look at Kerslake Hall from here on a quiet, warm, still early morning the building appeared tranquil and calm. I glanced at the tower and could hardly believe I had entered it with Thomas only a couple of hours before.
The whole episode now seeming unreal to me, I could heard the water lapping gently against the ground and shivered again as I thought of what had happened in its depths. Rising to my feet I moved out of the pavilion.
As I stepped on to the grass a figure loomed suddenly before me and my heart started racing, but I could see it was only Alice and my heartbeat steadied itself.
‘What are you doing here?’ I asked, my voice quivering, for although a warm night I suddenly felt very cold and wished I wore a shawl over my shoulders.
‘I could ask you the same question.’ Alice’s voice was calm and as the moonlight fell on her face she looked almost ethereal as if she were made of alabaster.
‘I couldn’t sleep,’ I explained, ‘and the lake looked so beautiful tonight.’
‘Yes,’ Alice said dreamily, ‘it is rather lovely. I couldn’t sleep either and saw you from my window walking along the path so I thought to join you and apologise for my behaviour earlier.’
‘Thank you for your apology,’ I said, my voice quite steady now.
‘Shall we walk together back to the house?’ asked Alice in a quiet friendly manner.
‘Yes,’ I agreed.
‘Please could you walk next to the lake as I hate the water and cannot swim,’ she admitted.
‘But of course. For even though I can’t swim I have no fear of water.’ Were the words I spoke true I wondered as I looked into the lake’s murky depths.
We continued walking in what seemed like a companionable silence then the moon was hidden momentarily behind a cloud and I suddenly felt my whole body being pushed to the ground. Something caught my side and I suddenly realised we were at the spot where Phoebe had died and it was her plaque that had caused me such pain.
For seconds I couldn’t imagine what had happened to me, then I felt Alice push me further to the ground and I realised with horror that my head was hanging over the lake. I could feel the cold water seeping through my hair. I looked up at her unable to comprehend fully what was happening.
‘It’s you!’ I said foolishly. ‘You who murdered Annie and Gladys, but for what reason, and now why me?’ A sob escaped my lips and I felt Alice push my head under the water. She was strong but I was stronger, I fought against her hands and within seconds came out of the water, gasping and spluttering for air.
‘No-one will have him but ME!’ Alice screamed. She looked like a mad woman and all the beauty had gone out of her face.
‘Who are you talking about?’ I managed to gasp, my lungs near to bursting point.
‘The master of course!’ As she spoke I could feel her weight on my body. I just needed to take her off guard, get her to talk I thought to myself.
‘But I have no interest in Antony Kershaw,’ I said quietly, my strength suddenly returning.
‘Don’t lie!’ she screamed, ‘I heard you in the drawing-room together, he said you were lovely and he tried to gain an encounter with Annie and Gladys, I couldn’t bear that so I lured them here on the pretence that they could be a maid here at the Hall.’
Her grip on me was relaxing. I took my chance and pushed her off me with all my strength and scrambled to my feet. My legs would hardly run although I made the effort but Alice ran faster and caught at my legs pulling me off my feet once more. As she went to hold me down I rolled over and the next thing I heard was a splash in the
water, horrified I could see Alice thrashing about in the lake.
‘Please help me,’ she called, ‘I can’t swim, I shall drown.’ I lay on the side of the lake and stretched out my arm to her, but she couldn’t reach it. Try as I might to grasp her hand it was to no avail. ‘It is deep,’ were the last words I heard from her before the
The whole episode now seeming unreal to me, I could heard the water lapping gently against the ground and shivered again as I thought of what had happened in its depths. Rising to my feet I moved out of the pavilion.
As I stepped on to the grass a figure loomed suddenly before me and my heart started racing, but I could see it was only Alice and my heartbeat steadied itself.
‘What are you doing here?’ I asked, my voice quivering, for although a warm night I suddenly felt very cold and wished I wore a shawl over my shoulders.
‘I could ask you the same question.’ Alice’s voice was calm and as the moonlight fell on her face she looked almost ethereal as if she were made of alabaster.
‘I couldn’t sleep,’ I explained, ‘and the lake looked so beautiful tonight.’
‘Yes,’ Alice said dreamily, ‘it is rather lovely. I couldn’t sleep either and saw you from my window walking along the path so I thought to join you and apologise for my behaviour earlier.’
‘Thank you for your apology,’ I said, my voice quite steady now.
‘Shall we walk together back to the house?’ asked Alice in a quiet friendly manner.
‘Yes,’ I agreed.
‘Please could you walk next to the lake as I hate the water and cannot swim,’ she admitted.
‘But of course. For even though I can’t swim I have no fear of water.’ Were the words I spoke true I wondered as I looked into the lake’s murky depths.
We continued walking in what seemed like a companionable silence then the moon was hidden momentarily behind a cloud and I suddenly felt my whole body being pushed to the ground. Something caught my side and I suddenly realised we were at the spot where Phoebe had died and it was her plaque that had caused me such pain.
For seconds I couldn’t imagine what had happened to me, then I felt Alice push me further to the ground and I realised with horror that my head was hanging over the lake. I could feel the cold water seeping through my hair. I looked up at her unable to comprehend fully what was happening.
‘It’s you!’ I said foolishly. ‘You who murdered Annie and Gladys, but for what reason, and now why me?’ A sob escaped my lips and I felt Alice push my head under the water. She was strong but I was stronger, I fought against her hands and within seconds came out of the water, gasping and spluttering for air.
‘No-one will have him but ME!’ Alice screamed. She looked like a mad woman and all the beauty had gone out of her face.
‘Who are you talking about?’ I managed to gasp, my lungs near to bursting point.
‘The master of course!’ As she spoke I could feel her weight on my body. I just needed to take her off guard, get her to talk I thought to myself.
‘But I have no interest in Antony Kershaw,’ I said quietly, my strength suddenly returning.
‘Don’t lie!’ she screamed, ‘I heard you in the drawing-room together, he said you were lovely and he tried to gain an encounter with Annie and Gladys, I couldn’t bear that so I lured them here on the pretence that they could be a maid here at the Hall.’
Her grip on me was relaxing. I took my chance and pushed her off me with all my strength and scrambled to my feet. My legs would hardly run although I made the effort but Alice ran faster and caught at my legs pulling me off my feet once more. As she went to hold me down I rolled over and the next thing I heard was a splash in the
water, horrified I could see Alice thrashing about in the lake.
‘Please help me,’ she called, ‘I can’t swim, I shall drown.’ I lay on the side of the lake and stretched out my arm to her, but she couldn’t reach it. Try as I might to grasp her hand it was to no avail. ‘It is deep,’ were the last words I heard from her before the
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