Mellington Hall

by Meredith Resce

  “If you think it is all right.”

  He pulled up another chair next to his own, and together they sat down, he cradling her hand in his own.

  he Montgomery family at last had found a proper welcome to Mellington Hall. Claire was relieved, even pleased to recognise that Alan had won Phillip’s trust, and Phillip had won Alan’s in return.

  The first point of discussion was quickly settled between them. The wedding was to be postponed until Simon’s condition stabilised. No one wanted to admit that he might not yet pull through. They left the thought unspoken and dwelt only on the hope of his eventual recovery.

  Sarah knew that this decision was only right, but she hated the fact that she must wait longer to be married. Her desire for her husband-to-be had yet again to be put on hold.

  Rupert was polite to the Montgomerys, but by no means friendly. He stubbornly maintained his dislike of Sarah, and stopped just short of allowing his master to see it.

  The subject of Lucinda had to be discussed, and the family, as Alan now recognised them, sat down soon after their arrival and went through everything that was known.

  “But why would she suddenly attack you, and Simon, unprovoked, like that?” Claire asked, distressed to realise that the assailant had been just a young woman.

  Alan was quiet for a minute, and Sarah could tell that he had something to say, but was hesitating.

  “What is it?” she asked gently, placing her hand on his arm, as they sat side by side on the sofa.

  “It’s a long story, and not one I am particularly proud of... ”

  “You don’t have to tell us,” Phillip said quickly. “It is not any of our business.”

  “It is, Phillip,” Alan contradicted. “In a short time, Sarah and I will be married, and we will be family. I know you are observing propriety in keeping with your position as my estate manager, but there are times when it is best that the family knows the whole truth.”

  Phillip and Claire waited while Alan appeared to search for the right words.

  “Several years ago, Mrs Evans came to me and told me that the housemaid was with child.”

  “Lucinda?” Sarah guessed.

  Alan nodded as he continued. “She claimed it was Simon who was the father, and I had no reason to doubt that, given Simon’s openly promiscuous lifestyle.”

  “What did Simon say when you confronted him with it?”

  “He laughed and chalked it up as another of his conquests.”

  “He would take no responsibility for the girl?” Phillip asked, appalled.

  “I didn’t want him to take responsibility for her,” Alan said, sounding ashamed. “I wanted him to stop his philandering, but I would not have allowed him to unite himself to her in marriage.”

  “She is from the wrong class,” Sarah said, failing to hide the anger in her voice. Alan heard her tone, but ignored it.

  “I dismissed her.”

  Nobody said anything to this. Alan knew that Sarah was becoming angrier by the minute, but could do nothing about it.

  “And I knew that the Reverend Mr Snead not only supported me in my decision, but demanded that I cut her off completely. You would remember the incident, Phillip.”

  He did remember it. They had brought the girl to the church, forced her to kneel in front of the altar, and condemned her there as a fornicator. She was then forcibly removed from the church, and several self-righteous matrons had thrown eggs at her as she scrambled from the churchyard. He remembered it well, and had thought that that was what would have happened to Sarah too, when Mr Snead set out to punish her.

  “I could never rest easy with what I had done in dismissing her,” Alan continued, “and the day I saw them excommunicate her, I was filled with doubt and confusion. I found it so hard to believe that a God of love would insist on such a cruel and humiliating punishment.”

  “Who took her in?” Sarah asked, her voice brittle with indignation.

  “I believe her mother went behind Mr Snead’s back and organised for her to be cared for by an old woman in another parish.”

  “And the baby?” Claire asked, no less angered by the story.

  “I heard the baby died of the fever when it was only a few months old!”

  Alan didn’t need them to say anything to know how upset they were by the story.

  “It was my own niece who was killed by neglect,” he said eventually. “And I allowed it to happen.”

  “What changed your mind towards the situation?” Phillip asked, himself reminded of his own fluctuating attitudes.

  “I could not settle with the guilt I felt, and the Mr Snead’s sermons only stirred up more doubt as I heard nothing but guilt and condemnation coming from his direction. Eventually I went to visit the new church.” He paused and looked at Phillip. He knew Phillip’s opinion of the group of rebels under the Reverend Mr Edwards.

  “They preached love and forgiveness. They taught that whoever is without sin should cast the first stone. Though I realised I had done wrong, I was not condemned for it. They helped me to be released from it through prayer.”

  “And so you sought to make amends,” Sarah guessed, her tone softening just a little.

  “I apologised to her, Sarah. I told her I had done wrong in sending her away, and I asked her to forgive me.”

  “It would appear that perhaps the resentment may have burned longer than you realised,” Claire observed.

  “I think she was not in her right mind that night she attacked us,” Alan said firmly. “In fact I know she was not. She was crazed.”

  “What do you think set her off? I mean it’s been several years since she had the baby.”

  “I really have no idea. All I know is that I cannot feel totally angry with her, as I believe my brother and I most probably contributed to her mental instability.”

  “Where is she now?” Sarah asked.

  “The constable has taken her into custody. They will interrogate her, and charge her with assault. I pray Simon recovers, as the thought of them hanging her for murder is insupportable.”

  Sarah felt very strongly about what had happened to Lucinda, despite the fact that the girl had been the one who had tried to kill both her and Alan. She simply could not let go of the injustice of the situation in her own mind, and eventually she talked Alan into going to the next town, where the constable had a small prison in which he held suspects until they had come to trial.

  But the constable was not keen on either of them visiting the prisoner.

  “But she is a victim of cruel circumstances,” Sarah pleaded.

  “I do not doubt it,” the constable said. “But it is past the time of friendship and reason, miss. The woman is out of her mind!”

  Sarah felt for her, even though she knew it was ridiculous. How could she feel sorry for someone who had nearly killed her?

  “Well, at least we know now that we are safe in our beds,” Alan said, by way of consolation on their way home.

  “Do you think they will put her in a mental asylum?” Sarah asked straight out.

  “It really depends on what happens to Simon, whether he lives... ”

  “He will live,” Sarah said obstinately. “He has to live!”

  Alan took her hand and squeezed it warmly.

  “Not only that, he will get better soon,” she added.

  “What makes you say that?” Alan asked.

  “I’m tired of waiting to marry you!”

  Alan smiled, and actually stole a very small kiss, although it was by no means enough to satisfy either of them.

  But Sarah was right. Simon did begin to improve, and quite rapidly. It was not long before he and his brother were arguing again. It was a good sign in terms of his recovery, but Sarah wished that they could begin to find a common ground from which they could relate.

  “So you’ve found a way to come up in the world?” Simon commented to Sarah when she came into the room to visit him.

  “I beg your pardon?” she asked, a little taken
aback by his arrogance. She had somehow forgotten the way Simon had treated her before, and unconsciously made him into a much nicer person than he was in reality.

  “I’m not surprised that Alan wants you, only that he is willing to marry you!”

  “You might also be surprised to know... ” But before she could fully explain her actual status, she withdrew, realising that Simon was baiting her, and she had no intention of justifying her position. She felt that such behaviour was very much beneath her. Let Simon think what he liked about her.

  “What would I be surprised to know?” Simon asked, a smirk still confidently in place on his annoying face.

  “You would be surprised to know that Miss Lucinda never recovered from her ordeal. Remember, you left her pregnant and abandoned.”

  “So you think I should feel sorry for that crazy she-devil?”

  “I think you should feel something, Simon. Perhaps remorse. You abandoned your baby daughter and her mother... ”

  “Good god, woman! If I made a practice of molly coddling every woman who found their way into my bed, I’d have to run an asylum.”

  “Perhaps your brother is right! Perhaps you would be better to curtail your philandering ways.”

  “Did he send you in here to preach to me as well?”

  “I’m sorry, Simon,” Sarah apologised. “I don’t mean to preach at you. I really only came in to see if we could become friends, since I’m to become your sister-in-law.”

  “Knowing my reputation, I’m surprised that Alan allowed you to take the chance.”

  “Please, Simon. I’m serious. I am hoping you will be well enough to attend our wedding, and that you will wish your brother well. He cares about you, you do know that?”

  Simon bit his lip, and narrowed his eyes, as if in thought.

  “I am thankful he saved my life that night. The doctor said I would have been dead if he had not acted so quickly.”

  Sarah smiled at the candid confession.

  “You need not go out and tell him. I do not want him thinking he can continue to lord it over me.”

  “He wants the best for you, Simon. I wish you understood that.”

  “He would not have let me marry Lucinda, you know.”

  “I know that,” Sarah replied. “He told me. And he also told me how much he regretted his attitude.” She paused to let it sink in. “It was the thing that eventually made him seek answers to his doubts.”

  “Doubts?”

  “He was not convinced that Mr Snead’s remedy for fornication was effective, and he was certain it was cruel. Apparently the Reverend Mr Edwards represents the teachings of Christ very differently, much more in the line of ‘he who is without sin... ’”

  Simon chose not to answer for a moment.

  “So you think I should forgive the crazy woman.”

  “Of course! Even you admit that she was not in her right mind. And you have to admit that the past actions of both you and your brother must have contributed to that. Do you know what the villagers do to girls who are accused of fornication?”

  “I would prefer not to know.”

  “Perhaps so, but I think you should, just so that you know what position you placed Lucinda in, and how she must have felt. You need to acknowledge some responsibility.”

  “Miss Montgomery, perhaps you are not aware, but I am not used to facing responsibility. It is not something that I have taken a great interest in.”

  “Oh, I’m aware all right. I’ve felt the results of your heedless actions myself, and I think it is high time you were made aware of just how it feels.”

  “I do not appreciate your high-handed approach, believe me, and I do not have to listen to anything you say. If you please... ”

  “What? Do you think I shall meekly withdraw?” Sarah asked boldly. “You are sadly mistaken in my character if you think I would succumb to arrogant intimidation.”

  “I say, Miss Montgomery. I would really prefer it if you left me alone!”

  “And yet, I am unmoved! I would prefer you to hear what I have to say, and since you are in no fit state to force me to leave, I believe now would be a perfect time to paint the full picture for you.”

  By the time Alan found his fiancée, she had been subjecting his wounded brother to quite a sound lecture for some time.

  She had not quite finished, and there were one or two things she wanted to add. As Alan heard her speak, he could not believe her audacity, nor could he believe just how passionate she was about making his brother understand the effects of his thoughtless, self-serving actions. Even he began to feel the guilt, recalling, as she spoke, how he had been quite happy to push her aside to cope the best way she could, denying any form of responsibility towards her and the situation she had been in because of him.

  he wedding date was decided at last. The doctor’s opinion was that Simon would be well enough to attend within the month, even if he had to be transported in a wheelchair, and that was all the reassurance Alan needed to reactivate the wedding plans.

  This time, both he and Sarah were eagerly counting the days. There was no longer the threat of a murderer at large, and though the general population still maintained a self-righteous indignation toward them, Sarah had gained so much encouragement from the open and loving attitude of the Reverend Mr Edwards, that she was almost able to believe that she need not worry about the ill-informed, close-minded attitudes of the village gossips. When Alan smiled at her, his dark eyes shining with love and respect, Sarah began to believe that she could live a full and happy life at Mellington Hall, and the rest of the world no longer mattered.

  That was until the constable in charge of the investigations at Mellington Hall came to visit them four days prior to the wedding day.

  Sarah entered the drawing room feeling a little anxious, but only on behalf of Lucinda, whom she believed would either have to spend the rest of her life in an insane asylum, or if proved of sound mind, she would be transported to one of the foreign convict colonies. She did feel rather sorry for Lucinda, despite the girl’s wild attempts against the family.

  “Well, constable,” Alan shook his hand firmly as he entered the room, “I suppose you have come to deliver your final report on the case against Lucinda Maddock.”

  The constable cleared his throat, and nervously wiped his brow before sitting down. “I am afraid, sir, that things have taken rather a turn for the worse,” he said, his mouth obviously dry.

  “What do you mean?” Sarah asked, a cold claw-like feeling of alarm gripping in her stomach. “Do you mean they will hang Lucinda after all?”

  “Lord Mellington, I wonder if perhaps we should discuss this alone?” He was very clear in indicating that he felt Sarah should leave the room.

  Sarah understood his inference, but was determined to ignore it. The past months of crisis had proved to her that she did have a strong mind and a strong stomach, and she did not want to be ushered aside merely for fear of her falling in a faint.

  Alan saw her determination and was not going to insist on her leaving. He knew she was sensible enough to hear whatever news the constable had to deliver. She would make him tell her afterwards in any case, so there was little point in removing her from the conversation now.

  “It is all right, constable. Miss Montgomery will hear what it is you have to say.”

  “I am sorry to report, sir and ma’am, that Lucinda Maddock is already dead.”

  “Dead?” Alan and Sarah said together.

  “It was made to look as if she had taken her own life, and that is what we thought, at first, until... ” the constable paused.

  “Until what?” Alan asked, his own confidence suddenly shaken.

  “One of the other prisoners swears that Lucinda was constantly saying that she never shot at the master, and that she only put the medicine in his food, because she was told it would make him love her more.”

  Sarah looked at Alan, and saw that his face had paled considerably.

  “And you take the w
ord of this prisoner as truth then, do you?”

  “Not at first, sir,” the constable went on, his discomfiture becoming more obvious. “It was not until the doctor insisted that Lucinda had been poisoned that we began to pay more attention.”

  “How did you think she had died? What happened to her?”

  “It looked as if she had cut her wrists, and bled to death, but the doctor insists that she was already dead when someone else had cut her wrists.”

  “How did he come to that conclusion?” Sarah asked, her curiosity far from satisfied.

  “There was very little blood at the site of the wounds. More from the left wrist than the right. Once a person’s heart stops, there is nothing to pump the blood, and only blood that flows with gravity will ooze out. The left arm was hanging down, the right arm was lying across her chest. And the small amount of blood that had come from the left arm was clear indication that Lucinda was already dead when her wrists were slit.”

  “What does that mean?” Alan asked sternly.

  “It is almost certain that Lucinda was murdered to prevent her from speaking about the person who encouraged her to poison you.”

  “So you interviewed the other prisoners?” Sarah asked, beginning to feel the fear again.

  “Thoroughly,” the constable confirmed.

  “And what did they say?”

  “Though some of them thought she was crazy, and I believe she probably was, her ravings were consistent, and it is almost certain that someone else knew her vulnerabilities, and was manipulating her.”

  “Who?” Sarah cried. “It could not possibly have been Simon, surely. Rupert? Mrs Evans?”

  Alan took Sarah’s hand and spoke gently to her. “Calm down, dear,” he said kindly. “We have faced it all before, we shall do so again. It will be all right!”

  Sarah turned wild eyes toward him, and she saw the same fear reflected in his own face. She took a deep breath realising that hysteria and panic would not help them in this situation. A clear head was needed.

  Once the constable had left them Alan immediately organised for them to return to Sarah’s home. She had not been staying at Mellington Hall, but she and her mother had been there nearly every day making arrangements and helping with preparations for the wedding. Now that all misunderstandings had been cleared up, Claire Montgomery was once more Lady Pennerly, and had guided the organisation with all her former acumen and authority.