“Perhaps we should just go,” Aldous said.
Suddenly, filth-covered hands appeared in the mist and clamped tightly around Rudolph’s throat. The hideous bulging-eyed man strangling Rudolph grinned, but only blackness showed where teeth should have been. Pus-filled bumps covered the man’s head and travelled to the tips of his fingers. Aldous watched as they engaged in a fierce struggle.
Before Aldous could intervene, he felt a blow to the back of his head and he fell. Even though his head throbbed, Aldous did not lose consciousness. He regained his strength quickly and stood to see a wild woman in white laughing at him.
The woman lunged at Aldous, and thinking quickly, Aldous hurried to the carriage. He had only seconds to grab the spare sedative from his bag. Just as the mad woman was about to hit Aldous again, he turned and jabbed the needle into the woman’s neck. She screamed, stumbled, and eventually fell to the ground.
Meanwhile, Aldous saw the deranged man trying to claw at Rudolph’s eyes and face with his long jagged fingernails. The deranged man did not speak—only issued a maniacal laugh that followed an animalistic growl.
Aldous struck the mad man with his long cane several times. When his attacker was finally motionless, Aldous sighed and leaned on his cane for support.
Rudolph sat on the ground gasping for air.
Aldous looked over at the unconscious man and the sedated woman and then wiped the blood from his own face. Then he extended his hand to help Rudolph stand.
“Who was that?” Rudolph asked hoarsely.
“Wasn’t it obvious?” Aldous remarked as he limped back toward the carriage.
“What should we do with them?”
“Leave them.”
“Leave ‘im, sir?
“They’re lunatics, Rudolph,” Aldous breezily remarked, and then, more to himself than to Rudolph, he whispered, “We must be close.”
Aldous climbed back onto the carriage then and, after taking one more look at the motionless bodies on the ground, he closed the carriage door. As the carriage began to move, he watched as his sister slept and wondered now if he was doing the right thing. What if she became the woman he’d just seen? What if sending Mary far away would only hurt her?
Lost in thought, Aldous was jolted to reality when several minutes later the carriage stopped.
“Sir,” Rudolph said as he appeared by the window. “We’re here.”
Aldous slowly climbed out of the carriage and approached the heavy, black wrought iron gates. Aldous and Rudolph pulled on the gates and they slowly opened. Breathing heavily, Aldous observed the candle lit building in the distance.
They had reached their destination, a large stone sign read through the mist, ‘Kolney Hatch Lunatic Asylum-Established 1832.’
12 Doctor Thomas Reid
1897
With a firm fist, Aldous knocked on the large arched-wooden door of Kolney Hatch Lunatic Asylum. As he waited for the door to open, he looked back at the flickering light from the lanterns in the carriage. The damp cool air washed over Aldous as a light rain trickled from the skies, and he heaved a heavy sigh. He felt a pang of guilt rush through him, but before the guilt had a moment longer to linger, the door creaked open.
“What do ye want?” a gruff voice said. A man, with two bulging eyes, dressed in a dark formal warden’s uniform emerged from behind the door, a lantern in his hand.
“You must be the warden,” Aldous said.
“Aye,” the tall male said, eyeing Aldous suspiciously. “Awful late for ye to be here, Mister....”
“Aldous Loxley,” Aldous introduced himself.
“Milton,” the warden said. “We don’t permit nighttime visits. There’s an inn thirty miles down the road....”
“That’s quite all right. I’m not visiting…not yet anyway. I’m here to admit a patient.”
“You won’t be able to tonight. Th' superintendent isn’t here, an' we don’t admit after hours.”
“Mister...Milton, I’ve already made arrangements. I was told I would not encounter any problems.”
“Milton,” Aldous heard a voice say from behind the door. “What’s going on?”
“There’s a man here who wants to admit someone. A Mister Loxley. He claims he’s made arrangements with th’ superintendent, but I’ve informed him that we don’t admit patients this late at night.”
“Mister Loxley you say? Let him in, Milton. I’ll take over from here.”
A reluctant Milton stepped back and led Aldous through the door into a candle-lit lobby. Standing before him was a young man who Aldous reasoned could not have been more than twenty-five. The man had thick, dark hair and a deep penetrating stare from two weary, dark-circled eyes. He wore a white doctor coat.
“Welcome, Mister Loxley. We weren’t expecting you until the morning, but no sense in letting you come back when you’re already here. I’m Doctor Thomas Reid.”
Aldous acknowledged the young doctor.
“Doctor Fairburn said he arranged my sister’s admission with the superintendent. Where is the superintendent, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“He’s still in town, but he’ll be back tomorrow morning. We do have everything arranged for your sister. Why don’t you come into my office, and we’ll discuss it further. Milton, ring for Rose to take Miss Loxley to her room. Tell her Miss Loxley receives the...special accommodations.”
The disgruntled Milton disappeared into his office, as Doctor Reid led Aldous to his own office. As they walked, Aldous looked around at the musty building. Soon they came upon a set of double oak doors and through them, continued down a long corridor lit by torches on the wall.
They stopped once they entered a small, candle-lit office. The open arched windows gently blew the flames so that they flickered and created shadows on the stone walls. Aldous scanned the room. Only one tall portrait of a man clad in a classic Scottish Lord’s attire, a stoic and fierce look on his face adorned the room. Aldous was drawn to the dark, intense eyes of the portrait. For a second, he thought he saw the eyes flicker.
He rested his cane against an uncomfortable looking chair and then sat in it. Doctor Reid took a seat and rubbed his forehead. He shuffled through a stack of files and then came to one and opened it.
“Unfortunately, Superintendent Burwick isn’t here, but I do have the letters authorizing the admittance of your sister and her expected accommodations as well as the financial agreement.”
Doctor Reid’s dark eyes stared hard into Aldous’s. Reid opened the Admissions register, picked up the quill pen, and dipped it in ink as he said, “The letter we received from Doctor Fairburn says that your sister is insane. Could you be more specific?”
“She may have done something horrible.”
“A crime?”
“Yes.”
“Do the authorities know?”
“No.”
“Would you tell me?”
“No, I cannot. For the protection of my family’s name and everyone involved.”
Doctor Reid sighed and looked back to Aldous with his piercing stare.
“Is her lunacy a genetic predisposition?”
“Yes,” Aldous answered. “My uncle had obsessions and fixations in the same way.”
Doctor Reid looked down again as he continued to write.
“When did you first observe this behavior in your sister?”
“Oh...I don’t know...the age of seven? My mother passed giving birth to my sister, and my sister insisted that she saw my mother’s ghost for many years. She fixates on things.”
“What is her age?”
“Twenty three.”
“Is she epileptic or suicidal?”
“Suicidal, yes.”
Doctor Reid was still writing remarks. Aldous continued to speak.
“I also ask for your utmost discretion upon her admission.”
Doctor Reid ignored Aldous’ comment.
“Most of the rooms in this facility would not be suitable for the sister of a man like y
ou. The nurses have isolated quarters on the back grounds. Not all of the rooms are filled.”
“And she will have her own nurse. The very best one you have?”
“I’ll see to it that Rose cares for your sister personally. I’ll ring for her now and see if your sister is almost settled.”
Doctor Reid stood, walked over to a bell that hung on the wall, and pulled on it.
“She is our finest nurse.”
“So it’s settled then,” Aldous said.
“Yes. If you’d like to see your sister before you go, Rose will take you.”
Aldous heard a sound behind him and turned to see a beautiful small-framed woman with emerald green eyes and her hair pulled up in a bun.
“Mister Loxley,” said Doctor Reid, “This is Rose.”
“Please to meet you,” Aldous said.
“And you,” Rose said. “Your sister is safely in her room and is fast asleep. Perhaps you could stop back tomorrow if you want to see her.”
“That sounds very well. I’ll be at the inn for the night and will stop back on my way back to London.”
“Very good,” Doctor Reid said. “I’ll have Milton show you out.”
Doctor Reid showed Aldous back to the lobby and bid him a farewell. Milton emerged from his office then and was just about to show Aldous out when suddenly, Aldous heard a man screaming in agony. Milton turned to look at Aldous out of his bulging eyes and said, “You know what they say. When darkness falls at Kolney Hatch, the screams begin and souls are snatched.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Ghost stories, Mister Loxley. You’ll learn very quickly this asylum is full of them.”
13 Someone in the House
“I see you’ve retired your mourning attire,” Petunia remarked to Mrs. Wendell as she observed her peacock feathered hat and matching long blue dress. Mrs. Wendell sat in Petunia’s drawing room one late January afternoon and sipped on her tea.
“I’m eternally in mourning, Petunia; you know that.”
The round eyed Mrs. Glum carefully rested the tea pot and tea cakes onto Petunia’s drawing room table.
“It’s almost as if you’ve joined the 20th century after all,” Petunia teased.
“Mmm,” Mrs. Wendell said with reprehending eyes. “I’d much rather discuss this dinner party that somehow I’ve received an invitation to.”
Petunia didn’t want to talk about the Loxley party. She didn’t want to go anywhere near the Loxley house. Not now, not ever. She couldn’t bear to see Roger or John, or Richard Baker for that matter.
“Why don’t you like Aldous, Auntie?”
“My dear Beatrice, all I have to say about Aldous Loxley is, he’s gone to America to do his business. In my eyes, he’s broken England’s heart, and it’ll be a wonder if his party is well attended because of that.”
“Is that all you have to say?” Petunia chided.
“Hmmph,” Mrs. Wendell sounded.
“If he hadn’t gone to America, Auntie, he wouldn’t have the Loxley mansion any longer. So many people invested wrongly and lost their fortunes after the war.”
“Oh dear Beatrice, don’t admit such a thing, please. I can’t bear it. But if it’s true, then I can say, he would not have kept his mansion, but he would have kept his dignity.”
Petunia laughed.
“Tessie, you must face the new world we are in one day.”
“Is my peacock hat not enough for one day?” Mrs. Wendell said as she sipped her tea again.
“So if you don’t like Mr. Loxley because he’s terribly American now,” Beatrice said in her bubbly voice, “why are you going to the dinner party?”
“Oh Beatrice, don’t be daft, my dear. I still want to hear all the gossip. Isn’t that quite right, Mrs. Glum? Isn’t gossip a reason to attend a party?”
“I don’t know how I should answer, madam.”
“You don’t have to answer that, Mrs. Glum,” Petunia assured. “But Tessie, how will you hear the gossip if no one attends the party as you suggested will happen?”
Mrs. Wendell eyed Petunia derisively and shrugged.
“I’m excited to go,” Beatrice smiled. “I’m certain there will be lots of gossip.”
“How are you so sure?”
“Well, Aldous’ wife is American. From Texas.”
“Well, that is certainly something to talk about,” said Mrs. Wendell.
“And secondly, his wife has a daughter.”
“A daughter?”
“Yes. She’s my age, I think...” Beatrice said.
“And she’s coming with them?”
“Yes.”
“How did Aldous come to marry an American woman?” Mrs. Wendell asked. “I imagine Isabelle is turning in her grave.”
“Aldous’ wife is the daughter to a wealthy oil Baron,” Beatrice explained. “When he died he left his fortune to her. Then she married, but her first husband died from influenza shortly after her daughter was born.”
Mrs. Wendell eyed Beatrice suspiciously.
“And just how do you know all of this detailed information? Did you travel over 3,000 miles west just to learn it?”
“Oh no, Auntie,” Beatrice laughed. “A friend of Francine Chandler’s sister receives all the American gossip magazines. Her cousin sends them from New York.”
“How well informed she must be,” Mrs. Wendell said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. She looked toward Petunia and changed the subject.
“Petunia, you’ve lost too much weight. Are you not well?”
Petunia’s chiffon robe had loosened quite a bit, but she did not care whether her dresses were too big.
“I am fine, Tessie.”
Beatrice eyes sparkled as she took a sip of her tea and then said, “I did receive an interesting item the other day.”
“What?” Mrs. Wendell inquired.
“A guest list...to the Loxley Dinner.”
“They’ve prepared a list?”
Beatrice laughed.
“It pays to be friendly with the servants, Auntie. I’ve friended Clara Mills, one of the Loxley maids. I told her I wanted to see what types of conversation we were going to have at dinner.”
“And she just gave it to you?” Mrs. Wendell asked with surprise.
“Yes, Auntie. That is what friends do.”
The curious Petunia asked, “Well, who was on it then?”
“There are a lot of people on that list whose names I’ve never heard.”
Beatrice pulled out a long black inked guest list on parchment paper from her purse.
“These are only the ones who were invited. Clara didn’t have the list of yes’s. It is much larger than I thought it would be. 50 guests is a lot for a dinner party.”
Beatrice perused the list.
“Lord Dellington’s been invited...and Lady Dane.”
“Perhaps they’ll have at it and give us all a good show.”
“Richard and Claire Baker and Paul Watson have been invited...there are some names on here I’ve never heard of. I have heard of the name Hitchcock. And then there’s some French name I cannot pronounce.”
Petunia’s heart beat quickly.
“A French name? What is it? Let me see that.”
Petunia snatched the list right out of Beatrice’s hand.
“Whatever has gotten into you?” Mrs. Wendell said under her breath.
Petunia scanned the list with her eyes, and when she saw the name she was looking for, she clutched her heart. Sébastien Delacroix was on the guest list. In that instant, in Petunia’s mind, she was young and in love, and Sébastien twirled her about out in front of the Eiffel Tower under a starry night sky.
Petunia snapped from her stupor to see four blinking eyes staring at her.
“What?” She asked Mrs. Wendell and Beatrice.
“Oh, I don’t know, Petunia. Perhaps it was the way you gazed longingly at the fire for several seconds as we tried to speak to you. You are the most peculiar person these days, I do say.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Your diversion is not lost on me, Petunia,” Mrs. Wendell snapped. “But I will say, the return of Aldous Loxley is most peculiar, and his guest list is most peculiar, and so your divergent behavior is simply an addition to many peculiarities.”
“Perhaps I am ill as you’ve suggested.”
“Well then, you must call Oscar Baker at once to examine you.”
“Or Paul Watson,” Beatrice smiled. “Can we call him now? That way I can be here when he takes a look at you.”
“Absolutely not,” Mrs. Wendell said. “I do not want you anywhere near Paul Watson.”
“Please do not start this again, Auntie.”
“We must leave anyway. We have a dinner party of our own to plan.” Mrs. Wendell addressed Petunia. “Beatrice’s mother is having the Duke of Ketlington to dinner.”
“The Duke of Ketlington. How odd for your sister to invite a man with such a past to dinner.”
“Yes, how odd indeed. But my sister is much younger than I. She cares nothing for conventions in the way that I do. It’ll be her ruin, but it should give us something to talk about.”
“Auntie,” Beatrice smirked. “That isn’t nice to say about Mama.”
Petunia rang her bell, and soon Mrs. Glum appeared.
“Mrs. Glum, please escort Mrs. Wendell and Miss Smith out.”
Mrs. Wendell and Beatrice stood, and Mrs. Glum helped them with their coats.
“We shall see you next at the dinner party then?” Mrs. Wendell said.
“I haven’t said yes quite yet.”
“But you must go, Petunia.”
“I’ll telephone you with my answer.”
“All right.”
“I’ll see you both later,” Petunia said, and with that, Mrs. Glum escorted the women to their car. Once they were gone, Petunia informed Mrs. Glum she could go home for the evening as she was only eating a simple soup for dinner.
When Mrs. Glum left, Petunia retired to her bedroom. She lit a fire and then crept over to her jewelry box and opened it. On the lowest level, she pulled out a long necklace of black jets and watched as they sparkled in the dimmed light. After examining them, she held them close to her chest and felt the tears cascade down her cheeks. And then she carefully put the necklace away.
Kolney Hatch: Buried Secrets (The Secret of Kolney Hatch Book 2) Page 6
