Different Tides by Janet Woods

Author:Janet Woods [Janet Woods]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Published: 2014-04-30T16:00:00+00:00

Eleven

The snow had stopped falling, but the sky was still heavy and low. The horizon melded into the sky with only the occasional dark twig poking through the whiteness to indicate the path of a hedgerow.

The children stared out of the window, their eyes rounded with wonder.

‘Are we inside a cloud?’ Iris asked, her voice an awed whisper and quivering with excitement.

Clementine pulled a red velvet smock over the girl’s warm petticoat, then brushed her hair and tied a ribbon in it before turning to Edward, who was seated on a low stool, and grunting as he tugged at his boot.

‘Edward, you’re putting that boot on back to front.’ She turned it around. ‘There … try that.’

The boy gave it an extra-hard tug and toppled backwards off the stool, his leg in the air and the boot dangling from it. Iris began to giggle.

Clementine hauled the child upright. ‘You have to slide your toes around the heel and into the foot, Edward. Try it again.’

Edward’s next attempt was more successful.

‘Well done, Edward.’

The voice came from the doorway and they all turned towards it.

Iris gave a delighted little squeal when she saw Zachariah and rushed to give him a hug.

Edward held back a little, as he usually did, then edged forward, as cautious as a fox and with a certain amount of uncertainty in his eyes – but hardly able to contain his smile. He held out his hand. ‘Welcome home, Uncle Zachariah.’

As Zachariah took it Clementine noticed his hands had been doctored by a much more proficient nurse than herself.

‘Thank you, Edward. I’ve come to escort you all down to breakfast.’

‘Edward can slide down the banister,’ Iris said when they reached the landing at the top of the stairs.

Clementine turned her glance on the boy, trying to hide her alarm. ‘Can he now? That’s a surprise.’

‘You weren’t supposed to tell anyone, Iris.’

‘That’s what sisters are for, stopping a chap from scaring everyone witless.’

‘Would it scare you if I did it?’

Zachariah laughed. ‘It’s your head. If you want to bounce off it at the bottom, go ahead.’

Iris turned to grin at her. ‘Edward was scared you’d make a fuss if I told you, Miss Clemmie. You won’t, will you?’

‘I would have. But it’s too late to do that now you have your uncle’s seal of approval.’

Edward gave a little shrug. ‘I only wanted to surprise Uncle Zachariah.’

‘Of course you did.’ She gazed down the long shiny slide of the handrail, her heart in her mouth. It would be irresistible to a boy, and she wouldn’t mind sliding down it herself if she wasn’t hampered by her skirts and didn’t have an audience. ‘Go on then. Be sure of this. I’ll only make a fuss if you fall off and hurt yourself, and that will be a big one.’

Edward grinned. ‘I won’t fall off, I promise. It’s easy if you don’t go too fast.’

‘How do you stop yourself from going too fast?’

‘By holding on tight.’

‘You’d better get on with it then.’

Edward hopped astride the rail, and with his rear pointing towards the hall he began to slide backwards.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.