(no subject)

[biskybat]

Chapter Two
The Sinister Stranger

"This is the worst Christmas I've ever had. Ever."
"So the rest of us are actually enjoying being shipped all over England, are we?" growled Nicola.
"And it's not Christmas any more, anyway," said Peter. "That was four days ago."
"Seems like four years ago."

Lawrie drooped in her British Rail seat, Nicola stared out into the wet winter afternoon and Peter, eyeing both his sisters from his position opposite them thought they looked truly identical in their miseries.

"Nothing we can do about it. Let's play Sinister Strangers," he said briskly. "And there's the very person behind you both - no, don't round and gawp, Lawrie, you clot."
"Well, how else can I see who you mean? I must at least glance."
"Glance but don't gawp," said Peter. "He's wearing dark glasses so he's got the advantage on you."
"Dark glasses in this weather," commented Nicola still looking out of her window and only very marginally interested in playing Sinister Strangers.
"He might be blind," suggested Lawrie taking a covert peep. "Oh, I see what you mean, Peter. He could be a spy about to hand over secret documents to the enemy. He's actually wearing a trench coat and he's actually got the collar turned up."
"It's actually cold, perhaps that's why," Nicola said who was still feeling the effects of their long chilly wait on Junction station.
"But you must look, Nick. He's even got his hands in his pockets and his shoulders are all hunched up."
"Like I said. Chap's probably cold."
"Or he could have a gun in his pocket - Nick, you must look."
"I'm going to the loo," Nicola said abruptly. "And I'll have a good look then. Okay?"

She scrambled past her twin and Lawrie and Peter exchanged meaningful looks.

"Patrick, natch," said Peter.
"And Ginty staying with him and her not. Yes. But it's only for a night and then she's going to Monica's."
"A lot can happen in a night," Peter said.
"Actually," said Lawrie, with whom the domestic arrangements since the collapse of the roof still rankled hard and who needed very little encouragement to review them."Actually, I don't see why the Merricks couldn't put us all up for a few days. They've got thousands of bedrooms doing nothing."
"I expect Mr Merrick might have if he hadn't been called away," said Peter. "But I can't see Mrs Merrick welcoming hoards of Marlows into the ancestral home."
"Not hoards. Even four counting Ginty isn't hoards."
"Gosh!" said Peter staring past Lawrie, his voice quickening in suppressed excitement. "Our chap - our Sinister Stranger - he's just tucked a piece of paper into his shoe! I saw him do it! Now that is a really sinister thing to do."
"Definitely a secret message," said Lawrie entering into the spirit. "Did he honestly Peter or are you making it up?"
"Honest injun. Here's Nick again - oh, look out, they're going to barge into each other - "

Lawrie twisted round in her seat in time to see the Sinister Stranger clumsily stand and reach up to the overhead baggage rack just as Nicola made her entrance through the door. The train lurched and they were thrown against each other, the briefcase that the Sinister Stranger was retrieving bursting open as it hit the floor. Peter and Lawrie saw Nicola crouch down to help pick up the flying papers and then he obviously said something to her - they couldn't hear what - to make her hurriedly straighten up and, rather red in the face and rejoin them. She sat down with a thump. They looked at her expectantly.

"What happened?" Lawrie demanded. "What did he say to you?"
"He said Get away, leave them, go," Nicola said, clearly still ruffled by this encounter.
"Dead suspicious," said Peter. "Why should he mind you helping?"
"Did he sound suspicious?" asked Lawrie.
"He sounded sort or Russian - "
"Russian?"
"Yes, like Madam Kushka, Lawrie, who comes in to do Folk Dance. Like that. And also - the papers - well, I don't know exactly but they looked Russian, too."
"What, loads of backward Bs and Rs?" Lawrie said intelligently and Nicola nodded.

It passed the journey, to wonder who the Sinister Stranger was and where he was going and whether he might be carrying a gun. Then they lost interest in him, ate the sandwiches Mrs Bertie had packed for them, played a desultory game or two with the cards Peter had had the foresight to pack and counted the stations off as they passed through them. By road the journey could have been done in an hour. By train, because they were travelling from one small out of the way station to another it was going to take three.

"I never knew these little branch lines even existed," Nicola remarked as they made their second change. "Surely it can't be much further."
"Three more stations," Peter said. "But they start getting closer together. Then a change at St Planeth and a very short trip on a very local train and we're there."

"George, it's nearly time to go and meet your cousins off the train and you haven't got Charlie in the trap yet."
"Oh, mother, do we have to go in the trap? Can't you go down and bring them back in the taxi?"
"Now, don't be difficult, George. You know people always love the trap."
"But we won't all fit in," objected George. "Not all seven of us and their luggage."
"You don't all have to go - "
"I'm not going on my own! I won't do it!"
"I'll come," said Anne helpfully. "I don't mind at all."
"What about one of the boys?" said George obstinately. "One of the boys instead of me?"
"No go, old thing," said Julian. "You know we can't handle the trap like you can."
"Yes," agreed Dick." Wouldn't be a very good start to have Charlie charging down the village street, everyone hanging on for dear life and all the luggage flying all over the place!"

Everyone laughed, even George. Dick said such droll things sometimes.
"Then I'll go," said Aunt Fanny with a sigh. "Even if I have got a list of jobs a mile long. I don't want your new cousins to feel unwelcome, George."
"Yes, you'd frighten them all back on to the train for home, roof problems or no roof problems, with a face like that," said Dick with a grin.

George felt a little ashamed.

"Oh, I'll go," she said unwillingly. "I know you've got lots to do, Mother. I'll go and get Charlie ready."
"I know!" said Julian. "We'll all go. Then you girls and Nicola can ride back with their luggage and we boys can walk. I expect Peter and Larrie will be glad to stretch their legs after their journey."

Everyone agreed that this was a good idea and soon all five, because of course Timmy, ears blown back by the breeze, came too, were bowling along in the little trap in the crisp winter afternoon.

"I do wonder what they'll be like," Anne said for perhaps the tenth time. "I must say it will be nice to have another girl in the house."
"So you keep saying," said George disagreeably. "Well, I wonder what the boys will be like. Mother said their farm is very ancient and the family have lived there ages so I hope they won't be superior and horrid and look down their noses at us because we've only got a little house."
"They'll probably be very nice," said Julian. "And if they aren't you can leave it to Dick and me to sort them out. We'll soon put them in their places, won't we Dick?"
"Rather," said Dick. "Remember Duckett Mi at school, Ju? How his father inherited some great stately house somewhere and he came back all high and mighty? We soon took him down a peg!"
"How?" asked George. "What did you do?"
"Stuck his head down the bog," said Dick cheerfully. "That made him think twice!"
"You did what?" said Anne, horrified.
"Shut up, Dick," said Julian hurriedly. "And don't say 'bog' - you know Mummy doesn't like it. It's all right, Anne. It was mostly pretending."
"Duckett mi didn't think so," said Dick with a laugh.
"So if Peter and the others try being superior - " began George thoughtfully.
"No," said Julian firmly. "Leave it to Dick and me if there's any trouble. And there's no reason why there should be. Look, we're only just in time - I can hear the train."
"I'll stay in the trap," said George morosely. "You three can do the welcoming bit."
"No, George," said Julian. "Aunt Fanny said you've got to because of them being your real cousins. I'll stay with Charlie. Or Dick will."
"Oh, let's all go," said Dick. "Charlie doesn't mind being tied up."

With a bad grace George jumped down and tied Charlie securely to the station fence. Julian, Dick and Anne scrambled out of the trap and they all arrived on the station just as the train pulled in.

"That must be them," Anne said pointing at the three children getting off the train.
"Can't be," said Julian. "We're looking for two boys and a girl - those are a boy and two girls. And the girls look like twins. No-one said anything about twins."

They looked up and down the platform but there was no-one else who remotely answered the Marlows' description. They looked doubtfully at the blonde haired trio standing equally uncertainly looking back at them. Then the boy detached himself.

"I say," he said. "Are you George or Julian or - "
"That's us," said Dick with a friendly grin. "I'm Dick and this is Julian and this is Anne. And this is George, of course."
"You must be Peter and Nicola and Larry," said Anne shyly. "Hello."
"Not Larry," said Lawrie vaguely affronted. "Lawrie. Larry's a boy's name."
"So's Lawrie," said George at once. "What's it short for?"
"Lawrence. Because - "
"But that really is a boy's name. Or do you just make everyone call you it? What's your real name?"
"I've just told you," said Lawrie looking with dislike at George. "Lawrence. They called me it because they had it all ready and they wanted to use it up."
"You mean you got called by a boy's name right from the start?" demanded George enviously.
"Don't you mind?" asked Anne.
"Why should I?" said Lawrie. "I'm used to it."
"I'm Nicola," said Nicola, feeling this had gone on long enough. "Whatever you do don't argue with her. We'll be here all day."
"Well, it wasn't my fault they got my name wrong - "
"Shut up, Lawrie," said Peter. He offered Julian a little smile. "Girls! They're the giddy limit, aren't they?"

Julian grinned back.

"Certainly have to keep them in their place," he said. "This way, We've got the pony and trap outside."
"Pony and trap! That sounds fun," said Nicola politely, privately deciding that she didn't like Julian much, although Dick seemed all right. Anne reminded her too much and too uneasily of Marie Dobson and why on earth was George so belligerent? There she went again glaring at her so heavily that her eyebrows practically met in the middle.

"Sorry if you're used to a limousine," said George nastily.
"Oh, we are," said Peter who had already made up his mind that George was rude and ill mannered. "But I daresay we can manage. After all, we have to when the chauffeur has his day off, don't we, you two?"
"Mother and Father can't drive," said George sulkily. "So we just have the trap."
"Peter's just being silly," said Nicola hastily. "Of course we haven't got a limousine. We haven't even got bikes - apart from Ann and she had to have hers over about four birthdays and Christmases."
"Can you imagine," said Dick with a chuckle, "can you just imagine Uncle Quentin behind the wheel of a car? Nothing on the road would be safe for miles!"

He began to lead the others out of the platform and towards the trap.

"What's Uncle Quentin like?" asked Nicola. "Mum says he's very clever and has just invented a - "
"Sshh," said George sharply. "Any work my father does is always top secret and we all know not to breathe a word in public."
"No harm done," said Dick agreeably. "After all, Kirrin station isn't exactly a bustle of activity this afternoon, is it?"
"I say," said Peter suddenly as he turned to survey the almost empty platform. "There's that chap we saw on the train. Our Sinister Stranger. Look - with his back to us talking to the station master."
"I could have sworn he got off the train ages ago," said Nicola. "He must have just got into another carriage."

She and Peter hung back to watch while the others went ahead. The Stranger seemed particularly agitated about something. He was waving his hands and gesticulating and it was obvious that whatever the porter was saying was not what he wanted to hear.

"I wonder if we can help," Peter said.
"Can't see how. He's probably missed a connection and found out he has to kick his heels here for a couple of hours."
"We could ask though," said Peter whose curiosity was clearly aroused.
"I'd much rather not do anything of the sort," said Nicola with feeling. "You didn't hear what he was like when I tried to help him pick up his ruddy papers. Come on, the others are waiting."

Peter turned reluctantly away.

"I say, Nick," he said in a low voice as they walked past the ticket office. "What do you think of them?"
"Not much," said Nicola candidly. "Although you were a clot to say all that about limousines. It sounded awful. As if we thought they were real local yokels."

Peter grinned.

"Did you see George's face?" he said. "No sense of humour at all. Do you think he is a girl?"
"No idea," said Nicola who didn't much care either way. "And I don't feel like asking him Or her - sorry, yes, we're coming - sorry - "

George, Ann and Lawrie were already in the trap, Lawrie's bag by her feet.

"Just room for you, Nicola," said Julian. "Get in and I'll send up yours and Peter's bags. We boys are going to walk. It's not far - about a mile."
"What? Walk all that way? And me with me rheumatiz," said Peter putting his bag in the trap. "No, joke, Julian. Honestly. Of course I don't mind walking."
"Nor do I," said Nicola at once. "I'll take turns with Peter and Lawrie."
"Hoi, there, Master George," said a voice behind them. "Can you see fit to find a space for the gentleman in your little trap? He needs to get into the village."
"I expect so, Mr Jarding," said George softening like butter as she always did at the appellation. "But two of you girls will have to walk to make room."

Predictably Anne immediately hopped down. Just as predictably Lawrie stayed put. The Sinister Stranger clumsily climbed into the trap, depositing his bag heavily on the floor. His briefcase, Peter was interested to see, he kept on his lap with his arms wrapped possessively round it.

"Where do you want to go, sir?" asked Julian.

The man mumbled something which no-one could hear.

"Er - sorry - didn't catch - "
"Ze Zeal's 'Ead," said the man ungraciously.
"Oh," said Julian. "Um … "
"The Seal's Head," said George, bored. "It's all right, Ju. I know where that is. It's just before we get to the village. Come on Timmy, room for you."

Timmy jumped in very eagerly and gave an excited woof. The man gave him a look of distaste and pushed himself as far into the corner as could go.

"I don't think our foreign friend thinks much of sharing his transport with old Tim," said Dick. "Look at his face!"

The others laughed and Anne said:

"Look at Timmy's ears! You can tell how much he likes going in the trap. Usually he has to run behind," she added to Peter and Nicola, "because there just isn't room for him when it's all of us.""
"Why don't you trot on to the Seal's Head and come back again for Nicola and Anne?" suggested Julian. "I really don't think Anne ought to walk too far in this cold air. She looks done in already."
"All right," said George briefly. She clicked Charlie into a smart trot and soon disappeared from view.

Nicola took a covert glance at Anne who looked perfectly all right as far as she could tell.

"You ought to have said something," she said doubtfully. "Lawrie could easily have walked. She's just lazy but if you're not well or something - "
"Oh, Julian's an old fusspot," said Anne. "He likes to pretend I can't do anything at all sometimes."
"Now, Anne," began Julian. "You know you're only a girl and girls can't do the things that boys do. You should just accept it. After all we don't want two Georges in the family, now do we?"
"Don't say anything like that in front of George," said Dick with a grin. "And, by the way, you two, don't try calling George Georgina whatever you do. She won't answer if you do. She likes being thought a boy, you see."
"We thought she was a boy," said Nicola. "And actually, lots of people call me Nick for short - although I don't want to be a boy, of course."
"Don't you?" said Julian in surprise.
"Well, no," said Nicola. "Why would I want that?"
"I suppose I just assumed all girls would want to be boys if they had a chance," said Julian. "Unless they're like Anne, here, of course, who positively loves being a girl."

Nicola frowned to herself. Was Julian mad? Or trying to make the sort of joke Peter went in for? Or simply very very pompous? She and Peter exchanged an expressive glance and Dick jumped into the awkward silence

"Then Nick it is," he said. "Nice and short and easy. I say, I wonder how long George will be? It's a bit colder than I expected and I've forgotten my gloves."