Mistress of the Moor: A gripping gothic romance mystery

by Abigail Clements

  Suddenly, I cried aloud in panic and just as quickly realized what had happened. There was a noisy flurry just ahead of Hazel and then … ‘Pee-whit, pee-whit, pee-whit.’ She had disturbed a couple of plovers sheltering in the grass nearby. They were soon silent again. I supposed they had alighted somewhere close at hand as soon as they knew that they were in no danger. This incident made me aware of the state of my nerves, for it was not the sort of thing to which, under normal circumstances, I would have given a second thought.

  There was a long, shrill, mournful howl. I caught my breath and gripped the handrail so tightly that my hands hurt. I was near to panic; for a moment I imagined that the devil himself was out on the moor searching for me. I really had to pull myself together; foxes were not uncommon on Howl Moor and this was the second time within a week that I had heard the cry of a vixen.

  It began to get brighter, and in a moment we were out of the fog and in blazing sunlight. Two hundred yards away stood Goathlands, bathed in the afternoon glow. I looked back at the fog; it was as if the house was standing on an island in the midst of an ocean of white billowing cotton wool. A blackbird was singing, and it was all so beautiful. I untied the reins and trotted Hazel back to the stable yard.

  When we arrived I found Ormerod waiting for us.

  ‘We were getting a bit worried, Miss Emma,’ he said, ‘what with the fog and all.’

  ‘We were perfectly safe, Ormerod,’ I replied. ‘Has anyone been asking for me?’

  ‘Mr. Henry was down earlier, he asked if I knew where thou was, and Dr. Harrison came over a little while ago to ask me to tell thee that Sir Joshua would be expecting thee around four o’clock,’ he answered.

  ‘What time is it now?’ I asked.

  ‘Just gone four.’

  ‘In that case, I had better go straight in,’ I said.

  Four o’clock indeed, it had taken an hour to cover the two miles from Mallyan Spout.

  As I made my way back to the house, I wondered what Henry had wanted. He might have been making what amounted to no more than a casual inquiry, or perhaps he had wanted to arrange a meeting, as his last attempts had both been frustrated. Perhaps he …? But no; I must stop jumping to conclusions. I had to observe and wait, hoping that my enemy would make some sort of error and thus reveal his or her identity.

  Uncle Joshua, wearing his skullcap and patch, greeted me warmly when I arrived at his rooms. Tea had already been served and I noticed that there was only one cup on the tray.

  ‘Shall I ring for another cup?’ I asked.

  ‘Emma, my dear,’ he replied. ‘I am conscious of the fact that the sight of my taking food is not a very pretty one. I shall feel much more comfortable if you will forgive me and just serve yourself.’

  Poor Uncle Josh, so aware of his deformities and so considerate of my feelings. I tried to explain to him that I did not mind, but he would have none of it. I served myself and nibbled at a couple of the inevitable pink cakes while we talked.

  We discussed a variety of subjects, including the books of Monsieur Jules Verne. My uncle was very enthusiastic about these books. He maintained that M. Verne was a prophet; had not the advent of flying machines proved this?

  ‘But this is surely the least of his prophecies,’ I complained. ‘There are many other ideas in his works which are completely fantastic.’

  Uncle Josh insisted that these ideas were not so far-fetched as one might assume. He even suggested that, before the end of this century, men would fly to the moon. Of course I regarded that suggestion as utterly fantastic, but Uncle Josh insisted that it was more than a mere possibility.

  An hour soon passed, and I was quite overwhelmed by the simple joy which my companionship seemed to give to this dear man. He seemed so happy in my company that I promised that I would come and spend an hour with him every day.

  At last he suggested that I had had enough of an invalid’s company and that it was time to leave. I protested that I was enjoying being with him, but he said if I intended to spend an hour every day with him, then he would ration himself to that. He did not want to bore me.

  As I made my way to my rooms, I thought how kind and gentle he was. That hour with him had done so much for my faith in people. It was not a bad world which could produce men like Uncle Josh.

  When I got to my sitting room I found, to my surprise, a single rose with a note attached, lying on the occasional table by the armchair. It read:

  Sorry you were out, maybe we can have tea tomorrow,

  Henry.

  How nice, I thought, picking up the flower and heading for the bedroom to put it in water.

  I opened the bedroom door and was transfixed by the sight which met my eyes. I clutched my hands to my head and screamed aloud.

  Chapter Twelve

  EMMA

  There on the counterpane over my bed, spelled out in large neat letters, was my name. The letters had been formed by using many small pieces of yellow furry material. That was not all, however, for underneath my name was a further piece of yellow fabric on which were the two button eyes and black embroidered nose and mouth of my teddy bear.

  I tore out of the bedroom and slammed the door shut behind me. I leaned my back against it for a moment and tried to take hold of myself, but it was no good; panic began to take control of my senses. I felt like a hunted animal searching for a means of escape. I thought I heard a footstep in the corridor outside. I rushed from the sitting room and ran straight into Letty.

  ‘Why, Miss Emma, what’s happened? What’s the matter, miss?’ she cried.

  I half screamed at the poor girl, ‘Get away from me! Leave me alone! Leave me alone!’

  ‘But, miss, you’re bleeding.’

  ‘Bleeding?’ I opened my hand, letting Henry’s rose fall to the ground. She was right, there was blood on my hand.

  ‘It’s not your hand, it’s your head, miss. Let me take you to Dr. Harrison, Miss Emma, she’ll soon put you right.’

  By this time I was in a sort of daze and only partially aware of what was happening. I did know, however, that I did not want to see Dr. Harrison, but I found myself quite incapable of resistance, either physical or verbal, when Letty took me by the arm and gently but firmly led me toward the doctor’s rooms. I remember the thought crossing my mind that, in spite of her slight build, Letty was quite strong.

  When we arrived at the doctor’s rooms we found, to my relief, that they were empty. My relief was momentary, for Letty, nothing deterred, took me inside and sat me down.

  ‘Letty,’ I said weakly. ‘I don’t want to see Dr. Harrison. I don’t want to see anybody. Please, Letty, let me go.’

  ‘Don’t you worry, miss, the doctor won’t be long,’ she said, ignoring my request. ‘Here, miss.’ She offered me a handkerchief. ‘You could hold this against your head until she comes. It’s quite clean, miss, it’s just been washed and I haven’t used it.’

  ‘Thank you, Letty,’ I said, taking the handkerchief and dabbing it against the cut on my right temple. ‘You’re a good friend, Letty.’

  ‘You’re very good to me, miss,’ she replied. ‘This is my first chance to be a lady’s maid. I know I’m not very bright and I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but you’ve been very kind.’

  ‘I will try to be, Letty,’ I said. ‘I think I could have been a lot kinder.’ Then suddenly I said, ‘Letty, I don’t want to see Dr. Harrison.’

  ‘And why not, may I inquire?’ Dr. Harrison had silently entered the room. She approached me and loomed over me. ‘Do you doubt my ability to deal with a scratch?’

  ‘Don’t touch me! Leave me alone! I don’t want any of you near me!’

  As I screamed, she slapped me hard across the face. It was certainly effective, for I stopped screaming and started to sob quietly.

  ‘You didn’t ought to have hit Miss Emma, doctor,’ said Letty.

  ‘You be silent, girl,’ said Dr. Harrison. ‘I think you had better leave.’

  ‘No!’ I said firmly, feeling my
control returning. ‘Letty stays with me.’

  ‘Just as you wish, Miss Waldron,’ said the doctor. ‘I struck you because I have no intention of allowing you to have hysterics here. Now, whether you like it or not, I am going to have a look at your wound.’

  ‘Go on, miss, let her look,’ said Letty. ‘She is a doctor.’

  ‘Thank you for your support, Letty,’ said Dr. Harrison, without any hint of sarcasm.

  I sat tight-lipped and trembling as she washed my temple.

  ‘Do you know what it was that caused this?’ she asked.

  ‘I think it was a rose thorn,’ I replied.

  ‘Well, it is nothing to worry about,’ she went on. ‘It is little more than a scratch. I shall just put a dab of iodine on it and a small dressing which you can remove in about an hour after the bleeding has stopped.’

  She did this and then stepped back to inspect her handiwork.

  ‘Good heavens, Miss Waldron, why are you trembling so?’ she asked. ‘I told you it is nothing, only a scratch.’

  I felt like a limp rag. I was completely drained, drained of every emotion, every feeling, drained of everything.

  ‘It’s not the cut, it’s Nana,’ I whispered.

  ‘Nana?’

  ‘It’s her teddy bear, doctor,’ explained Letty. ‘She lost it, she told me about it.’

  ‘A teddy bear?’ Doctor Harrison’s voice was grim. ‘Miss Waldron, am I to understand that you, a grown woman, have been driven to near hysteria over the loss of a teddy bear?’

  ‘Nana is not lost,’ I whispered.

  ‘Not lost? Perhaps you will be good enough to explain what this all means?’

  ‘You had better come with me to my rooms and I’ll show you,’ I said.

  Dr. Harrison looked as if she was about to protest, but then she apparently changed her mind. When she did speak, it was in the soothing tone that one might use with a child.

  ‘Very well, Miss Waldron, you and I shall go and see this teddy bear.’

  ‘Shall I go now, miss?’ asked Letty.

  ‘No.’ I was terrified at the thought of being left alone with Dr. Harrison. ‘Please stay with me, Letty.’

  I saw Letty glance questioningly toward Dr. Harrison and receive a nod in reply. We then trooped out and across the hall in the direction of my apartments. When we arrived in my sitting room, I stopped; I did not want to go into the bedroom.

  ‘Well?’ said Dr. Harrison.

  ‘In the bedroom,’ I replied, ‘on the bed.’

  Dr. Harrison opened the bedroom and stood there framed in the doorway.

  ‘Well?’ she said again.

  ‘Don’t you see?’ I asked.

  ‘I see nothing unusual,’ she replied.

  ‘Nothing unusual?’ I almost screamed.

  I pushed past her and into the bedroom. I let out a gasp of horror and seized a bedpost for support.

  There, propped up on the pillows in one piece, just as I had known it in childhood, was Nana.

  Chapter Thirteen

  In that moment I really did begin to doubt my sanity. I gazed horror-struck at the thing on my bed. There could be no doubt about it, it was my teddy bear, and yet, just a little while ago I had seen it in ribbons, spelling out my name on my bed. Or had I?

  ‘Well?’ said Dr. Harrison for the third time.

  ‘I … it was nothing … I think I must have imagined it,’ I replied.

  ‘And just what was it that you think that you imagined?’ she asked in a slow, deliberate tone.

  For a moment I was tempted to tell her everything, but I stopped myself. How could I be sure that she was not the one? A teddy bear which had been miraculously reassembled from a hundred pieces of rag? It was so ridiculous, how could I expect anyone to believe me? Besides, I was beginning to wonder what it was I had seen.

  ‘Miss Waldron,’ she continued. ‘It is only two days since you had a nasty fall, and I cannot be certain that you were not concussed, though at first I thought that this was not so. If you think that you are imagining things, be assured that there is nothing to worry about. Concussion can do strange things to people’s minds. Are you imagining anything?’

  ‘Are you trying to tell me that you think I am going mad?’ I asked without expression.

  ‘That is a foolish thing to say. Of course I don’t think that you are going mad,’ she replied. ‘I do think that you might not yet have regained complete control. I am quite sure that you will be perfectly well in a couple of days and laugh about all of this, but for now you must try and rest. Are you sleeping well?’

  ‘Perfectly well,’ I replied.

  ‘That is good. I want to be informed if you have any severe headaches, and I want you to get as much rest and sleep as you can for the next forty-eight hours. I shall ask Barton to send your meals up here and I shall prepare a draught which I want you to take before retiring.’

  ‘What are you going to give me?’ I asked suspiciously.

  ‘Just a mild sleeping draught of chloral hydrate, it will help you to relax. Come now, Letty, I think it would be well to leave Miss Waldron now and let her rest.’

  I thanked her for her advice, and she left me, taking Letty with her.

  Alone, I went over to the bed and picked up the teddy bear. Suddenly it had become quite repulsive to me, but I examined it closely. There could be no doubt, it was definitely Nana. I opened the door of the wardrobe and flung the offending toy into a far corner. I had no desire to see it again.

  I returned to the sitting room and sat by the fire. Why, I asked myself, had I not told Dr. Harrison the whole story? I was beginning to feel calmer and I started to try and make some sense out of my situation. First and foremost, I was convinced that it was not my imagination. What I had seen, I had seen. The whole business seemed to be without rational explanation. What was my tormentor trying to achieve? The cut girth was a blatant attempt to do me bodily harm, but what was the sense in this, and why burn those papers? What could anyone hope to gain by those actions? Always I came back to the same two questions. Why? Who? And it was becoming more and more obvious that I should have to answer the second question first, for without knowing who, I doubted if I should ever know why.

  Whoever it was must have had some sort of motive, be it real or imaginary. Since, search as I might, I could think of no possible reason, I concluded that either the motive must be imaginary or my enemy must be mad.

  If only there was one person in whom I could trust and confide. Letty? Today she had proved that she cared about what happened to me, but anything I said to Letty would most certainly be repeated below stairs. Ormerod, was, of course, a possibility. He already knew about the girth, but somehow, though I knew I could count on his sympathy, I could not see that great, earthy, practical man taking this teddy bear business seriously. As for the others, there was only Uncle Joshua of whom I could be absolutely certain, and I was still determined that he should not be presented with any worries which could be kept from him.

  It was while I was thinking along those lines that there was a tap on the door.

  ‘Who’s there?’ I called nervously.

  ‘It’s me, coz.’ It was Henry’s voice. ‘Can I come in?’

  It was in that instant that I made a sudden decision. Here was I, a soldier’s daughter, behaving like a frightened school girl. I would not avoid them, but I would seek their company and try and draw the enemy’s fire. I almost smiled, for the first time that afternoon.

  ‘Coz, are you all right?’

  ‘Sorry, Henry,’ I called. ‘Do come in.’

  Henry entered, his handsome face bearing an expression of concern.

  ‘Emma, I heard that you were not well,’ he said. ‘I hope you don’t mind, but I wanted to know if there was anything that I could do.’

  ‘Why, how thoughtful of you, cousin,’ I replied. ‘No, I don’t think that there is anything I need.’

  ‘But I ‒’ he looked puzzled.

  ‘You’ve been listening to Dr. Harr
ison, have you not?’ I asked him.

  ‘As a matter of fact, it was Letty who told me.’

  ‘Letty is a sweet girl, but she is inclined to exaggerate. I would not advise you to take too much note of what Letty says.’

  ‘I see,’ he said slowly. ‘And you’re sure you are all right and there is nothing I can do for you?’

  ‘There is one thing,’ I said. ‘You can tell Barton that I shall be down to dinner.’

  ‘But I understood, I mean, Dr. Harrison, didn’t she …’

  ‘Dr. Harrison gave me certain advice which I intend to ignore. I am the mistress of this house and in it I shall do as I choose.’

  Henry seemed utterly nonplussed by my attitude. Probably Letty had dramatized my condition to such an extent that he thought I was really ill. I made up my mind to make things easier for him. After all, if, incredibly, he was my adversary, he would be more likely to reveal himself if he did not feel I suspected.

  ‘Henry, it was very nice of you to leave me that rose,’ I said. ‘I am sorry, but I had already promised to have tea with Uncle Josh.’

  ‘That was nothing,’ he said. ‘You’re quite sure that there is nothing wrong?’

  ‘What on earth could be wrong?’ I replied. ‘Now, I am going to ask you to leave, as I must change for dinner.’

  He left the room and I sank down into my armchair. It had been quite exhausting trying to create a facade of indifference. Inside myself I could feel the tension and fear, but I had to draw my assailant out, if possible, to the point of making him or her strike again. I hoped my enemy, in doing so, would betray himself.

  I dressed carefully and went down before the gong had sounded. I wanted to be the first to arrive. In this I succeeded; when I got to the withdrawing room, it was empty. I walked through into the dining room to inspect the table. I was determined that I should give no satisfaction to my tormentor and that I would really start behaving as mistress of Goathlands. When I arrived in the dining room, I found Barton just completing his preparations. The leaves had been removed from the dining table and its two half-round ends formed a perfect circle which would seat, at most, six. On this occasion, it had been laid for four.