Chapter Two
Bedtime
Will always loved bedtime at Balmoral. It was dark quickly up there, and the wind would howl in the trees. He felt like he was in Wuthering Heights. He and Harry stood at the enamel sink, brushing their teeth. They spat at the exact same time, prepared the mouthwash in unison, and gargled the same tune- Ten O'clock News. They spat again, replaced the bottles of mouthwash and traipsed off to bed. Diana came in and said, "Boys, you may read for ten minutes, then go to bed." As she turned to go, Will winked at Harry.
"Did you get them?" whispered Harry.
Will nodded, reached under his bed and drew out a sports bag- full of Harry and Will's comics and books. "Pass me The Beano!" squealed Harry, pink with delight.
Diana came in a little later. "Goodnight, boys, God bless."
She came over and kissed them both. Will noticed the smell of perfume, stronger than before. She always put perfume on when she'd been arguing. "Mama," he whispered, "who's Camilla?"
Will could hear her sigh. "We will talk about it in the morning, William. Goodnight."
Light streamed through the open window in Will's room. His alarm clock was ringing. He smashed a lazy hand on top and sat up. "Morning, Wombat!" said Charles, strolling into the room with some clothes, "The Mother's downstairs, serving breakfast. There's bacon- but Uncle Andrew's waking up so I'd run downstairs quick!" Will smiled as Charles exited. Harry's head popped up from under the duvet. "What's that about bacon?"
After breakfast, Will found a room on the third floor that consisted only of a table, and he sat himself there to do his holiday homework. Ludgrove demanded a lot of its students, and over that holiday he had to complete six pages of maths problems; translate a page of French; write out the whole 'D' section of his Latin dictionary and write a three page essay on the life of Thomas More. He'd just finished the maths when his dad came in. "Hey, Wombat! I've got the fishing gear! Want to go down to the river?" Will looked down at his homework. A pile of books cast a shadow on the table. "OK," he muttered.
"I've got big news," said Charles.