by G. M. Best
‘Then it is time for breakfast. When they first arrive visitors often eat in their lodgings – and I will certainly prepare a breakfast for you here tomorrow morning – but anyone of quality, like your ladyship, is soon invited to one or more of the public breakfasts organized by the wealthy and more fashionable.’
‘I hope they are not too extravagant?’
‘The breakfasts are simple – tea, cream, milk, bread and butter. Once your presence is known here, your ladyship will also receive invitations to the private musical entertainments that some gentlemen choose to organize.’
‘That, Miss Grey, sounds more to my taste because I love good music.’ Lady Overbury sank deeper into her chair, enjoying its comfort after the rigours of having sat for so long in a coach. ‘Tell me more about what the city offers.’
‘After breakfast is over many choose to attend a service in the abbey. I can arrange for you to rent an appropriate pew, one that will match your social standing.’
‘The attendance then is more of a social than a religious nature?’ cut in Lady Overbury cynically.
‘Yes, your ladyship. I regret to say that the attention of the worshippers is often more on each other than on God. Indeed some of the pews have had to be raised in order to deter ogling between the sexes.’
Lady Overbury looked shocked. ‘Then I might forego the abbey. I have no wish to see mothers using God’s house as a cattle market to find husbands for their daughters.’
‘You could go to the Chapel of St Mary in Chapel Row instead. It has been built specially for the residents of Queen Square.’
‘What else may I do?’ countered Lady Overbury.
‘The afternoon can be spent enjoying what Bath has to offer – the shopping here is particularly fine but, if you prefer, and the weather is dry, you can promenade along one of the many public walks that adorn this city. There are particularly fine views from the sections of the old city wall. Alternatively you can attend a puppet show or a play or a concert. In the evenings you can gather with the best of society in the Pump Room or go to various places that offer card playing and dances.
‘All that sounds much more inviting. I suspect that I will enjoy my afternoons here.’
‘You will enjoy the evenings even more,’ said Miss Grey, warming to her theme. ‘You can gather with the best of society in the Pump Room or go to various places that offer card playing and dances. I am sure that Mr Nash will call here tomorrow and explain more fully than I what events are taking place over the coming days.’
At this juncture in their conversation Lady Overbury happened to glance up at the window and was surprised to see a face staring into the room. Before she could focus on the person’s features, he or she (for she could not be sure which it was) had gone. She got out of her chair and moved rapidly to look outside but the darkness meant she could see nothing of the stranger that had so startled her.
‘Is it customary for people here to stare into someone’s house?’ she remonstrated, her eyes flashing in a mixture of resentment and disapproval.
For once her assured manner seemed to desert the housekeeper. There was a hint of real fear in her eyes. However, she quickly regained control of herself. ‘No it is not customary, your ladyship. I apologize that this has happened.’
This statement failed to dissipate Lady Overbury’s anger and she commented acidly, ‘I assure you that I have no desire to be on public display, Miss Grey. Please will you immediately close both the shutters and the curtains and in future ensure that this happens every evening as soon as it gets dark so as to deter any future peeping Tom.’
Miss Grey’s cheeks slightly coloured at the reprimand. ‘As you wish, your ladyship. I will attend to the matter now.’ She moved over to the window and carried out what she had been instructed to do.
Even this did not mollify Lady Overbury. For reasons that she could not understand the incident had alarmed her more than she would have expected. It was almost as if she had a premonition of some impending disaster. ‘What are the security arrangements in the house?’ she asked.
‘Graves ensures that the house is locked before he goes off duty and returns to his home for the night.’
‘Do you mean to say that he is not here overnight and that only we three women will be in this house?’ exclaimed Lady Overbury, deeply shocked at such an unsuitable arrangement.
‘When Sir Robert is here there are other servants in the house, but I can assure you that you need not be concerned at Graves’s absence. The authorities organize patrols to ensure that Bath is a very safe place at night.’
‘That is all very well, Miss Grey,’ interrupted Lady Overbury acidly, ‘but I think I would prefer to have a male presence in this house tonight. Fetch this manservant so that I can instruct him to stay. Presumably he can sleep in one of the servants’ rooms or, better still, downstairs in the kitchen?’
‘There is no problem in accommodating him, but I know he will insist on returning to his home,’ replied the housekeeper. ‘He is a stubborn old man and used to his routines.’
‘Do I need to remind you that it is not for a servant to dictate what he should or should not do? I am sure, Miss Grey, he will not demur if I make clear that Sir Robert would want everything to be done in this house according to my wish.’
The housekeeper left the room and shortly afterwards returned with an uncomfortable-looking Graves. Lady Overbury glowered at him. ‘I understand that it is your custom to return home each evening, but while I am here, you must stay in this house so that my maid and I can rest assured that we are safe. Is that clear?’
The old man shuffled his feet and hesitated before replying. ‘I am sorry, your ladyship, but I cannot stay here overnight because there have been too many strange and unnatural goings-on. The house is haunted by evil spirits.’
This answer took Lady Overbury by surprise and clearly annoyed Miss Grey, who clenched her jaw and then snapped back at him, ‘Graves, what nonsense you talk! You will needlessly frighten her ladyship. I suggest that you hold your tongue and just do as you are asked!’
‘No, do not be silent, Graves,’ countermanded Lady Overbury. ‘I am intrigued. Tell me more.’
‘Believe me, your ladyship, there is too much unexplained noise in this house. I have heard windows rattling and such strange knockings.’
‘This is arrant nonsense!’ exclaimed the housekeeper.
‘Say what you like, Miss Grey,’ he responded, ‘but you cannot deny that I have found doors that I locked at night open in the morning.’
‘What you mean is that you forgot to lock them in the first place!’
‘You told me only a couple of days ago that you felt you were in some danger here.’
This comment clearly annoyed Miss Grey. Her eyes narrowed and her lips tightened. ‘Whatever personal concerns I may have had are of no interest to Lady Overbury and I see no reason to worry her about them. All that matters is her ladyship’s peace of mind. Stay this one night and I will find another man for tomorrow.’
‘I have to say that this conversation quite alarms me!’ interjected Lady Overbury, waving her hands in a gesture of impatience. ‘This house appears not to be as safe as you originally would have me believe, Miss Grey.’
‘Do not concern yourself over an old man’s foolish fancies, your ladyship,’ the housekeeper replied, trying to placate her.
‘If what you say is true, Graves, surely you can see that you must stay here and protect us from any intruder, ghostly or real?’
‘I am very sorry, your ladyship, but I will not stay overnight in this house, even if that decision costs me my position. However, I will doubly check to see that every door is locked for your safety overnight and I will return very early in the morning.’
Lady Overbury tried to change his mind but in vain. In the end she lost patience and angrily dismissed him from her presence, saying that she would report the whole matter of his disobedience to his master. Her indignation made her tremble.
‘Please do not be afraid, your ladyship,’ said Miss Grey, misinterpreting the cause. ‘I assure you that we are all perfectly safe. You must forget the old man’s foolish talk of this house being haunted and go to bed without worrying about your safety. I will have him bring you up some hot water before he leaves. Do not hesitate to ring me if you require anything else. I am sure that you will have a good sleep and feel refreshed in the morning.’
‘But my eyes did not deceive me,’ protested Lady Overbury. ‘There was a person at the window this evening and Mr Graves says that you have been concerned about your safety in recent days!’
‘Mere foolishness on my part.’
Lady Overbury was not convinced that Miss Grey was being truthful. The housekeeper did not strike her as a woman given to foolish fancies. However, she was too tired to make any further issue of the matter. ‘We may talk more about this in the morning but for now I will retire to bed. It has been a long day and Darr must have finished unpacking by now. Tell Graves to bring up hot water in the morning rather than now. I have had enough of the man for one night.’
When Lady Overbury made her way upstairs to her bedroom she found that Sarah Darr had indeed just completed her work. As her maid moved to help her undress for bed she told her about all that had transpired in the drawing room.
‘I think Mr Graves is a very strange man, madam,’ responded her maid, ‘but, if you wish, I will repack your bags so that we can leave at once!’
‘Don’t be childish, Darr. You know as well as I that we cannot leave this house at this time of night. What would Sir Robert think? I cannot turn my back on his hospitality just because a person chose to peek through a window and an old man fancies the house may be haunted. For tonight I will trust in Miss Grey’s judgement. She says that the authorities have night watchmen who patrol the streets so I expect we will be perfectly safe. I suggest you check that the old fool properly locks up and then we can go to bed. If necessary, I will hire a male servant tomorrow.’
‘Please, your ladyship. I am far too frightened to go round this house. Apart from the doors, there are too many windows to check and those downstairs have no bars to prevent entry by those who might be lingering outside.’
‘Have some common sense, child. Those who come to Bath do not wish to see barred windows everywhere. It would make the place look like one gigantic prison!’ snapped back Lady Overbury, beginning to lose her patience.
‘This place might be as bad as Bedlam for all we know!’ wailed her maidservant in reply.
‘Enough of all this nonsense! I wish I had said nothing to you about the matter! If you are too scared to go round the house, I will put my faith in Miss Grey’s ability to ensure that Graves locks up the house properly. Come and help me prepare for bed. Any more foolishness from you and I will find another maid in the morning!’
Sarah Darr opened her mouth as if to continue her protest and then, seeing from Lady Overbury’s eyes that she was making no idle threat, changed her mind. ‘As you wish, your ladyship, but I can assure you that I will not go to sleep. I have no desire to be murdered with my eyes closed.’
Some of Lady Overbury’s tension dissipated away and she laughed, ‘I cannot see how murder is made more preferable by keeping your eyes open!’ she laughed.
Darr proceeded to fulfil her duties in such an exemplary manner that Lady Overbury could find no further fault with her. Indeed she wondered whether she had been sensible to ignore her maid’s offer to pack and leave. She was sure that Miss Grey was hiding something from them, despite all her reassurances about the house being safe. Once Darr had left her, she decided to take the precaution of not only locking her bedroom door but also placing a chair against it in such a way as to prevent the door-handle being turned. Desperately she tried to calm her increasing sense of unease by thinking about the entertainment that Bath might hold for her in the coming days. Even when she heard the sound of a night watchman shouting out that all was well, she could not bring herself to blow out the one remaining lit candle in the room nor, despite her tiredness, fall asleep.
It was only after an hour or so had passed and all seemed quiet that Lady Overbury’s natural strength of character reasserted itself and she slumbered. As a consequence she was not at all prepared for the terrible tragedy that struck later that night.
2
FIELDING AND FRIENDS
Lady Overbury was rudely awoken by a loud crashing sound and an agonizing shriek of terror that broke the night silence. Fearful that something had happened to her maid, she got out of bed, covering part of her nightgown with a shawl. She was glad that she had left one of the candles alight and so could see her way as she walked across the room. She pulled aside the chair, unlocked the door, and, after looking to see that the corridor was empty, crossed over to Darr’s room. She banged heavily upon its door. At first there was no response and then she heard a voice mumbling, ‘Is that you, mistress? I was fast asleep and you’ve woken me up.’
‘Darr, I think there’s somebody in the house,’ replied Lady Overbury. ‘Did you not hear a piercing scream?’
The door opened and Sarah’s pale and frightened face appeared. ‘No,’ she said, ‘but perhaps Mr Graves was right and we are all going to be murdered in our beds!’
‘Neither of us has been murdered yet,’ responded Lady Overbury firmly. ‘Come with me. I think we must go and find Miss Grey. As you are all right, then something must have happened to her.’
Sarah reluctantly agreed to accompany her employer but it was obvious that her acquiescence arose solely from her fear of being left alone. ‘I think it would be wise, mistress,’ she urged, ‘if we first armed ourselves before we set foot anywhere upstairs.’ Lady Overbury picked up a poker from the fireplace and, clutching a lit candle in her other hand, slowly headed for the door that led to the spiral staircase. It was unlocked. She opened it and began to climb the stairs, though it was like entering a black void because the flickering light from her candle only partially dissipated the darkness. Sarah Darr followed behind. The staircase took them up two flights to the servants’ quarters. All the rooms were empty except for one the door of which was locked.
‘Miss Grey!’ shouted Sarah. ‘Can you hear me? Lady Overbury wishes to speak to you.’
‘I should think all those in the square can hear you!’ muttered her mistress, pulling her shawl around her shoulders because of the cold. ‘The woman is either deaf or there is something badly wrong. Perhaps the noise I heard was her falling and she is hurt. We must go and get assistance.’
Neither woman had any desire to be left alone in the house until the mystery of what had happened was resolved and so they agreed it made sense to seek help together. They returned to their bedrooms and donned cloaks so that they could both preserve a degree of decorum and protect themselves from the bitterly cold weather outside. Then they set off down the main staircase to the hallway. They found to their relief when they opened the front door that the street outside was not entirely in darkness because the city authorities insisted on a candle-lit lantern outside every house where there were lodgers. Lady Overbury instructed Sarah Darr to knock on the door of the neighbouring house as loudly as she could. Her maid duly complied, until a servant, young in years but looking rather bleary-eyed, opened it. Given the state of their undress, the poor man would probably have denied them access, judging them to be women of the night, had not a very tall gentleman also come to the door.
‘Good heavens!’ exclaimed Lady Overbury, instantly recognizing him, even though they had not met for eight years. ‘It’s Mr Fielding!’
‘Lady Overbury! What a delightful surprise!’ the man declared. ‘I have spent the evening here playing cards with Mr Wood and other friends. I was about to leave in order to return to my lodgings but I am more than happy to place my services at your disposal if there is a problem – and I assume that there is, given the lateness of your call and, if you pardon me saying so, the indelicate state of your attire.’
Lady
Overbury and Henry Fielding had first met each other seventeen years earlier when he was a handsome youth of twenty-one. At that time his first comedy, Love in Several Masks, had just been performed at Drury Lane and he was seen as London’s up and coming dramatist. The brilliance of his wit, the wild flow of his spirits, and the quickness of his imagination had totally charmed her. On the last occasion that they had met he had still been a handsome man but now he looked old and emaciated. It was not just that he was thin and pale and obviously badly affected by gout, his face had aged terribly and was deeply etched and lined. Here was a man who had obviously suffered much in the intervening years and she knew in part the reason for that. At the height of his success he had unwisely made the butt of one of his plays the corrupt politician, Sir Robert Walpole, who was then in charge of the government. This had proved professional suicide because Walpole had crushed Fielding’s career.
As soon as he had heard what had happened, Fielding ordered the manservant to fetch a tool that could be used to break a lock and then accompany him to the housekeeper’s room. The two women showed them the way upstairs. However, Lady Overbury was very surprised when Fielding turned the handle of the housekeeper’s door and it swung open without any force being required. He looked over his shoulder at Darr quizzically.
‘I can assure you, sir, it was locked and we could not enter.’
‘Maybe in your agitated state it only seemed locked,’ he said. Then, bidding both ladies stay outside in the corridor, he entered the room. Within a few seconds he reappeared looking ashen-faced. ‘I fear, madam, I did you a disservice. I thought that you had led me on some wild goosechase and that I would find either the housekeeper asleep in some deep drunken stupor or missing because she was out on some illicit rendevouz with a beau. But I was wrong. I regret to inform you that Miss Grey has been most cruelly murdered. There is a considerable amount of blood and I suggest that you do not enter her room. It is far too unpleasant a sight for a lady.’
