The Secrets of Armstrong House

by A. O'Connor

  She smiled at him. “Oh yes, he was devastated, although he tried to cover it up.”

  “What have you done?” he screamed.

  There was a sound of a motor car driving into the forecourt.

  They both looked out the window and saw Victoria get out of her motor car and hurry across the forecourt.

  “And here she is! Your lover!” declared Arabella.

  Charles crossed the room to the door.

  “Oh no!” said Arabella, quickly blocking him and pushing him aside. “I’ll greet your mistress!”

  Arabella walked out of the room and through the hall to the front door. Unlocking it she saw Victoria coming up the steps towards her.

  “If it isn’t the whore herself!” said Arabella gleefully.

  “Where’s Charles?” demanded Victoria as she pushed past her into the hall.

  “I have to admire your nerve, Victoria. To come into my house to demand to see my husband!”

  “Oh shut up, Arabella!” shouted Victoria as she went into the drawing room, quickly followed by Arabella.

  “What are you doing here, Victoria?” asked Charles.

  “That’s what I want to know!” jeered Arabella.

  “Charles, you have to leave Armstrong House at once. You’re in terrible danger if you stay here any longer,” said Victoria.

  “I don’t understand,” said Charles.

  “I have learned that an evicted tenant is going to try and kill you tonight,” informed Victoria.

  “Learned from whom?” demanded Arabella.

  “I can’t name my source,” said Victoria.

  Arabella raised her eyes to heaven. “More like Harrison has thrown you out after I told him about your affair. He’s finally seen you for the tramp you are and now you’ve come over here to claim Charles.”

  Victoria ignored her. “Charles, we don’t have any time. We have to go now. I’ll drive you to the station in Castlewest and you can get the night mail train to Dublin until all this settles down.”

  “So you both can get the night train, you mean. Running off like thieves in the night!” said Arabella.

  “Charles!” said Victoria. “Please! I’m telling the truth. You have to leave now. They’re only after you – everyone else will be safe here.”

  Charles looked at the panic on her face. “All right, I need to get some things from the library.” He headed towards the door.

  “Oh no, you don’t!” shouted Arabella, standing in front of him. “You are not leaving me, Charles. I will not let you go. After everything you’ve put me through during the years, I will not allow you to just run out on me with her.”

  “Arabella, see sense!” demanded Victoria. “Look what happened last week with the car set on fire and the rock through the window. That was a final warning, and tonight they’re going to kill him!”

  “If you leave here tonight with her,” said Arabella, “then I will kill myself.”

  “Don’t talk stupidly, Arabella!” said Charles.

  “You don’t think I would?” she said. “It wouldn’t be the first time you nearly drove me to suicide. When I was pregnant all those years ago with Prudence and you refused to marry me, I was going to kill myself then.” Arabella saw Victoria looking shocked. “Oh, yes, Victoria. I was pregnant with Prudence before I married Charles. His parents and mine had to force him into a marriage with me. It’s our best-kept secret.”

  “Arabella, I’m very sorry about all this, but Charles has to leave now, or else he will be killed,” said Victoria. “You can sort all this out another day.”

  “There won’t be another day to sort it out because I will kill myself if you leave with her!” Arabella threatened again. “Do not doubt me!”

  “Charles, you’ll miss the night train if we don’t go,” said Victoria.

  Charles looked at his wife and said “You’re so full of shit, Arabella,” before pushing past her.

  Victoria ran out of the room after him.

  Arabella stood in the room, transfixed, for a long time. Then she slowly turned and walked to the gun cabinet. Unlocking it, she reached in and took out a revolver and checked it was loaded. She turned and opened the French windows. Walking out onto the terrace, she crossed the forecourt and walked down the steps. And then she stumbled quickly through the gardens and down through the parklands. She didn’t want Prudence to find her body.

  In the hallway Victoria saw Charles rush across to the library instead of the front door.

  “Where are you going?” she demanded as she followed him into the library. “Charles! We don’t have time for all this!”

  Charles started to push a sideboard away from a wall. A safe was revealed. He sank to his knees and started to deal with the combination on the lock.

  “Charles!” she shouted.

  “Shhh!” he said. His nerves were getting the better of him and he kept missing the combination. At last it worked.

  He rushed to his desk and grabbed a case then started filling it with the money and papers in the safe.

  “Right, come on,” he said, fastening the case, and hurried out into the hall.

  They went out the front door and Charles locked it securely behind him.

  They then hurried across the forecourt.

  “I’ll drive,” insisted Charles.

  Victoria handed him the key before getting into the front passenger seat. He started the engine and the car drove out of the forecourt and down the driveway through the parklands.

  The countryside was lit with a full moon and just an occasional cloud passing under the stars, as Charles and Victoria passed under the bare branches of the overhead trees.

  It was cold weather and Victoria pulled her fur coat tightly around her.

  “We don’t have much time to get the train,” she said, anxiously scanning the parklands. “You can’t come to our house because Harrison has lost control after Arabella told him those things about us,” she explained.

  He nodded. “Safer to just get out of the country for a while till all this calms down. Who’d ever thought it would come to this?”

  She glanced at him, bewildered.

  The motor car approached the entrance gates to the road. And as the headlights lit it up, they saw the gates were closed.

  “Somebody’s closed the damned gates!” said Victoria.

  “Probably one of the gamekeepers,” said Charles as he slowed down the motor car and brought it to a halt.

  Victoria anxiously looked around.

  Charles went to get out of the motor car.

  “No, it’s quicker and safer if I go, in case it’s a trap,” she insisted.

  Victoria opened her car door and ran out. In the glare of the headlights she unbolted the gates and opened the left gate first and then the right one.

  “Quickly!” she hissed.

  He began to drive the motor car though the gates. He stopped the car and she raced back and sat into the passenger seat.

  She suddenly saw something move behind her.

  Turning around, she saw Prudence emerge from under a blanket.

  “Charles!” she screeched.

  Charles turned around and saw Prudence sitting in the back seat of the motor car.

  “Prudence!” he shouted.

  “What’s she doing here?” Victoria demanded.

  “I can’t it let it happen, Papa,” she said, her eyes fixed on Victoria. “I heard everything! I heard what you said to Mama, I was outside listening. I won’t let you leave us. I won’t let her take you away from us!”

  Suddenly she pulled a revolver out from under the blanket. She aimed the gun at Victoria and pulled the trigger. The bullet shot past Victoria through the passenger side of the windscreen. Victoria screamed as the bullet whizzed by her.

  “Prudence! Give me that gun!” shouted Charles as he turned around fully to her and leaned forward to grab the gun off her. Suddenly the gun went off and a bullet fired into Charles’ chest.

  “Papa!” screamed Pruden
ce as he slumped across the front seats, blood pouring out from the wound.

  Victoria froze in horror as she heard a strange gurgling noise from Charles.

  “Papa! Papa!” cried Prudence.

  “Charles? Charles, can you hear me?” Victoria cried as Charles slumped down and she cradled his head.

  “I didn’t mean to do it! I didn’t mean to hurt Papa!” Prudence was crying.

  Victoria saw the lights of Hunter’s Farm down the road. She turned and shouted, “Run down to your grandmother’s and get help as quickly as you can!”

  “Papa!” cried Prudence.

  “Will you go!”

  Prudence got out of the car and began to run down the road to Hunter’s Farm.

  Victoria took off her fur coat and put it over Charles.

  “There’s help coming, Charles, there’s help coming!” she whispered repeatedly to him.

  chapter 78

  Arabella was in the woods leaning against the tree, holding the revolver. She stood there looking up at the stars in the sky above. She was thinking about Prudence and Pierce. She couldn’t go through with it. She could never kill herself, she now knew. She started walking back through the trees.

  A gunshot echoed through the night giving her a fright. Then another shot. She quickly made her way back to Armstrong House and let herself in through the French windows. She poured herself a strong drink.

  Prudence hammered on the front door of Hunter’s Farm. “Grandmama! Grandmama!”

  “What is all that terrible racket?” demanded Margaret as she came down the stairs.

  Emily was at the door, unbolting it. “It sounds like Prudence!”

  The door opened and Prudence rushed in crying and raced into Margaret’s arms.

  “Papa’s been shot! Papa’s been shot!”

  Margaret looked at Emily. “What are you talking about, Prudence?”

  “He’s shot. He’s at the gateway to the estate. Victoria said to get help here.”

  “You stay here with Emily,” ordered Margaret as she quickly put on her cloak.

  She rushed out into the night and hurried the short distance up to the gateway.

  As she arrived on the scene she found Charles unconscious in the motor car, being cradled by Victoria with blood everywhere.

  “My son!” she said, crawling into the motor car. “What happened to him?”

  “Prudence did it! She was hiding in the back and had a gun. She was trying to shoot me! But shot him by accident.”

  Margaret drew back and looked at Victoria as if she were mad.

  There was a sound of a horse and carriage coming towards them down the road.

  The carriage pulled to a halt at the gateway. It was Harrison. He took in the scene before him and then jumped out of the carriage and raced over.

  “Victoria!” He was frantic, seeing the blood over her dress.

  “It’s Charles. Prudence shot him.”

  “Will you stop saying that!” Margaret shouted at her and quickly climbed out of the motor car. “Quick, Harrison, you have to get him to hospital.”

  He moved towards the motor car and recoiled at all the blood inside.

  “Not in that contraption – it’s covered in blood and there’s broken glass – take him in the carriage,” ordered Margaret.

  Harrison climbed into the front seat and he and Victoria gently moved Charles out and managed to carry him over to the carriage. He was slipping in and out of consciousness, and groaning as he did so.

  “Get him to the hospital, Harrison. As quickly as you can,” urged Margaret. “And do not speak to anyone as to how it happened.”

  Harrison whipped the horse and they took off down the road.

  Margaret spotted the revolver lying on the back seat of the motor car. She saw the case and placed the revolver in it. Clutching the case, she led the shaking Victoria back to Hunter’s Farm.

  Emily was trying to calm an hysterical Prudence in the drawing room as Margaret came in. Victoria remained cowering in the hallway.

  “Grandmama, where’s Papa?” asked Prudence as she rushed to her arms.

  “He’s been taken to hospital,” said Margaret as she tried to calm her granddaughter, Victoria’s words ringing in her ears: Prudence did it! She was trying to shoot me! But shot him by accident.

  She turned to her daughter. “Emily, take Victoria upstairs and get her changed out of those clothes.”

  Upstairs Emily silently ran a bath for Victoria and laid out some clothes for her.

  Victoria sat on a chair in the bathroom, staring into space. She noticed then that she had only one shoe on – she had lost the other in the pandemonium.

  Emily brought some towels in. “I’ll leave these here for you,” she said placing them on the vanity table.

  As Emily left the room, Victoria said, “She wanted to kill me, Emily – the girl wanted to kill me!”

  Emily nodded and closed the door behind her.

  Margaret spent a long while trying to calm Prudence down. She then left her with Emily and came into the hallway. Seeing Charles’ case containing the revolver, she hid it in a cupboard and locked it in. She continued upstairs and found Victoria changed into a dress Emily had left for her and sitting on the bed in Emily’s room.

  “Now, you are going to tell me exactly what happened,” said Margaret.

  Margaret was coming down the stairs.

  “How is she?” asked Emily.

  “Not good.”

  “I think she’s in shock. Shall I fetch a doctor?”

  “No! Do nothing,” instructed Margaret as they walked back into the parlour. “I’m taking Prudence back up to the house – you follow up when Victoria is able.”

  “But –” began Emily.

  “Just do it!” snapped Margaret, reaching for her spare key to the back door of Armstrong House on the key rack.

  Margaret walked up the road from Hunter’s Farm, her arm around her granddaughter who continued sniffling. They walked to the main gates and past the car, the headlights still shining.

  “Grandmama!” cried Prudence as she saw the dried blood.

  “Don’t look!” ordered Margaret as she led her past the car and up the long driveway to the house. She felt relieved when she saw the light still on in the drawing room. She led Prudence up the steps to the terrace and looking in saw Arabella alone, her face in her hands.

  Arabella heard a knock on the French windows and got a fright. She got up and walked carefully to the windows and was astonished to see Margaret and Prudence there.

  “What’s happened?” asked Arabella loudly as she unlocked the French windows.

  “Mama!” cried Prudence, rushing to her.

  “What on earth had been going on?” demanded Arabella, seeing her daughter collapse in tears. “Prudence?” she panicked as she saw the blood splattered on her dress.

  Between her sobs Prudence managed to speak. “I didn’t mean to shoot him, Mama. I heard you and him row and I came down to ask you to stop. And then I saw Victoria arrive and I listened outside as you all rowed. I heard Papa was going to leave us for her. I couldn’t let her take him from us. I went to the library and took the key and opened the drawer where Papa keeps his gun. And then I went out the front and hid in the back of the motor car. But I didn’t want to hurt Papa! They’ve taken him to the hospital!”

  Arabella began to shake as she hugged her daughter, looking down at her blood-splattered dress. She looked at Margaret who just nodded grimly.

  Arabella herself went into a strange shock when she heard what had happened.

  If Margaret hadn’t been there issuing orders, she would have fallen apart. Margaret gave Prudence one of her sleeping tablets and ordered Arabella to take her upstairs to her bed. As she waited upstairs, Margaret thought hard.

  A long while later Arabella came back down.

  “She’s passed out,” said Arabella as she went to the drinks cabinet and just managed to pour herself a gin, her hands were shaking so much.


  “I don’t want to go back into that house,” said Victoria as she and Emily approached up the driveway.

  “Mother says we have to,” answered Emily.

  They saw a light on in the drawing room and Margaret standing at the French windows, anxiously looking out.

  When Margaret saw them she opened the French windows and beckoned them to enter that way.

  Arabella looked up as Margaret gestured them into the room and locked the French windows behind them.

  “What’s she doing here?” demanded Arabella, standing up.

  “I told them to come up,” said Margaret.

  “Look what you’ve caused!” shouted Arabella at Victoria.

  “I didn’t cause anything, I was trying to save Charles,” Victoria defended herself.

  “You were running away with him!” accused Arabella.

  “I was not, you stupid woman!” shouted Victoria.

  “Enough!” shouted Margaret. “I don’t want to hear another word!”

  “What are we going to do?” asked Emily.

  “Nothing!” ordered Margaret. “We will do nothing until Harrison arrives back and tells us how Charles is.”

  The day was dawning and Margaret could hear the first of the servants stirring. The clock on the wall had ticked every minute during the night as the four women waited anxiously for news.

  When they heard a carriage arrive up, Margaret jumped up and raced to the window.

  “It’s Harrison,” she said as she quickly ran out to the front door.

  “He’s still alive, Mother,” he said.

  “Thank God!”

  She saw his fragile and exhausted expression and led him into the drawing room where he was met with the frightened and apprehensive women.

  Victoria rushed to Harrison and he hugged her. “Forgive me, my love, for doubting you,” he said. “Thank God I came looking for you!”

  “Charles?” said Arabella.

  “They operated on him and removed the bullet. He very nearly died. He’s critical but stable,” said Harrison, sinking down on the couch.

  Arabella’s whole body relaxed on hearing this.