Journey's End (Marlbrook) (3 page)

Thomas, back less than three months, had already been entrapped within the neglected walls of Ashley Manor.  More than two decades had passed since his travels had taken him from the soil of his English home
,
with the desire in his heart never to return.  However
,
his resolve had not stood the test of time and his planned escape route had not taken into account the sense of duty which held him. 
It was a
n obligation, he assumed,
that
someone had instilled
in him
from an early age
,
without his knowledge.

Thomas Ashley, Lord and heir to the Manor, returned his attention to the woman before him.  She conducted herself as though his equal, an intruder who had practically thrown herself through his door and
,
to his bewilderment
,
he enjoyed her and her more than obvious unworldly ways
- a
t least for the present.  Before granting her the benefit of his findings, he pulled himself to his full impressive height.

“I grow weary of this conversation, madam, and will leave you to your decision. Shelter is yours if you so chose
, b
ut I warn you
:
do not deceive yourself
,
as I have openly conveyed that I live alone. Should you still seek to remain here, I shall not indulge your whims of fancy should you raise them at a later date.”

Thomas spun on his heels
,
ready to stride from the room, the steady impact of foot to floor announcing his impatience.
 
“Come. If your decision is to stay I will show you to your quarters, but -” his eyes narrowed
,
and Laura retreated in apprehension
“-be aware that I have better things to do than
to
fetch an
d carry for the likes of you.”

Laura sighed.  The man’s arrogance and sad deficiency in decorum did not constitute danger, and to suffer a small number of days in his company had to be better than tackling the dark and unknown terrain.

“I thank you kindly for your offer of hospitality. You find me grateful in my acceptance and though you may deride me
,
sir, I see that I must place your concerns at ease as to the subject of my care.”

Thomas listened attentively, keen to hear any reasoning she might put forward.

“I am
able
and quite content to carry my possessions. In fact in this, as in most events, you will find me attending to my own needs.”

Laura turned from him.  With her head held high
,
she began the retrieval of her belongings from the driveway, but not before noting in his facial expression a certain slackness of the jaw-line, his stunned appearance affording her all the satisfaction she sought.

CHAPTER
FIVE
- Home

The impact of horse’s hooves upon cobblestone echoed in the emptiness
,
as the reality descended upon Laura that she was alone.  In the courtyard
,
her belongings were stacked in their original position and as she sat amongst them, she took a well-earned break.

Her worldly possessions consisted of two chests.  She examined her belongings.  The trunks were substantial in size and weight, and ultimately she ended up dragging them, one at a time, across the greater part of the compound.

Upon re-entering the house
,
she dropped
the last chest to the ground.  Laura had no care where the object landed for
,
in truth
,
it was considerably heavier than she would ever admit.  Besides, the stranger was nowhere in sight to criticize her actions.

Two doors led from the kitchen.  Behind one lay the path to her chamber
. 
Laura
was simply unsure which
to take
?  Sparring with him had taken precedence, and she had been neglectful in observing his departure.  Anxiety surfaced and while she denounced his conduct for its faults, she glanced furtively about
,
ensuring that he was nowhere in sight.  She ventured to look behind the first door.

The opening led to a small study.  The room had presumably been set aside for the servants, modest but comforting.  A large, leather-bound book lay open, the corner table dwarfed under its mass. 
On closer inspection t
he book contained the intricate aspects of farming, a subject no lady would care to peruse.

Footsteps forewarned Laura of the caretaker’s presence in the neighbouring room.  With haste, she dispatched the pa
ges to their original positions.

As the door swung open
,
evidence of Laura’s unruly efforts still lingered
.  T
he look the caretaker imparted made her feel like a naughty child caught with her hand in the sweetmeat jar.  She thought it absurd that a grown woman could be made to feel this bad.

“Madam, if you have quite finished looking through my personal belongings
,
I will show you to your room.”

And with these few chosen words, Thomas placed Laura in an unfortunate light and put her firmly in her place.

Laura wished for a chasm to open in the earth and drag her into its depths, knowing the reprimand to be fair.  However
,
these were not normal conditions.  She retaliated.
 
“If you, sir, had not been lacking in your responsibilit
ies
as a host, leaving your guest to her own devices, you would perhaps have kept your belongings private!”

At once, Laura regretted her outburst.  “Sir, I must-.”  Laura’s eagerness to apologize launched her into action, but her rapid progress obliged him to retreat.  Aghast
,
Laura watched in disbelief as the caretaker stumbled backwards into the corner table
,
his large frame tumbling alongside it to the floor.

Thomas did not know what unbalanced him the most - the shock
of his fall
or her
defence
, as she lashed out at him
,
calling him to account.  The woman was an enigma.  She managed to intrigue, completely confuse, and entertain
him
- all
in the same breath.  He acted his part.

“Madam, if you have quite finished trying to harm me in some physical manner
,
I will show you to your apartment and be done with you.”  So saying, Thomas retraced his steps to the kitchen.

The second door, Laura now discovered, led to the foyer. 
The entrance was d
imly lit
. 
Laura’s
senses were numbed by the opening scene.  Once
-
elegant furnishings lay uncovered - exposed to dirt and decay
,
they threatened to join the squalor of their surroundings.

The main hall made her cease her travels.  A staircase, fashioned with ample footholds, rose to the top of the house, a curve designed here and there to dodge simplicity, and even in the sparse light
,
Laura could still behold the structure
’
s aging beauty.  The imagery was effortless to
conjure
;
it was the physical that presented itself as sad and neglected.  Laura shivered
,
hugging
her shawl
close
.  An air of gloom prevailed that had nothing to do with the night.

The corridor on the first floor greeted them with doors appearing at regular intervals, like evenly spaced teeth.  The caretaker strode with the confidence of one intimate with his surroundings, his steps large when compared to Laura’s.  As the gap between them widened, Laura had to pick up her pace in order to benefit from the light of his flame.

They entered the fourth door on the right
,
to stand in a room covered in dust and cobwebs.  The caretaker had carried one of Laura’s trunks on their upward climb.  He placed the
battered
object beside the night table.

Surveying her new surroundings, Laura could see that the grime had been removed from the immediate area of the bed.  Her nose crinkled in response to the unique odour that accompanies age, and a thought flickered whether the night would have been so bad.

Laura refused to glance in the caretaker’s direction
,
as he placed a candle on the nightstand and gave it life from his own.  It was not until he made his bid to leave that formality obliged them to interact.

“Is there anything else madam requires?”

Laura ignored his taunt, choosing instead to arrange some of her possessions on the bed before airing her response.

“I thank you for the trouble you have undertaken on my behalf.  And although reluctant to ask for more, the state of the chamber dictates one final request.”

Immediately wary, Thomas’ senses went on alert.

“I would have some water and rags to dampen the dust.”

Thomas fought hard to suppress a grin.  Requests
,
or rather demands
,
from a gentlewoman were to be expected - but cleaning articles?  She continued to surprise.

“Then you shall have
them
.”  Thomas withdrew without a further word, as he judged enough had been said between them.

Laura’s world fell silent
,
and the quiet closed in around her.  The chamber conjured a mixture of feelings, the setting strange and enticing.  Walls, once richly decorated, had confronted the passing seasons, and the colours that formerly brightened now languished.  The owners, Laura decided, were callous in the abandonment of their charge.

Thomas returned and deposited the rudimentary requests upon the dresser.  Laura craved company to help pull her from the room’s stifling grasp.  A smile unfolded before she turned to face him, but he, in innocence, rebuffed her by closing the door on his way out.

Laura focused her venom on the portal that had aided his escape, fists clenched in rage.  The man was not only arrogant but also decidedly disagreeable.

Laura’s speech contained the sound of bitterness with a twist of juvenility thrown in.  “People should be more mindful when hiring their caretakers. Why should I waste
my
energy attempting to be civil with someone so obviously
lacking in
social graces?”

Laura centred her attention on the room, the exercise proving a useful distraction.

Laura
worked her way around the
chamber
, removing dust and grime where she could.  Toiletries, huddled together in several small groups upon the dresser, brought back her smile.  She handled the objects with care.  Varied in shape and size
,
the bottles sat frozen in time, a period that could be calculated by the depth of dust that encased them.

This house
,
Laura knew
,
was at fault,
as it
summon
ed
the past and reassembl
ed
personal ghosts to overwhelm her.  She reached for her journal to impart the evening’s curious events upon the scented paper.  By doing so, she hoped to ease her bewilderment.

“Today
,
fate decreed that I stray from my original journey.
I have been destined to meet a man who is not only lacking in all semblance of manners
,
but one t
hat in his display of arrogance,
draws my tongue.
I am loath to admit that I retaliate in such a fashion that mortifies me.
The situation I find myself in is where I firmly place the blame for my reprehensible behaviour and is added to, I am sure, by this tragic house that has me captivated.

I remind myself that
,
in a short space of time
,
I will continue my journey.”

Laura closed the pages, caressing the book before she was prepared to part with it.  The leather cover, cool under her touch, provided comfort, the intimacy important when surrounded by uncertainty.

Glass panes, large and criss-crossed with lead streaks, caught Laura’s eye.  Visions leapt into focus of the scene
that
they would frame in the daylight.  Lush fields surrounding the manor, hemmed by stone walls and populated with spring flowers, the decorations wild and dotted at will
- a
challenge to any artist to replicate.  However
,
she doubted any pleasure could be derived from the immediate grounds.  In the meantime, the prospect of an open window promised a faint breeze.