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to see how Mum was instead. The only thing Robert seemed to have forgotten – apart from sheep droppings – was the shepherd’s crook. Perhaps he wanted to show he still thought the tourists were sheep. Perhaps he meant it as a kindness. Anyway, Mum was still holding it, and leaning on it rather heavily, while the people from the guided tour slowly forgot they had been sheep and gathered round her, waiting for more of the talk.
    “We are now in the Long Gallery,” Mum said. She sounded a bit faint, but her voice seemed to come back as she explained how Sir Francis had built the Long Gallery because rooms like that were the height of fashion then.
    “That is true, you know,” Robert told Heather. “Shall we follow these sheep for a while? I would like to know the later history of my family and their house.”
    This suited Heather. That way she could keep an eye on both Mum and Robert. And she could bequite sure of not meeting Dad. The tours were arranged so that they went one after another, without ever meeting. Dad would be taking a tour either ahead of Mum’s or behind. Heather was not ready to meet him yet. Dad asked such piercing questions and he was so full of common sense. She knew she had to make him
believe
when he did meet Robert, and there were a lot of things she wanted to think about first.
    Heather thought and thought while they trailed behind the people who had been sheep and listened to Mum telling them things about the house. While she thought, she kept an eye on Robert, ready to grab his wrist if he showed any sign of spreading his hand out again, and she watched Mum quite as anxiously. She was glad to see that by the time they got to the Grand Saloon, Mum was explaining about the new fashion for Chinese decorations as if she had quite forgotten there had been sheep mixed with a fight in the Long Gallery. She was glad that Robert did not try to spread his hand out again. But she had not the foggiest idea what to do about him after this.
    “This is boring,” Robert whispered as everyone trooped after Mum into Lady Mary’s music room. “Let us go to the watch-tower and find your father.”
    “OK,” Heather said, rather relieved. The tower was probably a safe place, because she was fairlysure Dad would not be there. Anyway, she thought, it would have to do.
    They slipped away from the back of the tour. Heather took Robert the long way round to the tower, to be quite sure of not meeting any other people. “I think,” she said carefully, as they went, “it would be best if you let me speak to Dad first, before you talk to him. I know how to get him in the right mood. Suppose you were to keep out of sight. You could hide at the top of the tower.”
    “A good place,” Robert agreed. “Is your father a witch-hater then?”
    “More like someone who doesn’t believe in them,” Heather said.
    Robert smiled, in a way that made Heather even less anxious for him to meet Dad. “I have met those, too, in my time,” he said.
    “I’ll bring you some food and some blankets,” Heather said. That was the only thing to do, she thought. Keep Robert hidden and hope she could work something out.
    “Now food would be very welcome,” Robert said.
    They came clattering down the back stairs into the round room that had once been part of the castle. Heather hurried Robert to the tower stair. She had her hand on the red rope across it to unhook it, when Dad came hurrying through the round room the opposite way.

    “Oh! Hi, Dad,” Heather said awkwardly.
    “Hi, sunshine,” Dad said. “Don’t take your friend up the tower now. It’s nearly closing time.”
    “
Is
it?” Heather said. She was very surprised. The day had simply raced by.
    “Yes, I’m sorry to disappoint your friend,” Dad said, “but I wouldn’t like to lock you both in when I lock this part. I’ll be coming round with the keys in about ten minutes now.”

    While Dad was speaking, Heather had a sideways glimpse of Robert’s hand