“I thought you liked these shindigs,” Crispin said.“There are sure to be some feminists there for you.”
Penny gave a knowing laugh.“My dear fellow, I don’t think the young ladies are invited formybenefit!”
Now it was Crispin’s turn to groan.“I was afraid of that.What’s the rush?I’m bound to get around to it eventually—it seems pretty much inescapable.”
“If the scientists are right, it is,” Penny said sagely.“Even down to all the fuss men make about us wanting the vote.You’re afraid we’ll stop perpetuating.”
Crispin considered this.“Seems a little reductive, don’t you think?”
“Don’t ask me.Girls aren’t supposed to sow wild barley.A generation ago, we weren’t even supposed to know it existed.”
“Apparently you still don’t, since it’s wild—“
“Oats, I know!What sort of girl do you think you’d go for, Crispin, when you get round to it, as you put it so very prettily?”
Crispin was saved from answering this probing question by the appearance of a vacant cab.
But if he’d been honest, there was a rather specific picture in his mind already.
Far too specific, in fact, for him to be quite comfortable talking about it with such levity.
Chapter forty-four
Ormdale
Unawokeinafield to the sound of screaming.It was early morning, and the screaming seemed to be moving further and further away at an impossibly rapid pace.
She rolled off the picnic blanket to her knees, into the dewy grass and looked about her.The enclosure was quite empty—devoid of both dragon and girl.
“Violet!”she called, her nerves scattering like startled geese.“Where are you?”
“UP HERE!”came another scream.
Una tipped her head up.
A flaming bird was trailing a very long, very floppy worm behind it.
Una gasped and struggled to her feet, rubbing sleep from her eyes.
Elfed beat his unfaltering way across the sky, riderless.And Violet was hanging from his tether rope, following him through the air at a stomach-churning angle.Abruptly, Elfed dipped closer and closer to the ground, until Violet’s boots skimmed the grass.
He was telling Violet to hop off, like an omnibus driver letting off passengers.Except Elfed was not going to stop for her.
“Let go, Violet!”Una shouted.
“The deuce I will!”Violet screamed.She climbed up the rope hand over hand towards the dragon.
They disappeared behind the trees.
Una stared, open-mouthed.
There was a rumble of horse hoofs and Simon came streaking past on his horse in pursuit of Violet and her errant dragon.He tipped his hat to her as he went past.
Una looked down at the mess of blankets at her feet.This really ought to be tidied up, she thought with a sort of blankness.The flock of geese inside her had quieted down, and she felt—lonely.
Was she ill?She swallowed experimentally—her throat was not inflamed.Had all the terrors-by-night—the fevers, miasmas, and lurking damps—passed her by?
A melodic voice sang “Teeeeeeea!”at a distance, scattering her thoughts again.
