Six Steps Down

by Mandi Greenwood

'Wow, that's impressive!' exclaimed Freya. 'Wait until you show your dad how the house used to look, Aisley! He just may give up if this is what he's aspiring too.'

  'Your parents should get this photo enlarged and framed,' suggested Cate.

  Aisley didn't answer because she was too busy looking at the next photograph. It was of a beautiful, young woman dressed in a high-necked, long gown. Her fair hair was piled in an elaborate bun on top of her head, but lots of tendrils had escaped and were cascading down over her shoulders. She was sitting in a window seat very similar to the one in Aisley's bedroom with her hands clasped in her lap and a small smile on her lips. There was writing on the back of the picture too and Aisley almost knew what it would say, even before she read it.

  Lily Sheldon relaxes in the Garden suite

  March 1901

  Cate was looking over Aisley's shoulder again. She gasped, 'It's Lily Sheldon! Oh my goodness, she's lovely.'

  'Show!' demanded Freya and Archie at the same time, shoving each other to get hold of the picture.

  The photograph did the rounds. Meanwhile, Aisley flicked rapidly through the rest of the pile of photographs looking for anything else as interesting as the two previous finds. She was almost at the bottom of the pile when she came across the best yet. It was another picture of Lily Sheldon, but this one was so very un-Victorian, so modern, that it made it the most interesting photo Aisley thought she'd ever seen.

  In the picture, Lily was sitting on a rocky outcrop on a sandy beach. She had no high collar or parasol this time though; quite the contrary. She was wearing a short, semi-transparent dress, almost like a petticoat. The flimsy garment was pressed flat against her thin, child-like frame by the wind. Her long ringlets were hanging free and being blown about, partially obscuring her pretty, smiling face in a mysterious, almost sexy kind of way. She was showing a lot of naked leg, almost to the thigh in fact, and her bare feet were half-buried in the sand. She didn't look like a lady from another extremely modest century. She looked like a modern day supermodel doing a bikini shoot for a men's magazine. It was an incredible photograph.

  Aisley handed it wordlessly to Archie.

  'Whoa!' he exclaimed, eyebrows shooting up. 'She's hot!' He studied it for a minute and then passed the photo to Freya.

  'She's just a little bit too old for you, though,' observed Freya.

  'How do you know?' said Archie mysteriously. 'I might really dig older women.'

  Freya rolled her eyes and handed the photo to Cate, who looked at it and then gave it back to Aisley.

  'Oh, does it say anything on the back?' asked Cate belatedly.

  Aisley turned the photo over and read what was written there. She looked at the others, her eyes wide with interest. She read out loud —

  My darling girl at our special place

  My Lily, my love, my life

  March 1902

  'These photos are a real find, Ais,' said Cate.

  'It also proves something,' said Aisley. 'It proves there must be a way down to that beach. If only we could find it.'

  'But that could've been taken on any beach, surely,' said Freya.

  'Do you think she'd dare dress like that on a public beach in those days?' asked Aisley. 'She'd have been arrested for indecent exposure. No, they must be on the Cariad Lili Bay Beach. That was obviously their secret place.'

  Freya saw her valid point and nodded.

  Aisley studied the photo of Lily one more time. It was so fresh it could have been taken yesterday. She put the three pictures carefully away in her notebook. Then she busied herself tidying the other photos away, putting the lid back on the tea chest. Aisley was glad she'd found the three photos. No way were they ever going back in that musty old box.

  Several minutes later, Archie held up a yellowed newspaper for them all to see. 'Check this out,' he said. 'It says here the coal mine was officially opened in 1899. There's a list of investors and our dashing Lord Michael Sheldon is right at the top of it.'

  'Does it say anything about the house?' asked Cate.

  'Hang on …' Archie ran his finger over the article, reading bits aloud here and there. "Sinking the main shaft … hiring miners … purchase ponies." Ponies?' He screwed up his nose. 'Really? What would you need ponies for?'

  'It was common to use ponies down in the mines in the old days,' said Freya, shifting so the fan heater could warm the other side of her bottom. 'Don't you read?'

  Archie pulled a face at her. 'Obviously not the same books you're reading,' he muttered. He continued to scan the old article. 'Ah, here we go.' He cleared his throat and adopted an old-fashioned hoity-toity voice. He read —

  June 1900.

  Local entrepreneur, Lord Michael Sheldon has hired the renowned architect Albert Weatherson of Weatherson & Lyall, Collins Street, Melbourne to design his new home. He plans to build atop Loch Hill where majestic views abound on all sides. Quite the romantic retreat to bring his new bride to, thinks this reporter. Lord Sheldon wed Lily Bowen at his family's estate in Derbyshire, England during the spring. The estate will be named Sheldon's Seat. Lord Sheldon has a great love of Anglo Saxon history, and apparently the name Sheldon means "from the hill on the ledge". I'm sure the reader will agree it's quite the appropriate title, given the family name combined with the location.

  'Excellent!' cried Aisley in delight. She scribbled furiously in her notebook. 'That's a brilliant piece of historical data,' she said. 'Well done Arch. Does it say anything else?'

  'Only that "building shall commence in the spring", my good fellow,' concluded Archie holding an imaginary monocle to his eye. 'I say, it's jolly cold in here! Can we not get Jeeves to light the bloody fire?' He gestured arrogantly at the grand old fireplace that took up half of one wall.

  Cate cast a doubtful look at the neglected fireplace. 'I'd say there hasn't been a fire in there for quite a while.'

  'Got that right.' Archie abruptly threw off the doona. 'I'm going to go and beg cook for a hot drink. Anyone else want one?'

  All the girls nodded enthusiastically. When Archie got up, Freya instantly gave up hogging the fan heater and grabbed the discarded doona instead. She moved so fast she made the others laugh. As Archie left the room rubbing his cold hands together, Ellette, who had been curled on the floor next to Aisley, quickly got up and ran after him, her little claws clicking on the wooden floor and her tail wagging frantically. If there was a slim chance of food in the offing, she was there!

  Once Archie was out of earshot, Cate put down the pile of butcher's receipts she'd been reading and leaned towards the others. 'Do you know what Archie told me on the way here?' she hissed, her elfin face mischievous.

  'That he finally found the balls to ask Aasha out?' Freya asked grinning.

  'Aw don't!' Aisley scolded gently. 'He's not alone in liking her. I reckon every boy in town would be talking crap if they said they didn't fancy her just a little bit.'

  'No, no, it wasn't anything to do with Aasha!' said Cate, waving her hands about. 'Besides, I personally don't think Archie lusts after Aasha as much as everyone seems to think he does. But anyway. No, he was talking about Chandra.'

  Aisley tried to look nonchalant but failed. 'Has Chandra been threatened with suspension?' she groaned. 'I knew it! It's because of the Mr Jones thing last week, right?'

  'Ah, but it wasn't that serious, surely!' argued Freya, wrapping her small form up tighter in the doona and peeping out like a kitten.

  'It was pretty serious,' Aisley disputed. 'I've never seen Mr Jones look so pissed off. Have you?'

  'No, I suppose not,' Freya had to agree.

  'Look, it wasn't about Mr Jones,' said Cate patiently. 'Just listen to me for a minute. Chandra told Archie that Bria Moore had asked him if he'd like to go to her sixteenth birthday dinner next weekend.'

  'Asked who? Archie?' Freya was totally confused.

  'No!' Cate frowned. 'Chandra, you silly. Bria invited Chandra to her birthday dinner next week.'

  'Well, why haven't I been invi
ted to her birthday dinner next week?' snapped Freya, all offended. 'I invited her to my party last year.'

  'That's just the point,' explained Cate. 'Listen and learn.' She pushed her hair back behind her ears. 'As far as us … Archie and me, that is … know,' said Cate urgently. 'She hasn't invited anyone from school. It's a family thing at Gem Cottage restaurant.'

  Freya finally looked interested. 'Family and Chandra, then?'

  'Yes,' Cate finished, triumphantly.

  'Well, that means …' Freya began.

  'Bria and Chandra,' said Cate nodding. 'I know, right!'

  Cate and Freya both looked pointedly at Aisley. Aisley stared blandly back at them, pretending her heart wasn't lying in a thousand shattered pieces on the floorboards around her. 'What?' she said, hoping desperately that her voice sounded normal.

  'Nothing,' they replied.

  They all stared at each other a moment longer like they were opponents in a high stakes game of poker.

  Then Cate continued. 'But here's the thing,' she said. 'When she asked him, Chandra turned her down. He said he wasn't interested because it wasn't his type of thing, blah blah blah.'

  'That's harsh,' said Freya. 'He must know she's had a bit of a thing for him for a while now.'

  'She has?' Aisley blurted, immediately regretting it.

  Cate and Freya looked at her again.

  'Whether he knows or not,' Cate said, looking at Freya again. 'He told Archie the real reason there was no way he'd consider going, no matter what.'

  'Which was …?' inquired Freya, her blue eyes wide.

  Cate turned and stared at Aisley again. Aisley felt like a bug under a microscope. 'He said it was because he didn't like Bria that way. Not the way he likes our Aisley here. That was what he said to Archie.'

  The silence spun out, as heavy as a thick blanket, and Aisley felt her cheeks getting redder by the second. She opened and closed her mouth several times without any sound coming out, doing a very passable impression of a goldfish. That made the others laugh, and then the tension burst and they all fell about laughing. They were still snorting and giggling wildly when Archie came back several minutes later, bearing a tray of hot chocolates. Chandra arrived at the same time and Lucan closely followed him.

  'What's with the chuckles, my good fellows? Pray, share?' asked Archie, adopting his posh voice once more as he set the tray down on a pile of dusty boxes.

  'Never you mind your little cotton socks, Archibald,' sniffed Cate, wiping her eyes. 'Never you mind at all, m'lad.'

  Chandra came over and sat down next to Aisley. He leaned his arms on his bent knees and gave her a quizzical look. She responded with an enormous, goofy grin, loving the fact that he'd chosen her to sit next to.

  'Where have you two been?' Freya demanded. 'We've been slaving here in the dungeons for hours.'

  Lucan looked worried. 'Sorry,' he said earnestly. 'I had an essay to finish for English. It was really important, you see …'

  Freya patted his hand. 'That's okay Lucan. I'm not really cross.'

  Lucan sighed with relief.

  'Were you studying too?' Aisley asked Chandra.

  'Nah, I was out on my board,' he replied. 'The waves were epic and it was beautiful out there.'

  'That sounds amazing,' she replied.

  'It was.' He smiled at her. 'I'm at my best when I'm with natural beauty.'

  Archie pretended to stick his fingers down his throat and gagged. 'Oh geez! I think I'm gonna spew!'

  Aisley ignored Archie. She returned Chandra's smile, butterflies doing the Macarena in her stomach. She felt like she was on top of the world.

  Chapter Five

  My Lily, My Love, My Life

  Later that same day

  The afternoon wore on. Lots of boredom, slogging through crate after crate of seemingly endless invoices, receipts, and shopping lists until Archie was heard to loudly groan, 'I mean, seriously! Who keeps every freaking shopping list? Do I care how often they bought beef in 1902? Honestly!'

  Aisley had shown Chandra and Lucan the three photos she'd put aside and Cate brought them up-to-date with the other information they'd discovered. Some more photos were found during the course of the afternoon, although none were anywhere near as interesting as the first ones. Then Freya found an intriguing invoice from a sculptor. 'It's for a plaque,' she said, scanning the details. 'It looks like Michael ordered a commemorative plaque. It was sculpted from granite and measured thirty-six inches square … that's quite big, isn't it?'

  Lucan did a quick mental calculation. 'About a metre square, give or take,' he said.

  Freya read on. 'The inscription on the plaque reads … ah! It reads "Cariad Lili Bay, where our hearts shall dwell forever more".' Freya raised a knowing eyebrow at Aisley.

  'Cariad Lili Bay again,' said Aisley. 'The beach at the bottom of our cliff … just like in the photo. But I don't understand. You can't get down there, for goodness sakes! This is starting to get frustrating.' She chewed her lip thoughtfully. 'There must be a way,' she muttered.

  'Maybe this plaque is on the top of the cliff and not on the beach,' suggested Chandra suddenly. 'There might be a spot that's a good look-out.'

  It was a valid point.

  'So let's go look,' said Archie, climbing to his feet and stretching his back. 'We're not going to find it in this room unless it's up the chimney that lazy Jeeves hasn't cleaned in a lifetime.'

  'Have you looked outside lately, Archie,' murmured Cate. 'It's pouring down out there.'

  'Well hey! Maybe … "it's raining men"!' sang Archie, striking an extremely camp pose.

  The looks on everyone's faces made him drop the pose rather quickly.

  'We've got brollies,' said Aisley. She too felt like a break from the gloom and the endless piles of paperwork. Fresh air would be very welcome right about now, even if it was raining.

  'You can count me out,' said Freya, firmly. She was still wrapped in the doona and had also moved closer to the fan heater again for good measure. 'No way am I going out there!' She pulled another box to her side and started leafing through the contents. 'You guys go.' She waved her hand at them. 'Cate and I will carry on the research here.'

  In the end, Aisley decided to go along with Archie and Chandra. Lucan stayed behind with the other two girls. He didn't say anything, but he was obviously finding the sorting work they were doing quite relaxing and had no desire to venture out into the foul weather.

  There was a cupboard in the hall where all the coats and shoes were kept and Aisley managed to find two large umbrellas they could share. The three of them left the house and stepped out onto the rain-swept patio. There was a hedge at the end of the garden with a gate in it that led to the grassy expanse between the house and the top of the cliff. Aisley and Archie shared one umbrella and Chandra took the other. They crossed the muddy garden and went through the gate.

  Despite being outside the garden fence, the grassy plateau was part of the Sheldon's Seat property as well, all the way to the very brink of the cliff. Aside from the view it lent, it was quite a boring piece of land, dotted here and there with tea-trees and other scrubby bushes typical to beach areas. Archie angled the umbrella he was carrying into the wind to stop it turning inside out. He and Aisley huddled together beneath it as they stepped carefully around the numerous mud puddles.

  Chandra wasn't so lucky. He was mucking about with his umbrella trying to do an impromptu Broadway dance. The umbrella instantly blew inside out and snapped in half, rendering it completely useless. Chandra stood there in the pouring rain, pouting and looking a bit pathetic. Archie roared with laughter. Aisley tried not to, but it was just too funny. She cracked up too.

  'Your sympathy is overwhelming,' Chandra told them sarcastically.

  Aisley attempted to curb her laughter out of compassion, but failed and started to giggle again. She couldn't help it.

  'Well that routine ended badly, didn't it!' snorted Archie. 'I have told you and told you; just leave the dance choreography to
us professionals.'

  The driving rain had soaked Chandra to the skin. Archie took pity on him. He stood on his toes in what he fancied was a passable ballet position and lifted his umbrella a little higher. 'Come on in then, you silly boy. There's plenty of room for one more.'

  Chandra crowded under the umbrella with the other two and Archie snuggled up against him, making kissing noises. 'I'm glad Aisley's here to cramp your style,' Chandra remarked as he held Archie off. 'Otherwise people might start talking about us.'

  Archie looked offended. He retorted, using his best Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons voice. 'Please do not be repaying my kindness in saving you from the storm with smart-arse-ed-ness, you evil child, lest I cast you out into the elements once more!'

  'Well stop coming on to me then,' growled Chandra.

  'Does my little 'ookums want a snog?' Archie asked sweetly.

  'Snog me and you will regret it, my friend,' Chandra warned.

  They pushed and slapped at each other. Aisley rolled her eyes. 'Oh for goodness sakes!' she snapped, getting impatient. 'Enough! Come on you two!' She pulled them forward.

  They walked slowly back and forth through the wet grass, searching for the elusive plaque. They searched behind bushes and trees as well as looking on the ground. Finally, they reached the spot where the grass ended and the ground became rocky, starting to slope away towards the cliff edge. They made their way along the verge of the grass from one side of the hilltop to the other, but there was no sign of any plaque anywhere. Their search was proving to be quite futile.

  'The bloody thing is big enough that it should stand out even if it's lying flat on the ground, but I can't see it anywhere,' grumbled Archie.

  'Maybe the grass grew over it,' suggested Chandra. 'It was a long time ago.'

  But it was plain to see that the sparse, scrubby coastal grass was capable of covering nothing. They braved the rain and searched the entire hilltop without success.

  'Nothing,' groaned Chandra. 'Well, that sucks. I really thought we were on to something.'