Winchester Abbey

Chapter Thirty-Five

The art lesson was in the garden, and although it was a bit cloudy, the light was actually quite heavenly as the girls trekked out with canvases and easels at the instruction of Ms. Binley.

"Paint whatever you like in the garden." she had simply, then left.

"That was the art lesson?" Charlotte scoffed.

"I guess it's more of an art - time..." MCat said, shrugging and grabbing a paintbrush. She decided on a particularly lovely piece of the landscape, with a fountain surrounded by budding trees. She reached for the green paint. "This is the most peaceful thing I can imagine." she murmured.

"Really? Because I'd rather be sitting on a beach." Madi snorted, attempting to paint a cloud.

"Oh, hush."

They sat in silence for a few moments, thoughts to themselves, as the clouds crossed the sky and the breeze strode across the garden.

"Charlotte, do you know anything about Matthew being back?" Mary Catherine reached for a lovely gold color.

"No." Charlotte lied. Well, half lied. After all, she didn't exactly know why he was back in the house, talking to Ms. Binley. Madi caught the look on her face, however, and gave her a quizzical look. Charlotte gave her a desperate one. "I really don't!"

"Fine, fine Miss Secrets." Mary Catherine returned to her canvas. She mused that she couldn't really accuse Charlotte of keeping secrets - she hadn't even bothered to tell them that she had fallen asleep curled up on the couch in the library the night previous, with Timothy still sitting with his book. She had woken up with a blanket around her shoulders and Timothy still at her feet, almost finished with the novel.

"Did you sleep at all?" she had asked him. "Not a wink." he had said, and closed the book. "I trust you rested well?"

She had apologized multiple times for interrupting his reading time, but he hadn't seemed to care. And if she was honest with herself, she had felt remarkably safe with him there, not threatened at all.

"Shoot." she was brought back to reality when Madi spilled the glass of water she had been using to clean her brush. "I'll go inside for a new one, I guess."

However, a maid was sent out to check on them, and took the glass herself. It had been about an hour now. "The missus was meaning to ask if you lot would enjoy a horseback ride this afternoon." she said.

MCat's eyes grew the widest. "Oh, yes."

They were escorted to the stables and each assisted with their horses.

"I wonder how Hannah's doing." Madi said as they rode out onto a forest path that the stable hand had directed them towards. "I hope she'll feel better by tonight."

"Mmhm." MCat said, still captive in her own thoughts.

"Hey, what's that?" Madi pointed through the trees to where the corner of a building was apparent amongst the green.

"I think it's the haunted estate." said Charlotte, perking with interest. "You know what we should do in our last nights here? Like just one of the nights," she began.

"If you say anything about going into the haunted mansion again, I'm going to skewer you," Madison interrupted, rolling her eyes. She bounced on her saddle and caught sight of three figures arguing against the side of the building. It looked as if they were all arguing, and Charlotte caught part of the words as they rode past.

"I put them right there," Matthew was saying, indicating to the large area of flattened grass on the ground. It looked as if something heavy had been placed there, but there was no trace of it then.

"Put what there?" chirped Mary Catherine, interrupting their conversation. Her horse stopped miraculously to her guidance, but Charlotte always had trouble with the reigns. Her horse, Nibbles or something bizarre like that, didn't respond very well to her commands-or maybe it was because she was completely incompetent at riding and didn't realize how to reign in a horse properly. Madi and Mary Catherine were well versed in horse back riding while Charlotte had never ridden as much as she had on that trip to England. Her legs killed from all of the riding.

"The supplies for the antiques sale we are having at the end of the week. You know that enormous tent that Mrs. Simmons had set up last week? Yeah, that's what we are having the sale, but the Austenland experience can't participate if we haven't any antiques. You won't be able to see any of the furniture and what they would have used back in the Regency Era without those antiques." explained Matthew, running a hand through his spiky hair, causing some of it to fall slightly.

"What, so you just left all of the antiques out here on the soggy ground just out in the open?" Charlotte asked incredulously.

"No," Matthew replied hotly but was interrupted.

"No, Ms. Smith, they were packed away in boxes with Austenland written on them," Ms. Binley said, placing a calming hand on Matthew as he grew red at the outburst.

"Pardon? Why, y'all put them inside Bloodwood not a day ago," Charlotte replied. "In fact, I think I saw them this morning."

Matthew stared at her incredulously.

"I didn't put them there..." he said slowly, flickering his gaze over to Ms. Binley and Mrs. Simmons.

"What room?" she asked, slipping the keys for the manor out of her little purse.

Charlotte shrugged.

"I saw it near the back in the corner, maybe?" she replied, trying to remember what window that she had peered through. Ms. Binley's eyebrow rose slightly as she crossed the soggy ground and made her way into the manor.

It seemed a long time before she came back and glared at Matthew.

"Keep up with the antiques better next time, Mr. Thomas," she cajoled, her patience wearing thin from the worry and anxiety it had caused her.

Matthew spread out his palms in protest.

"I didn't move them. I was planning to when I saw that they were missing this morning," he protested. Ms. Binley clearly was not interested in his excuses; all she cared about was that the antiques were safely put away.

"Lock up, Mr. Thomas," she said, and seemed to realize that the guests were still standing there. "Excuse me, ladies, but I believe that we are needed back up at the house for a lesson in posture and etiquette. The ball is so soon!"

Charlotte allowed herself and the other two to be placed back up on their horses and ride back to the house for their lesson but she was curious as to who would move the antiques. Was Matthew lying when he said that he did not place the antiques back in the manor or did someone realize that it was not good for the merchandise to be out in the open? Or was someone purposely trying to mess with the crew?