The upshot was that they remained with the farmers and their beasts until the stationmaster came to open the livestock-carriage door and allow the farmers and their animals to exit the carriage and the station in an orderly fashion.
By then, all the other passengers had left the station and, other than the inevitable noise made by their company, the area was largely quiet.
Toby and the children helped the farmers and their wives and children disembark and herd their animals off the platform and through the station concourse. As a noisy clucking, mooing, baying, and baaing group, they emerged onto an oval-shaped grassed plaza. Diana, Helga, and Bruno, who was finally allowed to walk on his own four legs, followed with the farmwives as the company, animals and all, made their way across the plaza toward the road that led into the town.
On the pavement on the other side of the plaza, the company paused, and two of the farmers pointed to a large stable two buildings to the left.
“That is our cousin’s establishment,” one of the farmers said. “Come, we will introduce you.”
His brother nodded encouragingly. “He is sure to have a carriage you can hire.”
The entire band headed for the stable and halted outside the massive double doors, presently open to the mild evening air.
Diana, the children, and Helga halted at the entrance and made their farewells. Toby thanked and saluted the farmers’ wives and the other farmers, all of whom had vouched for this stable as being the best for Toby’s needs, then he went with the pair who had volunteered to introduce him to the stable master.
Toby knew exactly what he wanted and, within minutes, had ascertained that the farmers had steered him aright. Indeed, the stable master looked pleased to be dealing with someone who understood horses.
After both Toby and the stable master had thanked the pair who had introduced them, the farmers left them to their negotiating and went to collect their animals and their families and, with the rest of the company, go on into the town.
Fifteen minutes later, Toby drove a fast, well-sprung carriage—big enough to hold four adults comfortably, with excellent forward lamps and four powerful horses between the shafts—out onto the stable forecourt.
He left the stable master looking pleased and counting the liras Toby had handed him.
When he halted the carriage beside his family, Diana and the children stared, but at his urging, they quickly loaded their luggage, he strapped the excess to the roof, and within half an hour of leaving the station, he dropped onto the box seat, picked up the reins, and with a tip of the whip to the stable master, drove out onto the road and turned the horses’ heads for Marseille.
CHAPTER15
With unrelenting focus, Toby drove south through the evening and into the deepening night.
Unsurprisingly, there were few other coaches on the road; few drivers were as confident in their abilities as he. Nevertheless, given the road zigged and zagged as it climbed steadily into the mountains along the French-Italian border, there was a limit to how fast he could go; even in broad daylight, this wasn’t a road for the fainthearted.
The moon was nearly full, a blessing for which he gave due thanks. The silver light glinted off the pale gravel of the road—in truth little better than a track—making picking out their way easier and allowing him to keep to a decent pace. Regardless, it was late by the time they crossed the border, marked by a stone cairn, and rolled into France.
From the lack of sound within the carriage, he’d assumed the children had nodded off, but now, it seemed their empty stomachs had roused them. Grumblings about being hungry reached him, and resigned, he slowed as they rolled into the tiny village of Tende.
He turned the horses onto the gravel in the yard before a small auberge, and the instant the carriage halted, the children spilled out, plainly eager to follow the scent of food emanating from the building.
Two youths came running to take the horses. Toby handed over the reins, told the lads he would return and give orders shortly, and assuming he would need to interpret, hurried to catch up with Diana, Helga, and the children.
But Diana paused in the auberge’s doorway, smiled faintly, and waved him back. “Go. Tend to the horses. I speak quite decent French.”
Relieved, he returned to the task of assessing the horses’ needs. Despite the climb, courtesy of the slow going and having four rather than two pulling a relatively lightly built carriage, they needed nothing more than a rest and some feed and water before being ready to carry on.
Reassured, he gave the lads appropriate orders, then went into the auberge. In the low-ceilinged main room—dining room and taproom combined—he was unsurprised to discover that Diana had, indeed, managed all, and despite the late hour, between her and the children, they’d charmed the innkeeper and his wife into providing them with a hearty meal.
He joined his family at the large table to one side of the fireplace, claiming the empty seat beside Diana. There were four local men, grizzled and ancient, sharing a decanter of wine at another table, but other than exchanging polite nods, they made no attempt to engage.
The food arrived—a thick, steaming cassoulet loaded with beans and smoked meats, accompanied by crusty bread—and the children fell on the fare like starved wolves, except with faintly better manners.
The sight made Toby smile, then he took his first mouthful of the stew and nearly closed his eyes and groaned. The children’s enthusiasm was understandable; the cassoulet was truly delicious.
Under cover of the distraction of the meal, Diana glanced at Toby and murmured, “Are you intending to drive through the night?” Few would attempt it, especially on these roads, but she sensed he was determined to push on.
As she’d expected, he nodded, then swallowed and quietly said, “We’re ahead of them, and no matter what they’ve planned, they won’t leave Cuneo until morning and, if our luck holds, not until the day is reasonably advanced.” His features hardened. “However, once they start down this road, they’ll pick up our trail, realize that we are, in fact, just ahead of them, and they’ll rush to catch up.”
He met her gaze. “Tonight, right now, we have a window of opportunity, and it’s imperative that we seize it and get as far ahead of them as possible.” He looked down at his bowl, then went on, “They’ll be able to travel faster than we can. We need to use tonight to get far enough ahead to outrun them all the way to Marseille.”
“Ah. I see.” They couldn’t race as fast as their pursuers because of the children. She nodded. “If you’re confident you can manage the roads…”
