The Morrow Secrets (11 page)

‘What are you doing?’ Tyaas asked, regarding her curiously. ‘Sit down, all three of you, here next to me.’
She patted the sofa and they sat by the fire, each giving the other a

conspiratorial glance.
‘I need to tell you somethin’. I can’t tell another lie, and I can’t
pretend I’ve been meaning to tell you, ’cos I ’aven’t.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Tallitha warily.
‘I wanted to protect you, so that’s why I didn’t tell you, Miss Tallitha,
when you first asked me.’
The fire crackled on and Cissie began her story.
‘When I was a young girl, I knew Miss Asenathe, before she
disappeared.’
‘But Cissie, you said you didn’t,’ blurted out Tallitha.
‘I know what I said, but I’m tellin’ you now, so hush and let me get
on with it.’
Cissie stroked her apron and looked apprehensively at their young
faces, gripped by the anticipation of what she was about to reveal. ‘Miss Asenathe and I were about the same age. Maybe I was a bit
older, I can’t remember now. Anyway I used to come to the Spires when
they needed an extra pair of hands. After a while I became maid to both
Esmerelda and Asenathe. I grew very fond of them and they trusted
me. My mother wasn’t keen on me coming up ’ere though. It was an
unhappy place, so she said. The Grand Morrow had her mind set on
a marriage between Asenathe and an older man called Cornelius Pew,
from an important family in Wycham Elva. She was only fifteen and
the betrothal would last until she married him at sixteen. But Asenathe
was a romantic girl and she didn’t like, let alone love, this man. He
was a widower and he showed Asenathe no affection. It was just an
arrangement between two wealthy families.’
‘Great Aunt Agatha did that? How terrible, what happened then?’
demanded Tallitha.
Cissie stared into the fire. It was no use, she knew she had to tell
them the whole story.
‘Esmerelda was as close as could be to her cousin. They were
inseparable as children, like two little peas in a pod, their pretty heads
always nestled together over a game or a book. They even shared a
bedroom together. You can guess which one, the great room, where they
added their secret hidey-holes. They were happy as larks until the Grand
Morrow revealed her marriage plans. The worst of it was that Asenathe
would have to leave Winderling Spires to live with her new husband.
I remember the day they found out as if it was yesterday. They refused
to be separated. Ranted and raved they did and planned their escape
together. I was upset of course.’
‘You knew about it!’ interrupted Tyaas, amazed that Cissie was
involved but even more surprised that she had had a life before looking
after them.
She nodded. ‘They made me keep their secret. I shouldn’t ’ave but I
was young myself and wanted to help them, I didn’t know the dangers
that awaited...’ Her voice trailed off and her face became sorrowful in
the flickering firelight. ‘Somewhere they’d ’eard the old story of Edwyn
Morrow so they planned to run away to Breedoor where no one would
ever find them. Poor lasses, they didn’t know they were jumpin’ from
the frying pan into the fire. So one night they escaped from the Spires through the old tunnel in the basement. They managed to get away
before they were caught but somewhere, somehow, they were separated.’ Cissie’s voice cracked. She wiped away the tears that were running
down her cheeks.
‘Cissie, please don’t cry,’ said Tallitha stroking her nurse’s hand. ‘What
happened then?’
‘Now I don’t know the whole story, so there’s no need badgering and
quizzing me, Miss Tallitha,’ stressed Cissie. She took a few moments to
compose herself. ‘Esmerelda came home months later. She was much
changed. She’d developed some... well, I would say, some very odd ways
and she’d lost her youthfulness. She was distracted and would never talk
of it, except to say that Asenathe was alive and she swore to everyone,
including the Grand Morrow, that she would bring her home. That’s the
long and the short of it.’
Cissie wiped her tears away and blew her nose.
‘Cissie, please don’t cry. It’s all starting to make sense now,’ murmured
Tallitha.
Tallitha put her arms round her nurse and cuddled her.
‘I’m not crying because of that. Thinking about them bad times wears
me out. Both girls were lost to us in different ways. You mustn’t go after
Asenathe. It’s so dangerous out there, beyond Wycham Elva.’ But the story had only succeeded in confirming Tallitha’s resolve to
head for Hellstone Tors to find the lost heir of Winderling Spires. ‘There’re evil goings-on out there in the wild places. Who knows what
you’ll find? Whatever became of Miss Asenathe might well befall you
too,’ she cried.
‘You can’t stop us now,’ said Tallitha flatly.
‘Now Miss, you mustn’t put me in such a bind. I shall ’ave to tell the
Grand Morrow if you’re so set on going.’
Tallitha stiffened. ‘Then I’ll tell her you knew about her daughter
running away and never lifted a finger to stop her!’ cried Tallitha
vehemently.
‘Eh Miss, you wouldn’t.’
But Cissie knew that she would.
‘Then you have to help us and that’s an end to it.’
Cissie’s face crumpled. She knew that Tallitha had won.
‘There’s a drawing of a silver key on the map. Is that the key to the
locked box we found on top of the wardrobe?’ asked Tallitha, taking
charge.
Cissie stood warming herself by the fire.
‘I don’t know about... about a key, Miss,’ she faltered.
‘But you must Cissie. You’ve seen the map before and the key is next
to Shivering Water. That lake is the only place we’ve heard of on the
map and maybe it was the only place that Esmerelda and Asenathe had
heard of too. That’s where they headed for, isn’t it?’
Cissie shook her head and buried her face in her apron.
‘Either you or Essie have that key! Don’t lie to us anymore.’ Cissie dabbed her tears and pulled the chain from under her dress,
holding it tightly in her hand.
‘Asenathe gave me both keys for safe keeping, the day she went into
that tunnel,’ she said sadly. ‘It was the last time I held her hand or saw
her dear face.’ She sighed, looking into the flames. ‘Later I kept the
silver key next to my heart. It opens the box that holds the key to the
tunnel in the basement. It’s an old escape route, in case those that we’re
afraid of,’ she faltered and lowered her voice, ‘should break into the
house at night.’
‘But who are they?’ asked Tallitha, anxiously.
‘Those that would take Winderling Spires from the Grand Morrow, if
they could. The evil ones, the dooerlins,’ she whispered.
They stared at each other in the firelight. Perhaps Cissie was
imagining things. Surely the power of the holed stones was just a
country superstition?
‘But it’s no use. Don’t you understand? The mountains are impassable
even with the map. Esmerelda has tried many times to find Asenathe,
to retrace the underground route they took all those years ago. She
disappears, sometimes for weeks on end, but she always returns alone.
Each time she’s more changed.’
‘We’ll take good care, I promise,’ said Tyaas.
Tallitha noticed how quiet Benedict had become. His face looked
sullen.
‘You OK?’ she asked him but he flinched at her question. ‘I don’t think you realise how dangerous this will be,’ he said to them. ‘He’s right, you don’t understand. There are no directions, the map
may give clues but there will be false paths ahead of you. A wrong
turning will take you into danger and there are strange folk out there,
with wicked intent. Maybe it will change you too and I’ll never see you
again!’ gasped Cissie.
‘We’ll take our chances out there. We’ll be fine, won’t we, Tyaas?’ He nodded. They would go, with or without Cissie’s help. ‘But what happened to Essie? You must know more than you’ve told
us,’ Tallitha persisted.
‘Eh Miss, you do badger a soul’, she said, biting hard on her lip. ‘The
last time she came home it was frightening. She was a wild creature.
She had devils in her head. Each night she was tormented with terrors,
raving mad she was. Her mind was full of the ghouls and demons she
had seen underground.’ Cissie played with the key, twisting it in her
fingers. ‘That was the last time I gave her the key. I’ve always kept it
hidden for fear that I’ll lose her completely, if she tries again.’ Cissie turned away and stared into the flames. The strain of telling her
story was becoming too much.
‘So is the start of the journey from Shivering Water?’ asked Tallitha. ‘I think so, Miss, but I don’t know for sure, and from there I cannot
tell you.’
‘Then Esmerelda must tell us about the places she has been to. We’ll
be able to learn from her mistakes,’ said Tyaas.
‘But she’ll want to go with you. This constant searching for Miss
Asenathe has affected her so!’ she cried.
Tyaas took Cissie’s hand and spoke gently to her, ‘I promise you, we’ll
be careful.’
Cissie smiled at him and patted his hand. ‘I believe you have
goodness in your heart, Master Tyaas. As much as it upsets me, I know
I can’t stop you now.’ She handed the key to Tallitha. ‘Keep it safe.
But remember, I’m giving you this key with a heavy heart and it’s on
condition that I know what’s happening,’ she said looking from one to
the other. ‘Well... you’ll need provisions and I can help with that.’ They sat round the fire with the map spread out in front of them,
poring over the strange names and curious symbols. Tyaas lifted the
map nearer to the flames so the heat was behind it. The key stood out,
the bright silver lettering glowing fiercely in the dark.
‘Let’s try the key now,’ said Tallitha, excitedly.
The boys nodded and Tallitha reached for the small box. It clicked
open and she lifted out a large rusty key, wrapped in a soft cloth. ‘This will get us out of Winderling Spires,’ she announced, turning
the key in the firelight.
But as Tallitha wrapped the key back in the cloth she noticed some
embroidery in the corner. She held the cloth up to the light and read
out the words:

‘What does it mean‒follow the dark route in sequence?’ asked Tallitha looking at the others for inspiration. ‘What sequence?’
‘’Tis a mystery,’ replied Cissie. ‘Essie embroidered it on her return. She kept sayin’ the words about the sequence, over and over to herself, when she was ill, ravin’ like. But I ’aven’t a clue what it means’.
They pored over the map, trying to interpret the Ennish words but despite the book of translations the map revealed nothing more about the sequence.
‘There must be a way to interpret the map that we don’t yet understand,’ said Tyaas.
But this time they were all stumped. As the flames spluttered throwing shadows onto the walls, the curious names on the map became ever more intriguing. They had never heard of Burnt Heath, Sour Pits or the Ruby Falls.
‘Esmerelda must have visited these places,’ said Tyaas, the names becoming ever more fascinating.
‘But she’s taken the wrong turning many times, so we don’t want to follow her route,’ said Benedict cautiously.
‘Better to know the mistakes Essie made, if she will tell us about them,’ said Tyaas.
‘Then we will just have to ask her,’ said Tallitha finally.
Tired, excited, and with their heads full of plans for the perilous journey, they headed off to bed.

The next day Tallitha left early for the sisters’ apartment without the tiresome shrove. She was preoccupied with Cissie’s story and how to make sense of the map, that wasn’t really a map. Climbing the north staircase she became aware of an uncomfortable feeling. Someone was watching her. At the top of the staircase a cold hand went over Tallitha’s mouth.

‘Get off me,’ she yelled, struggling to get free, ‘how dare you!’ She could smell the greasy aroma of old shrove. Tallitha bit the gnarled hand but it was hopeless, the thick leathery skin tasted vile.

It was Florré. She could smell the greasy lotion he used to keep his wiry hair flat.
‘I know it’s you, Florré!’ she shouted struggling to get free. ‘Let me go!’
‘Hush you, girl,’ he growled into the base of her neck.
He sniffed her body, moisture salivating down his chin as though he was going to bite her.
‘Stop this at once!’ she screamed and spat at him.
But there was no one around to hear her cries. He bundled her into an abandoned apartment and closed the door behind him. She saw his eyes glinting in the half-light as he twisted her arm and pushed her through a heavy velvet curtain. Tallitha stumbled to the floor as the shrove leaned over her.
‘Get away from me,’ she gasped, turning to peer into the darkened room, ‘W-who’s there?’ she whispered, sensing someone else. The room beyond the curtain smelled sweetly familiar. Tallitha kept very still, ‘I know someone’s there,’ she said, her voice rising in panic.
A familiar sickly odour hung in the air. Suddenly the room filled with the smell of sulphur and there was a flash of bright blue light. Death-black shredded drapes hung like widows weeds from a high canopy, framing Esmerelda in the murky darkness. As the candle spluttered, Tallitha stared round at the eerie séance room. Along each wall were glass specimen cases containing bizarre exotic plants and fantastic fungi. Esmerelda was sitting at a round mirrored table painted with black, purple and silver symbols. In the centre were pointed coloured crystals, surrounded by a pool of rising vapour. The cats, Licks and Lap, leapt from the shadows and circled Esmerelda’s feet, meowing loudly. Tallitha tried to escape but Florré barred her way. His brown broken teeth and rancid breath making her reel as he stepped towards her, smiling wickedly. Tallitha stumbled back into the room and she felt Esmerelda grab her wrist.
‘You’re not going anywhere,’ she hissed.
‘How dare you order that shrove to bring me here,’ shouted Tallitha angrily.
Esmerelda pulled Tallitha close and stared deep into her eyes. She was dressed in a long purple robe and her eyes were painted with violet sweeps of colour. Tallitha thought she looked like a fortune teller.
‘We must finish what we started yesterday. You can see things others can’t,’ said Esmerelda, ‘you have the precious gift and you saw someone, didn’t you? You spoke of her, wearing a black dress.’
‘Let me go, Essie! You can’t keep me here.’
Tallitha tried to push past Florré but he stood in her way, his cold heartless eyes fixed on her, daring her to escape.
‘Come here, the shrove won’t let you pass,’ Esmerelda said beguilingly. ‘We both want the same thing.’
Esmerelda held Tallitha’s gaze with her dark eyes and slowly her desire to escape evaporated. She was overcome by Esmerelda’s haunting voice and blazing, hypnotic eyes. The ancient words of Ennish tripped off her tongue,