Some Veil Did Fall

by Kirsty Ferry

  ‘I was not following you, Ella,’ said Jacob. He said something else that she didn’t quite catch and she studied him for a moment. It was quite dark in the stables and she wished he would stand more out of the shadows than he was. It was difficult to read him, but she was not going to ask him to move. Instead she left the safety of the horse and walked out of the building. Jacob followed her. She wondered if he required an answer to his last comment or not.

  Then he made it easy for her. ‘So, am I forgiven or not?’

  ‘Forgiven?’ she almost shouted. ‘For what? For destroying my possessions? Or for following me? Or for daring to come back to the Park knowing what you know about the situation? Lydia will no doubt have kept you up to date on everything in our lives, and I find it difficult to understand how you just happened to still be at the Park when we came home. If you are hoping Adam will put some extra – what do you say – codicils – into his will, then you are mistaken. Codicil is a word I am unfamiliar with but I understand what they do.’

  ‘I know nothing about your situation,’ said Jacob. ‘I came because Lydia invited me, and yes, I did want to see you. I shall not pretend otherwise. She has not discussed you and Adam.’

  ‘Knowing Lydia, I find that difficult to believe,’ said Ella coldly. She was spared any further discussions with him by the appearance of Johnson, the head stable hand. She turned her back on Jacob and smiled at Johnson.

  ‘I shall be taking Blackie out tomorrow. Please will you ensure he is ready to go at lunchtime?’ she asked.

  ‘Are you sure, ma’am?’ asked Johnson.

  Ella bit back a sarcastic retort. Her reputation, or something, at least, had obviously spread throughout the staff.

  ‘Very sure,’ she said.

  ‘Very well, ma’am,’ said Johnson. He bowed. ‘Blackie will be ready after lunch.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she said. She turned and began to walk back to the house, but Jacob hurried after her. Then he dashed ahead and stood in front of her, blocking her way. She glared at him.

  ‘I only wanted to ensure you were doing the right thing,’ he said. ‘I was trying to protect you. Adam and his life may not be the most suitable lifestyle for you.’

  Ella held up her hand. ‘Please, Jacob, just stop. I married Adam; that is my choice and if I made a mistake by doing so, I shall find out in my own time. I do not need you to tell me.’ She made to walk past him and he grabbed her hand, pulling her to face him. ‘Get off me!’ she shouted, shaking her arm furiously.

  ‘Not until you listen to me,’ he said. ‘Can we put all this behind us? I cannot bear to be near Adam, but I am afraid I must be if I want to spend time with you and Lydia—’

  ‘Adam has done nothing wrong. You have no reason to dislike him. The only issue I can see is that you are jealous that he inherited the Park. Adam does not know about the fountain and no, I shall not tell him. He would have no hesitation in making your life extremely difficult if he knew. I do not want to be responsible for that.’

  She sighed, suddenly feeling tired. She was tired from the journey, from the situation with Jacob; she was tired from everything. ‘Look, Jacob. You are a good man, I am sure. You have no official claim on Carrick Park, but you are family. When I thought I would never see the place again, I felt miserable. I would not want to put anyone else in that position. So, yes, you are forgiven. But I will never forget it. And please do not ever, ever put me in that situation again. I just want to move on. I have other things to think about.’

  She started walking off again, pulling the coat close to her body. Jacob appeared in front of her again like a jack-in-the-box. ‘What now?’ she asked sharply.

  ‘I just want to say thank you. I appreciate it,’ he said. ‘May I accompany you back to the house? Perhaps we can spend a little time together before dinner – the four of us. Perhaps you could play some music? I have missed that.’ He held his arm out to her, hoping, apparently, that she would link it.

  Ella could not be bothered to argue any more. She hesitated a moment, then accepted his arm. ‘Very well. I too have missed my piano,’ she said. ‘I may be persuaded to play a little tonight. I shall see how I feel.’

  They began to walk back towards the house. By mutual, unspoken agreement, they took the longer route that did not pass near the courtyard. Being with Jacob for a few minutes longer was a small price to pay, Ella considered, than to have him desecrate her private space again. His mere presence there would poison it at the moment.

  She cast a sidelong glance at him. He seemed to be deep in thought and she was grateful that there was no conversation to be attempted. She had been truthful; she did just want to move on, but she did not want to let her barriers down too quickly. He was still rather a complex person, and she would rather tread cautiously, just for a little while longer.

  JACOB

  November 1865

  The evening was not as bad as he had anticipated. Adam had made it quite clear that he was unhappy about his presence, but Jacob was well used to brazening it out. And, despite his deep-rooted hatred of Adam, he did his best to be polite and respectful to his cousin. He just had to remember that Ella was the all-powerful one in this little game. If he upset her or crossed Adam, he would be out of the Park and, as Ella had told him so bluntly, his life would be ruined.

  Jacob wasn’t ready to let go of the Park or of Ella yet. That business he had been attending to in Whitby the day he met Lydia and Ella? He hoped he had found a loophole in the ridiculous will that had caused this upset. He just needed an expert opinion, which he was confident would soon be forthcoming. Then it would be interesting to see which direction he chose.

  After all, if the estate was entailed to the women of the family, Adam was there by default anyway. Thanks to that little blonde maid, he had finally gotten his hands on the will – it hadn’t been easy, but once she had realised who was in charge and how he could assert that authority, it suddenly became much simpler. And then, once the loophole was prised open, he, Jacob, could have a lot of fun deciding which of the women of the household to pursue.

  He looked across the drawing room at Adam, who was pulling the seat out from beneath the piano for Ella. She, in her turn, was looking at Adam, who then met her gaze and leant forward, saying something which only she was aware of. She smiled and ran her fingertips lightly along the keys of the piano, then sat down.

  ‘They are so happy together,’ Lydia said, sitting down next to him. She picked up some sort of Gothic horror novel and began reading it. ‘It is so nice to all be together again. Such a shame the weather is turning quite dreary. I wonder what tomorrow will bring?’

  ‘Where is my Mozart?’ shouted Ella suddenly. She was up on her feet again, rummaging through piles of sheet music. ‘I particularly wanted the Mozart.’

  ‘Oh, poor Ella,’ said Lydia, lowering the book and looking at her over the top of it. ‘I know she loves it, but …’

  Ella looked across at Jacob and Lydia. ‘Does either of you know what happened to my music?’ she asked. Her face was red and angry-looking.

  Lydia lowered the book further and replied. ‘Perhaps someone tidied it away by mistake? I shall speak to the servants tomorrow. Play something else, my love. Or play it from memory?’

  Ella shook her head. ‘No. I would rather have the music, I think. It has been a while.’ She stomped around the piano and found some more pieces of music, which she proceeded to read then discard, one after the other.

  Lydia shook her head and raised the book again. ‘Oh, she will play something eventually, I am sure. She will not be able to sit there and ignore that instrument. I shall wait until she calms down before I ask her to try something else again.’

  Jacob had half-smiled, still watching Ella look through the music. ‘I am in awe of her talent,’ he said, just loud enough for Lydia to hear. ‘I am sure we have all missed listening
to her these last few weeks.’

  ‘I have,’ said Lydia. ‘I am so pleased we are all together again. I often think about Helena, you know. It is so strange. She just disappeared and you were always so close.’

  ‘Things change,’ said Jacob. He picked up a discarded book and began to flick through it. It was a history of Whitby and very boring. ‘The weather forecast is not supposed to be very good tomorrow,’ he said, trying to divert the subject away from Helena. ‘I heard one of the servants mention that the harbour master was expecting a gale warning.’

  ‘Oh dear, I must tell Adam. He was intending to go into the town tomorrow,’ said Lydia.

  ‘Why should that stop him?’ asked Jacob, surprised. ‘Surely the storm will be out at sea, it should not affect his business in the town.’

  ‘Well, because Ella is going with him,’ said Lydia, making sure her book was high enough to prevent Ella lip-reading. ‘And you know what she is like. She is bloody-minded and determined to go with him and it really is not a good idea. Adam said she was arranging to take Blackie. Heaven knows that she and Blackie are not the steadiest combination at the best of times.’

  ‘Good grief!’ replied Jacob. ‘But she will not be advised against it, I imagine.’ He omitted to say he had found her in the stables only that afternoon.

  ‘No. The only thing,’ said Lydia, her eyes still on Ella, ‘is if we can arrange a plot of some kind.’

  Ella was still complaining loudly about the lack of that particular Mozart sheet music and Adam, trying not to laugh, was engaging himself in showing her different pieces to play as an alternative.

  ‘I could go,’ said Jacob, turning slightly in the seat so Ella could not see him either. ‘I could follow them, and I could ensure she returns home safely if Adam is delayed and we really do get a storm. I will set off later than them, of course, so it does not look suspicious. I have business of my own to attend to anyway.’ His heart began to beat just a little faster.

  If Lydia agreed, then he was not the one who could be called to task should Adam and Ella discover his plans. It was perfect. He had the opportunity to spend a whole afternoon legitimately near Ella.

  There was a pause while Lydia apparently ran through the alternatives in her mind, then she smiled. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I think that is an excellent idea. We must not tell them, of course. We will be in such trouble if they discover our motives.’

  ‘Indeed,’ said Jacob quietly. He watched Ella thoughtfully, seeing the graceful way she moved, the curve of her cheek, the slight tilt of her head as she listened to Adam. ‘Our motives must remain secret,’ he told Lydia. ‘They must never know the truth.’

  And so it was that Lydia waved Jacob off the next afternoon.

  ‘Now, do take care, darling,’ Lydia said, following him to the door. ‘It is looking rather dark out there already.’ She shivered, peeping out of the door. ‘Rather you than me.’

  ‘I am sure any storms will be confined to the sea,’ said Jacob, not really sure of that fact at all. ‘I will bring her back safely, do not worry.’ Her, he had said, not them. He hoped that Lydia had not picked up on that. She did not seem to have done; rather, she was now huddling by the fireplace in the hallway, having given up on the outside world.

  ‘It is bitter!’ she said. ‘Ella has no sense.’ She shook her head then opened her mouth, as if to qualify the statement. Then she sighed and gave up. ‘No sense at all. What am I to do with her?’

  ‘I suspect you cannot do much with her,’ said Jacob. ‘Oh, well. I shall head off into the town. I know where they are going and I shall hopefully be able to reach them.’

  ‘Just make sure they do not see you!’ said Lydia, giggling. ‘Otherwise we will both be in trouble.’ She blew him a kiss and he left.

  His horse had already been brought around for him, and he mounted it easily. He kicked it and started off across the estate. He would take the shortcut past that damned angel fountain Ella loved so much. It led straight onto the cliff path and from there it was a pleasant enough ride on a fine day. Today, it probably would not be so pleasant. He could already feel the wind gathering pace and there were some spots of rain in the air.

  He skirted the courtyard and cast a derisive look at the fountain. He wished he had damaged it some more that day, but he had made his point. He had spent all the previous night in a hostelry in Whitby – God knows how he had managed to ride to the Park the next day. He just needed to be near her one last time. He had arrived, just as the wedding procession was leaving the Park. He had caught a glimpse of her in the carriage and felt his heart twist. That was it; his last chance to stop her – gone. The angel had looked just like Ella; it had the same sweet expression on its face and the same long, wavy hair. But the way he saw it, he had thought that Ella was as trapped as that statue was, tied to Adam and the estate and never free to spread her wings.

  If Jacob had Ella, the Park could go hang. He would have taken her away from all that, from the pressure of business dinners and important colleagues to entertain. She would hate it. He would have walked out of all their lives and not bothered with the rest of it – as long as he had Ella. Now, it seemed, all that was left to him was to get the Park.

  It never crossed Jacob’s mind to think that part of the reason he was so fascinated by Ella, was her determination and, as Lydia had said, her bloody-mindedness. Just look at today. She hated riding, yet she was determined to go into Whitby just to prove a point; just to prove that she could and nobody was going to tell her she couldn’t, until she made up her own mind about it. He kicked the horse again to speed it up and get it onto the cliff path more quickly. He looked up at the sky. It was definitely darkening. He hoped it would hold off until Ella got home safely that night. Adam should have known better than to take her into Whitby. No matter what the business was he had to deal with at the solicitors – and Jacob had a good idea what it entailed – surely it could have waited just one more day?

  LYDIA

  November 1865

  Prowling around the drawing room, Lydia felt ridiculously nervous. She was anxiously clasping her hands together and muttering under her breath, alternately praying then demanding that everyone should return soon. It was late; far too late for them all to be out in this sort of weather. She jumped as another roll of thunder rattled the casements and the lightning lit up the room, despite the heavy drapes. It was worse, even, than the storm they had experienced in July. Dinner was always served at six. It was now seven-thirty and nobody had returned from Whitby yet.

  ‘Hurry up!’ she said to the empty room. ‘Where on earth are you all?’ She turned and began another circuit of the room. She brushed past Ella’s piano and pressed a few keys far too hard out of pure frustration. She could never get a decent tune out of the thing and tonight was no different. Was it only last night that Ella had moaned about her Mozart score disappearing? Lydia had hidden behind that appalling Gothic novel, knowing full well that the sheet was concealed within her writing slope. Yes, she was a terrible tease; she knew that. But she had been bored and the evening had been dark and dinner had been disappointing and Ella knew it mostly off by heart anyway; all these excuses. She felt about an inch high, today. One learns by one’s mistakes. She would never tease anyone again, ever, if only they would all come back within the next half hour.

  Lydia left the piano and headed towards the door. As she approached it, she heard a commotion in the hallway. She heard Jacob’s voice calling her name frantically.

  ‘Lydia! Lydia!’

  ‘Oh, thank God!’ she said and ran the rest of the way to the door. She pushed it open, ready to greet the three soaking wet miscreants, expecting to see them all dripping soundly on the floor and looking guilty. Instead, there was only Jacob there. His face was white, his normally perfect appearance most certainly dishevelled. There was blood on his face.

  ‘Lydia! Oh, Lydia!’ h
e raced across to her, his arms outstretched. ‘I’m so sorry. The cliff path. It has crumbled away. And then I got lost in this damned storm … I ended up thrashed by some trees …’

  He embraced her and she could feel that he was shaking.

  ‘Jacob! Darling! Well, that explains why you are so late. At least you are all here now. Where are the others? Poor Ella, she hates the dark. She tells me that she loves storms but I am positive that she must hate them when they are like this. Is she all right?’ She peered around him, trying to see the door. ‘Where are they? Did you get her home safely?’

  ‘No, you misunderstand me. I am alone, Lydia. I was hoping they had arrived without me. Are they not here? Please, tell me they are here.’

  ‘No, Jacob. They have not come back yet. Oh, no! They must be still out there somewhere.’ She pulled away from him, taking hold of his hand almost subconsciously.

  He squeezed it, making her look at him. ‘I saw them in town. Yes, they spotted me and I was not popular, but Ella persuaded Adam that we should all meet at the church to travel home together. They never turned up. I waited there for hours, Lydia, please believe me. I do not know where they are if they have not come back.’

  ‘Why on earth would I doubt you?’ asked Lydia. ‘I trust you, Jacob and I am sure Ella would have done her utmost to keep to the arrangements.’

  ‘But if they did not come to the church as arranged, and they have not made their way home, I truly don’t know where they are. Perhaps they stayed in the town? I hope they did.’

  ‘I hope they did too.’ Lydia’s eyes were wide. ‘If they didn’t, they could be anywhere.’ The moors were dark and lonely, and very unfriendly on such a night. ‘Ella is not confident on a horse, poor thing. She will be even worse now. Adam will be taking it slowly, keeping her calm, no doubt,’ she said unconvincingly.