skylight of some kind?—in the ceiling halfway along. I remembered the footsteps in the night.
You are safe here, on my word of honour.
I retraced my steps, trying not to run, to the door at the other end, and rattled and tugged at the handle, then beat upon the oak in a panic, bruising my knuckles until the pain forced me to stop.
As the echoes died away, a floorboard creaked behind me. The hair on the back of my neck bristled.
“Can I ’elp you, miss? You can’t go through there, you know.”
I spun round. In the light from the sitting-room door, a woman was standing—not Bella, but a heavily built woman twice her age, with forearms like hams and a flat, porcine face, in which small eyes glittered.
“Who are you? Where is Bella?”
“Hodges is the name, miss.” A London accent, I thought, with an insinuating edge that seemed to imply, I know all about you . She wore a starched uniform like Bella’s, but hers was dark blue. As she approached, I caught a whiff of rank breath.
“Where is Bella?” I repeated.
“Bella’s got other duties. I’ll be looking after you today.”
“Then would you kindly fetch Mr. Mordaunt? He will be joining me for breakfast.”
“Is that so, miss? Would that be young Mr. Mordaunt, then?”
“Yes, it would, and you will kindly fetch him without further delay.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, miss.”
“And why not?”
“Doctor’s orders, miss.”
“You are mistaken. I am a voluntary patient here, and if you do not fetch Mr. Mordaunt at once”—I could hear my voice beginning to tremble—“he will be most displeased.”
“Really, miss?” She sneered, in the tone of one humouring, or rather baiting, a madwoman. “Well, I takes my orders from Dr. Straker.”
“Dr. Straker is in London, attending to business of mine—”
“Well, fancy that. We are goin’ it this morning, aren’t we? Now I could swear Dr. Straker give me my orders just ten minutes ago, and them orders was that Miss Ashton was to stay in bed until he—”
“What did you call me?”
“Miss Ashton, miss. That’s your name, according to Dr. Straker, and he ought to know.”
“My name is not Ashton. I am Miss Ferrars; I am a voluntary patient”—my voice was now shaking wildly—“and I wish to leave this place at once. Now fetch Mr. Mordaunt!”
“Come along now, miss; no point getting hysterical, now is there?”
“If you do not unlock that door and let me out this instant, I will—I will have you arrested and charged with false imprisonment!” The last words came out as a shriek.
“Well, I’ll tell you what, miss. You can go back to your bed, nice and quiet, and wait there in the warm till Dr. Straker comes to see you, or I can ’elp you undress and put you to bed myself. Now which will it be?”
I thought of trying to dodge past her, but she stood squarely in the middle of the passage, with her great hands resting on her hips and her elbows almost touching the walls. If I resisted her, I might find myself in a straitjacket.
“I will go quietly,” I said, “if you will promise to tell Mr. Mordaunt I wish to see him urgently.”
“Now that’s more like it, miss. You come along quietly to bed, and I’ll tell Dr. Straker that you asked particular to see Mr. Mordaunt, and we’ll see what happens, won’t we?”
She moved aside to let me pass and followed me closely back to my room.
“That’s right, miss. You get into bed, and I’ll be back with your breakfast before you know it.”
A massive hand urged me on. As the door closed behind me, I heard a jingle of metal, followed by the scrape and snap of the lock.
Hodges returned half an hour later with breakfast, which I could not eat, and then insisted that I should bathe, locking me in the bathroom while she made up the bed. “Dr. Straker will be along presently,” was all she would say. As the minutes crawled by, my hope of rescue shrank to nothing. Either Frederic had deceived me all along—hard
You are safe here, on my word of honour.
I retraced my steps, trying not to run, to the door at the other end, and rattled and tugged at the handle, then beat upon the oak in a panic, bruising my knuckles until the pain forced me to stop.
As the echoes died away, a floorboard creaked behind me. The hair on the back of my neck bristled.
“Can I ’elp you, miss? You can’t go through there, you know.”
I spun round. In the light from the sitting-room door, a woman was standing—not Bella, but a heavily built woman twice her age, with forearms like hams and a flat, porcine face, in which small eyes glittered.
“Who are you? Where is Bella?”
“Hodges is the name, miss.” A London accent, I thought, with an insinuating edge that seemed to imply, I know all about you . She wore a starched uniform like Bella’s, but hers was dark blue. As she approached, I caught a whiff of rank breath.
“Where is Bella?” I repeated.
“Bella’s got other duties. I’ll be looking after you today.”
“Then would you kindly fetch Mr. Mordaunt? He will be joining me for breakfast.”
“Is that so, miss? Would that be young Mr. Mordaunt, then?”
“Yes, it would, and you will kindly fetch him without further delay.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, miss.”
“And why not?”
“Doctor’s orders, miss.”
“You are mistaken. I am a voluntary patient here, and if you do not fetch Mr. Mordaunt at once”—I could hear my voice beginning to tremble—“he will be most displeased.”
“Really, miss?” She sneered, in the tone of one humouring, or rather baiting, a madwoman. “Well, I takes my orders from Dr. Straker.”
“Dr. Straker is in London, attending to business of mine—”
“Well, fancy that. We are goin’ it this morning, aren’t we? Now I could swear Dr. Straker give me my orders just ten minutes ago, and them orders was that Miss Ashton was to stay in bed until he—”
“What did you call me?”
“Miss Ashton, miss. That’s your name, according to Dr. Straker, and he ought to know.”
“My name is not Ashton. I am Miss Ferrars; I am a voluntary patient”—my voice was now shaking wildly—“and I wish to leave this place at once. Now fetch Mr. Mordaunt!”
“Come along now, miss; no point getting hysterical, now is there?”
“If you do not unlock that door and let me out this instant, I will—I will have you arrested and charged with false imprisonment!” The last words came out as a shriek.
“Well, I’ll tell you what, miss. You can go back to your bed, nice and quiet, and wait there in the warm till Dr. Straker comes to see you, or I can ’elp you undress and put you to bed myself. Now which will it be?”
I thought of trying to dodge past her, but she stood squarely in the middle of the passage, with her great hands resting on her hips and her elbows almost touching the walls. If I resisted her, I might find myself in a straitjacket.
“I will go quietly,” I said, “if you will promise to tell Mr. Mordaunt I wish to see him urgently.”
“Now that’s more like it, miss. You come along quietly to bed, and I’ll tell Dr. Straker that you asked particular to see Mr. Mordaunt, and we’ll see what happens, won’t we?”
She moved aside to let me pass and followed me closely back to my room.
“That’s right, miss. You get into bed, and I’ll be back with your breakfast before you know it.”
A massive hand urged me on. As the door closed behind me, I heard a jingle of metal, followed by the scrape and snap of the lock.
Hodges returned half an hour later with breakfast, which I could not eat, and then insisted that I should bathe, locking me in the bathroom while she made up the bed. “Dr. Straker will be along presently,” was all she would say. As the minutes crawled by, my hope of rescue shrank to nothing. Either Frederic had deceived me all along—hard
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