“You should have seen—” Bertram was saying.
“It was the funniest thing—” Edward said.
“And dragged it behind them!” they shouted over each other.
Royce laughed. “Hold it! Hold it. Calm down. One at a time.”
“Well, my lord, we were at the Folly, you see, playing with the telescope," Bertram said. Edward nodded. "There’s been lots of activity in the neighborhood today that we got a chance to see. First, we saw Sir Helmsdon leave. The next thing we know, we saw his horse over by the parsonage! Leastwise it looked like his horse. We haven’t seen another long-tailed gray the like of his in the neighborhood before. Anyway, what was really funny was to see Lord Willoughby come out and take it into the church!” Bertram finished.
“Willoughby took Sir Helmsdon’s horse into the church?"
"Right up the steps,” corroborated Edward.
“What happened then?”
“Well, we didn’t look through the telescope the whole time,” Edward said, his hands planted on his hips in exasperation.
“I understand,” Royce said solemnly, though his lips twitched against a laugh.
“But when Becky said it was time to come back, we both took turns with it again."
"Of course, how logical,” he said, maintaining his even countenance.
“And that was the strangest sight!” Edward said.
“Hush, let me tell it, I can do it better.”
“I saw it, too!” Edward protested. "They tied bushes to the back of their carriage!”
“Who did?”
“The Willoughbys! And they drug them along after them, too," Edward said.
"Very odd, my lord,” Bertram confided, nodding solemnly.
“And you say they were at the Chitterdeans?”
“Oh, yes, sir!”
“Did you see who was riding in the carriage when it left pulling these bushes?”
“No, sir. But it was another man and woman. We saw the woman’s skirts and the man’s legs. They were walking close, carrying something between them."
“Their hands were tied!” intoned Edward.
“Were not,” his brother said in disgust.
“Well, that’s what it looked like to me.”
“You need spectacles.”
“Bertram! Edward! You may argue all you want in a moment. Just tell me one thing. What color were the woman’s skirts.”
Edward shrugged. Bertram frowned. "I don’t know. Kind of a white or cream color, I guess. But she had on a green jacket like Aunt Jane has.”
Jeremy and Lord Royce exchanged glances. "And the Willoughbys have not returned, my lord,” Jeremy said.
Royce nodded. "Thank you, boys. You’re right. That was a strange sight. I suggest you run upstairs and get cleaned up before your aunts see you.” He watched the boys run up the stairs, and then he turned to Jeremy. "Is Conisbrough in the stillroom with Lady Elsbeth?”
