Chapter 2

The cat was frightened. One moment he had been asleep in a soft pile of cotton, taking a nap from his mouse-hunting duties on board the ship… and the next, he had been trapped in a bag and jolted all over the place!

And now here he was. Somewhere much colder than where the cotton grew, much drier than the sea, and much less given to rolling about beneath his paws! He stumbled slightly as he trotted down the path, still finding his land legs.

Just then, a great rattling sound made him jump. A carriage was hurtling down the path right towards him. The horses were snorting, the wheels were rumbling – and the driver was shouting.

‘Make way! Make way! Make way for Mr and Mrs Arkwright, Mill owners and bankers and far richer than us all!’

The cat stared at the carriage in terror. It came closer and closer and closer, and the noise was unbearable.

At the last moment, he leapt off the path and up a tree. As the carriage passed, he saw a flash of brightly coloured fabric and powdered wigs, then it was gone.

As calm descended once again, the cat looked around.

Uh-oh. He was stuck.

This was no ship’s mast, with ropes and rigging to climb down in every direction. This was a tree, with bendy branches and angry squirrels.

What was he going to do?

Once Willersley Castle was built, the Arkwright family used Church Walk as their private carriage drive.

To find out if the cat makes it down from the tree, continue up the path to the village. Cross over at the A6, then turn right up Scarthin, to The Boat Inn. 

Your secret letter is O.

This is part of the Cromford Mills Story Trail: A Cat Comes to Cromford. For more information, visit https://www.cromfordmills.org.uk/event/a-cat-comes-to-cromford-story-trail/