Twelfth Night at Eyre Hall (17 page)

“I am sorry, Mrs. Mason,” she replied bringing
her hand to her mouth before turning to Michael. “Did you know that Mr. Mason
died while you were away in London, Michael?”

“I have just been told.”

The moment I felt his gaze on my face, I
knew he had found Helen, but I also knew there was something wrong.

“May I offer you my condolences Mrs.
Mason?”

I nodded. “Please come and sit with us
by the fire and tell us about your visit to London, Lieutenant Kirkpatrick.”

“I’ve never been to London, Michael.
What’s it like?” asked Nell.

“It’s big, crowded, dirty, and smelly.
It’s much nicer here at Eyre Hall.” He smiled lovingly as he smoothed her hair
behind her ears. “Who combed your hair today, Nell?” 

“I did it myself.”

“Looks like it. Perhaps Beth or Christy
could help you next time.”

I felt a raw melancholy and a small pang
of regret at his tenderness to Nell, as I wondered if he would ever miss having
children.

“Mrs. Mason plaited my hair yesterday
and it looked lovely. Beth and Christy were too busy preparing the food for the
guests to comb my hair, and Mummy never plaits my hair.”

He looked at me and smiled. “Perhaps
Mrs. Mason would like to plait it for you now?”

They both looked at me expectantly. “Of
course. Bring me a comb, Nell.”

She jumped up and ran out of the room.
Michael remained silent. He squeezed my hand and looked into the flames
thoughtfully, until Nell ran back in with the comb.

“I brought you a present from London,
Nell.”

“A present for me? I love presents. I
hardly ever get any, you see. What is it?”

He handed her a small package. “Open
it.”

She grabbed it impatiently and tore the
paper away. It was a pretty, pink lace headband with a matching hand–rolled
flower.

“Thank you, Michael. It is so beautiful!
Can I wear it now?”

“I hope you will.”

“Let me comb your hair first, Nell,” I
said as I took the comb and started sliding it through her thick tresses.
“Goodness, you need some rose cold cream on it. It’s getting far too curly and
difficult to manage.”

“Perhaps Nell can use some of yours,
Mrs. Mason.”

I was surprised at Michael’s suggestion.
“Of course you can, Nell. Go upstairs and bring down my jar.”

She rushed out of the room again and
Michael turned back to the hearth with his hands covering his face.

“Michael,” I whispered. “Are you all
right?”

He turned to me and looked into my eyes
for a long time. He took my hand, kissed it and held it against his cheek.

“Did you find Helen?”

He smiled and dropped my hand as Nell
flew back into the room with the cream. 

I busied myself with her hair while
Michael stared intently. When I finished he smiled at me, and then told Nell it
was the most perfect plait he had ever seen and sat back on the couch. His body
was relaxed, yet his brow was furrowed and his look distant.

“Would you like some tea, Lieutenant?” I
asked.

“Yes, thank you, I would love some
tea.” 

“Nell, ask Leah to see to it that we
have tea, meat sandwiches and cakes brought in.”

When she had left the room, Michael
still did not speak. He put his arm across my shoulders and pulled me close to
him, kissed my cheek and stared quietly into the flames.

“Why is it so hard for you to tell me
what you have discovered in London?”

“Because I do not wish to lie, yet I
cannot tell you the truth.”

“Why not?”

He sighed heavily and looked straight
into my eyes. “Because I am not yet sure and I do not wish you to be hurt again
with false promises or expectations.”

“Did you find her?”

“I believe she is not in London.”

“Why do you say ‘is’?”

He was silent, his look tortured.

“Please, Michael, tell me what you know.”

“I cannot be sure.”

I waited for him to speak, but he just
stared into the fireplace.

“My heart is racing. Speak to me! Tell
me if she is alive.”

“I have reason to believe that she may
be alive.”

“Where?”

I took his hands in mine and searched
his eyes for answers. “I cannot tell you where I think she may be without
causing you further distress.”

“But you are causing me distress! What
do you mean? Is she unwell?”

“If she is where I believe her to be,
you need not worry.”

“What game are you playing with me? I
need not worry? Tell me or get out!” I must have screamed because Fred rushed
in.

“Mrs. Mason, is anything the matter?”

I realised hot tears were burning my
cheeks. I stood and a handkerchief was thrust into my hands. I wiped my tears
and moved to the window.

“Everything is fine, Fred. Mrs. Mason is
upset, that’s all.”

“Shall I call Dr. Carter, madam?”

“No, thank you, Fred. Dr. Carter will be
coming later. I will speak to him then. Please leave us.”

He nodded and left. I felt Michael’s
hands on my shoulders and I turned around and buried my tears in his chest. His
arms slid around my back, and everything was as it had been. I broke free. “I’m
sorry, Michael, you must think me such a fool.”

He held my face in his hands, wiping my
tears away with his thumbs. “Not at all, Jane. You are not a fool. You are a
mother in search of her daughter.”

“Where is she? Have you seen her? What
is she like?” He was still silent. “Tell me, please.”

“Do you trust me, Jane?”

“Of course I trust you, Michael.”

“You have waited over ten years to find
her. Could you wait six months until I come back, and we shall find her
together?”

“Why not now?”

“Because there’s not enough time. I must
leave and I want to be with you when we find her. I don’t want to leave you
with another worrying situation on your hands while I’m away. Trust me, Jane,
will you?”

I nodded. It felt so reassuring to hear
him use my name. I touched his face, as I had done the first time I saw him. “I
like to hear you call me Jane,” I whispered.

He turned his head and kissed my palm.
“Jane, I wish you could call me Michael always.”

I sighed into his lips. “I wish we could
be Jane and Michael.”

A knock on the door broke our embrace.
Nell came in with Beth, who seemed to be crying.

“Please leave the tray on the table by
the fireplace, Beth.”

The young girl sniffed, nodded, and
left.

“I do not know what has got into Beth
lately.”

“Perhaps matters of the heart. I think
she is attached to Simon.”

“I’m glad Simon has found a nice girl. I
hope he’s treating her well.” 

“I have no doubt that Simon is good to
her.”

“By the way, do you know where he’s
been? Beth said something about a sick relative in London.”

“I saw him in London. I had told him
where I was staying before I left, and he came to see me. He had some family
problems. We visited his cousin in the Strand.”

I wondered uneasily how much they both
knew about Richard’s death.

“Simon should have told me. We were
worried, and then Richard’s unexpected death…”

“It was rather sudden. I’ll tell you
about it later,” he said as he nodded towards Nell. 

“Sit down and have something to eat,
Lieutenant. You must be hungry after such a long journey.”

Michael devoured the sandwiches. “Are
you not eating?”

“We’ve had lunch, but I’ll have some
tea.”

As I poured our tea, Nell asked me, “May
I have a piece of cake, Mrs. Mason?”

“Of course you can, Nell. Eat as much as
you like.” I remembered how thin and sickly she had been when she had arrived
at Eyre Hall over a year ago, and marvelled at how healthy she looked now.

“Michael, are you staying with us at
Eyre Hall?” Nell asked while nibbling the icing off a fairy cake. I smiled, recalling
how I used to like doing so, too, on the rare occasions I was able to eat one,
when I was a child.  

“I’m staying very nearby, at The
Rochester Arms.”

“Why don’t you stay here with us? You
used to live downstairs, didn’t you?”

 “Michael is no longer a servant, Nell.
He cannot sleep in the servant’s quarters. Next time he comes to Eyre Hall, he
will sleep upstairs, with the guests and members of the family.”

“Am I a servant or a guest, Mrs. Mason?
Sometimes I sleep downstairs with my mother, and sometimes upstairs with you.”

“I think you should sleep upstairs every
day,” said Michael, briskly. “You are a companion, not a servant, is she not, Mrs.
Mason?”

“Michael is right, Nell. You are not a
servant. You will sleep upstairs with me for the time being. When the extension
is built, you can have a room for yourself. Would you like that?”

“Yes, I would! But what about my mother,
won’t she mind?”

“Why would she mind?” I asked.

“Because she says I spend too much time
upstairs.”

Michael patted her hand. “Your mother
will be leaving Eyre Hall, soon, but Mrs. Mason will tell you about that later,
Nell. I am sure Mrs. Mason will be delighted if you spend more time upstairs.”

I looked at him quizzically, wondering
what he had in mind, but he interrupted my thoughts by asking Nell what she was
reading.

 “I’m reading
Persuasion.
It is
about Captain Wentworth and Anne Elliot. They are in love. They could not marry
when they first met because her parents didn’t approve of him, but now he has
come back. Her family are almost ruined, and he is a sea captain, so this time
she is allowed to marry him, although he teased her a bit first! That wasn’t very
nice of him.”

“Well, he was probably feeling hurt,
don’t you think?”

“Yes, I do. He wrote her a lovely
letter, and they are getting married of course. It is a romance. I wish someone
would write me a letter like that.”

“I am sure they will, when you are a few
years older,” he said as he squeezed her nose, “but he better be good to you,
or he shall be in trouble with me!”

“You are almost a captain, Michael. I
was hoping to marry you when I’m older!”

He laughed. “I am honoured at your
proposal, Miss Rosset, but you are much too young to think about marriage. I
think you have been reading too many romances. You ought to read
Treasure
Island
or
Gulliver’s Travels
next time.”

“Exactly, Lieutenant,” I added. “We have
had enough of Jane Austen.
Treasure Island
is next on our list, so we
shall know what it is like to be out at sea for months, like you. Now. Nell,
would you take Flossy, Keeper and Piper for a walk?”

“Yes!” she said, jumped up and rushed to
the door.

“Ask Fred or Daisy if they would like to
go with you. It is getting dark, and put on your heavy coat and winter bonnet.”

She nodded and hugged Michael again
before rushing out of the room.

“Perhaps you will tell me what all that
was about, Michael?”

“Would you prefer Nell to sleep
downstairs?”

“Of course not. She often sleeps with
me. I meant about her mother leaving Eyre Hall.”

He sighed. “Jane, there is something you
need to be told. Simon has informed me that Jenny and Thomas have been ill–treating
Nell.”

I gasped. “What?”

“You have noticed she seems to fall down
the stairs too frequently?”

I nodded in disbelief.

“There were no falls. She was hit,
mercilessly.”

I jumped from the couch. “How could I
have been so blind?”

Michael rushed to my side, taking my
hand. “It is not your fault, Jane.

“Michael, why did she not tell me? Why
would they do that to her?”

“She has also been locked in a closet.”

“How dreadful! Why?”

“I cannot imagine why. Jenny used to be
concerned with Nell’s well–being, but lately she seems to resent her. She may
be jealous.”

“Of her own daughter?”

“It has been known to happen. Nell
spends a great deal of time with you upstairs, and you have bought her clothes,
and taught her how to be a perfect little lady; perhaps she no longer fits in
with her family downstairs. They seem to have rejected her.”

“Why did nobody tell me?”

“Perhaps they didn’t want to interfere
in family matters.”

“Michael, what should I do?”

“I think Jenny and her son should leave
Eyre Hall, and Nell should stay here with you.”