House of Lies

by Terry Lynn Thomas

  ‘Yes,’ Stephen Templeton said. ‘I’ve spent the past four years trying to convince the owner to loan it to a museum for safekeeping and to allow others to view it. Almost won my argument until the war broke out.’

  ‘And your friend? What happened to your friend?’ The missus asked.

  ‘I can’t find him, nor his wife. I pray they got to safety.’ He turned towards Thomas. ‘I can’t thank you enough for this. I’ve been wondering if I overstepped by taking on something of this magnitude. You’ve taken the worry away from an old man. I shall forever be in your debt.’

  ‘I’ll keep it safe,’ Thomas said. He wrapped it back in the velvet cloth. ‘I’ll lock it away. Please, everyone, help yourself to tea.’ While everyone moved to the dining room, Thomas quickly unlocked the safe and placed the chalice inside. Only when the lock clicked into place did he breathe easily. Hurrying upstairs, Thomas washed his hands and splashed cold water on his face. I’ll be glad when this day is over. Years of dangerous covert operations had honed Thomas’s senses. As such, Thomas had long since learned to trust his intuition, so when his instincts told him to go quietly down the stairs, he did so. Had he not been paying attention, he might not have noticed the glow of light emanating from under the closed door of his study. Careful not to make any noise, Thomas burst into the room, just as Evan Fletcher squatted down in front of the safe, inspecting it.

  ‘You’d better have a damn good reason for being in here,’ Thomas said.

  As if to show he wasn’t intimidated by Thomas, Evan rose and stood nose to nose with Thomas. ‘I was checking the safe.’

  Evan was twenty years younger than Thomas and very sure of his physical prowess. Unafraid, Thomas stepped closer and met the man’s inscrutable gaze. ‘Get the hell out of my study,’ Thomas said.

  Breaking the tension, Evan put his hands in the air and stepped away. ‘Sorry. I wanted to see for myself the safe was locked. No disrespect, sir.’

  ‘Apology accepted. The dining room is through there.’

  Once Evan had gone, Thomas quickly opened the safe and verified that the chalice was still safely tucked away.

  Stephen Templeton and his driver left at nine o’clock. By ten-thirty Beck and the missus had retired for the evening, leaving Thomas alone in his study. He stood before the window with the lights out, waiting for Cat. The shrubs and bushes surrounding the grounds provided a perfect hiding place for someone intent on spying. Thomas shook his head. Standing in the dark office, he scanned the perimeter for suspicious shapes and sudden movement, but didn’t see anything. The full moon shone bright on Cat as she turned her bicycle into the drive and came riding up. She skidded the bike to a stop and hopped off gracefully. When he opened the door to her, she fell into his arms, laughing all the while. He pulled her inside the house before he closed and locked the door behind them.

  ‘Hello, my love.’ He pulled her close to him, intoxicated by the scent of her hair, relieved that she was safely in his care.

  ‘Thomas, stop.’ She pushed him away. ‘What will Beck and the missus think?’

  He grabbed her tighter and whispered in her ear. ‘They are retired for the night. We are very much alone.’

  She kissed him back before she pulled away and looked into his eyes. ‘Did you get it? Can I see it?’

  ‘Yes and yes.’ He took her hand and led her into the study. She stood next to him as he opened the safe and took the chalice out. When he pulled the velvet wrapping away, Cat gasped and stepped closer.

  ‘It is absolutely beautiful.’ Her voice came out in a hushed, reverent whisper. ‘The gold is so rich. May I?’

  Thomas nodded.

  Cat picked up the chalice, holding it in her hands. She held it up to the light, so dazzled by the shimmer of the gems, she didn’t notice Thomas had moved to the window, where he peeked through the curtains.

  ‘Think of all the people who have taken sacrament from this chalice over the centuries. I’ll bet kings and queens have touched this before us. I can almost sense their presence.’ She set the chalice on the table, never taking her eyes from it. ‘What do you know about it? Who did it belong to? Are they still in France? I wonder if they’re …’ She paused mid-sentence and cocked her head. ‘What’s wrong?’

  Thomas turned to face Cat, concern etched on his face. ‘I have the feeling we’re being watched, and I’m worried that some angry husband is going to come after you.’

  ‘You need to stop worrying. Saint Monica’s is safe. I’m certain of it. We’ve been so careful, Tom, really. The doors are locked all the time and Bede has a shotgun loaded and ready. Let me assure you, she’s not afraid to use it.’

  Thomas sighed. ‘I know.’

  Cat wrapped the velvet cover around the chalice and handed it to Thomas, who placed it in the safe, closed the door, and turned the lock. ‘That’s quite a responsibility you’ve taken on, if you don’t mind me saying so.’

  ‘I know,’ Thomas said again. His knees cracked as he stood back up and faced her. ‘But Stephen Templeton cannot cope with the worry of it. The chalice will be safe enough here, and I’m better equipped to deal with any potential threats to its safety.’

  He put his arm around Cat. ‘I’ve been missing you.’ He pulled her close. ‘I’ll feel much better about things once we are married and you’re here with me.’

  Thomas had known Cat for four years. Despite her ferocious independence and her relentless attempt to keep him at arm’s length, they had fallen in love. When Thomas had proposed, Cat hadn’t hesitated to accept. All she required was an engagement long enough to allow her to see Saint Monica’s up and running. ‘I can’t be running off to get married while trying to help women who are desperately trying to escape this same fate, can I, Tom?’ Although he didn’t understand her logic, he went along with her theory, pleased and surprised she had no qualms about coming to his bed. The conditions of their engagement, coupled with their newfound intimacy, only confirmed what Thomas already knew: Cat would always be the sort of woman who required her independence.

  She sat next to Thomas on the sofa and ran her hand over his ear and the back of his neck. ‘You’ve got that look on your face, like you want to talk to me about something, but you know I’m not going to like it.’

  ‘Does your intuition tell you that?’

  ‘Bede Turner’s been talking to you, hasn’t she?’

  ‘Can you blame her? She’s afraid Michael Grenville is going to murder you all in your beds.’

  ‘Alice Grenville needs my help more than anyone. Her husband kept her captive in her own home, forced her to cook and clean for him, and beat her if she didn’t do his bidding. By god, the woman didn’t even have shoes. I couldn’t very well send her back to him, could I?’ Cat said. ‘You should have seen her. She ran away and made it all the way to Cliff’s garage before she collapsed. Her husband had beaten her so badly, she could barely walk. He knocked two of her teeth out. Both of her eyes were blackened. How could I turn her away? She was utterly pitiful.’

  Thomas bit back the irritation at Cat’s stubbornness and tried to make her see reason. ‘Michael Grenville is a confirmed criminal. He murders, tortures, steals, forges and extorts. A whole cadre of criminals are ready to do his bidding. Rumour has it he murdered Alice’s brother, so Alice could inherit the family fortune. Pushed him down the stairs and left him there for Alice to find the next morning.’

  Cat’s eyes widened for a moment. Thomas was glad to see the fear there. A healthy dose of terror would go a long way towards keeping Cat and the women she lived with safe.

  Shaking her head, as if to convince herself, Cat said, ‘He won’t find us.’

  ‘You better hope to god he doesn’t,’ Thomas said. ‘I’m wondering if we should get you a guard, just temporarily.’

  Cat shook her head.

  ‘Until Alice leaves.’

  ‘No,’ Cat said. ‘I need to do this my way, Tom. At least right now. If I have any male authority figures at Saint Monica’s, it will u
ndermine the feeling of safety.’

  ‘As long as you realise what you’re up against.’

  ‘I do. And I’ll tell Bede what you said. We’ll have to be diligent.’

  ‘As in keeping the windows and doors locked all the time and being aware of people passing by,’ Thomas reminded her.

  ‘Of course,’ Cat said. ‘And checking the house morning and evening to make sure no one has broken in. And by having extra telephones installed, which I’ve done, by the way, at no small expense.’

  ‘I’m really worried about this.’

  ‘I know. I am too,’ she said. She stood and went to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing herself against him. ‘Now come and kiss me.’

  ***

  Thomas and Cat slept with their limbs entwined, warm and cosy under the eiderdown, until the alarm sounded at six o’clock. They always woke up early enough for Cat to sneak home before the village came to life. The gossip mongers of Rivenby would buzz if word got out that Mrs Carlisle and Mr Thomas were sharing each other’s bed out of wedlock.

  While Cat rolled over and turned the alarm off, Thomas jumped out of bed. He peeked out the window, studying the shrubs surrounding his house. The sense of foreboding hadn’t gone away overnight. After he was certain no one crept around the grounds, he stoked the embers in the fireplace and added kindling. Once the flames flicked to life, he placed another log on the fire, eager for its warmth.

  ‘I’ll bring you a cup of tea.’ He threw on his clothes.

  ‘Can’t,’ Cat said. ‘I must get back. The girls get up so early, I’m afraid they’ll catch me coming in.’

  ‘Soon we will be wedded and we can stay in bed all day if we wish.’ Thomas sat down on the chair near the fire and watched Cat as she got dressed. ‘You know, once you’ve got Saint Monica’s situated, you could go back to taking pictures. Maybe even write your own book. I’d help you.’

  Cat rolled her stocking up her leg, revealing a healthy measure of her thigh as she snapped it into the suspender. She started to give him that sly smile of hers but her face grew serious when she met his eyes. ‘Please don’t worry.’

  ‘Promise me you’ll never let your guard down,’ Thomas said.

  ‘Promise,’ Cat said.

  ‘I need to tell DCI Kent about Alice Grenville,’ Thomas said.

  He took it as a good sign when Cat didn’t resist his suggestion. ‘He’ll have to be discreet.’

  ‘I know. I’ll explain the situation. But I can’t keep it from him because there’s the possibility that Michael Grenville will find his wife.’

  She came to him and put her arms around him. ‘You’re really frightened, aren’t you?’

  ‘I am. You don’t know what Michael Grenville is like. If you did, you might not be so gracious towards his wife.’

  ‘She needs my help,’ Cat said.

  He stood, moving back over to the window. ‘Someone’s watching us.’ He put his hand on the back of his neck. ‘I can feel it.’

  Cat stood next to him, leaning in as he wrapped an arm around her. Although she didn’t have the sense of being watched, she trusted Thomas’s intuition enough to heed his warning. She rose on tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

  ‘I’m off. I’ll be careful. I understand how serious this is.’

  Thomas stayed at the window until he saw Cat step out the front door. Tying a scarf around her head, she disappeared around the side of the house, only to reappear a moment later, riding away on her bicycle. Just as Thomas started to turn away from the window, he saw the fleeting shape of a man in the hedges near the entrance of his drive. Heart pounding, he focused on the thick shrubs, scrutinising every inch until his eyes lit on a figure crouching there.

  Without thinking, he ran down the stairs and sprinted barefoot in the direction of the crouching figure, impervious to the morning frost on his bare feet. At the sound of Thomas’s approach, the figure sprang to life, jumped over the hedges and hurried out onto the lane. He heard the sound of a car as it roared away. The car didn’t follow Cat. Instead it went in the opposite direction. At least his intuition hadn’t led him astray. Someone had indeed been watching him. There was something odd about the way the man had jumped across the hedges and ran away. Thomas ran the scene over and over in his mind like a film, unable to grasp what his mind’s eye knew was important.

  Chapter 7

  The cold morning air stung Cat’s cheeks as she pedalled home. Cycling down the lane and onto the village high street, she wished for a warmer coat. Time to pull out the woollies. She rather enjoyed the sleeping village in the grey morning light. Smoke wafted out of chimneys as fires were stoked and kettles were boiled. Worries about Alice Grenville’s husband niggled at the back of her mind. Even Bede had been concerned enough to speak to Thomas, something she would never do under ordinary circumstances. Bede Turner was outspoken, but she wasn’t inclined to meddle.

  Cat would have been foolish to ignore the potential danger of their situation. If Alice’s husband discovered where his wife had taken refuge, everyone’s safety would be in jeopardy. Cat understood men that abused their wives. They liked control and wouldn’t think twice about storming the castle and taking their women – whom they viewed as property – away. How would she protect those who relied on her for sanctuary? Should she get a gun? ‘They won’t find us.’ Cat said the words out loud, as if the act of speaking them would give them weight.

  A chat with Alice Grenville was the first order of business. If the poor woman was still too afraid to come out of her room, Cat would go to her. They needed to make a plan and discuss Alice’s future, her safety and the safety of the other residents at Saint Monica’s. Once Cat was assured Alice had not left any clue as to her whereabouts, she would speak to Lucy Bardwell. There would be no more warnings as far as Miss Bardwell went. One more breach of the rules and out she would go.

  With fresh resolve, Cat tucked her bicycle into the shed, slipped in the front door, and crept upstairs to her room. It wouldn’t do for her housemates to discover she had taken to spending her nights at Thomas’s house. Once she made it unnoticed to her bedroom, she pulled down the covers of her bed and rumpled the pillows. Satisfied the bed looked slept in, Cat stripped off her clothes and soaked in a hot bath until the water ran cold. An hour later, she joined the others downstairs, two packages from Annie Havers tucked under her arm. Cat paused just outside the kitchen, listening to the sounds of laughter and friendly chatter at the breakfast table. When she had doubts about using Saint Monica’s as a refuge, she would draw on this memory and remind herself these women had come to her broken and damaged by no action of their own. Saint Monica’s provided a safe place for them to recover themselves and start fresh, far away from their abusers. The women were given an education at Emmeline Hinch-Billings’s secretarial school, with the promise of job skills to ensure their independence. They did the work. Cat provided the opportunity.

  ‘Good morning, all,’ Cat said. She helped herself to tea from the pot and nodded at Bede, who was spooning scrambled eggs onto a serving plate.

  ‘Everything all right?’ she said to Bede, speaking just low enough so none of the others would hear.

  ‘Oh, everything is fine. But you might want to mess your covers before you go to Mr Charles’s house next time.’ Bede gave her a sardonic look. ‘One of the girls might just wind up in your room.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she snapped, taking the serving plate of eggs from the work top and carrying it to the table.

  ‘Jennie, Elaina, these are for you. From Annie.’ Cat handed Jennie LaGrange and Elaina Masterson the packages.

  ‘What is this?’ Jennie asked. She held the gift in her hand, examining it, a smile on her face.

  Elaina tore her gift open, not caring about shredding the wrapping paper. ‘Oh, this is lovely!’ She held up a small seascape. ‘Annie painted it. Open yours, Jen.’

  Jennie held up a miniature still life of a vase full of roses. ‘Oh, she used my gran’s vase.’ When Je
nnie had left her abusive husband, she had taken the small vase she had inherited from her gran. Annie had depicted the vase in the sun, somehow managing to capture the way the light reflected off the etched crystal. ‘I’m glad she has time to paint. I thought training to be a nurse was rather gruelling.’

  ‘Annie wanted me to convey her good wishes,’ Cat said. She felt protective towards these girls, as if they were her own children. ‘I’ve a little something for you as well. Not as lovely as Annie’s gift, but just a little something to help you get started in your new life. I’m so proud of you both.’ She handed each of the girls an envelope with money in it. ‘You’ll need things when you get your own home, linens and such. I’m hoping this will help.’ A thickness formed at the back of Cat’s throat. Tears filled her eyes. Surprised, she wiped them away. ‘You’ve both worked so hard. I want you to find success and happiness in Scotland. You’ll start your new jobs, and hopefully, will forget the bad times.’

  Bede brought a fresh pot of tea to the table and sat down. ‘I must admit, when Mrs Carlisle first started this venture, I was sceptical. But you two are shining examples of what can be accomplished with hard work.’

  They joined hands for a moment, four women from completely different backgrounds. As if in response to their unspoken solidarity, the sun rose and shone brightly through the kitchen windows.

  ‘Enough of this,’ Bede said, breaking their connection. ‘Let’s eat our breakfast. We’ve all got a big day ahead of us.’

  ‘Where’s Mrs Grenville?’ Jennie asked.

  ‘She’s still resting,’ Bede said. ‘We’ll let her be for the time being.’

  ‘Where’s Lucy?’ Cat reached for a piece of toast.

  ‘Don’t know,’ Elaina said. ‘I didn’t see her yesterday. She’s probably having a tryst with her lover.’ Realising what she had said, Elaina paused and looked at Cat, a sheepish expression on her face. ‘Sorry, Mrs Carlisle.’