“What on earth?” I said, placing a hand to my breast in fright. I could feel my heart thumping in my chest. I glanced across at Eustace but he seemed unperturbed, merely staring at me, the whites of his eyes appearing very clear in the candlelight.
“I do apologize,” said Isabella, smiling a little. “But you asked me to call for the adult of the house.”
“And you called my name. You screamed it, in fact.”
“You are the adult of the house,” she insisted. “Now that Miss Bennet is gone. You’ve taken her place. You’re the only responsible adult here.”
“Ha!” said Eustace, laughing a little and shaking his head, as if his sister’s statement was not one that he entirely believed. He was not the only person who seemed astonished. I could make no sense of this.
“But the advertisement—” I began, exhausted by now from explaining this.
“Was placed by Miss Bennet,” said Isabella. “I told you that. You’re her replacement.”
“But who takes charge of things? Who, for example, settles my accounts due?”
“Mr. Raisin.”
There was that name again. Mr. Raisin, the lawyer. So Heckling had not been entirely deceiving me.
“And where is this Mr. Raisin, might I ask?”
“He lives in the village. I can show you tomorrow if you like.”
I glanced at the grandfather clock, beautiful piece, that was standing in the corner of the room. It was already past ten o’clock at night.
“Mr. Raisin settles everything,” continued Isabella. “He pays the governess, he pays Mrs. Livermore and Heckling. He sees that we have our pocket money.”
“And he reports to your parents?” I asked and this time Isabella shrugged her shoulders and looked away.
“You must be tired,” she said.
“I am rather,” I agreed. “It’s been a very long day.”
“And hungry? I’m sure there’s something in the kitchen if—”
“No,” I said, shaking my head and standing up abruptly. I had had enough of this for one night. “No, the motion of the carriage has unsettled my stomach a little. Perhaps it would be for the best if you just showed me to my room. A good night’s sleep will settle things and then tomorrow I can find Mr. Raisin and get to the bottom of this business.”
“As you like,” said Isabella, standing up. The moment she did, Eustace stood too and clung close to her. She smiled at me, that mistress-of-the-house expression on her face once again. “Won’t you follow me?”
We made our way upstairs. It was such a grand and elaborate staircase that I could not resist running my hand against the marble balustrade. The carpet beneath our feet was of a very fine quality too, although like everything else in the house it did not look as if it had been changed in a number of years.
“Eustace and I sleep here on the first floor,” said Isabella, indicating a couple of rooms towards the end of a corridor; difficult to see in the darkness now for only Isabella was carrying a candle. “You’re on the next floor up. I hope you’ll be comfortable. Truly I do.”
I looked at her, wondering whether she was trying to be funny, but her face bore a stoic expression and we ascended together, Isabella with her candle three steps in front of Eustace; Eustace three steps before me. I glanced at his bare feet. They were tiny and he had two cuts on his heels, as if he had been wearing shoes that were a size too small. Who looked after this little boy, I wondered, if there were no adults around? “This way, Eliza Caine,” said Isabella, making her way along a corridor before opening a large oak door and stepping inside. Entering a few moments later, I appreciated the fact that she had used her own candle to light three more in the bedroom and I looked around, able to see a little better now. It was a rather nice room, large and quite airy, neither cold nor hot, and the bed looked comfortable. My sense of unease dissipated and I felt goodwill towards the children and this place. Everything would be all right in the morning, I decided. Things would become clearer then.
“Well, goodnight then,” said Isabella, heading for the door. “I hope you sleep well.”
“Goodnight, Miss Caine,” said Eustace, following his sister, and I smiled and nodded at them both, wished them a good night’s sleep and told them that I would look forward to our getting better acquainted in the morning.
When I was alone, the first time I had been alone since leaving my home that morning, I sat on the bed for a moment and breathed a sigh of relief. I looked around, uncertain whether I should burst into tears at how bizarre this day had been or laugh out loud at the absurdity of it all. When I finally unlatched my suitcase I decided against unpacking and setting my clothes away in the wardrobe and bureau just yet. That, I decided, could wait until the morning. Instead, I simply took out my nightdress and changed into it, glad to relieve myself of my wet clothes, and performed a few ablutions in the bowl that was laid out with a water jug on a side table. I pulled the curtain aside to examine my view and was pleased to see that my room was situated at the front of the house, overlooking the lawns. I tried to open the tall windows to breathe in the night air but they were sealed fast and no pressure that I put on the handles would make them open. I could see the driveway that Heckling and I had rode along streaking off into the distance, and a half-moon illuminated some of the estate that was entirely empty now. Relieved, I climbed into bed, satisfied by the spring of the mattress and the softness of the pillows. Everything will be all right, I told myself. Everything always feels better after a good night’s sleep.
I blew out the last remaining candle on my bedside table and pulled the sheets up about my shoulders, closing my eyes and allowing a great yawn to escape my mouth. In the distance I could hear a rather unpleasant cry and wondered whether it was Winnie settling down for the night, but then I heard it again and it was not the sound of a horse, I could tell that much, and decided that no, it must be the wind in the trees, for it had grown even more blustery than before and the rain was starting to pound against my window. It would not keep me awake though, I decided, despite how horrible the sound that wind made, more like a woman being choked to death than anything else, for I was tired and weary after my day’s journey and the confusion of the three residents of Gaudlin that I had met so far.
I closed my eyes and sighed, stretching out my body, my legs digging down deeper under the covers, and I expected that at any moment my toes would touch the wooden bedstead, but they did not and I smiled to realize that the bed was longer than I was, that I could stretch out as much as I wanted, and I did so, pleased to feel my aching limbs loosen up as they reached as far as they could, the toes dancing beneath the sheets, a sensation of the most delightful pleasure, until a pair of hands grabbed both my ankles tightly, the fingers pressing sharply against the bone, as they pulled me down into the bed and I gasped, dragging myself back up quickly, wondering what kind of terrible nightmare I had fallen into. Throwing myself from the bed, I pulled the curtains across and ripped the bedspread away but there was nothing there. I stood, my heart pounding. I had not imagined it. Two hands had gripped my ankles and pulled me. I could feel them still. I stared in disbelief, but before I could gather my thoughts the door flew open and a sharp light filled the corridor, a white, ghost-like figure standing before me.