The Mistresses of Wistmere: A Neo-Gothic Novel

by Rachel Secor

  “Well, it is almost like that. You must learn how to handle them and that most of them are only little boys who have grown taller.”

  Katherine stared at the ground in silence and wondered how she could repair her hot tempered words to Garth. Would she ever get over her suspicious mind when it came to men?

  May-Jewel, too, became silent. She remembered the last time that she was here, it was with Alex. She recalled all that they had said to each other. Then something caught at her. Something he had said began to nag at her. But as many times as she repeated their conversation to herself, whatever it was wouldn’t form out of the mist of memory. She couldn’t bring it to the surface and finally gave up trying.

  The afternoon sun grew hot, and the women retreated to the manor. As they reached the top of the stairs heading for their rooms, they watched as Charles received a messenger at the door and was handed an envelope.

  “I wonder who that’s from.” Katherine whispered.

  May-Jewel answered, “Let’s find out.”

  They descended the steps and followed Charles as he made his way to the office at the end of the great hall. Upon entering, the old servant left the door ajar. Peeking in, they spied Alex sitting at a paper-covered desk.

  “This be fer ye,” Charles said and handed Alex the envelope.

  Alex noted the seal, a frown creasing his forehead. He tore the envelope open.

  The women watched his frown deepen as he read the correspondence.

  Suddenly he jumped up, knocking the chair over as he stood. “He can’t do this!” he yelled. “I won’t let him!”

  As Charles stepped behind him to right the chair, the women saw him scan the document.

  Alex, grabbing the letter from the servants view, charged from the room, barely missing the women, and ran up the west wing stairway to his chamber.

  Entering the room, Katherine confronted Charles. “What was that all about?”

  “And don’t tell us you don’t know,” May-Jewel added. “We saw you reading the letter.”

  A grin crossed his wizen mouth. “’Tis from the solicitor, somethin’ aboot the partnership an’ Mister Fleming.” Nodding to them, Charles left the room.

  “Oooh, that’s one letter I’d like to have a look at,” May-Jewel whispered.

  “Yes, I was thinking the same thing. Tonight while Alex is at dinner, I’m going to hunt for that letter.”

  “But what if he takes his meal in his room? And if that letter made him that mad, I’ll bet anything that he will put it where no one can see it for it can’t have been good news.”

  “But tonight, May-Jewel, you’ll beg his attention and invite him to dine with you.”

  “I’ll do no such thing!” She declared stamping her foot. “He’s an unpardonable philanderer! And I don’t want to be left alone with him.” She stopped speaking, not wanting to reveal what had transpired when Alex had almost seduced her, for she knew her sister was very keen on proving his lechery.

  Katherine gave her a puzzled look but didn’t demand an explanation. Instead a resigning sigh escaped Katherine. “I suppose then that we shall just have to watch his room, to wait for him to leave, and then search for the letter together.”

  May-Jewel nodded.

  Stationing themselves in the shadowy doorway atop the stairs, they waited for more than an hour for Alex to finally leave his chamber. From their position, they watched as he descended the stairs and exited the manor.

  “Good. If he’s headed into town, we’ll have plenty of time to search,” Katherine whispered.

  “Well, let’s hurry. I don’t like doing this,” May-Jewel admitted as they entered Alex’s room.

  The curtains had been pulled, but the sun released only a stingy amount of light into Alex’s neat and orderly bed chamber. Silently and systematically the women explored until Katherine came upon a string of prayer beads hanging on a hook in the wardrobe.

  “My word, all isn’t what it seems to be with Alexander Fleming,” she exclaimed, holding up the beads for her sister to see. “Now I think I understand his motives. He’s a Papist!”

  May-Jewel looked at her and questioned, “And that’s not good?”

  “I should say not! This is a Rosary, and it reveals that Alex’s greed may not be personal, that he could want the estate and the shipping lines for reasons other than what we thought, perhaps to help finance the resurgence of the Papistry in Scotland.”

  The idea that Alex was dedicated to a cause, any cause, impressed May-Jewel. She had suppressed all thoughts of him since his attempted apology. Now she found herself coming to his defense. “Those prayer beads could have belonged to Robbie or to any one of his guests. It’s silly to assume that they belong to Alex just because he’s using these quarters.”

  “You might be right,” Katherine slowly replied, placing the beads back on the hook. “In any case, you can bet I’m going to watch him more closely from now on. I don’t mind losing my inheritance to Garth, but not to some cause I don’t understand nor believe in.”

  Their continued search revealed nothing of the letter nor anything else of importance.

  “I don’t know where else to look,” May-Jewel admitted.

  Before Katherine replied, the door swung open.

  “Well,” Alex drawled, his arms spread across the doorway to block any exit. “This is a pleasant intrusion. I must try to recall what I had done to deserve such a delightful surprise.”

  “We’re not here to exercise your ego or your manhood,” May-Jewel snapped. His flushed face and the glassy look in his eyes, disgusted her, for he had been drinking again.

  Alex responded with mock surprise. “You’re not? I’m deeply disappointed.” He glared at them. Lowering his arms, he stepped toward them. “What are you two doing in my quarters?”

  Even though he swayed as he moved toward them, May-Jewel thought his movements were menacing, and she backed away from him.

  But Katherine held her ground and blurted, “Looking for that letter you received from Neal Jameson a few hours ago. The one about your position in the Craig shipping lines.”

  Unexpectedly, Alex exploded in laughter. “I find your insinuations amusing. That’s not at all what it was about.”

  “Well,” May-Jewel insisted, holding her hand out to him, “let us see the letter then!”

  Alex eased his laughter. “Of course,” he replied. Moving toward the window, he pulled a small valise from behind the curtain. Withdrawing from it a folded paper, he asked, “Is this what you ‘spies’ were looking for?”

  The women moved sheepishly toward him. But he didn’t hand them the letter. He waved it about in front of them.

  “It’s not from Neal Jameson. It’s from another law firm, and it pertains to a business venture that has reached an unsatisfactory conclusion, the purchase of a vessel. Or, in this case, the non-purchase of a vessel. Since you’ve not taken over the running of the business yet, I didn’t think to concern you. And,” Alex snapped, “it most certainly has nothing to do with my partnership in the Craig Shipping business. You have invaded my privacy, now leave.”

  Katherine wanted to read the letter in the worse way. She wanted to challenge him, but couldn’t think of a legitimate reason to enforce her will.

  “I suppose we owe you an apology,” May-Jewel mumbled, fully ashamed of her actions.

  “Do you now?” he replied sarcastically, as he returned the letter to the valise. “Don’t you know that apologies aren’t accepted in this house?” He glared at her.

  Katherine drew his attention by gently pulling her sister behind her. “We were under the impression that the letter contained some information about your partnership, and we wanted to know what it was.”

  “And just how did you come by that impression?”

  She wasn’t sure how to answer. Then admitted, “Charles. He seemed as sure about it as if he had read the letter.”

  Alex’s eyebrows rose. “Which of course he hadn’t.”

  Katherine
and May-Jewel suddenly looked at one another and then back to Alex. His appearance darkened as he suddenly towered over them. At that moment, the sisters both felt threatened. And drunk or not, the alert glint in his eyes warned Katherine to be very careful of what she said next.

  “No,” Katherine uttered quickly, “how could he have seen it?”

  “Of course, he hadn’t seen it,” May-Jewel echoed. “How could he? Perhaps we misunderstood his simple words.”

  “How could he have indeed,” Alex whispered as he turned to replace the valise in its former spot behind the curtain.

  While Alex’s back was turned, the women hurriedly slipped out of his room and hastened down the hall.

  But before they could enter Katherine’s room, Garth intercepted their flight.

  He took Katherine’s elbow gently to stay her. “Please, I must speak with you.”

  “And I with you,” she replied, angrily pulling her arm free.

  “I’ll be walking in the garden, if you need me,” May-Jewel announced, as she retraced her steps to the stairs.

  Garth started by saying, “To clear up any misconceptions, the Selina that I knew was an odd little woman in India, my father’s secretary whom, I was later informed, he was supposed to have married. She’s the only Selina I know. But she was very peculiar and might have been the one who encouraged my father in swearing out the complaint against me. If she’s the woman you’ve been seeing, I can’t imagine how or why she’s here.” He paused. “Unless…”

  Katherine looked upon his frowning face. “Unless what?”

  “Unless,” he exclaimed, “she’s here for the emeralds!”

  “The emeralds? Sir Robert surely must have sold them after Lady Edythe’s death.”

  “As I remember, he claimed he couldn’t find them. They just seemed to disappear. He must have told Selina about them.” He suddenly took her by the hand and guided her into her room.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I want you and May-Jewel to go into your rooms and lock your doors. If Selina is here, she’s not to be trusted. I’m going to find her.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “No, you wouldn’t be safe. If it’s her, I must warn you that she had the reputation of being slightly insane. I warned father about her, but he wouldn’t listen. She’ll go to any length to get what she wants.” Having given that warning, he hurried away.

  * * *

  Garth, unable to find any sign of Selina, sought out Charles in his quarters.

  “Aye, Sir Robert’s foreign wife ‘twere here. That be what I wanted ta tell ye when ye first arrived. I found her near death by the roadside, her lifeless bairn in her arms. I brung her here an’ went ta fetch her some tea. But when I returned, she were gone. I searched but found no trace. I be waitin’ for her ta coom back. I have her papers.”

  “A baby?”

  “Aye, a boy child.”

  Garth stood rigid. A baby! That’s why she came here. Thinking me dead, with a son of her own and no other male heir, she would have all rights to Wistmere.

  Charles retrieved the papers and held them out to him. Quickly reading the documents, Garth then put them in his pocket. His face was stern and cold as he looked at the old man.

  “And now Charles… the emeralds.”

  Charles leaned his frail form against a chair. “What o’ the emeralds,” he uttered.

  “You know where they are, don’t you? Tell me.”

  Charles had always been submissive to those above him, but looking upon Sir Robert’s son now and remembering Lady Edythe’s death, he grew obstinate. He replied sternly, his face hardened into a scrowl, “Lady Edythe confided where they be ta me, and I have ta be true ta m’Lady. She said I were ta tell no one.” In his mind, he clearly saw his mistress standing before him. Her satin hand on his as she spoke her orders, her voice like the fine soft ring of a crystal bell. “It will be our secret, Charles,” she whispered to him. “Swear on your life that you will not tell.” And he swore with his love.

  Garth’s harsh voice cruelly shattered the old man’s memory. “I’m the master of this estate now, and you will tell me anything I want to know! How could you even think that my mother’s kindness to you was anything more than that? If she told you not to tell, she would have only meant not to divulge their whereabouts to Sir Robert. She wouldn’t have meant her son!”

  His tone was harsh, too harsh for the old man. Memories of old mixed with the bitterness of Garth’s words, and they were too much for Charles. He sank into a nearby chair. “I loved her, an’ were it na for you, she would o’ gone away with me.” Bitterness leapt from his shriveled heart. “An’ there’ll be no legacy for ye from her except the blood that fills yer veins,” he snarled. “I’ll go ta me grave with the secret o’ the emeralds!”

  Garth’s rage was evident as he yelled, “You crazy old man!” Grabbing Charles’ coat, he pulled him to his feet. “I can’t fire you or evict you, my father saw to that. But stay clear of me, old man! I’ll get those emeralds and, if I don’t, you’ll find yourself sitting in hell!” He pushed him away and stormed out.

  * * *

  Pinning the blue cloth together, Katherine repeated, “Just hold still. I’ll be finished in a minute.”

  May-Jewel had returned and the women, as instructed, had locked themselves in Katherine’s room. With nothing else to do, Katherine decided it was a good time to start making her sister’s new dress.

  An exasperated sigh came from May-Jewel.

  “There, I’m done. You can move now.”

  “Thank God! I thought my arms would drop off.” May-Jewel shook the blood back down to her hands and sought a chair. “How long do you think Garth will be?”

  “I don’t know,” Katherine replied folding the cloth and putting it away in her sewing basket. “I don’t know what he expects to find. We didn’t find anyone or anything to even prove Selina is here.”

  “You know men. They think they know and can do everything.” May-Jewel’s answer coincided with a yawn.

  Smiling to herself, Katherine said softly, “Not all men.”

  “What was that?” May-Jewel leaned forward to see her sister better and saw Katherine blushing. “What is this? Whom are we defending? Not Garth. Oh, Katherine, please remember your infatuation with him will come to nothing but ill.”

  “It isn’t Garth,” Katherine said quickly. Then sorry to have spoken at all, she continued, “I mean, yes, I’ll remember that he’s my brother. Half-brother, that is.”

  “Oh, no!” May-Jewel cried, turning Katherine around to face her fully. “You’re not talking about Garth, are you? Who is it?”

  But Katherine refused to speak, and May-Jewel continued her barrage. “If it isn’t Garth, who can it be? It can’t Alex.” The look of utter contempt on Katherine’s face told her it wasn’t. “Then who can it be. No, wait. It couldn’t possibly be the vicar.” But the renewed blush on Katherine’s cheeks told her everything. “It is the vicar!” May-Jewel laughed. “Oh, that’s priceless!”

  “I beg your pardon,” Katherine snipped. “Just what’s so funny?”

  “Only you could be attracted to that milk toast-”

  Katherine’s eyes widened in anger. “Milk toast! How dare you!”

  But May-Jewel came up to her and hugged her tightly. “Oh, Katherine, that’s wonderful. He’s perfectly suited to you.”

  Miffed but no longer angry, Katherine extricated herself from her sister’s embrace. “Well, I’m glad to know that you approve.”

  Giggling, May-Jewel flounced back into the chair. “I should have guessed it when you said that you ran to the manse after your fight with Garth.”

  Still defensive, Katherine quipped, “I didn’t fight with Garth, and I didn’t run to the manse. I… I had a disagreement with Garth, and to blow off steam, I went for a walk and simply ended up at the vicarage.”

  Nodding, her sister replied, “Okay, but there must be more to the visit than you first told me.”
/>   “Well,” Katherine hesitated, blushing again, “maybe a little.”

  “See!” May-Jewel declared triumphantly. “I knew it! It is Vicar Hawes! So,” she said, patting the chair next to her, “sit and tell me all about it.”

  Sitting, Katherine told her the truth about her visit to the manse.

  “You are indeed a strange woman, Katherine St. Pierre. Did you even play hard to get? No, you wouldn’t do that. Coyness isn’t your style.”

  An embarrassed smile lighted Katherine’s face. “I can’t help how I am,” she replied. “He’s so very sweet and gentle. It would be most difficult not to admire him.” With a sigh she sat back. “If only this awful business with Selina was over. With my consent, David was to summon the law. I hope they can put an end to this.”

  “Yes, the law can’t get here too soon to please me,” May-Jewel responded. “However getting back to you and the vicar, I’m very happy for you both. For a while I was afraid you lost your senses and had fallen for Garth.”

  “No,” she replied softly, rising and crossing to the window, “I haven’t fallen for Garth, though, I still think he has our best interest at heart.”

  Both fell silent, one staring out of the window, the other watching the door, waiting. But time passed, and no word came from Garth. And no summons came for dinner. Hunger gnawed at them for they had eaten very little all day.

  As the two ventured down stairs and crossed the great hall, they wondered at the quiet. Charles was nowhere about, and it seemed that the two men were gone as well. Echoes of their steps sounded as they entered the kitchen. Molly was nowhere to be seen either. The fire in the hearth was a welcomed change from the dim, cold hall. Platters of food, prepared earlier, were gathered under a cloth in the middle of the table. May-Jewel watched Katherine satisfy her hunger with cold haggis, but she herself would eat only a biscuit and some cheese.

  “I shall never get used to the food here,” May-Jewel declared. “Imagine eating innards boiled in an animal’s stomach!”

  “Oh, really? Your head-cheese, which consists of the head and feet of pigs, is just as hard for me to think of as pleasing to the palate.”