The Secret Message Read Free

but when she saw it, she froze. He looked up at her and groaned. ‘I’m sorry. I’m never going to eat another cherry as long as I live.’
    ‘Oh glory! Cherries are the least of our worries,’ Miss Greet mumbled, propping him against a bale before adding, ‘You shouldn’t have fetched me, Master Giles.’
    ‘I couldn’t ask Mama as she doesn’t like to get her hands grubby, and she won’t let me talk to the villagers.’
    Miss Greet responded curtly, ‘You were right not to tell her. She must never know.’
    Giles stepped back as Freddy was sick again. ‘I think he must have eaten a lot of cherries.’
    She wiped her hands on her apron andsighed. ‘I’m not bothered right now about wretched cherries. And I suggest you forget about them, too. I’ve got serious thinking to do. I always knew it was wrong to split twins up like that.’
    Freddy pulled himself up and repeated feebly, ‘Twins?’
    She hesitated before gabbling on without taking a breath, ‘This has really let the cat out the bag. I’ll get shot if they find out. But I suppose it’s only right you hear the truth, now that you’ve met. I always knew it was bound to happen. But you must both promise me never to say anything. Will you promise to keep this a secret and never tell a soul?’ They both nodded, looking completely confused.
    ‘In that case,’ she went on, ‘this is the gist of it … and to think it’s in here where it happened shortly before you were born. It was only my second week of working for theSquire as housekeeper when the accident happened. This was where your poor father met his end. A terrible accident. I fetched the doctor but it was too late.’
    Freddy sat up on the bale. ‘Ma’s told me about how Pa died and how our cottage came with his job. She says we’ve been very fortunate to be allowed to stay on without having to pay rent to the Squire.’
    Giles was still frowning as Miss Greet continued in a secretive whisper. ‘Your poor mother, Freddy. She was in a terrible state. She could hardly afford to feed her older children, let alone the third due. When it turned out to be twin boys, you can imagine her anguish. Not that she didn’t want to keep both, of course. But she knew you’d all end up in the workhouse and her children would doubtless be taken away.’
    Giles spoke for the first time. ‘That’sterrible. So what about … I mean, what about my Mama?’
    ‘She couldn’t have children of her own, and the Squire was desperate for a son and heir to carry on the Hoadley name. The agreement was that he would let your ma stay on in the cottage if they could raise one of her babies as theirs. But the deal was that no one must ever know, or she’d have to move away. And that would mean the workhouse – so she had to agree never to set eyes on her adopted son and never to speak of him again.’
    Giles sat beside Freddy on the bale in total disbelief. ‘Me. So I was the one to come and live here?’
    ‘That’s right,’ she went on, looking over her shoulder as if the horses were listening to every forbidden word. ‘But I’ve been sworn to secrecy and it’s more than my job’s worth. It’s just that when I saw you together just now, itseemed … No, I should have kept my mouth shut. Forgive me for telling.’
    Giles turned to look at Freddy directly. ‘It’s all a bit of a shock, actually. I woke up this morning an only child, and now I’ve got a brother. And he looks like … that!’
    Freddy smiled for the first time. ‘Two brothers, actually. Harry’s a couple of years older. And a sister. Maud’s a year older than us. You’ll have to come and meet them.’
    Miss Greet shouted, startling one of the horses. ‘No! That you can’t do. Never. I wish I hadn’t spilled the beans now. I reckon I’ve well and truly upset the applecart.’
    After a long pause, Giles stood and said thoughtfully, ‘I’m glad you’ve told us, Miss Greet. It just takes some getting used to, that’s all. Don’t