmes!” said Sir Charles, lifting up the stick he was carrying (what is it with sticks and these Victorian men, thought Dot? They can’t all have wobbly legs!) “Nice evenin’!”
“Indeed Sir Charles” said Mr Holmes, taking his pipe out of his mouth. “Dorothea and I were just enjoying a little stroll before supper.”
“Yes… yes indeed” said Sir Charles, looking down at Dot - a bit awkwardly, she thought to herself. “Havin’ a nice time at the Hall, my dear?”
“Yes thank you, Sir Charles” said Dot, giving a little curtsey. She’d seen how to do it on one of those costume dramas on the BBC Mum loved watching… what
was it called... oh yes, ‘Cranford’.
She’d thought it would be boring, but it was really good once you got into it – and it was very useful now, as she tried to be a young girl in the same kind of time as the TV series.
“Jolly good, jolly good” said Sir Charles, in the kind of voice her Dad used when he wasn’t really listening – Nan always called it his “wool-gathering” voice.
“Yes, we’ve been having some interesting times together” said Mr Holmes. “Very interesting! Especially when we went out riding on Thunderer together. He’s quite a horse!”
“Mmm” said Sir Charles. “Surprised Josiah let you take him out really… he’s a bit of a handful, that horse. Wonder if Old Joe isn’t losing his touch, really – that’s why I made Gordon head groom alongside of him. Good fellow, Josiah, but he’s getting on a bit. Let him retire soon I think – got a nice cottage he can have, just down by the Glebelands.”
He pointed with his stick, to where some smoke was rising from a little group of houses. You could only just see them - they were on the other side of the hall, nearly round the back of it, just beyond a little patch of woodland quite separate from the Dendringham woods that stretched away in front of the rough meadow grass of the ha-ha, as far as the eye could see.
“Mind you” Sir Charles went on with a chuckle and a shake of his head “What he doesn’t know about horses isn’t worth knowing - especially difficult customers like old Thunderer!”
“Yes” said Mr Holmes softly. “We could have done with a horse soother that day, couldn’t we Dorothea?”
“Horse soother”…? thought Dot. What on earth was a “horse soother”…?
But her puzzlement went straight out of her head when she looked up and saw Sir Charles’ face.
In place of its usual red colour, it had gone deathly white! Sir Charles’ eyes were staring out of his head as he looked at Sherlock Holmes, and a little line of sweat had come out along his top lip.
It was like seeing a skull…
As Dot looked down she saw that the big, rough hand holding his stick was trembling – shaking as if it were freezing cold.
He blinked furiously, then pulled a purple handkerchief out of his top pocket and wiped his face. The hand he used to do it was trembling too – so much so, that after he’d passed the hanky across his forehead, he dropped it. When he did so, he looked down at it as if it were a snake at his feet.
“Are you quite well, Sir Charles?” asked Mr Holmes softly.
“Shee!” whispered Mr Mouse, peeping out from under the shoulder of Dot’s dress. “Looks like the guy’s seen a ghost!”
“Yes… yes… I… ” mumbled Sir Charles. His voice was hoarse and his breath came in little shallow gasps.
Dot was totally puzzled – and scared. Something had happened – something to do with the words “horse soother” that Mr Holmes had said. Something she didn’t understand. She felt sorry for Sir Charles – he looked so frightened.
She bent over and picked up the handkerchief. It had the d’Auberley coat of arms embroidered on it, kind of an old-time logo showing two leopards and a fox, with an old-fashioned helmet on the top. The words “I Fear Not, For The Right Is With Me” were stitched in spidery writing around it.
“Here’s your handkerchief, Sir Charles” she said gently, holding it up to him.
He looked at her as if he’d never seen her before. Then he drew in a deep, shuddering breath and took the handkerchief from her. His hand was still trembling.
He looked like a frightened, sick old man.
Dot felt tears prick the back of her eyes. It was AWFUL to see someone who’d always been so strong and confident looking like that.
But Mr Holmes was still gazing steadily at Sir Charles. He’d said nothing more, but his eyes had narrowed to little slits – just like they always did when he’d found something out.
BONGGGGG!
BONGGGGG!
It was the gong calling them in for supper…
