‘No. I don’t want to stay here. I want to move to Ashleigh.’
‘Jolie, let’s talk about this sensibly. You’re not a baby any more so you should be able to understand my arguments, too. Now, do you really think we would cope, living with an old lady? She’s probably set in her ways and although she said she wants people around her, I don’t think she realises what it would mean. Loud music, noise, having to adapt to change …’
‘It was her idea.’
‘I know, but maybe she hasn’t thought it through. And what if we do move in, but find that we hate living in the country? Dorothy might be terribly sad and even more lonely if we changed our minds and moved out again.’
‘Mum, you said yourself that sometimes people have to try new things, even if they don’t turn out the way you think.’
‘I said that?’
‘Yes, when we were talking about Daddy. He wanted to try something new, so why can’t we? If we don’t, how will we ever know whether we like it or not? We already know we hate it here, so …’
‘I don’t hate it, it’s just not ideal.’
‘Yes, you do. You’re always going on about the landlord and stuff and you’re always miserable. And now we can’t find a new flat, so you’re flapping about that. Maybe in the country you’d be happy.’
Melissa bit her lip. She hadn’t realised how much her unhappiness had affected Jolie or how perceptive her daughter could be.
The truth was that her inexplicable reactions to the house had unsettled her more than she cared to admit. And because she was at such a low ebb, she was apprehensive about leaving London and all that was familiar. She had never been one to take chances, but the temptation to just pack up and leave was great. Ashleigh Manor occupied her thoughts constantly and it was almost as if the house was calling to her, urging her to return. And yet at the same time, something about it set off warning bells in her mind …
Could a house be in your blood? In your DNA? No, that’s ridiculous.
She thought for a moment, then forced herself to come to a decision. ‘All right, I’ll tell you what – how about a compromise?’
‘What kind?’
‘I think you’re right, we should try living in the country for a while. What if we agree to stay with Dorothy for a few weeks while we look around for a place of our own in the same area?’ Melissa suggested. ‘That way, we could be near her so she’s not lonely, but without intruding on her space. Renting a little cottage or something should be much cheaper in Kent and if there’s a garden, you can have your puppy. How does that sound?’ Even as she made the suggestion, Melissa was worrying that it wouldn’t work out, but she felt she was desperate enough to at least try.
‘Okay, I guess.’ Jolie didn’t sound totally convinced. ‘You promise I can have a dog?’
Melissa smiled and pulled her daughter close for a hug. ‘Yes, sweetie, as soon as we know we want to stay there for good. I promise.’
Sibell smiled to herself as she made her way towards the stables at Idenhurst. Maude was right, of course – the simple act of agreeing to the marriage contract would probably free her from incarceration. At least to the extent that she would be allowed to visit her former mother-in-law and thus be able to make further plans. I’ll thwart Father’s schemes yet, see if I don’t …
It was dark inside the stables and she stood still for a few moments while her nose adjusted to the smell of horse. When she could breathe easily again, Sibell put out a hand to feel her way along the wall. Maude had insisted that she borrow a mount for her journey home and she was just about to call out for the grooms when she heard the sound of low voices. She hurried towards them, then stopped when she realised the people talking weren’t grooms. There was something furtive about the conversation. On silent feet, she crept closer, crouching down to remain hidden from view.
‘You have need of my services, my lord?’ The whisper was barely loud enough to be heard.
‘Indeed I do.’
Sibell peered over the top of the dividing wall and saw Sir Gilbert standing next to a burly, thick-set man she vaguely recognised from her time at Idenhurst. Sir Gilbert motioned the man closer and Sibell tried to blend into the dark shadows around her.
‘Walter, I need your help. It’s a delicate matter and, as usual, I trust you to keep it to yourself.’
‘Naturally, my lord. What would you have me do?’
‘Did you happen to notice the young knight who arrived here this morning? Tall, fair and with a squire in tow.’
The servant permitted himself a lop-sided grin. ‘If you’ll pardon my saying so, he’s a mite hard to miss, that one. If he stays, he’ll cause a riot among the womenfolk, he will.’
‘Aye, so I thought.’ Sir Gilbert stroked his chin. ‘It should make your task easier. He says his name is Sir Roger and claims to be from a place called Langford.’ His tongue stumbled over the name and he paused for a moment, only continuing after he had cleared his throat. ‘I believe it’s situated north of London, not far from Letchworth, near Hatfield. I want you to go there and find out more about him. As much as you can. And fast.’
‘Very well, my lord. I’ll set out immediately.’
‘Excellent.’ Sir Gilbert untied a leather pouch from his belt and handed it to Walter. ‘This may help to loosen tongues. And Walter, take a good, strong horse. I’ll try to keep Sir Roger here until your return. I want him where I can keep an eye on him.’
If Walter was surprised at his task, he hid it well and, to Sibell’s annoyance, neither did he ask his master why he had developed this sudden interest in the young knight. With a bow he turned to leave.
‘Walter?’
The servant stopped and looked over his shoulder and Sibell held her breath, hoping for an answer after all. ‘Yes, my lord?’
‘Thank you, and God speed.’
Sibell let out the air she’d been holding in, suppressing the feeling of disappointment. She tried to tell herself it was none of her business, but Sir Gilbert’s words refused to leave her mind. Why was he so interested in Sir Roger? Did he mean him harm? And why should it matter to me?
She waited until the men had left, then quickly made her way out of the stables. So quickly, in fact, that she collided with something very solid in the doorway. Shaken, she looked up, expecting to be taken to task for eavesdropping. She blinked.
‘Oh, it’s you, Sir Roger. I thought you were …’ She bit her lip to stop the words from tumbling out, then sank into a curtsey to cover her confusion.
‘Mistress Sibell. This is a pleasant surprise.’ He took her hand and quickly pulled her up. ‘No need for that.’ He smiled. ‘We’re old friends, are we not?’
‘I … I … if you say so.’ She drew in a deep breath and wished that she could speak two words with the man without blushing. He must think her a complete nodcock. ‘I thought you long gone from here,’ she said, then wished she hadn’t. She didn’t want him to realise she had been thinking of him at all.
‘Indeed, I should have been on my way, but Sir Gilbert invited me to stay a few days.’ He grinned. ‘Do you wish me far away then?’
‘No, er, no, of course not. I mean … it doesn’t matter to me. You must come and go as you please.’ She stopped to take in another huge gulp of air. It was no good. She’d had no practice in the art of flirtation, whereas he had obviously done nothing else all his life. She sighed. ‘I must go and find a groom. Lady Maude is lending me a horse. I bid you good day, sir.’
‘I hope to see you soon again, mistress.’ He bowed, but before he did she saw the twinkle in his eyes. For some reason that made her cross. Wasn’t the man ever serious? Or was he hiding something behind this carefree façade? If only he hadn’t been so charming. If only she knew why Sir Gilbert was worried by his presence.
Thoroughly out of sorts, she went in search of a groom.
Melissa’s surly landlord seemed to have given up on trying to evict her immediately, so she felt it was almost a shame she wouldn’t be s
taying until the end of the month as she’d said she would, just to spite him. Still, she didn’t trust him and it was a relief to know she wouldn’t have to deal with him for much longer.
‘I shall expect you to return my deposit in full since we haven’t damaged anything,’ she told him. She couldn’t ask for the rent back, as that was paid monthly, but he owed her the deposit at least.
‘The sooner you’re gone, the better, and I’ll be making a deduction for the heating,’ he muttered, true to form, but she fixed him with a fierce glare that seemed to startle him.
‘Don’t you dare! The contract clearly says that the heating is your responsibility and my lawyer informs me I can sue you for not keeping the flat warm enough.’ This was an outright lie, as she hadn’t consulted anyone, but she figured Mr Donne didn’t need to know that. He blustered for a bit, but finally agreed to give her a cheque for the full amount. Melissa was very proud of herself for securing this small victory.
She also knew she had to inform Steve of her plans, vague though they were, so the following week she steeled herself to call him. His secretary took it upon herself to disturb him in a meeting, despite Melissa’s protests that the matter wasn’t urgent. Consequently, by the time he came to the phone he was already in a bad mood. Melissa’s heart sank.
‘Yes, what is it? Has something happened to Jolie?’ he barked.
‘No, not at all. I’m just calling to tell you that we’ll be moving soon.’
‘Couldn’t you just have sent me a letter with the new address as usual? Or are you going to Outer Mongolia?’
Stung by his sarcastic tone, Melissa replied with some asperity. ‘No, to Kent, actually. I’m sorry to have disturbed you. I just felt it would be courteous to inform you, but if you’re not interested …’
‘Kent? What the bloody hell do you want to move down there for? What about Jolie’s schooling?’
‘We’re going to find a better school for her there; she hates the one she’s at now. The other children have been bullying her and the teacher is a nightmare. And another reason we’re moving to Kent is to be near my great-aunt Dorothy. She’s getting on a bit and needs some support.’
‘Great-aunt who? I thought you didn’t have any aunts, great or otherwise. Look, this is going to make things very inconvenient for me. It’s bad enough having to come all the way from Islington down to Putney to see Jolie, but to Kent? It’s fucking miles away, not to mention having to use the M25 each time. It’s always choc-a-bloc with traffic.’
‘I’m sorry you feel that way, but I really can’t afford to stay in Putney any longer. And if Jolie is unhappy, I have to do something about it. We’re going to live with my great-aunt at first so I can economise for a while.’
‘You can’t be that hard up with all the money I pay you each month.’
‘All the money? It barely covers Jolie’s food and clothing, never mind anything else!’ Melissa could feel the discussion heading in the direction of a major row, something she didn’t need right now. She decided to end it before things got out of hand. ‘I’ve got to go, Steve. I’ll send you the address and phone number. If you find it difficult to get down there, I can always bring Jolie up on the train to Victoria and you can pick her up from there. Bye.’
She was shaking by the time she put down the receiver, but she was pleased. For once she hadn’t allowed him to provoke her into a full-blown fight. She only prayed she wasn’t making a huge mistake in leaving London. Somehow, this had to work.
Dorothy was more enthusiastic when told of their plans. ‘Excellent,’ she said, ‘but if after a while you find that you like it here at Ashleigh, then please feel free to stay. Really, I’d love it. Now have you thought about schools? Shall I call the ones around here to see if any of them could offer Jolie a place, then you can go and have a look as soon as possible?’
‘Thank you, that would be great.’
After that everything happened with lightning speed. They moved in with Dorothy while Melissa started to make enquiries about a cottage, and Dorothy was as good as her word and found a school for Jolie within cycling distance of Ashleigh Manor. Although Melissa was worried at first, she soon realised her daughter could manage very well on her own. Unlike in London, there were no busy roads to cross and not much traffic.
‘I’ll be fine, Mum,’ Jolie assured her. ‘I’m not a baby, you said so yourself. This won’t be any worse than walking home from school in Putney by myself.’
Fortunately, their move coincided with the winter half-term break and Jolie was able to start school soon afterwards. She returned in high spirits after her first day, barely pausing to lean her bike against the gatepost.
‘Mum, I’ve made a friend already,’ she announced, running to give her mother a hug. ‘She’s called Amy and she lives in a cottage just up the road. Can I go over there this afternoon? She has her own horse and she’s going to teach me how to ride. Please?’
‘That’s wonderful. Of course you can go.’ Melissa felt some of the tension of the past few weeks drain out of her.
Arriving at Ashleigh, she had experienced the strange apprehension again and had there been anywhere else for her to go, she might have turned and run at that point. Since there wasn’t, she had no choice but to stay, even though she was almost sure she shouldn’t have come. Jolie’s happiness now made her feel a lot better and she decided to stop worrying. ‘What about the other children, were they nice?’
Jolie shrugged. ‘Oh, they were okay, but I didn’t really talk to them much. Some of the boys called me “carrot-head” and “newbie”, but I ignored them and then they stopped. Amy says they sometimes call her “four-eyes”.’
Melissa shook her head. Perhaps it was as well to let Jolie fend for herself. It was probably not the last time she’d be teased about her hair colour. If she could take such comments in her stride, so much the better.
A warm feeling of contentment spread through her body as she followed Jolie into the house. She told herself everything was going to be fine.
Jolie’s new friend came over after school the next day. She was tiny and blonde, with enormous cornflower blue eyes behind her glasses, and Melissa immediately warmed to her.
‘I live with my dad,’ Amy told them while they were having tea in the kitchen. ‘Mummy died in a car accident two years ago.’
‘Oh, yes, I remember.’ Dorothy nodded. ‘I read about it in the local paper. So sad for you. I expect you miss her a lot.’
‘I don’t miss her at all,’ Amy stated and helped herself to another chocolate biscuit. The others stared at her in surprise. ‘She was never home anyway,’ she explained, shrugging her slight shoulders as if that took care of the matter. ‘She was always busy. Now we have Mrs Johnson. She does the cooking and cleaning.’
Melissa would have liked to ask more questions, but didn’t want to pry. She suspected Amy had had to grow up a little too fast after her mother’s sudden death, but she sensed the girl was still very vulnerable, despite her bravado.
‘Tell us about your horse,’ she invited instead. ‘Is it a big one or just a pony?’ This subject was seized upon with great enthusiasm by the two girls and half-an-hour later Melissa had begun to regret having asked. Horses had never been her passion. Apart from the one belonging to her night-time warrior, of course. She smiled to herself and let her thoughts wander. The dreams had returned several times since their move, but her memories of them were always frustratingly vague. The only thing that stood out clearly was his face – she knew each and every part of it in intimate detail now. Had she been an artist, she would have been able to draw his likeness without any problems. She sighed and gazed into space, propping her chin up with one hand.
‘Mum. Mummy!’
‘Sorry?’ Melissa came reluctantly out of her daydream and it took her a moment to focus on her daughter.
‘I said, we’re going over to Amy’s house now so I can have my second riding lesson,’ Jolie said, speaking slowly as if she was talking to an idiot
. Melissa realised she must have been far away and hurried to make amends.
‘Of course, dear, but you will wear a riding helmet, won’t you?’
‘Yes, Mum. Amy has a spare one.’ Jolie rolled her eyes in exasperation. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t fall off.’
‘I wouldn’t be too sure about that.’
‘I’ll take care of her,’ Amy assured her. ‘She’ll be fine.’ The confidence she saw on the little girl’s face made Melissa smile.
After the girls had left, Melissa wandered towards the sitting room with the intention of reading the paper. As she walked along the corridor she experienced a prickling sensation between the shoulder blades, as if someone was watching her. Turning around swiftly, she thought she caught a glimpse of a shadow disappearing quickly into the wall. A shadow in the shape of a human.
She shivered and went slowly over to the spot where it had vanished. It was just an ordinary wall. Smooth plaster painted white. Nothing else.
‘What are you doing, Melissa?’ Dorothy appeared behind her and Melissa jumped as if she’d been jolted by an electric charge. She put a hand over her heart to stop its frantic beating.
‘Dorothy, you scared the life out of me.’
‘Sorry, dear. You were so engrossed I suppose you didn’t hear me coming. What are you looking at?’
‘Er, this wall.’ Melissa cleared her throat and tried to come up with a plausible excuse while studying the wall for something that might be of interest. At the top, she found what she was looking for. ‘I was just wondering why the wood was shaped like that.’ She pointed to a piece of cross-timbering in the shape of a semi-circle. ‘All the others are straight.’
‘Perhaps there used to be a door here before they added on the back part of the house,’ Dorothy replied, stepping closer to have a look. ‘Yes, this section is about the right shape for a door, wouldn’t you say?’
Melissa had a sudden vision of a sturdy door, rounded at the top, and set with iron studs in an attempt at crude decoration. She closed her eyes and heard the squeak of its hinges as it opened and shut slowly. The sound grated on her nerves and she had to clench her teeth together firmly to stop from groaning.
The Silent Touch of Shadows Page 6
