The Lady and the Lake (7 page)

‘What
were
you
talking
about
before
I
came
in?’
I
looked
from
one
to
the
other.
‘I
can
keep
secrets,
I
assure
you.’

‘It’s
no
secret,’
said
Maggie.

‘Maggie,
I’ll
thank
you
not
to
speak
unless
spoken
to,’
said
Cook
sharply,
looking
at
me
with
keen
eyes
obviously
weighing
up
the
situation.

‘You
have
an
honest
face,
Miss,’
she
said
at
length,
handing
me
the
mug
and
a
plate
of
toast.
‘So
I’ll
tell
you
for
you’ll
surely
hear
it
anyway.
They
dragged
another
young
woman
out
of
the
lake
this
morning.
Young
Gladys
White
from
the
village,
pretty
bairn
she
were,
only
sixteen
years
old.’
Ada
sighed
and
I
looked
at
her
with
some
astonishment.

‘When
you
say
another,
I
take
it
you
mean
she’s
not
the
first,’
I
questioned,
my
breakfast
quite
forgotten.

‘Aye,
she’s
the
second
in
the
past
six
months,
apart
from...’
Here
she
stopped
and
took
a
deep
breath.

‘Apart
from
who?’
As
I
asked
the
question,
I
felt
I
knew
the
answer.

‘Young
mistress,
but
it’s
not
for
me
to
say.’
Ada
shrugged
her
shoulders
and
walked
back
to
the
range,
conversation
over.

As
I
left
the
kitchen,
I
mulled
all
this
over
in
my
mind.
Two
young
women
from
the
village,
plus
I
assumed
Antony
Kershaw’s
wife.
Were
they
all
accidents
or
of
malicious
intent?
To
think
I’d
walked
around
the
lake
yesterday
and
marvelled
at
its
beauty.
I
shuddered
at
the
thought;
and
perhaps
this
would
explain
Harry’s
reticence
to
bring
me
to
the
Hall
on
my
arrival,
quite
a
mystery.

As
it
happened,
it
wasn’t
Mrs
Grafton
who
sought
me
out,
but
Antony
Kershaw.
He
stopped
me
as
I
made
my
way
back
to
my
room,
intent
on
seeing
what
was
happening
at
the
lake.

‘Miss
Sinclair.’
His
voice
startled
me.

‘I
wonder,
could
you
help
out
at
the
schoolroom
in
the
village
for
a
couple
of
days?’

‘Yes,
of
course,’
I
stammered,
bemused
at
his
request.
‘But
what
of
your
mother?’
I
asked
with
some
alarm,
thinking
of
the
indomitable
Mrs
Kershaw.

‘Do
not
worry.
I
shall
instruct
the
housekeeper
to
tell
the
mistress
where
we
are.
I
just
need
to
show
you
the
schoolroom
today.
It
is
tomorrow
you
are
needed
as
schoolmistress.
Miss
Anderson
has
to
visit
her
sick
mother
for
a
couple
of
days.’

I
watched
him
as
he
spoke,
his
blue
eyes
were
startling
but
cold.
His
clothes
today
were
brown
not
grey
so
that
was
another
fanciful
thought
on
my
arrival
that
everyone
wore
grey
and
I
wondered
what
the
lovely
Alice
Hayward
wore
today.

As
if
in
answer
to
my
question,
Alice
appeared
dressed
in
blue
which
caused
me
to
feel
very
dowdy
in
comparison.
Emily
ran
to
her
father
who
embraced
her
and
then
put
her
from
him
as
she eagerly
asked
if
he
would
walk
with
her.

Not
today,
Emily.
I
have
to
take
Miss
Sinclair
to
the
village,’
he
said
firmly.

‘Can
I
come,
please?’
pleaded
Emily.

‘You
have
your
lessons.
Maybe
we
can
walk
this
afternoon.
Now
go
with
your
governess.’
At
his
words,
Emily
looked
downcast,
but
she
took
the
hand
of
Miss
Hayward
who
had
been
watching
the
scene
in
respectful
silence.

As
they
walked
away,
Antony
Kershaw
addressed
me
once
more.
‘I’ll
meet
you
in
the
hall
in
half-an-hour,
Miss
Sinclair,
and
we’ll
make
our
way
to
Beckmoor.’
With
which
words
he
was
gone.

***

Hastily
I
made
my
way
to
my
room
to
change
my
dress,
for
I
felt
really
drab,
but
before
I
removed
my
grey
attire,
I
looked
out
of
the
window.
There
was
one
policeman
by
the
lake,
guarding
a
bundle
covered
with
a
blanket.
Quickly
I
turned
away,
wondering
who
had found
the
poor
unfortunate
Gladys.
I
was
to
learn
later
that
it
had
been
Thomas.

Dressed
in
a
pale
green
day
dress
with
my
straw
boater
in
place,
I
made
my
way
to
the
hall.
How
different
it
looked
this
morning
I
thought.
Sun
streamed
through
the
glass
panel
above
the
door
and
the
two
windows
each
side
of
it.
I
could
now
see
all
the
highly
polished
furniture
set
against
the
walls,
including
a
beautiful
tall
hat
rack
by
the
door.
I
looked
quickly
into
the
mirror
set
in
the
middle
of
it.