“The floor was made of solid wood, and it had a dull glaze left from when it had last been polished. There were six doors leading off from the hallway, and a huge sweeping staircase with an ornate, carved, wooden bannister.
“Would you like Jarrow to show you around sir, or would you prefer to see everything on your own?”
“It was Mrs Jarrow who had asked the question, which brought me out of my reverie. I thanked her and agreed that under the circumstances I would prefer a guided tour. The downstairs housed the dining room, complete with a twelve-seater banqueting table and matching chairs. There was the front parlour, and back parlour, which from the looks of it had been transformed into a music room. I noticed a harpsichord, or possibly a spinate, housed in the far corner, with several chairs set out around it as if expecting an eager audience to take their places.
“There was a library, although sadly most of the shelves appeared to have been stripped of their tomes. Also, a main reception room, and a door at the far end of the hallway which led down to the kitchen and scullery. The main rooms all had huge fireplaces and, I was glad to see, sturdy radiators. On the walls hung gas burners held in brass brackets, with glass mantles covering them. Fortunately, there were also electric lights in each room which Jarrow flicked on and off to demonstrate that they were in working order.
“The kitchen and scullery were both extremely cold and uninviting. There was a large wooden table which dominated the centre of the kitchen, and a beautiful, if a trifle unloved, judging by the state of it, range cooker, which took up half of one side of the room. On the other side stood an enormous dresser, which again took up half the wall. It was stacked with all manner of china and crockery, and the drawers, I presumed, held the cutlery and cooking utensils. It was plain from the outset that my late relative had not been much of a fan of cooking, as the kitchen in any large house was always, as far as I was concerned, meant to be the very heart of the house but this one appeared sadly neglected.
“We went through to the scullery which contained the larders and meat stores. There was a wooden door at the back with a large frosted glass pane at the top, and Jarrow opened it with another of the keys from his bunch. Just outside the door stood an old outhouse, which for a moment, I feared, I was going to be informed was the toilet.”
“That be the old generator room.”
“I think I managed to hide the relief on my face from my tour guide when he made that announcement. Jarrow took me out to the rickety wooden building and showed me the electric generator, and more importantly how to start it up should it suddenly stop working. One corner of the building was full, almost to the ceiling, with wooden logs, precariously balanced on top of each other to form a makeshift pyramid. Next to the wood-pile were several rusty metal cans. I asked Jarrow about them, and he explained that they contained paraffin for the lanterns.”
“The late master kept a lantern in almost every room in case the genie fizzed out during the night. I always made sure that they were filled up, just in case.”
“I pointed to the generator, and asked Jarrow if that was what powered the radiators throughout the house as well. But he shook his head slowly and gestured for me to follow him back into the house. Once we were back in the kitchen, he took me over to what appeared to be a larder just behind the main door. He opened it to reveal what seemed to be a large boiler.”
“This used to be what powered the radiators, but the master had a quarrel with the gas company years ago about the cost of his bills so in the end he refused to pay them and they cut him off. It might be possible to start it up again, but you’d have to speak to the gas people. I’m ok with the electric genie, but I don’t ever mess with gas.”
“I asked Jarrow how my relative had kept the house warm enough to live in during the winter, and he informed me that for the most part Mrs Jarrow would always make sure that each fireplace was stacked with wood, and ready to light. But apparently, even then, my benefactor tended to stick to using the ones in the dining room, front parlour and his bedroom only.
“When we went upstairs, we came across Mrs Jarrow busily making up a bed for me in one of the eight double bedrooms the property boasted. She looked almost apologetic when she explained that she felt that I would be uncomfortable sleeping in my relative’s room, so she had taken the liberty of choosing a room which faced the north of the property so that the morning sun would not shine in and wake me up.
“All the bedrooms seemed about the same in size, although only five of them housed beds. The rest were filled with an assortment of paraphernalia, including trunks, suitcases, rolled-up carpets and pieces of old furniture, most of which appeared to have been dumped in situ without any real thought to space or configuration. There were even a couple of oil paintings in one of the rooms. Portraits mainly, although there was one of the manor in better days. I wondered if any of the portraits were of relatives of mine, and decided to take a closer look when I had more time.
“There were two bathrooms, one at either end of the hall, and a separate water closet which, according to Jarrow, he had plumbed in himself. The top floor housed the attic, which was accessed by a built-in wooden staircase. The structure spread virtually across the entire length of the roof, and had been portioned off into several smaller rooms which I surmised had probably once acted as bedrooms for the staff. Tucked away in a corner I noticed another couple of battered and worn old trunks. It seemed to me an odd place to have shifted them to, especially as there was ample room in several of the bedrooms below, but I surmised that at the time there had been a sound reason for it.
“Once my guided tour was complete, I thanked the Jarrows for their time, and asked Jarrow if he was ready to drop me back into town so that I could collect my car. As I mentioned this the couple exchanged an odd glance, and although no actual words were spoken I had the distinct impression that their eyes were having a conversation of the type that only those who had been married a good many years could. Finally, they broke their psychic connection, and Jarrow turned to me with a concerned expression on his face.”
“Will you be coming back here this evening then, sir?”
“I was a little taken-aback by his question, as I had been under the impression that Peterson had already explained the situation to him. I explained to the pair of them that once I had collected my car, that it was indeed my intention to return to the manor for the night. At my mention of this Mrs Jarrow took in a sudden, and quite audible, gasp, which, upon realising that I had heard, she belatedly tried to muffle behind her hand. I could sense the discomfort between the two of them, and felt sure that they both wanted to say something to me but, for whatever reason, neither wished to speak out of turn. Therefore, I asked them outright if there was anything on their minds.”
“Well, you see sir, Mr Jarrow and I was just wondering if perhaps you might be more comfortable staying in town. The old manor suited the old master, but as you can see, it is not the most comfortable of places to stay, and since his death, my husband and I have increased our shifts at the pub to bring in some extra money so I won’t even have time to prepare you an evening meal.”
“I assured them both that I completely understood their reaction, and thanked them for their concern. But I assured them that I could be quite self-sufficient when the need arose, and I intended to treat the occasion a bit like an adventure. This announcement afforded me another example of their unspoken communication, as yet another strange glance passed between them. By this time, I was beginning to feel slightly irritated with the pair of them, as it was obvious to me that they had something more to say on the subject, but neither was willing to give voice to their concerns. Even so I kept my temper in check as I really did not want to upset either of them, and decided that their mannerism was merely a result of them being country folk who had been brought up to lead a different style of life from those of us in London.
“Having realised that my mind was made up and that I could not be swayed otherwise, Mrs Jarrow insis
ted on making sure that the fires were made ready in the front parlour as well as my bedroom, and that all the lanterns in the house were properly filled just in case of a power failure. I thanked her for taking care of me, and followed Jarrow to his car.
“I was bemused, although not at all surprised, when Jarrow repeated the performance Peterson had treated me to when we reached the sharp turn he had referred to as the ‘Widow- Maker’. Jarrow was not much of a conversationalist, so I spent the journey trying to familiarise myself with the route for my journey back later that afternoon.
“Once we had parked up near my car, Jarrow very kindly offered to wait and allow me to follow him back to the manor. But I assured him that I was reasonably confident of the route by now, and that I intended to spend some time in the town before returning. Eventually, although somewhat reluctantly, I suspected, he agreed to leave. Then just as I was attempting to climb out of his car, he reached over the seat and grabbed my elbow.”
“Sorry sir, but I almost forgot to say; if for any reason you decide you do not wish to stay at the manor, you would be more than welcome to stay with the missus and me. We have a spare room, and she is a fantastic cook, the wife.”
“Looking at him over my shoulder, I could not help but think that there was a look of trepidation, or possibly even fear, in his eyes as he spoke. I remember thinking at the time that Jarrow appeared to be almost fearful about letting me go. It left me with a very uneasy feeling for the rest of the afternoon, but even so, I thanked him once more for his kind offer and asked him to extend my appreciation to his good lady, but I was resolute that I would be spending the night at the manor.”
Seven
“I spent the latter part of the afternoon wandering around the town at a leisurely pace. The afternoon sun was extremely powerful for the time of year, and it made me feel as if it were still summer. The town had a very olde-worldly feel to it, and I was pleasantly surprised by the number of smiles and nods of acknowledgment I received whilst walking around.
“I dropped into a local supermarket to stock up on provisions. It occurred to me that I had not seen a fridge in the kitchen back at the manner, although the room itself was probably cold enough to keep items like milk and cheese fresh for days. As I made my way back to my car I passed by a telephone box, and it was then that I realised that beside a fridge, I had not seen a telephone back at the manor either.
“I glanced at my watch and saw that it was already after five. I wondered if Jenifer had arrived home yet. If she was, then all well and good, but if she was not, then I realised that I would have to hang around town for a little longer so that I could call her. I did not relish the thought of driving back to the manor, and then coming back out again later.
“I loaded up the car with my provisions, and walked back to the box. I set out the change I had received from my shopping on the directory holder, and sorted it into individual piles to make it easier for me to slot them in the phone. I dialled the number and waited. By the time the phone had reached its tenth ring I was about to replace the receiver when it was snatched up at the other end, and a very breathless Jenifer answered.
“It turned out that she had just arrived home from work, and she was standing outside the door, fumbling in her handbag for her key, when she heard the phone ring. It was so good to hear her voice and I listened intently as she spoke about the photoshoot, and how well things seemed to be going. Her father had given her the exciting news that the company who had hired them were so impressed with the way they worked that there was talk of further opportunities in the pipeline. Jenifer also told me that she hoped this present job would be finished in time for her to travel down to meet me and see our new property before I had to set back for London.
“She asked me about the manor, and I went into detail about my guided tour and the Jarrows’ apparent reluctance to leave me alone there overnight. Jenifer was obviously intrigued, but just like me, she found it odd that the couple had not given any reason as to why they felt it necessary to recommend alternative accommodation for me when the manor was just sitting there, unoccupied.
“It seemed like only a matter of minutes before I was down to my last coin. As I slipped it into the slot I informed Jenifer, so that she would not be upset if we were suddenly cut off after the next time the pips went. I could tell from the sound of my wife’s voice that she was beginning to grow upset. I was both touched and reassured that she was feeling the strain of our time apart as much as I was. It almost made me want to jump into my car and drive straight back to London, to surprise her. But as usual I allowed my common sense to guide me, as I knew that such a journey would be a terrible waste of time not to mention petrol.
“Finally, we both heard the pips go, and we rushed as many ‘goodbyes’ and ‘I love you’ sentiments as we could before we were cut off. I stood there for a moment in the box, holding the buzzing handset against my chest, until I noticed that there was a lady waiting outside to use the phone. I replaced the set into the cradle and held open the door after I moved out, so that the lady could move in.
“To my credit, I managed to negotiate my way back to the manor without taking a single wrong turning. By the time I reached the ‘Widow-Maker’ it was already dark, and I was driving with my headlights on. I stopped in the same spot that Peterson had, and pumped my horn twice. I listened out for any response, but all was quiet. As I put the car back into gear and moved off a van came skidding around the corner, heading directly for me. The driver, seemingly oblivious to the local custom, saw me at the last moment and slammed on his brakes. In that split second, I just managed to pull over far enough to avoid a collision and watched the van skid across the road, holding my breath in anticipation that it was about to plunge over the steep incline, and end up mangled at the bottom amongst the trees.
“Fortunately, by some miracle, the driver managed to regain his control of the vehicle and it skirted the verge before skidding back to the road. The driver did not even stop, but seemed to continue down the route which I had just come along without so much as a care. I, on the other hand, sat there for a couple of minutes willing my heartbeat to return back to normal. Now I understood why Peterson made such an effort to demonstrate to me earlier the importance of the extra caution necessary when passing the area. I was, in truth, extremely grateful to him at that moment.
“When I reached the manor, I suddenly realised that Jarrow had not left me his bunch of keys before departing. I stood outside the main door with my shopping bags in my arms, and pondered what my best course of action would to be. I knew that the couple lived close by, but naturally I had no way of knowing in which direction. Added to that, judging by what Mrs Jarrow had said earlier, they were probably both at work by now anyway.
“On the off chance I walked up the stone steps and pushed the front door. To my relief it opened inwards on its creaky hinges, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Once inside I noticed on the nearest hall table that Jarrow had left his bunch for me, presumably realising when he came back to collect his wife that he still had them on him. There was also a hand-written note from Mrs Jarrow, informing me that she had made up the fires in all of the rooms and that they were ready to be lit. She also added that each lantern in the house was full, and that the wicks had all been checked, and that those which had burned down had been replaced just in case. I reached above the hall table and tried the light switch. To my relief, the first set of lights above the hall burst into life.
“I made my way through the house, turning on lights where I thought necessary, and started the fire in the main parlour as that was where I had decided to spend my evening. Now that the sun had set the house was freezing, and the immediate warmth from the hearth was a most welcome arrival. I stood there for a while and allowed the heat to sink into my body. Once I had warmed up sufficiently I took my groceries into the kitchen and put them away in one of the cupboards. Before I set myself down for the evening I went upstairs to the bedroom Mrs Jarrow had recommended for
me, and lit the fire there also. I placed the metal guard over the front, and slotted the catches into place, before going back downstairs.
“I made myself a simple dinner of ham and cheese sandwiches, with a garnish made from cheese and onion flavoured potato crisps. I had treated myself to a bottle of wine from the off licence, and managed to find where the wine glasses were stored in the pantry. I set myself down in front of the roaring fire to enjoy my repast. Having finished my sandwich, I savoured the deep berry flavours from my wine, as I watched the flames lick hungrily at the wooden logs and dance about in the grate for my amusement.
“With my belly full and the comforting warmth from the fire, I could feel the wine starting to take hold. My eyes began to feel heavy, and fortunately I managed to place my glass on a table before I drifted off to sleep.
“When I next opened my eyes the fire in front of me was almost at an end, with the last few remaining logs just about keeping the flames alive. I rose from my chair and stretched out my tired limbs, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I released a massive yawn of contentment.
“I decided to take myself up to bed, as I was not fit for much else. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was almost eleven o’clock, which meant that I had been asleep for over two hours already. The armchair I had dozed in was so comfortable that part of me contemplated just adding a few more logs to the fire and spending the rest of the night in the same place. But, on reflection, it dawned on me that an entire night spent hunched up in an armchair - even one as comfortable as this was - would probably result in my waking up with stiff joints and a twisted neck. Therefore, I decided that my original course of action would turn out to be the most fruitful.
“As I made sure that the front door was secured I realised that I had left my luggage in the car, and even though it was only parked at the foot of the stairs, the thought of going out into the freezing cold night caused me to shiver involuntarily. I stood there for a moment, considering my options. In the end I decided that one night without pyjamas would not be the end of the world, so I turned and began to make my way upstairs to prepare for bed.
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