There was a silence, then Mrs. Bottomly shouted, “That were bloody Cain’s dog. That black-hearted swine must be around. I’m off for my gun.”

I said to Ruby, “Will she really get her gun?”

Ruby said, “Oh yes.” And all the Bottomlys stormed out of the pub.

Seth and Ruben came into the bar. They were laughing. Seth clicked his teeth at Flossie, who was still in her fairy costume. “Ay up, big lass, awreet?”

And she clicked back, “Not so bad, big lad.”

Then Eccles Bottomly came screeching into the pub again followed by her sisters. She shouted at Seth and Ruben, “Your bloody brother has kicked down our outdoor lavatory again.”

Ruben said, “He dun’t take kindly to being shot at.” And he and Seth laughed.

Then Seth looked straight at me. “Anyway, Cain does as he pleases. Doesn’t he, lanky lass?”

What does he know???

Beverley shouted, “He’s a bloody animal, he’s rotten through and through, you should be shamed to be ’is brothers.”

Seth said, “Blood’s thicker than lasses.”

And he and his brother walked out.

Blood’s thicker than lasses?

What does that mean?

Flossie said, “Why that Seth boy, he’s gorgeous, isn’t he?”

As we surged out of the pub, everyone was chattering. Bob said, “That Honey is a diamond.”

It was a clear dark night outside and you could see Grimbottom looming. There was shouting and commotion all over the village and torches flickering everywhere.

Flossie said, “I bet Cain will be back with Fang. Probably having a nourishing Cup-a-Soup.”

Will he though?

I shivered. Perhaps he was looking at us even now.

From his black lair.

In his black coat.

As we hovered outside The Blind Pig, inside Mr. Barraclough said loudly into his microphone, “Ladies and gentlespoons, now that the students have finished entertaining us with their lovely version of Twits in Tights, it’s time for a reight good singsong—may I introduce to you … The Iron Pies!” And a loud crashing started. “Pies! Pies, I’m gonna …”

Bob was packing stuff into his Bobmobile, but he stopped and said, “Dudes, that is awesome. That is Iron Butterfly reborn.” And went back into the pub.

We didn’t know what to do after all the excitement.

Flossie said, “Wow, oooh, we get to stay at Dother Hall.”

Vaisey said, “I wish I could tell Jack—I thought he might be here.”

Jo was chucking sticks around. “When is Phil going to come? Eh? When, when, when? Wheny, when, when???”

Ruby has given us crisps and lemonade so we thought we’d go to the barn and see the owlets before we leave for half term. We crunched down the back path to the barn.

It was nice to get into the warm. The hay and straw kept it snug.

As we sat eating our crisps, I said to Flossie, “You know when you—well—what did you talk to Seth about?”

Flossie looked serious. “Oh, the usual, world peace, the Euro.”

Vaisey said, “Really?”

And Flossie said, “No. We said ‘hello’ and then he snogged me.”