The Midnight Rose

by Lucinda Riley

  ‘Come here.’

  She walked towards him and he took her into them.

  ‘I’d forgotten how gorgeous you are. You make a beautiful blonde, that’s for sure. I’ve missed you, Becks.’

  As they made love, she tried to relax and enjoy it. Afterwards, Jack fell asleep and Rebecca padded out of bed to use the bathroom. Returning quietly, she climbed in next to him and switched off the light.

  In the early hours of the morning, he woke and reached for her again in the darkness. As her body arched towards him, she had the uncanny feeling there was another presence in the room, someone watching . . .

  While she rested against Jack’s broad shoulder, she let the idea drift out of her head and sank into a dreamless sleep.

  20

  Jack’s unexpected night-time arrival was the buzz on set the following day. The make-up girls went into a swoon when he arrived in their room looking for Rebecca. She watched as he charmed them and they all fell under his spell.

  ‘You lucky, lucky girl,’ said Chrissie, the chief make-up artist. ‘He’s even more gorgeous in real life than he is onscreen,’ she commented after Jack had kissed Rebecca on the top of her head and headed off to find some breakfast from the catering van.

  ‘When did he appear, then?’ asked James as they took their marks on set an hour later. ‘You didn’t mention last night that he was coming.’

  ‘I didn’t know he was. He was waiting for me when I got out of the car. Unfortunately, he saw you give me a hug and imagined the worst.’ Rebecca sighed.

  ‘I see. Well, before it’s pistols at dawn over your honour, m’lady, I’ll be happy to put him straight on that score,’ James joked. ‘I’ll tell him honestly that I’d have been delighted to avail myself of your charms any time, but sadly you would have none of it.’ He gave her the benefit of one of his mischievous grins. ‘He’s certainly a handsome chap. If I was the competitive type, I’d feel threatened. But thankfully, I’m not.’

  By lunchtime, Jack had regained his usual ebullience and was revelling in the attention he was receiving.

  ‘I’m happy I came over here, Becks,’ he said, knocking back the beer Steve had managed to procure for him. ‘This is a nice crowd you’re working with.’

  ‘Yes, everyone’s been very welcoming.’

  ‘And I can’t wait to put my hands up your skirt later and feel those silk stockings and that garter,’ he whispered to her. ‘Dig the hair colour too. It’s like I got myself a whole new girl.’

  After lunch, Jack pulled Rebecca inside the house. ‘Come on, time for a little nap,’ he said as they began to mount the stairs to her bedroom.

  ‘Rebecca, will you be so kind as to introduce me to your visitor?’ said a stern voice from behind them.

  ‘Hello, Anthony,’ said Rebecca turning round, trying not to look guilty. ‘I’m sorry I haven’t had the chance to introduce my boyfriend to you. He arrived unexpectedly very late last night and Mrs Trevathan said you were already asleep. This is Jack Heyward. Jack, meet Lord Anthony Astbury.’

  ‘Hi, sir . . . I mean Lord Anthony,’ said Jack, his normal confidence deserting him. He walked back down the stairs and held out his hand to Anthony. ‘Thank you for letting me crash here without prior notice.’

  Anthony surveyed him, stony-faced. ‘It doesn’t seem as though I have any say in the matter, but you are welcome nonetheless.’

  ‘Thank you. And I’m happy for me and Becks to move out to a hotel if that would be more appropriate.’

  ‘Mrs Trevathan has found you a bedroom here already, I presume?’

  ‘Oh no, sir – Your Lordship. I slept with Becks – that is, in the same room.’

  Rebecca wanted to giggle at Jack’s obvious embarrassment.

  ‘I see.’ Anthony raised an eyebrow. ‘Well, if there’s anything else you require, please speak to Mrs Trevathan. I presume, Rebecca, that you won’t be dining with me tonight? You do know Mr Malik is joining me?’

  ‘No, I’m sorry, Anthony. Jack and I have a few things we need to discuss.’

  ‘Very well.’ He nodded at them and walked away across the hall.

  ‘Jeez, if I thought the housekeeper was weird, that guy takes the cake!’ Jack commented as they remounted the stairs.

  ‘Honestly, he’s nice when you get to know him. I guess he’s just no good with people.’

  ‘You mean he’s a sociopath?’ Jack laughed as he opened the bedroom door.

  ‘I mean that he spends his life living alone here and doesn’t interact with other people too much,’ she replied defensively.

  ‘As I said, a total weirdo. He obviously doesn’t approve of me sharing a room with you. Don’t tell me he only believes in sex after marriage?’ said Jack, his hand snaking up her thigh to the top of her stockings.

  ‘I don’t think he believes in sex at all,’ chuckled Rebecca as Jack threw her onto the bed and silenced her laughter with a kiss.

  Later that afternoon, Rebecca was due to shoot a complicated scene which would take a couple of hours. Jack said he’d take a trip to James’s hotel to use his Wi-Fi.

  ‘You weren’t joking when you said there was no signal here, were you?’ he said as he kissed her on the nose. ‘James suggested I have a drink with him to make up for giving me the wrong impression last night. It’s okay, Becks, I believe you and I’m sorry I jumped to the wrong conclusion.’

  ‘It’s understandable you did. I’m sorry too.’

  ‘James says I have to try a pint of bitter. Personally, I’d prefer a vodka shot or two.’

  ‘Have a good time,’ she said as he left, smiling to herself over the irony that Jack seemed to have bonded with James. In a way, they were very similar and she dreaded to think of the reaction of the local female populace when they hit the hotel bar together.

  ‘You look perkier tonight, darling.’ Robert winked at her as she arrived on set half an hour later. ‘I’ve just watched the rushes and you’re positively glowing on-screen. Perhaps we should have your fiancé’s presence written into any future contracts. Only teasing, darling. Right, let’s get started.’

  For a change, they managed to fly through the scene, and by seven-thirty, Rebecca was back in her jeans and downstairs looking for Anthony. She wanted to find him and apologise for Jack’s unexpected arrival before he had dinner with Ari. Thinking she might spy him in the gardens, she walked down the terrace steps. Instead, there, sitting on the bench in the rose garden, was Ari. He glanced up at her.

  ‘Hello, Rebecca.’

  ‘Hi, what are you doing sitting outside?’

  ‘Mrs Trevathan told me Anthony wasn’t down yet and to take a stroll in the gardens whilst I waited. To be honest, I don’t think she likes me.’ He sighed.

  ‘I don’t think she likes anyone who disturbs her routine,’ said Rebecca.

  ‘Shall we take a walk?’ Ari stood up.

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘It’s so beautiful here, isn’t it? The English countryside has such a –’ Ari searched for the word as they strolled across the lawn –‘serenity to it, a quality one finds so rarely in Mumbai.’

  ‘Or in New York,’ said Rebecca.

  ‘Is that where you live?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Well, it’s the sense of space here that’s so different from India. The cities of my homeland are so overcrowded – everyone fighting for their own few inches of room. And the noise on the streets never ceases day and night. Even in our temples, people sing and chatter, just as they do in the streets outside. To find any peace is almost impossible.’

  ‘I’ve never been to India,’ said Rebecca. ‘In fact, I’ve hardly travelled outside the States at all. It’s interesting you talk of it being so hectic. All the books I’ve read tell of people going there to find some sort of inner peace.’

  ‘Oh, there’s an awful lot of that,’ Ari agreed. ‘But then, if you’re living in one room with your elderly relatives, your husband and your children and only have a few rupees to buy rice, you need
a strong sense of faith. Here in the West, perhaps faith in something larger than oneself isn’t so necessary any longer. Physical comfort – materialism, if you like – is the enemy of any serious spirituality, I think. When we’re warm and well-fed, our souls can be empty and we still make it through the day. And that, as I’ve discovered recently, is the greatest poverty of all,’ he added with a sigh.

  ‘I’ve never thought of it like that, but you’re right.’

  ‘Well, perhaps I’ve come away to England to seek my soul,’ Ari said with a glimmer of a smile, as he stared at the deepening amber glow of the sunset.

  ‘It’s sad, but I know of very few people who are truly happy,’ said Rebecca. ‘Everyone is so greedy. They’re never satisfied with what they have.’

  ‘In my country, we’re taught that nirvana is achieved by letting go of worldly possessions. Conveniently, if you’re a poor Indian, you rarely have any to begin with. I think that so much depends on our expectations of what our life should be. The less you expect, the more content you are. See?’ Ari opened his arms wide to the universe. ‘We’re creating our very own ashram on the grounds of a stately home in England.’

  Rebecca smiled at the thought.

  ‘It’s turned chilly,’ he said, ‘shall we walk back?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Are you joining us for dinner tonight?’

  ‘No, I have a guest staying. My boyfriend arrived last night out of the blue,’ she explained.

  ‘I see. And, given our conversation on the moors the other day, how do you feel about that?’ Ari asked her.

  ‘It feels . . . okay. Better than I thought it would.’

  ‘Good. Well, wish me luck over dinner. I hope Anthony’s not too unsettled by my great-grandmother’s story.’

  ‘Well, as I don’t know what happened next, I can’t comment,’ said Rebecca as they entered the main hall.

  ‘I’ll tell you about it sometime, but if I don’t hurry up, I’ll be late for my host, which won’t help my quest for information.’

  ‘Good luck,’ she said as she walked towards the stairs.

  ‘Thanks.’

  Ari turned and walked into the dining room.

  Anthony looked up as he entered. ‘Hello, Mr Malik. Please close the door before you sit down – I would prefer that we are not overheard. How are you?’

  ‘I’m well, thank you,’ replied Ari, following Anthony’s instruction and coming over to join him at the table. ‘And you?’

  ‘To be blunt, shocked by what I’ve read so far.’

  ‘Yes,’ Ari said, sensing Anthony’s tension.

  Anthony poured some wine into Ari’s glass. ‘So,’ he sighed, ‘we must talk about the past . . .’

  England, 1917

  21

  Anahita

  Back at school, I concentrated hard on my exams, knowing that if I were to dare to try to enter the British medical profession, then my results would need to be above exceptional. My matriculation exams took place in a blur of late nights, headaches and worry. I thought I had acquitted myself well, but I wouldn’t know my results until late summer.

  Immediately after the end of term, before I took up my post as nursemaid to Selina’s baby, I left Eastbourne with my friend Charlotte, the vicar’s daughter, to journey up to her home in Yorkshire. I had professed to her many times my wish to see the parsonage where my beloved Brontë sisters had lived.

  Charlotte’s father was away in Africa preaching, and you may remember that I’ve already told you that her mother had died the previous year. Charlotte’s twin brother, Ned, was sweetness itself, and they both accompanied me from the rectory on the bus up to Haworth Moors.

  That evening, the three of us sat outside in the pretty rectory garden and ate supper together.

  ‘What will you do now your education is finished?’ I asked Ned as we drank coffee.

  ‘Sadly, unless this war ends pretty damned quickly, and now we all doubt it will, I’ll be in the army within six weeks. Not really my bag, fighting,’ Ned added complacently, ‘I’d rather follow the Brontës down their writing line.’

  ‘You’re not interested in becoming a vicar like your father, then?’

  ‘No fear! If I had any faith before this war began, sadly, I’ve lost it now.’

  ‘Oh, Ned,’ countered Charlotte, ‘don’t say that, please, I’m sure it’ll be over soon.’

  ‘And we must never lose faith, Ned,’ I added. ‘What else would we have if we did?’

  The next day, as Charlotte went off to visit a relative, Ned and I walked together on Keighley Moors. We talked of literature, a little of philosophy, and he asked me about my former life in India. I liked his thoughtful, gentle nature, and I admit to thinking of him quite often in the following months. The next morning, I said a tearful goodbye to Charlotte at Keighley railway station and began the long journey down to Devon.

  ‘Anni! Dear Anni, welcome!’ Selina threw her arms around me and gave me a smile of genuine pleasure, as I climbed down from the trap. ‘Do come in, and many apologies for not being able to send a car to the station for you. Petrol rationing really has bitten here, and as we live so far from anything useful, we’ve had to safeguard it with all our might. I’ve put you in the room next to the nursery on the main floor,’ she said as she led me up the stairs. ‘Little Eleanor mostly sleeps through the night, but I thought it would be nice if you were close to her in case she does wake.’

  ‘Thank you,’ I said, overwhelmed by her warm reception. ‘You do know I have little experience looking after young children?’

  ‘Anni, you helped bring Eleanor into the world! I trust you completely. There now,’ she said as she threw open my bedroom door, ‘will this suffice?’

  I looked around the room with its superb view over the gardens and the moor beyond. ‘Yes, it’s lovely, thank you.’

  ‘May I ring for some tea to be brought up to you here?’

  ‘Actually, I’d prefer to go down and see all my friends in the kitchen. I’ll take tea there.’

  ‘I’m so glad you are here, Anni. You can’t know what a nightmare it’s been to find someone suitable to help me with Eleanor. The ancient nursemaid Mother found me was ghastly, so I sent her packing, which didn’t please Mother at all.’ Selina rolled her eyes. ‘For the past few months, I’ve been taking care of Eleanor myself. Now, when you’re settled and have said hello to everyone in the kitchen, come and see us both in the nursery.’

  As I unpacked my trunk, I couldn’t help but smile at the notion that a mother would consider it outrageous that she should have to take care of her own child herself. When I had tidied myself up, I went downstairs to see the kitchen. The staff clustered around me, Mrs Thomas pressing cakes and tea on me, Tilly hugging me tightly, and I felt a warm glow of belonging.

  After that, I went back upstairs to see Eleanor in her nursery. Now almost three years old, she was a delightful, pretty little girl and she took to me immediately. With her mother watching, I bathed her, put her in her nightgown and sang her to sleep in her bed.

  ‘You are a wonder,’ said Selina as we tiptoed out of the room, ‘Eleanor seems to adore you already. I was just thinking, Anni, that perhaps when she’s settled with you, I might go to London. I haven’t been out of this house for a year and there are so many friends I’d like to see.’

  ‘Of course, Lady Selina. That’s what I’m here for. As long as you trust me, you can go anywhere you wish.’

  ‘Then I just might! It’s been so miserable here. Later on, I’d like you to join Mother and me for dinner. I’m longing to hear how Minty, Indira and the Cooch Behar family are getting along.’

  I put on my best dress from Harrods and went down to have dinner in the formal dining room. Lady Astbury treated me with her usual disdain and hardly uttered a word directly to me. I knew she was uncomfortable having me, a mere nursemaid, at the table. Selina, however, enjoyed my stories of the time Indira and I had spent in London when the Maharani had managed to come to Englan
d on the troop ship.

  ‘Mother, as Anni is now here to care for Eleanor, I thought I might go to London next week, if I may?’ Selina suggested over pudding.

  I felt terribly sad for her, having to ask permission from her mother when she herself had been a married woman and had run a household of her own. Fate had decreed that Selina’s independent life had ended before it had properly begun.

  ‘If you must, Selina, dear.’ Lady Astbury looked disapproving. ‘Are you sure you’re comfortable with the child, Miss Chavan?’ she asked me. ‘I certainly shan’t have time to see to it.’

  ‘Of course, Lady Astbury. Eleanor and I will be fine,’ I replied.

  A few days later, Selina was ready to set off to London. Her face was a mixture of excitement and trepidation as she donned her travelling gloves and climbed up into the trap to ride to the station.

  ‘You enjoy yourself, Lady Selina. You’re young and beautiful and deserve to have some fun after such a difficult time,’ I told her.

  ‘Thank you, Anni, you always know the right thing to say. Please do send a telegram to our London address if there are any problems with Eleanor.’

  ‘I will, I promise,’ I said as I waved goodbye.

  As it turned out, Selina, content that all was as it should be with her daughter, extended her stay in London for almost a month. And who could blame her? I thought to myself one evening. Astbury had a pall of despair hanging over it. Even I, who was not given to notice inconveniences such as the lack of hot water or the crumbling masonry on the exterior of the house, was aware of the fact that it was falling into a state of disrepair.

  Added to which, the son and heir of the house, my beloved Donald, was still away fighting abroad. No one had heard from him in weeks, and as I wandered down to the stables with Eleanor to pet the horses, I rested my head against Glory’s sleek mane.

  ‘Your master will be home soon, I promise,’ I whispered to her.

  As August came, I watched the glowing fields of corn turn brown as they were left uncut, because there was not enough manpower to harvest and thresh the crop. The sheep out on the moors had remained unsheared, sweating through the summer in their heavy woollen coats when their warmth could have clothed many a soldier in freezing foreign parts.