ground into dust and I struggled to rise further than from my knees.
‘Nothing is broken,’ mocked Brannigan. ‘I was instructed not to hurt you too badly. The professor has a soft spot for you. Ain’t that so, Sirius?’
‘As soft as your heart, Mr Brannigan.’ He looked at me. ‘Either that or he simply doesn’t want the trouble of having to dispose of his ugly, useless carcass.’
‘Ignore him,’ said Miss Breed, helping me to my feet. ‘He’s either all charm or all hate. There’s no in between with Mr Gunn.’
He tipped his hat at us and walked off towards Brannigan, who had also turned his back and was now a good five yards away.
‘Let me help you inside.’ She draped my arm over her shoulder and allowed me to lean on her for support.
To my embarrassment, Miss Breed guided me all the way to my room and even to my bed. I made a pained noise as I sat on the mattress and slowly leaned back. She lifted my feet, unhooked my boots and then tugged at the bottom of my urine-stained trousers.
‘No!’ I shouted. ‘I am quite capable of doing that.’
‘I don’t think you are.’ She grinned, then yanked them all the way off.
I grabbed a sheet to cover my embarrassment.
It seemed to amuse her. ‘If it makes you feel better, Mr Brannigan pissed all over Sirius during their early days together.’
‘It doesn’t.’
‘It will.
Eventually
.’ She threw the trousers down near the window. ‘If you like, I can make you a poultice.’
‘Poultice?’
‘It is a medicament of bread and herbs …’
‘I’m not hungry.’
She laughed. ‘It’s not to eat, you idiot. It’s for your chest. You put it against your ribs and it draws the bruising out and takes the pain away.’
‘I don’t want the pain to go away.’
‘That doesn’t make sense.’
‘I
need
the pain. Need it to remind me how much harder I have to try tomorrow, when I take that old beast down.’
‘You don’t fight him again.’ She moved closer to me. ‘No one fights Michael Brannigan twice.’
‘I will.’
‘Then you are even more stupid than I thought.’ She started to walk away then turned. ‘Do you know who he is? Why you, me and Mr Gunn are here?’
‘No. I don’t know. We are all criminals, I suppose. Rounded up by an even greater rogue.’
She shook her head in dismay. ‘You need to do some thinking. Grasp what we have all done and what unites us. Then you will know why you must never challenge Michael again.’
‘Why don’t you save me all that trouble and just tell me?’
‘Because that’s not my place.’
‘Excuse me, miss,’ said a woman’s voice from the doorway. ‘The professor has sent me for
him
.’
‘He is all yours,’ answered Miss Breed, stepping aside. ‘I am quite done with him.’
A young maid in a black and white uniform with a frilled apron and cap entered the room. Over her arm lay a long flannel robe in a dark chocolate colour, trimmed with gold piping.
‘I am sorry to disturb you, sir. I am Jane, one of the Between Maids.’ She had a voice as soft as the dimple on her chin. She laid the robe on the bed. ‘The master says you are to wear this while I fetch your soiled clothes to the bathhouse and leave them there to be laundered.’ She nodded politely. ‘I will wait outside, sir, while you dress.’
Jane left and I struggled to my feet. The beating was already stiffening my joints and putting on the robe, which was a good few inches too large, was an agony. I tied the belt then gathered the soiled garments and joined her.
The route she took was long and led to the end of the west wing, where she relieved me of my soiled clothes and opened a door. ‘This is the bathhouse, sir. I will leave you here.’
I thanked her and walked into a room filled with steam. Through the mist I discerned the outline of various tubs. Plungers. Roll tops. Slippers. All on a raised wooden platform.
Out of the fog came a voice and a small moustachioed man. ‘Please be careful, sir.’
‘Nothing is broken,’ mocked Brannigan. ‘I was instructed not to hurt you too badly. The professor has a soft spot for you. Ain’t that so, Sirius?’
‘As soft as your heart, Mr Brannigan.’ He looked at me. ‘Either that or he simply doesn’t want the trouble of having to dispose of his ugly, useless carcass.’
‘Ignore him,’ said Miss Breed, helping me to my feet. ‘He’s either all charm or all hate. There’s no in between with Mr Gunn.’
He tipped his hat at us and walked off towards Brannigan, who had also turned his back and was now a good five yards away.
‘Let me help you inside.’ She draped my arm over her shoulder and allowed me to lean on her for support.
To my embarrassment, Miss Breed guided me all the way to my room and even to my bed. I made a pained noise as I sat on the mattress and slowly leaned back. She lifted my feet, unhooked my boots and then tugged at the bottom of my urine-stained trousers.
‘No!’ I shouted. ‘I am quite capable of doing that.’
‘I don’t think you are.’ She grinned, then yanked them all the way off.
I grabbed a sheet to cover my embarrassment.
It seemed to amuse her. ‘If it makes you feel better, Mr Brannigan pissed all over Sirius during their early days together.’
‘It doesn’t.’
‘It will.
Eventually
.’ She threw the trousers down near the window. ‘If you like, I can make you a poultice.’
‘Poultice?’
‘It is a medicament of bread and herbs …’
‘I’m not hungry.’
She laughed. ‘It’s not to eat, you idiot. It’s for your chest. You put it against your ribs and it draws the bruising out and takes the pain away.’
‘I don’t want the pain to go away.’
‘That doesn’t make sense.’
‘I
need
the pain. Need it to remind me how much harder I have to try tomorrow, when I take that old beast down.’
‘You don’t fight him again.’ She moved closer to me. ‘No one fights Michael Brannigan twice.’
‘I will.’
‘Then you are even more stupid than I thought.’ She started to walk away then turned. ‘Do you know who he is? Why you, me and Mr Gunn are here?’
‘No. I don’t know. We are all criminals, I suppose. Rounded up by an even greater rogue.’
She shook her head in dismay. ‘You need to do some thinking. Grasp what we have all done and what unites us. Then you will know why you must never challenge Michael again.’
‘Why don’t you save me all that trouble and just tell me?’
‘Because that’s not my place.’
‘Excuse me, miss,’ said a woman’s voice from the doorway. ‘The professor has sent me for
him
.’
‘He is all yours,’ answered Miss Breed, stepping aside. ‘I am quite done with him.’
A young maid in a black and white uniform with a frilled apron and cap entered the room. Over her arm lay a long flannel robe in a dark chocolate colour, trimmed with gold piping.
‘I am sorry to disturb you, sir. I am Jane, one of the Between Maids.’ She had a voice as soft as the dimple on her chin. She laid the robe on the bed. ‘The master says you are to wear this while I fetch your soiled clothes to the bathhouse and leave them there to be laundered.’ She nodded politely. ‘I will wait outside, sir, while you dress.’
Jane left and I struggled to my feet. The beating was already stiffening my joints and putting on the robe, which was a good few inches too large, was an agony. I tied the belt then gathered the soiled garments and joined her.
The route she took was long and led to the end of the west wing, where she relieved me of my soiled clothes and opened a door. ‘This is the bathhouse, sir. I will leave you here.’
I thanked her and walked into a room filled with steam. Through the mist I discerned the outline of various tubs. Plungers. Roll tops. Slippers. All on a raised wooden platform.
Out of the fog came a voice and a small moustachioed man. ‘Please be careful, sir.’
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