After a fantastic tea, Dot and Sherlock Holmes say their farewells to Giles and Laetitia Langton, and ride back to the hall. They’ve a lot to talk about – especially, what makes Laetitia so angry? And who does she want to tell… and what…?
“Why do you think Miss Langton got so cross, Mr Holmes?” asked Dot.
They were riding back to Dendringham Hall together, full of the delicious tea they’d had at Fernbank Cottage.
Luckily it wasn’t such a bumpy ride this time, or it would have been a bit sick-making!
“Aha! You observed her manner, then!” said Mr Holmes, leaning forward in the saddle to smile at Dot. “We shall make a detective of you yet, young Dorothea!”
“She seemed to get so cross so quickly… ” Dot went on.
“Barkbark!” went Angharad, who was running along beside them.
“Barkbark barkbark!” went the other two dogs, who were trying to keep up – Angharad was a champion runner.
“Gimme a break!” muttered Mr Mouse from his hidey-hole on Dot’s shoulder (he’d had a whole cream and jam scone all to himself and he was feeling a bit full!)
“Indeed” said Mr Holmes, giving the reins a shake to keep Thunderer going. His riding was much better now – he seemed to be a man who could do anything he’d decided to do. “I think there’s a line of investigation well worth following there, if we’re to get to the bottom of this business!”
“We” thought Dot with a little glow of pride – I really am his helper now! It made her feel proud, because the Sherlock Holmes stories were a great favourite of her Gran’s - especially adventures like ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ (spooky!) and ‘A Study in Scarlet’.
She remembered watching seeing some of the TV shows with Gran too, with the famous actor Jeremy Brett playing the great detective. She hadn’t really wanted to at the time, she’d only done it to keep Gran company, but they were so cool!
She’d specially liked the way the TV series had brought Victorian London to life, the clattering of the hooves of horses in the streets, the ladies in their long dresses and fantastic hats, the gentlemen in their long dark coats and moustaches and beards (face hair was BIG in those days!) and carrying shiny canes, the children scampering down the cobbled streets. Gran had told her it was just like that when her Gran had been alive – she’d even brought over some old photographs.
Gran would love to be in this adventure, thought Dot. Then her daydreaming was shattered as Thunderer shied away from a robin redbreast that flew straight across the grassy pathway in front of them.
“Steady, boy!” said Mr Holmes, pulling back on the reins. “Steady now!” With a little neigh, Thunderer quietened down and went back to his steady trot, puffing and blowing.
“Now, Dot” Mr Holmes went on. “Did you notice the work Mr Langton did on the lathe, that machine that makes shapes out of wood? Good, wasn’t it?”
“Yes” said Dot, slightly puzzled. “But how does that help us?”
“Well” said Mr Holmes “whoever made that strange handle we found certainly knew how to make beautiful things out of wood, didn’t he?”
“Oh!” said Dot, feeling a bit silly.
“Indeed!” said Mr Holmes. “But just like many another clue, it might mean everything and it might mean nothing. And why, we must ask ourselves, did Mr Langton go to all that trouble to hide himself and his work away like that?” He shook his head. “Strange behaviour indeed! But here we are!”
With a final brushing against the trees above their head, they broke out of the woods and saw Dendringham Hall before them once again. For the first time Dot worried about being away so long. Miss Walsingham her governess would definitely not be pleased with her!
Gulp! And there she was, standing at the foot of the steps of the Hall, wringing her hands and looking anxiously towards them.
But Dot needn’t have worried – Miss Walsingham had something much more serious on her mind. As they rode up, Mr Holmes politely raising his hat, they could see she was deathly pale.
“Oh Mr Holmes!” she gasped. “Thank goodness you’ve returned! Thank goodness!”
