The Lady and the Lake (26 page)

Alice
stood
back
quietly
with
that
unfathomable
expression.
I
wondered
what
she
was
thinking
as
she
looked
me
up
and
down.

‘I
think
it’s
time
for
tea,’
said
the
master.
I
turned
around
to
call
Clara,
but
she’d
disappeared
and
so
had
Emily,
they’d
obviously
slipped
out
while
the
adults
were
talking.

‘Oh,
no,’
I
uttered,
‘Where
would
they
go?
I
promised
Mrs
White
I’d
keep
her
with
me
at
all
times.’

‘Don’t
fret.’
It
was
Thomas
at
my
side.
‘I
will
go
and
look
for
them,
Miss
Hayward,
if
you
could
try
the
nursery
and
Miss
Sinclair
and
I
will
look outside,’
he
instructed.

‘I’m
concerned
about
the
lake,’
said
Antony
Kershaw,
‘but
I
can’t
go
out
there.’
So
it
was
that
Thomas
and
I
walked
around
the
lake
together,
it
was
still
and
serene
in
the
evening
sun.

‘I
can’t
wait
until
tomorrow,’
he
said,
‘now
is
as
good
a
time
as
any
to
explain
myself.’

‘It’s
not
the
right
time,
but
I
will
hear
you
out,’
I
said,
all
the
while
scouring
the
paths
of
the
lake.

‘I
hold
in
you
high
esteem,
Abbey,’
and
he
stopped
walking.
‘I
didn’t
intend
to
call
you
a
fool
that
day
but
the
words
slipped
out
without
much
thought
to
your
reaction
and
I
guess
you
heard
Mother
and
I
talking
in
the
garden.’

‘How
do
you
know
that?’
I
asked.

‘Because
of
your
change
in
manner,
am
I
right?’
His
words
were
meant
to
be
answered.

‘Yes
you
are
correct,
I
accidentally
heard
you
tell
your
mother
I
was
a
challenge,’
I
said
with
some
indignation.
‘There
they
are!’
I
shouted
as
I saw
the
girls
come
out
of
the
summer
pavilion,
each
with
a
doll
tucked
under
their
arm.
‘Emily,
Clara,’
I
called
to
them,
‘don’t
walk
too
close
to
the
lake.’
Then
I
addressed
Thomas,
‘We
will
continue
this
discussion
in
the
morning
if
that
meets
with
your
approval.’

‘It
certainly
does
under
the
circumstances,
and
may
I
say,
Abbey,
that
this
evening,
you
look
enchanting,’
he
complimented
me.

When
the
girls
reached
us
I
hugged
them
both
with
relief,
I
held
Clara’s
hand
and
Emily
caught
hold
of
her
uncle’s.
We
are
like
a
young
family
I
thought,
out
for
a
stroll
in
the
evening
sunshine
and
I
knew
beyond
a
doubt
that
deep
in
my
heart
this
is
what
I
longed
for.

Thomas
smiled
at
me,
I’d
like
to
have
known
what
he
was
thinking.
The
remainder
of
Emily’s
party
went
well,
the
two
children
really
had
taken
to
each
other
and
when
Clara
and
I
left,
Emily
spoke
to
her.

***

On
delivering
Clara
safely
back
to
the
cottage
I
met
Mr
White.
He
was
a
sullen
man,
but
thanked
me
and
said
how
he
never
thought
he
would
allow
a
child
of
his
to
visit
Kerslake
Hall.

‘That’s
the
one
thing
I
can’t
understand
about
our
Gladys,’
he
continued,
‘she
knew
how
I
felt
about
it
and
ends
up
murdered
in
the
Kershaw’s
lake.’

‘I’m
sure
the
police
will
find
the
truth,’
I
said,
little
knowing
then
that
I
would
be
the
one
to
solve
the
mystery.

Next
morning
leaving
my
room
to
go
down
to
breakfast,
I
glanced
at
the
tower
door
and
to
my
amazement
realised
it
was
open.
I
looked
around
me
to
see
if
anyone
was
about
but
all
was
silent
in
the
corridor.

Quickly
I
made
my
way
to
the
open
door,
looking
up
at
the
curved
stairway
I
could
sense
no
movement.

Bravely
I
walked
up
the
stone
staircase
picking
up
my
skirt
as
I
went.
I
was
nearly
at
the
top
step
when
I hesitated,
what
would
I
find?
I
was
on
the
top
step
ready
to
step
into
the
room
beyond
and
when
I
did
I
gasped
with
surprise
for
the
only
thing
the
room
held
was
a
full-length
mirror
on
a
stand.

The
rounded
walls
of
the
tower
were
of
grey
stone
and
I
shivered
at
the
thought
of
being
locked
in
here.
A
candle-holder
containing
a
half
burnt
candle
stood
solitary
on
the
deep
stone
window
ledge,
a
box
of
matches
beside
it.