Chapter Five #2
Lady Hardcastle and I ambled into the sitting room. I should prefer to say we glid, glode or glided (depending upon your linguistic preferences), but it was definitely more of an amble than any sort of graceful movement. Lily, who was very much a glider, followed but stopped just inside the door.
‘I’m so terribly sorry, ladies, but would you mind awfully if I went back to my room? I have the most fearful headache.’
‘Of course not, dear,’ said Lady Hardcastle. ‘Much better to try to rid oneself of a headache than to sit and listen to us two wittering on.’
‘I have aspirin if you need it,’ I added.
‘You’re both very kind. I think a little lie-down will do the trick, though. I’ll see you at dinner.’
She glided back out into the passageway, leaving us, as so often, on our own.
Lady Hardcastle looked out through the square-leaded windows. ‘I’m not in the least bit impressed with this weather.’
‘I shall write a sternly worded letter of complaint,’ I said as I flopped into an armchair.
‘Thank you. I can always count on you. But it’s not at all fair. I thought a weekend on a private island would afford opportunities for leisurely walks in the sea air. For birdwatching. Perhaps a game of croquet.’
‘Does JB have a croquet lawn?’
‘If this wind keeps up we may never get outdoors for long enough to find out.’
‘And what birds would we see if we were able to watch them?’
‘Herring gulls, for a start.’
‘We’ve seen herring gulls. On the way over on the boat. There was a flock of them following us.’
‘Guillemots, gannets, shags—’
I chuckled.
Lady Hardcastle sighed. ‘Really? How old are you?’
‘Old enough to find shags funny. Great tits, too.’
She shook her head. ‘We’re too early for the puffins’ breeding season, but JB claims there are nests on the eastern end of the island so we could have seen them, as well.’
‘On the ground?’
‘Yes, they nest in little burrows.’
‘So they’re floor birds. Did they write Madame Bovary?’
This time she sighed. ‘If we had a time machine and could hop forwards to spring, we could ask them.’
‘If we could do that I’d be satisfied just to hop forwards a couple of days to when this weather has passed through.’
‘It doesn’t seem to have dented George’s enthusiasm for the outdoors, although I suspect the poor chap just wanted to get away from the embarrassment of being shoved in Lily’s direction by JB the matchmaker.’
I chuckled again. ‘Perhaps. We’re all going to crave a little solitude if we’re cooped up in here by the weather, though, matchmaking or not.’
‘Especially if someone’s playing hilarious japes on us all weekend.’
‘Well, yes.’ I looked about the room. ‘If you had the money, would you buy somewhere like this?’
Still standing, she turned and looked out of the window again.
‘It has appeal. I mean, I love the sea – even the English Channel in winter has a romantic, white-capped majesty. But would I want to own it? I’m not sure.
I think I’d have to have enough money that I shouldn’t mind owning a place I only visited a couple of times a year.
Which is how it would be – I can’t imagine summering here, just the two of us and some staff, waiting for the boat to bring us weekend friends. ’
‘Weekend friends we’d be stuck with. No escape from the acquaintance who seemed such fun in small doses but who turns out to be an absolute pill when you’re confined on an island with them for an entire weekend.
At least in a country house you can hop in the car and go to the nearest town for the day. ’
She nodded. ‘Exactly my thinking. So, no, then. No converted forts for me. It’s a lovely place to visit, but I’d rather someone else took care of all the mundane practicalities.’
‘A seaside cottage, perhaps?’
‘As long as it was within walking distance of a country inn that served decent food and wouldn’t mind the likes of us dropping in for a pie and a pint, yes.’
‘Please put it on the list after buying the house and getting a flat in London.’
‘Shall do. For now, though, I just fancy another cup of tea – this pot’s had it.’
We rang the bell again and waited for Crawford.
We passed a pleasant hour in the sitting room reminiscing about the past and speculating about the future.
But by four-ish the tea was cold and our limbs were stiff, so we decided we’d be the sort of houseguests who took our dirty crockery back to the kitchen.
Such behaviour annoyed and offended some servants, but I had the feeling that Crawford might actually be quite pleased.
He was eager but untrained and, without a lifetime’s experience to tell him what to expect from the sort of people who employ servants, I didn’t think he’d mind if we pitched in and gave a hand.
We trooped down the short flight of steps beyond the hall and found Peggy alone in her kitchen, with no sign of her husband.
She wiped her hands on her apron as we entered and took the tray from us. ‘I’m sorry, m’dears. Did that lummox not hear the bell again?’
‘No, Mrs—’ I began. ‘No, Peggy. We needed to stretch our legs so we thought we’d save him the trip.’
‘You shouldn’t have done that – he’ll get ideas above his station.’ She gave us a wink, then called out, ‘Jago, you lazy lump. We got guests doin’ your job for you ’ere.’
There was a rustle of newspaper from the open door of the butler’s pantry, then Crawford arrived, putting his reading glasses into the breast pocket of his jacket.
‘Oh, I’m so sorry,’ he said. ‘I must’ve not heard the bell.’
‘Don’t worry,’ said Lady Hardcastle, ‘your wife is teasing you. We needed a little walk round the fort so we brought the tray with us.’
‘I wouldn’t have minded fetching it.’
‘It really wasn’t any trouble,’ I said. ‘As Lady Hardcastle said, we needed a little walk round. It’s too windy to go out, so we’re getting our exercise indoors.’
‘Ar,’ said Crawford. ‘There’s a proper storm coming, you mark my words.’
Peggy rolled her eyes. ‘Your lumbago playin’ up again, is it? He always says he can tell when the weather’s goin’ to be bad cos his back starts givin’ him gyp.’
‘It don’t take no mystic signs to tell this one’s going to be bad,’ said Crawford. ‘You only has to look out the window. Anyone could tell we’s in for a bad’n.’
I remembered something. ‘Is everyone back from their walks? If it’s going to get rough out there, do you think we should look for them?’
‘’T’i’n’t so bad yet, but it’ll get worse afore it gets better. Mrs Bridgewater and Mrs Sidwell-Plant came back in a while since, but now you mentions it, I a’n’t seen Mr Wilson at all. You seen him, Peg?’
‘Not since he left. More’n an hour ago now, that was. I ’spect he came back in through the front door.’
‘We’ve been in the sitting room,’ I said. ‘I’m sure we’d have heard the front door from there.’
‘Ar,’ said Crawford, ‘you would’ve. Makes a fearful noise that front door. I keeps meaning to oil them hinges, but part of me likes that they makes such a racket – lets me know someone’s come in.’
‘Should we be worried?’ I asked.
‘What about?’ said a voice from the doorway.
I turned to see Dotty Bridgewater standing there with Clarice on her arm.
‘Oh, hello Dotty,’ said Lady Hardcastle. ‘We’re wondering whether to be worried about Wilson. Did he come back with you?’
Dotty gave us a rueful smile. ‘No, Speedy and I turned back after about five minutes and came back indoors. It’s dreadful out there. Dear George gave us a tut and a smile and strode off without us.’
Lady Hardcastle frowned. ‘You all went out before three but he hasn’t returned.’
‘He must have found the grotto,’ said Dotty.
‘We found the ruins of some sort of watchtower at the far end of the island when I was making plans for the garden, and I thought it would be rather jolly to use the stones to make a little grotto. A sheltered spot where guests could sit and while away an hour or two in quiet contemplation of the majesty of the sea.’
Clarice gave a derisive snort. ‘The majesty of the sea?’
Dotty was unfazed by the mockery. ‘Oh, yes. JB takes a very romantic view of the sea. We put a lovely wooden bench out there and I planted some robust little rock-loving plants to give it a bit of life. It’s a delightful spot and quite shielded from the wind.
If he found it, George could easily spend an hour without even noticing the time passing. ’
‘Well, I don’t blame him for wanting to get away,’ said Clarice. ‘The atmosphere in here hasn’t been exactly festive.’
Most people would be wary of expressing such thoughts in front of the servants, but Clarice was refreshingly unconcerned.
Dotty, it seemed, was less comfortable. ‘Oh, I don’t know about that, dear. I think it’s all been rather fun, actually.’
Clarice gave an impatient pfft. Evidently she was over her earlier upset and was back to her usual, abrasive self.
With a clunk and a clatter, the back door opened and a grinning George Wilson entered. The wind followed him in and ruffled our skirts and blew a puff of flour from Peggy’s mixing bowl before he managed to slam it shut.
‘Oh,’ he said. ‘A welcoming committee. How nice. Hello, ladies.’
There were murmured greetings.
‘We were just getting worried about you,’ I said.
‘Why on earth . . . ?’
‘The weather’s foul and you’ve been out there quite a while. Dotty and Patience have been back for ages, apparently.’
He smoothed his tousled hair. ‘Just a little wind – nothing to worry about. Although it’ll be raining soon, I’d wager.’
‘Told you,’ said Crawford.
‘But not yet,’ said Wilson. ‘I’m sorry to have worried you all, though. I found a lovely little grotto thing over by the cliffs to the west.’
‘Told you,’ said a beaming Dotty.
‘I wasn’t worried about you,’ said Clarice with a sniff.
Wilson gave a delighted bark of laughter. ‘Ha. Of course not. I’d have thought there was something amiss if you had been. Never change, my dearest Clarice.’
She offered another pfft but said nothing further.
‘Well then,’ said Lady Hardcastle, ‘now that everyone is safely gathered in, I think I shall go and have a rest before changing for dinner. Cocktails at six, Jago?’
Crawford nodded. ‘That’s the way Mr McIntyre likes it, m’lady, yes.’
‘Splendid. And will you be playing for us again, Clarice?’
‘Of course,’ said Clarice. ‘I can’t imagine a day without playing.’
We said our farewells and I followed Lady Hardcastle up to the first floor. We exchanged a promise to meet in her room at around a quarter to six so that we could go down together, and I retired to my room.
I looked out of the window. I was only on the first floor, but with the fort perched on its craggy plateau, the sea was far below me.
I could just about see the crenelations of the old gun emplacement to my left and the sheer, forbidding walls as they dropped away beneath the platform.
Amid the modern comforts of the soon-to-be hotel, it was easy to forget that we were in an actual fortress.
But the comforts were abundant, and I felt my soft mattress calling to me.
I flolloped on the bed and within minutes I was fast asleep.