Rat Race (26 page)

The Duke and young Matthew and Midge reappeared from somewhere. I hadn’t seen them come. Things were getting hazier.

The Duke was upset. ‘My dear chap,’ he said over and over again. ‘My dear chap…’

‘How did you know it was a bomb?’ Matthew asked.

‘Just knew.’

‘That was a pretty good throw.’

‘Saved our lives,’ said the Duke. ‘My dear chap…’

Colin was back.

‘He’s coming,’ he said. ‘Immediately.’

‘Saved our lives…’ said the Duke again. ‘How can we repay…’

Colin looked at him straightly. ‘I’ll tell you how, sir. Set him up in business… or take over Derrydowns… give him an air taxi business, based near Newmarket. He’ll make you a
a profit. He’ll have me for a customer, and Annie, and Kenny… and in fact the whole town, because the Fund can go on now, can’t it?’ He looked at me enquiringly, and I fractionally nodded. ‘It may cost a bit to put right,’ Colin said, ‘But your Fund can go on, sir, and do all the good it was meant to…’

‘An air taxi business. Take over Derrydowns,’ the Duke repeated. ‘My dear Colin, what a spendid idea. Of course. Of course.’

I tried to say something… anything… to begin to thank him for so casually thrusting the world into my fingers… but I couldn’t say anything… couldn’t speak. I could feel my legs collapsing. Could do nothing any more to stop them. Found myself kneeling on the grass, keeping myself from falling entirely by hanging on to a door handle of the car. Didn’t want to fall. Hurt too much.

‘Matt!’ Nancy said. She was down on her knees beside me. Midge too. And Colin.

‘Don’t bloody die,’ Nancy said.

I grinned at her. Felt light-headed. Grinned at Colin. Grinned at Midge.

‘Want a lodger?’ I asked.

‘Soon as you like,’ Colin said.

‘Nancy,’ I said. ‘Will you… will you…’

‘You nit,’ she said. ‘You great nit.’

My hand slipped out of the door handle. Colin caught me as I fell. Everything drifted quietly away, and by the time I reached the ground I couldn’t feel anything at all.