It was a lot for Noah to comprehend. He couldn’t imagine finding himself in that position, no matter how much trouble he caused. Even when Dad found out about the Queen Maudie.

  ‘Well, if it makes any difference, you are brave,’ said Noah. ‘I mean, if you hadn’t sneaked back and climbed that tree? Or if you hadn’t dropped Delilah on top of that fool,... well, I don’t want to think where we’d be. So I’m sorry too. If my ideas were daft, or if I sailed us into danger. I just wanted to keep the animals alive.’

  ‘I know,’ replied Big Col as he gingerly rolled down his sleeve.

  ‘There’s one thing I need you to do though,’ he said, his grin disappearing, leaving behind traces of what Noah feared was the old, Big Col.

  ‘What’s that?’

  ‘My name,’ he replied.

  ‘What about it?’

  ‘It’s Col,’ he replied, firmly, but without a hint of aggression. ‘Not Big Col. And certainly not Colin... that’s what they call me. Mum and Dad. But Col. Yeah, that’d be good. Please.’

  Please?

  What could Noah say but: ‘Right. Fine. No problem.’

  ‘What was that all about?’ asked Clem suspiciously, as Col walked off dragging a bough effortlessly behind him.

  ‘I could tell you,’ Noah replied, ‘but you’d never believe me.’

  And he walked on too. There was an important job to finish.

  45

  They had no idea if they were doing it right, as none of them had been to a funeral before.

  The tomb they’d made was rustic but also magnificent. It hid Samson entirely, the only sign of him being his straw hat, which Noah had perched safely on a twig-made crucifix.

  Noah still had concerns though. ‘What if someone comes across him and looks inside? They’ll be in for a heck of a shock.’

  But for once it wasn’t Clem who had the answers, but Big Col, who lumbered away before returning with a large flat rock and one small sharp one. Dropping to his knees, with his tongue between his teeth, he scratched at the large stone with the small one, not stopping until he was done.

  ‘There,’ he said, a look of pride on his face, despite the spidery writing he’d created.

  Here lies Samson. Rest in Piece.

  Neither Noah nor Clem felt the need to correct his spelling.

  ‘Perfect,’ said Clem.

  ‘It’s great. Thanks, Col.’

  Col beamed as he placed it at the head of the tomb.

  ‘We should say something, shouldn’t we?’ said Clem.

  ‘We should,’ said Noah.

  ‘Go on then.’

  Noah paused.

  ‘Er...’ It wasn’t the most reverential of beginnings. ‘We didn’t know Samson for very long. But... well, we still feel sad about it. Because he was brave. When we first met him, he’d been abandoned, but he trusted us, even when we made him go sailing down the Thames on a boat.’

  ‘He could’ve smashed the boat apart with his hooves, if he’d wanted to,’ added Col.

  ‘But the thing that I’ll remember him most for, apart from the hat, was his final act of bravery. If it wasn’t for him, those men would have hurt us. He knew we were in danger and that he would be too, but he did it anyway. So, thank you, Samson. And sorry. I feel like I let you down, but I won’t let you die in vain. We’ll make it to the Duchess’, I promise.’

  Noah let his head fall, satisfied that he’d said what he could.

  As his chin touched his chest, he felt and heard a rumble. A rumble that quickly grew in noise and intensity. He felt it, they all did, deep in their chests, then increasingly in their ears until it swelled towards a crescendo. But just as the din became almost unbearable, the sky above them split into pieces, and four Spitfires cut effortlessly across the blue. They looked otherworldly, impregnable.

  It was a beautiful sight, almost as though they’d been sent to pay a final, wonderful moment of respect to their fallen ally.

  The moment wasn’t wasted on any of them. They all felt it, and their eyes filled. Col coughed and went to tend to Delilah, who remained pretty much motionless beside the fire.

  ‘If she’s warmed up, then we should get walking again,’ said Noah. ’There’s still a distance to go.’ The thought delighted neither Clem nor Noah, but after a deep breath they busied themselves all the same. Col though, stayed on his knees.

  ‘We’re ready,’ Noah told him. ‘You?’

  The big lad shook his head without lifting it.

  ‘We’re done,’ he said quietly.

  ‘Good. So let’s go.’

  ‘No I mean we’re done-done.’ Finally, he looked at them both. ‘Me and Delilah. I’m taking her home.’

  46

  ‘Very funny,’ said Noah.

  ‘I’m not joking though,’ replied Col. ‘I wish I was, but I’m not.’

  ‘But you’ve only just found us again,’ said Clem.

  ‘I know, but look at her.’ He pointed at Delilah. ‘Feel her skin.’

  Noah instinctively put his hands in his pockets.

  ‘Go on. Touch her.’

  Reluctantly, they did, and although they didn’t really know how she was meant to feel, her skin was cold, and slightly clammy. What surprised Noah even more was that Delilah didn’t respond to their touch. Not a flick of the tongue or a lurch in their direction. Nothing.

  ‘She’s been by this fire for ages now,’ Col said. ‘But it’s made no difference. She’s barely moved or shown her tongue. I’m worried if I don’t do something now, she’s going to be so ill that there’ll be no coming back.’

  ‘We’re getting closer now though,’ replied Noah.

  There was a flash of anger in Col’s eyes, but it was merely that: a flash, and he replied with a rare calm.

  ‘Are we?’ he said. ‘I know you want to believe that. And I do too. And I’m not saying that you won’t get there in the end. But how long will it honestly take? Can you tell me that and promise it?’

  Noah looked to Clem to ask her, but she was already shaking her head.

  ‘I can’t,’ she said. ‘I wish I could, but I can’t. Not honestly.’

  Col smiled sadly and nodded. ‘Thank you. And that’s why I have to go home. If I find the road, I can hitch a lift back to London. Gives me a chance of making her well. Take her to the vet.’

  ‘Take her to the vet and you’ll never bring her out again!’ Noah said.

  ‘Then I’ll look after her myself. Get her warm by the stove. It always worked before.’

  ‘Yeah great, but what will your mum say? Do you really think she’s just going to welcome you back and tell you Delilah can stay after all? You don’t really believe that, do you? They’re going to cart you off to Cornwall.’

  Col looked flummoxed. Like he was trying to build a bridge out of jelly. ‘I don’t have all the answers. Not yet. But look at her, Noah. She’s dying.’

  What could Noah say to that? He didn’t want her to die. He wanted all the animals to survive, to live the long and happy lives they deserved. But whether he looked down the road to Windsor, or back to London, the view didn’t look good for Delilah.

  ‘Then what can we do to help?’ Noah said. ‘Do you want us to come with you?’ The words came out before he could stop them.

  ‘What, and end your adventure? Why would you do that?’

  ‘Because we started this together, and I want us to finish it the same way.’

  ‘So finish it then. You do it your way. And I’ll do it mine. The result will be the same. Saving our pets. We just won’t be doing it together, that’s all.’

  Noah sighed. He was out of arguments. ‘Just don’t let them take her, Col, all right? Don’t you dare let them do what they did to all the others.’

  Col nodded firmly. ‘I won’t. I’ll fight ’em if they try.’ A smile crossed his lips. ‘Or I’ll join the circus with her. We’d terrify kids everywhere, me and Delilah.’

  Noah didn’t doubt it, but before he could tell Col this, Clem piped up.

  ‘You know, you could always try the zoo?’ she said. ‘For Delilah, I mean. They wouldn’t be interested in dogs or kittens, but a python? You never know.’

  ‘Won’t they be putting animals to sleep too?’

  ‘Maybe. But it’s got to be worth a go, hasn’t it? There’s that woman who lives on Calmly View. She works there. Margaret something. She’s a bit fierce, but she must love animals deep down.’

  ‘I’ll go there straight off,’ said Col, eyes hopeful. ‘You always did have the best ideas round here, Clem.’ He flashed a look at Noah and smiled. ‘I’ll be seeing you. And thanks.’ He turned to leave, but after a few steps Noah stopped him in his tracks. ‘Do you really think someone’s going to give you a lift when you’re carrying a bloomin’ python?’ he asked. ‘They’ll speed up, not slow down.’

  ‘Oh,’ replied Col, sheepishly. ‘Didn’t think about that.’

  ‘Just as well Old Jim left without that then,’ Noah said, pointing at the sack, lying on the ground.

  Col smiled again, before carefully easing Delilah inside.

  ‘See?’ Noah grinned. ‘I do have ideas every now and then.’

  ‘Yeah, but this is the first one that was any flipping good.’ Col held out his hand. ‘I’ll see you when you get home.’

  ‘Probably not,’ Noah replied. ‘You’ll be evacuated. Or off with the circus.’

  ‘See you when it’s all over then.’

  ‘You will.’ He took Col’s hand and shook it, trying to match his strength and failing. ‘Friends, Col?’ Noah said.

  ‘Maybe. Maybe that’s why I came back to find you, ’ Col replied. ‘Or maybe we’re just both terrible at ideas.’

  He waved to Clem, she waved back. Then, after carefully placing the bag over his shoulder and looking one last time at Samson’s tomb, Col was off through the trees.

  Thankfully, this time he was heading in the right direction.

  47

  They plodded on, quiet for quite some time. Nothing seemed to cheer them up. Noah tried to pretend his misery was down to the endless kitten wrestling, but that wasn’t the real reason.

  He felt... sad, confused and guilty too. About Samson, about Col and Delilah. About the raging thirst that seemed to sap him of energy and the ability to think straight.

  ‘Come on,’ Clem asked from nowhere. ‘Tell me what you’re thinking about.’

  ‘The tallest glass of milk in the world,’ he replied. ‘I’d drink it straight from the cow truth be told.’

  Clem agreed.

  They walked on, ignoring every bit of beauty in the nature around them. They only stopped to wait for Frank, who might not have been thirsty, but was definitely tired.

  ‘You know, you’re not entirely responsible for everything, don’t you, Noah?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Exactly that. All this, it’s not your fault. You didn’t encourage Hitler to invade Poland, did you?’

  ‘I don’t remember that conversation last time we met for tea, no. But I do remember bringing you out here to do this.’

  ‘I do too. But I also remember agreeing to it. I could’ve said no, Noah. Don’t forget that.’

  ‘So why didn’t you? Maybe it would’ve been a better idea.’

  ‘And let the dogs die at the vet’s? You don’t believe that, and neither do I. So all right, the idea is a bit farfetched, and yes, we don’t know exactly how far we are away still, and YES, our mothers will murder us when we finally get home. But do I blame you for any of that? No, I don’t. And do I want to go home without really trying to reach the Duchess. NO. I do not.’

  ‘And will we still be friends afterwards?’ Noah asked cheekily. ‘Even if they evacuate us together and you have to spend the entire war with me?’

  ‘Don’t push your luck, Noah Price,’ she replied. ‘I’d make proper friends with those kittens if I were you. Just in case.’

  Noah laughed. That was unlikely. He was beginning to think they had chosen the wrong names for the kittens, Joseph and Mary were far too innocent for them. Trouble and Mayhem would have been more accurate.

  Their thoughts turned to what to do next. They had perhaps three hours of daylight left and beyond that map-reading would be impossible. At the same time, Clem believed they had at least seven, maybe eight miles still to walk.

  ‘We’re not going to make it tonight, are we?’

  ‘I wish I could say yes,’ Clem replied. ‘But not at the pace Frank is walking and it’ll be dark when we reach Windsor, so to find her house when we don’t even know where it actually is... it doesn’t seem likely, does it?’

  Noah sighed. He couldn’t disagree, though he wasn’t sure he had the energy to work out where they should sleep now Queen Maudie was no more.

  ‘Think it’s going to rain again tonight?’ Noah asked.

  Clem licked her finger and held it in the air. ‘My finger says there is a fifty-nine per cent chance of precipitation.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘No, you fool. Why do you think I know the exact answer to everything?’

  ‘Because you usually do.’

  ‘Can I have that in writing?’

  Noah pretended to check his pockets. ‘Left my pencil at home. Sorry.’

  ‘I do know that we need to find somewhere comfortable for us all to sleep. Not just for us. For these two as well.’

  The dogs looked tired. And hungry. Winn loped slowly to Noah, brushing against his knee and thigh whilst whining sorrowfully. It was a move she had mastered over the years: perfected to make Dad or Noah fill her food bowl for a second, or third time that day. Mum never fell for it of course.

  ‘I know you’re hungry, Winn. We are too. And I promise you, when we get there, there’ll be the biggest bowl of food you can think of. This Duchess probably feeds her animals steak, chicken and strings of sausages longer than Delilah.’

  Winn didn’t look impressed and lay at his feet. Frank did the same.

  ‘Don’t be resting on the job now,’ he said. ‘Take much longer and the sausages will be all gone.’ Winn stood, Frank did not. He looked asleep already.

  ‘Does he need to rest a while?’ he asked Clem, feeling that guilt eat at him again.

  ‘We don’t have time,’ she replied, and swept Frank into her arms.

  ‘I can help you with him,’ Noah offered.

  ‘Er, no you can’t,’ and she nodded at the kittens.

  ‘I’d rather carry Frank than try and tame those two.’

  ‘I’d rather tame Delilah than those two.’ And they laughed, until a rustle to their right brought them back to reality.

  ‘What was that?’

  ‘I’ve no idea.’

  ‘Oh God it’s not those men back, is it? It can’t be!’ Noah wanted to ball his fists but the kittens made that impossible. What would he do if they were back? There was no Col to save them this time.

  But as the fears started to spin around his head, the noise got louder. It came from behind a proud, thick bush, but before he had time to brace himself, the foliage parted and he was knocked to the ground, a figure falling on top of him. The kittens spilled to the floor and darted away.

  Noah readied himself to fight and pushed the figure off him.

  He expected to see a hat or unruly sideburns, but found instead the much less threatening figure of a young boy, now rolled up like a hedgehog, shaking.

  ‘What on earth?’ Noah said, feeling his burns sting. ‘Who are you?’ His voice sounded harder than he meant it to. The boy was clearly not a threat, but Noah remained on edge, and when the newcomer didn’t answer, it didn’t help ease the tension.

  ‘I said, who are you?’ he asked again.

  ‘Noah? Gently! Look how young he is,’ Clem chided. She’d put Frank down and went to touch the boy’s shoulder, only to retreat when he scuttled fearfully away.

  ‘It’s all right,’ she went on. ‘We’re not going to hurt you. You just gave us a shock, that’s all.’

  Still the boy said nothing, though he did look up, his eyes dinner-plate wide.

  ‘What’s your name?’

  ‘Matthew?’ came the reply, but not from him. ‘MATTHEW! For Pete’s sake. Where are you? It’s not your fault so come back, will you?’

  To be fair, the voice did sound a little angry, or frustrated at the very least, and when a girl appeared from behind the bush, her face said the same thing.

  She was older than them. By a couple of years at least. She wore a long, patched up dress and an even longer face. It didn’t change when she spotted the newcomers, and then her brother, shaking on the floor.

  ‘Matthew!!’ She was definitely angry now, though it was aimed at the two strangers instead of the boy. ‘What have you done to him? Who are you?’ She looked fierce, like she’d put the fear of God into Col, never mind them.

  ‘Steady on,’ said Noah. ‘We didn’t do a thing. He just ran out of nowhere and knocked me over.’

  ‘Did they hurt you?’ the girl asked, pulling the boy to his feet. It was the first time they’d got a clear look at him. He couldn’t be more than six. Rivers of tears had smudged the muck on his cheeks.

  The girl looked him up and down.

  ‘If he’s hurt, it’s of his own doing. He can tell you that himself.’

  She looked at Noah icily. ‘He can’t,’ she replied.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  She didn’t answer, taking the conversation instead in a whole new direction.

  ‘He ran off half an hour ago,’ she said, still checking him for damage. ‘I had no idea which direction he’d gone, but Ma had left me in charge, so I had to find him before she got back from milking.’

  Noah heard nothing except the word milk.

  ‘You live on a farm?’

  ‘We do, yes. Well, we do at the moment, anyway.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Well, there might not be a farm much longer. Can’t produce a lot if there’s no one to work on it.’

  ‘I don’t understand,’ Noah replied.

  ‘Dad’s going to lose nearly all his workers to the army. Practically overnight. Mum thinks he’ll be excused from signing up cos he’s too old and folk will still need feeding here. But if there’s no one else to do the milking and feeding and mucking out, then the beasts won’t last long. We’ll be lucky if we’re not thrown out by Christmas.’

 

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