Page 86 of Fire Must Burn

‘That’s the canal,’ he said as they reached a bridge.

Iris nudged her partner. There was a narrowboat slowly making its way underneath them.

‘I told you we could have come here by boat,’ she said.

‘It would have taken us a week,’ replied Gwen.

‘Do you know how long it would take to reach London by narrowboat?’ Iris called to Timothy.

‘I don’t know that you can get to London that way,’ he said. ‘The canal goes from Reading to Bristol. We have some rowing boats if you want to take one out. The Inn is pretty close to it, and we have our own dock.’

‘Any ponds nearby?’

‘There’s a decent one out back,’ he said. ‘You can go swimming if the weather gets warm enough. We’re coming up to the drive now.’

They turned onto a track to the right. The driveway curved through a stand of trees, which then gave way to reveal a broad, stone grange house with some outlying barns and other buildings attached. There were several cars parked to the side.

‘And here we are,’ said Timothy, pulling the trap up to the front door. He hopped down, then came back to hand each of them down to the ground. ‘I’ll bring you in, then my sister Pam will take over while I unharness Barney.’

‘You did very well, Barney,’ said Gwen, coming over to rub the horse’s neck. ‘Thank you.’

‘And thank you, Timothy,’ said Iris as she handed him a tip.

‘Thank you, miss,’ he said, touching the brim of his cap. ‘Let me know if you want to take a horse out for a ride tomorrow, and I’ll get one saddled up for you.’

He carried their luggage inside.

Pam was waiting for them in the front hall, her hands folded in front of her. She must be his twin, thought Gwen. She was not nearly as tall, but had the same narrow face and cheerful expression.

‘Good afternoon, ladies, and welcome to Dorter’s Inn,’ she said. ‘I’m Miss Pamela Torrance. I will be checking you in and showing you to your room. Will you come this way, please?’

She picked up their suitcases and motioned for them to follow her to a sitting room with a small counter at one end with a large opened ledger book resting on top next to a call bell. A small collection of wine and spirit bottles stood on shelves behind the counter.

‘You’re sharing a twin room for two nights, correct?’ she asked as she stepped behind the counter.

‘Correct,’ said Gwen.

‘Payment in advance, please.’

Gwen produced a cheque for the fee and handed it over. Pam turned the ledger to face her and handed her a pen.

‘We’ll need both of you to sign,’ she said. ‘I don’t believe I know your companion’s first name, Mrs Bainbridge.’

‘Forgive me,’ said Gwen as she signed. ‘This is my friend, Miss Mary McTague.’

‘How do you do?’ said Iris as she signed her name under Gwen’s, glancing at the rest of the guest list as she did so.

‘Welcome, Miss McTague,’ said Pam. ‘I’ll take you to your room now. Dinner is at seven, and breakfast will be available in the morning from seven thirty to eight thirty. You’re on your own for lunch, but we can pack sandwiches if you wish, and there will be tea set out in the parlour here in the afternoon. There is a reading room and a game room on this level. Timmy can provide you with boats and horses, and we have croquet and badminton sets available in the rear. Feel free to visit the barns, stables and coops. The animals are all very friendly. If there is anything you would like to know about the local attractions, please ask. One of us usually makes a run into town around ten in the morning if you’d like a lift, but you’ll find the walk to be quite pleasant.’

‘How are you fixed for birds, butterflies and beetles?’ asked Iris.

‘Ah, the three Bs. There’s a decent variety right now. We have a resident family of teal at the pond. The ducklings are nearly full-grown, and quite entertaining. Butterflies like the meadows here, and beetles are … beetles. I confess I haven’t paid much attention to them.’

‘You’re missing so much,’ said Gwen.

‘Anyhow, I would try the pond for them, then take one of the footpaths through the wood.’

‘We’ll get up early and take a walk before breakfast,’ said Iris.