At that moment there was more blundering through the bushes and crunching of leaves and a man came running up to us. “Have you found them yet?” he asked breathlessly, then he noticed me and looked at me inquiringly.
“No, we haven’t seen them,” Terrence said. “But we were down on the seashore and there was no sign of them there.”
“Thank God,” the man said. He was immaculately dressed, hair perfectly parted in the middle, and had the pale face and light hair of Dutch ancestry, drawing me to the conclusion that this was indeed Archie Van Horn, the boys’ father.
“Little devils,” he said. “That new nursemaid cannot control them. Absolutely hopeless. They run rings around her and poor Irene is distraught.”
“I’ll help you look, as soon as I’ve escorted Mrs. Sullivan back to the guest cottage,” Terrence said.
“Oh, please don’t concern yourself about me,” I said. “I am quite able to find my own way. It’s more important that you look for the missing boys.”
“Mrs. Sullivan and her husband are Uncle Brian’s guests,” Terrence said, noticing Archie’s questioning stare.
“She got caught by the tide,” Eliza added. “And Terrence rescued her.”
“Dashed dangerous place,” Archie said. “Don’t know why we come here. I don’t know why Irene’s father still likes it here so much, and insists on our joining him. But Irene will never disobey her father. Just because I’m planning to compete in a yacht race this Saturday he insisted we all come up to watch. Frankly I’d rather have come up alone and stayed at the yacht club. Whoever heard of using the cottage in October? Ridiculous idea. We are probably the laughingstock among the usual crowd.”
“Have you found them yet, Archie?” a high voice floated through the woods and an exquisite creation in pale blue silk joined us. Her red-blonde hair was piled on her head in tiny curls and her wide blue eyes looked terrified.
“Not yet, my dear, but don’t worry. They can’t have gotten far. They’ve only been gone a few minutes.”
“A few minutes is enough,” Irene said. “How could that incompetent woman let them slip away from her? She only has one job and that’s to guard my boys. You must fire her as soon as we get home, Archie.”
“I will, my dear. But in the meantime…”
I had moved away from the group feeling awkward and superfluous in such an intimate family setting. As I walked through the undergrowth, I thought I heard something. It could have been a bird, but it sounded like a giggle. Up in an old oak tree I spotted a foot.
“You’d better come down right away. You’ve frightened your poor mother,” I said sternly. “Come on. Quickly now or it will be straight to bed with no supper for you.”
Two little boys slithered down sheepishly. They looked to be about eight and ten years old and they were dressed in identical sailor suits that were now the worse for wear.
“Here they are!” I called. “They were hiding in a tree.”
Irene rushed over to them, her arms open. “Thank God, thank God. You naughty, naughty, naughty boys. You made Mama so frightened.” Irene enveloped them in a big hug, holding them to her bosom and rocking them fiercely.
She looked up at her husband as he strode angrily toward them. “Speak to them, Archie. Make them understand that they must never do this again.”
“You’ll get a damned good thrashing if you ever do that again, do you hear?” Archie said in a not-too-threatening voice, as Irene released her hold and the boys wriggled free.
“Yes, Papa,” the boys muttered.
“Archie, they are just little boys. Be gentle with them,” Irene begged, trying to embrace them again.
“They need discipline, Irene. They are running wild.” He wagged a finger at the boys. “Now off to the house with you and get cleaned up before you meet your grandfather. You look a disgrace.”
“Yes, Papa,” the boys chimed in unison, but I got the impression that they knew no threat would ever be carried out.
They ran across the lawn toward the house.
“Thank God,” Irene said again. “When I couldn’t find them, I thought—”
“They are boys, Irene,” Archie said. “They need some freedom. You can’t keep them wrapped in cotton all their lives.”
“I can and I will. If I have to follow them every second we are here, then I’ll do it to keep them safe.” And she started after them across the lawn. She stumbled on the wet grass. Archie took her arm to steady her but she snatched it away as if burned.