Mistress of the Moor: A gripping gothic romance mystery

by Abigail Clements

  ‘Hello, Emma,’ he said.

  ‘Hello, Uncle,’ I replied. And then I said, ‘They all think I am mad, don’t they?’

  ‘Of course not, my dear. We do feel that you are a little overwrought and in some small way in need of medical attention.’ He paused, but as I did not offer any comment, he continued. ‘Dr. Wilson feels that it would be a good idea if you were to spend a period in his hospital. Dr. Harrison is not so sure. She feels that with constant supervision you would soon be your old self again. I, for my part, have told him that I shall consent to nothing until I have discussed the matter with you and given you time to make up your own mind. What do you say?’

  ‘Uncle,’ I replied. ‘I only want to go back to London.’

  ‘I am sorry, but that is out of the question at the moment. I should never forgive myself if anything were to happen to you and I had let you out of my care. I’ll tell you what we shall do. Let us give it a couple of days before coming to a decision. A great deal may change in that time. Meanwhile, just you get as much rest as you can and we’ll talk about it the day after tomorrow.’

  Uncle Joshua left me, and I heard the sounds of departure coming from my sitting room. I realized that my plan to escape from Goathlands now had to be completed and executed within forty-eight hours. I was not prepared to risk waiting for my next meeting with Uncle Joshua; that might be too late. Nurse came into my room.

  ‘Is there anything I can get you, Miss Waldron?’ she asked.

  ‘I should like you to bring a clock in here,’ I replied. ‘You will find one on the mantelpiece in the sitting room, that will do unless you have need of it in there.’

  She seemed very surprised at my request but complied nonetheless. The reason that I had asked for a clock was that timing was essential to my plan and there was no clock in the bedroom. Nurse brought in the clock and wanted to know if there was anything else that she could do for me. I told her that I was tired and intended to sleep, so she left me alone after again insuring that the hand bell was within easy reach. My fatigue was quite genuine. The effects of the sedative they had been giving me were still apparent, and it was not long before I once more fell asleep.

  When I awoke it was pitch dark and very still. I could not see the clock, though I could hear it ticking away. I reached out cautiously for the bell and rang. The door opened and a figure carrying a candle entered. It was Letty.

  ‘Are you all right, miss?’ she whispered. ‘Did you want something?’

  ‘I’m perfectly all right, Letty,’ I replied. ‘Will you tell me what time it is?’

  ‘I don’t know, miss, the clock’s gone.’ With an echo of the old frightened Letty that I had first met, she added, ‘I didn’t move it, miss.’

  ‘I know you didn’t, Letty, it’s over there.’ I pointed in the general direction of the clock.

  ‘It’s half past two, miss.’

  ‘Good!’ I replied.

  Half past two would suit my purpose admirably. The household would be quiet and there would be very little likelihood of any interruption. I got out of bed.

  ‘Where are you going, Miss Emma?’ asked Letty.

  ‘I am going to sit down in the sitting room and have a long talk with you,’ I replied.

  ‘But, miss, I’m supposed to call Nurse or Dr. Harrison if you get up.’

  Here was a snag. I had to convince her that that was the one thing that she must not do.

  ‘Letty,’ I said. ‘I trust you. I sincerely believe that you are my friend, possibly the only friend I have in this house. Now, more than anything, I need your trust in me. I want to talk to you, but I don’t want to have to explain too much. It would take too long, and if you knew everything it might prove dangerous. So I am asking you now, will you trust me and help me?’

  ‘Of course I’ll help you, miss, I’ll do anything for you, but …’

  ‘No buts, Letty. In asking you to help I am putting myself completely at your mercy, but I must have help and you are the only one to whom I can turn.’ I waited to allow my remarks to sink in. She seemed to be thinking it over, and then quite suddenly, she made her decision.

  ‘I’ll do anything you ask, miss.’

  ‘And not ask questions?’

  ‘I’ll try not to, miss.’

  It was difficult to express in words the gratitude I felt toward this small, waiflike creature, so I said, quite simply, ‘Thank you, Letty, I will make sure that you never regret taking this decision. Now, see if you can find my dressing gown.’

  She produced the dressing gown and we went through into the sitting room. I was still feeling quite weak and knew that the first thing I needed was food.

  ‘Letty,’ I said, ‘can you get me something to eat?’

  ‘I suppose so, miss,’ she replied. ‘But if Mrs. Jollyman ever finds out ‒’ She did not dwell on the horrifying thought of Mrs. Jollyman’s wrath.

  ‘Never mind about Mrs. Jollyman,’ I said. ‘Run down to the kitchen and get hold of whatever you can find and a pot of hot coffee if you can manage it.’

  ‘I’ll do it, miss,’ she said, suddenly becoming quite conspiratorial. She slipped out of the room in such a stealthy manner that under different circumstances I should have burst out laughing.

  While she was out of the room, I went back into the bedroom and scribbled my London address on a piece of paper and got five gold sovereigns out of my purse.

  It was not more than ten minutes before she returned, carrying a tray piled with hot soup, half a cold pheasant, and a pot of coffee.

  ‘Here you are, miss. I hope it’s enough.’

  It was enough to feed a regiment. I suggested that she pull up a chair and share it with me, but somehow the idea seemed to shock her. However, she did consent to drink a cup of coffee. This she drank from my toothbrush mug as she had only brought one cup with her. I had a good meal and ate mostly in silence while Letty sat uncomfortably on the edge of the armchair facing me and drank her coffee. At length, I finished and poured out my own coffee.

  ‘Now, Letty,’ I said. ‘We had better get down to business. I have to get away from Goathlands. I do not want to appear melodramatic, but I have very good reasons for believing that there is someone in this house who is trying to cause me grievous harm.’

  ‘But why would anyone want to harm you, miss?’

  ‘Why indeed?’ I replied. ‘But no questions. The others would, for the best possible reasons, try to prevent my leaving. I cannot, I must not, go into details. Suffice it to say that it is imperative that I get away. I have a plan, and in order to carry it out I must have the help which you have promised me. First let me tell you what I intend doing. I shall leave here before eight o’clock this morning and catch the ten o’clock train from Malton to York, from where I shall be able to get a connection to London. I would take you with me, but I need you to remain here in order to keep everyone unaware of my departure for as long as possible.

  ‘As soon as they discover your part in this, I am fairly certain that you will be discharged. When this happens, I should like you to come straight to this address in London.’ I handed her the paper on which I had written my address. ‘No, don’t say anything yet. You will need money, so here are five sovereigns. I am sure that will be sufficient until you and I meet again. We can discuss your future then, but I promise that I shall see that you are well provided for.’

  ‘But, miss, how are you going to get to Malton?’ asked Letty.

  ‘Ah,’ I replied. ‘That is where I must have your help. I intend to ride to Malton. It is just over eighteen miles, and if I can get away from here before eight I shall be there in time to catch the train. What I want you to do is to have Honey saddled and ready to leave by a quarter to eight. Ormerod and the grooms will be starting work at eight o’clock, so if I can leave then I should be out of sight before they arrive. That’s it, Letty, will you do it?’

  ‘Of course I’ll do it, Miss Emma, but …’

  ‘But what, Letty?’

 
‘I haven’t ever touched a horse, miss, I wouldn’t know where to start.’

  Poor Letty, she looked utterly crestfallen. This was indeed a serious blow to my plan. What on earth could I do now? Willing though she was, it would be hopeless to let her try. I could try and do it myself, but I would need what little strength I had for the two hour ride to Malton. Besides, I did not want to expose myself until it was absolutely necessary. I came to a decision. I had to take a chance and look for extra help. For obvious reasons, it could not be Roger, and Doctor Harrison was out of the question. In any case, Henry was the one person whom I had never really suspected.

  ‘Letty,’ I said, ‘is Mr. Henry at home?’

  ‘Oh yes, miss,’ she replied. ‘He was in the big barn all day talking to Mr. Attwood and messing about with the flying machine.’

  ‘Do you know where his room is?’ She nodded in reply. ‘Go and wake him up and bring him here.’

  Letty returned in a couple of minutes.

  ‘He was very surprised, miss, but he’s coming,’ she said.

  A few moments later Henry walked in.

  ‘I must say, it’s a strange hour to ask a gentleman to call, coz,’ he said, with his usual mocking smile. ‘Are you feeling better and want a chat?’

  ‘Henry,’ I said, ‘please be serious. I need help. I want you to listen to what I have to say and then please help me.’

  ‘Sorry, coz,’ he said. ‘If there’s anything I can do, you only have to ask.’

  He and Letty sat in silence while I told them the whole story. I told them about the teddy bear, the burnt papers, the cut girth, the fire, and finally I told them about the seal.

  ‘The swine,’ murmured Henry when I recounted this last incident. ‘Just wait till I get my hands on him.’

  I begged Henry to take no action against Roger and then went on to tell him about my plan to escape.

  ‘Well,’ I concluded, ‘what do you think?’

  He paused for quite a long time before replying. I could tell that he was thinking hard, so Letty and I sat in silence, waiting for him to speak.

  ‘It’s a good idea, you must get away from here until we can get this business sorted out,’ he began. ‘But as far as your plan is concerned, I’m going to suggest a few alterations, because as it stands you’re sure to be spotted before you are out of the grounds. First, you must not take Honey; that would be too obvious. You must take my mare. Can you ride astride?’

  ‘I never have done,’ I replied.

  ‘That will be tricky, but we can manage. Now, here’s what we’ll do. I shall go down to the stables now and put a side saddle into the summer house. You be there at half past seven. I shall get my mare, tack her up, and ride her round to the summer house. If anybody sees anything they’ll just think that I am going for a ride before breakfast. It will probably surprise them, but it won’t arouse suspicion. When I get to the summer house, we’ll switch saddles and you can be on your way. What do you think?’ I thought it was a splendid idea, much better than my original, and I told Henry so. I tried to thank him, but he would hear none of it. He asked Letty to keep everyone out of my bedroom for as long as possible so that I could have the maximum amount of time to get on my way before the inevitable hue and cry. He then wisely suggested that I rest until it was time to move. He went to the door, turned, and said, ‘See you in the summer house, coz.’

  Chapter Eighteen

  The summer house stands about a quarter of a mile from the main building on top of a little grassy mound. It is surrounded on three sides by trees, leaving the fourth side open to the south, overlooking Howl Moor and Pickering Forest beyond. From the summer house it was possible to see both the main house and the big barn, though you could not see the stables as these were obscured by the big barn. The advantage, from my point of view, was that while it was possible to see through the trees anything that happened in the area around the house, it was almost impossible to see the summer house except from the south side.

  My route to Malton would take me over Howl Moor and across Blawath Beck, near the point where I had had my fall. From there, I intended to cut through a corner of Pickering Forest. This would bring me out onto Levisham Moor. Levisham Moor was almost seven miles across, and it was mostly rocky scrub, which I would have to take at a fairly slow pace. However, once across the Pickering to Scarborough road, which skirted the moor on its south side, I would be in flat open country and able to ride fast for the remainder of my journey into Malton.

  I felt that the first couple of miles would be the most dangerous. After the first hundred yards or so, I would be riding in easy view of the house until I crossed Blawath Beck and got into the forest. But for the remainder of my journey, I should be safe from observation.

  For the first time, Letty helped me to dress. She wisely insisted that I wear a heavy tweed coat over my riding habit, as it was likely to be quite chilly once I got outside. There was also another reason: the long coat would help me to look less incongruous once I boarded my train. People did not usually travel to London dressed for riding. I made sure that I had sufficient money in my purse, and well before seven-thirty, after a rather sad farewell from Letty, I was on my way out of the house and hurrying toward the summer house. I did not look back before I got there. The door was open, and I found my saddle inside. I looked this over carefully, remembering the cut girth, but found that everything was in order. I was glad of my coat, for the little building was cold on that fresh October morning. But the weather looked set fair, and the prospect of a pleasant day and an easy ride seemed to buoy up my spirits.

  Looking back toward the main buildings, I saw, to my surprise, that Kittiwake had been rolled out in front of the big barn. Perhaps Roger was going to fly her today. Thinking of Roger brought a pang of regret as I tried to imagine what might have been. I had never been so close to happiness, and at the same time it had never been so difficult to grasp. There was Uncle Josh, too; what was I doing to him? For a moment I wavered in my purpose, but only for a moment, for by then I could see Henry. He was already rounding the big barn, mounted on his big black mare. What a fine figure my cousin cut, sitting hard down in his saddle, his back straight as a ramrod. He rode his horse like a cavalry officer, though I knew he had never had any leanings toward the military life.

  Henry urged the animal into a trot and passed by the summer house at some little distance. For a moment I was fearful lest he was about to ride off and leave me there, but soon I realized that he was waiting until the summer house obscured him from the main buildings before turning and approaching from the south.

  Within a very few minutes he was with me.

  ‘Well done, coz,’ he said, dismounting and unbuckling his girth. ‘Did anybody see you?’

  ‘I don’t think so,’ I replied.

  ‘That’s good. Now we must waste no time. Get me your saddle.’

  By this time he had removed his saddle, and I handed him mine, which he immediately threw across the horse’s back. He buckled the girth and gave the straps a final heave.

  ‘There,’ he said. ‘You’ll be all right now. I’ve put a pelham on her; she’s a bit fresh, but you’ll be able to hold her with that. Now, are you all right for money?’

  ‘Oh yes, I have plenty,’ I replied.

  ‘I wish I could say the same,’ he answered. ‘Now, when you get to Malton, you can leave the horse with one of the cab drivers. Tell him that I shall collect her later today and I’ll give him a half sovereign if he gives her a decent feed and a rubdown.’

  The question of what to do with the horse was something else I had not thought of. I thought, what a good thing I had taken Henry into my confidence, he was certainly proving a worthy ally.

  At last he seemed satisfied, and everything was ready. He looked at me, smiling that strange twisted smile of his.

  ‘Here, you had better take this.’ He handed me his riding crop. ‘And now, we’re ready for off.’

  He gave me a leg up into the saddle. I leane
d over and kissed him lightly.

  ‘I don’t know how long it will be before you can come back to Goathlands,’ he said. ‘I’ve got a lot of investigating to do. I’ll write you as soon as I am sure it is safe.’

  I started to say something, but he interrupted me.

  ‘No speeches. No farewells. No thanks. On your way, and good luck.’

  He slapped the horse on the rump, and I was off.

  I headed south across Howl Moor, and within ten minutes or so I was approaching Blawath Beck. The mare jumped it easily and lightly, though when she landed on the other side, she was pulling hard and fighting for her head. Henry had been right; she really was quite fresh. I was glad of the additional control that the curb chain on the pelham gave me, for it would have been foolish to let her have her head then with such a long ride in front of us. Apart from any other consideration, it would have been dangerous to go too fast through the forest. The animal’s speed would be put to much better use when I got to the open meadow below Levisham Moor.

  Moments after crossing the beck, we were in amongst the trees. These were beginning to lose their leaves, and the heaviest of the summer vegetation was fast disappearing from underfoot, so I was able to take a fairly direct path through the wood. I covered the mile or so between Blawath Beck and Levisham Moor in very good time.

  I had assumed that it would take me half an hour or so to get to the edge of the moor, and we did, in fact, get there in well under that. As we emerged from the wood we encountered a small stream, which the mare jumped easily. Then we set off at an extended trot up the hill and toward the top of the moor.

  As we breasted the top of the hill, I stopped my mount and looked back toward the north. The point at which we had now arrived was situated about five miles from Goathlands and overlooked Pickering Forest in the valley below. The house was still just visible as a small blob on the horizon. I wondered if I would ever look upon it again.