patterns.
“Why not? Mother loves guests, you know that.”
“His name is Harry Scott.”
“Oh.” Lance looked from Alina to Harry and back again. “Really? Like the Scott family across the Border?” His lip curled back from his teeth. “You’re one of them?”
His tone indicated exactly how he thought of the unfortunate Scott family.
“I’m afraid he might be,” Alina said. “And you know how Father feels about the Scotts .”
Lance grimaced and ran his forefinger across his throat.
“Why does he hate them?” Harry linked his fingers together and stretched them in front of him. The joints cracked, and Cuddy flinched.
“You, you mean. Why does he hate you? If you’re one of them,” Lance challenged.
“It’s a long story.” Alina rushed to cover the awkward moment. “Uncle Reynold made himself unpopular with a reiver called Archie Scott. Archie led a revenge raid against Uncle’s lands at Halton and Whittington. He caused a lot of damage. When Uncle followed, they led him into a trap, and it cost a fortune to free him. Then last year a gang of the Scott family assaulted him and his father at the Stagshaw Midsummer Fair.”
“Uncle Reynold never went out again after reivers.” Lance took up the story. “Now Father’s gone instead. He says it’s because Uncle Reynold’s too ill to go, but I think it’s because Uncle’s scared of the Scotts .”
“However much you think it, you should not say it, Lance. Especially not in front of strangers,’ Alina said. ‘Uncle Reynold is really very ill.”
“That’s right, Lance. You don’t know who I am.” Harry stopped short, as if he’d remembered something unpalatable. He waved his hands in the air. “I don’t know who I am.”
The boys exchanged puzzled glances. Lance voiced what they were both thinking. “You mean hitting the tree branch knocked your brains out?”
Harry chuckled. “No. It means my memory isn’t working very well at the moment. It’s a temporary state, I hope.”
“What will you do if it dothn’t ever work again?” Cuddy’s voice reminded Alina of a reed whistle.
Alina frowned. “Of course his memory will come back.”
Lance swung round on her. “But how long will it take?”
“Maybe a few days, but I hope not.”
Lance stared at Harry with new respect. “Can’t you remember anything?”
“Well, I can remember how to talk, for a start. And I can remember how to ride, and my horse’s name. She’ll take me to Edinburgh without any bother, and—”
In the sudden vast, empty silence, Alina leant forward, her teeth sunk in her lip. He’d obviously recalled something.
Harry sat immobile, his gaze on Lance as if the boy had given him all the answers he needed. Lance opened his mouth, but Alina shushed him with a movement of her hand.
“Phew!” Harry drew his fingers down his cheeks so hard she could see the pink inner rims of his eyes. He ran his hands over the top of his head, and his fingers clasped at the nape of his neck. As he tensed his spine against the pull of his clasped hands, he laughed in delight and Alina realised how much the memory loss must have worried him. When he let go and looked at them all, there was a new, brighter sparkle in his eyes and all the lines of his face curved up.
Alina could not match his joy. She could not summon even the briefest smile. If he had remembered everything, he’d leave at once.
“What’s the matter?” Lance asked Harry.
“I know who I am.”
“You’ve remembered? Your memory has come back?” Cuddy beamed.
Harry nodded and turned to Alina. “You told me my name was Harry Scott, and of course I believed you. But now I know it, I know it all…I can remember my father, my home and why I am going to Edinburgh—I can remember everything.”
***
Harry kept his thoughts private. He talked with the boys, assured them that though his name was Scott he was not related to those dastardly Scotts north of the border, and all the time he knew he
“Why not? Mother loves guests, you know that.”
“His name is Harry Scott.”
“Oh.” Lance looked from Alina to Harry and back again. “Really? Like the Scott family across the Border?” His lip curled back from his teeth. “You’re one of them?”
His tone indicated exactly how he thought of the unfortunate Scott family.
“I’m afraid he might be,” Alina said. “And you know how Father feels about the Scotts .”
Lance grimaced and ran his forefinger across his throat.
“Why does he hate them?” Harry linked his fingers together and stretched them in front of him. The joints cracked, and Cuddy flinched.
“You, you mean. Why does he hate you? If you’re one of them,” Lance challenged.
“It’s a long story.” Alina rushed to cover the awkward moment. “Uncle Reynold made himself unpopular with a reiver called Archie Scott. Archie led a revenge raid against Uncle’s lands at Halton and Whittington. He caused a lot of damage. When Uncle followed, they led him into a trap, and it cost a fortune to free him. Then last year a gang of the Scott family assaulted him and his father at the Stagshaw Midsummer Fair.”
“Uncle Reynold never went out again after reivers.” Lance took up the story. “Now Father’s gone instead. He says it’s because Uncle Reynold’s too ill to go, but I think it’s because Uncle’s scared of the Scotts .”
“However much you think it, you should not say it, Lance. Especially not in front of strangers,’ Alina said. ‘Uncle Reynold is really very ill.”
“That’s right, Lance. You don’t know who I am.” Harry stopped short, as if he’d remembered something unpalatable. He waved his hands in the air. “I don’t know who I am.”
The boys exchanged puzzled glances. Lance voiced what they were both thinking. “You mean hitting the tree branch knocked your brains out?”
Harry chuckled. “No. It means my memory isn’t working very well at the moment. It’s a temporary state, I hope.”
“What will you do if it dothn’t ever work again?” Cuddy’s voice reminded Alina of a reed whistle.
Alina frowned. “Of course his memory will come back.”
Lance swung round on her. “But how long will it take?”
“Maybe a few days, but I hope not.”
Lance stared at Harry with new respect. “Can’t you remember anything?”
“Well, I can remember how to talk, for a start. And I can remember how to ride, and my horse’s name. She’ll take me to Edinburgh without any bother, and—”
In the sudden vast, empty silence, Alina leant forward, her teeth sunk in her lip. He’d obviously recalled something.
Harry sat immobile, his gaze on Lance as if the boy had given him all the answers he needed. Lance opened his mouth, but Alina shushed him with a movement of her hand.
“Phew!” Harry drew his fingers down his cheeks so hard she could see the pink inner rims of his eyes. He ran his hands over the top of his head, and his fingers clasped at the nape of his neck. As he tensed his spine against the pull of his clasped hands, he laughed in delight and Alina realised how much the memory loss must have worried him. When he let go and looked at them all, there was a new, brighter sparkle in his eyes and all the lines of his face curved up.
Alina could not match his joy. She could not summon even the briefest smile. If he had remembered everything, he’d leave at once.
“What’s the matter?” Lance asked Harry.
“I know who I am.”
“You’ve remembered? Your memory has come back?” Cuddy beamed.
Harry nodded and turned to Alina. “You told me my name was Harry Scott, and of course I believed you. But now I know it, I know it all…I can remember my father, my home and why I am going to Edinburgh—I can remember everything.”
***
Harry kept his thoughts private. He talked with the boys, assured them that though his name was Scott he was not related to those dastardly Scotts north of the border, and all the time he knew he
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