Will, who was in the process of consoling his dry throat with further gulps of sumptuous tea, immediately began furiously spluttering, for how on earth did she know he was holding something back?
“Yes, I do declare there is definitely much more going on here than meets the eye,” she thoughtfully mused.
“All right. There is more, and it has much to do with a young friend whose name you so casually and unwittingly mentioned much earlier in our conversation.”
“Well, William, please enlighten me further, for I am not aware of mentioning anyone unfamiliar during our most pleasant discourse.”
“Well, her name is Polly, Polly Brown, to be precise.”
“Hmm. Much as I thought! Go on, young man. Spill the beans, and remember, leave nothing out!” Lady Butterkist anxiously ordered.
“Do I have to, for I believe it to be nothing short of a real can of worms?” he moaned.
“Oh, I’m afraid so, William, for those monstrously dark secrets you hide inside will, in time, most assuredly eat you up. That, my dear boy, is a mathematical certainty!”
Will finally caved in, and through misty, tear-filled eyes, he told the story of the strange, unpretentious young girl he had met on his first day at the new school.
“At first I had no idea as to why I was so attracted to her, for as she herself told me, she was considered the school’s bumbling idiot or, rather, the patsy who appeared to take the blame for everything. Still, I felt this urgent and deep need to get to know everything about her. She seemed so scared and yet so defiantly defensive, so it was difficult, if not impossible, at first to make her see me as a friend and not foe. Before long I invited her to my house, and after much persuasion, she agreed. Sadly, it was not too long before my mother did her usual thing, which was to insult her and make her wish she had never come. As for my brother, he too was no better, for he raged on and even hurled things at her. What was I to do?” he lamented.
“Go on, young man,” Lady Butterkist urged as she reached over with her serviette to wipe a stray tear that was racing headlong down his cheek as he continued to unravel his story.
“Well, finally she opened up and told me something of the terrible things that were happening to her and others in the children’s home, and then she begged me not to say anything to anybody. Of course, I gave her my word. But then, quite out of the blue, she began telling me the most wildly fanciful stories about a ridiculous place that could not possibly exist, and I have to admit it was at this point that I felt I could bear no more.”
By now a deluge of hot tears were streaming down his ruddy cheeks, and Lady Butterkist tried her very best to catch all that were visibly running down his face, but to no avail, for she could not keep up.
“Polly asked me if I would be willing to meet up with the two boys who had joined her on the adventure, for she truly believed they would fully back up her story.” Will began to feel all choked up.
“Carry on, William, for I am all ears,” she gently urged.
“Well, Lady B., the meeting with them was little short of totally embarrassing. Polly was talking like a crazy person. The boys were intent on chatting up two young ladies who were having refreshments in the station café, and they did everything they could to get Polly to leave them alone. It was so incredibly horrible and painful to watch.”
“Hmm.”
“Then, as if all this was not enough, my mother called me into her private boudoir to inform me that Polly’s guardian, Mr. Scumberry, had paid her a timely visit—yes, a very threatening visit, if truth be known,” he sighed. “My mother insisted I was to have nothing more to do with the girl, for Mr. Scumberry sincerely believed it to be his moral duty to inform her that many years previous Polly had been diagnosed with something called schizophrenia, and therefore she was considered to be something of a danger to herself and others. The next thing I knew, Polly had been placed within the confines of the local mental hospital. I never even had the opportunity to say my good-byes. I miss her so much. I doubted her for too long, but now I have come to realize that she is just about the most wonderful, caring girl I have ever met,” he pathetically wailed.
“There, there, dear. Please continue,” Lady Butterkist said as she gave him a comforting pat on his shoulder.
“I seriously considered visiting her the Christmas before last, but as she had only been at the hospital for a matter of weeks, I thought that it might not be to wise, as she hadn’t had an adequate amount of time to settle in.”
“As if one can be left to settle into such a place!” Lady Butterkist snorted, at the same time shaking her head as a show of her absolute disapproval.
“Well, anyway. I decided against the idea, lest paying a visit proved to be more disruptive than helpful.”
“Plainly.”
“When Easter came ’round I once more found myself pining after her and therefore desperate to see her, but then I got cold feet. I then considered paying her a visit during the summer holidays, but once more I turned—”
“Chicken!”
“Thank you, but no thank you, Lady B., for I have had more than enough to eat. In fact, I’m pretty stuffed,” he admitted, patting his stomach as if to emphasize the point.
“Oh, William, I wasn’t offering you anymore to eat! Oh, no. I was merely suggesting that the word you required was, in fact, chicken. Yes, put bluntly, you, young man, chickened out entirely. And that is surely quite indefensible, is it not?” she stated quite abrasively.
“Well, yes, I guess it is,” he lamely agreed, for he was plainly caught off guard by her bluntness.
“Oh, young man, please forgive my unintentional rudeness, but I don’t ever stand on ceremony. Trust me, when something needs to be said, I do not hold back,” she stated in her very matter-of-fact way.
“No, that’s fine, because in truth you’re absolutely right. Sadly, I did find myself yet again having cold feet,” he admitted.
Giles interjected, “Yes, cold feet, madam. And have we not all found ourselves in that difficult position at some time or another in our life? We surely need to lay aside all harsh criticism and judgment, for I feel we must be a bit more charitable here.”
“Yes, yes. So do be quiet, Blenkinsopp, for I need to hear more.”
“Well, this last Christmas Eve I finally plucked up the courage to pay a visit to the hospital, and then, just as I got to her ward, I yet again chickened out, to use your words,” he croaked, his face turning a bright scarlet. “I mean, I had heard the most terrible screams and cries as I approached her ward, and then as the nurse went ahead of me and opened the door, I caught a sudden glimpse of her standing in front of a Christmas tree. It was as though she was not really there. I mean, there was a girl who looked like Polly, but it certainly wasn’t a Polly I had ever seen before, for this ghost of a girl appeared to me to be very broken down and vacant.” Will began to break down as he tried and failed to continue on.
Lady Butterkist gently placed her arm around the distraught young man’s shoulder. “Will, allow me to say that you, I believe, are the only real friend she has, so stop licking your wounds and try attending to hers,” she gently advised. “Just get up, brush yourself down, and then get back into the arena. If I am allowed to be frank with you, I have to say that I am of the opinion that she never once lied to you, and she really trusted that you would be her friend through thick and thin, yes, through the ups and downs of life, through the wind and rain, over the hills and dales; yes, over the lumps and bumps and—”
“Madam, enough said! I think young Will gets the big picture. Don’t you, young man?” Blenkinsopp quickly and sharply interjected before Lady Butterkist got too carried away.
“Oh, I know I have completely let her down. I mean, only yesterday I found myself unexpectedly running into both boys Polly took me to meet at the train station café. They were meeting up with a friend who attends my school. I was very surprised when they asked to speak alone with me, and in doing so they finally admitted to all
that had happened. I have to say, I was very heartened to know that Polly had not been lying, and this has made me more determined than ever to pay her a visit, even though it is against my mother’s express wishes. However, I still feel so torn, if not thoroughly miserable.”
“Yes, that’s how you feel, but what of dear Polly? How miserable do you think this darling, fractured soul feels, locked away with only the dark whisperings of the insanely mad for comfort and with no one even remotely willing to place an arm around her shoulder to console or wipe away a tear? Yes, dear boy, think again, for she has absolutely nobody to stroke her forehead and tell her everything will one day turn out all right.”
“I know, I know,” he cried as he hugged his head with both hands, utterly desperate.
“Yes, William, she has nothing and nobody. Would you believe it if I said that she has spent two Christmases without a single hug to reassure her that she is the slightest bit precious to anybody? So try as you may, William dear, but you only deceive yourself further if you as much as attempt to trivialize or worm your way out of this one.”
“Oh, dear lady. Everything you say is true,” he anxiously cried. “So what can I do?”
“Well, one thing’s for certain. You can’t leave things as they are, can you?”
“Yes, but your ladyship, I really did try. Honest! I went to the hospital, and I left a present and a Christmas card with the nurse on duty. And let me tell you that to date there has been not a single word of thank you regarding my thoughtful gift, and so I presume—”
“Oh, William Montgomery, how dare you presume anything! Come on, young man, you are only suffering from a bruised ego, for do you really think a card and present would be enough? I mean, did you not promise her that you would never abandon her? Come to think of it, do you even remember that promise?”
“Yes, now that you mention it, I do,” he hoarsely whispered.
“Well then, young man, you are guilty of doing the same irresponsible and utterly irreprehensible actions as have always been done to her in the past.”
“And what is that?” he loudly moaned.
“You, young man, broke your promise, and in doing so you joined the long list of heartless people who over the years have completely failed her and have badly let her down.”
“Oh, but I never meant to,” he cried.
“Few people ever do,” Lady Butterkist murmured. “Oh, yes. I believe we are all full to overflowing with good intentions, but may I remind you, young man, that the very road to hell is indeed paved with good intentions.”
“Oh, dear,” he groaned.
“It is indeed better never to promise than to promise and never fulfill. Our word should indeed be our bond. Although I am fully aware that to say such a thing is not exactly popular these days.”
“Yes, I wholeheartedly agree with you, Lady B. I have totally let her down. Yes, at the end of the day I’ve been such a blind and callous fool,” he whimpered, a look of deep remorse written all over his face.
“Yes, you have. But don’t be so hard on yourself, William, for at least you finally have the courage and honesty of heart to admit such things,” she said in her bid to console him.
“And, speaking of such things, what of your gift and card? Do you even know that she received them?”
“No, that’s true. I have absolutely no idea.”
“Then come on, William. Forgive her also for imagined failures. Get up from the ground and go be her man. Be her hero, her Sir Galahad, her gladiator. Yes, stand and fight for her, as I know she would surely fight for you,” she cried as, emotionally stirred, she stood to her feet and began to march around her tartan blanket.
Blenkinsopp, also clearly feeling very emotionally moved by her passionate and most rousing speech, jumped up from where he was seated and began to do likewise. “Go get her,” he excitedly cried as he joined in and expressed his approval and agreement with both Will and her ladyship.
Moments later they were all shouting “yes, yes” at the top of their lungs as they marched ’round and ’round the large wicker basket. Finally, in a state of utter exhaustion, they all collapsed back down on the tartan rug. Will was fully determined to get his breath back.
“Well then, I take it that we’re all unanimous in our verdict,” a heavily breathing Lady Butterkist announced. “Therefore, our new and very dear friend William must immediately leave us to go and become Polly’s most valiant knight in shining armor, ready and willing to slay any amount of ferocious dragons that dare cross his path, if he must, in his desperate and chivalrous bid to rescue her.”
By this point Will felt so fired up he was ready to charge at anything and everything, if only he knew how.
“Lady B., please help me out, for I don’t how or where to go from here,” he cried.
“Well, my dear boy, remember that where there’s a will, there’s—”
“Usually a dead body,” Blenkinsopp quickly chipped in.
“My, my…Blenkinsopp, up until this moment in time I was quite unaware of your razor-sharp wit. You have clearly hidden it from me all this time.”
“Well, madam, it is my humble opinion that some things are best kept to oneself,” he quietly suggested as he stared down at his feet.
“Well, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, where there’s a will, there’s usually a way, and therefore you, William, must pursue every avenue until you find a meaningful way back into her life. Is that understood?”
“Oh, completely!” he uttered, his heart bursting and his eyes now radiant with hope as he quickly got to his feet to go on his way.
“Lady B., not only has it been an absolute honor to meet you, but this whole chance meeting has changed everything,” he said as he took hold of her hand to give it a gentlemanly old-fashioned kiss. “Had this meeting been just a consummation of tea and friendship, well, that would have been enough in itself, but to come away with sound advice and a heart filled with fresh vigor and determination, well, that is most surely the icing on the cake.”
“Why, thank you for the wonderful compliment,” Lady Butterkist said with a smile. “It is very much appreciated,” she said, her wide smile showing that she was bursting with pride.
“Yes, my lady, the tea has been simply splendid, but my sorrowful heart has indeed been rid of many a deep burden. I must leave immediately to go and do all within my power to sort things out. I shall start with my mother and then take it from there. Lady B., trust me when I say that I will go to the ends of the earth if necessary to find and help Polly. This I promise.”
“Oh, William dear, a quick word of warning: take heed of careless words.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean be careful what you promise, for one day you might well find yourself eating your words.”
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I just said, for it’s terribly easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment and make promises that later, when things have cooled down, you cannot or simply do not intend to fulfill. You’ve let her down once, so I ask just one thing of you: make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“Oh, Lady B., I assure you now that I am adamant in all I state, and so in front of witnesses I am more than prepared to declare that for Polly’s sake I will go to the ends of the earth if need be. Such is my determination.”
“Splendid.”
“So thank you once more for all your graciousness, and promise me right here and now that you will indeed keep in touch,” he said as he heartily shook her hand.
“William, I assure you, hand on heart, that my word is indeed my bond, and therefore I will be in touch in the very near future.”
“Giles, thank you also, for it has also been a real pleasure meeting you too,” Will said as he stuck out his hand for the butler to shake.
“I believe the pleasure to have been all mine,” Blenkinsopp humbly stated. “But before you leave to go pursue this mission of righting the whole world’s wrongs and res
cuing troubled princesses from high towers, I happen to believe that you still have something on your person that rightfully belongs to me.”
Will found himself struggling to understand the meaning behind Blenkinsopp’s last and surprisingly surreptitious comment. He was inclined to think it was obviously “a man thing”; otherwise, surely he would just come out and say what he needed to say.
“Hmm,” was all that Blenkinsopp cared to mutter as his eyes furtively moved away from Will’s eyes to come to a sudden halt somewhere near his midriff.
Will followed his eyes but still failed to understand the butler’s strangely covert message.
Blenkinsopp coughed. “My personalized serviette, sir.”
“Oops!” Will burst into laughter as he immediately looked down and realized he was adding insult to injury, for he was about to leave and go home with the poor man’s prized serviette still dangling from his trouser belt.
“So sorry, old chap. Do forgive me,” he said as he released the serviette from his belt and handed it over.
“Sorry to even have to ask for it back, sir, but there’s a limit to how many intolerable pink hankies patterned with smiling teddy bears I will gladly endure for Queen and country,” he said, giving Will a warm, hearty smile.
That same night as Will removed his shirt to get into the shower, he was alarmed to discover many white feathers fluttering onto the bathroom floor. He stooped down to pick one up, and as he held it in front of his eyes to examine it further, he could not even begin to understand quite where these feathers had originated from and, more to the point, how they had come to get inside his shirt.
“How perfectly strange,” he muttered as he lathered up his hair with an excessive amount of shampoo.
Chapter Twenty-Six
THE TROUBLE WITH TEA
DR. NINKUMPOOP WAS thoroughly enjoying his early morning cup of classic Earl Grey tea as with his feet propped up on the table he continued to do the daily crossword in his favorite newspaper. He undeniably had to admit that rather atrociously he had spent far too long making up his mind as to which tea he should try out today from his personally imported private stash of exclusive teas, which remained hidden away for his use only in a locked drawer of his filing cabinet. But as he continued to sip away, the delicious aroma not only permeating the room but also reaching deep into his nostrils, he knew he needed no further persuasion that he had indeed made the correct decision with regard to his choice of tea for this particular morning. He also knew with much certainty that just as some well-known author had cared to remark, tea should indeed be taken in solitude, and therefore he had not been the least bit negligent in fully appropriating this most profound piece of wisdom. Yes, tea should be enjoyed in splendid isolation and not in the presence of some fidgety and tiresome old nurse indefinitely prattling away in his ear, for this would indeed have been most wearisome and would definitely have spoiled, if not entirely destroyed, this superbly heady moment of supreme indulgence.
The Trouble with Polly Brown Page 46