He fidgeted unhappily. ‘Some of the boys at school wished they hadn’t missed out. Our housemaster served in the Great War; he was always banging on about guns and shooting. He ran a rifle club for the older boys, but I never joined. I’m not a coward but I’d rather not shoot anyone if I don’t have to do so.’ He looked up at her, uncertain. ‘You don’t think I’m a coward, do you? When I told the other boys at school how I felt, one of them knocked me down and the others took turns kicking me.’
Selina wished she could have words with those vile boys.Yes, and their schoolmasters too. But she did her best to unclench her fists and smile. ‘Of course you’re not a coward, Peter,’ she assured him. ‘Besides, most soldiers don’t want to shoot anyone either. They just want to do their duty and protect their country.’
Peter began to say something, but was interrupted by Violet Postbridge yelling up the stairs for them both in a strained, high-pitched voice. Quickly, they put away Mr Fisher’s books and hurried down into the kitchen.
‘Is everything all right, Mrs Postbridge?’ Selina asked, for Violet was looking quite cross and flushed, and her husband Joe was there too, leaning on his stick and glaring at Peter, of all people.
‘You went up to the top field yesterday afternoon, didn’t you, lad?’ Joe asked, without answering her question.
Peter blinked. ‘Yes, sir.’
‘You left the gate open and the sheep got out. When we went up with the feed this morning, we found the blasted animals wandering free along the cliffs. It took me and the dogs an age to track them all down and get them back safely into the field.’ Joe’s voice was rough with temper. ‘There’s a sheer drop along that stretch. It’s a miracle none of them fell to their deaths.’
‘Oh, Peter!’ Selina groaned. ‘I told you not to leave any gates open.’
‘Selina, did you go up there with the boy?’ Violet demanded.
‘No,’ Selina admitted grimly, wishing she had. After years working on a farm, it was deeply ingrained in her to shut gates behind her. ‘I … I got chatting with Tilly about the new piglets and let Peter go up there by himself. I’m so sorry, Mr and Mrs Postbridge.’
‘I’m only glad we brought the lambs and their mothers down to the little pasture here, and the pregnant ewes with them, when the snows started. Otherwise, we might have lost half the lambs to the sea,’ Joe pointed out tersely. ‘The young ’uns don’t have the good sense yet to steer clear of the cliffs.’
Peter started to stammer an apology, but Joe slammed his stick down on the kitchen floor so hard, it cracked the slate.
‘I don’t want your apologies, boy,’ he thundered. ‘I won’t have you wandering this farm unaccompanied, do you hear me? You’ll think me a tyrant, I daresay. But I can’t afford to lose a single lamb, not the way things are going. From now on, you’ll stay in your room or with your aunt, or you’llbothgo home.’
Selina was shocked. She had never seen the ordinarily easy-going farmer lose his temper like this before.
Caroline came in that moment, clearly taken aback at the raised voices. ‘Sorry to interrupt,’ she stammered, ‘I … I came for the pigswill bucket.’
Violet pointed silently at the metal pail, which stood in the corner, ready for food scraps to be scraped into it.
Caroline grabbed it up, and then glanced round at Peter. ‘Would you like to help feed the pigs, Peter?’ she asked tentatively, her gaze meeting Selina’s. ‘You could tag along too, Selina. You haven’t seen much of the new litter of piglets yet, have you?’
‘Sounds jolly,’ Selina agreed, jumping at the chance to extricate her nephew from this awkward situation. She understood why the Postbridges were angry. Endangering livestock was the most serious transgression possible. But surely they could see that the boy hadn’t done it deliberately?‘Come along, Peter. I’m sure we can all sit down later, when things are less heated, and lay down some ground rules about proper behaviour on a farm.’ And she steered Peter out of the kitchen.
Out in the chilly, sunlit yard, Caroline threw her a sympathetic look. ‘Mr Postbridge was furious about those sheep getting loose … I suppose it was Peter who left the gate open. Is that what he was shouting about?’
Briefly, Selina explained what had happened. ‘But Peter’s very sorry about it, aren’t you?’ She put a comforting arm about his shoulders.
To her surprise, Peter shrugged off her arm. ‘I thought I’d closed it,’ he muttered. ‘But I’ve never shut a farm gate on my own before. I wish someone had showed me how before I made such a mess of it.’ His voice was sulky, his face turned away. ‘And I wish you’d let me stay and make a proper apology to the farmer, before dragging me away like that.’ He stuck out his chin. ‘I’m not a child, Aunt Selly. I made a stupid mistake, and I’m not afraid to admit it.’
Selina studied him cautiously. ‘I didn’t mean to drag you away. You looked upset, that was all. Would you like to go back and apologise on your own, and then join us in feeding the pigs?’
Peter gave a rough nod and strode back to the farmhouse.
‘Oh dear.’ Selina fell into step beside Caroline, tilting her face to the wintry sunshine and wishing it was enough to warm her. ‘I’m not doing a terribly good job of mothering my nephew, am I? The thing is, Peter thinks he’s all grown up. The head of the family.’ She smiled sadly. ‘But he’s still a boy at heart. And some days—’
But she was interrupted by Peter stamping back towards them, scowling and with a flush in his thin cheeks.
‘Oh no …’ Selina groaned. ‘What’s the matter now?’
They’d reached the pigsty, and the sturdy pigs had come over to the gate, grunting and snuffling, eager for slop. Caroline put down the bucket, consternation in her face. ‘What’s happened, Peter? You can tell us.’
His hands were bunched into fists, a martial light in his eyes. ‘I was just going into the kitchen, to tell them how sorry I am, when I heard Mrs Postbridge say it was only what could be expected from a boy like me, given that I’ve been thrown out of school for bad behaviour. She said I’m obviously a … a thug and a troublemaker, and I shouldn’t have been brought here in the first place.’ He stopped, breathless. ‘It won’t matter what I say now, will it? I could apologise a thousand times, they’ll still think I’m rotten through and through. No matter that I made a mistake. They’ve already made their stupid minds up.’ And he lashed out with his foot and sent the bucket of slop flying across the cobbles.
‘For goodness’ sake!’ Caroline cried, jumping back to avoid being splashed by the smelly mess.
Selina was horrified. ‘Peter, what on earth do you think you’re doing?’ She tried to grab him by the arm, but he dashed away, running full pelt for the track that led up to the top field and the cliffs. ‘Come back this instant,’ she shouted after him, but it was useless.
