Hidden

by Shalini Boland

  Madison hired a team of builders to completely gut and transform the cellar into a luxurious suite of windowless rooms with a lounge, five bedrooms and two bathrooms. They would also put in a separate entrance, so when the others awoke, they would be able to come and go as they pleased.

  While all this was going on, Alexandre would stay on the top floor of the house. He carried the other four upstairs, sealing their crates shut so they would be safe from the light and from prying eyes. But first, another matter needed to be addressed. One that really worried Madison.

  She stared out of the lounge window and realised she couldn’t put it off any longer. She would have to tell Alexandre about the bones she’d found in the cellar; the skeleton she had been so terrified of when she first discovered the hidden room. It was obviously the remains of her ancestor, Harold Swinton, but because he was a friend of Alexandre’s, she felt totally embarrassed about how she’d bundled him into a crate and shoved him out of sight.

  When she finally plucked up the courage to tell him, he was immediately sympathetic.

  ‘Do not take it too much to heart,’ Alexandre said, watching her pace around the lounge. He stood in front of her and put a hand on her arm. ‘Your reaction was perfectly normal. Isobel would have screamed the house down and run for her life.’

  ‘Yeah, no offence to Isobel, but she’s a Victorian chick and I’m supposed to be an enlightened street-wise hard-ass, not a wuss.’

  ‘I maybe understood about three words in that sentence,’ Alexandre replied.

  ‘Translation – I’m embarrassed at being so scared of a skeleton and ashamed I treated Harold like that.’ She covered her face and cringed as she remembered her over-reaction to the discovery of the skeleton.

  ‘You did not know who it was. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You live with five vampires; you’re the bravest girl I know.’

  ‘That’s true,’ she nodded and half-heartedly smiled. ‘But at the moment, I’m also the only girl you know.’

  ‘Poor Harold,’ Alexandre said. ‘He does need to be given a proper burial.’

  ‘His tombstone’s already in the chapel,’ Maddy said, sitting down. ‘It’s got his name and the dates on it. But how can that be true when his skeleton’s here in the house?’

  ‘He must have been given a false burial. Refet must have arranged for a funeral without his body.’

  ‘That makes sense.’

  ‘I will go to the chapel tonight and put Harold where he belongs - with Victoria,’ Alexandre said.

  ‘Leonora and Freddie’s tombs are there too. I think their dates of death were the same as Victoria’s. I remember thinking how sad it was they all died so young.’

  ‘Oh how Harold must have suffered,’ Alexandre said. ‘To have buried his wife and had to pretend his children were also dead.’ He sucked in his breath. ‘I suppose he decided death was the only plausible explanation for their disappearance from society.’

  ‘So, can you go into churches then?’ Madison asked, changing the subject slightly.

  ‘Yes, I believe so. Why do you ask?’

  ‘It’s just, with you being a vampire, all the books and stuff say you can’t go into holy places.’

  ‘Do you think I am damned?’

  ‘Do I what?’

  ‘Do you believe I am unholy?’

  ‘No. I’m just saying in films and things, I’m pretty sure vampires can’t go into churches.’

  ‘What happens if they do?’

  ‘Um, I dunno. They explode? Or crumble into dust. Something like that.’

  ‘I see. Maybe then, if you would not mind, it should be you who takes his body into the chapel. For it may be too dangerous for me. I have no wish to explode.’

  Madison’s felt slightly ill at the thought of taking Harold’s bones into a crypt and opening up his sarcophagus on her own.

  ‘Sorry,’ Alexandre laughed. ‘I could not resist. Your face is so funny.’

  ‘You sod! I was only trying to look out for you.’ She beat him on the arm. It was like punching a granite wall.

  ‘Sorry, sorry,’ he laughed. ‘Don’t hit me, I might crumble into dust.’

  ‘Shut up, Alex. You’re not funny.’

  *

  Marchwood House had been rebuilt in the eighteenth century but the family chapel was far older. The mellow stone building sat several hundred metres away to the south, surrounded on three sides by a low privet hedge. Alexandre walked up to the wooden door and turned the circular iron lock. The door creaked open.

  Madison’s words of churches and vampires echoed in his ears and even though he had mocked her theories, he still felt some trepidation as he stepped across the threshold. He paused. No, he felt no different. He did not explode or crumble to dust. All was well. He thought how Madison would laugh if she knew she had unsettled him like this.

  Once inside, he took in the whitewashed walls, chequered flagstones and dark wooden pews. There was also a raised gallery with carved wooden balustrades. It was a simple, peaceful place.

  The crypt was not underground but situated at the entrance to the chapel where eight stone sarcophagi sat in plain view. Alexandre found the one he wanted. It had the names of both Harold and Victoria Swinton engraved upon it. They had chosen to be buried together.

  Alexandre wondered about his own parents. Where had they been buried? And had there also been a fake funeral for him and his siblings? How had he ended up so far from home, in this small corner of England?

  He lifted the lid easily and placed Harold’s bones inside. He hoped Leonora and Freddie would not mind that he was doing this for their father without them. But they could still have their own ceremony for him when they awoke.

  Now Harold was at last with his beloved Victoria, Alexandre closed the heavy white lid. He placed white lilies on top of the tomb – Madison’s idea.

  ‘Goodbye, my friend. Thank you. I pray Leonora and Freddie will wake safely and when they do, I shall care for them as you did for me.’

  Chapter Twenty Four

  *

  Madison was interesting, exotic and exciting, not like any other girl he had met before. She had Leonora’s confidence and beauty, without being judgemental and complicated. Her outrageous sense of humour sometimes shocked him, but it always made him laugh. She was also an excellent teacher, patiently explaining all the day-to-day minutiae he needed to cope with modern living. She teased him about his formal dress-sense and laughed when he made linguistic mistakes, but he enjoyed this light-hearted banter; it made him feel normal.

  She was exactly what he needed. Without her he would be lost, unanchored and adrift. Together, with Ben, they were becoming a tight little unit - a family of sorts. All alone in the world, save for each other.

  He read the history books she had bought him from cover to cover. It was like reading his future before it had happened, only to realise it was not his future; it was a past that had happened without him. Despite his sadness over this, he also felt tremendous excitement as he read about all the great inventions and discoveries of the twentieth century. Disgust and disbelief engulfed him as he learnt of the two world wars. He still could not believe he had slept through everything.

  Alternately depressed and elated, Alexandre travelled a rocky landscape of emotions that never levelled out. Only when he talked to Madison, did he feel remotely calm.

  By the time the clocks went forward in March, Alexandre was ensconced in his new luxurious underground pad. He helped Madison design the layout and décor, keeping most of it French nineteenth century in style apart from the new mod cons like plumbing, lighting control pads and a state-of-the-art integrated home cinema and mp3 system. Although he now had access to all the information he needed, via his own laptop, he still preferred to read books and rapidly built his own library collection.

  His main addiction though, was watching films. He couldn’t get enough of them and purchased DVDs ten or twenty at a time from the local store. They took him away from his own
thoughts and he completely immersed himself in their magic. He fell in love with Brigitte Bardot, Audrey Hepburn and Scarlet Johanssen. He was thrilled by action adventure films, caught up in dramas and fascinated by documentaries and war movies. The comedies made him laugh until his head hurt; his favourite being the slapstick of Laurel and Hardy.

  He could not believe the level of freedom available to film makers. Things that would have been considered scandalous or immoral, most certainly involving long prison sentences, were now considered normal mainstream entertainment.

  Isobel, Jacques and the others remained in the cellar with him, still unconscious in their crates. Guilt stabbed at him, that they still slept whilst he lived his life, but he could not bring himself to risk their lives trying to wake them up. And then, if he did make the decision, which of them would he choose to revive first? No, better to wait until a more clear-cut solution came along. Alexandre didn’t know it, but just such a solution would not be long in presenting itself.

  *

  Back in January, Ben had returned to school with warnings of absolute secrecy ringing in his ears. Madison was paranoid.

  ‘For a start, nobody would believe you and for another thing ...’

  ‘Okay, okay, I know!’ Ben protested for the umpteenth time. ‘You don’t have to go on about it. I’m twelve, not two. I do know how to keep a secret you know. What d’you think I’m gonna do? Rush up to my mates and say, guess what? I’m living with a vampire!’

  ‘Sorry but yeah, Ben. That’s exactly what I thought you might do. It’s tempting to think, oh I’ll just tell Dan, he won’t tell anyone and before you know it, you’ve got half the school camping out in the garden, pretending they’re vampire slayers or something.’

  ‘Cheers for the vote of confidence. I’m not a complete moron you know.’

  ‘Sorry, Ben. I know you’re not. I just worry, that’s all. And it’s better to be over-careful.’

  ‘God, it really isn’t.’

  She smiled at his expression. ‘Okay, I promise I won’t mention it again.’

  ‘Hmm.’

  That conversation had taken place over three months ago and it was now a dark and gloomy April afternoon. Madison sat curled up in her favourite spot – the comfy window seat in the library. Ben was still at school and Alexandre was downstairs somewhere, so she had opened the shutters to let some forbidden light in through the glass.

  As far as Madison knew, Ben had been true to his word and not mentioned Alexandre’s existence to anyone. Madison too, had kept the knowledge to herself, but anyway, she had no contact with anyone else, apart from the odd moody exchange with Esther and Morris who went about their business paying no attention to what she did.

  During all this time, Travis had never called round once. Madison felt bad for not contacting him after her awkward rejection of him on Christmas Eve, but she couldn’t think about that now; there were too many other things on her mind and it was easier not to. She’d ring him soon and make amends. He was a good friend and she didn’t want to lose him.

  Keisha and Lois occasionally rang, and they were still on at her to have another party. Maddy kept fobbing them off, saying she’d come and visit soon, but she didn’t really mean it. That world seemed far away now. She was happy and secure in her new life.

  She put down her book and stared out of the library window. The sun tried and failed to put in an appearance between the thick scudding clouds. Today the wind was king, snatching at the new green leaves on the shivering trees.

  Suddenly, a flash of white lightning forked its way over the dark green lawn and Madison jumped as the loudest clap of thunder shook the house from its eaves to its foundations. Now, big splats of rain dropped from the darkening sky, exploding like marbles against the window pane. Maddy rested her forehead against the cold glass and stared out into the unexpected storm.

  She remembered the last thunderstorm. It was on the day she had been suspended from school and had argued with her foster parents. The day she’d thought her life was finished. Now look at her. In charge of her own destiny, caring for her brother, money in the bank and nothing to worry about ever again. Well, she knew that wasn’t strictly true. There was plenty to worry about, she just wasn’t going to think about the other four vampires in the cellar. She would enjoy the one she had.

  Maddy strained her eyes to see through the wall of rain. It was pelting down, but she thought she saw lights in the distance coming up the driveway. Yes, car headlights streaming through the rain. She wondered who it could be. It was too early for Ben to be coming back from school.

  Madison wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. Her house had become a secure haven against all outsiders. She’d turned into a bit of a recluse these days, not wanting to engage with anyone other than her brother and Alex.

  A taxi pulled up onto the driveway and a large black umbrella emerged. She got up from her cosy spot, pulled the shutter closed and headed out into the entrance hall.

  Madison opened the front door. The man wore a smart navy three-quarter-length coat over his suit but the umbrella still shielded his face. His shoes were black and shiny, speckled with small blobs of rain. He turned away and shook his umbrella before closing it and turning back to face her.

  ‘Madison! It’s good to see you. I must apologise for arriving unannounced.’

  She stared into the smiling face of Mr Vasey-Smith and was immediately transported back to the supermarket, where she had first set eyes on the solicitor and when her life had begun to change. Such a lot had happened since then.

  She hadn’t given Trevor or Angie too much thought since she’d been here, even though they had given her and Ben a home for three years. Any respect and gratitude she had had for them, disappeared the minute they had let her and Ben go for the price of a nice house and a bit of cash. On the one hand, she was glad they hadn’t kicked up a fuss, but she also felt let down by their quick abandonment, especially of Ben. She had thought Angie, at least, had loved Ben like a son.

  All these thoughts flashed like unwelcome intruders through her mind as Mr Vasey-Smith stood on the doorstep in the rain. She stood back to let him in.

  ‘Hi,’ she said. ‘Um, how are you?’

  ‘Very well, thank you.’

  ‘Come in,’ she continued. ‘Do you want a drink or something? I can make us some tea. Or I’ve got a cold drink …’

  ‘Tea would be just the thing,’ he replied. ‘No sugar. Thank you.’

  Soon they were sitting in the lounge sipping their tea and eating biscuits. Madison wondered why he had come. She hoped there wasn’t a problem. She suddenly felt apprehensive.

  ‘Is everything okay? I mean with the house and everything. We can still live here can’t we?’

  ‘Oh yes, of course,’ he replied. ‘The house is yours, as long as you live in it. Nothing’s happened to change that.’

  ‘Oh, good. For a minute, I thought you’d come to tell me it had all been a mistake and I had to go back and live with Trevor and Angie.’

  ‘No, no. Goodness no. What an unpleasant thought.’

  On hearing this, Madison relaxed a bit.

  ‘No,’ he continued. ‘I just happened to be in the area and thought I’d pop in and see how you’re doing before catching my train back to London. Have you and Ben settled in alright?’

  ‘Yeah. It’s been great. Ben loves his new school.’

  ‘Good. That’s good. Everything else alright? No problems at all?’

  ‘No. We’re fine. Thank you,’ she replied. It was quite nice to see the man who’d helped change her life for the better. She was grateful he’d actually taken the time to come and see how they were. It was more than her foster parents had done anyway. ‘Ben’s happier here than he’s ever been and we really feel at home. It’s great. Everything’s great.’ She realised it actually was. Happiness had crept up on her and made itself at home.

  ‘Not too lonely here for you? It’s a big place. You’re not rattling around too much?’
<
br />   ‘No. It’s completely amazing having all this space to ourselves. We’ve spent loads of time exploring.’

  ‘Find anything interesting?’

  Maddy smiled to herself at this question. He’d send her off to the nuthouse if she told him what she’d actually found here.

  ‘There’s a lovely river at the bottom of the grounds,’ she said. ‘And there’s a weird little tower you can climb up and see around for miles.’

  ‘Ah, one of the estate’s follies.’

  ‘Yeah, it’s amazing. Kind of like a lighthouse with no light. And I love the little chapel here. It’s very beautiful.’ She heard a car door slam. ‘Oh, here’s Ben. Morris sometimes picks him up from school, but I’m seventeen in a few months so I’ll be able to take my driving test and drive him myself. I can’t wait. Hang on, I’ll just go and tell him you’re here.’

  She walked out into the entrance hall to see Ben stripping off his wet coat. He hung it on the peg, but it slipped off and lay in a soggy heap on the floor next to his muddy shoes and school bag.

  ‘Hey, bro, we’ve got a visitor,’ she said loudly.

  ‘Can I just get some nosh? I’m starving. Who is it?’

  ‘Do you remember Mr Vasey-Smith, the solicitor?’

  ‘Yeah, cool. Hang on I’ll just get a packet of crisps and I’ll come in. You in the lounge?’

  ‘Yeah,’ she replied. And then she mouthed to him. ‘Remember, don’t mention Alex.’ She pointed down at the cellar.

  Ben rolled his eyes and zipped his mouth closed. He pulled a rude face and went off into the kitchen. She returned to the lounge.

  ‘Everything alright?’ the solicitor asked her.