Kirkland Revels (34 page)

“Then my looks are deceptive.”

” So you really feel quite benevolent towards me on this Christmas morning?”

” Shouldn’t one feel so towards the whole world on this of all mornings?”

” You’re taking the words out of old Cartwright’s mouth. We shall have to go and hear him preaching his Christmas sermon.” He yawned. ” I always feel I’d like to time him by stop-watch. I heard of someone doing that the other day. Some local bigwig. It’s a fact. He’d go to church, set his watch … ten minutes’ sermon and no more…. When the ten minutes were up he’d snap his fingers and that sermon had to stop—and it did, for the parson had his living to think of.” His eyes narrowed and he went on: ” I’m thinking of doing it myself one day, when …”

I looked at him sharply. I knew very well what he meant: when he was in command.

I felt uneasy even though the library was full of daylight.

“Well, what are you reading?” His firm fingers were on the leather case.

” Oh, it’s just something I’ve seen in the library. I wanted to have another look.”

He had taken the roll, in spite of my efforts to retain it, for I had to let it go; I could not indulge in a tug-o’-war here in the library for no apparent reason at all.

“The old Abbey again!” he murmured.

“Do you know, Catherine, you’ve got an obsession for abbeys … monks and such like.”

” Haven’t you?” I asked.

” I? Why should I? I was born here. We take all that for granted.

It’s the people who are new to the place who think it’s all so marvelous.”

He put the roll under my arm. 207 ” Why, Catherine,” he went on, ” we’re standing under mistletoe.”

Then he put his arms round me and kissed me quickly the lips.

” Merry Christmas, Catherine, and a happy New Year!”

Then he stood aside and bowed ironically. I went pasil him with as much dignity as I could, and started up the stairs:;

He stood at the library door watching me. ;

I wished that he had not seen what I had been carrying. I wondered how much of my thoughts he had read. Lukei bothered me. I didn’t understand him; and I had the feeling | that he was the one who resented my presence here more | than any . he and Ruth together. If it were Ruth and i Luke, I thought, it would be easier for them than anyone; | and the fact that Damaris had lied as she did could mean that ; she had done so for Luke.

When I reached my room I got into bed again and studied the plan.

It was headed Kirkland Abbey with the date 1520, and as I looked at it, it was as though the place came alive under my eyes, as though walls were built up where they had decayed, as though roofs were miraculously replaced. There it was a series of buildings which housed a community, sufficient unto itself, which had no need of outside resources, since it was completely self-supporting. It was so easy to picture it all.

I realised that I had learned the topography of the Abbey fairly well.

It was not that I had visited the place so much but my impressions had been so vivid. The central Norman tower was an excellent landmark. I traced it with my finger. The north and south transept, the sanctuary, the gallery, the chapter house, the monks’ dorter. And the arcade, with its buttresses, where I had seen the monk, was that which led to the dining hall, to the bake houses and malt-house. Then my eyes fell on the words: ” Entrance to the cellars.”

As there were cellars beneath the Abbey, there would almost certainly be tunnels connecting them with other underground chambers. Such a labyrinth was a feature of abbeys of the period. I knew this because I had read accounts of our well-known abbeys such as Fountains, Kirkstall and Rjevaulx. I noticed with rising excitement that the cellars were on that side of the Abbey which was nearest to the Revels.

I was so intent that I did not hear a knock on my door, and Ruth had come in before I realised she was there. 208 She stood at the end of my bed in the spot where the inonis had stood.

” Merry Christmas,” she said.

” Thank you, and the same to you.”

” You seem absorbed.”

” Oh … yes.” Her eyes were on the roll and I guessed she recognised it.

” How are you feeling?”

“Much, much better.”

” That’s good news. Are you going to get up? Our guests will be arriving very soon.”

” Yes,” I said, ” I shall get up now.”

She nodded; and her eyes went once more to the plan. ( fancied she looked a little anxious.

By the time the family was ready to go to church, Simon and Hagar had still not arrived.

” They are usually here before this,” said Ruth. ” Perhaps something has happened to delay them. However, we shall go to church. We must be in our pew on Christmas morning.”

Matthew and Sarah came down to the hall dressed for church. This was indeed a rare thing and I realised that I had very seldom seen either of them dressed for going out. The carriage would take them to the church and bring them back, and it was one of those traditions that their pew should be occupied on Christmas Day.

There was something which I was longing to do, and that was go to the Abbey and look for those cellars; and I wanted to do it when no one could follow me there. If only I could make some excuse for not going to church, I could be sure that for about two hours there would be no one to surprise me.

I should have liked to go to church with them and to have taken my place in the pew, for I was beginning to feel a fondess for the old traditions and a need of the peace which the Christmas service would give me. But I had a more imperative need—the protection of my child; and I decided to practise a little deception.

When they were stepping into the carriage I stood very still for a moment, putting my hands to my body.

Ruth said sharply: “What’s wrong?”

” It’s nothing, but I really don’t think I shall go with you. The doctor said I should be very careful indeed not to overtax myself.”

“‘ll1 stay behind with you.” Ruth told me. ” You she go to bed at once.”

” No,” I insisted. ” Mary-Jane will help me. She is we good and understands perfectly.”

” But I feel I should stay behind,” said Ruth.

” Then if you feel that, I must come with you, for I an certainly not going to allow you to miss the Christmas service. ” H She hesitated.

Then she said: ” Well, if you insist… What are you going to do?”

” Go to my room…. I do want to feel well for the rest i the day.”

She nodded. Then she said to the groom: ” Go and bring! Mary-Jane to me … and quickly, or we shall be late forj church.” J Mary-Jane came hurrying out. j ” Mrs. Rockwell doesn’t feel well enough to accompany us | to church,” she said. ” Take her to her room and look after i| her.”

” Yes, madam,” said Mary Jane

Ruth, satisfied, got into the carriage and in a few seconds they were driving away, while Mary-Jane and I went up to my room.

When we were there I said: “We are going out, Mary Jane

” But, madam …”

I knew I had to take Mary-Jane into my confidence to a greater extent.

When the monk had appeared before her he had brought her into this mystery, and the fact that she had come straight to me and told me what she had seen, and had kept her promise to tell no one else, proved her to be an ally.

” I feel quite well,” I said. ” I should have liked to join the church party, but there is something else I have to do. We are going to the Abbey.”

I made her wrap herself ia the blue cloak, and I myself wore another of dark brown.

Then we set out for the Abbey.

I was anxious that we should lose no time, for I did not know how long our explorations would last and it was necessary that we should be back in the house before the church party returned.

” I have been looking at a plan of the Abbey,” I told Mary Jane ” I have it with me here. When we have seen the monk in the ruins he has been near one spot and that is close by the entrance to the cellars.

Let us go there immediately. ” 210 if we see the monk, what shall we do?” she asked.

” I don’t think we shall this morning.”

” I’d like to give him a piece of my mind. Gave me a turn. tie did, even though I’m not expecting.”

” I should hope not,” I said; and we laughed together, rather nervously, 1 thought, because Mary-Jane realised as well as I did that we were not concerned with a mere practical joker and that there was a sinister implication behind all that had happened. ” What we have to do,” I told her, ” is find out if there is some means of getting from the Abbey ruins into the house. We must remember that a long time ago certain valuables remained hidden for some years and prob ably members of the family too. You see, Mary-Jane, every thing points to the fact that there is a secret entrance.”

Mary-Jane nodded. ” It wouldn’t surprise me, madam. Why, this house is full of old nooks and crannies. Happen it’s there somewhere if we could find it.”

When we reached the ruins I felt slightly breathless with excitement and exertion and Mary-Jane slowed us down a little. ” You’ve got to remember how it is with you, madam.”

I did remember. I was determined to take the utmost care of myself. I thought then: there was never a child in need of as much care as this one; the danger which threatens it makes it so.

We went along the arcade from buttress to buttress as I had seen the monk do; and we came to what I knew to be the bake house and malt-house. Now we had reached the remains of a spiral staircase which I was sure must lead to the cellars. Having studied my plan so well, I knew that we had been working back towards the house, and this was a part of the ruins which was very likely the nearest to the Revels.

Warily I descended the stairs ahead of Mary-Jane, and at the bottom of them we came to two passages, both leading in the direction of the house. These had evidently been tunnels, and I felt disappointed that I saw them because they, like the nave and transepts, had only the sky for their roofs.

However, we each walked along one of these, that half- wall dividing us, and when we had gone about fifty yards they merged into one and we were in what could easily have been a dwelling-place. There were several large chambers, the remains of brick walls showing us where they had been divided. I suspected that this was the place where the valuables had been hidden at the time of the Civil War. In that 211 case there must be some connecting linK with the house. w< had to find it.

We crossed these chambers and that seemed like the endl of the ruins.

I could see the Revels now, very close, and ‘si knew that the part of it which contained the minstrels’ galleryj was immediately opposite us.

I was excited, yet exasperated,: for it appeared that we could go no farther. ;

Mary-Jane looked at me helplessly as though to ask what next. But I glanced at my watch and saw that if we did not return to the house we should not be back by the time the church party returned.

” We’ll have to go,” I said, ” but we’ll come again.”

Mary-Jane in her disappointment kicked at several large stones which were propped against a crumbling wall. There was a hollow sound; but the significance of this did not occur to me until later, because my mind was on the conjectures which might arise if it were discovered that I had feigned indisposition in order to visit the ruins.

” Another time,” I went on. ” Perhaps to-morrow. But we must go now.”

It was fortunate that we returned to the house when we did, for I had been in my room no more than a few minutes when Mary-Jane came to tell me that Dr. Smith was below and asking for me.

I went down at once.

” Catherine,” he said, taking my hand in his and looking searchingly into my face, ” how are you?”

” I am well, thank you,” I answered.

” I was disturbed when I saw you were not at church with the others.”

” Oh, I thought it would do me more good not to go today.”

” I see. You merely felt you needed a rest. I was there with my daughter—and took the first opportunity of slipping out.”

” But you would have known if I had been taken ill. Someone would have come for you.”

” It’s true I thought it must mean only some slight indisposition.

Nevertheless I wanted to see you for myself. “

“How attentive you arel” ” But of course I am.”

” Yet I am not really your patient, you know. Jessie Dankwait is coming to the Revels in due course.”

” I shall insist on being at hand.” 212 ” Come into the winter parlour,” I said. ” There is a good fire there.”

We went into the parlour which looked charming, for holly decorated the walls, and the scarlet berries were particularly big and plentiful that year.

” Wasn’t that your maid I saw when I arrived?” asked the doctor as we seated ourselves by the fire. ” I believe she has a sister who has just had a baby.”

” That is so. Mary-Jane was very excited on the day the child was born. She went to see her, and whom else do you think she saw?”