Читать книгу Reawakening Miss Calverley - Sylvia Andrew - Страница 6

James had hesitated. Then he had recalled the many happy times he had enjoyed at Hatherton Grange. It was a relatively unpretentious country house, but Aldhursts had lived in it for three hundred years before his great-grandfather had built Roade House on higher ground a mile or so away. After his grandfather had died his grandmother had left Roade to move down to Hatherton and had made it her own. Its servants and tenants were all fiercely loyal to her, and many of them were old friends of James, too. He and his brother John had been brought to live with her there after she had discovered that her two small grandchildren had been left behind at Roade, while their parents travelled abroad.

At Hatherton he and John had learned to ride and shoot under the strict supervision of Tom Gage, his grandmother’s gamekeeper and chief groom. Mrs Culver, her housekeeper, had bound up their injuries, looked after them during childhood illnesses, and scolded them after their many escapades. And his grandmother had given them the love his parents had denied them. Hatherton had always held a special place in his affections. It should be a good place to come to terms with the life ahead of him.

So he had looked at his grandmother and nodded. ‘Very well,’ he had said. ‘I’ll go.’

But when he had set out from London that day he hadn’t expected to be sharing the house with a mysterious stranger, let alone a young woman! Where had she come from? The road to his grandmother’s house was an unfrequented lane; their nearest neighbours were four miles away, and the Portsmouth Road was several miles to the west. And how had she come by that ugly bruise on her head? The rope burns on her wrists?

He turned to look at her and saw that her eyes were open. ‘You’re still here.’ Her voice was a thread of sound. He came over to the bed and sat down.

‘Are you warm?’

She frowned. ‘Too warm. Water? Please?’

Mrs Culver had left a pitcher on the chest by the bed. He poured a little water into the glass beside it, raised her slightly and held it to her lips. But she had taken no more than a sip when her eyes closed.

‘Who are you?’ he asked softly.

He thought that she hadn’t heard him, but then, ‘I’m An…’ she began. She stopped and a small frown wrinkled her brow. After a moment she tried again. ‘I’m An…’ There was another pause, longer this time. ‘I know who you are,’ she said at last. ‘You said I was safe here.’ He nodded and she gave a small sigh. ‘I’m An…’

‘Anne who?’

Her head moved restlessly on the pillow. ‘I don’t…’

‘It doesn’t matter.’ He put his hand reassuringly over hers. ‘You can tell me later. And you are safe here, I promise.’

‘I know. Your name is James Aldhurst. This is your grandmother’s house.’ Her eyes opened. ‘Where is she?’

‘She isn’t here. She’s in London.’

She closed her eyes again and seemed to fall asleep. Thankfully, he tucked the covers round her and relaxed. After a while one of the maids came in to see if he needed anything. She offered to sit with the girl for a while too, but James refused. The frantic appeal in the girl’s eyes, the way she had clung to him, had touched him, and he intended to be there when she woke again.

The girl slept quietly for an hour or two, but after a while began to mutter and turn her head restlessly on the pillow again. James had to replace the covers as she tried to push them from her, but she protested, ‘No, don’t! I’m too…hot. Too hot. Thirsty…’ When he lifted her again and gave her a sip of water his heart sank as he realised that she was burning with heat. She was muttering incoherently, but he caught the word London several times. Then she opened her eyes and said quite clearly, ‘I must go to London! Now!’

‘You can’t go anywhere at the moment. You’ve hurt your head. You must rest.’

She resisted his efforts to put her back on the pillow and cried, ‘But there isn’t time, I tell you. You mustn’t stop me. Let me go, let me go!’ Eyes bright with fever and cheeks flushed with two spots of brilliant colour, she pushed his hand away with unexpected force and struggled to sit up. When he put an arm out to hold her back she grew even more agitated and shouted, ‘You can’t stop me! I won’t let you keep me here!’ Thrusting the covers back, she scrambled to get out of the bed, but before her foot even touched the ground she gave a cry and if James had not caught her she would have fallen to the floor. He could feel the heat of her body through the fine linen of the nightgown. She was burning up with fever.

James put her back in the bed as quickly and as gently as he could and covered her up. Then he went to the door and shouted for a servant to send for Mrs Culver, who came hurrying into the bedroom in a surprisingly short time. ‘I hadn’t gone to bed—I thought something like this would happen,’ she said briskly. ‘Now, Master James, I’d like you to hold the young woman while I give her a sip of the draught Dr Liston sent. That’s the way.’

The girl stirred as he raised her, but made no protest as Mrs Culver administered the sedative and James laid her back against the pillows. She was quiet again. Mrs Culver straightened the covers, and said firmly, ‘And now I want you to leave her with me till morning, my lord. This is a sick woman and she needs proper nursing.

She’ll be well looked after, never fear. One of the maids will join me in a minute. If she wakes and asks for you, I’ll send for you. Meanwhile, you’d do better to have some rest yourself.’

James went to his room reassured. Years before, whenever he and John had been sick, they had only ever wanted Cully to nurse them. She was the best possible person to look after his mysterious and unexpected protégée.

To his surprise James slept for a few hours, but woke soon after dawn. He had not been disturbed during the night, and hoped this was a good sign, but he nevertheless threw on his dressing robe and hurried along to the green bedroom. The maid was fast asleep in a chair on the other side of the room, but Mrs Culver was leaning over the bed, bathing her patient’s face.

‘How is she, Cully?’ he asked as he came softly into the room.

‘She hasn’t stirred all night, and seems to be breathing quite naturally. The fever has gone down.’

‘That’s good news! You must be tired. Let me take over.’

‘I never need much sleep, Master James. And I think…’ She paused as the maid stirred and woke up. Then, with a critical look at James’s state of undress, she raised her voice and said, ‘I think I can say the patient is doing well, my lord. It’s kind of you to be concerned. I’m sure it would be quite in order for you to visit her later in the day—after breakfast, perhaps?’ She turned to the maid. ‘Rose, go to the kitchen and tell cook to have his lordship’s breakfast ready in half an hour. And if Mrs Gage is in the kitchen, ask her to come up here.’ The girl turned to go. ‘And, Rose! Remember to hold your tongue about this young woman!’ Rose nodded and left.

Ater she had gone Mrs Culver said severely, ‘My lord, I have to say that coming along here at this hour before you are properly dressed was very unwise. The sudden arrival of this young woman has given the servants enough to talk about already. It won’t do to give them any more.’

James brushed this aside and asked, ‘Why do you wish to see Mrs Gage?’

‘She’s a good nurse and knows how to keep a still tongue in her head. If you agreed, she could sit with the young woman during the day.’

‘Surely I could do that!’

Mrs Culver said in an exasperated tone, ‘What have I just been saying? You mustn’t do it, Master James! But there! I might as well talk to a five-bar gate! You haven’t changed, and I don’t suppose you will. You’re just the same as you always were, forever rescuing something or other.’ She cast a look at the girl on the bed and said, ‘But this isn’t cat or a dog or a bird or one of those wild animals you took under your wing! It’s a grown woman, and you have to be more circumspect. People will gossip if you seem to be taking her into your care! She will have to go elsewhere as soon as she can be moved. To the parish, if necessary.’

‘No, Cully! I refuse to leave her to the mercy of the parish.’

Frowning, Mrs Culver looked at him sharply and said, ‘Just what is this person to you, my lord?’

James looked at the sleeping figure. ‘I had never seen her before last night, if that is what you mean. I don’t know who or what she is, or where she comes from. But you’re wrong if you think she is some kind of vagrant, Cully. She’s a lady, I’ll swear. And she’s in some sort of trouble—or even danger. Until she can tell us more about herself she will have my—our protection.’

Mrs Culver was still not convinced, but said resignedly, ‘I hope your grandmother never hears about this, Master James. But for the moment you’d better get dressed and ready for breakfast. Doctor Liston will be here soon. He said he’d call in early this morning. Perhaps the young woman will be able to talk to us after he has been.’ She gave a nod and added firmly, ‘And then, when we know where she belongs, she can be sent back there the moment she is well enough.’

James had thought he would visit the girl as soon as he had finished his breakfast, but when he went upstairs he found he would have to wait. Doctor Liston was with her. It seemed like hours before the door of the room opened and the surgeon came out.

‘Good morning, Lord Aldhurst.’

‘How is she, Liston?’

‘I’m pleased to say that I think she is out of danger, though she’s still weak. She should be kept warm, given plenty of liquids and left undisturbed. I doubt the fever will return, but if it does you should send for me. Good day to you, my lord. Unless I hear from you sooner, I’ll call at the same time tomorrow again.’

James looked in on the girl several times during the day, but found her asleep with Mrs Gage or one of the maids in attendance. They told him that she occasionally roused herself enough to sip a little water, but fell asleep again almost immediately. ‘It’s the best thing, Master James,’ said Mrs Culver, when he expressed concern about this prolonged rest. ‘As the doctor said, it’s what that girl needs most.’

When he came to see her the next morning Dr Liston was just coming out of the room.

‘How is she this morning, Liston? Not worse?’

The surgeon looked at him somewhat strangely. ‘No, no! Her constitution is a strong one. She seems to have survived her exposure to the elements remarkably well. The head wound is healing nicely…’ He paused. ‘Her vision does not seem to be affected, and she speaks sensibly enough. But…’

‘But what?’

The doctor hesitated, then put his hand on the door. ‘Perhaps you should talk to her. She might remember you.’ He held the door open for James.

Mrs Gage was at the head of the bed, plumping up the pillows behind the girl. She gave them a last pat and then curtsied and withdrew. Sitting propped up against them the girl looked weary, but the hectic flush had died down, leaving her pale again, as white as the bandage she now wore round her head. Her eyes were open and clear as she looked across the room at him,

but their expression of bewildered anxiety gave James a strong urge to hold her, to comfort her as he would a child, until that dreadful, lost look was chased away. But with Cully’s warnings in mind he mastered the impulse and kept his voice normal as he came towards her.

‘Good morning,’ he said, sitting down by the bed. ‘How are you?’

She hadn’t taken her eyes off him. ‘I recognise you. You’re James Aldhurst,’ she said. ‘And this is your grandmother’s house.’ She paused and looked at him anxiously. ‘Is that right?’

He nodded. ‘Absolutely right,’ he said.

She gave a sigh of relief. ‘At least I’ve remembered that much.’ She looked at him gravely. ‘Good morning, James Aldhurst.’

‘Good morning. I’m glad you remembered my name. Now tell me yours.’

‘Didn’t I…didn’t I tell you?’

‘No, not quite.’

‘What do you mean? What did I say?’

James wondered why the girl was so reluctant to tell him who she was. He said slowly, ‘You can trust me with all of it, you know. You’ve only told me your first name. Anne.’

Her look of eagerness vanished. ‘Anne…’ she said, and for a moment she frowned in intense concentration. Then she shook her head and the lost look returned. ‘I…I can’t,’ she said. ‘I don’t know. I can’t remember. I’ve tried and tried, but I can’t remember.’ Her voice rose as she repeated, ‘Anne…Anne…Anne what?’ She looked at him, her eyes full of anxiety. ‘I can remember who you are, but I don’t remember who I am! I…I seem to have lost my memory!’

James took her hand in his and said gently, ‘No, you haven’t. You remembered me, and you remembered where you are, didn’t you? You’re just still confused after that bang on the head. You’ll remember the rest soon enough. Worrying about it would be the worst thing you could do. Let it come naturally. It will come back all the sooner, you’ll see.’ He smiled at her encouragingly.

Her fingers grasped his, and she gave him a twisted smile in return. ‘Yes, yes. It will, I’m sure it will. Forgive me. I’m not usually as poor-spirited as this. It must be that bang on the head.’

‘You see? You’ve remembered something about yourself already! You’re certainly not poor-spirited. That’s a quite a relief! I’m not fond of poor-spirited girls.’

She made an attempt to smile, but it failed. ‘What happened? I don’t even know how I got here.’

‘We brought you in after we found you lying unconscious on the drive to this house. I think you must have been there for some time. There was a storm and you were very wet.’

‘A storm? I don’t remember that at all,’ she said wearily, turning her head away.

Doctor Liston came over. ‘Lord Aldhurst, I think my patient needs to rest again.’ He caught Mrs Gage’s eye. ‘Can you find something for the young lady, Mrs Gage—a little thin soup or gruel, something like that?’

‘I’ll see to it right away, sir,’ said Mrs Gage. She went out.

The surgeon turned to the girl on the bed and said kindly, ‘I’ll call again tomorrow to see how you are, but there’s not much more I can do. Temporary loss of memory is not at all unusual in a case like yours. You must not distress yourself, ma’am. I think you can depend on Lord Aldhurst to find somewhere for you to stay until your memory returns.’

‘She will stay here, Liston,’ said James decisively.

Doctor Liston looked surprised. ‘It’s good of Lady Aldhurst—’

‘My grandmother is not here. But I am sure she would agree with me that Miss…Miss Anne must stay at Hatherton for the time being.’

The surgeon looked doubtful, but said, ‘Very well, my lord. I shall come again tomorrow. Er…when are you expecting Lady Aldhurst to arrive?’

‘I am not expecting her,’ said James as he ushered the surgeon out of the room. ‘Lady Aldhurst is in London and as far as I know is planning to stay there.’

‘But in that case, surely the young lady—’

‘Set your mind at rest. The young lady will be perfectly safe here, with or without my grandmother’s presence. I don’t make a habit of seducing defenceless invalids.’

The surgeon was shocked out of his professional manner. ‘Really, sir!’ he exclaimed. ‘Nothing was further from my mind! But convention would suggest…The Rector would possibly know of somewhere more suitable…’ He looked at James’s expression. ‘Or if you wish, I could ask Mrs Liston if she would offer the young lady a room.’

‘No, Liston. The young lady is my responsibility. I found her, and I shall look after her. Mrs Liston would not thank you for bringing someone who might be in danger into the house.’

‘Danger?’

‘You saw the girl’s wrists. She has been kept somewhere against her will. Whoever tied her up may well want her back, and I suspect they may not be too scrupulous about their methods.’

‘I see…Well…in that case it may be best to leave her in your care after all, Lord Aldhurst.’

‘Quite.’

Doctor Liston was obviously shaken. ‘I shall…er…I shall call again tomorrow—unless you think I shouldn’t?’

‘Please do,’ said James.

He went back into the bedroom. The girl had taken the bandages off her wrist and was examining the scars.

‘You heard,’ said James.

‘Yes. The door wasn’t quite shut. I seem to be causing you a great deal of trouble.’ She looked at him. ‘You should have listened to Dr Liston.’

‘Nonsense.’

‘I mean it. What would your grandmother say if she arrived to find an uninvited stranger in her house? A nameless stranger at that!’

‘You have a name. It’s Anne.’

‘Anne,’ she said. ‘It’s a pretty name. But it doesn’t somehow sound quite right.’

‘It will do for the moment,’ James said firmly.

‘There’s something else, Lord Aldhurst…’

‘What is it?’

‘You said…You told that doctor that he might be in danger if he took me in. What did you mean?’

‘I didn’t want an argument about where you should stay, that’s all.’

She shook her head. ‘Please be honest with me! What are these marks on my wrist? It wasn’t just a story to put Dr Liston off. I have been tied up, haven’t I?’

‘It looks like it.’

‘So there is danger…I knew it. I have this feeling…of some kind of threat…and…and something I have to do…But I don’t know what it is!’ She held her head in her hands. After a few moments she looked up again. ‘Why can’t I remember?’

James heard the beginning of panic in her voice and said, ‘Stop! Stop this at once. It won’t do you any good, Anne. And you can forget about danger. I told you last night—you’re perfectly safe here. Or…do you not trust me?’

‘Of course I trust you. I have to. There’s no one else.’

‘Exactly. So listen to me! You will remember who you are, and where you have come from quite soon. And if you don’t we shall set about finding out. But the first step is to get your strength back. Agreed?’

She nodded.

‘Then give me a smile.’ She smiled tremulously.

‘Brave girl! Not at all poor-spirited.’ He regarded her white face. ‘Now where is Mrs Gage? Liston said you were to have something to eat and then a rest, and that is what you shall do. Ah! I can hear her coming. But you’ll have to sit up straighter than that.’ He bent over and put his arms round her to lift her higher in the bed.

It wasn’t Mrs Gage who came in, but Mrs Culver. She gave a loud cough.

‘I believe the doctor ordered some food for the patient, my lord. The maid is just bringing up some soup for her.’

‘Ah, there you are, Mrs Culver,’ said James, completely unaffected by the look of shocked disapproval on her face. ‘Good. I’m sure Miss Anne is ready for it.’ He grinned at the housekeeper unrepentantly. ‘The pillows had slipped, Cully, and I was straightening them. That was all.’

Mrs Culver remained unappeased. ‘That wasn’t at all necessary, my lord. That is my job. It’s what I came in to do,’ she said austerely. She paused. ‘Am I to understand that the young lady has now remembered her name?’

‘No, but until she does we shall call her “Anne”.’

‘Very good, my lord.’ She took the tray from the maidservant who had followed her in and put it on the bed. ‘Now, Miss Anne, you must finish this all up, and then have a good rest. His lordship is a busy man, but he might find time to pay you a short visit this evening. Is that not so, my lord?’ She gave him a severe look. ‘A short visit.’

‘Of course! Whatever you say, Cully.’ James turned to the girl. ‘Try not to worry. Enjoy that soup if you can.

I remember it from my childhood. I wasn’t too fond of it then, and I don’t suppose it tastes any better now.’

‘It’s good, wholesome food and it didn’t do your lordship any harm,’ said Mrs Culver. ‘Nor your brother, either. Don’t listen to him, miss.’

After James had gone out, Anne took a sip of the soup. ‘What is his lordship thinking of? This is delicious!’ She finished the plateful eagerly, but refused an offer of more. Mrs Culver removed the tray and told the maid to take it out. Then, after she had tidied up and seen to Anne’s needs, she sat down on the chair by the bed. ‘I’ll just stay till you are ready to sleep, miss,’ she said.

Resting thankfully against the pillows Anne said, ‘Lord Aldhurst is very kind. Have you known him long, Mrs Culver?’

‘Ever since he was a little boy. His lordship and Master John lived here with their grandmother when the boys’ parents were off on their travels.’

‘Master John?’

‘His lordship’s younger brother.’ Mrs Culver sighed. ‘But he died, and now there are just the two of them left—Lady Aldhurst and his lordship.’

‘Lord Aldhurst is not married?’

‘Not yet.’ Mrs Culver gave Anne a look. ‘But I understand that he is as good as engaged. Before she left for London Lady Aldhurst was sure it was all settled.’

‘So he…he has someone in mind?’

Mrs Culver nodded and said cheerfully, ‘His lordship could have married any one of a number of young ladies, of course, but he and Lady Barbara have known each other since they were young. It would be a very suitable match.’ She paused. ‘And we’ll all be very pleased when he does marry. It’s time we had a new generation of Aldhursts running about the place.’ She got up from her chair. ‘But I can see it’s time you had a rest. I’ll get one of the maids to call in on you occasionally, but she won’t wake you. Sleep is the best cure for most maladies.’

But sleep would not come to the girl in the bed. She had found the news that James Aldhurst was about to be married dispiriting. He was her rock, her safe place in the uninhabited wilderness that was her world at the moment, and, however unjustified, the thought that he was about to marry someone else was most unwelcome.

She lay awake, thinking about her rescuer. He had been gentle enough with her, but she suspected he was not usually a patient man. He was an aristocrat to his fingertips, self-assured, his manner occasionally verging on the autocratic. But the servants seemed to like him. And there had been laughter in those grey eyes. Tall, athletic, dark haired, grey-eyed, with a sense of humour—James Aldhurst was a very attractive man…And, she told herself, he was a man who was about to marry. It was better to stop thinking how attractive he was!

She looked round the room for something to distract her and her eye was caught by a mirror on the dressing table opposite the bed. With a shock she realised that she had not the slightest idea of what she herself looked like. Was she beautiful? Or was she plain? What was the colour of her hair, her eyes? She pulled a strand of her hair forwards and saw that it was dark brown. But her eyes? Did she have a squint? Was her nose crooked? Were there gaps in her teeth? She stroked her nose. It felt reassuringly straight. And when she ran her tongue over her teeth they all seemed to be there. That left the question of her eyes, and that couldn’t be settled without looking in a mirror.

But the mirror lay tantalisingly out of reach. She sank back. Perhaps it would be better not to see herself at the moment…She would not be looking her best. A bandage was not an aid to beauty, and it was perfectly possible she had a black eye, too. She lay fretting about this for a full minute before she decided that it was no use—she had to get to that mirror!

When she first put her feet to the ground she was not so sure, but after a minute or two she managed to stand without too much difficulty. Taking one step at a time, she held on to the chair, the foot of the bed. So far, so good…She stretched out for the table…and suddenly her legs gave way and she lost her balance.

Rose heard the crash and came running in. When she saw her charge lying on the floor in a heap she ran out in a panic, calling frantically for Mrs Culver.

James had been out with the agent and had just come in. He was in the hall when he heard the maid’s cries, leapt up the stairs three at a time and was stunned when he got to the bedroom door to see Anne lying in a crumpled heap by the chest of drawers. But before he even reached her she was struggling to get up, uttering a cry of frustration as she collapsed again, her feet tangled in her nightgown. Without a word he swept her up and took her back to the bed. He stood for a moment holding her in his arms, looking into the face so close to his. ‘What happened?’ he asked grimly. ‘Who did this?’