Lydia drew breath to ask what he had heard.
“Shh.”
And then he moved his head a little closer to hers. “You will like everyone, Lydia,” he said in normal tones before jerking his arm free of hers, whirling about, and dashing off into the thicker trees from which they had just emerged. Almost before Lydia had stopped gaping, he came back out with Jeremy Piper almost literally dangling from his shirt collar, which was in Harry’s firm grip.
“Ow!” the boy yelled, both hands clawing at his collar. “Put me down. I’m choking.”
“Obviously not too badly if you can still talk,” Harry said, jerking his hand higher until Jeremy was running along at his side on the toes of his boots.
Lydia held on to Snowball’s lead. Her dog was barking and bouncing.
“I wasn’t doing nothing. Put me down,” Jeremy cried, his voice strained.
“Apart from trespassing?” Harry halted when they were several feet away from Lydia.
“I didn’t mean nothing by it,” the boy protested. “You’re choking me. Let go.”
Harry did let go suddenly, and the boy staggered and darted a look off toward the denser growth of trees.
“On your knees,” Harry said.
“What?” Jeremy took one half step away.
Harry took a full step after him. And Lydia’s eyes widened as he was transformed before her eyes into a very menacing military officer despite the absence of a uniform.
“On. Your. Knees,”he repeated in a voice that turned Lydia’s own knees a bit liquid.
Jeremy plopped down.
“Ow,” he protested. “There’s stones and roots digging in my knees. And what’s this all about anyway? I didn’t do nothing. I’ll tell my—”
“Silence. Arms at your sides.At. Your. Sides.”
“There’s a stone—”
“Silence.”
Jeremy fell silent and held his arms to his sides. His eyes were still darting frantic glances at the trees.
“Straighten your back,” Harry said. “Drop your shoulders. Raise your chin.” All of which Jeremy did.
The occupants of the summerhouse were all standing and gazing this way, Lydia could see. Mr. Bennington was outside the door, one hand holding it open. And if that was not enough, there was a group of riders approaching from the east, weaving their way through the trees. They must have realized something untoward was happening ahead of them, however, and stopped when they were still some distance away.
“You have something to say to Mrs. Tavernor,” Harry said.
“I don’t have nothing—”
“Silence,”Harry said. “You will speak when you are told to speak. To Mrs. Tavernor. Whom you will address asma’am.Do you understand that? You may answer.”
“I don’t have—”
“Do. You. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“Yes,what?”
“Yes, I understand. But—”
