Emerald

by Emerald (retail) (epub)

  ‘Don’t be exasperating, Edmund. Do you know something I do not?’

  He shook his head. ‘I’m not at liberty to divulge any secrets, as well you know, Charlotte, but don’t think everything is as simple as it looks on the surface.’

  I longed to shake the truth from him, but his lips were firmly closed, and I knew he would say no more on the subject.

  * * *

  It was great fun showing Edmund around the Plas. He took my arm, and we wound our way through the trees, coming suddenly into the clearing where the tiny chapel stood. Edmund drew a sharp breath and stood quite still.

  ‘It is lovely, isn’t it? Would you like to go inside?’

  I went forward and opened the large carved doors, leading the way into the cool dimness. Fresh flowers stood on the altar, even though the winter weather had returned with a vengeance, and all the woodwork was fragrant with polish.

  ‘Isn’t it lovely, Edmund?’ I looked around, but he seemed to be scrutinising the floor boards. I went up behind him, curious about his actions.

  ‘More interested in the architecture, are you?’ I asked playfully.

  ‘Look, these are loose,’ he said. ‘There must be a trap door here. Ah, yes, here’s the handle.’

  He struggled a little, and the trap door opened, revealing a flight of dark stone steps.

  ‘Shall we go and look?’ Edmund glanced up at me eagerly, like a small boy discovering a secret hideaway.

  I shrugged. ‘All right; whatever you say.’

  Lifting my skirts high, I followed him downward, shivering as the dank cold draught breathed its evil breath into my face.

  There seemed to be numerous passages leading away from the central point of the staircase, and before I could stop him, Edmund had chosen his direction and was heading away into the darkness.

  ‘Come back,’ I called, but my voice echoed emptily, thinning out into unnerving silence.

  Tentatively I went forward a few steps, trying to peer through the gloom. We were foolish to have ventured down there without a lantern. For a moment I stood quite still, undecided whether to go after Edmund or to return to the chapel and let him find his own way back.

  ‘Edmund!’

  The sound of my own voice frightened me, and as I turned to climb back up the steps I heard a sound above me. Suddenly I was in complete darkness; someone had closed the trap door.

  Bumping my knee hard in my haste, I scrambled up and began to thump on the wood of the floor boards. Surely whoever was up there could not fail to hear my cries.

  After shouting and banging for about half an hour, I gave up any attempt to make myself heard and sat back on the coldness of the steps, wondering what to do next.

  There seemed only one thing to do: go and look for Edmund. He might be hurt, or he might even have come out somewhere at the other end. That at least was a cheering thought, because then he would waste no time before bringing help to look for me.

  Cautiously I went forward, putting one foot slowly in front of the other and feeling along the cold walls with my hands in the hope of discovering a doorway.

  I don’t know how long I walked thus, calling every now and again to Edmund, more to keep my spirits up than because I had any hope of finding him.

  Suddenly, through the darkness, I heard a soft rustling sound as if someone were walking lightly toward me.

  ‘Edmund?’ I said hopefully. But there was no answer; just the soft movements coming nearer. ‘Who is it?’ I said, my voice cracking with fear.

  A hand touched mine. I screamed without realising it was my own voice I heard, and then I was being drawn gently but surely forward.

  Terrified, I could do nothing but follow, though the hand holding mine was gentle, with no hint of violence in its touch. Soon I felt fresh air, and the scent of the sea in my nostrils revived me, bringing back some of my wits.

  ‘Who are you?’ I asked through lips that trembled.

  There was no answer to my question, but I felt something metallic being put into my hand, and instinctively my fingers closed around the object. There was a gentle push, and before me I saw a tiny pinprick of light that indicated an opening.

  ‘Thank you, whoever you are,’ I said, and hurried forward, feeling almost faint with relief.

  Never had I been so glad to see the dark overcast winter clouds above my head. Behind me was the almost invisible entrance to the passages, and before me, only a few yards away, was the water of the estuary.

  Breathlessly I scrambled up the rocks toward the edge of the gardens, breathing deeply of the cold salt air, thankful for the throbbing pain in my knee, which at least assured me that I was alive.

  ‘Charlotte! Where on earth have you been?’ Greyson, his dark hair ruffled, was hurrying toward me. His hands, warm and comforting, drew me over the low wall.

  ‘Is Edmund all right?’ I asked quickly, stopping to draw a breath.

  ‘Yes, he came back here ages ago, saying something about you being down near the water with him. I was worried when you didn’t return.’

  He still held my hands, and I was grateful for his support, making my shortness of breath an excuse for not answering him. Obviously, for some reason Edmund didn’t want Greyson to know the truth about the passages. All the same, it would have been too bad for me if the mysterious stranger hadn’t come along to show me the way out.

  ‘The tides can be quite dangerous, you know, Charlotte,’ Greyson said reprovingly. ‘You are not used to the sea, so please use a little caution.’

  I nodded and stopped for a moment to look back down at the grey-green water, and for an instant thought I’d seen a flutter of black among the hushes; then I blinked, and there was nothing but the sea and the rocks.

  ‘What on earth is this thing you’re clutching in your hand?’

  Greyson tried to uncurl my fingers, but obstinately I held on. Seeing the glint of a silver chain, I said the first thing that came into my head.

  ‘Oh, my locket broke when I was climbing. Don’t worry about it.’ I tried to smile, but I felt sick, and my legs still didn’t have any strength in them.

  ‘You are going straight to your room,’ Greyson said. ‘You look as though you’d seen a ghost.’

  Wenna fussed over me so much that, if I hadn’t known better, I’d have said she was genuinely concerned.

  ‘That’s a nasty bruise you’ve got on your knee,’ she said, watching me as I examined it. ‘I’ll bring you something to bathe it with right away.’

  When she was out of the room, I took the opportunity to look at the chain I was still clutching in my hand. At the end of it was a large oval locket, and inside there was a likeness of a man, a woman and a child. It told me nothing, and, disappointed, I slipped it around my neck. At least it proved to me that I wasn’t going mad, and that down there in the darkness of the passages I’d actually made contact with someone.

  Wenna came back presently, followed by one of the maids carrying a tray with a bowl and some bandages on it. Wenna herself was making me tea.

  ‘It’s good of you to go to all this trouble,’ I said.

  ‘It’s no trouble. Drink this, and you’ll feel better.’

  As soon as the maid had left the room, Wenna came and sat beside me.

  ‘Tell me, Charlotte, what really happened today?’ She stared directly at me, and at once my guard was up.

  ‘I don’t know what you mean,’ I said quietly. ‘Edmund and I were exploring the grounds, and we lost sight of each other, that’s all.’ I straightened my leg cautiously; it felt better already. ‘By the way, Wenna, Edmund is going to come and see me, isn’t he?’

  She shrugged her elegant shoulders and gestured with her tapering fingers.

  ‘No one is preventing him. I don’t think he is feeling very well himself.’

  Suddenly she was alert, her eyes widening as they looked at the locket hanging round my neck.

  ‘Where did you get that?’ she asked, her voice scarcely more than a whisper. All the col
our seemed to have left her face, and suddenly she looked almost old.

  ‘Why, Wenna, is it something I shouldn’t have?’ I asked anxiously.

  She made an obvious effort to pull herself together, though her hands were clenched at her sides, as if she were in pain.

  ‘On the contrary, it is yours by right.’ I hardly heard her, she spoke so quietly.

  ‘How is it mine by right? What do you mean?’ I asked in bewilderment.

  ‘It was your mother’s,’ she said. ‘But it has been missing for years. You must tell me where you found it.’

  I really didn’t know what to say. How could I tell the story of the stranger in the underground passage? It sounded stupid, even to myself.

  I was saved from thinking up an answer by a knock on the door. To my relief, Edmund stood there, a smile on his face.

  Wenna immediately got to her feet. ‘Excuse me,’ she said in her usual calm manner. ‘There are things I must attend to.’

  Edmund held the door for her to leave, and then he bounded over to me, throwing the fluffy white kitten onto my lap.

  ‘I found him crying outside,’ he said. ‘Now tell me what happened to you.’

  ‘You left me alone down there! That’s what happened to me!’ I said in mock anger.

  ‘Oh, Charlie, I called and called. It was as if you’d disappeared from the face of the earth. I admit it was foolish of me to take you down there in the first place. I ought to have my head examined!’ He picked up my hand and kissed it. ‘How did you get out, anyway?’

  ‘Through the trap door, how else?’ I said brightly, trying him out.

  ‘Oh, Charlotte, how tame!’ He flung his head back and laughed. ‘I might have known that you would take the easy way out, while I was down there like a mole in a hole.’

  ‘Why did you ask?’ I said suspiciously. ‘Wasn’t it the obvious thing for me to do when you went off and left me?’

  He inclined his head. ‘Maybe; it just didn’t seem like you to close the door on me,’ he said, puzzled.

  I gave a sigh of utter relief. I’d been a fool to harbour even a hint of suspicion about Edmund.

  It was only when he’d gone, closing the door quietly behind him, that I realised he’d never told me how he had gotten out of the passages.

  Chapter Six

  Greyson seemed to go out of his way to be pleasant to me in the next few days, even going so far as to arrange a party for me to meet some of his friends.

  Edmund decided to stay until after the party.

  ‘In that way I’ll be able to celebrate Christmas twice,’ he said, smiling disarmingly at Greyson, who didn’t respond with much enthusiasm.

  We were all seated in the drawing room, and Wenna was making calculations in a notebook. Luxuriously I stretched my toes toward the fire, enjoying the air of festivity that seemed to have affected everyone in the household.

  ‘That little kitten is very affectionate.’ Greyson leaned forward disturbing Fluffy, as I had named him, from his sleep. Tiny claws shot out and caught Greyson on the back of his hand.

  ‘I don’t think the animal likes you,’ Edmund commented, hardly able to conceal his amusement. ‘They are supposed to be good judges of people, aren’t they?’

  Greyson didn’t bother to answer. He rose and poured himself a glass of wine, and I noticed Wenna was suddenly tense, her eyes never leaving Greyson’s face.

  ‘I’m sorry about that,’ I said soothingly. ‘You frightened him, that’s all. Look, he loves to be smoothed, don’t you, Fluffy?’

  Greyson returned to my side, but ignored the kitten completely. There was a set look on his face, and I shuddered, realising for the first time how formidable an enemy he could be.

  ‘How many of the townspeople are coming to the party?’ I asked quickly, and Wenna launched into an account of the guest list and discussed, mostly with Greyson, what meat should be provided for the main course.

  ‘I’m looking forward to it,’ I said, trying to recapture my earlier feeling of warmth. ‘It’s just what we all need to lighten the gloom of the winter.’

  Edmund was the first one to move away from the warmth of the fire and go to his room, and left alone with Greyson and Wenna, I felt an awkward third.

  ‘Ah, well, early to bed and all that!’ I said lightly, lifting the kitten up in my arms. ‘See you both in the morning.’

  Greyson followed me outside, his hand on my arm. ‘Don’t worry about a gown, Charlotte,’ he said, smiling a little. ‘I have bought you one as a gift. I hope you like it.’

  ‘That’s very kind of you, Greyson,’ I said, pleased at his thoughtfulness. ‘Very kind indeed.’

  ‘I’ve had it taken up to your room.’ His dark eyes glowed. ‘I’m sure you’ll look very beautiful in it, Charlotte. A credit to the family.’

  Excitedly I hurried upstairs and into the bedroom. There, as Greyson had promised, was the dress spread over the bed. It was expensively cut of finest velvet, but as I held it against me, I wrinkled up my nose in disappointment. It was all black, with no relief of colour anywhere.

  For Wenna it would have been excellent, but against my pale skin it looked drab and unflattering. Still, I would have to wear it and make the best of it somehow. I couldn’t bring myself to hurt Greyson’s feelings.

  Carefully I put the dress away.

  * * *

  Edmund was in his room, and I could find no one to relieve my boredom. At last, in desperation, I went into the library and picked a book at random from the shelves. It was in Welsh, but there was an inscription in the flyleaf in English which said simply ‘To my daughter, Charlotte.’

  Suddenly I heard movement behind me and spun round to see Greyson watching me.

  ‘Getting ambitious, aren’t you?’ he said with a smile. ‘I should try that section over there; they are in English.’ He put his book down and came over to me, his hand resting lightly on my arm. ‘The gown, Charlotte – did you like it?’ His eyes seemed to penetrate my very thoughts.

  ‘It’s a beautiful dress, Greyson, and you were very kind to think of me.’

  He seemed disappointed with my reply, and I realised he was too discerning to be easily put off.

  ‘It’s just a little sombre as it is,’ I said quickly. ‘But I can easily remedy that.’ I smiled up at him. ‘Don’t worry, Greyson. I’ll try my best to do you credit.’

  ‘I know you will, Charlotte.’

  He leaned closer, and then his hand was warm on my cheek, and his lips brushed against mine. I stood quite still, my heart heating rapidly and my legs trembling. I was afraid to move lest I break the spell of the moment.

  Greyson’s arms encircled me and drew me closer, and suddenly I was standing on tiptoe, my arms around his neck. I had never felt like this before. I wanted the kiss to last forever, but he released me and went back to his chair near the fire.

  ‘My dear Charlotte,’ he said a little shakily, ‘I’ve warned you before about waters that are too deep for you.’

  I stared at his back, feeling the tears come to my eyes. To him the moment had been nothing more than a game.

  Without a word I turned and left the library, taking the stairs two at a time in a most undignified manner, so as to reach the privacy of my room more quickly.

  I hated him, and I was a fool to let my heart rule my head.

  * * *

  Plas Melyn had been polished and cleaned until everything shone and sparkled like a new pin. Wenna was more relaxed now, knowing that all the preparations for the party were complete.

  I had spent the entire afternoon trying to decide which way to decorate my dress to the best advantage, but for some reason nothing I did looked right, and eventually, I decided that I would just have to wear it as it was.

  One of the maids had come to do my hair, and watching her nimble fingers as she fastened up the curls, I was reminded painfully of Jess. Not a very auspicious beginning for a party, I told myself sternly.

  I could hear the sound of voices outside and
knew that the guests were arriving. I would have to hurry. Greyson wanted me to be there to receive them.

  My dress was laid out on the bed ready for me to slip into, and just as I was about to pick it up I noticed a long flat box resting against the velvet.

  I opened the lid and gasped in astonishment. Nestling inside on a soft white bed were the most exquisite emeralds I had ever seen. It was as if thousands of fires were alight inside the stones, and almost reverently, I picked them up and fastened them around my neck.

  I noticed then that with the necklace was a pair of earrings – tiny stones, but equally beautiful. They swung from my ears and complemented the red lights of my hair beautifully, and as the maid fastened my dress, I saw that no other colour would have done the stones justice.

  Quickly I hurried downstairs just as Wenna was opening the doors and stood beside Greyson, feeling like a queen.

  A host of people spoke to me, and I smiled without any effort, my heart warmed by the beautiful gift. I even had enough confidence to say a few words in Welsh, which Wenna had been teaching me, and a surprised spat of clapping greeted my little speech.

  We sat at the large dining table that gleamed in the candlelight, and slowly I became aware that three people in the room were staring at me as if they’d never seen me before – Wenna, Greyson and Edmund.

  I lifted my hand to them in a tiny wave, but without exception they ignored my gesture and stared fixedly at the gems around my throat.

  I can’t say that for me the evening was an outstanding success, even though all the eligible males paid me more than a fair share of attention. I could have been as ugly as sin, and no one would have noticed with those emeralds to look at.

  It was with relief that I closed the door of my bedroom behind me and slipped out of the black dress, carefully replacing the blazing necklace and earrings on their cushion of velvet.

  In my shift, I went and stood before the fire, taking comfort from its warmth and worrying about who had been the one to give me such valuable stones.