The Paradise Will by Elizabeth Hanbury

image of Alyssa telling Caroline and her mother Mr Esidarap’s story, and considered his next dinner appointment with Miss Paradise could not come soon enough.
     

CHAPTER SIX

    Piers surveyed the south lawns of Hawkscote and moodily reflected again on his misfortune. He’d had a damnable time of it in London. Once his creditors discovered he was not to receive his uncle’s estate, they had beaten an insistent path to his door and Piers was only too pleased to leave for the country. He was accustomed to being short of ready money, but it was a new and unpleasant experience to be dunned so assiduously by tradesmen, acquaintances and even friends.
    The clock chimed four and he wondered where Alyssa was. Rowberry had asked him to wait in the drawing-room while she completed business with her agent, but that was half an hour ago, and, having arranged to meet James Westwood for dinner, he could not stay long. Still, he wanted to announce his arrival and cast his eye over Hawkscote. It was over a year since he had visited Tom and even then, he had only stayed a week. By the end of that time, his uncle’s comments about his lifestyle had hit their mark and Piers was anxious to leave. At least he and Tom had separated on good terms, for which Piers was grateful – Tom had died before he could see him again.
    Piers thought he knew the house and gardens well, but in truth he had never paid attention to the fine detail of either, partly because of his youth and, more recently, believing with nonchalant arrogance they would belong to him one day and he could inspect both at his leisure then. Now the prize had been taken away, he perversely found himself studying the room and its contents with an avaricious gaze. He strolled over to inspect a painting, leaning one hand on the mantelpiece as he did so, and noting with satisfaction it was by Gainsborough.
    Piers hoped some plan to win the estate would present itself while he was in Dorset. He had the glimmer of an idea which seemed impetuous even to him but he had not yet discounted it. His musings were brought back to the present abruptly by a slight noise behind him. He jumped and his hand gripped the carved wooden fire surround – someone else was in the room. Impossible! He was alone, no one had entered from the hall, yet the sound had emanated from the other side of the room. Slowly, he looked over his shoulder.
    ‘Hello.’
    Before him, in the middle of the room and having materialized seemingly out of thin air, stood a slim, young woman in a grey silk gown; it was she who had apparently uttered the single word. He blinked, thinking his brain was deceiving him, and her large eyes, a peculiarly beautiful shade of greenish-grey, regarded him steadily as he stood in mute astonishment. Fair hair, dark brows and lashes and a dainty mouth upturned in a smile completed the vision. Piers rubbed his eyes and looked again, half expecting the image to have disappeared. However, still the girl gazed back, her figure infused with an almost ethereal calmness.
    Finally, he struggled into speech, and whispered, ‘W-where have you come from?’
    ‘Did I startle you?’
    ‘Are you real , or some kind of apparition?’
    ‘Oh, I’m real enough!’ said Letty, with a laugh.
    ‘Then how the deuce did you get in here?’ said Piers, exhaling slowly as he began to recover.
    Letty indicated the panelling. ‘There’s a secret passage behind there. I was exploring it, came into this room and found you here.’
    ‘Of course! Devil take it, I thought I was going mad!’ He raked his fingers through his hair. ‘I’d forgotten about that dam— I mean, deuced passageway! Lord, haven’t been through there since I was a boy.’
    ‘You know of its existence then,’ said Letty, surprised. ‘I suppose I should ask what you are doing here.’
    ‘Waiting to see Miss Paradise.’
    ‘Oh, I see. Do you live locally?’
    ‘No.’
    She sat down, looking at him quizzically. ‘I didn’t think I had