I awoke the next morning about half past seven to hear Alice knocking at my door. I jumped up to move the chair and unlock it instantly, and she scuttled in, all smiles.
"Was it that thing you heard at dinner again, Miss Allie?" she asked politely, and I nodded, a little embarrassed.
"Don't let it get to yer, Miss Allie. Cooper sits out on the landin' till all the house's gone to bed. Yer in no danger, I can say" Alice chattered on, as she shook out my bedcovers. I was a little annoyed. Why hadn't she mentioned that before? Still, at least tonight would be easier. Alice left, telling me that I was expected by Lady Morris in the living room in an hour, just before breakfast, to meet her son, Clive.
"Kitten'll love yer, Miss Allie, just love yer" she told me, as she shut the door. I locked it again behind her, and moved back to my suitcase, which I had left rather unceremoniously dumped at the end of my bed. If I kept my hair simple, I could unpack all my things and still make it down to the living room on time. Quickly, I set to work. Dresses were slipped on hangers and soon filled most of the wardrobe, my riding habit was folded and put in a drawer, shoes lined up neatly on the floor, and shawls, hats, coats, tights, and underwear put into appropriate places. I intended to keep neat. I picked out one of my older dresses to wear for the day, a sort of pale cream affair with faded red roses on it, my comfy shoes, and, to add a little bit of class, I slipped on a little red hat. It sat on the side of my head, and I thought it looked rather good. My hair I had put into a loose bun.
I unlocked my door and set off across the landing. I was about halfway down the stairs when I heard Harvey call me. I turned.
"Good morning, Mr. Harvey" I greeted him.
"Good morning to you too, Miss Winter" he replied courteously. "I trust you slept well?" he asked, and I could see the wickedness return to his eye.
"No thanks to yourself" I retorted. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I am supposed to meet Lady Morris in the living room before breakfast." And with that, I turned on my heel and headed back down the stairs. But Harvey wasn't finished. He slid down the banister and met me at the bottom.
"Why are you so cold this morning, Miss Winter? We were getting on so well last night at dinner. Surely I did not disturb you so much with my tales of Mr. Knight?" he asked, and there was sincerity in his voice.
"You should learn that not everyone in this house is as strong in heart as you are, Mr. Harvey. Perhaps if you understood that you would be able to…keep your acquaintances" I said bitterly. It was a lame choice of words, I knew that, but still Harvey looked surprised. I took my moment to leave, but he stepped in front of me again.
"You know I despise him as much as you do, Miss Winter. I will make sure he never approaches you again if only you'll forgive me" he reasoned. I took a deep breath and looked him in the eye.
"Alright" I agreed. "But no more stories."
"Not one" he assured me. "But" he carried on. "I'd like you to meet my lieutenant friend when he comes. We'd get along fine, the three of us. Riding, walking, tennis, the like, once his leg's better. Knight wouldn't dare come near us."
I smiled.
"Anything to get away from that creep."
Harvey smiled back.
"Come on, I'll walk you into the living room" he offered, and I accepted. We walked through the door, and Lady Morris was waiting for us, with the most angelic little boy I'd ever seen. I realized at once why he was called Kitten, his mop of curly black hair made his features strangely catlike. Big green eyes peeped out at me from behind big, black, thick-rimmed glasses, and he still had all of his baby teeth, which made his smile just captivating. He hung onto his mother's skirt, and gave me a little wave. I smiled, and nodded back to him, and he giggled. Lady Morris spoke.
"Miss Winter, this is my son, Clive Morris. Kitten, dear, this is your new governess, Miss Winter" she said. I bent down to the child's level.
"And what should I call you?" I asked him. He giggled and hid his face. I was patient, and kept smiling.
"Kitten" he eventually mumbled, peeping out from behind Lady Morris's dress. I nodded.
"Alright then, Kitten, my name is Miss Winter" I replied, holding out my hand, and Kitten came out from behind Lady Morris and took my hand. I shook it, and he giggled again.
"This is what you do when you meet people for the first time" I explained to him. "And you say how do you do"
"How do you do" Kitten repeated. Then, to my amazement, he walked up to Harvey and held out his hand! I looked at him, completely speechless, as Harvey took his little hand, and Kitten said "How do you do" just like he had done to me!
Lady Morris smiled at me as I stood back up.
"You'll do wonders, Miss Winter, I'm sure of that. Now, Kitten dear, how about breakfast?" she asked her son, who was still shaking Harvey's hand.
"Kitten, you have to let go at some point" I called, and he looked at me, admiration shining in his little eyes, and then toddled over, grabbed my hand, and pulled me off to the dining room, where the kitchens had laid out an excellent spread for breakfast. I sat down next to Kitten, and he insisted I had the first of the toast, and the sweet child even shouted at Harvey when he tried to take one before me. I exchanged glances with Lady Morris, and she seemed pleased that Kitten had taken to me so well. He did have a tendency for jam and toast, though. He must have eaten about five slices before I pointed out to him that nice young gentlemen who shake hands and say how do you do don't eat masses and masses of toast and jam at breakfast. Only then did he stop, but he insisted that he give me a tour of the gardens.
I didn't refuse, and he pulled me off again, out of the front door and down the drive. He then showed me the fountain and the gravel and the grass, and we spent a good few minutes throwing stones into the fountain, before I remembered my manners and quickly drew his attention to a clump of pine trees around the side of the house. There was a little clearing there, with a lovely white bench and table, and I couldn't help wishing to come there on my afternoons off, and finally getting round to finishing the latest book of the detective stories I've been reading. I love detective fiction. By a long way, they're my favorite type of book. My ideal evening always consists of snuggling down in a big comfy armchair by the fire, with my latest instalment. But unfortunately, I didn't have time to fantasize any longer, as Kitten pulled me away again, chattering about… a maze?
I was right. It appeared that a little way to the north of the house, beyond the summerhouse, there was a big, circular maze. Kitten pulled me straight into it, without hesitation, although I felt sure that at his age he had no idea where he was going.
I was right again. Soon, both of us were hopelessly, hopelessly lost, and although the maze wasn't very big around the outside there was so many passages! Kitten slowed down to walk beside me.
"Miss Winter, we're lost!" he squeaked, and his big green eyes filled with tears. I squeezed his little hand and tried to look braver than I felt.
"We are, a little, aren't we?" I agreed, and he whimpered and clung to my skirt. I patted his head and he sniffled.
"Don't leave me, Miss Winter" he pleaded, and I bent down and looked into his eyes.
"I won't, I promise" I assured him, and he smiled that little angelic grin of his, and I smiled back.
"We just need to use our heads, that's all" I said, straightening up. "Now, which way's out?"
I stood on tiptoe and tried to look over the hedges, but I wasn't tall enough. I turned to Kitten.
"Kitten, if I pick you up, do you think you'll be able to see where the exit of the maze is?" I asked him, and he nodded eagerly. I scooped him up, he was incredibly light, and he could just see over the tops of the hedges.
"It's that way" he said, and pointed. I nodded, let him down again, and began to walk around, looking for an opening in the hedge that would take us closer to the exit. I found one, and then another, and within fifteen minutes or so we were out of the maze. Kitten was delighted, and went running off across the lawn. I stood and watched him, before I noticed that Harvey and another young man were walking across the lawn another way. The other man couldn't have been more than three years my senior, and his skin looked browned by a foreign sun, with sandy brown hair that was straight, but a bit unruly, and he held his head high although he was hobbling along on a crutch. I assumed that this must be the lieutenant that Harvey had been talking about. He had that sort of air about him. Kitten ran straight up to them, and I couldn't help but feel extremely proud as he held out his hand to the lieutenant, who shook it kindly. I hurried over, and Harvey smiled as I approached.
"Ah, Miss Winter, just the person I wanted to see. Robert, this is Miss Alianna Winter, governess to this smashing young fellow down here" he chuckled, indicating Kitten with his finger.
"Allie Winter" I corrected, holding out my hand to the lieutenant.
"Miss Winter, this is a very old friend of mine, Lieutenant Robert Newham" Harvey carried on, and Lieutenant Newham shook my hand. Now I saw him close up, I could see he had the most incredible sea-green eyes. They were captivating, with little specks of blue here and there. I pinched myself mentally so I wouldn't stare at them.
"Miss Winter" he said, smiling. Bother, he had perfect teeth as well.
"Lieutenant" I replied courteously.
"Miss Winter, are you busy right now?" Harvey asked. I nodded, a little sadly.
"As much as I would love to join you, I have duties to attend to" I told them. "After all, I am a governess, not a guest." Both men nodded, and I followed Kitten off back across the lawn and into the house. As I turned to shut the door, I noticed that both men were still watching me from across the lawn. I sighed as I chased Kitten up the stairs to his room. I would never understand men.
"Now then, Kitten, what did I just say?"
It was a few hours into Kitten's lessons, and both he and I were starting to tire a bit. He had started to fidget awfully, and I just couldn't get him to concentrate. Thankfully, Lady Morris entered the room. I stood up, and she smiled at me.
"Just leave it at that, Miss Winter. He never really listens after a couple of hours" she said, and I bobbed politely.
"Leave Kitten here. I'll play with him for a while, and then he can play alone. Go and meet Simon's friend, the lieutenant. He's really a charming gentleman."
"I've already met him" I smiled. "You're right. He does seem charming"
"In that case, you are free for the rest of the morning, and the afternoon, unless Kitten wants to see you." Lady Morris smiled, and I bobbed again, before swiftly exiting the playroom. As I crossed the landing, I stopped to look out of the big window at the front of the house, over the drive, and I could see Harvey and Lieutenant Newham walking amongst the flowerbeds.
"Miss Winter? I assuuuuumed you'd be looking after young Kitten, not staring out of the window." A voice droned behind me. I didn't even need to turn around.
"Mr. Knight, I have been relieved of my duties for the rest of the morning, and was just about to go to join Mr. Harvey and Lieutenant Newham outside" I said curtly, but Knight didn't seem to hear.
"Well, if you are free for the morning, why don't you come down to the rose garden with me for a stroll before lunch?" he asked, clasping my hand extremely hard, his watch digging into my wrist, and whirling my arm under his, pulling me next to him. I recoiled.
"I apologize, but I am busy" I almost spat, a hot flush seeping up my neck. I wrestled my arm away from his vice-like grip and almost ran down the stairs to get out of the door. I heard him give a little discontented sniff, but I really didn't care. Lieutenant Newham raised his hand in greeting as I hurried up to them outside, slightly ruffled.
"Miss Winter? You look flustered. What on earth is the matter?" Harvey asked, and I flushed.
"Knight is…" I hesitated, searching for the right word.
"Nauseating? Ghastly? Repulsive?" Harvey guessed, and although they wasn't the words I was looking for, I had to laugh, if only for the sake of his openness.
"Pressing his feelings?" Lieutenant Newham asked, and I winced. They were the words I had been looking for.
"Regrettably" I replied, flexing my fingers where Knight had gripped them so tightly, and both men looked concerned.
"If it gets too much, you can always complain" Lieutenant Newham advised me, holding out his hand to inspect mine, and they both spent a good minute looking at the marks Knight had made on my wrist with his awful watch.
"Come on, Miss Winter, we'll go into the drawing room before lunch, and we'll play billiards or cards or something to ease your mind" Harvey said comfortingly, and both men walked me back into the house. Knight was still in the hall, and I shivered as he smiled at me, that ghastly, beaming smile again. Ugh. I saw Lieutenant Newham's knuckles whiten on his crutch, and Harvey's jaw clench. Knight, it seemed, saw it too, as he tilted his head towards them, his eye still firmly fixed on me, before walking along the hall towards Lord Morris's study.
"Ghastly" Harvey muttered, and I saw in Lieutenant Newham's eyes he thought so too. We entered the drawing room, where there was a sofa, some chairs around a card table, and a billiard table in the centre. Harvey elected to play billiards on his own, as I was no good and the lieutenant couldn't play with his wounded leg. I sat on the sofa, and Lieutenant Newham joined me as Harvey set up the billiards table. I was curious about the lieutenant's past life in the war, but I was afraid to ask him in case he found it offensive. We sat in silence as Harvey took his first shot, and as the balls skittered around the billiards table, Lieutenant Newham asked me how long I'd been at Scarlet Leaf.
"Not long" I replied. "In truth, I haven't been here a full day yet. I arrived last night."
He looked surprised.
"Is that so? Harvey told me you'd been here longer."
I smiled, glancing over my shoulder at Harvey, before lowering my voice a little.
"Would you have agreed to come if you'd known?"
"Probably not, actually" Newham replied. "I wouldn't have wanted to worry Lady Morris with two new guests" he added. I nodded, and was about to say something more when Newham spoke again.
"Hence why he didn't tell me" he smiled. I was a little amazed. I had just been about to say those very words. Newham laughed at my puzzlement.
"The boys in the War used to always go on about how good I was at reading people" he explained, and I laughed too.
"Speaking of reading, do you read, Miss Winter?" Newham asked. I was amazed at how talkative he was, and how much I enjoyed talking to him.
"I do" I replied. "My favorites are detective fiction, if you must know." He looked genuinely surprised at this.
"Detective fiction? And to think I had you down as a romance sort of girl, Miss Winter!" he exclaimed.
"Well, you can't trust your instincts for everything, Lieutenant!" I said accusingly. Newham laughed.
"Of course, you're right, Miss Winter!" he replied. "I would be grateful if you could show me some of these detective fiction novels one time."
"Oh, I could go and get one now, if you want" I offered, and he seemed keen.
"But let me come with you, I don't trust that frightful secretary" he insisted, and I was only too happy to agree. We told Harvey that we'd only be a minute, and both of us headed out into the hall. I started up the stairs, but Newham suddenly grabbed my arm, and put a finger to his lips. Bemused, I let him lead me over to the door of Lord Morris's study, where we could hear a heated conversation going on inside. We both put our ears to the door and listened.
"It's disgraceful, going after a woman like that! She is not there to be manipulated by a scheming coward like you!" Outside the door, Newham and I exchanged glances. That sounded like Lord Morris shouting.
"It is not my fault she flung herself on me the day she arrived!" My mouth went dry, and Newham's eyes opened wide. Lord Morris was arguing with Knight about a woman. Before I could hear any more, Newham pulled me away and up the stairs as fast as his injured leg would allow. As we reached the top, Knight stormed out of the study and out of the front door. I hurried to look out of the big window, and Newham followed, wincing a little. We stood there, watching Knight storm down the drive and away, and neither of us spoke for a while.
"Do you think they meant me?" I asked. Newham shrugged.
"Could have" he replied. "But then again, they might have been talking about someone else."
"Who else would they have been talking about?"
Newham sighed.
"I admit, it does point rather strongly to being about you, but…" he trailed off. I suddenly realized what he was thinking.
"I did not fling myself on him the moment I arrived!" I exclaimed indignantly, and he looked horrified at my words.
"I never said I didn't believe you when you said you hated him!" he replied, just as indignantly. I instantly felt ashamed that I'd even brought it up. Feeling embarrassed, I looked away, but then felt his hand on my shoulder.
"It's fine. Let's get back downstairs" he smiled, and I broke into a smile too.
"I'll get my book" I told him, before hurrying off to my room to find it.
It was a lot later, and Newham and I were clearing up Kitten's room before dinner. Lady Morris had insisted that Kitten and I get some more lessons in, and since Harvey was nowhere in sight, Lieutenant Newham had come upstairs with me, to listen in on Kitten's lessons. He really was a surprisingly good mathematician, and could repeat his times tables quicker than I could, even. Kitten, of course, was delighted at this, and we spent hours teaching him his two times table until he could repeat it just as fast as Newham. I'm not sure how impressed Lady Morris will be. Still, we had fun. Then, Kitten ran off to find the cook to ask what was for dinner, and I took the time to clear up a little. Newham and I had decided, in true detective fashion, not to tell anyone what we had overheard earlier that morning, and we carried on our business as usual. I had let him borrow one of the detective stories I had already read, and he was constantly commenting on the personalities of the characters, how some looked like they had something to hide, how others had a hidden instinct to kill, that sort of thing. I was annoyed, because he was completely right about every single character, and for a time I was worried that he was going to have the mystery solved before he had finished the book. Then, I realized thankfully, although he was a wonder with people, he could never find the method of death, or keep track of where everyone was when the murder took place, so really I had nothing to worry about. It did cross my mind, however, that we would make pretty good colleagues in solving crime, for the method was always the part I understood, but I could never work out who had the motive or the character.
We parted to get ready for dinner. To my delight, Newham's room was right next door to mine, and he promised to wait for me before he went downstairs. Looking at my dresses in my wardrobe, I finally picked out my other muslin, the cream one with black band around the waist. Reluctantly, I chose my black shoes, which even though my feet were too small, were too small even for me, but I reckoned I could manage for one evening. I slipped quietly out into the hall, and stood looking out of one of the huge windows. It was truly a beautiful summer's evening, but I was forced to turn away as I heard the first gong for dinner.
"You're early."
"You're nearly late" I replied to Newham, who had just come out of his room.
"Have you seen Simon anywhere?" he asked, as we descended the stairs together. I frowned.
"Can't say I have. He went up to his room when Kitten's lessons started, and I haven't seen him since" I admitted, biting my lip.
"Hmmm" Newham said. "The mystery of the missing Harvey" he mocked, and I sniffed, annoyed.
"I am not that interested in solving mysteries!" I complained. "Besides, Harvey probably had some letters to write or something."
We had reached the bottom of the stairs, and I smiled as I saw Cooper the butler standing by the gong like he always seemed to do.
"Pardon me?" he asked. "I couldn't help overhearing you were discussing Mr. Harvey. It's a mighty strange business, mind you. Turner the gardener swore he saw him leave to the village to post some letters, but I haven't seen him leave his room, and I've been in the hall most of the day."
I shot a sideways glance at Newham, and I could tell his suspicions had been aroused. We bade good evening to the butler and slipped into the drawing room, and Newham turned to me, his sea green eyes dancing with delight.
"Well! Isn't that just a pretty puzzle then, Miss Winter?" he asked excitedly. I nodded, smiling back at him.
"Of course, the gardener could have been mistaken" I reminded him, and he agreed.
"Still…"
"Come on, we'd better get to dinner or he'll suspect something" I ordered, and we both headed for the dining room, where Lady Morris and Kitten were already sitting down.
"Is this smashing young gent eating with us tonight?" Newham asked Lady Morris, as we took our seats, I next to Kitten and Newham opposite me.
"I always stay up to dinner" Kitten said bluntly, and it made me smile. Truly, he was the most adorable little boy I had ever met.
"Miss Winter, Lieutenant, I am sorry to bring this on you so suddenly, but you see, me and my husband are hosting some friends over this weekend" Lady Morris said.
"Oh, if you need me to go and find a room in the village, I will" Newham offered instantly, but to my relief Lady Morris shook her head.
"There's no need, we'll all just about fit" she smiled. "No, it was just to let you know, Lieutenant, and Miss Winter, you'll need to take full charge of Kitten, I simply can't have him running around my feet all weekend" Lady Morris sighed. I could see that she was stressed about the weekend already, but she had another day to prepare-didn't she? I suddenly realized that I had no idea what day it was. Before I could say anything, Harvey bounced in, and sat down with a flourish in his usual seat next to me.
"Having a good day, Miss Winter?" he asked politely, and I nodded, smiling.
"Excellent! I say, Bella, aren't those people coming tomorrow?" he asked, and I took my opportunity to glance at Newham. He was scrutinizing Harvey, I could see it in his eyes, and I wondered what he saw in this cheery, bouncing fellow who was sitting next to me. I certainly couldn't see anything.
"Yes, they're all coming" Lady Morris sighed.
"Have you told Miss Winter and Robert who's coming yet?" Harvey asked, and Lady Morris shook her head.
"Who's coming to the house?" Kitten asked curiously.
"Some old friends of Bella's called Mr. and Mrs. Ellis. Oscar's very tall, ginger hair. fantastic sportsman, and she's very pretty, very quiet, not the talkative type, know what I mean? In fact, I can't really place her name right now. Then there's Theo's old friend, oh, Bella, what's his name?" Harvey chattered on, and I listened, interested.
"Archibald Scott" Lady Morris replied tiredly.
"Yes, that's him! Archibald Scott, retired doctor, must be getting on to about sixty now, or something, shouldn't he? Anyway, there's him, and there's this clergyman who Bella met in London, and he's just one of those people who you worry about whether they're all there, you know?" he asked, and I shook my head, a little confused.
"So he's one of those mad fantasizing priests, then?" Newham asked cheekily, and Lady Morris looked shocked.
"With all due respect, Lieutenant, Reverend Joseph Carrington is not one of those mad fantasizing priests, thank you!" she snapped, and Newham bit his lip, but gave me and Harvey a sneaky wink from across the table. We smirked.
There was no more time for talking, as Lord Morris came in, tailed from a safe distance by Knight, who looked like he was still recovering from the aftershock of that morning's argument with his employer. Thankfully, that also meant he wasn't talking to me either, so I could enjoy my dinner a little more than that of the previous night. Unfortunately, his lack of speech didn't deter the constant staring and I felt like I was going to snap with frustration by the time Lady Morris ordered me to take Kitten to bed. He pulled me up the stairs, chattering all the time, and I felt that it was going to be hard to actually get him to go to sleep. Luckily for me, though, that wasn't the case. I helped him put all of his clothes away neatly, and then he brushed his teeth and curled up in bed, and I read to him for about an hour before I realized that he was sound asleep. Quietly, I put down the storybook and blew out the lamp, hurrying to my room to find the detective book I had been reading. It was called First Class Murder, and it was about a detective called Sedgefield Carburry who, along with his assistant William Edison, has to try and solve a mystery on an first class cruise ship where everyone has a perfect alibi. I've got no idea who the murderer actually is, but I have worked out that the murder actually happened earlier than the police said it did and that the body was dragged from the scene and put somewhere else. Newham's reading the first Sedgefield Carburry novel, where he meets William for the first time and solves a mystery of a poisoner at large. Newham's actually already worked out who did it by their personality, but he doesn't know how it was done and I'm not telling him.
I slip into the sitting room where Lord and Lady Morris, Knight and Newham are halfway through a game of cards. Harvey is dozing by the fire, and I tiptoe over to talk to Newham, who's playing dummy for the game.
"Did you see anything in Harvey at dinner?" I asked him, as we walked to the window.
"Yes. Something's up. His smile had a sour tinge."
"Do you think something's happening to him?" I pressed. Newham lowered his voice to the barest whisper.
"No. If it's anything, I'd say he's the one doing it." Newham turned slightly to study Harvey again.
"I can still see it. There's a sort of devilish twist in his face that wasn't there this morning" he remarked, and I looked at hm, puzzled.
"But he can't be doing anything bad, can he? He's such a good person."
"I know, but it's sometimes the good ones have the most to hide" Newham muttered, before we both turned to smile at the others as the game finished.
"Miss Winter, do you play?" Knight asked, and I shuddered inwardly.
"I do" I replied "but I have a most interesting book, and I would most like to finish it before the guests come tomorrow." With that, I swiftly turned my back and sat down in the other chair opposite the fire. Newham sat down at the card table again, and I opened my book, trying to remember where I'd got to. Ah yes, William had just found the murder weapon in the lining of one of the newly mended cushions on the chairs of the reception room. Good good.
I must have read for hours, because the next time I looked up it was half past eleven. The card players were on their last game, so I woke Harvey and bade everyone goodnight, climbing the stairs to my room and locking myself in. Quickly I undressed and climbed into bed, wincing as my feet, which had been so tightly packed into those tiny black shoes, stretched out to their full length again. I would have liked to have a bath, and be clean for when the guests arrived in the morning, but I couldn't bother Alice with the tub tonight. I got out of bed and poked my head out into the hall. Cooper was sitting on a chair on the landing reading. I called to him, and asked if he could tell Alice to bring a tub up for me at about eight the following morning. He said he would, so I climbed into bed and blew out the lamp. Tomorrow would be a busy day.