*
This is another serial story so it will grow slowly. I'm writing this one ahead of time so hopefully it will be better written and more consistent than the previous two.
A tree cracked in the forest. There was a black frost that night as Arabella was driven to the manor house. She was to be governess to the three children of Lord Buchanan, tragically widowed when his wife was thrown from her horse and died instantly.
The only child of aging parents, Arabella had buried her widowed father a month previously and the offer of employment from Lord Buchanan,a family friend of long standing, had come at a time when she was trying to eke out a subsistence on the very small amount of money left after her father's debts had been paid. She had been well educated to be the wife of a man of influence and standing but no such man had appeared on her horizon and, at the age of twenty-five she was facing the prospect of having to take a job of some kind.
She had arrived by train and had been met at the station by his lordship's chauffeur, a hunchback of surly disposition who had nevertheless put a hot waterbottle at her feet and wrapped her warmly in a bearskin rug. [1]
Now the car, an aged and venerable Rolls Royce, was approaching the manor house, sweeping up the curved driveway to the door. The chauffeur stopped the car and, climbing the steps to the portico, knocked heavily on the massive oak door.
Arabella heard footsteps approaching and the door swung open. Standing in the doorway was a stout man of middle years dressed in the tailcoat which announced his calling to be that of a butler.
Bowing slightly, he said "Welcome to Chalgrove House, Miss Hilary. My name is Simpson. I'll let The Master know that you have arrived." He led her into the massive hall where a fire burned huge logs of wood without making any discernible difference to the temperature of the air.
She shivered slightly and held out her hands towards the blaze. Not liking to sit down she turned and inspected the hall. It was a large room with a staircase leading up to a gallery which ran around three sides of the house. There was a suit of armour standing at the foot of the stairs and the walls were covered with weapons from battle axes and swords to flintlocks and rifles.
"A murderer's paradise." she thought to herself. [2]
Electricity had been brought to this remote location but the wall sconces threw out only a feeble light which did little to drive back the shadows in the corners of the room and the flickering flames from the fireplace merely added depth to the darkness.
Hearing a sound, she glanced up and saw Lord Buchanan descending the staircase. She had not seen him since his marriage was startled to see that his hair, once a glossy black, now had touches of grey at the temples. She recalled that he was twelve years older than she was. That would make him about thirty-seven or thirty-eight - too young to be going grey. Tragedy had left its mark.
Smiling he advanced towards her. "Welcome to my home, Miss Hilary," he said, "Thank you for coming to the rescue of my three brats. They are sadly in need of a woman's touch.
"I trust that you had a pleasant journey, despite the weather. It is a pretty part of the country when the sun shines."
He took her hands in his and exclained as he felt her cold fingers. "You are half frozen," he said, "Didn't my people look after you?"
"Very well indeed," she replied, "I felt quite spoilt with a hot water bottle and a warm fur rug to keep me warm." [3]
"What you need is a hot drink and something to eat. Come up to the morning room where the fire actually warms the room, and I'll see what we can do about thawing you out a bit."
She followed him up the stairs and presently found herself in a smallish room, furnished charmingly in gold and white, with a blazing fire in the hearth.
"Please sit down" he said and tugged at the bell-pull.
The summons was answered by a wized old crone dressed in black bombazine. She curtsied. “You rang, Your Lordship?”
“Mrs Makepeace,” said Lord Buchanan, “This is and old friend, Miss Hilary, come to teach manners to my children. Arabella, my dear, this is our irreplaceable Mrs Makepeace who runs the house for me.”
Arabella nodded to Mrs makepeace who gave her a small curtsy, very exactly judged to show that, although she was aware that Arabella was a friend of Lord Buchanan, she was also the new governess and was therefore fallen on bad times and was to be treated as such.
A slight twinkle showed for a moment in Lord Buchanan’s eyes as he observed this little by-play. He ordered tea and crumpets to be brought into the drawing room.
"Would you show Miss Hilary to her room so that she can freshen up while the tea is being made, please, Mrs Makepeace." He smiled at them both. [4]
The room which Arabella was shown to was dominated by a large four-poster bed with dark red velvet curtains. There was a chest of drawers with a mirror hung over it and a small sofa in the bay window, across which were drawn matching red curtains. Doors lead to the closet and a small, well equipped bathroom. A fire burned brightly in the small, elegant grate. Her luggage had preceded her and had already been unpacked by one of the maids.
"I'll just be going down to the kitchen to see to the tea, Miss," said Mrs Makepeace, "Can you find your way?"
"This is very comfortable. Thank you, I'm sure that I will be able to find my way back to the morning room."
Lord Buchanan was lounging by the fire when she returned but he leapt to his feet as she entered the room.
“I can see that you are going to add to life’s amusements. Mrs Makepeace is not quite sure what your status is but we must not tease her. She keeps this great house running like clockwork and we would be in dire trouble without her expert hand in things.” [5]
Seating her by the side of the fireplace, he sat opposite her and stretched his feet out towards the fire. “Let me tell you about the children. The twins are aged ten. Their names are Philip and Rory. Philip is the elder by five minutes and is my heir. Lavinia is just eight. Their mother died two years ago and they have been running wild ever since. The boys will be going away to school in two years and need to learn to behave like gentlemen or they will have a very hard time of it.
Lavinia was very upset by her mother’s death. I hope that you will be able to give her the stability she needs, as well as teaching her her lessons. She is inclined to be delicate and is prone to nightmares. I have had problems keeping nursery staff due to the remote situation of the house. I am hoping that you will make this your home and give her the continuity which she so desperately needs."
Arabella thought for a moment of the alternatives and smiled reassuringly. "I am well past the age of wanting to go out every night and my needs are few. I love the countryside and do not see the distance from town as a problem."
"In the morning, when you are rested from your journey, we will discuss the terms of your employment but for the moment you are an honoured guest in my house and a very welcome one." [6]
At that moment the tea arrived and Arabella realised that she was very hungry indeed. The food and hot tea revived and warmed her and she and Lord Buchanan talked of old times until it was time for her to retire for the night.
"Tea will be brought to your room in the morning and breakfast is served at eight o'clock. You will want to meet the children after breakfast and then we will talk about mundane matters such as salary and days off." He smiled as he held the door open for her to pass through.
The water in the bathroom was hot and the bed was comfortable with two hot water bottles placed in it. She soon fell asleep but her slumber was disturbed by dreams in which somebody was screaming. Or were they dreams? [7]
She awoke to bright sunlight and the sound of childish laughter. A tea tray was by her bedside and three little faces were peering anxiously at her, waiting for her to open her eyes. Two of the faces were identical - round and pink with startling blue eyes and unruly mops of chestnut curls. The third was pale and solemn with straight black hair and the family's blue eyes. Lavinia looked like a small, female version of her father. All three small figures were dressed in striped pyjamas and with sheepskin slippers on their feet.
"I'm Philip," announced one of the twins, "And I'm the oldest."
"Only just." said Rory, "And who wants to be the oldest, anyway!"
Lavinia looked at Arabella and her eyes filled with tears.
"You must all be frozen," said Arabella, "You'd better all hop into bed with me while I drink my tea." [8]
They all climbed into the big bed with her, the twins on one side of her and Lavinia on the other. She drank her tea while the two boys chatted away to her. Lavinia snuggled up close to her but didn't say anything at all.
Presently there was a tap on the door and a flustered looking girl came in. "There you are!" she exclaimed, with evident relief. "I'm so sorry, Miss. I turned my back for a minute and they were gone."
"We have been getting to know each other." replied Arabella. She turned to the children, "Off you all go now. I'll see you all later."
"This is Suzy." said Philip, "She looks after us."
After Suzy had taken the children, Arabella showered and dressed for the day. Not sure about how formal the household was, she put on a pleated skirt and, remembering the chill of the hall, a thick sweater. She left her room and was just wondering which direction to go to find breakfast when one of the maids appeared at her side. "Breakfast is served in the dining room, Miss Hilary," she said, "I'll show you the way." [9]
The dining room was a large, wood panelled room with a long table surrounded by sixteen chairs. A fire burned in the grate but did little to dispel the cold from the room. Arabella was glad of her thick, woollen sweater. Lord Buchanan was at the sideboard, helping himself to muesli and fruit. A quick glance at the fare displayed assured her that the was as healthy as it was plentiful.
"May I pour you a cup of coffee?" he enquired, "Or would you prefer tea or fruit juice?"
"Coffee would be wonderful." she replied. It certainly smelled wonderful. He motioned her to a chair and sat down on the opposite side of the table.
"After you have finished your breakfast we will go up to the nursery and meet the children."
"I've met them already," she smiled, "They arrived with my tea tray. Someone called Suzy came and fetched them away."
"Suzy is the nursery maid. They are too much for her to handle, but she does her best. She is the daughter of Simpson, my butler. It is hard to keep staff so far from town but she has grown up here and is used to the isolation." [10]
After breakfastArabella and Lord Buchanan climbed the stairs to the third floor where the nurseries were situated. The children were scrubbed and dressed and from the look of the debris on the table had just been given their breakfast by Suzy. The two boys rushed over to their father and demanded to be picked up, taken for a ride on their ponies, taken out in the car and anything else which their noisy imaginations dreamt up for the day's activities. Lavinia hung back, wide eyed and solemn-faced, so Arabella went over and sat down by her. "What would you like to do today?" Arabella asked her.
"Go for a walk." said Lavinia shyly.
"I have to talk to your Daddy first but when I've finished there then perhaps you would show me around the garden."
Lavinia nodded her head. Lord Buchanan came over to them, picked Lavinia up and gave her a hug. She clung to him and buried her head in his shoulder. "How's my Vinnie today?" he asked her gently. She mumbled something into his shoulder. Arabella understood his concern about her. She was too quiet, too withdrawn. Perhaps the local school, where she would have friends of her own age, might be the answer. It was too early to judge yet. She needed to assess the situation before she spoke to Lord Buchanan about the little girl. [11]
She discussed her duties and the terms of her employment to the mutual satisfaction of both parties and then she made her way back to the day nursery where Suzy had readied the three children for their excursion out into the wintry garden. The boys skipped on ahead and Vinnie slipped her little hand into Arabella's and led her down the stairs, through the conservatory which was warm and steamy and rampant with greenery, and out into the garden.
They looked at the well laid out gardens at the front of the house first, and then Vinnie led Arabella to the kitchen garden where the herbs and vegetables for the kitchen were grown. It was walled around and was a sheltered haven from the wind and cold. The children were all eager to show off their own small garden plots but being winter, they were all under straw and there was very little to see there.
"Let's go to the stables." shouted Rory and both boys headed for the yard at the back of the house. As they passed the gate leading from the stable yard to the fields beyond Vinnie suddenly shrank back and started to cry.
"What is the matter, Darling?" asked Arabella, stooping to pick her up. She noticed that Vinnie's eyes were wide and her pupils dilated. The child was terrified. [12]
Lifting her up bodily she carried her to the stables where she sat down on a bench and held her until the shaking subsided. Looking up she saw that the chauffeur was watching them. He was dressed in overalls and was grooming one of the horses. He nodded to her and turned his attention back to the horse. Obviously he performed the duties of both chauffeur and groom.
The boys were clambering for her attention, urging her to come and meet their ponies. She stood up and taking Vinnie by the hand she walked the length of the stables while Philip and Rory introduced her to the horses, Lord Buchanan's hunters, the children's ponies and the two massive Clydesdales which worked around the farm and were the pride of the neighbourhood.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully. After lunch Arabella read to the children and they ate muffins, dripping with butter, in front of the nursery fire. At five o'clock Suzy took them off for their baths and Arabella was free for the rest of the day. [13]
She dined pleasantly with Lord Buchanan and afterwards they withdrew to the morning room, which seemed to be the only really warm room in the house. They chatted amicably about mutual friends and happier times - Arabella's father had been at school with the late Lord Buchanan and they had remained friends for the rest of their lives. Their children had known each other for most of Arabella's life but the age difference meant that they had never been close. Lord Buchanan had been away at school for whole of Arabella's childhood so they had met only infrequently during the school holidays.
"Feel free to treat this house as your own." he said to her, "I hope that you will be with us for a long time."
"It is a beautiful house and I know that I am going to be very happy here." she replied.
When it was time to go up she wandered into the library and selected a couple of books to read in bed. The library was a large room with shelves of books around three walls, the fourth wall containing a large window which was shrouded in curtains at the moment. The books looked as though they had been read and nurtured and there was a comprehensive selection of contemporary works as well as many well-loved classics.
Showered and warm in bed she happily started re-reading Pride and Prejudice and eventually fell into a deep sleep.
She awoke to the sound of screaming. [14]