Chapter Ten #2
The Three Horseshoes was a two-storey stone building with a black tiled roof.
There was a gas street light in front, not yet lit.
They went inside to find a low-ceilinged room with walls of thick, irregular stones, exposed beams running overhead and smaller rooms off to each side.
There were a few tables, mostly occupied by older men smoking pipes or quaffing pints.
They took in the sight of the two women appearing in their midst with interest.
There was a small, rectangular bar at the rear of the room with casks of beer and ale behind it, a red and white shield on the wall over them with Usher’s of Trowbridge – Fine Ales emblazoned upon it. The bartender looked them over expectantly as they approached.
‘Good afternoon, ladies,’ he said. ‘Welcome to Bradford. Something to wet down the dust?’
‘What’s available?’ asked Iris.
‘Do you know Usher’s?’ he asked.
‘No, but I’m ready to learn,’ she replied.
‘We have golden ale, bitter ale and oatmeal stout,’ he said.
‘And do I spy some fizzy lemonade over there?’ asked Gwen.
‘Yes, ma’am,’ he said.
‘One of those, please.’
‘I’ll have a bitter,’ said Iris. ‘A half-pint, please.’
‘Where are you staying?’ he asked as he drew a half-pint of the ale, then opened a bottle of the lemonade and placed the drinks in front of them.
‘At Dorter’s Inn,’ said Gwen. ‘I was told that you could ring them to come pick us up.’
‘You’re staying at Dorty’s place?’ called a man seated at a nearby table.
‘We are,’ said Gwen, turning to face him.
‘That’s funny,’ he said. ‘You don’t look like witches.’
The men with him broke out into laughter. Gwen looked at them and smiled sweetly.
‘The last man who said something like that to me is living quite happily on a lily pad now,’ she said to the man. ‘You have been warned, sir.’
He grinned and lifted his glass in appreciation.
Iris paid for the drinks while the bartender went over to a telephone by the till and dialled a number.
‘What names shall I give them?’ he asked.
‘Mrs Bainbridge and Miss McTague,’ said Gwen. ‘They should be expecting us.’
He waited a moment. Then someone answered.
‘Hello, it’s Stan over at the Three Horseshoes,’ he said. ‘We got a couple of ladies just off the train for you. Mrs Bainbridge and Miss McTague. Very good.’
He hung up.
‘They’re sending a cart over,’ he said. ‘Should be half an hour.’
‘Thank you,’ said Iris.
They carried their drinks and suitcases over to an empty table.
‘Did he say cart or car?’ asked Iris.
‘Cart,’ said Gwen.
‘Oh dear.’
‘You staying long?’ asked one of the men hopefully.
‘Just a couple of days,’ said Gwen.
‘You know, long enough to get the coven together, dance around the bonfire at midnight and make offerings to the Goddess,’ added Iris.
‘Now, don’t get upset by Tom’s little joke,’ said the man. ‘Dorty’s all right. She just likes to keep to herself when she’s not running things there.’
‘I hear it’s nice out there,’ added another. ‘A good place to go when you want to be nowhere at all. But if you’re looking for something more lively, there’s a band coming in here tomorrow night. There’ll be dancing.’
‘We’ll see,’ said Gwen. ‘No promises.’
The door opened some twenty minutes later, and a young man poked his head in.
‘Are the ladies for Dorter’s Inn here?’ he asked.
‘That’s us,’ said Gwen.
‘Good afternoon,’ he said. ‘I’m Timothy. I’ve come to take you to the inn. Are those your bags?’
‘They are.’
He grabbed them, then held the door for the ladies. He couldn’t have been more than sixteen, but he was tall and lanky with a thin face and nose.
There was a one-horse trap waiting for them outside. He lifted the rear bench up and placed the suitcases in a compartment under it, then closed it and helped each of them up.
‘Hang on tight,’ he advised them as he climbed onto his seat. ‘Barney’s feeling frisky today.’
‘How far is it?’ asked Gwen.
‘A mile and a half,’ he said. ‘Shouldn’t take us more than ten minutes.’
He guided the cart to a central circle from which several streets radiated, and took the next spoke out.
The houses were almost all built from the same light-hued stone that made up the walls of the Three Horseshoes, with the rare brick building occasionally interrupting the pattern.
The buildings quickly gave way to fields as they reached the outskirts of the town.
‘That’s the canal,’ he said as they reached a bridge.
Iris nudged her partner. There was a narrowboat slowly making its way underneath them.
‘I told you we could have come here by boat,’ she said.
‘It would have taken us a week,’ replied Gwen.
‘Do you know how long it would take to reach London by narrowboat?’ Iris called to Timothy.
‘I don’t know that you can get to London that way,’ he said. ‘The canal goes from Reading to Bristol. We have some rowing boats if you want to take one out. The Inn is pretty close to it, and we have our own dock.’
‘Any ponds nearby?’
‘There’s a decent one out back,’ he said. ‘You can go swimming if the weather gets warm enough. We’re coming up to the drive now.’
They turned onto a track to the right. The driveway curved through a stand of trees, which then gave way to reveal a broad, stone grange house with some outlying barns and other buildings attached. There were several cars parked to the side.
‘And here we are,’ said Timothy, pulling the trap up to the front door. He hopped down, then came back to hand each of them down to the ground. ‘I’ll bring you in, then my sister Pam will take over while I unharness Barney.’
‘You did very well, Barney,’ said Gwen, coming over to rub the horse’s neck. ‘Thank you.’
‘And thank you, Timothy,’ said Iris as she handed him a tip.
‘Thank you, miss,’ he said, touching the brim of his cap. ‘Let me know if you want to take a horse out for a ride tomorrow, and I’ll get one saddled up for you.’
He carried their luggage inside.
Pam was waiting for them in the front hall, her hands folded in front of her. She must be his twin, thought Gwen. She was not nearly as tall, but had the same narrow face and cheerful expression.
‘Good afternoon, ladies, and welcome to Dorter’s Inn,’ she said. ‘I’m Miss Pamela Torrance. I will be checking you in and showing you to your room. Will you come this way, please?’
She picked up their suitcases and motioned for them to follow her to a sitting room with a small counter at one end with a large opened ledger book resting on top next to a call bell. A small collection of wine and spirit bottles stood on shelves behind the counter.
‘You’re sharing a twin room for two nights, correct?’ she asked as she stepped behind the counter.
‘Correct,’ said Gwen.
‘Payment in advance, please.’
Gwen produced a cheque for the fee and handed it over. Pam turned the ledger to face her and handed her a pen.
‘We’ll need both of you to sign,’ she said. ‘I don’t believe I know your companion’s first name, Mrs Bainbridge.’
‘Forgive me,’ said Gwen as she signed. ‘This is my friend, Miss Mary McTague.’
‘How do you do?’ said Iris as she signed her name under Gwen’s, glancing at the rest of the guest list as she did so.
‘Welcome, Miss McTague,’ said Pam. ‘I’ll take you to your room now.
Dinner is at seven, and breakfast will be available in the morning from seven thirty to eight thirty.
You’re on your own for lunch, but we can pack sandwiches if you wish, and there will be tea set out in the parlour here in the afternoon.
There is a reading room and a game room on this level.
Timmy can provide you with boats and horses, and we have croquet and badminton sets available in the rear.
Feel free to visit the barns, stables and coops.
The animals are all very friendly. If there is anything you would like to know about the local attractions, please ask.
One of us usually makes a run into town around ten in the morning if you’d like a lift, but you’ll find the walk to be quite pleasant. ’
‘How are you fixed for birds, butterflies and beetles?’ asked Iris.
‘Ah, the three Bs. There’s a decent variety right now. We have a resident family of teal at the pond. The ducklings are nearly full-grown, and quite entertaining. Butterflies like the meadows here, and beetles are … beetles. I confess I haven’t paid much attention to them.’
‘You’re missing so much,’ said Gwen.
‘Anyhow, I would try the pond for them, then take one of the footpaths through the wood.’
‘We’ll get up early and take a walk before breakfast,’ said Iris.
‘Oh goody, that does sound like fun,’ said Gwen. ‘Now, would it be possible for us to pay our respects to our hostess before dinner?’
‘Mrs Dorter is busy in the kitchen right now,’ said Pam. ‘But you should have a chance to say hello at dinner. No need to dress up, by the way. We’re away from all that. Let me take you to your room.’
She took a pair of keys out from under the counter and gave one to each of them, then picked up their suitcases and led them up a narrow wooden staircase to the first floor. This let out on a long central hallway with rooms on both sides.
‘We have bathrooms at each end,’ she said, indicating them. ‘Please keep your baths under five inches of water, as the hot water is limited. The stairway and hall lights are on timers, so be sure to press the switch each time. You’re in room four. And here we are.’
She opened the door to reveal a small but cheerfully appointed room with two single beds across from each other, separated by a shared bedside table under a wide window.
The walls were covered with a cream-coloured wallpaper with burgundy stripes decorated with a paisley pattern.
There was a small basin set into the wall by the cupboard, with a dressing table and chair next to it.