by Amy Cross
***
As soon as she reached the top of the hill and began to walk across the driveway, Kate could tell that something was most definitely wrong. Edgar's mansion seemed so still and lifeless, almost as if the house itself had died and begun to fade away. If she didn't know better, she could easily have believed that it had been abandoned, yet she was quite certain that Edgar must be somewhere within the building.
When she got to the foot of the steps that led up to the main door, she turned to look back for a moment. It was a hot day with not a cloud in the sky, and the climb up the hill had left her breathless and a little sweaty. She felt uncomfortable and barely presentable, but worse than that was the fact that she was convinced she was being watched. As she turned to look up at the mansion's windows, she was unable to spot anyone; still, the sensation persisted, and for the first time she began to wonder whether she should perhaps have listened to Ephram's warnings.
Then again, she reminded herself, Ephram might be a good man, but he was also extremely superstitious. He believed in things that simply didn't, and couldn't, exist. Plus, he was clearly prejudiced against Edgar, which was surely clouding his thinking.
Reaching the door, she was about to knock when she saw that it was already hanging slightly ajar. She pushed it open and peered into the gloom, finding to her dismay that the interior of the house seemed just as abandoned and desolate as the exterior. Setting her bags down, she stepped into the hallway, waving away a cloud of dust that hung in the air, and she immediately realized that no-one seemed to have been in this place for quite some time. She felt quite certain that Edgar would not have just upped and left, yet she couldn't help but wonder why no-one had come to meet her. Having traveled so far, she was starting to worry that the whole job offer had been a mistake or, even worse, some kind of a hoax.
Her footsteps echoed as she made her way across the room. She listened out for any hint of a noise, but the place was silent.
“Miss Langley,” a voice said suddenly. “Welcome back.”
Turning, she saw a hunched figure shuffling through the shadows, and after a moment she realized that it was the doorman, Jacob. His presence was, at least, a sign that the mansion hadn't been completely abandoned, although he seemed older and more decrepit than before. Just like the mansion itself, it was as if he'd aged far more than just three months.
“Hi,” Kate said cautiously. “I'm... I sent a message ahead saying that I'd be arriving today. I don't know if you were expecting me, though...”
“Of course,” Jacob said, his old, weathered face breaking into a courteous smile. “His Lordship informed me that you would be coming, and he instructed me to show you to your room.”
“His Lordship?” Kate replied, slightly taken aback by the grandeur of the title. “Is... Do you mean Edgar?”
“Yes. His Lordship, Baron Edgar Le Compte of Thaxos.”
“Right,” Kate replied, unable to stifle a faint smile, “and is... His Lordship here?”
“I believe he is in the East Wing,” Jacob explained. “I'm afraid he cannot be disturbed at the moment, but he wanted me to inform you that he is very much looking forward to seeing you over dinner tonight at eight o'clock in the state room. Until then, I am instructed to show you to your quarters and offer any assistance that might be required as you settle in. His Lordship felt that you would probably not want to get to work straight away, so please, take time to relax and get to know your surroundings.”
“Sure,” Kate said, looking back at her bags for a moment before turning to Jacob again. “Is it not possible to just briefly see Edgar and -”
“I am afraid that His Lordship cannot be disturbed,” Jacob said firmly, interrupting her. “On that matter, he was most insistent, and it is best to respect his wishes. I can assure you, however, that he is very much looking forward to meeting you over dinner tonight.”
“Huh,” Kate replied, unable to shake the feeling that her return wasn't been treated as any kind of big deal. It wasn't as if she'd expected ribbons and a fanfare, but she'd still figured that Edgar would at least greet her in person.
“I shall have a man bring your luggage up,” Jacob added. “Please, won't you come with me?”
As the old man made his way to the staircase, Kate paused for a moment. She was starting to realize that perhaps she had misjudged the situation. Her previous visit to Thaxos might have been a holiday, but this time she was here to work, and Edgar Le Compte was her employee rather than her friend. She'd anticipated that dividing line, of course, but she hadn't expected it to be so clearly marked out on the first day. Figuring that she should simply adjust her expectations accordingly and be thankful for the job, she hurried after Jacob, as a sunken-eyed porter emerged from a nearby door and, with almost mechanical efficiency, went to fetch her bags.
“So have there been many parties over the past few months?” Kate asked Jacob, trying to make conversation as she followed him up the stairs.
“There have been no gatherings,” the old man replied. “Nor, as far as I am aware, are there any social events on the calendar. Everything has been run as His Lordship demands.”
“It's just that things seem a little different,” Kate continued, hoping to tease out some answers. Instead, she was met with silence, and she figured it was best not to ask any more questions as Jacob led her slowly along the corridor toward her room. Although she had never been much of a believer in the idea of instincts, she was starting to feel that something must be horribly wrong at the mansion.
“The life of the house continues as His Lordship prefers,” was the only reply she received. Curt, brief and to the point, it was also noticeably evasive.
Once she had been shown to her room and her bags had arrived, Kate realized that she wasn't quite sure what to do next. Jacob offered only some limited information about the mansion, and gave no real clue as to whether she was free to explore freely. In fact, the old man seemed barely interested in her at all, and answered her questions with as few words as possible.
“Dinner will be at eight,” he said finally as he stepped out of the room. “His Lordship requests that you should not be late.”
“Sure,” Kate replied as she listened to Jacob's footsteps heading away along the corridor. Finally she was left alone in her room. “I wouldn't dream of keeping His Lordship waiting.”
II
“I tried everything,” Ephram explained as he set a tray of food in front of his mother. “She wouldn't listen. To her, I'm just an old fool. She doesn't understand the truth about that man. No offense, but she is a typical woman and a typical westerner. Not a good combination at all.”
He sat on the side of the bed as his grandmother slowly picked up her knife and fork. Every night, the pair of them went through the same routine: he'd bring her a meal and then sit with her while she ate, and usually he'd end up helping her since the old woman no longer had the necessary strength to feed herself properly. Tonight, her aged, veiny hands seemed to be having particular trouble with the cutlery, and Ephram watched her struggle until he had no choice but to intervene.
“Here,” he said, taking the knife and fork so that he could cut her food up for her. “Let me.”
Although she tried to take the cutlery back, the old woman finally gave in and accepted that this was how things would have to be. She opened her mouth obediently and allowed her grandson to gently slip a forkful of meat between her lips, and then she swallowed without even bothering to chew the gelatinous mess.
“She'll learn soon enough,” Ephram continued, forcing a smile as he cut off another piece of meat. “Of course, by then it might be too late, but I'm sure she can look after herself. If not...”
He paused, as suddenly the impact of those words hit him. He respected Kate and he felt that she could take care of herself, but at the same time he had no doubt that Edgar Le Compte was a dangerous man.
“Well,” he added, slipping another forkful of food into his grandmother's mouth, “she seems smart.
Hopefully she'll get out while she still has a chance. After all, you managed it with Le Compte's grandfather, didn't you? So many foolish girls threw themselves at his feet, but you had the sense to back away all those years ago. What was it that warned you?”
As he lifted the fork to his grandmother's mouth to give her some more food, she reached out and gently pushed his arm away. He tried again, but the same thing happened.
“You must eat,” he said, worried that she was going to eat even less tonight. “If you don't eat, you won't get better. You want to get better, don't you?”
There was no reply. She simply stared at him with pleading eyes.
“Don't you?” he asked again. “Grandmother?”
Slowly, the old woman turned and looked over at the window, as if she expected to see something on the other side. There was something in her gaze, a kind of alertness, that Ephram had not seen for a very long time, and it gave him a small amount of hope.
“Do you want me to leave the window open tonight?” he asked.
She nodded.
“Of course,” he replied, getting to his feet and making his way across the room. As he opened the window, he couldn't help but feel relieved that his grandmother had at least acknowledged his presence. Too often of late, she had simply sat and let him spoon food into her, without even indicating that she was aware of his presence. Tonight, something was definitely different, and he couldn't help but wonder if maybe there was just the slightest hint of hope after all. The thought of her leaving this world, and of him finally being all alone, was too much to contemplate.
Turning back to his grandmother she saw that she was still staring at the window, almost as if she was expecting a visitor. Before he could say anything, however, he heard the bell ringing downstairs.
“A customer,” he said, hurrying to the door. “Try to eat, and I'll be back up soon.”
Once he'd left the room, the old woman remained in the same position, staring at the window. Outside, there was nothing but darkness, but she knew it was only a matter of time before her visitor arrived.