Winslow's Web

by Jeanie P Johnson

  He is in custody now. It turns out that his daughters name was Katherine Gail also. He named her after his sister. At first, she actually thought she was the heiress. When James learned that Nancy had never told you about being the heiress, he let his own daughter believe that she was the heiress. Her mother had died when she was little, and he told her that his sister was her real mother, and he had been caring for her. She knew nothing about the hoax, until James told her the truth shortly after he first saw you here."

  "If James was not responsible for all those things, then it must have been Alden!" Katie broke in, her heart sinking at the thought.

  "I find that hard to believe, Katie. Alden was so heartbroken when he learned you were burned in the fire. He said he had intended to marry you whether you were an heiress or not. I know he couldn't have been a threat to you. I am so sure of it that I...I brought him with me. I hope you aren't upset, but I wanted you to see for yourself."

  "But...but Maggie!" Katie protested, her hands suddenly going cold, while her face grew uncomfortably warm. "You...you don't understand! Didn't you read my note? I saw him...I...saw..."

  "What did you see, Katie?" It was Alden, towering behind Maggie, looking down at Katie with sad eyes.

  Katie stepped back, unsure of anyone now, looking back and forth between Maggie and Alden. "It was you who started that fire, Alden!" she accused. "I saw you! Oh, how could you do such a thing? I...I trusted you!"

  She turned to Maggie. "You have to believe me, Maggie! He came silently up the stairs and locked the door of the attic, and then he set the house on fire. I saw him ride away through the attic window. I tried not to believe it Alden." Her eyes were pleading with him now. "I loved you, but I couldn't have been mistaken. I saw Satan, and your Cape. Your blue cape! Why did you do it Alden?" she sobbed.

  "I didn't, Katie! It may have looked that way to you, but you must believe me. You didn't see my face did you?'

  "N...no. Your back was to me, but it looked like your cape and your horse. Who else could it have been?"

  "It may have looked like my horse and cape that you saw, but it was not I who started the fire. How could I have tried to kill you Katie? I love you. I told you that before I left you. Why won't you believe me? I would never have let anything happen to you if I could have prevented it."

  "You...you really do love me?" Katie stammered, wanting to believe him, but still not sure.

  "Yes, you silly Goose! I think I have loved you from the moment I saw you covered with mud! When I saw you in that green dress, I must have known then that you were the woman I was really betrothed to, only I was too blind to see it. Remember I told you that you seemed so familiar, the way you smiled or tilted your head, and how much you were like Alain?

  “We used to play together when we were children, and that is why you seemed so familiar to me. You probably don't remember, because you were only about five or six, but I was twelve, and I remember feeling that I needed to protect you. When all those things happened to you back then, I remember how upset I was about it, and when you disappeared I blamed myself, thinking you got lost, or someone stole you, and I should have been there to stop it from happening. I think even then I was in love with you.

  “When I found you in that puddle, I got that same protective feeling about you, but you were a stranger and I couldn't understand why I felt like that. The more I was around you the stronger the feelings got, but then James and his daughter arrived, I was confused. This was the woman I was supposed to marry, or so I supposed, so why did I feel the way I felt about you?"

  Alden pulled Katie to him. "I love you Katie. Can you believe me when I tell you that? You have been so worried about being just a seamstress, while I had a title, but I would have given up that title for you. I meant it when I told you I was ready to throw everything away if it was the only way I could have you."

  "But you were planning to marry Katherine!" Katie insisted.

  "It was the will. It had me crazy! I would lose everything if I didn't do it. It was forcing me to choose between what I felt in my heart for you, and my inheritance. It was cruel of our parents to have done that. What if we had never loved each other? We would be forced to live an unhappy life together, or lose everything."

  "Oh, Alden, how could I have mistrusted you so?" Katie paused a moment and then rushed on determined to tell him everything before she could change her mind. "I...I was so sure that you were determined to marry Katherine even if she wasn't the real heiress. I thought...maybe you had met her someplace before, like Alain said you had. Then you tried to convince me that Alain was not telling the truth, and I didn't know who I should believe. When I thought I saw you ridding away from my cottage, after I was locked in the attic, I was devastated! I wanted to trust you so much, but how could I when I thought it was you on that horse?"

  "You say the rider wore a blue cape, and rode a black horse?"

  "Yes, I thought it was you on Satan."

  "Come with me, Katie," Alden said abruptly, "I think Alain has some explaining to do!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him, as Maggie followed behind.

  "What are you talking about, Alden?" Katie insisted.

  "You will see when we confront Alain."

  The three proceeded down stairs where Alain and Justin were together in the parlor talking. When they opened the door, Alain's eyes met Katie's and widened in surprise. Katie...we...we thought you were dead! You...you were supposed to be burned in...in the fire."

  "Yes, Alain," Alden said, "why don't you tell us about the fire?"

  "What...what are you talking about Alden? The...the fire was already started when I got there!"

  "That is not the story Katie tells, Alain! You know she saw you riding away."

  "How...how could she? I told you the house was on fire when I got there!"

  "Isn't it true that you were riding your black mare, and wearing a blue cape?"

  "Yes, I was in a hurry to find you and tell you about James and Katherine leaving. Uncle Justin was there and he gave me his cape to wear, but what does this have to do with anything?"

  "When you met me on my way back, I told you about discovering who Katie really was."

  "I know, I told you when I met you on the path, that James also knew. He and his daughter had left Winslow Hall, thinking that they would get caught in their lie, if they remained."

  "But that was after I told you that I knew who Katie was. Katie told me that you led her to believe you thought that she was James' daughter, but you told me that James knew she was your sister. If that was true, then you must have known it all along. You acted like you were so happy that Katie was really your sister and wanted to know where she was. I told you she was still back at Windy Gates, and to go stay with Katie and help her clean up her cottage, which we thought James had ransacked. I didn’t want to leave Katie there alone, and was glad you had come looking for me, so she would have someone to stay with her while I straightened out this whole mess. What happened then Alain?"

  "I...I did what you told me to...I went to the cottage but by the time I got there...how did you escape from the attic Katie? Thank God you managed to get out!"

  "How do you know I was in the attic, Alain?" Katie asked calmly. "It is no use pretending, Alain. I heard you close the attic door. You locked me in! The fire was not going when you got there, because I saw you through the window, riding away before I realized that the house was on fire," Katie accused. "Why did you do that Alain? I am your sister!"

  Alain was staring at Katie in a daze, and didn't seem to hear her words. "I didn't want to kill you, Katie. You must understand, there was nothing else I could do! It was Uncle Justin's idea. He overheard James and Katherine talking about you. James knew you were the real heiress, and he was upset. He thought you had come to claim your inheritance, but wasn't letting on who you were yet. James told Katherine that he was going to find out how much you knew first, and then decide what to do. Uncle Justin said as soon as you found out who you were, or
if you already knew who you were, the moment you revealed it, we would lose everything. We could easily disprove Katherine and James, but not while you were still around."

  Justin started fidgeting and moved closer to the door, but Alden was there to apprehend him. He stood guard of Justin as Alain continued.

  "You see, Katie, I couldn't let anyone find out you were my sister. We had to do it! Uncle Justin decided to wait for you in your room. He didn't know you would come through the wall though. You actually surprised him as much as he surprised you. We...we really just meant to scare you Katie, I didn't want to hurt you. Only I couldn't disprove Katherine and James without revealing that you were the real heiress. You must see how complicated it was all getting.

  “I was going to lose out all the way round. I couldn't get rid of Katherine, because then I would be suspected of doing so, but a seamstress was not as high profile. Anything could happen to a servant and not many questions would be asked, especially one with no relatives, and I knew that James would not claim you as one.

  “Later, James discovered you thought he was your father, so he was not too concerned about you. I thought if someone did suspect foul play, I could blame it on James. No one would ever suspect me, and James would have to admit to his own misdeeds, and even then he would still be a suspect.

  “It was perfect Katie...James would be forced to flee, you would be gone, and I would have what was mine! Winslow Hall is mine Katie! Don't you see? You were somewhere else all those years. You never stayed here and loved it like I did. It was not my fault that you were hidden away, and that my mother refused to share it with both of us. After all, I was her daughter too!

  “Nothing was going right, though. Every time we caused something to happen, you would always escape somehow. Yes, I locked you in the secret passage. I thought I was the only one who knew you were in there. No one would know where you were and I would just say you decided to leave. Justin cut your cinch, but still, you managed to escape death, and it didn't even scare you away!

  “I told you Alden had done those things because I thought if you thought it was Alden who wanted you out of the way, you would never come back. I could see you were falling in love with Alden. I know because I saw the two of you in each other’s arms the day he got you the horse. I was jealous. That was before I knew who you were, and I rode out after you left and followed you.

  “I could not let that happen. Alden loved me! He would have married me too, if you and Katherine hadn't shown up. Only...when you did leave, accusing Alden and saying you were going back to Windy Gates alone, James was furious. They had planned to accuse you of stealing the emeralds and have you sent to prison. James was going to put them in your cloak while you were down with the banker, but your cloak was in the tree, so he put them in your saddle bags instead. I put them in your cloak and warned you so you would find them sooner and think it had been Alden who did it. He had told me shortly after the saddle incident about discovering that you had used my costume, and escaped to your room through the passage. Since you weren't talking to him, he told me to remind you that you left your cloak in the tree, or just to take it to you, but I forgot to do so. If you knew he was aware of your cloak in the tree you would think it was him, especially if I helped, by warning you against him.

  “It would have worked too, and you would have stayed away for good, but Alden had to run after you! When he gave the emeralds back to Katherine, James knew it was a matter of time before everything was out in the open, so they left. I had to follow to find out what Alden was going to do. When he told me he found out who you were, and that he loved you, I had no other choice! Can't you see, Katie? I had to do it! I had to stop you from taking Alden and everything else away from me too! There was nothing else I could do. I'm sorry but..." She trailed off.

  Alain's eyes widened with the realization that she was confessing, and she looked about as if trying to find some way to escape, then she looked hopelessly back to Katie.

  "I...I had to lock you in the attic and set the house on fire. Don't you see? I had to!" Alain was beginning to sob, and her face was contorted, making Katie think how unlike she was to the gay, bouncing Alain Katie had first seen.

  Alain suddenly looked angry, her eyes narrowing at the two, who looked on almost in disbelief. "Everyone is against me!" she screamed. "They are all trying to take everything away from me! Uncle Justin knows! He has tried to help me. He is the only one who cares. Alden, don't let them do this to me!" she pleaded at him. "You can stop them. Tell them she is not my sister. They would believe you."

  Alden shook his head. "Alain, you know that she is your sister. You've known it for a long time."

  Alain lowered her eyes and studied the carpet, her lower lip trembling slightly. She lifted her eyes and looked at Katie a little frightened, and also very sadly. "I knew you were my sister and what was worse, I liked you! Only you were going to take away everything. I ...I couldn't let you do that.

  “Oh, Katie, forgive me! I didn't really want you dead. You have been so kind to me. I hated myself, but you can see how it was." Alain suddenly laughed, almost hysterically. "Isn't it ironic? Here I was so upset because everyone claimed my father was trying to do away with you, and I took over where he left off! Perhaps I am more like my father than I realized."

  Alain's face became pale and twisted with mental pain. "When...I thought you were dead I...I cried for you, Katie. I felt wretched! I couldn't believe I had killed my own sister. Everything else was suddenly unimportant to me now. The estate, the money, everything! Alden was beside himself with grief at your death. Even if he married me now, it would never be the same. Everyone missed you! You were still more important than I was, and you were dead! I hated myself for doing it. I was going to tell Alden, but I didn't have the courage."

  "It was all so useless, Alain!" Katie said. "I would have been overjoyed to have a sister. I never would have turned you out. If I married Alden, I would have let you stay at Winslow Hall. Emerson Manor would have been enough for us. Even if the estates became one, you could have remained here."

  Alain didn't seem to be listening. "No, you were going to take everything. I know, I know! You were going to take everything!"

  At that moment Justin started to ease past Alden. Alden restrained him, and as he did so, Alain bolted out the door instead. "Now I shall be the one who will be thrown in prison! I won't let them do it! They will have to find me first." She started running down the hall, Alden released Justin and both he and Katie followed after her.

  Alain raced out of the house and through the garden, before Alden or Katie could reach her, she spied Katie's horse tethered to the gate of the drive, and mounted the surprised animal. She lashed Chance into a gallop and rode madly away down the cobblestone drive.

  When Alden saw what she had done, he raced to the stable for Satan. Katie watched anxiously, as he galloped away in pursuit after Alain. Katie saw Justin also leading his horse from the stable after Alden had ridden off, and riding away in the opposite direction.

  Katie was stunned. Everything had started out so innocent and simple. She wasn't sure that she wanted to be wealthy if this was the sort of thing it caused. Perhaps Nancy had been right in trying to shelter her away from this kind of life.

  It seemed forever, before Alden returned. Katie had not left the spot where she had been standing when Alden left. She thought remorsefully how it had all turned out. She had a sister when she thought she had no one, and that sister had tried to take her life. Katie wondered what would happen to Alain when Alden brought her back? Would she really be sent away to prison?

  Alden did bring Alain back, but she was draped over the saddle, and Alden was leading Chance. Katie ran forward. "What happened?" she cried.

  "I'm...I'm afraid she fell...and broke her neck," he answered solemnly. "It happened before I reached her."

  "Oh, no!" Katie sobbed. "She was so young and full of life! Why did she have to run off like that?"

  "Perhaps it is better this
way," Alden tried to soothe Katie. "Alain could have never been happy, knowing what she had attempted to do to her own sister. It seems she had taken over where her father left off, like she said, and now...she has even died in the same way."

  He paused, and then went on. "There is no use in letting anyone know what she tried to do. It is best if all this is forgotten. I don't think Justin will be a threat anymore since Alain is no longer his concern. There has been enough tragedies attached to Winslow Hall, it will not change anything if we carry it all out in court."

  Katie nodded. "Yes, you are right, Alden. I would rather remember Alain as the gay, carefree girl she used to be."

  It was several hours later, after the constable had left and Alain's body had been taken away, that Katie and Alden were alone again. Katie felt drained, and Alden seemed to sense how lost she felt. He put his arm around Katie's small waist and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

  "Don't worry, dear," he said, "soon this will all be in the past and hopefully, won't be as painful. I know it will be hard, but right now you and I have our future to think about. What's done is done and nothing can be changed, but at least, we can change the future and remember this as a lesson of what greed can do to people. Even I was affected by it. You were the only one who seemed untouched by the need for wealth."

  "All I wanted was you, Alden, but I thought you were beyond my reach," Katie confessed.

  "Well, now that you have me, do you think you will be able to put up with this odious man for the rest of your life?"

  "If you can put up with this stubborn, headstrong, ungrateful slip of a girl," Katie laughed, trying to regain her spirits.

  Alden called for the carriage and lifted Katie in his arms and placed her in it.

  "Alden, what on earth are you doing? Must you be carrying me about like this?" she laughed softly.