The Secrets of Castle Du Rêve

by Hannah Emery

  The Secrets of Castle du Rêve

  HANNAH EMERY

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  First published in Great Britain by HarperImpulse 2016

  Copyright © Hannah Emery 2016

  Cover images © Shutterstock.com

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  Hannah Emery asserts the moral right to

  be identified as the author of this work

  A catalogue record for this book

  is available from the British Library

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

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  Ebook Edition © February 2016 ISBN: 9780007568802

  Version 2016-02-09

  For Jessica and Isobel

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  The Castle of Dreams

  Part One

  Chapter 1: Isobel 2010

  Chapter 2: Evelyn: 1939

  Chapter 3: Isobel 2010

  Chapter 4: Victoria: 1964

  Chapter 5: Isobel: 2010

  Chapter 6: Evelyn: 1947

  Chapter 7: Isobel: 2010

  Chapter 8: Victoria: 1964

  Chapter 9: Isobel: 2010

  Chapter 10: Evelyn: 1948

  Chapter 11: Isobel: 2010

  Chapter 12: Victoria: 1964

  Chapter 13: Isobel: 2011

  Part Two

  Chapter 14: Victoria: 1964

  Chapter 15: Isobel: 2011

  Chapter 16: Evelyn: 1948

  Chapter 17: Isobel: 2011

  Chapter 18: Victoria: 1965

  Chapter 19: Isobel: 2011

  Chapter 20: Victoria: 1965

  Chapter 21: Evelyn: 1965

  Chapter 22: Isobel: 2011

  Chapter 23: Evelyn: 2011

  Epilogue 2015

  Acknowledgements

  Hannah Emery

  Also by Hannah Emery

  About the Publisher

  About HarperImpulse

  The Castle of Dreams

  Look around you. Look at the golden stone of the walls, glistening with history and secrets. Look at the elegant, arched windows that shine with the rich colours of the past. You stand in what was once the dining room of the enchanting Castle du Rêve. Some say that if you listen closely enough, you will be able to hear the distant music of a grand medieval banquet in the main hall, the trotting of noble horses across the courtyard, the whispering of voices long dead.

  Castle du Rêve was built for Edward du Rêve following the Norman Conquest. For hundreds of years, the castle was known by all of Silenshore for lavish banquets, indulgence and pleasure. Some of the castle has been replaced since those strange medieval times, but its legacy remains ensnared in the walls that stand around you.

  During World War II, Castle du Rêve became the home to evacuee children from London, who were hosted by Robert and Catherine du Rêve. The children were astonished to begin their strange new lives in the castle, for the ways of the du Rêves were so very different from the ones they had left behind. The du Rêves continued, in spite of the gloom that pervaded the country, to throw opulent parties and serve mysteriously copious amounts of butter, and dance as though everything was wonderful. Children were seen running through the lush green gardens, playing in the courtyard and riding well-groomed ponies across the cobbles.

  It was after the war that the castle became blanketed in mystery. For in spite of the du Rêves’ generosity, their fortune appeared to run out suddenly. One night they vanished from the castle without a trace and within a few weeks, Silenshore University opened. The warm glow of glittering lights faded from within and became replaced with piles of books and the shouts of students. The life of the castle as a private home, and as Castle du Rêve, was over.

  The du Rêves have not been seen by anybody since they left the castle. Some say that their wealth was in land only: that they drowned in rising taxes and repairs needed on the castle, and sold it to the University before the grand estate crumbled into a tragic ruin. After all, castles do not glitter without some gold behind them.

  Others say that the du Rêves were always rich, but that a scandal forced them to pack their shimmering finery and shoot off into the frozen twilight, never to be seen again.

  It is possible that the du Rêves returned to France after hundreds of years in England. Some say they left something here, more than the memory of sparkling jewels and charming smiles and balls. They whisper that one or more of the du Rêves are amongst us, living a life so different from the one of wealth and plenty that they had. Perhaps this is so. Perhaps there is a du Rêve beside you, or behind you. Perhaps you are a du Rêve yourself. Perhaps you will never know.

  V. Lace, 1964

  Silenshore University

  PART ONE

  Chapter 1

  Isobel 2010

  My Queen,

  I’m writing to you because I don’t quite know what else to do.

  You told me that you were going with Sally to take care of her aunt, but I saw Sally working in Clover’s today. I asked how her aunt was, and she said that she doesn’t have an aunt.

  If it hadn’t been for Sally’s name badge then I would perhaps have doubted myself. But I know it was her, and so I know that what you told me wasn’t the truth.

  I want to see you. Where are you? Why are you hiding from me? Please, stop running from me and, if you get this, write back to me. Tell me.

  Yours,

  H.

  Isobel sits watching strands of her brittle auburn hair float to the ground like autumn leaves.

  Today is a day for change.

  As she stares at herself in the vast mirror, Isobel thinks of Tom and watches her lips curve into a small, excited smile. She hasn’t had her hair cut since she met him. But Tom seems to be the type of man who will notice a shorter, blunter cut. He’ll notice, and he’ll like it.

  The hairdresser is intrigued by the developments in Isobel’s love life since her last haircut. She asks forthright questions about Tom as she snips into ribbons of Isobel’s hair. Isobel answers each question precisely, her words singing along with the hum of hairdryers and the clicking of straighteners. She could talk about him all day long if she had to.

  They’ve been together for about a month.

  He was married, but he’s been divorced for ages.

  He’s a chef at an Italian restaurant in Ashwood.

  He lives in a flat at the promenade end of Silenshore.

  He’s older than Isobel, but that doesn’t matter for now.


  It’s just as there’s a lull in conversation, as she sits in the swivelling leather chair with only her own gigantic reflection to look at, that Isobel feels a colossal wave of nausea rising through her body.

  ‘Fringe?’ the hairdresser asks, her scissors poised at Isobel’s pale forehead.

  Isobel nods, not because she wants a fringe, but because the sickness is so all-consuming that she can’t speak and she can’t think.

  This is the third time this has happened in the past week.

  Isobel brings her hand up to her mouth, the black cape that the hairdresser put on her spreading like a raven’s wing and spilling her hair ends out onto the floor. She closes her eyes, tries to forget how potent the toxic smells of bleach and shampoo are. She takes a breath, and then another, and wonders for a moment if it’s passed. But then, like a momentarily still wave, the nausea roars up again, spilling from Isobel in a humiliating fountain of vomit. It spills out from her hands, through her fingers, splashing out onto the tiled floor.

  The hairdresser steps back and Isobel wipes her mouth with her sleeve, then immediately regrets it.

  ‘I am so, so sorry,’ she says quietly, her mouth vile with acid.

  ‘Don’t worry about it. I’ll grab the mop,’ the hairdresser says, clattering the scissors down next to a pile of glossy magazines.

  After the hairdresser has mopped the floor and Isobel has given her the revolting cape in a crumpled, ruined ball, and she has taken off her favourite polka-dot top, sitting in her denim jacket over her bra in silent horror while the hairdresser quickly finishes the cut and talks about sickness bugs, Isobel pays and leaves the salon. She climbs the ascending cobbles shakily, looking up to where Silenshore Castle High School sprawls. It’s a grey afternoon and the golden stone of the castle is blackened by the dark sky. Isobel can see her classroom in the left turret, shrouded in half-term stillness. She’s taught English at the castle for four years now. She can’t imagine doing anything else.

  Tearing her gaze away from the school, Isobel focuses on the line of shops at her side. A flash of panic sears through her as she marches into Boots, picks up what she needs and pays. When she reaches her flat, she hears her flatmate Iris calling hello, and asking what her haircut’s like. Without answering, Isobel stumbles to the bathroom, pulling the box from the Boots carrier and tearing into the packaging. Iris calls her again, but Isobel can’t shout anything back. Hot fear melts her insides as she stares at the two lines slowly appearing on the white stick in her hands.

  She hears a wail and it’s only when the bathroom door opens and sees Iris’s eyes wide with panic that Isobel realises it was her own wail, and that she’s still wailing now.

  ‘Isobel! What’s happened?’ Iris asks. Then her eyes drop from Isobel’s face to the test she’s holding. ‘Oh God.’ She comes closer, peels the test from Isobel’s fingers and stares at it.

  ‘I’m going to go to Tom’s. I’ll tell him he doesn’t have to be involved. He won’t want to keep it. It’s too soon. It won’t work.’ Isobel says, her voice high and shaking.

  ‘You’re in shock,’ Iris says. She gives the test back to Isobel and squeezes her shoulder. ‘Come out when you’re ready. I’ll get the kettle on.’

  When Isobel comes out of the bathroom, Iris is standing in their tiny kitchen, stirring two steaming mugs. She hands one to Isobel.

  ‘Sit down, breathe, and have this before you do anything or go anywhere.’

  Isobel stays standing and takes a gulp. It’s way too hot. Scalding pain sears through her. She spits it out into the cluttered kitchen sink, but it’s too late: the inside of her mouth feels burnt and raw. She slams the cup down on the worktop, the boiling liquid sloshing over the rim onto her hand, making an ugly red patch on her skin.

  ‘I’m going to see Tom,’ she says. She pulls off her denim jacket and grabs a t-shirt from where it’s been drying on the radiator near the front door. It’s one of Iris’s, one that she sleeps in. But her own polka dot top is still stuffed in her bag, covered in vomit. She should take it out of her bag, get changed into something that at least belongs to her and wait for her tea to cool down. She should phone Tom to check that he’s in and she should sit down and think about how to deal with this logically. But she can’t.

  She swings open the door, yells goodbye to Iris and is gone.

  It starts to rain almost as soon as Isobel steps out onto the street. The rain in Silenshore always tastes of salt: bitter and sharp. It runs down her face, into her mouth as she rushes forwards.

  ‘This can’t be happening’, she says to herself. A passerby looks at her cautiously from the other side of the road, because it obviously isn’t normal to talk to yourself and Isobel usually knows this and manages to stop herself doing it. But not today.

  ‘No, no, no.’ Her words are lost as she walks closer to the crashing sea. She looks out to the beach and sees sand and rocks darkened by the black skies. Her head throbs. It’s too cold to just be wearing a t-shirt and the wind bites at her skin. How can it be almost winter already? When Isobel first met Tom just over a month ago, it was a cloudless September day, bright with the heat of late summer. Silenshore Castle High School was hosting the first-ever summer fair in its own grounds. Isobel was in charge of a second-hand bookstall, her shoulders burning fluorescent pink in the sun. The day smelt of dry, hot paperbacks and coins dampened by moist hands; of barbecued beef burgers and sausages that were being served to the meandering crowds by the school chef. It was as Isobel was rearranging the curling books on her stall that she felt a shadow descend on her. A customer, she thought idly, or a colleague. But then she lifted her eyes and saw Tom.

  ‘Any recommendations?’ he asked, gesturing towards the pile of titles that was spread across the foldout table.

  His cool green eyes were almost translucent in the sun and his smile was wide and white. His face was exquisite. Isobel suddenly felt dizzy. She clutched the edge of the table, hoping he wouldn’t notice the effect he was having on her.

  ‘What kind of thing are you looking for?’

  The man put his hand up to mask his face from the sun as he spoke. ‘Something a bit different, I think.’

  ‘Well, there’s a good pile of mysteries here. A book of fairy tales, though that’s probably not your style. Or there’s this one, a crime thriller? That might be the most manly of the bunch.’

  ‘I’m gratified that you think that’s what would suit me,’ the man said, his arm still poised crookedly over his head. His hair was dark, flecked at the sides with the kind of grey that made a man more distinguished and attractive. He was older than Isobel, but not too old. Definitely not too old.

  ‘I’ll tell you what,’ Isobel said, bending and taking out a paper bag from the pile under the table. ‘If you promise not to tell anyone, I’ll give it to you for free.’

  She felt a thrill run through her at the flirtation she heard in her voice. Freebies because the customer was a gorgeous older man had not been something they’d talked about in the endless staff meetings about the fair. She imagined telling Iris, both of them hooting with laughter.

  ‘Okay,’ the man said after a minute. ‘How about this? I’ll take it as a review copy. And then once I’ve read it, I’ll take you out for dinner and tell you what I thought.’

  Isobel scribbled her number down on the inside cover, her hands trembling slightly, and then handed him the book in a blue paper bag.

  ‘I’m Tom,’ he said, holding out his hand for her to shake. His was cool, in spite of the roaring heat. As she gazed at his face, she wondered for a frightening moment if he might be the father of one of her pupils. She did some quick calculations. Could be possible.

  ‘I’m Isobel Blythe. I teach English. Do you know one of the pupils here, or…’ her words drifted off as Tom shook his head.

  ‘No. I don’t know the school at all. I just find the castle fascinating. I’ve always wanted to visit and have a look around, but never had the opportunity. I saw a poster advertising the f
air today and thought I’d wander up.’

  ‘I’m glad you did,’ Isobel smiled, relieved.

  ‘Me too,’ said Tom. And as Isobel watched him wrap the bag tightly around the book and place it in his back pocket, her world shifted. The day was simple and incredible, bright with heat and possibility.

  And now, it is almost winter and everything is different.

  She stands on Tom’s doorstep, blinking back rain and tears and takes a deep, shaking breath. Perhaps he’s not in. Perhaps she’ll need to go to Ashwood and see if he’s working, because she can’t remember if he said he was. She turns away from the door to his flat, but then he’s there with her, taking her hands in his and asking what’s wrong, asking her why she’s crying.

  She says the words but she can’t tell if he’s taken them in, because he stands still and stares at her and doesn’t seem to respond.

  ‘I’m pregnant, Tom,’ she says again. Panic shoots through her, erupting like a firework in the pit of her stomach.

  He pales, swallows. ‘Come in.’

  Chapter 2

  Evelyn: 1939

  The day of the evacuees it was as though Evelyn was in a snow globe and somebody had picked it up and shaken it roughly, so that she and everything that was familiar to her came loose and floated about.

  There were fifteen evacuees in total, and they were sent to Castle du Rêve because their homes and schools in London weren’t safe any more. Evelyn didn’t know much about the war, because whenever her parents talked about it, they spoke in whispers that hung in the air like cobwebs, too high for Evelyn to reach and untangle. But she had gathered that the southeast coast, places dotted around Hastings, like Silenshore, were much safer than London, and that this was the reason for other children coming, rather suddenly, to live with them.