Winslow's Web

by Jeanie P Johnson

  Maybe someone mistook her for Katherine Gail because of her red hair… someone who wanted to be rid of the Heiress. The thought of Alain flashed across Katie’s mind. Only why would they wait in Katie's room for the heiress? Who would want Katherine dead anyway, Katie reasoned? Alain was the only one who would gain by her death, and surely she would never resort to murder! Besides, whoever it was that picked her up, was bigger than herself, not small and frail like Alain, unless, Alain had someone else do it for her.

  However, Alain was acting the sweet, loving sister, Katie reasoned. Besides, Alain had been with Katherine and her uncle at the time Katie was pushed, so how could she, or someone helping her, have mistaken Katie for Katherine? There had to be some other explanation. It just didn't make sense!

  Then Katie’s mind turned to a different theory. Perhaps one of the servants had been in her room for some reason when she came through the wall. It could have even been Simon, and remembering the legend, had thought she was a ghost come to haunt the house. That was grasping at straws though, because as Alain said, you can't kill a ghost, and even if someone thought they could, would they be brave enough to try and touch one, if they thought they were being confronted with one? No,that could not possibly be the answer to the mystery.

  Perhaps there was just some disturbed person, running around Winslow Hall, who enjoyed tossing individuals off of towers, Katie mused.

  Despite all the theories that could be conjured up, Katie could not shake from her memory the terror she had felt as she was forced over the railing and she thought her life would soon end. It recalled to her mind a nightmare she had as a child where she thought someone had grabbed her in the night and she woke screaming to her mother that someone was trying to kill her. However, this incident had been no nightmare. It was real and worse than any nightmare she could remember.

  The thought suddenly came to her that whoever it had been was probably now aware of the secret passage. Just to make sure they did not return some night to her room by means of it, she jammed the catch on her side of the wall. She then bolted the door, opening into the hall, and feeling somewhat safer, wearily washed away the grime from her hands and face as best she could with the water in her wash basin. Then she changed to her nightgown and climbed into bed for a restless dream-haunted night.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The next morning, Katie woke to a house filled with confusion. When Katie came down to breakfast, where she always ate with the rest of the staff, the kitchen was full of buzzing conversation. It was no surprise that the main topic was Katherine Gail Winslow. Everyone offered a different theory as to where the missing heiress had been all these years. No one seemed to question whether she was truly who she claimed to be, they only marveled that she had finally come to claim her place at Winslow Hall.

  Maggie, who usually kept to herself and ate in her room, had also joined the gathering for breakfast, which indicated the effect the returning heiress was having on the entire household. Maggie was grumbling about something, and Katie noticed that no one seemed to be paying much attention to her, as usual.

  "What is troubling you Maggie?" Katie patted the old woman’s shoulder.

  "It’s that dratted uncle of Alain's, Justin Yarnell! You know… the one who became Alain's guardian, after Charles died. He has come to try and put a stop to all this. I didn't tell you because, of course, there is no truth to it, but he claims that little Katherine's body was found years ago, down an abandon well, shortly after her mother was killed. It is true, they did find a body, but it was not my little Katherine."

  "What made him think it was her?" Katie’s interest was raised.

  "Well, you know the body was too decomposed to tell who it was. They say the hair was red, but I was not permitted to see the body. It was a ghastly sight, so they tell me. The dress, though... they did show me the dress." Maggie wiped away a tear. "It was little Katherine's, but that meant nothing! Lady Winslow always gave her discarded clothing to the orphanage and the poor. You know she was an orphan herself and always tried to help out the misfortunate. I hadn’t remembered my Kathy wearing that dress for a very long time. It could have been any beggar child or urchin who fell down that well.

  “As I told you before, it was not uncommon for poor people to discard their children if they were too much of a burden to them. They would sell them, or just throw them down an outhouse, or well. No one asked any questions or made a fuss about it. Children were chattel, like a cow or a horse. Even well to-do people would rid themselves of unwanted children in whatever manner they chose. A child was considered the belongings of the parents, and it was left to the parent’s discretion to do with them as they pleased.” Maggie’s face wore a sad expression as she related the information to Katie, but then her face brightened as she continued.

  “Katherine would never discard her child, even if Charles wanted to do it for her! And after hearing Charles accusing Kathrine of hiding her daughter, I know that little Katherine was safe somewhere, and James knew where she was, but no one would listen to me back then, especially Justin. He, like Charles, thought he could milk some extra income from his niece."

  "So Alain's uncle is here now?" Katie questioned.

  "Yes, he came shortly after Katherine showed up. They are all disputing over the rightful heiress at this very moment as we speak!"

  "Who?"

  "All of them, the lawyers, Alden, Alain, James, Langdon, Katherine, and Justin Yarnell. It is no wonder that Katherine was hidden away all this time. If she had come back, perhaps she would end up down some abandoned well!"

  Katie had some ideas of her own. She wanted to take another look at the portrait in the main hallway to see if she could find any resemblance between the youthful Katherine Gail and the young woman she had seen so briefly the day before. Even though no one else but Maggie knew of Katie’s connection to the family, Katie found herself irresistibly caught up in the same concern that her new-found relations were involved in.

  "I'm sure all of this will be straightened out in time, Maggie," she soothingly patted the old woman's hand. "And if I can help in any way I will, though I know little about this whole mess." Eagerly she departed anxious to do some of her own investigation.

  Katie felt surprisingly calm, considering her life had been threatened only the night before. She tried not to think of the events of the previous night as she left the kitchen and started down the hall. Passing the parlor, the muffled sound of voices drifted towards her. She recognized Alden's and Alain's voice, but the others were strange to her. Katie was quite certain it must be the new heiress and her uncle, and perhaps Alain's uncle also, discussing the recent events. She remembered Maggie mentioning something about the family lawyer being there.

  In Spite of herself, Katie couldn't resist the urge to pause and listen. It would be interesting to discover how the whole lot of them, were adjusting to the new turn of events. Even though she did feel rather guilty eavesdropping as if she were one of the scullery maids with her ear to every key hole, her curiosity at the moment was stronger than her ethics and she stood unabashed in the hallway listening to their conversation.

  The first voice she heard was unfamiliar, but later she discovered it belonged to the family lawyer. "I understand that you were to present us with some sort of proof as to the authenticity of your identity." He was apparently addressing the heiress.

  "Certainly." Her voice seemed very sure, and sounded quite refined. "It is safe in my room, if Uncle James will be so kind as to fetch it for me."

  The door opened abruptly and Katie jumped back as James Langdon emerged into the hall. He almost collided with Katie head on, in his haste. He stopped short and the two stared at one another.

  "I beg your pardon." It was almost a sneer. "You were the girl that was in the drive when we arrived last night. The one who fell off the balcony, am I right?"

  Katie only stared, tongue-tied now that she was face to face with the man. Had she only imagined that he had recognized her yeste
rday because she, herself, knew who he was?

  "Why is it you keep staring at me like that?" His violet eyes narrowed at her as he barked the rough demand.

  Katie lowered her eyes, her lashes dark against her fair skin. "Because I know who you are!" she tried to brush past him, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her down the hallway, away from the parlor.

  "What do you mean, you know who I am?" He put his face menacingly close to hers, as he pressed his fingers into the soft flesh of her forearm.

  "I know more about you than you think, Mr. Langdon! Does the name Nancy Dow mean anything to you?"

  His eyes squinted even smaller, and his mouth twitched at the corner. "What has Nancy Dow told you?" His lips thinned across his teeth and his chin jutted out aggressively.

  "She gave me this." Katie opened the locket that she still wore around her neck. "I thought you were my uncle, but I should have known better!"

  James looked at the picture of a younger version of himself staring back at him from Katie's locket. "What are you talking about? What did Nancy tell you about me?" He seemed upset to see Katie with the locket.

  "Oh, she tried to pass you off as my uncle, but I've learned a lot since then! She told me that my father was dead," Katie’s voice filled with defiance. She lifted her gaze, staring him in the eyes at last. "I suppose that was kinder than telling me who my father really was!"

  "And your Mother? What of your mother?"

  "You mean Nancy Dow? She has died. Not that you cared what happened to her."

  His grip loosened on her arm. "Your mother? You say Nancy Dow was your mother?" His eyes looked puzzled, and strangely, a little relieved.

  He must not have known Nancy had carried his child. Perhaps Nancy was too proud to tell him when she discovered he had married another, the thought flashed through Katie’s mind. She looked at him with kindlier eyes. But then, who did he think Katie had been when he had stopped by that one and only time, she wondered?

  "Yes, my mother! Does that surprise you? Who did you think I was? Don't you remember the time you came to see us? I remember you! I remember everything that happened when you came."

  "But...but you were so young then! How could you remember that?"

  "What difference does it make? I remember you is all. I shall never forgive you for the way you treated my mother! She told me you were my uncle, but now I have good reason to believe you are actually my father!" Katie said bluntly.

  "Your father?" There was a long pause as James seemed to assimilate this information. Then he started to laugh, and his face looked a little sinister. “So, you have reason to believe I am your father. I suppose you think you have figured this puzzle all out, then," he almost snickered.

  "Yes." Now Katie sensed he was laughing at her predicament, and felt he didn't even care.

  "Just what makes you think I am your father?" he scoffed.

  "From what Maggie told me about you. She said that my mother, Nancy, was...was...sweet on you at one time and..." Katie felt suddenly awkward explaining her theory to the very man that most likely seduced her own mother.

  "Now that explains everything! Old Maggie is meddling around as usual. And I suppose you believe everything that old coot tells you.” He stroked his chin, and his mouth turned up slightly as his eyes took on a nostalgic look.

  “The old hag may have been helpful, even if she is a meddling old fool. Nancy was sweet on me, as you put it. It is a shame that Nancy wasn't more honest with you though, and you are forced to try and scrape together your own parentage from what Maggie tells you. Yet, perhaps, it is just as well. Now you don’t have to wonder about it any longer. However, if I were you I would stop snooping and listening at key holes," he warned. "You just might find out something you don't want to discover."

  "What I do is none of your concern. It never has been in the past and, I assure you, it won't be necessary in the future!"

  "My, you are a feisty little thing aren't you? A lot like your mother, I must say." He chuckled again as if it were some joke. Almost instantly his face straightened and his upper lip curled in a snarl as he spat, "Do not think I am concerned about you! My only concern is that you keep out of my affairs. I hope you are not in the mind to start spreading rumors about my relationship to you. There is no proof, you realize."

  "…Except for my strong resemblance to you. I suppose you haven't even noticed my hair,” Katie pointed out.

  For the first time James Langdon really looked at Katie closely. His brow puckered a little. "Yes...yes you do have the look of a Langdon. Has anyone mentioned it?”

  "Only Maggie, but no one ever listens to anything she says, so your secret is safe, Mr. Langdon. You needn't worry that I should demand anything of you. I want no part of you, or your greedy plan to take advantage of your niece. What you do does not affect me in the least!"

  "Very noble of you.” The sarcasm was not missed by Katie. “In that case, you can best convince me by not staring at me every time you are in my presence. People might start asking you about your obvious un-suppressed interest!" He abruptly released Katie's arm almost causing her to lose her balance, and continued on past her.

  Katie wasn't given a chance to think about her unhappy encounter with her father. Her steps that led her back toward the parlor were interrupted as Alden came through the door.

  "I thought I heard voices out here," he observed. His eyes caught James Langdon's retreating figure. "I see you have met Katherine Gail's uncle, Katie. Would you like to meet the one who claims to be the Heiress of Winslow Hall?"

  Katie shook her head. "No, I don't think so. I saw her briefly last night anyway." She could not suppress the slight shaking of her voice as she spoke.

  "Why, Katie, what's the matter? You sound upset. Are you still worried about your accident last night?" He caught her arm and turned her retreating figure back to face him, as James Langdon had done, a few minutes earlier; only his touch was gentle and reassuring.

  Suddenly Katie wanted to confide everything to him. The fact that she was Alain's cousin and James Langdon was her father. She could not deny the strong emotions she was starting to feel for this man, but when she looked up at him she could see that his concern for her was only polite interest that he would have had for anyone. She managed a smile.

  "I'm...I'm fine," she said, trying to compose herself. "I guess it would be interesting to meet the new Mistress of Winslow hall."

  "She hasn't proven to be the Heiress yet," Alden reminded her. "However, she claims she has some positive proof. We are all anxiously waiting for her uncle to produce it for us. Come in and I'll introduce you."

  Katie followed Alden meekly into the parlor and met the gaze of two green eyes almost the same shade as her own. Katherine Gail looked even lovelier than Katie remembered from the day before. Her auburn hair, also the same shade as Katie's, was piled high on her head. Her gown was of the latest fashion and of the best material. She looked even lovelier than Alain, who was wearing the new gown Katie had just finished. It was obvious that Alain was finding it hard to be gracious to the new intruder.

  Alden introduced the two and Katherine's steady eyes became slightly disapproving. "Oh yes, you're the one who had such a narrow escape last night," she simpered, trying to appear sympathetic, but the haughtiness in her voice seemed to belie her words. "I hope you are feeling better this morning. You gave us all a terrible scare with your screaming."

  "I feel much better this morning, thank you," Katie murmured politely to her cousin. It was ironic to her that she was surrounded by relatives when she thought she had no one, and yet she felt lonelier than ever because they would never know that she was one of them.

  "I understand you are a very good seamstress. You did lovely work on my dear sister's gown. However, my personal maid will be arriving with the rest of my trunks soon, and she is very good at that sort of thing herself. She designs all my clothes, so I'm afraid we may not have further use for you."

  Katie's eyes darted to Alden for reass
urance. Would he just let Katherine Gail dismiss her after going to so much trouble to find her a position? She discovered that Alden was not looking her way. His attention seemed to be solely on the new heiress.

  Alain, however, stepped forward. "There are still my clothes to be considered!" she exclaimed. "Or had you planned on turning me out along with my seamstress? I suppose there is little use for me either!" she added sarcastically.

  "I would never dream of turning my own sister out," Katherine answered sweetly. "Yet you are forgetting, dear Alain, that when I am established, you will not have to concern yourself with household decisions. However, if you insist on keeping this seamstress of yours..." she gave Katie an appraising glance. "Well, we shall see, when the time comes."

  "When the time comes!" Alain gave a little hysterical laugh. "The time shall never come for you, Katherine, or whoever you are! I am sure you are not my sister, no matter what you claim. You cannot fool me with this little game you are playing. You can present me with all the proof you wish, but it will not convince me that you could ever be my sister!"

  "Oh, my, it looks as though I am not welcome in my own home. I was so hoping to have a fond reunion with my dear little sister. I have looked forward to it for so long. I am dismayed that the feeling is not mutual." She seemed to be laughing under her breath at Alain's disapproval. There was no feeling in her voice and she sounded almost indifferent, as though she cared little what anyone thought, whether they accepted her proof or not.

  Katie realized that the battle between the two had just begun. She knew Alain's pretense of accepting her sister couldn't last very long. The true, spoiled, Alain was now emerging to the surface, and Katie felt more sorry for Alain than ever.

  Despite her feelings for Alain Katie felt sure that this young woman was the real Katherine Gail, and that her own illegitimate father, James Langdon, was Katherine and Alain's uncle. Regardless of the fact that Katie knew she was their cousin, there was something about Katherine that repelled her and she felt closer to Alain than she felt towards the new intruder.