Brothers at Arms Page B

toast, and a smear of butter. Uncle Lucius was the only one allowed to have honey.”
    When they had eaten their fill, Joshua planned to set out on a tour of Linmore Hall. In assuming his cousins would look after Sophie, he wanted to show Charlie all the secret places they could hide, but his plan had to be adapted, because Sophie wanted to come with them.
    Then he realised they must keep her safe, particularly after she had bested Matthew Norbery the previous day.
    As far as Joshua was concerned, the timing of the house tour was crucial, and he wanted to walk through the downstairs rooms with impunity, knowing his brother never left his bedchamber until after midday.
    They started weaving in through one door of the salon, and out through the hidden doors used by servants, then on to other rooms in sequence. It was important for Charlie to know of such things, because Joshua used them to escape from his brother’s vengeful ways. Passing through the rooms, they encountered maidservants attending to their cleaning duties. Several smiled a greeting, but no one said anything amiss.
    By the time Joshua crept up the mellow oak staircase to the first floor landing, the ormolu clock on the reception hall mantelshelf was chiming half-past eleven. At the top, he peeped around the corner of the balustrade.
    Things had not gone entirely to plan, because of Charlie’s fascination with detail. Joshua did not know all the answers to his questions. He had to think a lot, which meant the tour took longer than anticipated, and there were still many rooms to see.
    He waited a moment, tilting his head to listen for any sounds that might indicate his brother was in the vicinity. The thought made his mouth feel dry.
    “What are you doing?” Charlie asked.
    Joshua hesitated, and then said in a quiet voice. “Just making sure there’s nobody about.”
    “D’you mean him?” Charlie asked in the same, low tone.
    He nodded and moved on again, thankful his friend understood. At the end of a long corridor, he stopped short and pointed at a solid oak door.
    “My mother lives through there,” he said.
    “Are we allowed to see her?” Charlie wanted to know.
    Joshua shivered. “No, you wouldn’t want to. I only go when I’m summoned.” He did not want to explain the reasons.
    Charlie nodded. “Uncle Tom said Aunt Norbery was an invalid. What’s the matter with her?”
    It was difficult for Joshua to explain. “She hasn’t been well since I was born, and blames me.” There seemed nothing else to say.
    “Can we go outside now?” Charlie said.
    They hurried along a long corridor towards the nursery wing, down the back stairs and out through the door to the courtyard.
    Joshua ran outside, took a gasp of air and let it go with a sense of relief. Then he had an idea. “Do you want to see where the kitchens are? They might find us something to eat.”
    It was less than two hours since they finished breakfast, but viewing the house was a hungry business. He skipped down the stairs to the stillroom on the lower floor, and found a woman, clad in black bombazine, sitting at a desk. On seeing them, she turned immediately to speak.
    “Are these your new friends, Master Joshua?”
    “Yes, Mrs Delbury,” he said. “This is Charlie Cobarne, and his sister, Sophie.”
    The housekeeper looked from one to the other, and said in a precise voice, “I’m pleased to meet you both, and hope you will be comfortable at Linmore. I trust you will let me know if you have any problems.”
    Charlie nodded, but his attention was on an earthenware jar, reposing on a shelf. Then he turned his dark eyes and sunny smile on her.
    “Do you happen to have any biscuits?” he asked.
    “Of course I do, Master Charlie,” the housekeeper said with an indulgent smile. “These are special ones I keep for Master Joshua.” She lifted the lid and let them take two each of the fruity pastries made to a Shropshire recipe.
    Joshua was so pleased that he could show Charlie