Chapter Nineteen #2
“Is that where those old things are?” A smile curved Mrs. Hillman’s lips and her eyes grew misty.
“When Roger and I first married, we spent a winter holiday in Scotland, and our guide took us on an adventuresome hike. Roger enjoyed it so much, he insisted on keeping the snowshoes, promising that we would return there someday. We never did, but oh, what a lovely time we had.”
Selena smiled in return. “Mrs. Hillman. Would you mind if I borrowed them?”
*
“How wonderful it is to be outside.” Selena inhaled the crisp, fresh air, an invigorating tonic that seemed to make every cell in her body feel more alive. “It seems like weeks since we’ve been out of doors instead of days.”
“Yes, and these are stunning grounds.” Dr. Scott’s face lit up as he took in the vista before them.
The Darkmoor Park grounds were covered in a deep, white blanket as far as the eye could see.
The sun beamed in a cloudless, azure sky, glistening on the snow-frosted branches of the trees and hedgerows on either side of them.
It was so much milder today than it had been yesterday, the icicles on the trees were already dripping.
Beyond the long, open expanse of clean, white snow, the folly, a fanciful white building that resembled a small Grecian temple, stood on a distant rise.
When Selena had quietly informed the doctor that there was apparently a dragon statue inside the folly, they had both been anxious to explore it without delay.
Mr. Clarke might have hidden the money there.
He’d been seen carrying his overcoat in the vicinity of the rear door to the house—and there had been no snow on the grounds at the time.
Snowshoes were not commonly used in England and although neither had ever tried them, Dr. Scott had been willing to give it a go.
After a hasty breakfast, they had informed the others that they were going to attempt a snowshoe trek across the grounds to the folly—a professional quest, regarding a lesson plan for Selena’s upcoming school term.
They had put on coats, hats, scarves, and gloves, had found and donned the snowshoes, and had begun the journey in high spirits, each carrying a handmade wooden pole with a wicker-basket-shaped device on the end, that Mrs. Hillman had explained would help them keep their balance.
When they’d first set out, Dr. Scott had brought up Selena’s nightmare and, with a concerned look, had asked, “Are you certain it was just dream?”
“Absolutely certain,” Selena had replied, ignoring the wave of doubt that still rippled through her.
“It was just my imagination running away with me—while I lay fast asleep. Mrs. Hillman had a nightmare, too.” She had told the doctor about the older woman’s dream, and they had shared an uneasy laugh.
After that, both had agreed to leave all worrisome topics behind them—no more talk about recent deaths, poisoned tea, bad dreams, the Webster siblings, or threatening notes. Their aim was twofold: to enjoy the day and to search for the money Jack Clarke had hidden. Everything else could wait.
“I love every season at Darkmoor Park,” Selena enthused. “But sometimes I think winter is my favorite because everything looks so magical when it’s draped in snow.”
Dr. Scott grinned. His cheeks, burnished a bright pink from the wintry air, made a lively contrast to the dark blue of his eyes.
Since the day they’d met, he had generally been serious or had seemed preoccupied.
This was one of the few times that she had seen him truly smile.
The obvious delight he was taking in their surroundings made him seem younger, almost boyish—and oh-so-handsome.
“I take it that was an abbey?” Dr. Scott gestured to the standing walls of the ancient stone ruin nearby.
“Yes, it dates back to the twelfth century. During Henry VIII’s reign, the nobleman who’d acquired the property used stone from the abbey to build the mansion, and later generations continued to mine the building to make improvements to the house until there was nothing left but these poor ruins.”
“What a shame. I’m sure it was a stunning building.” He glanced around. “I don’t see a cemetery.”
“There isn’t one. The graves of the people who’ve lived here for centuries are all buried in catacombs beneath the ruined abbey.”
“Fascinating.” He took a deep breath as they marched along. “To be here and see all this is such a treat. I haven’t had much of an opportunity to enjoy the country in winter. I’ve lived almost my entire life in London.”
“Oh? When did you move to Bath?”
An odd look came into his eyes, and he said quickly, “A few months ago. There is a great need for doctors in Bath.”
He said nothing more, but Selena inexplicably had the strangest sense that he didn’t live in Bath at all—that for some reason, he only wanted her to think he did. But that was absurd. Why should she care where he was from?
“Snowshoeing is harder work than I’d expected,” he declared, interrupting her thoughts.
Selena nodded in agreement. The hardwood frames, shaped like a teardrop and much wider than a normal shoe, were filled in with latticework and attached to their boots with leather straps.
Even though the snowshoe’s displacement of their body’s weight made it possible to walk atop the deep drifts of snow without sinking in, every step still took great effort.
Even with the assistance of the pole, Selena had to walk carefully and deliberately to avoid tripping herself.
After only fifteen minutes of trekking, they were both huffing and puffing.
“When I was a boy, I was thrilled by William Parry’s account of his attempt to reach the North Pole,” Dr. Scott went on. “I never imagined that I would be attempting something equally challenging on the grounds of an English estate.”
She laughed. “How did you have access to such interesting reading material while growing up in an orphanage?”
“I was fortunate. From a young age, I caught the eye of one of the patrons of the foundling home—a gentleman who saw promise in me. He singled me out and brought me interesting books to read. I have no idea why. Perhaps it was because, when I happened to meet Mr. Brown one day—I think I might have been seven or eight years old—he asked me what future I saw for myself, and I told him that I wanted to become a doctor.”
“You knew at such an early age?”
“I did.”
Selena was impressed. “How?”
He glanced at her. “It is not a happy story. And we agreed to speak of nothing troublesome today.”
She chewed on her lip. “We did. But we were referring only to recent events. Stories from our past do not count. I am interested in learning more about you, Dr. Scott,” she admitted, hoping she wasn’t being too nosy or forward. “That is, if you’re willing to share it?”
“I am,” he said. “If you don’t mind hearing it.”