Princess Phoebe

by Scilla James

  ‘And don’t tell anyone else, either,’ adds Nick. ‘Not Jan, or even the twins, in case they drop something out in front of Dad. It’s Top Secret, just for now.’

  I skip upstairs and give myself a big smile in the cracked mirror above my bed. So I don’t even have to ask Nick to take me to Mrs Henderson’s – we’ll be going practically past her door anyway!

  Mum calls me down again to help, and in between singing Humpty Dumpty for Jack and Patrick, I wash up that huge pile of dishes, and smile at her too. This will be my big chance. I’ll have time on my own in the van with Nick to tell him about Princess, and I hope he’ll be OK about it, and take me to see her on the way to Granddad’s. So tomorrow I’ll be with my lovely dog! I don’t think much further than that. Seeing Granddad again after all this time will be just great too.

  I text Jan to say that I’m going on a secret mission and will meet her at the bus stop for school on Tuesday. That’ll get her wondering. Then I ring Mrs Henderson with the wonderful news that I’ll see her and Princess tomorrow.

  ‘But it’s my Gardening Club day Ellie,’ she says, ‘and I really don’t want to miss it because we’ve got someone coming to talk about asparagus, and I’ve always had trouble growing that.’

  Asparagus? I want to shout. Who cares about asparagus?

  But then she says, ‘Unless you can get here before 10.30. That would be all right as the talk isn’t till lunchtime.’

  ‘I’ll ask my brother,’ I say, feeling hopeful again.

  I check that I’ve got my bit of paper with her address on, find a clean t-shirt for the morning and have a shower and hair wash so I’ll look my best for my day out with my brother. This is the first night that I go to bed feeling happy since Princess was taken from me.

  Next morning, Nick says we’re setting off early while Dad’s still out with Tag, so I have hopes of getting to Mrs Henderson’s in time to catch her at home. I’m so excited that I don’t stop to think whether Nick will agree to take me. But it turns out to be more difficult to raise the subject of Princess than I’d expected. Nick’s in a good mood, and as soon as we set off he starts on about Dad and Granddad. He tells me he’s looking forward to seeing Granddad again, and that he’s often wanted to contact the old man himself, but loyalty to Dad has stopped him.

  ‘So d’you know why they quarrelled?’ I ask.

  ‘Yes, I do,’ he says. ‘It was all to do with Frank, and money of course.’

  ‘What? Him again!’ I say, wondering whether this might give me my chance to speak. But Nick goes on.

  ‘Before Dad left the village to come here, and so that he could afford to move, he borrowed money from Frank. I don’t know if you know what a ‘loan shark’ is, Ellie, but as well as breeding dogs Frank lends money to people who need it and then charges them loads more when they pay it back. Dad got badly into debt. When Granddad found out what he’d done, and ’specially since he hadn’t wanted him to move anyway, he was furious and they had a big row. Then, a few months later and without telling Dad, Granddad went to see Frank and paid him off out of his own savings, to get Dad out of trouble. Granddad’s known Frank since he was a kid and he’s probably one of the few people in the world who isn’t scared of him.

  ‘Then Dad got in a rage because he said he could have managed the debt himself, and that Granddad shouldn’t have interfered. Things got even worse when someone told Granddad that Dad was breeding greyhounds for Frank and that, in spite of all Granddad had done, our Dad was still involved in Frank’s business, even though he knew what kind of man he was. So that made the quarrel go on and on, and they eventually stopped speaking to each other.’

  ‘So why are they speaking now?’

  ‘Because Pearl and I have both been on at Dad,’ says Nick, ‘and also, we’re behind with the rent.’

  ‘Oh,’ I say. Rent again. I jump in quick.

  ‘Nick, I’ve got something to tell you.’

  ‘Go on,’ he says.

  It comes out all in a rush. I start with the mobile phone that he’d found in his van and end by asking him to drive by Mrs Henderson’s on the way to Granddad, to see Princess. ‘Mrs Henderson says she can’t keep her any longer. She thinks Frank might come and break in. But he wouldn’t, would he?’

  There’s no response from Nick for a long time, but he loses his cheerful going-out-for-the-day look.

  ‘Ellie, I can’t believe what you’re telling me,’ he says at last, pulling the van over into a lay-by and turning off the engine. He turns and looks at me seriously. ‘So that’s what your phone was doing amongst my blankets. You told me a lie then, didn’t you?’

  ‘I just wanted to see Princess,’ I say, as my confidence fades and my voice comes out all weak and pathetic. I can feel my cheeks burning. I shouldn’t have told him anything. It all sounds different when my words are out floating round the van for him to hear, instead of being safe inside my brain.

  ‘Have you any idea what Frank does to people who upset him?’ asks Nick. He keeps shaking his head as if he can’t believe what I’ve been telling him. ‘What on earth were you thinking of? The likes of Frank and Lennie aren’t just playing at being nasty violent men you know, they actually are! And you had no right to put this Mrs Henderson in danger like that. A woman you don’t even know!’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ I say. It comes out as more of a squeak.

  Nick shakes his head again and starts the van, driving on in silence. I can feel tears rolling down my face but I don’t want to cry out loud. I let them drip down on to my t-shirt and then I know that Nick has noticed as he keeps glancing at me. I feel like such a baby, but the worst thing is that my brother, my friend and rescuer for as long as I can remember, is furious with me.

  At last he gives a big sigh and says, ‘OK. Let’s see what we can do to sort out this mess.’

  When I don’t reply he leans over and ruffles my hair. Cheer up little sis,’ he says, in a kinder voice. ‘I suppose you’ve been brave, even if you’ve also been totally stupid.’

  ‘Can we go and see Mrs Henderson then?’ I ask at once. If Nick has relented only a little, he might agree to go there.

  ‘The problem is time Ellie,’ he says. ‘I promised Mum we’d go and talk to Granddad, and he wants us to go early because he’s going out. I can’t let Mum down. But if your lady might be in later we could maybe go on the way back. We’ve certainly got to try and do something. Poor woman, she must be terrified, and with good reason.’

  ‘I’m really sorry,’ I say again. ‘It just all happened and I didn’t even expect to meet her in the first place. And she did offer to look after Princess for me.’

  ‘Well, she had no idea what she was taking on, did she?’ Nick says, his voice cross again. ‘And what would you have done if you hadn’t happened to meet her? You could have been picked up by a murderer.’

  ‘Princess would have bitten a murderer!’ I say, with something like my old fight. But Nick just looks at me and shakes his head again.

  ‘Enough, Ellie. You don’t know what you’re saying.’

  ‘I’d better ring Mrs Henderson and let her know we can’t come until later,’ I say, ‘and ask what time she’ll be back.’

  But I have to leave a message for her because she’s not answering her phone. In the garden probably, or doing something with the chickens. I think of Princess pottering around with her. Will she sense that we’re nearby?

  We arrive at Granddad’s cottage just after ten o’clock, and as we park in the lane outside he sees us from his front room window and waves. He’s what Mum calls ‘weather beaten’ to look at, which I suppose means that his face is covered in lines. He’s tall with white hair, and I’d forgotten how smiley he is. Before I know it, he’s there on the path, looking so pleased to see us that the tears that began in the van start to stream down my face again. Only this time it’s because I’m so glad to see Granddad.

  He gives me the biggest hug and says, ‘Hello Pet,’ just like he used to.

  He and
Nick shake hands and pat each other on the shoulders, which is what men do instead of hugging, and we all go inside.

  ‘Well, Ellie, you look a treat!’ he says, as we sit down around the old kitchen table. ‘You’re four times the size you were when I last saw you. Whatever have they been feeding you on?’ He puts the kettle on to make tea but then, because it’s such a lovely warm summer morning, he turns it off again and we go out to the back garden with cold lemonade and a plate of biscuits instead.

  After a short while, Granddad sends me indoors to talk to his cat, a fat tabby who scratches and who I never liked. But I know he and Nick want to discuss Dad, so I go without arguing.

  I can see them through the window and they talk for loads longer than anyone needs to, in my opinion. Nick doesn’t look very happy, and Granddad seems to be doing most of the talking. I wish they hadn’t sent me indoors, and I wonder why Mum wanted me to come if I’m going to be left out of everything. Then, at last, they stand up and Granddad comes into the kitchen to call me.

  ‘Are you going to help Dad?’ I ask him, straightaway.

  ‘Well Ellie, that’s not for you to worry about.’ He looks surprised that I’ve asked and he frowns. Maybe he’s forgotten that I’m older than when he last saw me. And sometimes old people think girls should be in the kitchen helping their mothers, not joining in important discussions.

  ‘Please help him Granddad,’ I say. ‘Nick says we can’t pay the rent, but it’s not Dad’s fault. He goes out shooting nearly every night and he’s always tired. And Mum has a go at him all the time about money. He doesn’t breed dogs for Frank any more. And I want things to be like they were before you and Dad stopped speaking. I want us to come and visit you like we used to.’

  ‘Hush Ellie,’ Granddad says, putting a finger to his mouth, ‘these are grown-up things and you can’t understand how complicated they are. And it’s not a question of me not wanting to help. Your dad won’t let me lend him money. He’d rather get in trouble with Frank Skally than accept help from me.’

  Then he smiles, and looks more like the granddad I love. ‘But since you obviously know all about everything,’ he goes on, ‘there is a job going where I could maybe put a word in for him, if you say he’s out shooting at night. Nick didn’t tell me that.’

  I wonder why Nick hasn’t said. Perhaps because what Dad does is called poaching, and isn’t legal, and he thinks Granddad might disapprove. Well, I’ve told him now. I feel a bit worried, and hope I haven’t caused more trouble. Grown-ups are impossible if you ask me.

  Very soon, Granddad looks at his watch. ‘Ellie pet, I’m sorry I haven’t got more time. I have to be two villages away by 12 o’clock. But it’s been so good to see you and if your dad will agree you can all come over to visit me properly soon. With your new baby brothers, too. Then you can tell me what you’ve been doing for three years, and I’ll get some of my runner beans out of the freezer.’ He gives me another hug. I try to hide my disappointment. It has all been so quick and I’ve got much more to say. What if Dad doesn’t agree and we can’t come again for years? I wonder.

  ‘Please help Dad get that job,’ I say instead. But Granddad’s turned his attention to saying goodbye to Nick, and in a moment Nick and I are back in the van and ready to go.

  Perhaps Nick feels the same as me, because as we drive off down the road he says,

  ‘We don’t have to go home yet Ellie. Why don’t we look in at the pub? I’ll get you some crisps if you want.’

  ‘OK,’ I say. But it still doesn’t feel like a special day out, even when we get to the pub. It’s also way too late to go and see Mrs Henderson, at least this morning. By now she’ll be at her club thinking about stupid old asparagus.

  ‘Cheer up chuck,’ says Nick. ‘What kind of crisps d’you fancy?’

  While he goes in to get the snacks I wonder whether I should tell Nick that I’d let out to Granddad about Dad’s poaching. But I don’t want him to freak again, so I decide to keep quiet. I sit and watch a little robin hopping about under the trees in the pub garden and wait. Nick soon comes across the grass towards me carrying a tray. The glasses clink as he sets them down.

  ‘Cheers little turnip,’ he says, and I begin to feel better. ‘I tell you what,’ he adds, ‘why don’t we go down to the river and see if it all looks the same as it used to.’

  ‘Great!’ I say. That’s more like it.

  So we finish our drinks and set off down the narrow lane that leads to the river. On the way we sing Take me to the river!, which is a song about a fish that we used to sing together when we went there in Dad’s old car. I remember the lane well – the bumps in the road and everything – and as we pull in to the stony bit of a car park, we can see the river gleaming in the sunshine, looking as magical as ever.

  Nick and I have a great time skimming stones and paddling in the cold water. The stepping stones are still there, and we remember the twins racing to see who’d get across them first, then falling in on purpose; picnics with Granddad; and us with our fishing nets catching great lumps of weed. We’d had brilliant times.

  Finally, Nick and I sit on the grass and dry our toes. I wish we had some sandwiches.

  It’s nearly 4.30 when he says we’d better go.

  ‘So, where does this Mrs Henderson live then?’ he asks, just as I’m wondering how to bring up the dreaded subject again, ‘we may as well call there before we go home.’

  I give him the tatty bit of paper from my pocket with her address on it.

  ‘It’s just off the main road,’ I tell him, though I couldn’t say which.

  ‘Oh, I know where this is,’ says Nick, ‘it’s not far at all.’

  I hope desperately that Mrs Henderson will be back from her asparagus thing by now. She must be back. I feel that if I can’t see Princess after all this I will die.

  Nick finds the way easily. Being a driver, he’s good at things like finding addresses, and before I know it we’re coming up the lane from the opposite direction to the one I’d taken on my own.

  Then Nick says, ‘Hang on Ellie, does that look like Frank’s van to you?’

  He brakes and pulls up against the hedge. It’s not quite a lay-by, but there’s enough room for us to park just out of sight.

  ‘Get down quick,’ he says, and we both duck under the dashboard.

  ‘It is him! He’s parked outside Mrs Henderson’s house,’ I say, ‘what are we going to do?’

  We crouch there for a few minutes while Nick thinks, then he says, ‘You stay here and wait. I’ll go and have a sneak around and see what’s happening. Frank must have decided to get Princess. I’ll bet he’s trying to break in.’

  ‘Let me come,’ I beg, ‘I can be quiet too. We might need two of us, Nick.’

  ‘No!’ he says firmly. ‘You wait here, and I’ll leave the keys in the engine in case we need to make a quick getaway.’

  Before I can argue, Nick gets out of the van and is edging his way up the lane, keeping to the right-hand side where there are the most bushes. Then he disappears.

  But I’m afraid for Mrs Henderson, and for my dog, and I simply can’t bear to sit and wait. I get out and run along the road, keeping to the right as Nick had done. Being so much smaller, I can dart in and out among the hedges, and I soon reach Mrs Henderson’s gate. I squeeze past a bush on the near side of it, coming out into the garden, where I can hear the chickens squawking round the back. Nick must have been moving towards the noise too because the next thing I hear is a familiar, sarcastic voice.

  ‘Nick! Well, well! So this is my dog. I thought so. Phoebe eh? Your friend must think I’m stupid. You can tell her I’ve just been to collect what’s mine.’

  I hear a tiny whine then, and as I peep through the branches where I’m hiding, I can see that Frank has Princess on a tight lead, and is holding her very close to his leg.

  ‘Leave the dog alone, Frank,’ says Nick. ‘She doesn’t belong to you.’

  I shrink deeper in to the hedge as they come round fro
m the side of the house into the front garden, and stand facing each other on the path. Nick makes as if to take Princess’s lead. He seems quite calm.

  ‘Get lost,’ says Frank, ‘the dog’s coming with me.’

  Princess starts to whine more loudly.

  ‘Shut up you stupid dog,’ says Frank, and aims a kick at her hip. She yelps and falls silent.

  ‘So that’s how you treat your dogs Frank, is it?’ says Nick. ‘How are they supposed to work for you if you hurt them like that?’

  Frank laughs. ‘I couldn’t care less whether this dog works Nick. That’s no longer important to me. In fact, I’ll probably take her to the river once I’ve got her back. I’m tired of her already, and I’ve got plenty of other dogs. But I have my reputation to look after and I can’t have little girls making a fool of me. Your sister needs to be taught a lesson. And so do you.’

  With that Frank gives Nick a shove, ‘So get out of my way!’

  ‘I won’t!’ says Nick, but he falls back a little as Frank drops Princess’s lead and grabs a stick that’s lying on the ground. Without hesitating for a moment, Frank hits out at Nick, knocking him to the ground where he kicks him just as he kicked my poor dog. I stifle a cry. Then he leans over my brother and shouts at him. ‘Leave me and my dogs alone! Mind your own business! And if you don’t pay me the money you owe me, all of it, by the end of the month, I’ll set the boys on you. And all the money means interest as well.’ He aims another kick at my brother, but misses as Nick rolls over and starts to get up.

  Nick is big and also younger than Frank, but he doesn’t have that vicious streak that I know Frank has. As he gets to his feet, it looks as if Frank will hit him again, but Nick ducks and lands a punch in the middle of Frank’s fat belly.