Page 28 of Old Girls Behaving Badly

‘I actually asked him about that and he said it was for his dog to look at itself,’ she said.

‘I didn’t know he had a dog. Where is he hiding that?’

‘Apparently he no longer has it.’

‘Oh, it died?’

‘He didn’t say dead, he said gone, but I don’t think he seems like the sort for pets.’

‘I would have to agree, but if he did have a dog and put the mirror there for it, that would make him a bit more human, don’t you think?’ I suggested.

‘Yes, well, that’s why I don’t believe he had a dog at all,’ Dorothy said.

When Dorothy had finished her tea we wandered back down and through to the entrance hall and stood in front of the mirror staring at our lower legs. Then I crouched down into a squat, which took some effort, and when I got my bearings on the odd reflected angle I noticed that from where I was, I could see the fan vase on the windowsill above and it had been moved back to its original, odd position. I was about to tell Dorothy when there was a commotion and the house guests all suddenly appeared in the hallway. ‘Leonard’s bust his knee,’ said Juliet with a face that suggested that was the most interesting thing that had happened all afternoon.

13

GINA

Leonard had been brought back on the golf buggy and carried into the house between Rufus and Paul, complaining that his saddle hadn’t been fitted properly. He really did look as if he was in immense pain as they lowered him onto a chair.

‘You need an ice-pack and to elevate your leg,’ suggested Paul.

‘What I need is a large whisky and to find the person responsible for saddling my horse!’ Leonard barked.

‘I’m sure it was a mistake. No one would have deliberately sabotaged your tack.’

There was a hushed silence for a moment and I could feel Dorothy bristle beside me, then Caroline appeared, pushed up Leonard’s trouser leg and began to check over his knee.

‘She’s a nurse,’ Dorothy explained.

‘It doesn’t seem too serious, but you have bruised it. I think if you keep off it for a couple of days then you’ll be fine for the wedding, if you take it easy of course,’ Caroline said.

I listened with a heavy heart. Leonard keeping off his knee meant my ability to search was lessened. I was relying on him being out of the house so I could continue. With him upstairs resting in his bedroom I could hardly scour his sitting room and I could kick myself now for not taking the opportunity while I had it. Maybe I’d just have to be patient and wait for the other guests to arrive on Friday. With a lot more people in the house I might just be able to go about my task without detection. Surely Leonard would be very busy with a house full of guests. I had a feeling that I was committed now and that just maybe I could handle a challenge.

‘I fully intend to go quad biking tomorrow. You can hardly all go off on your own. I’ve got some knee supports somewhere from my days of tennis injuries. That will be fine.’

‘This week is turning into an outward-bound course,’ Dorothy muttered under her breath, and I stifled my laughter.

‘Uncle Leonard, I’m not sure that’s very sensible,’ Caroline said, but he waved her away.

‘I promised you a full week of activities and that is what you shall have. I’d love to take you all around the park, to see the full extent of my land here. There are deer and I have some alpaca too. We can’t miss out on that and it wouldn’t be the same without me to show you around.’

I was beginning to feel better thinking that Leonard intended to go regardless of his knee, but then he spoke again.

‘And we are all going – no stragglers left behind on this one. Even you, Dorothy,’ he continued as she began to protest. ‘You can ride pillion to Gina, if she thinks she can handle it.’

He gave me a penetrating stare and I felt both intimidated and challenged.

‘Of course I can handle it,’ I said, only just remembering that I’d never actually driven a quad bike in my life and had very little wish to do so now.

‘That’s settled then. Now, you have a free afternoon and then we meet at six on the patio for a special meal. Six sharp because I have something planned.’

Leonard started barking orders at Paul for strong pain relief and then both Rufus and Paul manhandled him away up the stairs. As I watched them go I realised I had so much of the house left to search. It would have to wait for another time and time wasn’t something we had an awful lot of.

‘Would you like to escort me up to the temple?’ Dorothy said. ‘I’ve asked Harry to make us up a picnic lunch and I thought we could have that in the shade and then, perhaps we could have a walk around the rose garden.’

‘That sounds lovely,’ I said.