My face flushed with anger. ‘I was sick of being mollycoddled. I can look after myself!’
‘Can you now? Didn’t put up much of a fight against those soldiers, did you?’ my master retorted scathingly. ‘No, I think it’s time I packed you off to work with Bill Arkwright for six months or so. Besides, my old bones ache too much now to give you the combat training you need. Harsh though he is, Bill’s licked more than one of my apprentices into shape. And that’s exactly what you need! And just in case that press gang come back looking for you, you’re better off away.’
‘But they wouldn’t be able to get past the boggart, would they?’ I protested.
In addition to kitchen duties, the boggart kept the gardens safe from the dark and any sort of intruder.
‘Yes, but you’re not always going to be protected here, are you, lad?’ the Spook said firmly. ‘No, it’s best if we get you away.’
I groaned inside but said nothing. My master had been muttering for weeks about seconding me to Arkwright, the spook who worked the part of the County north of Caster. It was something my master usually arranged for his apprentices. He believed that a concentrated period of training with another spook was beneficial – that it was good to get different insights into our trade. The danger from the press gang had simply hastened his decision.
Within the hour he had written the letter while Alice sulked by the fire. She didn’t want us to be separated but there was nothing either of us could do about it.
What was worse, my master sent Alice to post the letter rather than me. I began to wonder if I’d be better off up north after all. At least Bill Arkwright might trust me to do something by myself.
CHAPTER 3
A late reply
p.
p.
For almost two weeks we’d waited for the reply from Arkwright. Recently, to my annoyance, in addition to collecting the provisions, Alice had been sent down to the village every evening to see if it had arrived, while I’d had to stay in the house. But now a letter from Arkwright was finally here.
When Alice entered the kitchen, the Spook was warming his hands at the fire. As she handed him the envelope, he glanced at the words scrawled on it.
To Mr Gregory of Chipenden
‘I’d know that handwriting anywhere. About time too!’ my master commented, annoyance strong in his voice. ‘Well, girl, thanks for that. Now run along!’
With a downward turn of her mouth, Alice obeyed. She knew she’d find out what Arkwright had written soon enough.
The Spook opened the letter and began to read while I waited impatiently.
When he’d finished, he handed it to me with a weary sigh. ‘You might as well look too, lad. It concerns you . . .’
I began to read, my heart slowly sinking into my boots as I did so.
Dear Mr Gregory,
My health has been poor of late and my duties heavy. But although it’s not a good time for me to be burdened by an apprentice, I cannot refuse your request for you were always a good master to me and gave me a sound training that has served me well.
At 10 o’clock on the morning of the eighteenth day of October, bring the boy to the first bridge over the canal north of Caster. I will be waiting there.
Your obedient servant,
Bill Arkwright
‘You don’t need to read between the lines to tell that he’s none too keen to take me on,’ I commented.
The Spook nodded. ‘Aye, that’s plain enough. But Arkwright always was a bit down in the mouth and overly concerned with the state of his health. Things probably won’t be half as bad as he makes out. He was something of a plodder, mind, but he did complete his time and that’s more than can be said for most of the lads it’s been my misfortune to train!’
That was true enough. I was the Spook’s thirtieth apprentice. Many apprentices had failed to complete their training; some had fled in fear while others had died. Arkwright had survived and had plied our trade successfully for many years. So, despite his seeming reluctance, he probably had a lot to teach me.
‘Mind you, he’s come on a lot since he’s been working by himself. Ever heard of the Coniston Ripper, lad?’
Rippers were a dangerous type of boggart. The Spook’s last apprentice, Billy Bradley, had been killed by a ripper: it had bitten off some of his fingers and he’d died of shock and loss of blood.
‘There’s an entry in the Bestiary in your library about it,’ I told him.
‘So there is, lad. Well, it killed over thirty people. Arkwright was the one who dealt with it. Ask him about it when you get the chance. No doubt he’s proud of what he did, and so he should be. Don’t let on what you know – let him tell you the story himself. Should help to get your working relationship off to a good start! Anyway,’ the Spook said, shaking his head, ‘that letter’s barely arrived in time. It’s best if we get to bed early tonight and set off soon after dawn.’
My master was right: the meeting with Arkwright was scheduled for the day after tomorrow and it was about a day’s journey to Caster over the fells. But I wasn’t feeling too happy at having to set off so suddenly. He must have noticed my glum face because he said, ‘Cheer up, lad, Arkwright’s not that bad . . .’
And then his expression changed as he suddenly understood what I was feeling.
‘Now I see what’s the matter. It’s the girl, isn’t it?’
I nodded. There would be no place for Alice at Arkwright’s house, so we’d be parted for about six months. Despite all the mollycoddling I’d suffered recently, I was going to miss her. Miss her badly.
‘Couldn’t Alice just travel with us to the bridge?’ I asked.
I expected the Spook to refuse. After all, despite the fact that Alice had saved our lives on more than one occasion she was still half Deane and half Malkin, and came from witch-clan stock. My master didn’t fully trust her and rarely involved her in our business. He still believed that one day she might fall under the influence of the dark. I was glad he didn’t know how convincingly she’d appeared as a malevolent witch the other day.
But, to my astonishment, he nodded his agreement. ‘I don’t see why not,’ he said. ‘Off you go and tell her now.’
Fearing that he might change his mind, I left the kitchen immediately and went to look for Alice. I expected to find her in the next room, copying one of the books from the Spook’s library. But she wasn’t there. To my surprise she was outside, sitting on the back step, staring out at the garden with a gloomy expression on her face.