Chapter 5

Jonny and four companions returned to Woodside Lodge at seven-thirty. Jonny was rather pale, and they were all quiet. Sally was helped in serving by Yelka, but there was an empty seat next to her sister, who was next to me. Roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, roast and boiled potatoes, carrots, cabbage, gravy. Yelka took the empty seat, and Sally her customary place on her knees next to me. What can I say? I cannot imagine a better cook than Sally – it was all excellent. I did justice to mine, though there was something in the atmosphere that troubled me, more than the others not saying very much. We finished the meal, declined Sally’s apple pie – a significant omission – and retired to the lounge with tea or coffee as preferred.

Jonny still didn’t say anything beyond praising Sally’s cooking, and even that lacked something.

“Come on, Jonny. Spill it.”

He sighed. “Well, Jerry...” he sighed again. “I couldn’t take a chance on them getting loose again. They’ll be found, thanks to an anonymous tip-off, dead from monoxide poisoning, in a hide-out ... well away from here. Clearly their retreat had a faulty boiler. Let’s say they were obviously not going to turn up for their hearing. I’m pretty sure that means you’re secure again. There’s no doubt whatsoever that they were behind all the recent attacks ... attempted attacks ... on yourselves.”

“Thank you, Jonny.” I spoke quietly. “I cannot see what else you could have done.”

“Mister Schraeder. Sir,” Sally broke in from her place next to my knee. “They would not have given up. Even had they been consigned to prison, they would have had contacts outside who would have pursued us.”

“True, Sally. Thank you.” He sighed again, took a deep breath and smiled. “But now, we have the question of two young ladies...”

“No question, I think,” I stated. “Yelka, Lena,” they looked at me.

“Tell him,” Sally said.

They stood. Moved to face me. “Mister Jerry. We wish ... to stay ... here ... with you ... and ... Milady Sally.”

I glanced down at Sally, who was smiling. She’d obviously rehearsed them. I could only trust that they understood what they were saying. “Jonny? What do you think?”

“I think ... if you and Sally are willing ... that that would be a perfect solution.” He cleared his throat. “Yelena, Alena ... Vy khotite ostat’sya zdes’ s misterom Dzherri i missis Salli? Budete li vy uchit’ angliyskiy, khodit’ v shkolu, mnogo rabotat’?” (You want to stay here with Mister Jerry and Missus Sally? Will you learn English, go to school, work hard?)

They were nodding, vigorously. “Da ser. My budem khoroshimi devochkami, userdno rabotayem,” (Yes, sir. We will be good girls, work hard.) Yelena answered.

“Alena...” Jonny wasn’t going to let the younger twin get away without her own answer.

“Da ser. Kak govorit moya sestra.” (Yes, sir. Like my sister says).

“Good. Let it be so, then. Jerry, Sally, I will have to pull some strings, but we’ll get them documents so they’re legal, get you parental responsibility.”

You must understand I didn’t know what was said, but I gathered that a decision had been made, appointing Sally and me as guardians to our two waifs. They were standing uncertainly, facing Jonny. “Yelena, Alena...” I spoke quietly, but they turned to look at me and I held my arms wide, hoping they’d respond. They did, almost running to take places each side of me. I wrapped an arm around each, gently, a squeeze of reassurance, then reclaimed my right arm to stroke Sally’s hair.

Jonny and his crew were not late to bed – they, like us, had been up at oh dark hundred, of course. I could tell our waifs were fading, too. We took them to the room Cobber and Clare had been using, with two single beds, and I left them there with Sally. (It turned out that they slept together in one of the beds; I offered them a room with a double, but they smiled and said they were happy as they were. They were used to huddling together for comfort.)

I slept late, and was alone in bed when I woke. Sally, with some sort of ESP, arrived in the room with a cup of coffee just as I was raising the energy to leave the bed. She kissed me and handed me the cup.

“Thank you, Master.”

“Whatever for?”

“Yelena and Alena.”

“Oh, no need to thank me. I could no more resist taking them in than I can resist you! But, Sally, daughters, not lovers, okay?”

“Yes, Master. As you say.”

Jonny and the others were already in the kitchen, tucking in to a substantial breakfast.

A ragged chorus of ‘good morning, Jerry/sir/Mister Smallbridge’.

“Good morning, everyone. And it’s Jerry. Please. If I haven’t said it before, you’re all welcome here, any time you’re in the area.”

“If I may suggest, Jerry...” Jonny interrupted, “don’t authorise any of us on your system. If we’re under threat we might be forced to admit someone you’d rather not have in here.”

I nodded, and sat at the table. “I understand, Jonny. Don’t like it, but I understand.”

Sally placed a platter – I’d say plate, but this one was large enough to justify a more pretentious title – piled high with my favourite cooked breakfast in front of me.

“Thank you, my love.”

She smiled and fetched another carafe of coffee to the table. “Has everyone got what they need for now?” Looking around, everyone was nodding. “Good. I need to see to Yelka and Lena.”

I missed having her leaning against my leg as I ate, and supposed I’d have to get used to a lot of disruption in my routines. I’d almost finished my breakfast when Jonny rose.

“We need to be getting ready to leave, Jerry.”

“Of course. Jonny, thank you.”

“Why? I’d think I got you into all sorts of trouble.”

“Oh, no. Sally helped, but all the trouble is my fault.”

He laughed, shaking his head. “Let’s just say we’ve helped each other, then. And, Jerry, I’m sure you will, but just look after those two girls.”

Just then, Sally appeared herding the two blonde cuties into the kitchen. In blue jeans and white t-shirts, they looked like what they should be – two early teen schoolgirls, not some pervert’s idea of sex toys. I expected that Sally would get their full story in due course, if she hadn’t already. How could any man abuse them like they were?

One each side of my wife. They paused. Our guests were standing at the table, on their way out of the room. “Good morning,” six voices greeted them.

“Good ... morning.” Hesitant, charmingly accented, they replied together.

Jonny and his associates filed out of the kitchen, and Sally sat the girls at the table, Yelka next to me. Hesitantly, with that delightful accent, she said, “Good. Morning. Mister. Jerry.” Then “Spasibo. Thank. You.”

“You are very welcome.” I dug deep, trying to recall what Sally had suggested to me. “Dobro pozhalovat.”

Her head dipped and she coloured a little. Sally was busying herself at the counter. Not too much later each girl was presented with a plate of scrambled eggs on toast, and a mug of tea.

Jonny and his people loaded up their bus and departed, leaving us to work out our lives with our new additions. That went more smoothly than I had any right to expect. Indeed, I was surprised – astonished, in fact – at the girls’ willingness, enthusiasm, even, to snuggle with me. Sally, I could understand, but to apparently trust a strange man so soon? I’d have thought their ability to trust men would have been broken by their treatment. But I shelved the question and welcomed their trust.

Day one, we showed them round the house and estate, though not the range. They were wide-eyed at the launch. We did show them the ‘priest-holes’. That was the subject of discussion between myself and my ‘slave’. Sally was positive we could trust them and for sure it was a good idea for them to have a place to hide in case of trouble. They helped Sally prepare meals, and began to pick up English. They’d had a little in school before being taken, but since then they’d only learned terms and commands which would not be in use in my ... our ... home.

Day two, a run to Hawkshead obtained serious outdoor clothing and footwear. Day three, Windermere and Ambleside provided more formal clothing, mobile phones, ipods and basic laptops, and not too far away Bowness provided boat stuff, deck shoes, waterproofs, buoyancy aids. Lunch was fish ‘n’ chips from a shop in Bowness, eaten walking by the lake and watching the boats. We bought helmets for motorcycling. The English lessons continued throughout.

I returned to my volunteer activities, leaving Sally with the girls. Between those days, we took them walking, or cruising the lake. It became obvious that we’d need some more practical transport; I got the Norton on the road, and Sally and I could take a girl apiece on pillion. The BMW outfit could accommodate one in the sidecar and one on the pillion seat, but the only vehicle we had which would accommodate all of us was the old Ford. I loved the old car, but had no doubt it was too big for convenient use, and it was far from economical. I settled in the end for a two-year-old Vauxhall Corsa; small enough to be comfortable on the narrow roads, economical, and big enough for the four of us and any shopping we needed.