Alice and Alicia stood up, and Alice said, “I suppose we’re going to High Skell, since you told me to wear comfortable shoes.”
Victoria grinned. “Yes, we are, and let’s go there first, get it out of the way. I thought of the maze in one of Harry’s gardens as another spot and also the water gardens. What do you think, Alicia?”
“Wonderful choices, Victoria.”
It took the three women twenty minutes to walk across Cavendon Park, through the stable block, and up the hill past the church. Once they reached the heather-covered moors High Skell came into view.
The monolithic rocks were formed in a kind of semicircle, so that they created a protected area that was also secluded. Alice remembered that Charles, the Sixth Earl of Mowbray, had often climbed up to this outcropping of rocks, which she knew dated as far back as the glaciers that had covered Yorkshire at the time of the Ice Age. Charlotte had once confided that Charles thought of it as his private place, where he could sit and think, and sort out the problems in his head.
“I know there are flat stones set against the wall of rocks in the circle,” Alice informed them. “We can sit there for a minute. I’m out of breath.”
“So am I,” Alicia exclaimed, and followed Alice, adding, “But my God, what a place! I’d forgotten how fantastic it is up here, and the view of Cavendon from here is fabulous.”
“I thought the huge rocks and the strange shapes would make a perfect background for the tulle evening gown, Alicia. What do you think?” Victoria asked as she followed them into the semicircle, starting to snap photographs of the rocks.
“You’re just brilliant,” Alicia replied, sitting down.
“I’m glad you liked the clothes the fashion editor selected, and that they all fit,” Victoria murmured, still wielding her camera.
“They do, and they’re lovely. But are you going to have me wear them all? There’re quite a lot.”
“I think the fashion editor will decide that when she arrives tomorrow with the rest of the crew. You know, the stylist, hair and makeup women. But I pretty much know which ones will work for the shoot from my instructions from Melinda Johns.”
“What did she tell you to do?” Alice asked curiously, rather proud of her little evacuee who’d grown up to be so clever.
Victoria laughed. “Not much, as usual. I generally get one line. Yesterday I received it. Glamour. Drama. Glamour. That was it.”
Moving away from the semicircle, Victoria roamed around the area, snapping away. She had always enjoyed being up here on this vast empty moorland, which stretched for miles toward the North Sea. Basically, there was nothing here but an arc of blue sky and the monoliths. Plus the wind, she thought, hoping it wouldn’t be blowing too hard tomorrow; that was when she planned to start the shoot.
As they walked back down to the house, Alicia stopped suddenly and looked at Victoria. “I suppose I’ll be coming up here in a dressing gown? Or trousers and shirt? I can’t very well wear the tulle evening gown, climbing up to High Skell.”
“You can’t, that’s true. Aunt Alice is lending us a folding screen. Ted will bring it up tomorrow morning, and you can change behind it.”
“Don’t worry, your Little Imp has thought of everything,” Alice said, reverting to Alicia’s nickname for Victoria when she was a child.
Their next stop was the water gardens, behind the West Wing of the house. They were beautiful, and dated back to the eighteenth century. Although Harry had made a few changes and added to their beauty, he had mainly left them intact.
They were on lower ground behind the house, and Victoria went ahead of Alice and Alicia, her eyes swinging from side to side, taking everything in as she went down the hill.
This part of the parkland had a tranquility to it that was genuinely calming. There were manicured green lawns at the bottom of the hill, and in the center of the lawns, straight ahead of her, was a large ornamental pond.
Four canals branched out from the pond like spokes, and these narrow waterways were surrounded by a circular canal. The effect was like a giant wheel. Harry had never tampered with these canals and the pond, knowing how spectacular the effect was already.
To one side of the lawns there were many flowering bushes, which Harry had planted. A second ornamental pond with a fountain, which had been turned on today, dated back to the eighteenth century.
Harry had put water lilies in the ornamental ponds and added several white stone statues of women here and there, which he had found in storage in the basements. They added to the overall effect of antiquity, as did the white stone temple, which was called the “Temple of the Moon.” This was an elegant structure, with pillars at the front and steps into it. Victoria headed down the flagged path, making for the white temple, thrilled at the thought of photographing Alicia in these unique gardens.
The two other women were also looking pleased. Alice exclaimed, “Isn’t it strange? I’ve seen these water gardens all of my life, and yet today they somehow look different. Extremely beautiful.”
“And Harry’s added to them,” Alicia remarked, “reinforced what they were. Somehow made them more … exciting. That’s what I think.”
Victoria was in her element, walking around, taking more photographs. Alicia and Alice were following her, as she spoke of the clothes which would work so well here, explaining what she was after.
Eventually Alice broke up this tour of the water gardens, when she said, “I think we should go and have lunch. I’ve prepared some finger sandwiches, and we can relax, and later look at the clothes that arrived yesterday.”
“That’s a good idea,” Alicia said. “Come on, my Little Imp, let’s go.”
Victoria nodded, and followed them up the hill.
* * *
Later that afternoon, Alicia sat in her bedroom in the South Wing, going over the script. She knew her words by heart now, and finally put the script on the ottoman, leaned back in the armchair. Being at Cavendon comforted her. It had been a wise move, coming home. She glanced at her old teddy bear, ragged a bit now, but much loved when she was a child. BRIN. That was the name of the bear, and she had given it to Bryan Mellor, because he was a teddy bear of a man at times.
The odd thing was he seemed like some distant object now, not like a person. This past week here she had managed to expunge him from her mind. And she didn’t cry about him any longer. Common sense had kicked in; of course, Constance and Alice had helped her no end, in their different ways. In a certain sense, once she was over the shock of his nasty departure, his very behavior had turned her off him. She wasn’t used to being treated in such a brutal and rude manner, and being spoken to with such vehemence, disregard, almost. Charlie, who had phoned her every day, had muttered something about Bryan having no class this morning and perhaps her brother was right.
Anyway, her eyes were now focused on the future and her career. And she was looking forward to the magazine shoot tomorrow. Victoria and she had chosen the clothes they preferred earlier, and her Little Imp had told her not to worry about anything at all. “I’m in charge,” she had explained. “Melinda Johns always makes that clear to the crew.”
Fifteen
Cecily Swann Ingham sat at the desk in the upstairs sitting room, staring down at the four Swann record books, two of them very old indeed. For the last few weeks she had been attempting to read parts of them, and still had not finished. There were a few things she needed to understand better, puzzling entries.
She glanced at her watch and realized she and Miles had agreed to meet the people from the magazine around ten-fifteen, when they would have all arrived. Alicia had suggested using the South Wing for the shoot, and they had agreed. Daphne and Hugo were away in Zurich, and Alicia had grown up there. It was her home and the perfect place for everyone to assemble.
Realizing she did not have time to put the record books in the safe, Cecily slipped them into the top drawer of the desk, locked it, dropped the key in her jacket pocket, and left the sitting room.
As she went into the library, Miles glanced up, waving a letter he was holding. “Good news, Ceci!” he exclaimed. “The wine expert in London has just suggested three dates when he can come and look at the cellars, and I shall pick the first.”
Touching his shoulder affectionately, she went and sat in the chair on the other side of his desk. “And when would that be?” she asked, thinking how well he looked this morning.
“The middle of next week. Wednesday, to be exact. I’ll give him a ring later today and set it up.” Miles shook his head, then grimaced. “I’m afraid there might be quite a mess down there. Eric and I have been doing the odd check, and a lot of wine has turned, gone sour.”
“Oh no, Miles, that’s terrible. Why didn’t you tell me before?” she asked, her expression troubled.
“No point, really, darling. Can’t be helped. However, no worries. There is still a lot that will be all right, I’m sure. And I must admit, my antecedents really stocked up on it. Wine lovers, most obviously. Enough for an auction.”
“I took your advice, Miles, and offered a partnership to Greta, and she did accept. I think it was a good move.”
A wide smile spread across his face. “Congratulations. Her investment will help, ease some of your worries, and it was a nice thing to do, actually. She wanted it so much, and it gives her an incentive, an investment in the future. Besides which, she deserves it.” Rising, Miles walked around the desk, gave Cecily his hand, and pulled her to her feet.
“We’d better go and do our duty, welcome the magazine group to Cavendon, support Victoria and Alicia in this endeavor.”
Cecily nodded, and then looked at him intently as he drew her into his arms and held her close. Against her hair, he said, “We’re a good team, you and I, Ceci. Sorry I’ve been grumpy at times.”
He kissed her forehead, then looked down into her face. “You were right about the bank loan. I know Aunt Charlotte had to practically drag me to Harrogate kicking and screaming, but I am relieved I took the loan, to be honest. At least the government taxes are off our back for this year.”
Cecily said, “Thank you, Miles.” Slipping her hand into his, she went on, “We’d better go to the South Wing, darling. They’ll want to get started.” As they walked through the main hall and down the Long Gallery, Cecily was smiling inside. She understood that his last few words had been a genuine apology. He had been more than grumpy for some time, very bad tempered, in actuality, but it had slowly dissipated of late. She wondered if she dared mention the cat. Gwen was still pestering her for one.
* * *
Miles and Cecily stared at each other as they approached the dining room in the South Wing, and Miles raised a brow. “How big is this crew?” he asked, staring at his wife.
Cecily shook her head, laughing at the alarmed expression in his eyes. “I don’t know, but it sounds like an army, doesn’t it?”
Laughter, chatter, squeals, shouts: a cacophony of sounds were emanating from the room. The door stood open, and when they went in Alicia was standing right there, obviously awaiting them.
“Aunt Ceci, Uncle Miles,” she exclaimed. “Here you are. Come in and meet everyone.” After greetings were exchanged, along with hugs and kisses, Alicia led them forward.
The room had gone silent at the moment of their arrival, and a bevy of young women were standing there, expectant looks on their faces.
Victoria hurried forward and hugged and kissed Miles and Cecily. “Thank you again for letting me do the shoot here and, by the way, don’t worry about anything being damaged. Everyone’s careful, and anyway the magazine is insured.”
Miles put an arm around Victoria and brought her closer, hugged her. “My clever Victoria, always so practical. And because you’re in charge, I know we’ve nothing to worry about.”
He grinned at her and she laughed, then said, “Alicia is going to introduce the girls to you.” Lowering her voice, she explained, “They’re all very excited about meeting an earl and a countess.”
One by one, Alicia brought them forward to shake hands with Miles and Cecily, who greeted them warmly and welcomed them to Cavendon. Seven young women altogether: Catherine, the fashion editor; Hannah, the stylist; Mavis and Carrie, who did hair and makeup; Brenda and Flora, who were in charge of the clothes. The last was Trigger, who helped Victoria when she did big shoots.
After the introductions Alicia explained, “Brenda and Flora were here at seven-thirty and guess what, Aunt Ceci? They brought their own irons and ironing boards, and various other useful implements.”
“So I noticed,” Cecily replied with a smile. “And hopefully it was Ted and his decorating team who moved the dining room furniture. It’s all very heavy for you girls to handle.”
“Yes, of course. And Ted and one of the men will take a folding screen and various other things up to High Skell. We’ve plenty of help, thank you.”
“Are you going to shoot up there?” Miles immediately turned to Victoria. “It can be very windy, you know.”
“It can. And so I went up yesterday with Aunt Alice and Alicia, and it wasn’t too bad. I’ll work inside the semicircle of monoliths, if necessary. It’s quite protected.”
“Where else are you going to shoot?” Cecily asked curiously, now understanding this was a much more important assignment than she had realized.
“The water gardens definitely, and I thought of Uncle Harry’s maze as well as the flower gardens.”
“Perfect.” Cecily glanced around the dining room, noting the many racks of clothes which had apparently arrived yesterday in a large van. But she made no comment.
Once again, Miles addressed Victoria. “I think this question might be redundant, because I know how well you plan things, but what about the general public? The estate and house are open today. Are they going to be a nuisance, get in your way?”
Victoria shook her head. “I don’t mind if they stand and watch if we’re in the water gardens or the flower gardens. I spoke to Uncle Walter about it, and he said his outdoor men will look after any situation that might arise.”
Cecily said, “Anyway, visitors are not allowed to go up to High Skell, and the maze is a puzzlement to everyone.” She began to laugh. “I for one will never go near it, knowing I’d be stuck in there forever.”
Everyone laughed, and after a few more minutes chatting with the young women, Miles and Cecily left them to get on with their jobs of attending to Alicia, preparing her for photography.
Victoria walked them to the door. “I thought of calling the shoot ‘Eternal Serenity,’ after the water gardens. Is that all right?” She looked from Cecily to Miles, and added, “Melinda Johns, the editor of Elegance Magazine, asked me to come up with a title.” When they didn’t immediately respond, Victoria said, “Well, what do you think?”
“I love it,” Miles answered quickly. “I was simply astonished that you thought of it, Victoria.”
“And so am I,” Cecily added. “It’s a beautiful title for the story.”
* * *
Later that afternoon Cecily went in search of Aunt Charlotte, wanting to chat with her. This was the first opportunity she had had, but the dowager was nowhere to be found.
Cecily rang for Eric; instead it was Peggy Lane, the housekeeper, who appeared in the downstairs parlor. “Can I help you with something, your ladyship?” Peggy asked, hurrying across the room.
“Yes, Peggy, you can. I’ve been looking for the dowager countess and haven’t been able to find her. Is she outside with Victoria at the shoot? Or did she go to Harrogate?”
“Neither, m’lady. She is talking to Eric. She needs to get into the vaults. I think they will be here any moment, to ask for the key.”
“Eric has his key,” Cecily
answered, but when she saw the look of surprise flash across Peggy’s face, she quickly thought to add, “Of course he would never use his key without asking my permission.”
“That’s correct, your ladyship.” As usual she was extremely proper and aware of the rules and their duties, after working at Cavendon for over thirty years.
At this moment the dowager appeared in the doorway of the parlor, accompanied by the butler. “There you are, Ceci,” she said. “I need to get in a vault, darling. I have some of my own jewels stored there, which I want to discuss with you. We need the key, please.”
“Oh,” Cecily said, wondering why Aunt Charlotte wanted to speak with her about them. Then she glanced at Eric. “Use your key, Eric, would you, please. Mine is locked in my safe upstairs.”
“Certainly, your ladyship.” He turned to the dowager. “If you will accompany me, Lady Charlotte, I will open the vault and carry the items up here for you.”
“Thank you,” Aunt Charlotte said, and the two of them left.
“Are you sure I can’t get you anything, m’lady?” Peggy asked. “Maybe a cup of tea or coffee? Eric told me his lordship canceled afternoon tea today, because he was very busy, and also because of the photographic shoot. Victoria wished to keep taking pictures until the light fades.”
“Thank you, Peggy. I don’t need anything right now. Unless you know of someone who might have a kitten available.”
“How odd you should ask, Lady Cecily. My friend Annette Green in the village has a cat that had a litter about four months ago or so. Shall I put Lady Gwen’s name on one of the kittens?”
“Absolutely. And I will pay for it, of course. Do tell her that.”
“I understand, m’lady,” Peggy said with a smile. “I know it will make the little one happy.”
“It will indeed. But we won’t tell anyone about this for the moment. Most especially his lordship.” Cecily gave Peggy a pointed look.
Peggy nodded, did a little bob, and hurried off, happy to have been of help. She had been devoted to Cecily since their first meeting years ago, knew her to be the finest, kindest, most caring woman in the world.
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