The Lady and the Lake (15 page)

Walking
slowly
back
to
the
house
I
decided
to
seek
out
Thomas
who
would
no
doubt
be
in
the
long
gallery
working
at
this
time
of
day.
On
entering
the
house
once
more
I
realised
that
I
had
no
idea
where
the
long
gallery
was,
but
guessed
it
to
be
on
the
floor
above.

Stepping
into
the
hall
I
looked
around
me
and
as
no-one
was
about,
quickly
climbed
the
wide
staircase.
On
reaching
the
first
landing
I
decided
which
way
to
turn
and
took
the
left-hand
corridor
as
this
was
the longest
side
of
the
house
as
the
front
door
was
not
central
to
the
building.

Opening
the
door
I
knew
I’d
made
the
right
choice
for
I
stepped
into
a
very
long
room
with
paintings
covering
the
walls.
As
my
eyes
adjusted
to
the
light
I
could
see
Thomas
halfway
down
the
room.
I
ran
to
him,
my
feet
noisy
on
the
polished
floorboards
beneath,
as
I
neared
his
silent
figure
he
caught
me
to
him
and
in
that
moment
I
knew
he
felt
the
same.

‘Oh
Thomas!’
I
said
breathlessly,
‘she
can’t
keep
us
apart
can
she?’
I
looked
at
him
for
some
reassurance.

‘I
won’t
let
her,
I
promise,’
he
said
freeing
the
pins
at
the
back
of
my
head,
my
hair
falling
over
my
shoulders.
I
found
myself
in
a
compromising
position.

‘What
if
someone
comes
in?’
I
said
with
some
sense
of
alarm.

‘No-one
will
come
here
except
perhaps
Antony.’
As
Thomas
spoke
he
ran
his
hand
over
my
blonde
hair.

‘Antony!’
I
exclaimed,
twisting
my hair
back
into
a
knot
and
replacing
the
pins
to
hold
it
in
place
as
best
I
could.

Thomas
laughed,
‘I
mean
you
no
harm
or
dishonour,’
he
said.

‘Is
it
right
that
two
people
from
different
walks
in
life
be
drawn
to
each
other.
Me
poor,
you
wealthy?’
I
asked
him
seriously.

‘But
you
have
a
rich
aunt,’
he
teased.

‘Indeed
I
do,
my
father’s
last
remaining
sister
who
had
no
children,
she
wanted
me
to
go
and
live
with
her,
but
I
was
intent
on
finding
my
own
way
through
life.’
My
voice
was
wistful
as
I
spoke.

‘I’m
glad
you
have,’
said
Thomas
seriously,
‘for
I’ve
never
before
met
anyone
like
you.’
His
voice
was
for
once
serious
although
his
lovely
eyes
sparkled
with
mischief.

‘May
I
look
at
the
pictures?’
I
asked
him.
‘For
I
am
very
fond
of
art.’

‘But
of
course,
I’ll
guide
you
round,’
he
said
with
some
enthusiasm.
I
was
to
learn
he
was
very
knowledgeable
in
his
field.

‘It
is
a
very
long
room,’
I
observed,
for
indeed
it
was.

‘Yes,
it
stretches
the
whole
length
of
the
house
from
the
main
door
to
the
tower,
and
see
this
here?’
He
stopped
at
a
bare
piece
of
the
stone
wall,
bending
a
little
he
looked
through
what
appeared
to
be
a
slit
in
the
stone.
‘Look
through
here
and
tell
me
what
you
can
see,’
he
urged
me.

There
was
no
need
for
me
to
bend
as
Thomas
had
done,
and
looking
through
the
tiny
gap
in
the
wall
I
gasped
in
surprise.

‘Goodness,
I
can
see
one
side
of
the
hall
and
the
main
door.’

For
indeed
I
could,
and
even
as
I
looked
I
saw
Alice
walk
across
the
black
and
white
tiles
and
then
disappear
out
of
the
door
causing
a
slant
of
light
to
fall
on
the
polished
floor.
I
idly
wondered
where
she
was
going
without
Emily.
I
looked
at
Thomas.
‘What
a
novel
idea,’
I
enthused.

‘Hardly
novel,
Abbey.
It’s
a
squint
and
has
been
there
for
over
three hundred
years,’
he
explained.

‘Is
the
house
that
old
then?’
I
said
somewhat
surprised.
‘It
doesn’t
look
that
old.’

‘But
it
is.
I’m
very
interested
in
antiquities,
houses,
churches,
books
and
paintings,’
he
said.
This
was
obviously
the
one
thing
that
he
was
passionate
about
and
I
was
pleased
that
I
was
getting
to
know
about
him.

***

We
walked
together
down
the
row
of
paintings,
some
large,
some
small
and
also
some
likeness,
of
people
I’d
never
know,
miniatures
painted
with
care
for
a
loved
one.
There
was
a
picture
of
Kerslake
Hall,
painted
in
1750.
Looking
at
it
brought
to
mind
my
arrival,
was
it
really
only
three
days
ago?