CHAPTER TWELVE
A perfect evening
As the children hurried across the field towards the house, the door opened and Dr Sebastian Francisco appeared, dressed in a red knitted jersey and jeans, smoking a pipe and looking completely relaxed. The Five couldn't help but like Seb. He was a highly intelligent surgeon, and brave as a lion, yet he always seemed to just let events take their toll, and he never lost his temper. To the children's mind – and especially George's – anyone who lost their temper regularly was not someone who would have many friends. Anyone with a bad temper should also be treated with caution, especially if they disliked dogs!
'Ah, there you are!' said Seb, removing his pipe from his mouth as the children came running across the field. 'We were just wondering where on earth you'd all got to. Anyway, come away in with you. Supper's ready, and Sam and I are longing to hear how your day has been!'
The children entered the brightly lit hall. They dumped their backpacks near the front door and followed Seb into the kitchen, where Samantha Francisco was putting the finishing touches to the heavily laden table. She was as pleased to see the children as her husband.
'Oh, there you all are!' she said, looking up and beaming. 'So good to have you with us again! And don't any of you worry about your camp. You're to stay with us tonight, and return to the camp tomorrow.'
'Well, that's most awfully decent of you, Mrs Francisco – oh, I mean Sam,' said Julian. 'And so is inviting us to have dinner a second time. Thank you so much!'
'Our pleasure,' said Sam as everyone, even Timmy, took their places at the table. 'So tell us, children. How was your day?'
'It was amazing!' cried Anne rapturously. 'More than that, it was like a dream!'
'So you visited Culdee Fell and the Skarloey Railway,' said Seb, spooning boiled potatoes onto everyone's plates. 'Skarloey and Rheneas are so hospitable, and their line is so beautiful!'
'I know,' said Julian as everyone tucked in. 'You are so lucky to live on such a beautiful island! I jolly well wish we lived on Sodor!'
'I don't,' said George stoutly. 'Although I do think Sodor is a lovely place to live, wild horses wouldn't keep me away from Kirrin and its island! My island, I should say!'
'How can an island possibly belong to you?' demanded Alex, his knife and fork poised over a slice of meat pie. 'Did you sign a contract for it, or is it your island in your imagination?'
'Neither,' said Dick, sticking up for an indignant George. 'It belongs to our Aunt Fanny – George's mother – but she didn't want it, so she gave it to George. Shortly after we met her for the first time, she agreed to share it with us three as well and of course Timmy! Kirrin Island's a wonderful place to be! It has a ruined castle on it, complete with dungeons and secret passages, and possibly the tamest rabbits in the world! And oh, the adventures we've had there!'
'That sounds amazing!' said David enviously. 'I wish I could come and see your lovely island.'
'You certainly can if you're near Kirrin and we're around,' said George. 'Normally, I don't allow people to do that unless I say so, but seeing as you're very nice people, I think I can make an exception. But only if you don't let anyone else come!'
'DEAL!' yelled all six Francisco children at once. Everyone laughed, and then concentrated on their supper. The food was as excellent as yesterday's, and the Five told Seb and Sam that. The children had always marvelled at the way that exercise or excitement always gave you a big appetite, but Julian assumed it was all down to energy – something that Dick understood perfectly, but that left George and Anne cold.
'All right, children,' said Seb, once everyone had eaten as much as they could take on board. 'Now that you have the rest of the evening for leisure, what would you like to do? Visit Florence and Fred, or be shown round the house?'
'Look round the house,' said Julian at once. 'We have already seen Florence and Fred, but we have never seen the inside of your glorious house. Please do let us have a look round.'
'As you wish,' said Sam. 'David, if you will...'
'Come on, you lot,' said David, getting up. 'Allow me to give you the grand tour.'
The Five leapt up and hurried after David. First of all, he showed them into a large sitting room with ornate windows, crimson sofas and armchairs, a sprawling Persian rug and a great big marble fireplace. After that, they were taken to each of the Franciscos' bedrooms – all of which had pristine beds and windows giving a brilliant view of the sea and surrounding fields. Then into two huge bathrooms – one for boys and one for girls, said David – and finally, into two spacious box rooms with bunk beds and views over the fields with Edward's branch line visible in the distance.
'I say!' said Dick in an awestruck voice as they made their way back downstairs. 'You have a simply beautiful house, David! But how can you still act casual around others with all this comfort? Most people with this wealth would go round rubbing it in other people's faces. Why don't you?'
'Two reasons,' said David, leading the way into the lounge, where the butler, Noah, was kindling the fire. 'Firstly, we – unlike some people – are not snobs, and only snobs go round telling people how rich they are. Secondly, boasting is one of the least helpful and most irritating things someone can do if they want to lead a happy life.'
'But how can you afford all this?' asked Anne as they sank into sofas and armchairs. 'The hospital must charge an awful lot for its operations.'
'It's not quite like that,' said Alex as he and the others came in and sat down as well. 'Remember, Father's a high placed surgeon. The higher a worker's ranking, the more money they earn in a month.'
Seb went up to Noah, who had created a big roaring fire and was now sliding the fireguard into place. He laid a hand on his servant's shoulder and muttered a few words to him in Spanish. Noah grunted something in reply, straightened up and left the room.
'I've just asked him to brew us up some cocoa,' said Seb, taking his place between his wife and eldest son on one of the sofas. 'It's going to be a cold night, even though it's spring.'
'Well, thank you so much for all your kindness,' said George. 'If only there was some way to repay you, we would gladly do so.'
'There's no need,' said Justin. 'Uncle Seb is always looking to give friends of ours to take care of in some way.'
Something that had been bothering Julian since they'd been shown the upstairs rooms now gave his memory a sharp nudge. 'Seb, why do you only have four bedrooms when there are eight of you if Justin and Charlie come to stay?'
'It helps to keep us all together,' said Seb. 'David and Alex sleep in one room, Polly and Lily in a second, Justin and Charlie in a third and me and Sam in the fourth. It all helps us stay together and appreciate one another. As to your question about Justin and Charlie, they always used to come up here from their home in Dorset in the holidays, but now they actually live here. You see, their parents – my brother and his wife – were involved in an awful car crash when Justin was eight and Charlie was six and died in hospital shortly afterwards. I won't go into great detail, it's too horrid to picture!'
'I'm sorry,' said Julian, more to Justin and Charlie, for both Seb's nephews were looking quite doleful. 'A few friends we've made have no parents of their own. I understand how you must feel.'
The silence that followed was broken by Noah's return. The butler was now staggering slightly under the weight of a tray bearing ten steaming mugs and one steaming bowl. He handed Seb, Sam and the children a mug each and set the bowl down on the floor before Timmy, with a tea towel underneath so that Timmy wouldn't spill cocoa on the carpet. Once Seb had muttered 'Gracias, Noah', the butler bowed and left the room, closing the door behind him.
'Don't mind him,' said Seb as everyone sipped their cocoa. 'He's a man of few words and he hardly speaks any English. But he's as loyal as a dog – and certainly as loyal as this grand dog seems to be.' He indicated Tim, who was now lapping eagerly at his bowl of cocoa. 'Now then, Tim, remember your manners this time.'
'This is a gorgeous house you've got!' said Julian as everyone settled back in silent bliss. 'We have been to many different houses over the years, but I believe this is the best out of all of them!'
'Thank you,' said Seb. 'Of course, it's not a patch on Bosworth Manor, but it is something. It belonged to my grandfather – that's his picture on the far wall – who was an officer in the Royal Navy, and a very competent one he was too! We've lived in this house, the eight of us, for about six years, and we know that there is nowhere else we would rather be. By the way, have you seen David's paintings at all?'
'No they haven't,' said David, getting to his feet. 'I'll just run and fetch them.' He left the room and returned in very little time, carrying a slim folder as if it were made of glass. He opened it and took out a selection of paintings, which he spread out over the coffee table.
'They look beautiful!' said Anne as the Five examined them, and so they were. They depicted wildlife, railways, roads, harbours, stations and the biggest one even depicted all eight members of the Francisco clan. Each picture was highly detailed and painted very delicately, with what had to be David's signature written in black ink in the bottom right hand corner. It must have taken even a highly skilled artist at least an hour to create such portraits! Julian and Dick looked at David almost with reverence. The boy certainly had a gift, even if he was very relaxed indeed about it!
'You could earn a fortune out of these paintings, David!' said Dick.
'I suppose so,' agreed David, carefully restacking the portraits and slipping them back into the folder. 'But I'm only thirteen, and I've got my whole life ahead of me. It's far too early for me to leave school and pursue a skill that I could spend time improving on. Anyway, I'm sure I have other skills I can find while I'm still at school.'
Julian suddenly yawned loudly and set his empty cocoa mug down on the floor by his sofa. 'I'm so sleepy!' he announced. 'Is it all right if we go to bed now, Sam?'
'Of course,' said Sam, while the other children stared at Julian in disbelief. 'In fact, you must have an early night, because tomorrow you're all booked on Duck's first passenger train to the Arlesdale Miniature Railway. So you must all get your rest so that you will be fresh as daisies for tomorrow. Please allow me and Seb to take your rucksacks upstairs to your rooms.'
'Julian, what are you doing?' hissed Dick, as soon as Seb and Sam had left the room. 'You know perfectly well what grown-ups are capable of! They can have us all tucked into bed at a moment's notice! It does look such a perfect evening, and I did so want to see Florence and Fred again!'
'Have you forgotten what's supposed to be happening tonight?' whispered back Julian. 'A shipment to Brendam at nine, that's what! We have got to find out what it's all about, whether they put us to bed or not. There's always a chance that the men decided to bring forward the time of the shipment, and we can't afford to miss out if that happens. So the earlier we go up to bed, the more chance we'll have of seeing the shipment if we sneak out.'
'Sneak out?' echoed Anne. 'Surely we aren't going to leave our beds!'
'We have to, Anne,' said George. 'If we're to see the shipment, we'll have no choice!'
'Well, come on, everyone,' said Justin, getting to his feet. 'Now we have finished our cocoa, we'd better go and have a wash before bed. We don't want to combine today and tomorrow's dirt, do we?'
The others knew he was only playing along, but they still chatted carelessly all the way upstairs so they could take their minds off the possible danger of leaving after lights out. They all had a wash and slipped into the rooms that Seb and Sam directed them to.
'Well, make sure you have a good night's sleep, children,' said Seb as he and his wife went back down. 'I think I'd better try to find my pipe. I'm sure I left it on the hall table. Anyway, we shall see you in the morning.'
'How are we going to sneak out?' asked Anne once they were sure the two grown-ups were out of earshot and the children had congregated on the landing.
'Well, there's ivy growing up all one side of the house, and it reaches all our bedroom windows,' said Polly. 'So it shouldn't be too hard. Shall we say, ten minutes by the end of the drive?'
'Got it,' said David. 'All right, as of now, I forbid any of you to make a sound! I suggest we put the pillows under the sheets, and then if either Mother or Father looks in, they'll think we're fast asleep under the covers. Is that okay with all of you? Right, see you at the main road in ten minutes.'
Julian and Dick disappeared into their bedroom, where they were pleased to find their rucksacks, along with their pyjamas, propped against their beds. Moving quickly, yet quietly, the two boys laid their pyjamas and pillows beneath the sheets to give the shape of two curled-up bodies. Then they seized their torches from their backpacks and Julian opened the window.
'Now I'm going first,' he said to Dick. 'I'm the older of the two of us, and I have to make sure that the ivy is strong enough to take my weight before I can let you down.'
'But if it isn't, how am I to get down?' asked Dick. 'You might have an awful accident and I wouldn't be able to see the shipment.'
Julian thought about this, then said slowly, 'Tell you what, we'll go down together. That way, if it isn't strong enough for me, at least you will be able to join the others.'
The two boys slipped on their jackets and took their places beside the window. Julian looked his brother straight in the eye, and gave a brief nod. As one boy, they swung themselves over the sill and seized the ivy as they lowered themselves down. Luckily, the ivy had grown such that each branch provided superb hand- and footholds, so the two boys reached the ground without any trouble at all.
'I hope George and Anne have got out safely,' said Dick. Then a dreadful thought struck him. 'What about Tim? I can't believe we were so stupid as to forget that he can climb neither up nor down! What if George can't get him down at all?'
'Think again,' came a cheerful voice from on high, and Julian and Dick looked up into the grinning face of George, who was clinging to the ivy some ten feet above their heads. Timmy was draped across her shoulders like a fur stole, and beside George was a nervous, but determined-looking Anne.
'I'm jolly glad to see you didn't forget old Tim!' said Julian as the two girls reached the ground safely. George turned a reproachful eye on him as she lowered Tim to the grass.
'How many times do I have to tell you? I'd rather die than leave Tim behind on an adventure! Come on, David and the others will be waiting for us.'
'I hope they got out as well,' said Anne as they jogged across the lawn to the main road. 'They know Sodor better than any of us. Without them, we're lost.'
As she spoke, they reached the end of the drive and there were all six Francisco children, ready and waiting to set off. All of them had torches in their hands, and looks of impatient excitement on their faces. As soon as the Five had joined them, they switched on their torches set off as a pack down the road, keeping close to the hedgerow by the side of the road to prevent being seen by a passing car.
None of them spoke, for fear of someone, somewhere, hearing them, and also because they couldn't, for the life of them, think of anything to say. Here they were, going to investigate something George had overheard. Were they being led into a trap and, if so, what would happen to them when they got to the port? Timmy trotted along at their heels and he didn't so much as growl. He knew perfectly well that the children meant to be as quiet as mice, and so he must do the same!
