The Lady in Yellow: A Victorian Gothic Paranormal Romance

Four

Tea took place in a corner conservatory, its beveled, lead crystal windows looking out on a marble terrace. Beyond the flower-filled urns, shrubs and benches along the terrace's edge, the lawn sloped north to a bit of ruin at the top of a rise, and east toward the white dazzle of the birch grove. Inside, swathes of ivy and summer flowers, banked against the glassed-in curve of the western wall, glowed brightly in the last rays of the afternoon sun. The statue of a fawn played his pipe amongst the foliage, its half-naked cavorting appearing to have set loose a flurry of leaves and rose petals over the checkerboard floor.

A crystal vase of irises, lilies and ferns adorned the tea able. Sunlight sparkled on the silverware, rimmed the bone china cups. Mrs. Twig sat stiffly in her chair, glancing out at the terrace from the corner of her eye.

"Mrs. Twig, the children are charming. I wonder why they have a reputation for being difficult," Veronica said, watching her spoon as she swirled it around in her tea.

"They aren't bad children. They're just different." Mrs. Twig said. There was tension, a slight reluctance in the housekeeper's voice and manner.

Veronica wondered if it were obvious that she'd found the twins unsettling.

"The other governesses complained that they were secretive. Elusive," Mrs. Twig went on.

"Elusive?"

"Yes. They disappear sometimes. No one can find them."

"Like they did in the garden just now?"

"What do you mean?"

"In the sunlight. Didn't you see them vanish in the sunlight?"

"No.... It must have been an optical effect of some kind. Your eyes are playing tricks on you, Miss Everly."

"Of course. I didn't mean..."

"I mean, they hide."

"Hide? Where?"

Mrs. Twig sipped her tea.

"They always come out again. Safe and sound," she said with a small laugh.

"Well, I'm glad of that." Veronica was a trifle put off by the housekeeper's enigmatic speech. Sipping her tea, she gazed into the room beyond the conservatory, taking in the high ceilings, the crystal chandeliers, the carved woodwork and damask-covered walls. "This is such a beautiful house. Who built it?"

"This house has been in the de Grimston family since the 17th century when Mr. Rafe's ancestor, Lord Howard de Grimston, came into his fortune. When Mr. Rafe inherited the property, it had been abandoned for years. And you know what that brings."

"Oh, yes. Was it terribly decayed?"

"Not past saving, fortunately, but as murky as a tomb. As you can see by the tower at the back, there was once a proper castle on this spot. Parts of the ruins were incorporated into the garden walls."

"That's quite ingenious."

"Yes, it is. There are more bits of castle in the basement."

"Not a dungeon?" Veronica widened her eyes dramatically.

Mrs. Twig laughed. "No, no, no. We use it as a wine cellar. It was Lady Sovay who brought Belden House back to its former glory. Without her ingenuity, it would have gone the way of the castle."

Veronica couldn't imagine this gorgeous house being murky and desolate. "I must say Lady Sovay had a wonderful eye. These rooms are so bright and welcoming, it's hard to imagine them being otherwise."