by Anne Herries
‘Good morning, Mrs Elworthy,’ he said, offering his hand. ‘I think you must be John’s new wife?’
‘Yes, I am,’ Sarah said. ‘And you are, sir?’
‘I am Andrea’s father,’ he replied. ‘I dare say John may have spoken of me?’
‘Yes, of course,’ Sarah said, though in truth he had not mentioned Andrea’s father to her. Nor had he asked for him to be invited to their wedding, which he might have done had he chosen. ‘I am sorry, but he did not tell me your name.’
‘Sir Andrew Walton,’ he replied, taking her hand. For a moment he held it, small and white against his own darker hand and then he raised it briefly to his lips. ‘I am so pleased to meet you, Sarah—it is Sarah, isn’t it? I hope we need not stand on ceremony?’
‘Yes, my name is Sarah,’ she said feeling oddly disturbed by something in his manner, though she did not know what it was. She was not sure she liked his familiar use of her name, but it might be seen as rude if she were to deny him. ‘I am afraid I don’t know if John is in at the moment. He went out early this morning. He has so much work to do and I have hardly seen him since we came home.’
‘That is very remiss of John,’ Sir Andrew said and frowned. ‘He ought not to neglect you. This is such a dark, unfriendly house. I know that Andrea was often frightened of being alone at night here. She said it was full of sounds…noises that she felt were unnatural…ghosts, perhaps…’
‘Oh, no, surely she could not have thought that?’ Sarah said and laughed. She saw the spark of anger in his eyes and realised that she had offended. ‘I did not mean to offend you, sir, or any disrespect to your daughter—but there are no ghosts here. If there were, I am sure they would be benign.’
‘I would not be so sure,’ Sir Andrew said. ‘Do you know the history of this place, Sarah?’
‘No, I do not,’ she replied with a smile, ‘but do come in and have a glass of wine with me, sir. I should like to hear if there are any stories concerning the house. I am sure there must be because it is so old.’
‘I shall take a glass of wine with you,’ he said, ‘but I am not sure that I should tell you the legends. You might have nightmares.’
‘I am not so easily frightened,’ Sarah said. Was he teasing or deliberately trying to frighten her? ‘Please, you must tell me or I shall imagine all kinds of terrible things.’
She led the way inside. Once in the little parlour she had made her own by bringing some of the prettiest pieces down from the west wing, and changing the order to suit herself, she rang for Mrs Raven and ordered tea and wine for her guest. When the housekeeper had gone, she sat down in the chair opposite Sir Andrew and invited him to begin his tales. He sat down, his dark eyes intent on her face.
‘You know that the house was once a monastery?’
‘I know that the house was built from the ruins of a monastery,’ she agreed, a hint of laughter in her voice. ‘Do we have headless monks haunting us, Sir Andrew?’
His eyes narrowed as he saw her smiling face. ‘You are much braver than my daughter, Sarah. She believed that an unquiet spirit—the spirit of a child that died here many years ago—was haunting her.’
‘Oh, the poor little thing,’ Sarah said the smile leaving her eyes. ‘I hate to think of a child dying. It is so sad, isn’t it? It must have upset Andrea to think of it, I am sure, especially when she was carrying her own babe. What happened to the child? Was it very ill?’
‘There are many stories concerning the child,’ he said and frowned. ‘One of them says she was always weak and died of neglect. Others say that she was locked up in her room and died of starvation. It is said that her mother went mad when her husband was away at the wars. She dismissed the servants and locked the child in, then she went off and killed herself—in the river, as it happens.’
‘Oh, no, what a dreadful story,’ Sarah said, much shocked. She had not expected to hear anything so cruel. ‘I do not like that story, Sir Andrew. If it is true, it would mean that the child must have suffered terribly.’
‘They say her father found her skeleton when he came back from the wars and opened the house up again. He was so distressed that he hanged himself…in one of the rooms in the east wing, so they say. Some say that he walks the halls looking for his wife and child…’
There was a gleam in his eyes. Sarah looked at him for a moment and then she laughed. ‘Oh, you are making it up,’ she cried. ‘You wicked man! I believe you were deliberately trying to frighten me?’
‘Yes, of course I was,’ he replied with a strange look. ‘If that is what you prefer to believe.’
Sarah felt oddly chilled. He was certainly a gentleman and his manners were excellent, but there was something about him that made her uncomfortable. He smiled at her, but his eyes were remote, cold…as if he disliked seeing her in his daughter’s place.
Mrs Raven entered with the tea tray at that moment and the conversation lapsed. Sarah concentrated on playing the hostess; when he had his wine and she her tea, she smiled at him.
‘John and I plan to hold a large party for our friends once the house is ready,’ she said. ‘I do hope you will come, sir?’
‘Yes, I shall be delighted,’ he said and sipped his wine. ‘I may visit you from time to time before that—if I am welcome? I grow lonely in my own house—and I shall think of you alone here in this huge mausoleum. I have told John many times that he ought to pull half of it down and build a new house.’
‘Oh, please do not tell him that,’ Sarah begged. ‘I have fallen in love with it, sir. I know that it is big and a little dark as it is, but I shall soon get rid of the shadows and the cobwebs. We are to have a lot more servants and I am ordering new curtains for the windows, and some new furniture, though much of it only needs to be moved around to create a more comfortable home. If you return in a few weeks’ time, sir, I shall have made so many changes that you will not know the house.’
‘I shall be delighted to call on you then, but I hope that I do not need to stand on ceremony. I have been used to riding over when I please, for John was always a good neighbour, even before he married my daughter.’
‘Oh, yes, of course,’ Sarah assured him, though she hoped he would not come often, or at least not when John was from home. ‘We shall always be pleased to see you, sir.’
Sir Andrew picked up his glass, draining it before putting it down. He stood up and walked to the door of the sitting room. Sarah accompanied him out into the hall. She was preparing to say goodbye to him when John walked into the hall. He stopped, clearly surprised and a little startled to see their visitor.
‘Andrew—did you call to see me? I am sorry I was out. Perhaps Sarah has told you that I have been very busy since we returned home?’
‘Yes, she has. You should not neglect her, John. I was sympathising with her for having to be the mistress of this awful old house, but she tells me that she loves it. She is not afraid of your ghosts, John. My poor Andrea was afraid of the dark and this house depressed her—but you are luckier in your new wife.’ Something flashed in his eyes at that moment, but was gone so quickly Sarah could not tell what it meant.
‘I have much to do, sir,’ John said a little stiffly. ‘It is not possible to be always in the house, even if one has a new bride.’
‘Of course, my darling.’ Sarah walked to John, putting her arms about him, smiling up at him. She turned her head to look at Sir Andrew. ‘How could I be afraid of anything when I have John’s love?’ she asked quietly. She felt John’s body stiffen, but kept her arms about him. ‘I know that he would protect me with his life.’
Sir Andrew’s gaze narrowed and she thought she saw a cold gleam in his eyes, but then in a moment he was smiling again. ‘John is very fortunate in his choice of a wife this time. I shall see you both another day. My very best wishes for your continued happiness, Sarah. I must go…’
She watched as he walked to the door, which was opened for him by the footman. Sarah tucked her arm through John’s as they walked throug
h to her little parlour.
‘How long had Sir Andrew been here?’ John asked.
‘Just long enough to drink a glass of wine with me,’ Sarah said. ‘He seemed to want me to think the house was full of ghosts, John, but I am afraid I laughed at him. He might have been a little bit cross with me.’
‘Andrea heard a ghastly story about a child that died,’ John told her. ‘I shall not go into details, but I told Andrea that it wasn’t true. She wouldn’t believe me. She insisted that there was a child haunting the house…but I have already told you that I think her mind was playing tricks on her.’
‘Poor Andrea,’ Sarah said and looked thoughtful. ‘I wonder who told her? It was very unkind, especially if she was prone to imagining things. Oh, it does not matter. Do not let us talk about it again. I am not sure that I really believe in ghosts. What I want to talk about is the park. I think we should cut down those old, scrubby trees and plant a beautiful avenue of chestnut trees. I wondered if you might consider creating a lake—and I should like some new rose beds near the house. Do you agree?’
‘Yes, they are all excellent ideas,’ John said and smiled at her. ‘I have had some similar thoughts myself and shall speak to the gardeners about it in the morning. You make me feel so much better, my darling Sarah. I am glad to see you happy, for I have been so anxious for you…’
‘For me—why?’ Sarah was puzzled. She looked up at him, seeing the anxiety in his face.
‘Because this is a big old house and full of shadows, as it is bound to be when it has been so neglected. I thought you might find it hard to adjust—and hard to order the servants…’
‘I was not made particularly welcome the first night we arrived,’ Sarah said truthfully, ‘but the problem has sorted itself out. You should not be anxious for me, John. As long as I have your love I can face anything.’
‘Can you, my love?’ he asked and looked at her. ‘Yes, perhaps you can…’ He sighed. ‘I have tried to put a distance between us since that afternoon at the lake, Sarah. We know that someone intends me harm, and I am able to cope with that. I have done my best to protect us both, but I cannot be sure that you will be completely safe, even in your own home. So I thought that if I did not seem too wrapped up in you I might fool my enemy into believing that you were not important to me. I would rather he tried to kill me than you, Sarah.’
‘Oh, John,’ Sarah cried, moving towards him, her arms about his waist as she looked up at him. ‘Pray do not say things like that, my love. And do not distance yourself from me. I can stand anything but that…anything!’
‘Then I shall not try,’ John said because he could not resist the look in her eyes. He bent his head and kissed her. ‘There, I shall not be foolish again. Are you hungry, Sarah? I am starving…’
At that moment they heard the gong sounding in the hall. Sarah smiled as she saw the surprise in his face. ‘It was my idea. It saves Mrs Raven having to find us to announce that a meal is ready. This is such a big house, John, and we might be anywhere. Besides, it establishes a routine to the house, and will be useful when we have guests.’
‘You always think of everything,’ he said. ‘Let us go in, Sarah. I have done enough work for the time being. What would you like to do this afternoon?’
‘I think I should like to go visiting,’ she said. ‘Perhaps we could drive over and see Elizabeth and Daniel for a while?’
‘Why not?’ he said. ‘I think that is a very good idea, my love. Why do you not write to Miss Redmond and ask her if she would like to come and stay with you for a few weeks, Sarah? She could help you with refurbishing the house, and then you will not be lonely when I am out.’
‘Yes, I think I might like that,’ Sarah said. ‘I shall write this evening, John. I have a great deal to do in the house and Tilda will help me decide what needs doing the most…’
Sarah hugged his arm and tried not to think about the moment she had felt his body go tense when she put her arms about him. There had been something in his manner when he saw Sir Andrew with her, a wariness in his eyes that bothered her. Why had he not wanted his former father-in-law to see that they were on good terms? Or perhaps she had imagined it, for the moment Sir Andrew had gone he had become her loving husband again.
Sarah put the doubt from her mind. She had sensed an undercurrent between the two men, and she had suspected that Sir Andrew was trying to frighten her—and yet why should he do that? Unless he was angry because of his daughter’s death…if he blamed John for it…
‘A penny for them?’ John asked as she lapsed into silence.
Sarah shook her head and smiled. She would be foolish to let Sir Andrew’s talk of hauntings upset her, even though she had woken in the night to hear a crying child.
John took her visiting that afternoon as he had promised. Elizabeth was at home, although Daniel had gone out somewhere.
‘He has business to do with the estate, I expect,’ Elizabeth told them. ‘He will be disappointed to have missed you, John—and you, of course, Sarah.’ She smiled at her and patted the sofa, inviting Sarah to sit with her. ‘If you wish to see Daniel, a message can be sent.’ She looked inquiringly at John.
‘Oh, no,’ he replied. ‘This was just a social call for Sarah’s sake, Elizabeth. I dare say we shall visit every week or so now that we are home. I believe Sarah wants to talk to you about some changes concerning the house.’
‘Are you going to rebuild as you thought you might?’
‘Oh, no,’ Sarah told her. ‘I love the house, Elizabeth. I shall order new curtains, some furniture and some restoration to the woodwork in places—but otherwise I think it is just a matter of changing the rooms we use. I have found a parlour at the back of the house that I like very much, and I have already had the furniture changed in there—but I plan to do a lot more…’
As she spoke Daniel came into the parlour. He walked to his wife’s chair and bent to kiss her cheek. ‘This is nice,’ he said. ‘It will be good for Elizabeth to have company nearer her own age, Sarah. Mama will be back from Bath soon, but she can be something of a trial.’
‘Oh, no, dearest,’ Elizabeth admonished. ‘You know I love Dora—but it will be nice to have a friend living close by. Tell me, Sarah, do you think you shall like living at Elworthy Hall?’
‘Oh, yes, I like it very much,’ Sarah said. ‘There is a great deal to do, of course, but when it is ready we shall hold a party and ask all our friends to come and stay.’
‘It is exciting to change things and make them different, isn’t it?’ Elizabeth said. ‘I began with Daniel’s library when I first came here, but now I have made a few changes to the house. Not so very many, for Dora had already done most of what was needed—but our private rooms, you know.’
‘I have been thinking about the best colours for the drawing room. I cannot decide between blues and greens…’
‘I think that is our cue to leave the ladies alone for a while,’ Daniel said, giving John a wicked grin. ‘They can discuss styles and colours for hours at a time, you know, but do not make the mistake of offering an opinion—it is bound to be wrong. They will smile and agree and then do exactly as they please.’
‘Daniel!’ Elizabeth shook her head at him. ‘You can be truly provoking, my dearest. Take John off and do what gentlemen do. We shall be quite happy together.’ She smiled at Sarah as they went out. ‘Now we can be really comfortable and abuse them all we wish.’
‘I think you like to tease as much as the earl,’ Sarah said. ‘I have no need to abuse John, for he is truly kind and considerate—everything I could wish for in a husband.’
‘Then what is worrying you, Sarah?’ Elizabeth asked. ‘I sense that something is on your mind—though you need not tell me unless you wish.’
‘I am not sure,’ Sarah said. ‘But I think someone is trying to upset me and I am not quite sure what I ought to do about it.’
‘Tell me,’ Elizabeth said. ‘Perhaps I can help.’
‘Did you enjoy your visit?’ Jo
hn asked as they were driving home. ‘I am glad that you get on so well with Elizabeth. It means that you will always have a friend, which Andrea did not. She was too much alone and I think the emptiness of the house unsettled her.’
‘I shall not be alone, for I intend to make friends with all our neighbours,’ Sarah said. ‘I dare say we shall have more callers once people know we are at home.’
‘Yes, perhaps…’ John frowned. ‘Andrea did not encourage our neighbours to call, and she did not care to go visiting often—and then only to her father’s house. So it may be a while before people realise that you are willing to be friendly. But we could give a small dinner party quite soon, if you wish?’
‘Yes, I should like that as soon as we are ready to receive guests. Elizabeth said that she would give a picnic in her gardens quite soon. It will be an opportunity for us to meet people, John, and then I can call on them if I wish. She was telling me about some people she likes and I am sure that I shall like them too.’
‘Yes, of course,’ he said but looked thoughtful. ‘In time you will make friends here, Sarah. At least I hope that you will…’
He looked so anxious that she wanted to ask him what was on his mind, but he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. They spoke very little on the way home and it was time to change for dinner when they arrived.
As soon as dinner was over, John apologised. ‘I am afraid I have something important to do tonight, Sarah. Will you be all right on your own?’
‘Yes, of course—but it would be much nicer if you were here in the evenings, John. I am not frightened and I can amuse myself with books or my sewing, but I miss you.’
‘I am sorry, Sarah. It has to be like this for a while. Please try to understand. When things are settled I shall be with you all the time, I promise.’
‘You must do what you have to do,’ Sarah said. ‘Do not look so anxious, John. I am not afraid of shadows.’
