The Lady and the Lake (32 page)

For
seconds
I
couldn’t
imagine
what
had
happened
to
me,
then
I
felt
Alice
push
me
further
to
the
ground
and
I
realised
with
horror
that
my
head
was
hanging
over
the
lake.
I
could
feel
the
cold
water
seeping
through
my
hair.
I
looked
up
at
her
unable
to
comprehend
fully
what
was
happening.

‘It’s
you!’
I
said
foolishly.
‘You
who
murdered
Annie
and
Gladys,
but
for
what
reason,
and
now
why
me?’
A
sob
escaped
my
lips
and
I
felt
Alice
push
my
head
under
the
water.
She
was
strong
but
I
was
stronger,
I
fought
against
her
hands
and
within
seconds
came
out
of
the
water,
gasping
and
spluttering
for
air.

‘No-one
will
have
him
but
ME!’
Alice
screamed.
She
looked
like
a
mad
woman
and
all
the
beauty
had
gone
out
of
her
face.

‘Who
are
you
talking
about?’
I
managed
to
gasp,
my
lungs
near
to
bursting
point.

‘The
master
of
course!’
As
she
spoke
I
could
feel
her
weight
on
my
body.
I
just
needed
to
take
her
off
guard,
get
her
to
talk
I
thought
to
myself.

‘But
I
have
no
interest
in
Antony
Kershaw,’
I
said
quietly,
my
strength
suddenly
returning.

‘Don’t
lie!’
she
screamed,
‘I
heard
you
in
the
drawing-room
together,
he
said
you
were
lovely
and
he
tried
to
gain
an
encounter
with
Annie
and
Gladys,
I
couldn’t
bear
that
so
I
lured
them
here
on
the
pretence
that
they
could
be
a
maid
here
at
the
Hall.’

Her
grip
on
me
was
relaxing.
I
took
my
chance
and
pushed
her
off
me
with
all
my
strength
and
scrambled
to
my
feet.
My
legs
would
hardly
run
although
I
made
the
effort
but
Alice
ran
faster
and
caught
at
my
legs
pulling
me
off
my
feet
once
more.
As
she
went
to
hold
me
down
I
rolled
over
and
the
next
thing
I
heard
was
a
splash
in
the

water,
horrified
I
could
see
Alice
thrashing
about
in
the
lake.

‘Please
help
me,’
she
called,
‘I
can’t
swim,
I
shall
drown.’
I
lay
on
the
side
of
the
lake
and
stretched
out
my
arm
to
her,
but
she
couldn’t
reach
it.
Try
as
I
might
to
grasp
her
hand
it
was
to
no
avail.
‘It
is
deep,’
were
the
last
words
I
heard
from
her
before
the
lake
enveloped
her
whole
body.

I
heard
someone
running
on
the
path,
suddenly
I
looked
up
into
Thomas’s
face
and
felt
him
gather
me
in
his
arms,
when
mercifully
I
slipped
into
unconsciousness.
Maggie
was
the
first
person
I
saw
on
waking.
She
sat
on
a
wooden
chair,
her
anxious
face
looking
down
at
me.

‘Miss
Abbey,
you’re
awake,’
she
declared
with
obvious
joy,
‘you’ve
slept
for
twenty-four
hours,
everyone
is
right
concerned
about
you.
I’ll
just
tell
someone
you’re
awake.’

As
Maggie
left
I
struggled
to
sit
up
and
realised
I
was
in
a
large
bed
in
unfamiliar
surroundings.
The
horror
of my
tussle
with
Alice
came
back
to
me
and
I
sank
back
again
on
the
plump
pillow.
Oh
Lord,
I
thought,
I
give
thanks
that
I’m
alive
and
what
of
Alice.
This
thought
agitated
me.

Maggie
returned
with
Thomas,
my
beloved
Thomas.
He
sat
on
the
chair
and
reaching
for
my
hand
clasped
it
securely
in
his
own.

‘Sweetheart,’
he
said
gently,
‘can
you
recall
what
happened?’

‘Only
too
well.’
I
answered
with
a
voice
that
didn’t
seem
my
own.
‘Is
that
rain?’
I
asked,
for
as
I
looked
at
the
long
window
draped
with
red
curtains
I
fancied
I
could
hear
rain
splattering
on
the
grass.

‘Yes
it
is
my
love,
but
think
not
of
the
weather.
Can
you
tell
me
what
happened?’
he
asked
stroking
the
back
of
my
hand
with
his
free
one.

‘How... how
did
you
know
that
I
was
by
the
lake
for
it
was
you
who
came
to
me,
wasn’t
it?’
I
stammered,
the
full
picture
coming
back
in
my
mind.

‘I
saw
you
walking
with
someone
as
I looked
from
the
long
gallery
window,
you
were
quite
clear
in
the
moonlight,
then
as
the
cloud
overshadowed
the
moon
I
lost
sight
of
you
briefly
and
when
the
light
returned
I
could
see
you
both
on
the
ground.
Fearing
someone
had
fallen
in
the
lake
I
hastened
down
to
you,
but
it
was
too
late
to
save
Alice,’
Thomas
told
me.