Mrs Rowland, her new employer, was dressed in the dour and sombre clothes she had taken to wearing since her husband had been posted to the wilds of Afghanistan in defence of the British Empire. Their love was so strong that the parting felt like a kind of mourning, despite the long and tender letters she received.
Of late it had felt all the more so. She had heard nothing from her husband since his letter from Kabul telling her his cavalry regiment was to move on Kandahar. But that had been nearly two months previously. Yet still there was real warmth in her smile as she sat down opposite her new governess. These days she found any distraction from thoughts of her dear husband’s plight a welcome boon.
‘Your character was excellent, Miss Spenser,’ said Mrs Rowland, by which she meant that Amelia’s references were excellent; Mrs Rowland was yet to make a firm judgement on the girl’s actual character and, in any case, was the kind of person who tried to think the best of everyone she met, something her husband found charming and infuriating in equal measure. ‘I should think that the Fanthorpes were very sorry to see you go, my dear.’
‘In truth, ma’am,’ said Amelia, ‘they had little need of me any more; all the children are away at school now. Major Fanthorpe is to rejoin his regiment in India and Mrs Fanthorpe is to accompany him. I hardly know how Mrs Fanthorpe will cope with such a climate; she is so . . . delicate.’
Mrs Rowland nodded, rather surprised that Amelia should venture an opinion on her previous employer, but content to let it pass this once.
‘You are so very young, Miss Spenser,’ she said. ‘Great Nitherden was your first position as governess, was it not?’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ said Amelia. ‘Major and Mrs Fanthorpe were friends of my father and were kind enough to give me my first employment. I owe them a great deal.’
And so she did. Had Amelia’s father not saved Major Fanthorpe from the murderous attentions of a particularly well-armed sepoy in the storming of Delhi in ’57, Miss Spenser would have had a very different character reference, one that spoke of her wild mood swings, her coldness towards the children and of her inappropriate and unrequited attachment to the Major himself.
‘I am satisfied that you will be a marvellous friend to the children,’ said Mrs Rowland. ‘I hope you will be very happy with us.’
‘I’m sure I shall, ma’am,’ said Amelia.
‘Now, Mary has shown you your room,’ said Mrs Rowland. ‘I trust that everything is satisfactory?’
‘It is a lovely room, ma’am,’ said Amelia. ‘I shall be very comfortable.’
‘Do you have any questions about your employment here?’ said Mrs Rowland. ‘Is there anything you would like to ask?’
‘No, ma’am,’ said Amelia. ‘Your letter was very detailed.’
‘Excellent,’ said Mrs Rowland, standing up and holding out her hand. ‘Then there is nothing left but for me to welcome you to Panton Manor.’
Amelia took Mrs Rowland’s hand.
‘Thank you, ma’am. When might I meet the children?’
‘They are very excited about meeting you, Miss Spenser,’ said Mrs Rowland. ‘I thought we might all have lunch together and get to know each other then.’
‘As you wish, ma’am,’ said Amelia, hoping she had not made it too plain that she thought this a poor idea. She would have liked to meet the children in a more formal setting to ensure that they knew her expectations of them from the outset.
‘I shall see you at twelve o’clock then, Miss Spenser. Perhaps you might like to take a walk in the gardens before lunch. They are looking rather lovely at the moment.’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ said Amelia. ‘I should like that very much.’
g
The gardens were just as lovely as Mrs Rowland had promised they would be. A large lawn led down to a ha-ha with acres of parkland beyond.
Sheep lay with their lambs in the shade of countless trees, and a folly in the form of a tumbledown abbey crowned a hill to the west, its arched windows and castellated walls standing out starkly against an azure sky.
Feeling the need for shade, Amelia made for the shelter of the walled garden, where she found a bench in the shadow of a high brick wall on which a pear tree had been trained, its snow-white blossom buzzing and grumbling with bees.
A sunburnt gardener working nearby tipped his hat to her before getting on with his work, and Amelia pulled out her pocket watch and saw that she had ten more minutes to enjoy the peace and quiet before she had to meet her new charges, ten minutes in which to gather her thoughts so that she was in just the right frame of mind to give the correct impression. This was a fresh start and she was determined that it should all go exactly to plan from the beginning.
She closed her eyes. She could hear the rustling of the gardener as he filled his wheelbarrow with the offcuts from the shrubs he had been pruning, and then the diminishing rumble of the wheel on the shingle path as he took the load to the compost heap.
At the sound of footsteps returning, Amelia opened her eyes once more, expecting to see the gardener, but instead, standing at the end of the path beside the doorway through which the gardener must have disappeared, were three children: a boy of about ten years, another boy of about eight and a girl who was a little younger still. The younger of the boys stepped forward.
‘Hello, miss,’ he said. ‘Are you our new governess?’
Amelia sat upright and straightened her skirt, embarrassed at having been caught in so relaxed a position.
‘Hello, children,’ she said. ‘Yes, that is correct. I am Miss Spenser.’
‘Are you?’ said the girl, giggling and elbowing the boy at her side. ‘That’s nice.’
‘Yes I am,’ Amelia replied, her smile slowly disappearing.
They certainly wanted for manners, she thought.
‘And who might you be?’ asked Amelia.
‘My name is Andrew,’ said the younger boy. ‘And this ugly creature is my sister, Cecelia – though everyone calls her Sissy.’
The older boy said nothing. When Amelia looked at him, he stared back with an arrogance she found both shocking and unnerving.
‘And you must be Nathaniel,’ she said, remembering that Mrs Rowland had given the names of her children in her letter. He grinned in reply.
The other children stared wide-eyed at her, then at each other and then back at Amelia.
‘Not Nathaniel,’ said Cecelia frowning. ‘Daniel.’
Amelia winced with embarrassment at having made such a silly mistake. She always took particular care not to make errors in front of children. One must never let them know that one might be fallible. It wasn’t good for discipline. How vexing! She was sure Mrs Rowland had said Nathaniel.
‘You’re home from school for the holidays?’ Amelia asked Daniel.
But instead of giving a reply, the children merely turned and ran off along the path. Amelia frowned.
‘Goodness,’ she said to herself. ‘I can see I’m going to have my work cut out for me here.’ She glanced at her pocket watch. ‘Oh my – look at the time. I mustn’t be late for lunch. That would never do.’
When she looked up from her watch, she saw the gardener standing where the children had been.
‘Sorry, miss,’ he said. ‘Did you say something?’
‘Yes – no – I was talking to the children,’ she said.
The gardener smiled and nodded.
‘Those little ’uns giving you the run around already, then? I heard Daniel’s name mentioned. You probably got more than you bargained for there, eh? Perhaps they ought to pay you extra.’ The gardener winked.
Amelia did not much care for his over-familiar tone.
‘The children have not in any way given me the run around, as you put it,’ she said with a sniff. ‘And should they attempt such a thing, they will find me equal to any challenge they might put before me.’
The gardener gave Amelia a long look that made her uncomfortable.
‘I meant no offence, miss,’ he said finally.<
br />
‘As for Daniel,’ said Amelia, getting to her feet. ‘He will find me firm but fair.’
The gardener frowned and was about to speak when Amelia interrupted him.
‘I’m sorry,’ said Amelia. ‘But I must be going to the house. I am expected for lunch. Good day.’
‘Ma’am,’ he said, with a tip of his hat, and went back to his work as if she were not there.
Amelia walked away with as much dignity as she could muster, determined to show this yokel that she had some breeding, even if he did not, but her efforts were undermined by having taken the wrong path and having to retrace her steps.
Amelia was sure she saw the gardener smirking as she passed him and she could feel the colour rising to her face as she walked towards the house.
‘My dear Miss Spenser,’ said Mrs Rowland. ‘I fear you may have caught the sun.’
‘I’m a little warm, ma’am, that is all,’ said Amelia.
‘It is very hot today,’ said Mrs Rowland. ‘Do come and sit down. Jane – pour Miss Spenser a glass of lemonade. Come, we will put you next to the children so that you can get a good view of each other.’
At the end of the dining table were the three children she had met in the garden. At her approach, Andrew and Cecelia got to their feet. Daniel remained sullenly and obstinately seated.
‘How do you do, Miss Spenser,’ said Andrew, as if they had not already met.
‘How do you do,’ said Amelia.
‘You’re a lot prettier than our last governess,’ said Cecelia.
‘Sissy, honestly,’ said her mother. ‘What a thing to say.’ Mrs Rowland turned to Amelia with a conspiratorial smile. ‘Though I’m afraid it’s true. Miss Cartwright was rather plain.’
Amelia smiled but her attention was distracted. Something was moving about under the table and rubbing up against her legs. She gave a small kick and a large, long-haired ginger cat ran out.
‘You know I don’t like Molly in here while we’re eating, Andrew,’ said Mrs Rowland. ‘The children dote on her, Miss Spenser,’ she said, turning to Amelia.
Amelia smiled. Whether they doted on her or not, Amelia would see to it that the filthy creature was kept in the yard where it belonged. There was so much to do here. So very much.
During this whole encounter Daniel had neither moved nor spoken, but simply sat regarding Amelia with a look of such malevolent and haughty disdain that it took all her willpower not to discipline him that instant. Andrew noticed where she was looking and smiled.
‘Oh, that’s Daniel. He’s not very good with strangers.’
Amelia smiled.
‘I’m sure that Daniel and I will get along very well once he gets to know me a little better.’
Mrs Rowland smiled and reached out to touch Amelia’s arm. Amelia thought that she detected a tear in her employer’s eye.
‘Oh my dear,’ she said. ‘I think the children are going to grow awfully fond of you, won’t you, my lambs?’
‘Yes, Mother,’ said Andrew with polite enthusiasm.
‘Now, I am going to leave you to get acquainted. I have a luncheon appointment with Mr Travers. He has some dull business that he wants to discuss and, tedious though it is, it must be done. Be good, my lovelies.’
Amelia began to rise to her feet as her employer stood up, but Mrs Rowland put her hand on Amelia’s shoulder.
‘Please,’ she said with a smile. ‘No need to stand, my dear. We are very informal here. I shall see you later this afternoon.’
Luncheon got underway. Amelia took it upon herself to direct the servants as they brought the food to the table, all the while watching Daniel with a growing sense of unease and anger. But though Amelia was disgusted by both Daniel’s behaviour and the indulgence shown to him by her employer, she thought it wise to bide her time on this occasion. She wanted to see the true extent of the boy’s delinquency.
As each course arrived, a portion rather smaller than those for the other children was placed in front of Daniel, but he did not touch a thing.
‘Daniel doesn’t seem to enjoy his food,’ said Amelia to Andrew in a voice that she hoped might convey the entirely false impression that she had not the least interest in such things.
‘Daniel’s a very fussy eater,’ said Andrew.
‘Yes,’ said Cecelia, with what Amelia thought was an unpleasant giggle. ‘Very fussy.’
Daniel poked his tongue out at Cecelia.
Amelia was determined not to rise to the bait she felt was being laid in front of her. There would be time enough to deal with Daniel. It was clear by the degree of licence he was allowed by Mrs Rowland that this was neither the time nor the place.
But Amelia knew that if she was going to do the job for which she had been employed, then she was going to have to take control of the boy whose insolent stare she was artfully ignoring, before his influence poisoned the hearts of his siblings. Their behaviour was already showing the first signs of unruliness.
Each course was taken away from Daniel’s place uneaten and Amelia silently wondered how Mrs Rowland allowed this nonsense. If she had no interest in the child’s behaviour then surely she must have some concern for his health. No wonder the boy was so thin and and disagreeable.
g
Mrs Rowland said there was no expectation that Amelia should start work that day and that she should get settled into her new room, which was small but prettily decorated. It was next to the children’s rooms and looked out on to the walled garden she had visited.
From the window Amelia could see Andrew and Cecelia playing on the lawn nearby. Daniel stood at the edge, in the shade of a holly tree. As she watched him, he slowly turned round to face her with an expression of utter contempt.
What an unpleasant little boy you are, she thought to herself. But I can be unpleasant too, as you shall find out. Nevertheless, the boy unsettled her more than she would have believed possible.
Amelia and Mrs Rowland dined together without the children, though her employer explained that in future they would all eat together. Amelia was pleased that she did not have to suffer a repeat of Daniel’s appalling behaviour at luncheon. She was tired and was not at all sure that she could have borne it with the same quiet stoicism she had displayed then.
Mrs Rowland was gently probing in her questions about Amelia’s time with the Fanthorpes, but Amelia had no difficulty responding with vague replies rather than outright lies. Her new employer was clearly a very nice person and Amelia was suddenly overwhelmed by a desire to help her. She felt an enormous rush of sympathy for this woman, left here on her own. She was clearly unable to cope with the behaviour that the children were exhibiting, most probably in response to their fatherless state.
She would save this household from disaster. She would help this woman take charge of her children once more and save those children – especially Daniel – from themselves. The young needed firm guidance. Amelia would provide it.
When she eventually said goodnight to Mrs Rowland and retired to her room, she felt it her duty to check on the children first. As she turned the door handle to Daniel and Andrew’s room, she was filled with an intoxicating sense that that particular moment was the true beginning of her life among them.
The room was dark, but it didn’t take long for her eyes to adjust to the gloom. There were two children in the room, but all was not as it should have been.
‘What are you doing in here, Cecelia?’ said Amelia. ‘It is very late. And where, might I ask, is Daniel?’
Stifled giggles greeted this question and Amelia could feel her heartbeat quicken as she struggled to control her temper.
‘I demand that you answer me this instant,’ she hissed.
‘He’s not here, miss,’ said Cecelia.
‘He’s never here at night, miss,’ said Andrew.
‘Never here at night?’ said Amelia. ‘What nonsense are you talking, you silly boy?’
‘But it’s true, miss,’ said Andrew, very serious now. ‘He likes to wan
der, doesn’t he, Sissy?’
‘Yes,’ said his sister. ‘Daniel loves to wander the house at night. He says he likes to know what everyone is up to.’
‘Oh, does he now?’ said Amelia. ‘And what of your mother? What does she think of Daniel “wandering” as you call it?’
‘Oh, she doesn’t know,’ said Andrew.
‘I find that very hard to believe,’ said Amelia.
‘It’s true, Miss Spenser,’ said Sissy. ‘We wouldn’t lie to you. Would we, Andrew?’
‘Oh no, miss,’ said Andrew with great solemnity.
Miss Spenser was convinced they were mocking her. She snorted and pursed her lips, exasperated that the children would dare to sport with her in such a blatant manner. There was so much to do, she thought, so much to change.
‘Where is he?’ said Amelia hoarsely, moving towards Sissy. ‘Where is Daniel?’
‘We don’t know,’ said Andrew. ‘Honestly we don’t. Please don’t talk to Sissy in that horrid voice. Daniel never tells us where he’s going. He just goes and then he comes back. That’s how he is. It’s beastly of you to blame Sissy.’
‘Beastly? Beastly?’ Amelia paused to take a deep breath. ‘I can see that I shall have my work cut out here, but let me tell you – and Daniel, if he is hiding behind the ottoman, as I suspect he is – that Amelia Spenser is not the sort of person to back away from a challenge: quite the reverse. I shall bid you goodnight.’
For all her strident tone, Amelia was surprised to find that her hands were moist with sweat when she closed the door behind her.
There was something about these children that she found distressing. She had dealt with naughtiness and wilfulness before – what governess had not? – but these children were different somehow.
Andrew and Cecelia were far too headstrong and forward, but she felt confident that she could cure them of that if she could only tame Daniel. He was the key; she was sure of it.
Tales of Terror from the Tunnel's Mouth Page 5
