Crimson Peak [COMPLETE]

Chapter Ten

I didn't have time to look at the gramophone. By the time I'd managed to pull it off it's dusty shelf and set it on the ground where it was more accessible, the men Christian hired to start on the house showed up. I didn't know what exactly was on the gramophone and didn't really want to find out while the men were around, so I tucked it away and got back to work while the men started on fixing the hole in the ceiling.

All the while, the gramophone was in the back of my mind. What exactly could be on it? Was it just music? Gramophones had been all the rage a couple years back and, although they were still used, they were slowly starting to lose their popularity. Once someone had a gramophone, they didn't need another one.

I finished cleaning the first floor and thought about what to move on to. On one hand, I had the attic with Thomas's room and his workshop. I'd been up there enough times to know that it was dusty and in need of a good cleaning. But I didn't think it would be a great idea to go up into Thomas's personal space and mess with his things. On the other hand, there was the basement. I hadn't been to the basement since I'd arrived at Alderdale Hall and didn't know if there was a staircase that led down there. If there was, I would either have to brave the rotted stairs or the rickety elevator.

I figured it might be better to check out the basement. I still had chills from that morning's incident. 

I casually looked around trying to find a staircase without looking lost in my own home. Eventually I gave up and went to the old elevator. I inhaled as I took in the rusty metal and the very ancient lever. 

Pushing the gate aside I cautiously stepped in and held my breath as I tugged the lever down. I prayed it wouldn't plummet downward. It lurched and rattled and made my heart drop down to my shoes, but the elevator creaked to a stop in the basement without completely falling apart.

There were huge containers in the floor stretching out along a cement corridor. A hole at the end of the room allowed some cool fall air in along with brown leaves. The room smelled of dirt and mold and I thought it might just be easier to burn this thing to the ground and start over from scratch. 

I frowned. I lived here now with a loving husband whom I cared about deeply. If I was going to quit now, what kind of wife did that make me? I gripped the broom handle a little tighter and pushed the gate open, stepping into the basement. 

Now that I was out here, I saw that there was, in fact, a set of stairs leading down here. I wondered how I had missed them. 

I made my way to the back of the room and decided to start there. The hole in the ceiling led directly up onto the property with part of the very old machine making a staircase to the surface. We would have to figure out what to do with that thing. 

I started sweeping up the leaves, clearing them out of the way. I wondered what we would use this basement for when it was all cleaned up. Could it be a ballroom? It would probably be weird to have a ballroom in the basement. Maybe we would make it into living quarters and we would turn the bedrooms into...something else. 

My broom hit something and I hurried to brush off the pile of leaves, revealing a large suitcase with the name ENOLA on it. Upon examining the suitcase, I saw that there was a keyhole, keeping the thing locked up. I attempted to open it but failed.  I pulled the key ring that Christian had given to me out of my apron pocket and looked through them looking for one that resembled the keyhole. There wasn't one even though I tried a couple just to be sure. 

I pushed the suitcase to the side and continued sweeping.

I swept around the large, circular vats and wondered what was inside of them. If the machine came down here then I could safely assume that they had something to do with the red clay that Thomas had tried mining.

I finished sweeping the leaves and dust off of the floor in a few minutes. I glanced back at the giant suitcase and wondered how it got down it, what was inside it. If I could find some kind of tool to break into the suitcase, that would work. Or maybe Thomas knew how to get into it--he had grown up here.

I headed up the staircase and found myself on the ground level of the house. The hole in the ceiling had been boarded up and the men that had been working on it were gone now. But I could hear voices, hear someone talking and I wondered if Christian had come home with visitors. The voices were coming from the kitchen so I made my way there. I stopped in my tracks though when I heard a hoarse woman's voice speaking.

I didn't recognize the woman's voice but I did recognize Christian's voice as he responded.

"I'm trying," he said, his voice hushed. "But I still have to go to work. She makes all the meals."

I held completely still, afraid that the floor would creak before I got to hear the rest of the conversation. What was he talking about?

I couldn't understand the woman when she responded, but her voice sent chills down my spine.

"Okay," Christian sighed, "I won't go in to work tomorrow. I'll tell her...I'll tell her that I miss her and I want to help her clean up the house."

Christian was going to spend a day here with me? Could we afford for him to not go? Of course, my parents had given us quite a bit of money and, being their only daughter, I would inherit everything once they passed.

I walked into the kitchen to see who he was talking to and to talk to him about not going to work. Christian was standing by the table and he was the only one in the room.

I looked around. "Who were you talking to?"

He looked over at me quite suddenly and, when he saw it was me, he smiled. "Rose. You scared me."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Who was that you were talking to? Was it someone from town coming to see the house?"

"No. I was just talking to myself. I see you got a lot done today."

I nodded.

"Come talk with me in the parlor for a moment. I just want to relax for a little bit before dinner."

I followed him out of the kitchen when I heard the woman's voice again.

"Rose..."

I glanced over my shoulder and saw a woman in all black, like she was mourning. She was grinning slyly with a finger pressed to her lips, telling me to be quiet.