Waverleigh Manor

Chapter Three


    James was already in the drawing room, looking out of the French windows, when Ann wandered in.
  "Where is everyone?"
  "I don't know." He turned to face Ann. "Simon suggested we meet in here, so here we are."
  "David's not here yet, I suppose?"
  "No." James walked over to one of the leather armchairs and sat down.
  "It's too cold in here." Veronica glided in and Ann and James turned round. Veronica was dressed in a floor-length velvet kaftan and had a huge chunk of amber hanging round her neck. Dark kohl ringed her eyes.
  "I was just about to say that." Ann said. "There aren't any logs for the fire."
  Simon walked in with Marcia.
  "All the wood is in the outhouse." He said. "Marcia found a note from Gus. There's a flashlight in the kitchen, apparently." he turned to Marcia. "Did you notice one, by any chance?"
  "No." Marcia murmured quietly. "I didn't exactly get chance to look."
  "Are you OK, Marcia? What happened?" Ann asked.
  "Nothing. Just a saucepan falling from the rail on the ceiling. Marcia said. "It's OK. Simon came in after and made sure I was alright."
  "Nasty." Veronica said, from over at the French windows. "They can be very dangerous, those rails."
  "I'd rather not talk about it, thanks." Marcia went and sat down.
  "God, this place is freezing." Molly walked in.
  "Well we need a brave man to venture out to the outhouse for wood." Ann smiled.
  "What's this about a brave man?" Mike appeared at the door. His tight black sweater emphasised his fantastic body and Molly felt her stomach flip.
  "Fancy a trip to the outhouse?" Molly smiled.
  "Outhouse? You have a toilet in your room."
  "Ha ha." Molly's stomach flipped again as Mike smiled. "The wood is kept out there. We need a fire in here."
  "Well I'm a brave man." Mike flexed his muscles comically and Ann and James laughed. "But I'm not going on my own."
  "Oh, you big baby." Molly pushed him towards the door. "Come on then, I'll go with you."
  "Flashlight's in the kitchen." Simon added, as they left.

*

  "I take it we can get out into the gardens through here?" Mike picked up the flashlight from the work surface and went towards the back door of the kitchen.
  "It's probably locked." Molly said.
  Mike opened the door.
  "Nope."
  "Oh, that's great. No keys around the place, all the doors open."
  "Anybody could just walk in." Mike smiled. "If you want me to stand guard behind your bedroom door with a saucepan, just say the word."
  "Wow, a guard with a saucepan and an insect catcher." Molly laughed. "What more could a girl want?"
  They stepped outside.
  "Looks like we're in the herb garden." Mike said, sweeping the light over rows of neat beds. "Smells like it, too."
  "Better make for that arbour." Molly pointed. "Looks like that might lead further on."
  The arbour did indeed lead through to the huge gardens. A flight of stone steps that Mike nearly went down head first led down to a huge gravelled area with a pond and fountain in the middle and perfectly pruned topiary along either side. The flashlight picked out the eerie-looking shapes of the box hedge creatures.
  "Shine the torch over there." Molly said. "Wow – they've got a maze."
  "Not the best time for exploring it." Mike smiled.
  "Oh, I don't know." Molly couldn't help grinning wickedly in the glow of the torch.
  "Well I don't know where this damn outhouse is." Mike stepped down a couple of steps. "We're looking for an outhouse in about six acres of dark grounds on a stormy night in the pitch black. What do you reckon our chances are?"
  "Non-existent?" ventured Molly.
  "I'm thinking you're about right."
  "Well we won't get much done perching on these steps all night." Molly walked to the bottom and stepped onto the gravel. She looked up at Mike. "Come on, brave man!"
  "Does this place feel eerie to you?" Mike said, as they walked along the gravel, the topiary creatures staring down at them.
  "Eerie?"
  "It feels like the whole place is alive."
  "I suppose it does, now you mention it." Molly couldn't help shuddering as she looked up at the huge green creatures. "They seem to be looking at us as we go past. It's actually very spooky."
  She turned to look at Mike, but he was gone.
  "Mike?" her heart began to beat faster. "Mike!"
  She heard a noise to her left.
  "Mike?" she walked between the topiary and found herself at a small entrance to the maze. The moonlight lit her way just enough. She dodged in between the tall hedges. "Mike?"
  Molly thought she saw a slight movement just ahead and walked gingerly forward, slowly because she was afraid, yet trying to be quick before she lost him. Was he playing games?
  The moon disappeared behind a cloud and Molly was plunged into blackness. She stretched out her arms and could just feel the sides of the maze. She walked forward slowly until her right hand met thin air. She turned and walked between the hedges.
  "Mike, are you there?"

*

  Mike thought that Molly was playing games with him. He had only wandered across to the other side of the gravel walkway for a second, and when he had turned back, she had gone. He could sense how playful she was, and he certainly wasn't going to say no to a bit of fun. He had known what she was thinking the minute she had grinned wickedly at him on top of the steps. So now she expected him to follow her into the maze. She wouldn't be hard to find. He had the flashlight.
  He heard a slight rustle of leaves just inside the maze, and, switching off the flashlight, stepped quietly off the gravel into the maze.

*

  Molly had less of a feeling that she was following someone and more that she herself was being followed. The silvery white glow appeared on the hedges once more and Molly could roughly see a few metres ahead of her. The hedges were tall, and Molly started to panic. She wanted to turn round; she had the horrible feeling that someone was close behind her. But she also had the feeling that someone was not far ahead of her. She stopped walking and pressed herself against the hedge, trying to catch her breath.
  "Mike?"

*

  Mike thought that he heard Molly's voice but he could have been mistaken. If it was, she was a long way off. So, why then did he feel as if there was someone very close to him? Possibly behind him, possibly the other side of the tall hedge that was towering above him. He suddenly had the image of beady eyes peering through a gap in the hedge at him, and he switched on the flashlight in panic.

*

  Molly had no idea where she was. She wished she'd have taken the flashlight. She felt as if the hedges were closing in on her, and she could hear her own heart beating louder than anything. Must be what claustrophobia felt like.
  Suddenly there was a rustle behind the hedge that she was leaning on, and she jumped a mile. She didn't know where the next entrance was to get round the other side of the hedge, but any second now, she had the feeling that someone was going to appear. She found herself clutching at leaves.
  "Mike, if that's you, please don't scare me any more. Joke's over."
  No answer.

*

  Mike stopped walking. That was definitely Molly's voice. She sounded scared. And in a completely different place to where he could hear rustling.
  "Molly?"
  Molly had never been so relieved to hear his voice. But it sounded quite far away – certainly not behind the hedge where she was.
  "Mike, where are you?"
  "Um… in the pitch black behind a hedge and a hedge." Mike tried to joke but he was scared. "Where are you?"
  "Also in the pitch black between a hedge and a hedge." Molly felt slightly better now that Mike could hear her.
  "Stay there, keep talking." Mike said.
  "What do you want me to talk about?"
  "Umm… anything you like."
  "I don't suppose you came across the outhouse on your travels?" Molly was hopeful.
  "Not that I know of. Did you?"
  "No. I've probably been going round in a circle for the past ten minutes."
  "Were you scared?" Mike asked.
  "Not really." Molly lied. "Were you?"
  "Yes."
  "A brave man like you?" Molly couldn't help smiling.
  Mike didn't answer.
  "Mike?" Molly started to panic again. "Mike?"
  Suddenly someone took hold of Molly from behind. She opened her mouth to scream but felt a hand over it. She struggled and turned round, and found herself in Mike's arms.
  "Are you alright?" Mike smiled.
  "God, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" Molly caught her breath.
  "Did I?" Mike's warm arms were round her waist.
  "Yep."
  "Sorry."
  They stood and looked at each other for a few seconds. They were both out of breath. Molly could feel Mike's heart beating as well as her own.
  "I suppose I should have flashed the torch. Then you'd have known I was there." Mike said. "We must have looked right idiots from the air. We must have been about three metres from each other the whole time, and yet we never caught each other up."
  "Well." Molly poked him lightly on the chest. "If you hadn't vanished into the maze I wouldn't have followed you in and none of this would have happened."
  "I didn't." Mike sounded surprised.
  "You did. You vanished and I heard a rustle in the maze. That's why I went in."
  "I didn't. I walked over to the other side of the walkway for a moment, and when I turned back, you'd gone."
  "You didn't go into the maze first?" Molly felt a prickle of fright.
  "No." Mike looked serious. "You went in first, then I heard a rustle and went in after you."
  "So what did I hear first?" Molly was definitely feeling panicky again. "If you were over the other side, what did I hear in the maze? And what was I following?"
  "You were following something?"
  "Yeah. I thought it was you."
  "And I thought I was following you."
  "Jesus, can we get out of here?" Molly suddenly felt very scared. "This place is giving me the creeps."
  Mike turned on the flashlight and took Molly's hand.
  "Go this way." he said. "I can hear the fountain."
  The fountain proved a good guide. Back on the gravel walkway, Molly felt slightly less panicky, but still scared.
  "Mike, I'm really scared. What were we following in there?"
  "I don't know." Mike still looked sexy, even though he was frowning. He looked at Molly. "Hey, come on. We're out of there now. It could have been a bird, I suppose."
  "At this time of night?"
  "Could be. I don't know."
  Molly must have looked terrified, because Mike put his arms round her waist again and pulled her close.
  "I promise I won't leave you again." He said gently. "I'm not going to let go of your hand."
  He took one arm from round her and took hold of her hand, entwining his fingers with hers.
  "Stays like that all night now." He smiled.
  "All night?" Molly looked at him.
  "If you want."
  Molly closed her eyes as he bent his head and his mouth touched hers. His kiss was very gentle but there was such meaning behind it that Molly's stomach flipped. She kissed him back and slid her hand up his chest and round the back of his neck. She moved her other hand but he wouldn't let go of it.
  "All night, remember?" he smiled. "And oh look – I think I spy the outhouse."

*

  "Honestly, how long does it take to fetch wood?" Veronica walked back into the drawing room with a mug of soup. "Oh. Where is everyone?"
  Simon was sat at the large desk. No one else was there.
  "Well after you went for soup, everyone just got up and left. Marcia said she was going for a pee. Ann wandered off like she was exploring the place, and James didn't say where he was going. You took a long time making a cup of soup."
  "Couldn't find a mug without a lump knocked out." Veronica sat down in one of the leather chairs. "You know it's bad luck to drink out of chipped mugs."
  "I've been drinking out of chipped mugs all my life."
  "Well one day you'll drink one too many. Believe me." Veronica said.
  "Always were superstitious, weren't you." Simon said. "Never done you any good, has it."
  "I've had my share of good luck." Veronica got up out of the chair and went over to the door, clasping her hands round the mug. As she left the room, the light glinting on her ring shone straight in Simon's eye and dazzled him.

*

  "Marcia!"
  Marcia froze in the doorway. James was at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at her.
  "James."
  "What on earth are you doing up there?"
  "Just looking." Marcia closed the attic door and came down the small flight of stairs onto the third floor landing. "What are you doing up here?"
  "Heard a thud." James said. "I thought you'd be in your room, and I didn't think for one minute that Ann would be up here."
  "It could have been Veronica." Marcia said. "She's the strange one, wandering about the place like a ghost and coming out with creepy comments."
  "I hadn't noticed." James remarked.
  "Yeah, because she's got you hooked." Marcia said, as they walked down the stairs onto the second floor.
  "What?"
  "Oh, come on James. Don't think I haven't noticed the way you look at her. You wouldn't notice any creepy comments if she stood a foot away from you and stared into your eyes while she made them."
  "I don't know what you mean." James carried on walking down the stairs, leaving Marcia on the landing, watching him.
  "Oh, you do." Marcia said quietly.