13 After Armageddon

 

                      Rattle carried the pugs gently toward the house. It had begun raining and he was anxious to get them all inside. There was a side door in the wall that was rarely locked and he made for the side wall as the heavens opened.

          'Don’t worry,’ whispered Wuffie calmly, ‘we’ll all soon be safe and dry.’

          And it was as he said. The door led into a small, enclosed garden attached to a wing of the house in which there was another door that opened directly into the room they were all seeking. Rattle pushed on the door and, to his tremendous relief, it swung in on silent hinges. Here was a true haven: the room for the pugs lovingly kept for them by Uncle Thomas. Everything in there was theirs to command and it was arranged for mutual comfort of pugs and those who loved them. Rattle did not take in all of the subtleties of décor but he knew that, in here, they were safe and could rest from their considerable labours. He managed to put the pugs gently on the floor then he went to the fireplace and investigated the state of the ashes.

          ‘Promising,’ he breathed with relief and began to blow and fan and pile up more fuel until he had a proper blaze going. Only then did he turn round and study his companions.

          ‘Shall I give you something warming to drink then place you by the fire?’

          ‘A very good suggestion,’ murmured Wuffie proudly.

          ‘Fire first,’ grumbled Mac heading toward the comforting blaze.

          Rattle hunted about for lamps to take the gloom out of the surroundings. Having lighted a few, he placed them at strategic points and their glow made the room cozy. Then he found the pug cushions neatly tucked near the fireplace and plumped them up. Placing them together near the fire, he gently lifted each pug and placed him securely on a cushion. Little Walter refused a cushion for himself and asked to be with Uncle Iggy. Only when he was resting with him and both were gazing sleepily into the fire did he seem to relax a bit.

          ‘Willie,’ said the count sleepily, ‘may we have some cover?’

          ‘’Course,’ said Rattle. ‘Where would it be?’

          ‘There’s a chest in the corner.’

          Rattle found the chest and from it took the lovely blue shawl, which he recognized, and a soft quilt. He covered Iggy and Little Walter with the shawl and put the quilt over the count and Mac. As he tucked them in he was aware of a rare feeling of accomplishment. For Rattle had never had to be responsible for anyone or anything. Despite the dangers of the night, or perhaps because of them, the sensation was the sweeter.

          ‘Now, gentlemen, what would you like to drink?’ he asked as though he could conjure up all sorts of liquid delights.

          ‘Milk with some rum in it, hot of course,’ said Mac, who knew from experience that this was a sovereign remedy.

          Iggy murmured his agreement and Rattle took a lamp and started for the kitchen. It occurred to him as he tiptoed through the silent house that he had never ever done anything in his family kitchen but pilfer treats from the long-suffering cook. But tonight was different; tonight he could do anything. He found the pan and the milk and even managed to get the fire going. Once things were steaming away, he went for the rum and, before adding it to the milk, took several long pulls at it himself. This made him feel dashing and in control. Then he tiptoed back and arranged their drinks before his little friends.

          ‘More of everything, please,’ said Mac when he had cleaned his bowl. Rattle looked toward Iggy who nodded; so he went through the same procedure all over again. This time he brought the bottle in with him and swigged on it while the pugs slurped contentedly. Soon everyone was ready for a good sleep. And as Rattle put the covers round them once again and patted each head fondly, Wuffie turned to him.

          ‘Whatever were you doing here?’

‘It’s a long story, Wuffie. But I did see much of what passed. You were truly splendid.’

And Wuffie did something he hadn’t done since he was a puppy: quite spontaneously, he gave Rattle an enormous, sloppy kiss.

‘May I hear about it tomorrow?’

‘Yes, yes, of course,’ said Rattle quite overcome. He turned out all the lamps but one and, putting that on a little table near the sofa, he covered himself with his greatcoat, took a good-night swig, and fell fast asleep.

Dawn came and they slept on. Morning came and all was quiet in the little room. At mid-morning there were voices all over the house but Rattle, cuddling the rum bottle, snored with the rest. Suddenly the opening of the door broke the peace of the room. Iggy stirred but went back to sleep. Rattle heard nothing and snoozed on until his shoulder was firmly shaken. He opened a slightly bleary eye and found himself being regarded by Michael, whose face was unusually serious.

‘Mr. Rattle,’ said Michael quietly, ‘I dislike waking you but I must ask why I find you with most of the male clan of the Proud Pugs, sleeping in the pug room and embracing a bottle of my favourite rum.’

‘Ah, sir,’ said Rattle to whom Michael was a hero, ‘they needed the rum. And, by the end of our respective adventures, so did I.’ He tried to sit up. He failed.

‘You yourself had an adventure?’ asked Michael calmly.

‘Indeed I did, but my greatest adventure was watching them. They were all magnificent.’

‘In what way?’ asked Michael who was beginning to feel jealous of the portly young man lying before him.

‘Well, sir,’ said the supine Rattle, ‘it’s all to do with the great Elizabeth and a gold bracelet. Actually,’ he said, patting the pockets of his greatcoat, ‘I took the bracelet off Little Walter and put it here for safekeeping.’ He was not patting with any great dexterity and his face clouded with concern. Michael took the coat from him with an ‘Allow me’ and searched each nook. Then his face relaxed into a smile as his hand touched metal and he withdrew the gold bracelet.

‘Sir,’ he said with genuine warmth, ‘I believe this is the treasure that has been missing from our family for several centuries. Thank you for bringing it back to its home.’ He looked down at the sleeping pugs, ‘and a greater thank you for bringing them safely back.’

‘Oh, sir,’ said the abashed Rattle, ‘I just carried them back to the house from the seashore. Their wounds had already been treated. I only put them to bed, then needed a little rest myself. About the rum. . . .’

‘Wounds!’ said Michael and waving aside any apology he strode across to Mac and pulled him out of his bed. Mac muttered the puggish equivalent of “Ouch!’ opened his eye and found himself sitting on Michael’s lap.

‘How are you faring?’ asked Michael with some concern.

‘Headache,’ answered Mac giving him a kiss.

‘Want to tell me about your adventure?’

‘Later, please,’ said Mac and settled himself on Michael’s knees.

‘How were they wounded? Did you see?’ Michael asked Rattle.

‘Yes, I saw the battle. It was an extraordinary sight.’

‘The count was tremendous,’ murmured Mac, ‘extraordinary.'

Rattle glowed but Michael was looking at Mac for an answer.

Mac pried his eyes open and looked squarely at his master. ‘Of course we were all hurt. This was an honourable battle of three pugs against a fit young enemy.’

‘Three pugs! Then you had the sense to keep Little Walter safe?’

‘As a matter of fact,’ Mac explained wearily, ‘Little Walter showed the strength of ten. He found the bracelet himself. No one else. And he was thrown from one of those windows in the tower, bracelet and all.’

Michael looked over and quickly recounted heads. ‘What happened?’

Mac sighed with weariness, ‘You really must wait until we’re fit. It will be much more exciting when we can tell it properly.’

Michael nodded like a child deprived of his favourite toy. ‘Rest then, my friend, and heal.’

Then the door opened and there was Andrew loaded down with a breakfast tray for Rattle and Mattie and Bessie with the pug collation. Andrew went straight to Ignatius and looked him over carefully then, satisfied, he turned to his brother.

‘Let us go up and tell Louisa.’

Michael nodded, ‘She had more faith than all of us.’

When they had left the room, Bessie set out everything for Rattle and smiled as he ate with gusto. She had never seen him disheveled and his lack of affectation both in his concern for the pugs and unconcern for his dress seemed to her almost miraculous.

‘Miss Bessie,’ he said between mouthfuls, ‘I fear I contributed to the pugs’ danger by bringing that dark woman here. And though I could do nothing to help with their daring rescue of the bracelet, I kick myself, hard, for being her dupe.

‘Reproach would be idle,’ said Bessie smiling and pouring a steaming basin of coffee. ‘The woman is our cousin and how could you know that avarice spans the centuries?’

Then, of course, she asked what everybody wanted to know. “Whatever were you doing here at dead of night?’

Rattle settled back amongst his pillows. The breakfast had revived him and he was trying to set events in order so that Bessie could know how little he had done and how much he had learned. He saw her relax herself in the armchair near him, prepared to listen to his story til the cows came home. It was the closest they had ever been and, for the first time, Rattle felt worthy of her attention. He took his last sip of coffee, declined another cup, and prepared himself.

‘I may ramble a bit, but I think that you will understand it all, eventually.’

She nodded, ‘Begin wherever you want. We’ve been wandering around in two time periods, in two centuries, for the past several weeks. It’s been confusing for us all.’

Rattle was satisfied and he launched at once into the beginning.

‘I met your dark cousin several weeks ago as a houseguest of old friends of my family. She seemed to take to me immediately and wanted to know all about my friends. But, of course, it was only your family in which she was interested. She begged to be introduced and I was only too pleased. I would have paid my respects anyway, and was longing to see the count and . . . er . . . others, so I brought her at the first opportunity. Her behaviour was odd but in no way insulting; and as I had not yet seen the puppies and congratulated Wuffie and Louisa, I was only too glad to make a return visit.’ He paused and closed his eyes briefly and Bessie saw how very tired he was.

‘Would your rather wait a bit?’

‘Not at all,’ he said firmly, determined to prolong the moment of her interest. Two deep breaths and he was back in the swing of his narrative. ‘On the second visit, two things were obvious to me: you had never seen this woman yet you did not look upon her with a kindly eye, and the other was that she wanted something from your family. What she wanted had little to do with blood kinship and much with power.’ He paused to look a bit sheepish, ‘I must admit that I looked upon her with a curious eye. Your family is well respected, known for unblemished honesty and can boast a true bloodline envied by many who powder and prance about and call themselves nobility. I began to wonder what drew her to you and I must admit to being obsessed with discovering what she wanted.

‘I began with my hosts, but they knew little about her. So I made myself pleasant to the lady and heard her bemoan her indifferent reception here. I showed sympathy and, though she thought me a fool, she thought me a very useful one.’ Rattle paused and smiled ironically, ‘There’s one thing about being portly, Miss Bessie; people take you much less seriously.’

Bessie met this admission with a genuine grin. ‘I knew that she wanted the bracelet, but as no one has found it for centuries I thought her desire rather eccentric than realistic. I think that she sensed the unusual doings in the house and was, in a way, possessed by them.’

‘That would explain it,’ said Rattle. ‘She was very keen to come back, but, as she had no excuse, she took to riding toward the house and simply said the scenery inspired her. I rode with her several times and once I’m certain that she saw something down on the sand. I looked closely but, try as I could, I saw only the waves and the pugs.’

Bessie thought for a moment then the truth dawned. ‘I think she saw the young man give the bracelet to the girl.’

‘Yes, yes!’ said Rattle, ‘it could easily be. She became very excited and yet angry. It was from that time that she seemed to become obsessed about coming back.’

‘But she never came.’

‘She was here last night.’

‘Indeed!’

‘That is why I came. I followed her. No one rides at night unless they have to and when I heard her give orders to the groom, I offered to escort her. We rode over in the dark and she made no attempt to enter. Rather, she took me around to the outside of that round room. Because the ground is uneven, I found that I could see into the room from a very handsome tree.’

‘What did you see?’

‘I know now, though at the time I thought the room empty, that Mac and Wuffie were in hiding, waiting for their moment. The dark woman and the man came in. They seemed to know each other quite well.’

Rattle paused and looked at Bessie to see if she took his meaning.

‘Yes, of course,’ she said with a little sigh, ‘there had to be a conspiracy. That was part of the exhilaration of the deception.’ Then she pulled herself up, ‘Do go on, Willie.’

‘Well, I couldn’t hear what they said but they were jubilant.’

‘So they must have stolen the bracelet.’

‘Absolutely.’

‘They were kissing and . . . er . . . so forth when I heard laughter, really lovely joy, and your young cousin came into the room. By this time I had climbed higher into the old tree and I saw her lift the hem of her skirt. Little Walter trotted out and he had the bracelet round his neck.’

‘How did he find it?’

‘Truly, I don't know but one could see the young man’s face and it suddenly became, well, evil. He took the pup by the scruff of the neck and yanked him off the floor. And that’s when Mac and Wuffie attacked. They came hurtling out of a drawer in some old piece of furniture. Wuffie clung to the man’s neck and Mac tried to keep him from moving toward the window. Bessie,’ said Rattle forgetting politeness in his enthusiasm, ‘I never saw such a fight. They were outweighed and couldn’t win but they used every tactic available to two round, short fighters.’

‘And Little Walter?’

‘That awful chap threw him out of the window.’

Bessie looked over to the snoring puppy whose head was pillowed on Iggy’s paws.

‘He must have known he was in such danger,’ she said to herself. ‘A true Proud Pug.’

Rattle allowed an interval for her to digest all this and to rest himself. When she looked up and smiled, he continued.

‘This must have been why the lady had ridden over. Somehow she knew that the bracelet would appear last night and she wanted to claim it for her own. In the room the dark woman tried to snatch it as Walter flew past but it must have burned her, for she cried out and gripped her hand. When he

sailed past us, my companion tried the same thing. She did have it in her hands for a moment, but then she too cried out and let it drop into the sea below.’

‘So it was lost in the sea?’

‘Oh, no, I gave it to Michael,’ Rattle answered calmly. ‘It’s back with your family where it belongs.’

Bessie shook her head and almost giggled. ‘Do go back to the fight now. I want to hear about Iggy.’ And Rattle took up his narrative with gusto.

‘Then Ignatius Oliver came in. The young man had a knife in his boot.’ (Bessie gasped appropriately) ‘And Iggy leapt into the fight. He grabbed the wrist with the knife and tried to make the man drop his weapon but he is a fit young chap and cares nothing for pugs. He threw Iggy against the wall. All three of them ended up there and they were all hurt, but they made a little line of battle and were going to fight to the end.’

‘Oh, the dear boys!’

‘I doubt they could have fought for long, but suddenly it was all over.’

‘Why?’

‘The queen herself came in. The young chap talked and talked, trying to weasel his way out of the situation, but she saw through him.’

‘Was she cross with the pugs?’

‘I think not. She had her guards carry them out. I didn’t see them again til they were on the beach.’

‘And your companion?’

‘She was not best pleased with the situation. I’m not certain that she saw what I did, but her whole desire had been to win the bracelet for herself and she had failed.’

‘Was she distressed?’

‘Furious would be a better term. She had lost and she did not take it lightly. I truly think that, had it been possible, she would have plunged into the sea and looked for that bit of gold. Instead, she found herself being escorted to her horse. She did turn back once and her counterpart was at the window staring at us. I stopped to give them time to speak, but they just looked at each other. Not with love but with a kind of disgust. I would say,’ said Rattle whimsically, ‘that in each century they were both pretty poor losers.’

‘And did she go away?’

‘Oh, yes. She wasn’t interested in the other spirits, only her cousin, and the bracelet of course. I rode with her a little way then sent her on alone and watched her go for as long as I could see.’

‘And then?’

‘I went down to the shore. Little Walter was weighing heavily on me, but, as last night was a night of wonders, I had hope. I saw the queen surrounded by her pages with torches. There were the pugs and then  little Walter appeared alive and well though moist, very moist. And, this is extraordinary, do you know who presented the bracelet to the assembly?’

Bessie shook her head so as not to break the spell.

‘A crab! A crab scuttled out of the water and brought it to the queen, and, before she went back to her house, the sea saluted her. All sorts: lobsters waved their claws, fish jumped. It was all most curious.’

‘Very appropriate,’ said Bessie as she tried to picture it.

‘The pugs were left on their own; so, as the magic was over, I went down to fetch them home.’

‘Dear William,’ she said, ‘we owe you much. While we all slept, you have seen wonders and kept our little ones safe.’

Rattle closed his eyes, for her kindness and approbation were balm to his heart. Bessie softly rose and moved silently to the pugs. They were awake and she kissed each one and murmured her thanks and scolded them for the terrible risk they had taken then apologized for the scolding and kissed them again.

‘I think,’ said Iggy quietly, ‘that it is time for Wuffie to go to Louisa.’

Bessie picked up the hero and carried him in state to the door. As she closed it softly, Rattle began to snore.

 

CHAPTER 14 A TRANQUIL INTERLUDE

 

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