Fall of the House of Crain

by Cindy Winget

  A movement caught her eye outside the window. Both Roderick and Madeleine Dudley were outside. Miss Dudley was weeding the flowerbeds while Mr. Dudley raked up the fallen leaves.

  Theo pulled open the door to the verandah and stepped outside. She made her way over to them, wondering if she should bring up her dream.

  “Hello, dear. It’s not time for breakfast already, is it?” asked Madeleine, sitting back on her knees. She shaded her face with her hand and glanced toward the sun that was just now making its way over the hills.

  “No. I had a dream and couldn’t sleep.”

  “A nightmare, huh?” said Roderick as he joined them.

  “Kind of. It was about you, actually.”

  “A nightmare about me? Hmmm…that would be troubling.” He smiled, leaning on his rake.

  Theo didn’t react to his teasing. “I know your last name isn’t Dudley.”

  “What?” the elderly pair spoke together. The rake slipped from Roderick’s hand, and Madeleine dropped her trowel.

  “According to whom?” asked Roderick gruffly.

  “You’re Crains.”

  “Who told you this?” asked Madeleine, coming to her feet.

  “No one.”

  “Someone did. Now fess up!” roared Roderick.

  Theo was confused by his anger. “Why does it matter whether you’re Crains or Dudleys?”

  “We’re Dudleys. Always have been. Always will be.”

  Madeleine placed a hand on her brother’s shoulder, deflating his anger. She turned to Theo. “You’re right. We are Crains.”

  “Why hide it?” Theo crossed her arms.

  “It’s not so much that we hide it, as much as we wish to be disassociated with our family name,” explained Madeleine.

  “It has brought us nothing but harm,” chimed in Roderick.

  “You see. The truth is, we’re the children of Hugh Crain’s third wife.”

  “Dr. Montague never mentioned that Hugh Crain had any other children.”

  “We know. After the death of our dear Mother, Father was a broken man. Roderick and I were scarcely a year old when it happened.”

  “Both of you?”

  “Yes. We’re twins.”

  Theo was surprised at this news.

  “At any rate, it’s doubtful Father even remembered that we had been born.” Pain laced her voice, and her eyes wandered over the garden, lost in past memories.

  “That’s awful,” Theo said.

  Madeleine turned back toward her, seeming surprised for a second that someone had been talking to her. “Father sent us and his two older daughters to live with relatives, and we were so young…”

  “If you’re going to tell the story, at least tell it properly,” groused Roderick.

  “Brother,” Madeleine said, a warning in her voice.

  “The truth is,” said Roderick, heedless of his sister’s slanted eyes or furrowed brow, “Father had gone insane.”

  “We don’t know that. Not for certain.”

  “He wasn’t well,” Roderick insisted. “Not all there, so to speak.” Roderick tapped a finger to his temple.

  “At least, that’s what our half-sisters always told us,” Madeleine explained. “We were too young to remember it. They would tell us stories about Father. About how he acted near the end. Our friends mistook us for Dudleys at first, since that was the surname of the relatives we stayed with. We fought to keep up our family name, but as the people of the town of Hillsdale discovered the goings on up at the house we began to be persecuted.”

  “What happened?” Theo asked.

  “Maids had gone missing. A cook who carved up her two assistants. The bizarre way our father acted. Parents in the town would whisper behind our backs and turn away quickly while their children openly stared or pointed and claimed that they weren’t allowed to play with us.

  “Eventually, we reverted back to the last name of Dudley. We had a lonely childhood. But at least I had my dear Roderick by my side.” Madeleine gazed up at her brother—who stood a good six inches taller than her—with a look of absolute adoration and love.

  Theo felt a familiar pang as she witnessed the exchange. She herself had been close to her own brother and had few friends growing up.

  “So how did you end up as caretakers of Hill House?” Theo asked.

  “That was quite by accident, actually,” said Miss Dudley with a chuckle. “We desired to see this grand house that had the town so spooked and to see where we were born and where Mother had passed away. We walked up to the front door and asked for entrance. My half-sister’s companion mistook us for the new caretakers they had recently hired. I had not seen my half-sister in many years. Not since Father’s death left her the heiress of Hill House. It was quite apparent that she did not recognize us.”

  “It was a joke at first. Just a bit of a lark,” added Roderick. “We determined to stay a few days and see how long it took for Agnes to realize who we were. She never did. We were surprised to discover that the work suited us and since we had been in need of employment anyway, we decided to stay.”

  “Why didn’t you leave?” asked a baffled Theo.

  “I just told you. Because—”

  “No. Later. After Agnes was in her grave and you began to realize the effect that Hill House had on people. Why did you stay?”

  “How—?”

  “I told you. I had a dream. The thing is…my dreams show me the truth. The past. I saw you with your friend Edgar.”

  Roderick’s mouth closed, and he stared off into space, looking very much like his sister had when speaking about her father. “Edgar. I haven’t seen him for nearly thirty years.”

  “I saw you,” Theo said significantly. “I saw the state you were in.”

  Roderick went red around the ears. “Yes. Alright. I confess that Hill House has a way of messing with your head. Or even your body. After working here for so long we began to notice things. Shapes and shadows. There and gone again in the blink of an eye. Heard things too. We thought about leaving, but by that time the house had too much of a hold on us. We, I, didn’t feel that we could leave safely. The house wouldn’t allow it. My friend Edgar helped me break through during the day, when the house is at its weakest, but after dark…well, let’s just say that we began leaving before it got dark and the house got a solid grip on us. Ever since, we have been much happier.”

  “But why return the next day? Why not just leave this place forever?”

  “This is our home,” spoke up Madeleine. “You’re too young to truly realize what it means to live in a place for as long as we have. Hill House is a part of us. We have mentally fortified ourselves over the years. We have learned to deal, and live peacefully, with Hill House and the many spirits that abide here.”

  Theo wanted to argue but just then Luke showed up on the verandah, complaining that there was no breakfast.

  Before Luke could get close enough to hear, Madeleine leaned over and whispered to Theo, “Be vigilant. Hill House can only harm you if you let it. Steel your mind against it. Only the weak-minded need fear this house.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Theo followed Luke and Madeleine to the house. Mr. Dudley was left behind to finish the yard work. As Madeleine left for the kitchen to start cooking breakfast, Theo and Luke settled in at the dining room table to wait.

  “Shall I go fetch a deck of cards?” asked Luke.

  Before Theo could reply, Eleanor stumbled into the room, looking tired. Theo dwelt on the fact that they were supposed to break the news to her today that she should leave Hill House. After the dream Theo had had, she was even more convinced that this was the only option. Given what Madeleine had told her about Hill House wreaking havoc on weak-minded individuals, Eleanor should leave as soon as possible. She was as vulnerable as they come.

  But it broke Theo’s heart to force her out. She knew what Eleanor’s reaction would be, and she didn’t relish the thought of breaking the news to her. In any case, she wouldn’t
bring it up now. She would wait for the doctor to tell Eleanor that she needed to leave. It may have been cowardly, but in her defense, it was because of Dr. Montague that Eleanor was here to begin with.

  “What are you thinking about so intensely?” asked Luke, keeping his voice low so that Eleanor couldn’t hear. “Did you have another dream?”

  As astute as that observation was, she sidestepped it. “No. I mean, yes. I did. But that’s not what I’m thinking about.” She glanced in Eleanor’s direction and Luke caught her meaning.

  “I see. I don’t envy Dr. Montague the conversation he’ll be having with her.”

  Theo was glad to know that Luke also felt it was Dr. Montague’s responsibility to bring up the sensitive issue to Eleanor. She promised herself, however, that when the time came, she would back him up, make it clear to Eleanor that Dr. Montague was not the only one who felt that she should leave.

  Crash!

  The three of them rushed toward the source of the noise—the kitchen. As they entered, they discovered Madeleine lying prone upon the floor. Had she slipped? Other than a pewter frying pan, Theo couldn’t see anything that she could have tripped over. Had the poor woman passed out?

  “What’s going on in here?” came the voice of Mr. Dudley. “I heard a loud crash from the window.” He caught sight of his sister’s still form and dropped down next to her. “What happened?”

  “We don’t know,” Theo told him. “We were all in the dining room when we heard the same crash and came to investigate.”

  A knowing look came into Roderick’s face. “It’s been a long time since she has had one of her episodes.”

  “Episodes?” asked Luke.

  “My sister suffers from a rare disease called Catalepsy. It causes loss of control of one’s limbs. The doctors say that there is no cure. She becomes temporarily paralyzed but is still aware of all that’s happening around her. One day the disease will kill her. I often worry that she will be mistakenly buried alive.”

  “What a dreadful thought!” said Theo.

  “It’s generally brought on by stress.”

  Theo fervently hoped that it wasn’t due to their earlier conversation. Had she inadvertently caused Madeleine to have another one of these episodes by bringing up sensitive subjects that the Dudleys clearly didn’t want to talk about?

  “Help me take her upstairs to her room,” said Mr. Dudley, looking at Luke.

  Luke gently flipped Miss Dudley over and grabbed a hold of her feet. Roderick held onto her shoulders and together they lifted her up.

  “Will she be alright?” asked Eleanor, picking nervously at one of her nails.

  “Yes. She’ll be fine,” Mr. Dudley assured them. “It only lasts a short while.”

  Luke and Roderick left the room, towing Madeleine. Eleanor trailed along behind them, saying, “I’ll come along to pull the covers back for you.”

  Theo went in search of Dr. Montague to apprise him of the situation. She found him in his office. “Dr. Montague? Might I have a word?”

  Dr. Montague looked up from the paper he was perusing. “Yes, Theo. What is it?”

  She filled him in on what had happened to Miss Dudley. Dr. Montague’s eyebrows furrowed. “I hope she’s alright.”

  “Mr. Dudley didn’t seem too concerned. He says it happens all the time, but I thought you ought to know about it.”

  “Yes. Thank you.”

  Theo was about to leave but stopped at the doorway and turned back. “Um…Dr. Montague?”

  “Hmm?”

  “There is one more thing I would like to discuss with you, if I could.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “Would you object to waiting one more day to tell Eleanor she has to leave?” At his look of concern, Theo barreled on. “I just think that she’s worried about Miss Dudley, and I would hate to have her leave before knowing if Madeleine is going to be okay.”

  Dr. Montague appeared deep in thought and she waited.

  “I guess one more day wouldn’t hurt anything.”

  “Thank you.”

  * * *

  Eleanor walked to the kitchen and began to make breakfast. She knew that everyone was hungry and with Miss Dudley unable to do so, she thought she would pitch in. She picked up the frying pan from the floor and placed it back on the stove. As she began cracking eggs into a bowl, Theo walked into the room.

  “Oh, Eleanor. I had the same idea.” Theo smiled and grabbed a loaf of bread. She began placing slices into the toaster and went in search of the butter. “Breakfast will be less fancy and with less options as usual with us doing the cooking, but at least people will be fed.”

  Eleanor nodded, although she didn’t quite know how to take this statement. Was Theo implying that she couldn’t do as good a job at preparing the meal as Miss Dudley always had? But since she had included herself in her comment, Eleanor discounted the thought and smiled back.

  “Scrambled eggs and toast should be enough, right? Or do you think we need to fry up some bacon or sausage?” Theo asked.

  “I can make some bacon,” Eleanor told her.

  “Excellent. I never was much for cooking other than what I needed to stay alive,” Theo joked. “I better make a cup of joe for Dr. Montague or his whole day will be out of sorts,” she said with a laugh.

  Since she had Theo alone, Eleanor thought about once again asking to become Theo’s roommate when they left Hill House, but she thought better of it. She didn’t want to scare Theo off when they had only just begun to be friends again. Instead, she said, “I’m sorry about accusing you of writing that message about me the first time. I realize now that it couldn’t have been you. You certainly wouldn’t have used blood or ruined your own clothes. If you need to borrow any clothing, just let me know.”

  Theo thanked her, but as she peered at Eleanor’s outdated long skirt and puffed sleeves, Eleanor knew that if Theo needed anything on that front, she would go to Annabel instead. At least she had offered.

  For several minutes they cooked in silence. The smell of strong coffee brewing made Eleanor both nervous and annoyed. Her mother always insisted on having coffee every morning and constantly complained that Eleanor hadn’t gotten it right. It was always too strong or too weak, too hot or too cold. When the eggs were finished and the bacon close, Eleanor asked Theo to go round up the rest of the group and let them know that breakfast was ready.

  When she had gone, Eleanor began taking plates and utensils out to the dining room. On her second trip, something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. She did a double take, but nothing was there. Whatever she thought she had seen was gone. As she was making her way back to the kitchen, she saw it again. Whipping her head to the right, she thought she saw a patch of brown fur just before it passed from sight around the corner and into the hallway.

  Forgetting the food, Eleanor followed. As she wandered farther and farther away from the dining room without seeing anything, she thought it must have been nothing. Just her imagination. But just as she was about to turn back, she stopped. At the end of the current hallway, there was a large animal. It wasn’t a dog as she had earlier suspected, but an orangutan. How on earth had it gotten in here?

  Before Eleanor could ponder on this strange anomaly for too long, the orangutan charged her. With a scream, she turned and ran. As she turned the corner, she glanced behind her and saw something glinting in the ape’s hand. A razorblade?

  The orangutan was much faster than Eleanor. Its large stride overtook her, and he swiped at her with the razorblade. Another scream tore from her throat as she ducked the likely lethal blow and continued to run. Without looking back this time, Eleanor made her way through Hill House, taking corners and sprinting down hallways as fast as she could. She was careful not to go into any of the rooms. Nowhere she could be trapped.

  Despite her best intentions, Eleanor ended up in the library. She tripped over a book that had not been picked up since the last séance and fell onto her stomach with a humph. Turning
over and scrambling away, she looked around, trying to ascertain where the orangutan was. It was nowhere to be found. She sat there, catching her breath.

  After a few minutes, when she felt composed again, she wandered back into the dining room. She didn’t say a word to anyone about what she had seen. She was having a hard enough time convincing herself that what she had seen had been real.

  * * *

  In light of Miss Dudley’s illness and Eleanor being close to a breakdown, Dr. Montague had given his assistants the day off. Theo knew that he was being kind. This was to be Eleanor’s last day in the house and she sensed that Dr. Montague wanted to give them all a chance to say their goodbyes, even if Eleanor didn’t know that’s what they were doing.

  Theo wandered the house looking for Eleanor. The house was so large, and with no agenda for the day, Eleanor could be anywhere. She wasn’t in the sitting room, conservatory, game room, or observatory. Theo tried the kitchen next, thinking that Eleanor may have wanted a snack or a cup of tea, but no Eleanor. It took over an hour to find her—in the attic of all places.

  “What are you doing up here?” Theo asked.

  Eleanor stood staring at an oval portrait of a beautiful young woman. She made no answer to Theo’s question.

  Walking up beside her, Theo stood shoulder to shoulder with her. She looked over the painting. The woman, though smiling, didn’t appear to be very happy. The smile didn’t reach her eyes, which were tight with hidden pain.

  “I come here a lot,” admitted Eleanor at last. “I come and look at this picture.”

  “Why? The woman seems so sad.”

  Eleanor nodded. “She is. I found an old diary. She and her husband were the last to buy Hill House after Agnes Crain passed away and the companion left, having only stayed a couple of weeks in the house.” Eleanor related to Theo the story from the diary.

  “How sad! That poor woman,” said Theo when she had finished.

  Looking at the painting after knowing the background added a new depth and sadness than she had sensed before.