The Lady and the Lake (29 page)

‘You
look
awful,
Miss
Abbey,’
she
said.

‘Do
I
really?’
I
asked
her
with
some
dismay
going
to
look
in
the
mirror.
My
hair
had
partly
escaped
the
pins
and
my
face
was
white.
I
poured
some
cold
water
in
the
china
bowl
splashing
my
face
with
it
and
pinching
my
cheeks
to
bring
back
some
colour
to
my
skin,
then
I
released
my
hair
from
the
pins
and
started
to
brush
it.

‘I’ll
do
that
for
you,
Miss
Abbey,’
said
Maggie.

‘Thank
you,
but
I’ll
leave
it
now,
it’s
hardly
worth
rearranging
it,’
I
said
looking
at
the
clock
which
showed
it
was
nearly
nine
o’clock.
I
must
have
slept
for
hours
and
felt
quite
hungry.

As
if
by
magic
Maggie
said,
‘I
brought
you
this
from
the
kitchen,
I
put
it
in
my
pocket
when
Ada
wasn’t
watching.’
As
she
spoke
Maggie
produced
some
bread
and
cheese
from
her
pocket.

I
devoured
it
fairly
quickly
thanking
her
for
thinking
of
me.
What
I
really
needed
was
a
cup
of
hot
tea,
but
eating had
revived
me
and
I
was
to
be
thankful
to
Maggie
for
little
did
I
know
then
that
it
would
be
a
long
night.

‘You
could
come
down
to
the
kitchen
and
I
could
make
you
some
tea
Miss
Abbey,
it’s
Cook’s
night
off.’
She
said
when
I
told
her
I
needed
a
drink.
So
without
thinking
I
followed
her
down
to
the
kitchen,
my
long
blonde
hair
falling
in
waves
down
my
back.
It
was
only
when
we
encountered
Mrs
Grafton
that
I
realised
and
suddenly
felt
very
vulnerable
in
the
housekeeper’s
presence.

‘My
mistress
wishes
to
speak
to
you
in
her
sitting
room,’
she
said,
‘I
was
on
my
way
to
fetch
you.
And
what
are
you
both
doing
skulking
around
the
place
at
this
time
of
night.’
As
she
spoke
she
looked
at
Maggie.

‘I’m
going
to
make
a
pot
of
tea
for
us,
Mrs
Grafton.’
Maggie
said
with
spirit,
almost
defying
the
housekeeper
to
stop
us.

‘Then
make
it
and
get
back
to
your room.
As
for
you,
Miss
Sinclair.
It
will
not
do
for
you
to
walk
around
the
house
with
your
hair
flowing
behind
you.’
As
she
walked
away
I
almost
giggled
at
her
words.
In
fact
Maggie
and
I
did
laugh
like
a
couple
of
naughty
children.

‘Please
make
the
tea,
Maggie,
while
I
go
and
see
what
Mrs
Kershaw
requires
of
me,
and
I’m
sorry
I
was
irritable
just
now
but
I
had
just
woken
up,
forgive
me?’
I
asked.

‘Of
course,
Miss,
I’ll
see
you
in
the
kitchen,’
she
said.

As
I
approached
Henrietta’s
sitting-room
I
could
hear
raised
voices,
the
door
was
slightly
ajar
and
I
heard
Mrs
Kershaw’s
voice.

‘You
will
not
marry
her
she
is
beneath
you.’
Holding
my
breath
I
waited
to
hear
the
reply.

Thankfully
it
was
Antony
and
not
Thomas
who
spoke,
‘If
I
wish
to
marry
Miss
Anderson,
you
will
not
stop
me.
All
my
life
you
have
domineered
me
and
I
have
done
your
bidding,
but
over this
I
will
not
be
moved,’
he
said
emphatically.

‘I
forbid
you
to
bring
her
to
this
house,’
said
Henrietta
harshly.

‘But
it
is
my
house,
mother
and
I
shall
bring
who
I
like
here
and
that
is
my
final
word.’

As
he
spoke
I
scurried
back
along
the
corridor
and
joined
Maggie
in
the
kitchen
for
a
cup
of
tea,
all
the
while
thinking
that
Henrietta
Kershaw
was
losing
her
grip
on
this
household,
including
the
master,
and
he
it
would
appear
was
to
be
married.
Very
obviously
love
was
in
the
air.

Thomas
kept
to
his
word
and
came
to
my
room
at
twelve-thirty
that
night.
I’d
had
the
foresight
to
tie
back
my
hair
with
a
blue
ribbon.
As
I
let
him
in
he
said,
‘Fear
not
lovely
lady
for
I
come
to
your
room
with
good
intentions
and
only
to
assist
you
in
solving
the
mystery
of
the
tower,’
and
I
laughed.
The
thought
crossing
my
mind
that
he
would
make
a
good
husband
for
he
managed
to
cause merriment
all
the
time.