by Dilys Xavier
‘Well, if it’s all right with you I’ll pop over and see them right now.’
‘Yes, of course, Miss Lowestoffe.’
Both animals pricked up their ears as she walked into the stable compound. She fed each one an apple while she stroked their muzzles. For a brief moment considered taking Duke out for a gallop across a nearby field, but her riding habit lay in a bag at Josie’s house and she was loathe to borrow Pippa’s. Before leaving she patted the sorrel mare, ‘And we’ll find a handsome stallion to cover you next time you come into season.’
When she arrived at Josie’s house, she rang the builder and asked him to give her a quote for repairing the stables. The man had done work for Cousin John in the past and she knew he was trustworthy. They agreed to meet at her new house the following afternoon. And then she phoned Cecile.
*
Curiosity drove Richard to the estate where he had operated Carlisle Enterprises. The premises he had so recently outfitted were still vacant. Although the European consortium had taken over the lease, they had made it clear at the time that they did not intend to use the place, and now it stood empty and forlorn. He recalled the day the telephone was disconnected and all the furniture, computers and typewriters were dispatched to an auction room. It had made the end so final.
He sighed as he eased the car into gear; it seemed only yesterday that he had excitedly moved into the place to expand his business. And now it was all over and the only thing he had to do was present himself at board meetings from time to time. When he returned home, he rifled through the mail, hoping to find a letter from Catherine. He would like an answer from her, even if it was a refusal. He hesitated for a moment and then dialled Louise’s number in Ireland. The man who answered the phone was pleasant, but apologetic.
‘I’m sorry, but she’s not here. She returned to England two days ago, but I have her address, and if you’ll hang on I’ll find it.’ The line went dead for a few minutes. ‘Here it is.’ Seamus read out the particulars, but before Richard could ask for the phone number he hung up.
Richard rang telephone enquiries, but they informed him it was an ex-directory number. He wandered disconsolately around the house, and then decided to go down to the Wheatsheaf Inn for a drink and something to eat. The place was nearly empty, except for a few old timers in one corner. In a moment of magnanimity, Richard told the barman to give them all a drink on him. When they turned and looked in his direction, he recognised Aubrey Mackay.
‘Hello, Aubrey,’ he said, sitting down next to the elderly man. ‘Do you remember our discussion a few weeks ago, when I asked you about Langley Hall, and you told me that Sir Hugh’s daughter had eloped with a man who had lived at Crickleburn.’
‘Yes. Yes, of course, I do,’ the old man said, giving a big grin and nodding his head. ‘And you gave the barman some money to buy me a few beers.’ He gave a dry cackle. ‘Didn’t ‘arf upset the others. Me getting a free drink every day for a week.’ Richard waited until Aubrey stopped chuckling.
‘Well, let me tell you that after I left here that day, I went down to Crickleburn and met a woman by name of Agnes Froshier. It was her brother who married Elizabeth Williams. Her story matched yours.’
‘You don’t say.’
‘Yes, and this will surprise you; that same Elizabeth Williams was my mother. I’m the late Sir Hugh’s grandson.’
The old man stared at him for a moment with his mouth wide open.
‘You? Heir to Langley Hall? Well, I’ll be...’ He cocked his head to one side and then nodded again. ‘So that was your picture in the newspaper wasn’t it?’ Without waiting for a reply he turned to the other men. ‘Hey, d’you know who this is? The Squire of Langley Hall, that’s who.’
It was some hours before Richard left the pub. Everyone who came into the place was told that Richard was the new Squire, and everyone expected a free drink. In the end the publican suggested that he either stay the night, as he had done on previous occasions, or take a taxi home. By the time he unlocked the door of his house, Richard was pleasantly inebriated, and feeling very happy with himself.
I’ll bet that’s more than my grandfather ever did for his workers, he thought, as he climbed into bed. Then he chuckled. He wondered if Sir Hugh’s ghost had been put to rest when his body was buried, because he would be sleeping in the old man’s room soon, and the last thing he needed was a restless spirit wandering around the house.
As if in response to his thoughts his dreams were filled with figures flitting from room to room in the manor. He cried out for help and the outline of a woman appeared by his bedside, but she disappeared before he could recognise her. He sat up and rubbed his eyes.
‘What was that all about,’ he murmured. The last thought that crossed his mind as he fell asleep again was to tell Leslie to expect him soon at the Hall.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Richard had wanted to lease his house on a short term basis until he had settled into Langley Hall so that he would feel he had something he knew well to fall back on. But the accountant had argued against retaining the place and urged him to put it on the market straight away. The man had been right of course; it wasn’t worth keeping.
And now as he looked out the window and saw a furniture removal van roll to a stop in front of the house he knew he had made the right decision. It was better to consign it to the past. Hang on to the memories, but let go of the building. Within two hours everything had been loaded and as they raised the lorry tailgate he closed the door behind him and pocketed the key. This is becoming a habit, he mused, first the office, then the warehouse and now my little home. He still had to pick up some computer and electronic equipment he had put into storage, but that could wait until another day.
Leslie and his wife, Pippa, were waiting for him when he arrived. Dave, and Lucille, the new stable girl, plus a woman that helped occasionally, joined them to welcome him to the manor. He glanced from one to the other as Leslie said a few words on behalf of them all. He had not been prepared for such a pleasant reception after his previous experience with the gardener, and it caught him by surprise.
‘Thank you, Leslie,’ he said, in a husky voice, and turned to the others. ‘And thank you too.’ He spread his hands wide. ‘I’ve run out of words. Thank you again.’
As they stood aside he walked into the house. The sheer size of the entrance hall overwhelmed him, as it had done every time he had entered the place. Richard climbed the stairs and wandered down the corridors unsure where he should go, until Pippa suggested that he should occupy the rooms used by Sir Hugh.
‘It’s the grandest part of the house,’ she said, ‘and it would be more in keeping with your position.’ When he looked into what had been Catherine’s apartment, Pippa shook her head. ‘That’s a woman’s room.’
Richard knew he had no choice really; he had to use his old grandfather’s former accommodation. He poked into all the cupboards and wardrobes, and inspected the bathroom for the third or fourth time before he went downstairs and walked into the kitchen. He opened a cupboard at random, just as Pippa came into the room. She looked at him in surprise.
‘I just thought I’d make some coffee,’ Richard said, almost apologetically.
‘I’ll make it for you,’ she said, evidently embarrassed by his intrusion. ‘Where shall I serve it? In the study or the sitting room?’
Richard gave a small laugh. ‘I’ll have to get accustomed to the way things are done here, won’t I? In the meantime you’ll have to be patient.’
After he had finished his coffee, Richard went looking for Leslie and found the man sweeping out a shed that had been set aside to store some of his belongings from his old home, and just as he finished, the removal van arrived. When everything was stacked away to his satisfaction Richard strolled back to the house and found Pippa busy making up the bed. Still at a loose end, he decided to stroll around the gardens.
As he paused to admire the view across the fields Catherine drove through the gates a
nd stopped outside the Lodge. He hesitated for a moment and then slowly walked towards her.
‘Hello, Catherine, I didn’t know you were coming here today,’ he said, a looking at her closely. ‘Is there anything I can do for you?’
‘No thank you,’ she replied. ‘It’s just that I’ve packed away something I need, so I’ve popped over to pick it up.’ She paused and then added, ‘I’ve bought a property a few miles away so I’ll be able to move my horses soon.’
‘That’s good.’ Richard coughed softly. ‘Did you ...?’
‘Get your letter? Yes, but I haven’t had time to digest it yet.’ She glanced at her wristwatch. ‘I must hurry or I’ll be late for an appointment.’
He realised that she had no interest in holding any conversation with him, so he walked to the top of the drive from where he watched her disappear inside the Lodge and re-emerge minutes later holding a small box. She saw him, and waved goodbye as she climbed into the Mazda and then sped out through the gates and down the road. As her car disappeared he suddenly remembered that he had not shut off the water or the power in his little house. The hot water system was old and prone to overflow at times and if he did not want the estate agents to walk into a watery mess he would have to do something about it straight away.
The moment he walked into the place, Richard was reminded of the first time his mother took him there. He had wrinkled his nose and complained about the smell. His mother had tried to explain that Aunt Judith was a very old woman when she died and, like a lot of old people, she didn’t like a draft so she had tended to keep the house closed up tight. But it wasn’t just the house so much as all the old furniture, the lumpy, grey mattress and the hard stuffed sofa that had made such an impression on his young mind. His mother had systematically replaced most of the worn out pieces with newer furniture, but that initial impression still persisted.
After his mother had died, Richard had purged the place of everything except a few antique pieces and, of course, the bureau. With little room for extra furniture at the manor, those items had been packed away in the shed, and whether they could be put to use remained to be seen. However they provided a link to his past something to remind him of his loving and supportive mother and her aunt. When he switched everything off he rang the estate agent and told them what he had done, and then made his way back to the manor.
It took him some time to unpack his bags, place all his clothes in the cupboards and lay out his toiletries in the bathroom. After looking around the room, yet again, he went downstairs to the sitting room and poured himself a drink. Pippa came in shortly afterwards to tell him she had prepared a special meal for him that it would be ready in half an hour. He thought about asking her and Leslie to have a drink with him, but decided that they might be embarrassed by the gesture. It would be better to leave things as they were for the moment.
That evening he spent some time browsing through the numerous books in the study and decided he should make an effort to research his family history. When he finally mounted the stairs to his apartment he was bone weary. It had been a very long and eventful day.
‘I wonder if I’ll ever get used to the size of everything,’ he muttered, as he ran his fingers over the carved uprights on the four-poster bed.
When he tested the mattress he groaned aloud. The lumps and bumps that had been formed over the years barely offset the unyielding hardness. It had probably not been renewed since the old man had died, nor replaced during his lifetime. May be he should have kept his own bed instead of sending it off to the auction house but, of course, it was a bit late now. He was too tired to think straight and all he wanted to do was get a good night’s rest. He could shop for one soon.
He had just drifted off to sleep when a sharp crack snapped him awake. Richard sat up with a start, and gazed around the room, but there was no sign of anything out of the ordinary. Sliding out of bed, he peered into all the corners, opened the window and looked outside, but there was nothing untoward. After he returned to bed there was another series of cracks. Then he recalled the old house in Devon where he had lived as a small a child; it had creaked and groaned all night as the timbers moved and settled back into place after a hot day. I’ll just have to get used to it, I suppose, he reckoned, pulling the bedclothes up to his chin. But I hope it doesn’t take too long.
The rest of the night was no better. He staggered down stairs the next morning, bleary-eyed and feeling like nothing on earth. After breakfast he went looking for Leslie and informed him that he wanted to take riding lessons. The man offered to teach him and then suggested that his wife might be willing to help him as well.
‘She’s a more polished rider than I am.’ He gave a little chuckle. ‘Got much more patience, but then you’ve got to be patient if you do dressage and show riding.’
‘Well, I’d better order some gear,’ Richard said. ‘I’ll have to look the part if nothing else, and in the meantime I’ll hang around the stables and try to get used to the horses.’
*
‘You’re looking well, Catherine,’ Cecile’s remarked brightly when they met the next day. ‘Ireland seems to agree with you. Or is it the Irishmen who put the colour in your cheeks?’
‘Well, I can assure you that it has nothing to do with a man.’
When Catherine related her version of the events of the past few weeks and the final debacle involving Liam’s daughter, Cecile chuckled, ‘At least you found out what he was like before you accepted his offer to help set you up in some stables.’
‘Yes, that could have been disastrous.’ Catherine hesitated for a moment then asked, ‘Now what about you - you and Richard? What happened? What went wrong?’ Cecile did not answer immediately so she continued. ‘Did he do something that upset you or did you just get second thoughts about it all? Like you usually do after a few months.’
‘I really thought I loved him enough to marry him,’ Cecile said, slowly. She looked down at her hands and then back at Catherine. ‘He’s a great guy and the only one to get a ring on my finger.’ She tried to laugh, but it sounded forced. ‘But you know me; love ‘em and leave ‘em.’
‘So it’s all finished between you?’
‘Yes, you could say that. We talked things over and agreed to be friends.’ She reached out for Catherine’s hand. ‘I didn’t want our parting of the ways to come between you and me.’
‘What do you mean?’ Catherine stared at her companion. ‘How could your relationship with Richard impinge on our friendship?’
‘I’m thinking of the long term. One day you might consider accepting his offer. If you move back into Langley Hall I want to be able to visit you, attend your social evenings, help out with the charity appeals. I certainly wouldn’t want to be dodging Richard because we are not on speaking terms with one another.’
By the time the two women parted company, Catherine felt even more confused about Richard. Cecile had reacted in the same way as Josie when Catherine related how they had confided in each other after the charity appeal members had left the manor. Until then Catherine had no idea what Richard’s feelings were for her, but she found herself thinking more kindly about him as their contacts increased. And Cecile had made it abundantly clear that she thought they would suit each other, and apparently she had said the same thing to Richard.
Catherine drove back to Josie’s in a sombre mood, but she brightened up when she found a letter from the solicitors saying that the sale was going to plan. The next day she met the builder and explained what she wanted done to the stables. After he had gone she walked around the property and inspected the fences and decided that it would not take a lot of effort to fix them. So with a bit of luck she should be able to move herself and the horses into the place within the next week.
‘I’d better look for someone to move my things,’ she murmured, ‘and the sooner the better.’ However, she was confident that everything would go according to plan as it had done to date. She would check out the Yellow Pages as soon as she retu
rned to Josie’s place.
As she slipped in behind the steering wheel Catherine wondered why she felt so uncomfortable about everything. She should be pleased that the previous owner had moved out so quickly, that there was adequate room for her horses and that she would be independent again. But she wasn’t. A wave of sadness swept over her as she realised it was not the life she had envisaged for herself.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Richard wandered into the study shortly after he had finished breakfast and stared at the rows of books that lined every shelf. Pulling out a large tome he sank into the nearest seat and began to read. Fascinated by the information it contained he determined to find out whether the family history had been recorded and catalogued. After a thorough search he discovered a wooden box containing a card index system.
The notations were hard to read, but at least they were legible. Richard spent the remainder of the day browsing through the numerous books relating to Langley Hall and had to be reminded when it was time to eat. When he finally climbed the stairs that night he had made up his mind to transfer all the information into his computer. Sleep came easily. A new innersprung mattress and sprung base along with a couple of duck down and feather pillows had replaced the lumpy bedding and old four-poster bed frame.
The next morning he asked Leslie to help him set up his computer system in the study. It took them most of the morning because he did not want to upset the ascetic balance of the room by relocating too much furniture. While he plugged in the leads, Richard decided that it might be a good idea to create a website to record and publicise the history of Langley Hall. But, of course, that could wait a while; his first priority was to set up surveillance cameras and link them to a series of monitors around the property. He did not want a repeat of Catherine’s surprise attack.
‘It’ll take me too long to do it myself,’ he explained to a dumbfounded Leslie the following day. ‘I’ll hire the people who used to work for me on a contractual basis. They’ll be in and out again in a couple of days.’ He smiled broadly. ‘No one will be able to sneak up on you then.’