Chapter 12 November
Rather to Roger's surprise, Rowan wasn't in the yard to meet him. Once he had switched off the engine and the petrol feed, Roger wandered over to the horses.
"I don't suppose you know where Rowan is?" he asked Prisca, who wiffled her muzzle over his face in a friendly fashion. Chocobar wasn't there, so Roger assumed Mrs Marlow was out riding. Ginty's horse (Acorn was it? Something like that.) glanced across at him but, satisfied that Pricsa wasn't unfairly receiving any treats that should by rights be his, Ginty's horse withdrew his head into his loose box.
Roger went over to the back door into the scullery, hesitated for a minute and knocked. He could hear the radio playing but no voice answered. He opened to door. No-one was in the scullery, but the floor was very recently mopped. The noise from the far side of the kitchen door suggested that the kitchen was receiving the same treatment. Roger called out, received no reply, and decided that he could wait a minute. If he couldn't make himself heard over the theme tune to Desert Island Discs, he could surely do so over Roy Plomley.
Our guest today is Lady Peter Wimsey, better known to readers of her detective novels as Harriet Vane. Lady Peter, hello…
"Mrs Herbert? Hello, Mrs Herbert?"
"Oh, Wing Commander, I didn't hear you arrive. Miss Rowan was called to deal with a fence over by Far Acre field." It's a fair step but you can go there on your motor bicycle I should think. Dinner is devilled pork chops.
"Thanks." said Rowan, straightening up for, she hoped, the last time for that particular job and tucking the spare nails back into the pocket of her overalls.
"I'm well-trained in holding things and passing nails." Roger grinned at her. "What with having an older brother."
"Giles was a bit like that." Rowan said, "Only he rather tended to get Peter or Nick to hold them."
Except when it came to the case of a whole bloody farm. Roger thought.
Aloud he said "Turnabout is fair play. I've ridden Prisca. Do you want to try riding my bike some of the way back? It's not a public road so that doesn't matter. Look, sit on it first to get a feel for it and then I'll show you how to start it."