elly's juxtapose by pauline taylor

8/10/2019 Elly's Juxtapose by Pauline Taylor

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The author was born in a little mining village in South Yorkshire called

Wath-upon-Dearne. She left school at fifteen and by the time she was

twenty-seven was married with four children.

At the age of thirty-five her husband was taken ill and she was nearly a

widow three times. She decided to follow one of her dreams and

became a qualified nurse. She found it hard bringing up four children,

working full time and looking after a sick husband.

In 2008 she was taken ill herself and after two operations that did not

go well she was forced to retire early from the job that she loved so

much.

In 2010 her husband died and she went into a depression. Her son

persuaded her to get out more so she joined the Rotherham branch of

the U.3.A. This is where her second dream started to be fulfilled to

become a writer.

In 2012 her son again persuaded her to go on a short holiday with a

member of the U.3.A. While on this holiday she met her now partner

and moved to Derby to be with him. He encouraged her to write as he

could see that she really enjoyed it but unfortunately he also was taken

ill and is now in rehab learning to walk and talk again. But Pauline is

looking forward, not back, and is hoping to have him home soon.


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Pauline Taylor

J U X T P O SE


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Copyright Pauline Taylor

The right of Pauline Taylor to be identified as author of this work has

been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the

Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any

means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,

without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this

publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims fordamages.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British

Library.

ISBN 978 184963 973 6

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published (2014)

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd.

25 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

LondonE14 5LB

Printed and bound in Great Britain


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Acknowledgments

I would like to acknowledge the support from my family, especially my sons

Mark and Nigel and my daughter-in-law Jayne.

A special acknowledgement to my partner Kenneth Clayton, who has

encouraged me to write and finish this book.


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Contents

Chapter One 11

The Apparition

Chapter Two 21

Eloise

Chapter Three 29

Antiques and Dreams

Chapter Four 38

Tales and Family

Chapter Five 47

History

Chapter Six 55

The Chest

Chapter Seven 67

The Two Roberts

Chapter Eight 77

Parents and Friends

Chapter Nine 89

Williams Encounter

Chapter Ten 100

The Christmas Party

Chapter Eleven 111

Festivities

Chapter Twelve 120

The Shopping Trip

Chapter Thirteen 131

The Cavern

Chapter Fourteen 143

DCI Scott

Chapter Fifteen 153

Aftermath

Chapter Sixteen 161

Mezzanine And Templars

Chapter Seventeen 173

A Significant Stone

Chapter Eighteen 183

The Search Goes On


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Chapter Nineteen 191

Carlton Treasure

Chapter Twenty 199

The Find

Chapter Twenty-One 209

Plans

Chapter Twenty-Two 216

Robert

Chapter Twenty-Three 225

Explanations

Chapter Twenty-Four 233

Futures

Chapter Twenty-Five 241

Confessions and InLaws

Chapter Twenty-Six 250

Elly Unwell Again

Chapter Twenty-Seven 257

Curse Fulfilled

Chapter Twenty-Eight 264

Outcomes

EPILOGUE 271

Ellys Ancestry 272

Historical References 278

REFERENCES 279

BIBLIOGRAPHY 280


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Chapter One

The Apparition

The house by the lake was very picturesque with beautiful gardens, it had once

belonged to a wealthy business man who kept it as a weekend retreat for his

family in about 1910, it was still a handsome property with Georgian architecture

and large neat landscaped gardens, but some of the facade had fallen in to a little

disrepair over the years. It was early autumn and the trees, at this time of year,were very pleasing to the eye with their gold and bronze coloured leaves allowing

the dappled shade and light to break through their canopy.

It was a pleasant autumn day when Elly Smythe arrived at the house to visit

her aunt for a weeks holiday, she had recently been ill but was now fully

recovered and feeling much better, she had wanted to go back to work, but it was

decided that a visit to the country and aunt Tessa was the best thing for her. She

eventually agreed and decided to make the most of it, after all Tessa was her

favourite aunt. Aunt Tessa (Bucknell) was her mothers sister, she had never

married and had no children of her own this was the reason why Elly wassmothered with love and hugs by her aunt every time she saw her. She always

said she had never found a husband to be one of lifes necessities and therefore

could manage very well without one thank you.

Aunt Tessa owned stables with two of the gentlest horses Elly had ever had

the pleasure to ride, plus she was quite near the village where there was a nice

friendly pub that Elly liked to visit whenever she came to Little Etching. With all

this taken into consideration it had not been such a hard decision to visit the

country.

The house itself was a little old fashioned to Ellys way of thinking, she

thought of herself as a typical modern 21st century sort of girl, while her aunt

liked antiques and what she called the finer, more beautiful things in life, which

really were not as old fashioned as Elly thought. The rooms in the house were

tastefully decorated with a light airy feel to them despite the dark antiques that

frequented most of the house.

The smell of fresh flowers filled the house making the atmosphere calm and

serene. It really was a beautiful house and Elly loved it and her aunt dearly.

Elly got out of the taxi just as aunt Tessa came from the house to greet her,

they hugged each other and both started to talk at once, it made them laugh (she

thought how nice it was to have such a caring aunt). They went into the house to a

big welcome from Mrs Underwood the Housekeeper. She was a jolly woman who

loved her work she was always prepared to do that little bit extra to keep the

house running smoothly.


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Elly and Tessa had tea in the conservatory and chatted until late about family,

friends and the general state of the World and how to put things right. They had

not seen each other to talk to for months and had a lot of catching up to do. Tessa

had visited when Elly was ill in hospital but she was so upset with seeing her

niece plumed up as she called it like some sort of machine that she did not stay

long.Later that evening her aunt Tessa suggested a walk around the garden before

bed she thought it would be beneficial for Elly to have some fresh air to help her

sleep. They did not do the full tour as it was a large garden but they did sit in the

Summer House for a while chatting and taking in the beauty of the autumn colors

and the last remnants of the summer plants. They had been out in the garden for

about forty minutes when Tessa remarked, It has been a pleasant walk dear but I

think we really ought to be getting you back indoors now!

Elly was really enjoying the peace of the countryside and as they approached

the house she was thinking of how she could get used to living there when herthoughts were interrupted. She thought she saw a figure at the drawing room

window.

At first she presumed it was the shadow of the trees playing tricks with her

eyes but at the same time she was certain it was not, she definitely saw

something. Elly turned to her aunt and said, Is there anyone in the house? Is Mrs

Underwood still here?

Tessa said, No Elly dear, Mrs. Underwood went home over an hour ago.

Elly said, Im sure I saw someone at the drawing room window, have you

anyone else staying with you aunt Tessa?Tessa replied, No dear only you, unless I have had burglars while we have

been in the garden. Tessa thought this scenario was so unlikely it made her smile

as she said it.

Elly tried to put it out of her mind and told herself again that it was just the

shadows from the trees but she knew she had seen something. It was all very

peculiar yet she was not worried about it. She reasoned with herself that if you

thought someone was in your house you would be worried but she was not. So

why?

Tessa said, You must have imagined it, the shadow play at this time of year

is very dazzling especially with all the trees around the house.

Elly smiled and decided this explanation would have to suffice but she was

really not happy with it.

/ / / / / / /

Ellys room was like the rest of the house, clean, airy, and tastefully

decorated, it had a beautiful vase of flowers that complimented the roomspale

blue and ivory floral patterns. Elly thought again how lucky she was to have an

aunt that lived in such a beautiful house it was the perfect haven to recuperate

(what Elly did not understand is that one day it would all be hers).

She snuggled into the large soft bed and it was not long before she had fallen

asleep, she slept soundly until about 2am when someone calling her name

awakened her. Elly sat up in bed put on the lamp and listened, there it was again,


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she was very curious, but as earlier that day she found she was not worried or

frightened. She decided to get out of bed and investigate; putting on her dressing

gown and slippers she walked onto the landing. There was no sound.

Was she letting her imagination run wild or dreaming? Anyway she was

awake now so she decided to go down and make herself a nice cup of hot

chocolate.Elly started down the stairs but stopped about half way. One of the doors to

the drawing room was open and there was a dim light coming through the gap. It

was the type of light that you get from a fire burning in a hearth, but Elly knew a

fire had not been lit the previous day so her curiosity got the better of her.

She approached the door thinking it must be aunt Tessa that could not sleep

and had probably had the same idea as her about the hot chocolate, but it

definitely was not aunt Tessa who was in the drawing room.

As Elly approached the doorway a figure stood up from the chair, turned,

looked straight at her and smiled as the name Eloise was spoken with a soft firmvoice.

The figure was that of a tall, slim, good-looking young man about Ellys age

with dark curly hair that fell over his forehead. He had the broadest, nicest smile

Elly had ever seen she could not help thinking how attracted to him she was.

While she was a little shocked and even startled to see him she was not

surprised. Elly assumed it was one of her aunts arty friends that had turned up

needing a bed for the night.

Tessa had once owned a London art gallery with a coffee shop attached whicha lot of up and coming artists used to frequent in the hope of getting a break with

their artwork. Tessa was still in contact with a lot of the artists and over the years

they had become good friends. It was not at all odd for one of them to turn up

when she was staying with aunt Tessa but it was unusual for someone to turn up

in the middle of the night.

The young man looked at her intently he said, Eloise it is you! I knew if I

waited long enough you would come back to me and here you are.

Elly smiled she replied, I am sorry you appear to have mixed me up with

someone else I do not know you, are you one of aunties friends?

The man just kept smiling at her this made her blush. She realized he did look

familiar, but she did not know how she could know him surely she would not

forget anyone as charismatic as he.

He said, You will remember me soon enough Eloise and until you do I had

better introduce myself again! And with a little almost old-fashioned bow of his

head he said, I am Robert, Robert Carlton.Elly smiled again, she found his smile so contagious she could not stop

herself.

She said, You can call me Elly. I have not been called Eloise since I was a

small child.

Robert asked her to sit down near the fire; she sat opposite him in a

comfortable high back leather chair. Elly felt awkward and did not know what to

say to this attractive young man that was sat opposite her just staring and smiling.


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She decided to start a conversation about the painting that was hanging above

the fireplace, after all if he was an artist he would know about paintings. This

worked and they talked for over an hour about art and old paintings from the

1600s onwards. Robert did not appear to know much about the modern art of the

1960s and 1970s and was oblivious to any of the artists of the 1980s. This

again seemed strange but she knew that most artists did specialise but it was stillodd for him not to know the modern genre.

Elly found him very interesting to listen to and could have stayed there

listening to him all night but she suddenly realized how cold she was in spite of

the raging Fire in the hearth.

She decided it was time to go back to bed, she suddenly felt very weary. She

said, If you do not mind I am tired and getting rather cold so I will say

goodnight, I will probably see you in the morning at breakfast Robert.

He just smiled at her and said, We will see.

As Elly walked up the stairs she realized that she never did make the hotchocolate. She smiled to herself and carried on up the stairs she got back into bed

and fell straight to sleep. There were no dreams of Robert or the events of that

night but Elly had one of the best nights sleep she had ever had.

/ / / / / / /

The next morning Elly woke up bright and early to the smell of a good old

English breakfast and coffee wafting through the house. She found her aunt in the

conservatory having her breakfast. Tessa liked to watch the birds and smallmammals in the garden at this time of the morning.

Elly said, Good Morning, as she sat down at the table to enjoy her bacon

and eggs. Tessa looked up from the letter she was reading and smiled.

After Elly had finished her breakfast she suddenly remembered about Robert,

she said to her aunt, Where is Robert! Is he not up yet?

Her aunt nearly choked on her third cup of coffee, she said rather too calmly.

Who dear?

Elly asked again but when her aunt denied all knowledge of a guest Elly got

worried. She told her aunt all about the previous night and her encounter with

Robert.

Tessa looked at her thoughtfully she said, Come with me Elly.

She took her niece into the drawing room and pointed to the fireplace. She

said, There has not been a fire lit in this room for at least seven months, and as

you can see there definitely was no fire lit last night.

Elly looked at the fireplace. The grate was clean and there was an antiqueCross Stitch fire screen on the hearth. Elly protested, I did not imagine him I tell

you he was here. He was as clear as you are.

Tessa tried to convince Elly that she had been dreaming but Elly did not

believe it as the dream was so vivid. It also made her sad to think that she would

not see Robert again.

/ / / / / / /


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Elly spent the rest of the morning riding; she needed to get away from the

house for a couple of hours to clear her mind but the feelings would not go away.

Robert was real.

It was noon by the time Elly got back to the stables. Aunt Tessa had twelve

stables a training barn and paddock that were run by a full time team of stable

hands.Only two of the horses were Tessas but she made a good living from keeping

other peoples horses for them. Joe Collins was the stable manager, he always

made Elly very welcome when she came down to Little Etching she liked Joe a

lot. In fact everyone that worked for her aunt was nice hard working people it was

hard not to like any of them.

She did think about asking Joe if he knew of a Robert Carlton ever living or

visiting the house but she thought better of it, he might think she was a little crazy

if she started talking about people that were not there. So after settling the horse

down that she had been riding Elly decided to go back to the house for a latelunch.

She made her way back through the kitchen she was hoping Mrs. Underwood

had kept some lunch for her and she was not disappointed.

As soon as she stepped through the door she was greeted with, Ah there you

are child I was beginning to wonder if you would ever get hungry. I have made

some nice hot soup; I thought you might be cold after being out all that time with

the horses. It was Mrs. Underwood. She was in the middle of baking a cake for

tea.

Tessa had said they would just have sandwiches instead of her cooking dinneras she had a lot of work to do concerning some of the antiques she had

accumulated.

Elly sat down and ate her meal quite greedily, she was hungrier than she had

realized. After she had finished eating Elly picked up an apple from the fruit bowl

and went to find her aunt. She needed to apologize for talking to her aunt the way

she did.

She could hear her scuffling about in one of the three attics, Elly could not

think what her aunt could be looking for so she went up the attic stairs to see if

she needed any help.

Elly said, Is there anything I can do aunty you look a little busy.

Tessa replied, Oh there you are dear I was wondering where you were. I had

a letter yesterday concerning the antiques I have in the house. I am wanting to sell

some of them and the pieces I am keeping need cataloguing for insurance cover,

so I thought I would make a start. She looked at Ellyand said, It will take a few

days but I would be grateful for as much help as I can get.Elly agreed and then said, I am sorry aunt Tessa for my outburst earlier it

was not called for.

Tessa replied, We all have to release our anguish and fears Elly every so

often, dont worry about it dear dreams can seem very real at times.

Elly spent the rest of the afternoon helping her aunt to sort out the things she

wanted to sell and the things she wanted to keep, she made two lists one for

selling and one for insurance valuation so that there would be no mix up. Elly was

surprised at how pleasurable looking through and sorting the antiques was; She


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had started to see the beauty in these objects and realized why her aunt

surrounded herself with them.

The most surprising thing was she also realized the relevance of these objects

in a house of this age. Eventually all thought of Robert went out of her mind.

/ / / / / / /

That evening as Elly walked by the drawing room to go to bed she glanced at

the door and remembered the previous night with Robert. It was so sad to think it

was all a dream she so wanted it to be real.

It was about 2am when Elly woke again to the sound of her name; she knew

she had to go downstairs, she knew she had to see if Robert was there. As Elly

walked down the staircase again she saw the door open and a dim light radiating

from the drawing room her heart began to pound, she was a little afraid, was

Robert really there? Was this a dream? Or was she living a real ghost story?These questions were buzzing around Ellys head as she approached the open

door.

There he was. He was looking at her wearing his big inimitable smile. He

again called her Eloise not Elly, she was nervous and after realizing she had been

staring at him for at least two minutes she walked into the room. Elly looked

straight at Robert and said very nervously, Are you a dream or are you a ghost?

Robert replied, I am anything my Eloise wants me to be, I am both real and

unreal.

Elly did not know what to say, she did not know what to do, and she justknew she did not care. She was with Robert and that was enough for now, so she

sat down near the fire and smiled.

They talked again for over an hour when Elly (as on the previous night)

started to get cold and tired, it was Robert this time who noticed her fatigue and

suggested she should go up to bed. She agreed, said her goodnight and went up to

her room.

The next day she did not say anything to Aunt Tessa, she did not want any

awkward questions. She also did not want her aunt contacting her parents about

her concerns for Elly as they would insist on her seeing a doctor, she had seen

enough doctors over the last few weeks and she certainly was not going to have a

psychiatric assessment.

Robert was real but she knew she had no way of convincing anyone else

about that; she could not risk talking to her aunt well not just yet.

Elly continued to help her aunt to catalogue the antiques and moving furniture

she thought this a perfect life but she knew it could not last, a relationship with aghost was at best impossible and at its worst unacceptable. No, she had to do

something about this problem, but what should she do?

This pattern carried on for five nights, sometimes she could not believe what

her and Robert found to talk about, they had so much in common, yet nothing she

could ever remember the next day it was all very strange.

As Thursday morning came round Elly woke up with a renewed

determination. She decided it was time to go to her aunt and see if she held any

information that could solve the mystery of this phenomenon. She was afraid of


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her aunts reaction but she had to risk it. Elly sat down and told her aunt

everything, she found herself elated when talking about Robert.

Elly said, Am I going mad aunty? And if Im not mad there has got to be a

reason for this apparition, is there any history that you know of about the house

that could account for this happening?

Tessa was a kind lady who felt concern for her niece; she told Elly she wasnot mad because she had a similar experience when she first moved into the

house. She said that unlike Elly it only happened one night and the figure never

appeared again and until Elly had mentioned it at breakfast on Sunday morning

she had never given it another thought.

Tessa asked Mrs. Underwood to light a fire in the drawing room and also to

bring them a pot of tea, she wanted to go in there to talk about it. There was some

history to the house and Tessa thought it would be better to discuss it in the room

where the apparition had appeared.

Elly was a little nervous as she entered the drawing room, partly because itwas this room where she had met Robert and partly because she was worried

about the information she was about to be given.

Tessa told Elly, What happened to me was similar but not entirely the same

Elly. I only saw the misty outline of a man he was not solid as you say your

Robert was but I felt he was in distress. To be honest I too thought it was a ghost

and presumed after that it must have been the ghost of the previous owner of Lake

House. I looked into the family history of the previous owners after I had seen the

apparition many years ago. As I said I was never frightened by it but I was

curious about the ghost and did wonder what he had wanted.She looked at Elly very thoughtfully and said, Although, I did think about

the incident again when you were born, I thought it a little strange that your

mother would pick such an unusual old name as Eloise. Your mother said it came

to her one morning just after her and your father had gone home; they had been

staying with me for a few days.

In fact your poor mother became rather obsessed with the name and would

not hear suggestions of any other. She was convinced you were going to be a girl

and there was never any talk about a boy and she was right, it was all very

strange.

Tessa paused and poured them both some tea, she sat back in the chair and

started her tale. The man who bought the house was a business man in the City,

called John Wellbourn he wanted a weekend retreat for himself and his family

and I suppose this house fitted in with the life style of the 1910s and 1920s for

the fishing and shooting. He had a wife, Marie, and two children, a girl Mary and

a boy Robert.They had a good life and things were going well; they were a typical upper

middle class family of that period. Robert met a girl from the next village South

Etching. She was from the Willows, the big house in the park, you remember Elly

I took you to a Christmas party there when you were about eight years old.

Elly answered excitedly, Yes I remember it was a beautiful warm house, not

unlike this one. I mean thats how this house makes me feel and oh they did know

how to throw a kids party.


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Tessa replied, Yes you did enjoy it, anyway Robert became engaged to this

young lady, her name interestingly enough was

She was interrupted by Elly who said, Dont tell me, let me guess, it was

Eloise.

Well, saidTessa, you are right it was Eloise, but what you do not know is

a bit of information I found out quite by chance. The second name of Eloise wasBucknell.

She looked at Elly who was just staring at her. What a revelation, what did

this mean? She had turned really cold and found she also had goose bumps. She

was going to ask more questions but her aunt did not give her the chance.

Tessa said, Yes thats right; apparently she was a distant relative on my

fathers side, but anyway to continue. Robert and Eloise were to be married in the

spring, it was all planned and everyone who was anyone was invited to the

wedding. It was going to be a very grand affair.

Tessa stopped and took a drink of her tea then continued. About a monthbefore the wedding Eloise decided, as was normal for her, to go out riding. She

was a very capable horsewoman, but this particular day while she was out, there

was a freak thunderstorm and Eloise was thrown from her horse. She was injured

but somehow managed to get back on the horse but not before she had become

soaked with the rain.

A little later she came riding into the stable slumped over the reins it was

said she fell off her horse at the feet of the stable boy. Eloise was rushed into the

house and put to bed, the doctor sent for but she was too ill to move. Eloise had

broken ribs and over the next few days pneumonia set in. Her condition did notimprove in fact it became much worse and one week before the wedding Eloise

died.

Elly looked shocked, her eyes filled with tears, poor Robert, she thought how

he must have suffered. The love of his life dying just before the wedding it did

not bare thinking about how he had to cope with the pain of it all.

Tessa continued. Robert never got over this tragedy and eventually he

became a recluse, his sister, Mary, had to take over the running of his antique

business. The people I spoke to say he was a nice, gentle man but a very sad one

and he apparently always insisted that he would one day be reunited with his

Eloise. Robert lived into his eighties and after his death the house fell into

disrepair, it was empty for about three years before I bought it.

Elly said, That story is so sad aunty, it has made me feel very weepy, poor

Robert. But what made you buy this house if it was in such a bad state of repair

aunt Tessa?

Tessa replied, I had looked at many properties but there was somethingabout this one that caught my imagination. I could actually see it in my minds

eye decorated and in good repair, I just felt compelled to purchase it. I never did

really understand why, it was so run down and needed such a lot of work I loved

the house and soon realized I had made the right decision. I have been here for

over two decades and they have been some of the happiest years of my life. I did

not pick the house, the house picked me.

Elly was both happy and sad, she was happy that nothing bad had happened

to Robert himself. She again was also sad to think of the life that Robert must


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have had a sad lonely life and the older he got the more miserable he must have

become.

Elly said, It is so sad, but now I know what happened I am still not sure what

to do! Or if there is anything I can do! What does Robert want from me? Surely

he realizes I am not his Eloise. I am not frightened of the apparition but it is

puzzling. What does he want?Tessa sat back, looked at the fire then poured herself another cup of tea. She

said, I dont understand it myself and I cannot even pretend to know what is

happening nor do I know anyone that can help with this sort of thing. But we have

to consider the fact that you are related. Albeit a distant relative to Eloise and that

may be the connection, Robert may sense this in you; to him you may be Eloise.

Tessa drank some more tea and seemed deep in thought. She suddenly sat

forward as if she had some sort of brilliant idea. I know, she said, I will ring

William, I mean Mr Royston, he is the current owner of the Willows. He is the

nephew of Eloise Bucknell and I am sure he will let us pay him a visit. He likes agood mystery he holds murder, mystery weekends at the Willows during the

winter months. I will ring him now and tell him we have a mystery for him to

solve he will be intrigued.

Tessa left the room to make the call to William leaving Elly drinking her tea,

which was now cold, Elly was thinking about what she could do to help Robert.

Elly was surprised when her aunt came back into the room and said, Drink

up Elly and get your coat on we are going to visit the Willows. William has

invited us for lunch so I will tell Mrs Underwood that we will just have

sandwiches for supper.Elly said, What about the antique audit aunty, you have got to finish that

havent you?

Tessa smiled, she said, Yes dear I have but we are nearly done and I have

not seen William for such a long time.

Elly replied, Did you tell him about the apparition?

No dear, saidTessa, not all of it, there was no time but I did tell him a

little about our predicament he says there is a good portrait of Eloise that was

finished about three months before her death, so you see dear Elly we can see for

ourselves just what she looked like.

Tessa was getting rather excited. Whether it was the thought of solving a

mystery or whether it was the thought of seeing William Elly did not know but

she did know she had seen a glint in the eye of her aunt that had not been seen for

a long time.

Mr Underwood brought the Range Rover around to the front of the house.

Joseph Underwood was Jenny Underwoods husband, he was the gardener/handyman but he liked cars and he also liked tinkering with cars. Therefore he

thought anything to do with the household cars was part of his duties. Joseph just

like his wife was very pleasant and hard working.

He opened the door of the car for Aunt Tessa and said, Do you want me to

drive you over there Missus?

Tessa said, No thank you Joseph, I am not sure how long we are going to

be.


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Mr Underwood said, I dont mind Missus I can take you and little Elly, and

then come back for you when you phone me.

Tessa really wanted to take the car herself but she knew Mr Underwood liked

to take charge of the cars and thought of it as being part of his job description so

being the kind of lady she was, she said, Yes of course you can Joseph, of course

you can.She smiled at Elly and gave a little wink, Elly smiled back and got into the

car.


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Chapter Two

Eloise

The journey to the Willows was a pleasant one. There was only about eight miles

between the two villages but the road that led to the park and the Willows turned

off just before you reached the village of South Etching.

South Etching was not really a village any more but more like a small town.

This meant that the only sign of life you saw after you got through the village ofLittle Etching was sheep, cows or horses with the occasional hiker thrown in for

good measure.

During the autumn and winter months there were not many cars about as it

was getting a bit cold and windy for the tourists to leave their warm suburban

houses for the outdoor rural life.

Tessa stopped off just outside Little Etching at the supermarket, which was

situated half way between the two villages on the edge of an industrial estate. She

wanted to get William a box of liqueur chocolates.

She told Elly they were his favourites she said, It does not hurt to be pleasantto people and buy them the odd gift now and again. After all you never know

when you may want a favour returning and, anyway, you know me I like giving

gifts, especially to nice people like William. He has been on his own since his

Mother died you know.

Elly thought that Tessa protested too much, she was beginning to think that

her aunt and this William Royston were more than good friends.

They set off again for the Willows and as they approached the park Elly

realised that she had forgotten how big it was. She was only a small girl when she

last came to the house and that had been for the annual Christmas party, whichwas traditionally held every year for the children of the estate workers.

Over the years as the estate diminished a number of the village children were

also invited. Elly had been invited because her aunt, always trying to fit in with

village life, helped at this event.

There was an avenue of beautiful trees on either side of them that

overshadowed the drive up to the house. And lawns that extended all around the

property were also dotted with trees. As the car drew nearer Elly realised that

most of the trees near the house were willows.

Elly smiled to herself but Tessa saw her and said, What are you smiling at

Elly? You have obviously seen something that made you smile?

Elly said, I was just thinking how stupid we can be, I mean humans.We just

do not look at our surroundings do we? I have been coming to see you all these

years and you regularly talk about the Willows but I never gave it a second


22/40

thought as to why it was called that until today.With that thought she looked out

of the car window at the willow trees.

Aunt Tessa said, Oh, its not only you dear, none of us really take notice of

the things around us, we just blunder through our daily lives accepting things for

the way they are, it is rare for us to stop and look at the obvious. Take this garden

for instance, it is so beautiful and I suppose the people that have lived here in thepast have never really looked at it properly once they got used to it being there. I

do not suppose that William has ever given it a second thought.

She looked out of the car and continued, They do say it was Capability

Brown who designed the gardens you know! Although there is no real proof it

certainly does look like one of his designs. But you probably do not know do

you? You are a bit young to know about dead landscape gardeners. He was an

eighteenth century garden designer. He would probably have still worked for

Lord Cobham when he designed the Willows garden.Her aunt patted her on the

knee and said, Look we are here.As Elly was getting out of the car she turned to her aunt and said, I do take

notice of some of the gardening programs my dad makes mum and myself sit

through Aunt Tessa. It may surprise you to know that I do know who he is? I also

looked at his way of designing when I was doing my degree. I know that Lord

Cobham used to let his friends borrow Lancelot Brown, which was very good of

him really. I suppose it helped the young Lancelot to set up in his landscape

business after Lord Cobhams death. I also know why he was called capability

Brown. Anyway Aunty, you forget I am a designer by trade!

Elly paused looked again at the garden and continued, But how do you knowso much about him Aunt Tessa! I did not think you were that fond of gardening.

Elly grinned and got out of the car.

Tessa stepped out and replied, You will soon be meeting the reason why I

know so much. He may take the garden for granted but he certainly knows the

history of his house dear.

The outside of the Willows was very grand with a large oak, carved double

door that looked extremely old but was obviously not as old as the rest of the

house. It was surrounded by a Palladian style architrave with large round Greek

looking stone pillows supporting the apex of the small portico. It looked very

ornate and grand at the side of the flat walls of the house with its small paned sash

windows and simple windowsills.

Elly always thought that the house was only missing turrets to make it a

castle. It already had parapets. While Elly was still day dreaming a very smartly

dressed man came to the door and was speaking to Aunt Tessa and inviting her

into the house. He was the butler.Elly found out soon enough that his name was Charles as a large portly man

appeared at the door, he smiled and said, Its alright Charles I will attend to the

ladies.

He was still smiling at aunt Tessa and stretching his rather large arms out

when he said, Tessy its been an age, come here and give an old man a big hug,

He took hold of her with his large chunky arms.

When he finally let her go from the crushing bear hug he had her locked in he

looked at Elly and exclaimed Oh my!Oh my!He looked at Tessa and back to


23/40

Elly then he must have realised his reaction so he tried to correct himself by

saying, You are a very pretty girl Elly, dont you think so Tessy? I bet you have

a few suitors chasing you me dear, eh,

Elly found herself smiling at this rather jolly gentleman with his old

fashioned values, there was no wonder her aunt got flustered when she mentioned

Williams name.He was a very charming flirt.Tessa was quite giggly by now Elly had never seen her like this. She was like

a schoolgirl being asked out by a boy she had fancied for a long time. She was

actually blushing. Elly found this amusing it was not at all the way her aunt

normally acted around men, she was usually pleasant but with an authoritarian air

that commanded respect, Elly found this side of her aunt delightful.

Tessa said, Now, William, it is bad enough that you try flirting with me but

go steady with the young girls. And my name is Tessa not Tessy; I keep telling

you that you old rogue.

They both started to laugh. Elly felt as if she was interrupting something thathad probably been going on for a long time in some sort of clandestine way.

Tessa said, Come here Elly let me formally introduce you to Mr William

Royston. William, this is Elly my niece.

William now had the excuse he wanted. To look at Elly properly, Well, he

said, It is very nice to make your acquaintance , Miss Eloise Smythe. I expect

you are ready for your lunch. Come this way and we will talk while we are

breaking bread together, eh.

Elly shook hands with William then started to follow them both into the

house.Tessa turned to Joseph Underwood and said, Can you pick us up about four

oclock please Joseph?

Joseph replied, Yes Missus, Ill be here.

Tessa said Thank you Joseph, I will give Jenny a ring if I need you any

earlier.She turned to the others and continued in to the house.

/ / / / / / /

The hallway was magnificent with its large staircase and tall Rococo style

ceilings; in fact the whole house was just one large piece of elaborate

ornamentation.

It was obvious to anyone with even the smallest amount of knowledge of

architecture that this house had many styles and had probably been altered on

more than one occasion.

Elly said, Mr Royston, the house is beautiful, it is very ornate, the ceiling ismagnificent,

Mr Royston replied, Yes me dear it is but I personally think the old

ancestors messed with it a little too much.

Charles suddenly appeared again, it was as if he had been waiting for them to

come into the house but had kept out of sight. Elly thought that this must be the

measure of a good butler to always know what was happening in the household.

Charles led the way to the small dining room.


24/40

Elly only knew this room was small because William had said as much as

they entered. He also indicated that there was a much larger one for when he had

more than ten guests but Elly thought this room was quite large enough. The table

looked as if it would seat a lot more than ten people.

They all sat down at the table and ate a very nice hot lunch consisting of

rabbit pie with mashed potatoes and three vegetables washed down with a nicebottle of wine. William drank dark ale with his lunch he said it tasted better with

rabbit pie.

This was the thing Elly liked about the countryside you could eat traditional

country fare and then walk it off. Elly found that the country air always gave her a

good appetite. She smiled to herself as she looked across the table and thought

looking at William; it did not look as if he ever did much walking.

When they had all finished their lunch William said, We can go into the

library to have our coffee then you can tell me all about these mysterious things

that have been going on.Oh, yes, before I forget I also have something to show you both and when

you have seen it you may require a brandy or two. He laughed to himself

knowing very well that he had at least intrigued Tessa.

Before Tessa stood up from her seat she leant over to pick up her handbag,

she realise she had not given William his chocolates, she sighed, Oh I am sorry

William, I forgot to give you these liqueurs, I know that you are very partial to

them

Tessy, thank you very much I shall enjoy some of these with my coffee,

said William. Please ladies, follow me.They followed William in to the Library. They had no sooner walked in when

a sight that would stay in Ellys mind for a long time to come greeted them.

Hanging above the fireplace was a portrait of a pretty young woman. She

looked about Ellys age.She was wearing riding attire with a crop in her right

hand and as if in keeping with the rest of the house the frame was ornate with

elaborate carving around every side.

Tessa was also looking at the portrait her mouth slightly open she was

speechless, which was very unusual for her.

William looked at them both and laughed a very hearty laugh, he said Let

me introduce you both to Miss Eloise Bucknell, born 1902 and died 1926. She

was my mothers older sister.

My mother was only two when Eloise died so she never had much of a

memory of her only the portrait and a few personalpossessions remain

Tessa was numbed, she had never thought in her wildest dreams that Eloise

Bucknell could look like this, she said, William may I have that brandy now,please, and I think I also need to sit down

William offered them both a chair near the low coffee table; they sat down

just as Charles made his way into the room with a tray of coffee a Victoria

sandwich and some chocolate biscuits.

I will let you do the honours if you dont mind, Tessy, said William I will

just get you that brandy you asked for

Elly could tell he was still amused by their reaction to the portrait. She looked

at it again, what it was she felt seeing Eloise for the first time she could not


25/40

explain. She was a little giddy, almost light headed and shocked. Yes she decided

shock would be the best word to describe the way she felt.

She said, Mr Royston you knew when you first saw me get out of the car

that I would probably react like this, didnt you? Thats why you were a little

taken aback when you first saw me. You were literally lost for words?

Yes, he admitted. I could not believe my eyes, yet here you stand MissEloise Smythe, distant relative of Eloise Bucknell and the spitting Image of her

right down to that funny little birth mark on your left wrist.

Elly looked puzzled, How do you know she has a birth mark on her left

wrist, her wrist is covered up on the portrait with her riding coat

William elaborated, Yes it is, but there are a few photographs of Eloise taken

in the summer, some of them with Robert, and on a couple of them the mark is

very distinguishable. I would say to you dear girl that you are the embodiment of

Eloise Bucknell

Elly went cold there were many questions she needed answering, but perhapsRobert may be able to give her some of the answers and help her to understand

things better when she saw him tonight. Elly drank her coffee but did not partake

of the cake that was on offer. She was too stunned to even contemplate eating

anything else.

William wanted to hear all about the going onsas he called it, at the house

by the lake. So Tessa decided it was time to forget about the portrait for a while

and ask Elly to tell William what had been happening.

She said Elly I think you had better put this old goat out of his misery and

tell him your story, it is no good me even starting it as I can only tell William thesecond hand version. I do think it would be better coming from you dear;

William eyed Aunt Tessa and said jokingly, Old goat is it Tessy? Ill give

you old goat I can still give them young bucks a run for their money when I want

to, old indeed, eh.

Tessa laughed she loved to banter with William. She was always trying to

think of ways to tease him and whatever she did it usually had the desired effect.

Elly looked serious and started to be a little concerned, it was one thing to tell

her aunt about Robert but quite another to tell a relative stranger. But she knew it

had to be done, she had come this far and now she had seen the portrait she just

knew she was not crazy, something crazy might be going on, but it definitely was

not her.

She said, Before I start with my story, Mr Royston, could you please tell me

why you referred to Aunt Tessas house as the house by the lake?I have heard it

referred to by that name in the village, I know there is some water at the bottom

of the gardens, but it can hardly be called a lake, can it?William was obliging with his answer; he said, There was a lake many years

ago, that is one of the reasons Mr Wellbourn bought the house, for the fishing you

know. Well it was a combination of things that caused the decline of the lake,

which by the way was man- made. One of the main contributing factors was the

stock market slumping; everyone had to tighten their belts, so to speak.

People who managed to hold on to their money spent it on assets such as land

so that they were all ready to revive their business interests when the slump was

over and things started to pick up.


26/40

William took a drink of his brandy and continued, Well where was I? Yes,

Mr Wellbourn found himself in a little difficulty, not as bad as some you know.

But bad enough for him to sell some of the land surrounding the house

Elly interrupted she exclaimed, You mean the house used to have more land

to it! I did not realise that, there is still such a lot of garden

Neither did I, William? saidTessaYes, William said, It was a large property. Mrs Wellbourn decided she

wanted to keep the gardens, well as much as possible anyway, so she apparently

persuaded her husband to sell the land near the lake. The guests were getting few

and far between and it was becoming increasingly hard to manage two houses so

he offered the land up for sale.

The gentleman that bought the land did not want just the bit that was for sale

he wanted a little bit more that included a good sized section of the lake, and that

is why the lake now looks like a very large pond.

Tessa looked puzzled she said But where is the rest of the lake William? There is a grassed area around the edge with wild flowers and flag lilies growing

there but if it was bigger where did the lake go?

William smiled The Lake, my dear Tessy is, or should I say was, where

Campbells farm is now, or at least where the fields are, it was drained and back

filled.

Tessa said, I thoughtCampbells farm belonged to the same people that own

the supermarket.

It does now Tessy!The Campbells were the ones who bought the land from

Mr Wellbourn originally. It was the owner of the supermarkets grandfather thatbought the farm from old Mrs Campbell when her husband died but he kept its

name he and they expanded taking in other farms along the way. Between them

the family own a good percentage of both villages and possibly others

William was getting a little agitated, he wanted to hear Ellys story and all of

this digression was making him uneasy, he was never a man to shy away from a

good story and he wanted to get to the bones of this one.

He said, Now Tessy can I please find out what has been happening to this

slip of a girl while she has been staying with you eh?

Both Elly and her aunt laughed at him then Elly told her story. It took about

an hour to tell him everything as he kept asking questions and wanting to know

more.

After she had finished he looked at the portrait again of Eloise and said, You

have got a lot to answer for dear lady, he saidit as if he half expected the portrait

to answer back.

William continued, I am not altogether sure what is happening here, Elly,but I am sure of one thing the story goes that Robert to his dying breath said he

would one day be reunited with Eloise and here you are a distant relation of

Eloise staying with your aunt in the house that once belonged to Robert and

looking like if not identical to the Eloise that died in 1926.

It is all very strange and it all depends on what your beliefs are but to me my

dear this is more than mere coincidence.William looked at her and her aunt very

seriously, all the jauntiness gone from his demeanour; he was worried and could

not help but show it.


27/40

William asked if either of them wanted any more coffee or if they fancied a

snifter of brandy but they both declined the offer. Both of them were a bit taken

aback by the way in which William had reacted. Were things really as serious as

William seemed to think they were?

Tessa looked at her watch. It was 2pm. She said, I thought it was later than

that, we seem to have been here ages Elly!She turned to William and asked,You say you have no idea what is going on, and I do not suppose that you do

know any more than us.

But William you seem to be worried about something and I will probably

regret asking but what do you think is happening? Give it an educated guess and

tell us your theories please.

Tessa looked at him with a worried air about her, she had thought it all creepy

but not dangerous. Now William was in the equation he was thinking something

totally different to her own thoughts and it worried her deeply.

Elly asked William if she could use the ladies room, she was feeling a littleuncomfortable with Williams reaction and needed a breather.

After Elly had left the room William told Tessa, I am really in the dark about

this also, Tessy, but I do remember hearing, or was it that I read something when

I was a lad.

William paused Tessa could tell he looked puzzled and was deep in thought,

he continued, Anyway there is something about a Hex or a Curse that is linked to

the family but that was a long time ago, if only I could remember how I knew

about it, I will look in the things that I have belonging to Eloise, and then there is

my library I dont really know what books I have inherited it will do me good togo through them.

I also think there are some old books and diaries in one of the attics. I have

got my work cut out, eh.He looked at Tessa, she was smiling at him, he said,

What is the matter with you I cant see anything to smile about?

Tessa said You are in your element arent you William, you have a mystery

to follow up and you are just like a dog with a bone

William laughed, then his expression was serious again he said, Whatever is

happening, it is happening to Elly and Ill be dammed if I am going to see that

young girl hurt.

Tessa got up walked over to William and tenderly touched his arm. She said

smiling, You are a good man William.

Just then Elly walked into the room, she was feeling a little better, and she

was thinking that Mr Royston was probably over reacting so she was not going to

worry about it.

William asked Charles for some more coffee and then sat down with Elly andTessa. He changed the subject from ghosts to his passion for murder, mystery.

They talked for a further hour then Charles came into the room and informed

William that Mr Underwood was here for the ladies.

Elly thanked William for the lunch and also his help then she sat in the car

and waited for her aunt. Tessa was talking to William and it was a further five

minutes before she got in by the side of Elly. She did not tell her what they had

been talking about. She just informed Joseph that they were ready to go then

Tessa turned and waved to William as they drove away.


28/40

The drive back to the house was not as congenial as it had been previously.

They chatted a little about the portrait of Eloise then continued the rest of the

journey in silence, both of them thinking about the days events.


29/40

Chapter Three

Antiques and Dreams

Elly woke about 3am she had been feeling uneasy. The image of Eloise would not

leave her and she was anxious to talk to Robert but she had overslept and had not

heard him calling her this she could not understand.

She got out of bed put on her slippers and dressing gown as usual then made

her way downstairs but as she approached the drawing room she saw the doorswere closed. She opened them but there was no fire burning in the hearth, the

room was cold and dark and there was no sign of Robert.

Elly felt her heart sink, she felt abandoned, she felt betrayed, she felt like a

love sick fool, was she really falling in love with a ghost? No she thought that

was impossible!

Elly made her way back to her room but no further sleep came. She felt so sad

and so emotionally drained; it was going to be a long night and an even longer

day.

At breakfast Tessa could see Elly was distracted and distant she said, Whatis the matter Elly; you look very sad this morning are you still thinking about

yesterday?

Elly told her aunt about the events of that morning and how Robert seemed to

have deserted her. She said, Do you think it may have disturbed him that we

went to the Willows and saw Eloises portrait Aunt Tessa?

Tessa did not know what to say, this was certainly a turn of direction. The

apparition of Robert had been seen every night since Elly came to stay and now

the phenomenon decided to stop the day after their visit to William. It could be a

coincidence, she did not know, but she knew her niece and she knew Elly wasvery upset.

She said jokingly trying to make light of it, I would not worry too much

about it dear, I suppose even ghosts need time out now and again.

When she saw this was not working she said, If he does have a message for

you or something for you to do I suppose he will be back so dont worry too

much. Anyway that could have been what Robert wanted all along. I mean he

could just have wanted you to see the portrait.

She smiled and continued, After breakfast I have got to go to the train station

to meet the London train a Mr R. Chambers is coming down. He works for

Daviess antiques and auction house I have been corresponding with them.

Why dont you come with me it will do you good and you will probably

enjoy the drive?


30/40

Elly smiled. She said, Do you mean I can drive your very expensive sports

car aunty? Or are we taking the Range Rover? Her voice sounding disappointed

at the prospect of the Range Rover.

Her aunt laughed Elly had been trying to get behind the wheel of her aunts

vintage sports car for the past two years and as yet, knowing what Ellys driving

was like Tessa had not let her loose on it.She said Good try Elly but you know as well as I do that the sports car will

only take two people, where will poor Mr Chambers sit? On the boot

She looked at Elly and as often happened with the two of them they burst out

laughing as the vision of a man sat on the boot hanging on for his life popped into

their heads. This made Elly feel better and she agreed to go with her aunt.

/ / / / / / /

Two hours later they were at the front door and ready to set off to the trainstation. The car was not there, Elly remembered that Mr Underwood and his wife

had gone to the supermarket for the weeks shopping.

She watched Tessa as she went to the garages at the side of the house and

came back driving a brand new M class Mercedes car. Aunt Tessa beckoned to

Elly to get in. She could not believe her eyes.

Elly rambled? Aunty, its an Ml 350 c.d.i.. Did you know its got v6

cylinders? How long have you had this car? You did not tell me you had got a

new one. Oh it is lovely aunty, you have still got the sports car though havent

you? she was so excited.Her aunt was beaming she said OhElly you sound like a small child. And I

have had the car over two weeks. I had some good returns on an investment so I

thought I would treat myself. I only really need the Range Rover when the

weather is bad and the little car is just for fun, I did need a more practical one for

daily use.

And anyway when Joseph takes the big car for the shopping and errands, I

really do need another car if I want to go anywhere. And it is also a four-wheel

drive so in theory I can use it in bad weather also.

Elly got into the passenger seat she was so excited but she knew she dared not

ask if she could drive. She knew she had a reputation for banging cars into

gateposts and even Aunt Tessa had a limit to her tolerance.

/ / / / / / /

The station was at the far end of the village near the industrial estate, notmany people got off the train at this station since the motorway was finished. It

was mainly used by locals for trips to London and large towns in the area. There

had been talk of closing it but as yet nothing had come of that idea so the villagers

thought themselves very lucky.

As they drove through the village Elly realised she had not spent any time

there on this visit and she certainly had not visited the pub, which was very

unusual for her. This made her determined that she would make the effort and pay

them a visit soon.


31/40

They parked the car at the station and walked around the corner of the

building to see if the train had come in. It had. There was a rather formal looking

gentleman standing on the platform with an over night bag and a brief case.

They both looked at him and both had similar thoughts of how stuffy this man

looked; he had a very pompous air about him.

Tessa went up to the gentleman and said, Hello, are you Mr Chambers fromDavies Antiques? the man nodded but before he had a chance to say anything

Tessa held out her hand and continued, I am Tessa Bucknell and this is my niece

Elly Smythe.

The gentleman held out his hand and said, I am Robin Chambers. It is a

pleasure to meet you Miss Bucknell, and you too Miss Smythe, I cannot wait to

see what treasures you have to show me.

Mr Chambers also talked in a very condescending manner. He was in his late

fifties about the same age as Aunt Tessa. But Elly could tell he was not a very

modern person. He was dressed in a suit that looked as if it would not have beenout of place in the 1950s it was also well worn.

Elly giggled to herself as she had the image of him stuck behind a desk in a

dusty old room covered in cobwebs and nobody realising he was there. Her aunt

caught sight of her giggling and gave her one of her dont do that looks so she

had to suppress it as much as she could.

Elly said, Did you have a pleasant train journey Mr Chambers? She wished

she had never asked. His reply was one of discomfort, annoyance, bad service and

people with mobile phones, she had to stop herself giggling again as she now

pictured him on the telly on Grumpy Old Men, but she did think for all hermisgivings about this man that he was probably a very nice person.

Mr Chambers did make a comment about how nice the car was but Elly could

tell he was not a car person and the rest of the journey was made in relative

silence. As they approached the house Mr Chambers was quite complimentary

about the garden and the house itself. It seemed he had a passion for old houses

and gardens so at least there was something to talk about over meals.

Tessa said as they walked into the hallway, How long are you staying with

us Mr Chambers? As long as it takes or have you got a deadline?

Mr Chambers paused as he looked around the hallway and stairs He said I

have got three days but if I am done sooner I will go back to London, but if it is

going to take longer than that I or one of my colleagues may have to return. He

paused again and said, The architecture and decor is stunning, you are so lucky

to be living here Miss Bucknell.

Tessa said Please, call me Tessa and yes I am lucky I always said the house

chose me, I did not choose the house. But there were also some years of hardwork involved to renovate the house in the first place, she commented jokingly.

She looked around the hall then continued, Let me show you to your room.I

expect you would like to freshen up after your journey. She walked up the stairs

to one of the guest bedrooms. She said, Here we are I hope you will be

comfortable, Mr Chambers.

He looked around the room, as with all the other rooms it was tastefully

decorated and obviously intended for male guests as it had a Masculine feel to it.


32/40

There were no frills, flounces or flowers in the room. Instead there was a

colour scheme of chocolate brown and creams with a little wood panelling around

the lower half of the walls and some very nice ornamental boxes adorning the

windowsills and chest of drawers.

He said, It is a very nice room thank you, but I could have stayed at a bed

and breakfast, hepaused then carried on, It is nice of you to put me up and it isvery unusual too, people do not normally like us to stay with them.

He turned to put his bag on the chest at the foot of the bed then he said, If

you dont mind Miss Bucknell I would prefer to keep our relationship on a

business footing so I think first names would be inappropriate dont you?

Tessa also wanted to giggle at this statement. She had never met anyone quite

like Mr Chambers it was going to be an interesting few days. She just nodded and

said, Come down to the sitting room when you are ready and we will have some

tea and sandwiches then we can discuss the details of my collection.

When Tessa reached the foot of the stairs Elly was waiting for her andgrinning, her aunt looked at her as sternly as she could and said Elly it is not nice

to laugh at people and you know it.

Elly looked at her aunt and burst out laughing she knew her aunt was only

just managing to keep a straight face. Mr Chambers really was a funny little man.

She said, I cant help it aunt Tessa his whole demeanour makes me want to

giggle. I suppose I will get used to him and then I will probably not find him

funny at all, She was still smiling as they entered the sitting room but by the time

Mr Chambers had joined them thirty minutes later she had settling down.

Mr Chambers joined them in the sitting room and Tessa offered him somesandwiches and poured the tea.

She said, I thought we would have a light lunch and then get to work on the

antiques. We are going to have dinner about six oclock if that is alright with you,

Mr Chambers?

Mr Chambers gave a nod of his head and said, Yes, thank you that will be

acceptable.Then he carried on with his lunch. The next twenty minutes Elly and

her aunt found a little uncomfortable, no one said much, it seemed that Mr

Chambers was one of those people who did not like to eat and talk so they just sat

quietly until they had all finished their lunch.

Mr Chambers was the one that broke the silence. He said, Thank you for the

lunch it was very nice, now down to business. If the pieces you have in here are

anything to go by it will be an exciting few days for me Miss Bucknell.

Those three chairs you have under the window are exceptional; I dont

suppose they are going for sale, are they?

No, Tessa said, They have come down through the generations from myfathers side of the family.My sister Elizabeth, Ellys mum, has three andso do I.

They are probably the one of the few things I will never part with.

She went over to the chairs and stroked one lovingly she appreciated the

beauty of most antiques but these chairs were a reminder that their lineage, their

heritage was one of aristocracy.

This was all that remained from that era several generations past.

She said, It is one of the items that needs valuation for the insurance, you

could start with these if you like Mr Chambers, Elly will help you.


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His face beamed. His love of antiques equalled the passion of Tessas and he

was pleased to make a start with the chairs.

He said, looking at Elly, If you dont mind Miss Smythe would you please

write the description down for me in this note book. I can type my report when I

get back to London.

From his brief case he handed her a very large book that was obviously forvery large notes. Elly wanted to laugh again. This man was full of surprises and

even though he did not realize it he was funny.

He continued, Please write Three 18th century George 111 mahogany

dining chairs in the Chippendale-style. They have leaf scroll-carved pierced vase

splat backs and undulating top rails, stuff over seats and square-chamfered legs

with stretchers.

These are very fine chairs, Miss Bucknell, and in good condition. If you

decided to sell them you would probably be looking at 3,750 4,500 for the

three and if youre sister also decided to sell and you put them together you mayeven be looking at about 8,500 10,000 for the six of them He looked at her

hoping she would reconsider but she did not, the sentimental value was worth

more than money to her and to Ellys mother.

The day wore on as they went from room to room listing the pieces for the

insurance. It eventually became a chore, as Elly was not having the same amount

of fun that she had when she and Tessa were sorting out the same things.

She decided that she might not help tomorrow but go down to the village

instead. But for the rest of today she had to carry on writing in the big notebook.

Elly showed Mr Chambers into one of the smaller rooms. It was the library,albeit, not as big and grand as some of the larger houses, but all the same it was a

nice size.

Tessa did have some books in there as all the original book cases had been

renovated but it was now used as the office for the stable business and for Tessas

other interests. She was a sleeping partner in a couple of ventures.

As they went into the room Mr Chambers gave a squeal of delight he had

seen something at the far end of the room, Elly noticed that there was a small

cupboard that was very ornate and probably would not have looked out of place in

the Willows.

In fact, she found out later it was a small Renaissance revival oak credence

cupboard but it was not this object that had Mr Chambers spellbound it was a

vase that was standing on the top of this cupboard that had caught his eye.

He said, Can you ask your aunt to come in here for a moment please, I need

to ask her something?

Elly went to find Tessa. When they returned Tessa smiled at Mr Chambers.She said, I was wondering when you would come across this little item, it is

beautiful is it not? I have always liked it but I nearly knocked it off twice the

other week and Jenny, my housekeeper, has nearly come to blows with it also on

more than one occasion. I do not have anywhere else to put it so it is one of the

items that have to go.

Mr Chambers was beside himself. He actually, nearly smiled. He said

informatively, This looks like an early rare Satsuma dragon vase.He picked it

up to examine it and squealed again, Oh, it is. The signature is that of Satsuma


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Yaki Rokuzan Sei, and with the artists seal, I will have to get this verified but

you are looking at a good few thousands for this little gem Miss Bucknell.

Tessa whispered to Elly. They are looking at a good few hundred or even

thousands in fees.

Elly grinned. Mr Chambers was on cloud nine he really was ecstatic about

this vase.Tessa said, I think that is enough for today.Dinner is nearly ready and Jenny

will not be pleased if her meat and potato pie gets cold. Do you want to get

cleaned up before dinner Mr Chambers?

Yes he said, That would be excellent.

Mr Chambers was still beaming at his find and looking forward to

investigating what treasures the rest of the house had to offer in the morning.

Dinner was quite pleasant. Mr Chambers did not say a lot over dinner but he

did complement Mrs Underwood on making the best pie he had ever eaten. Elly

doubted that he could be a connoisseur of pies as he was so thin but she thoughthe did appear to eat well.

After dinner he talked incessantly about the chairs and the vase, he was

obviously looking forward to tomorrow and if it had not been that protocol

forbids him to work all through the night in someone elses house he would have

wanted to carry on.

Mr Chambers made his way up to bed about 9.30. He had some paper work to

do before he turned in so he took his leave and went up to his room. Elly and her

aunt were discussing the reaction of Mr Chambers to the vase when Ellys

thoughts turned to Robert.She was actually wondering if he would ever appear to her again. It was so

frustrating and yet it was a kind of relief that she felt, not having the responsibility

any more to solve a mystery or whatever it was he wanted in the first place. This

seemed to make her both sad and contented she felt very mixed up.

Tessa had been speaking to Elly but she was oblivious to the conversation.

Tessa looked at her. She said Elly!Elly! What is the matter, dear, you have not

heard a word I have said?

Elly looked startled, she saw her aunts worried face. She said, Oh, I am

sorry I was miles away. I think I will go to bed early I am a little tired. We have a

busy day tomorrow and I thought I might go to the village for a couple of hours in

the afternoon if you dont mind Aunt?

Tessa replied Well if you want some company on your little outing I may

even go with you. Its about time I started looking for Christmas presents and we

could have our tea in the pub if you like. That is unless you want to go alone.

Elly smiled she said, Of course I dont want to go alone, I love yourcompany, aunty, you know I do. Well I think I will go up now.With that she

gave her aunt a hug and made her way out of the room.

As Elly was leaving the room her aunt said Elly, she turned to look at her

aunt. You can drive the little car if you like.

Elly grinned; she went over to her aunt and nearly smothered her with a big

hug and a kiss. Tessa reminded her, Dont you get too complacent. I will be

watching your every move, and you can leave the gate post alone.


35/40

Elly still grinning floated up to bed she was like the cat that got the cream,

she was actually going to drive Tessas sports car.She was so looking forward to

it, the only misgiving she had was her reputation for hitting things that just

seemed to jump out on her. She knew it was always her fault but she would never

admit that to anyone.

Ellys sleep was disturbed, she kept dreaming about the portrait of Eloise.Shewoke up a couple of times but every time she dropped off to sleep the dream

came back.

The dream was not just about the portrait it was about the portrait coming to

life but not the one Elly had seen. It always started off with that Eloise then it

turned into Eloise dressed in 18th

century riding attire.

The Eloise in the dream was riding across the fields but not the fields that

Elly recognised, at least not all of them. She set off from the Willows stables,

rode through the grounds and out into the country side over fields that Elly did

know then through a gap in a fence and into fields around a familiar wood.She was obviously having a pleasant ride. It was a nice day and both rider and

horse were enjoying themselves when suddenly there was someone shouting,

someone that Eloise did not want to talk to.

She looked behind her and started to ride faster. She rode faster and faster

until she and the horse was breathless and struggling. The voice, which Elly knew

somehow, was that of a man, he was getting louder but she could not hear what he

was saying.

It was like watching a silent movie? The disembodied voice kept shouting at

Eloise but she was now galloping for her life and was getting more scared by theminute. It was difficult to hold on, as she appeared to be riding side saddle. Her

hat was a little larger than the usual riding hat and was falling to one side.

She rode faster and faster. She lost the hat, the slight breeze now causing her

hair to fly behind her. The pursuer was getting closer and closer. She was

panicking, her heart beating fast she was running scared and did not know where

to go. She was too far from the Willows by now she would make a turn and try to

make it to her beloved Robert.

He would protect her and settle this once and for all. She kept running she

could see the lake, not far to go now, just a little further.

Elly woke up. She always woke up at this point. This was the third time.

Why? Why at this point in the dream. Did Robert send it to her or was Eloise

trying to tell her something. This was getting a little frightening now; Elly had

things happening to her that no one including herself understood.

She was beginning to wonder if Mr Royston was right after all and they

should all be concerned about what this may mean for Elly.

/ / / / / / /

Elly was already up and in the kitchen with Mrs Underwood when Tessa

came down the next morning. She was going into the kitchen to say good

morning to Mrs Underwood when she noticed Elly, her eyes were red and she

looked extremely tired.


36/40

Tessa looked at Jenny Underwood and nodded to Elly. Jenny just nodded

towards Elly with a concerned face. Tessa said as she put her arm around her

niece. Good morning Jenny and good morning to you too Elly, you look a little

tired dear did you not sleep.

Elly looked at her aunt, she knew she must look shocking as she saw, not for

the first time, concern in her aunties face.She answered, I need to speak to youat some time today Aunt Tessa, I think it is important and I also need to ask you a

very big favour.

Tessa replied, It sounds very serious Elly!Do you want to talk now?Elly

shook her head. She wanted a time when they would not be interrupted and this

was not it. She knew Mr Chambers would be coming down to breakfast soon and

she did not want him knowing about her problems. Just as she was thinking this

she heard him in the hallway.

Tessa called out, We will be with you in a moment Mr Chambers, please go

into the dining room, breakfast is on its way.She continued, Elly dear do youwant to talk after breakfast or would you prefer to talk in the car or the pub when

we go to the village?

Elly decided it would be better to talk away from the house; she would feel

more comfortable so she informed her aunt of this decision.

Breakfast was an odd affair there was Elly not saying a word, Mr Chambers

rabbiting on about antiques, which was unusual for him while having a meal, and

Tessa trying to make conversation with the excited Mr Chambers while obviously

distracted by Ellys plight.

After breakfast Tessa made her apologies to Mr Chambers. She said she hadurgent business in the village and she needed Elly to come with her. Mr

Chambers looked a little worried.

He said in a very pompous tone, It is usual Miss Bucknell for the owner of

the house or someone familiar with it to be present during these appraisals.

He was going to say more but Tessa interrupted.

She said, Wait a moment I think I have a solution to the problem, it is Julies

day to be in the stable office. I will ask her if she wants to work an extra day and

then she can help you. She is quite familiar with the house and I trust her

implicitly.

With that she left the room to go to the office/library. Mr Chambers looked

unsure of this arrangement he was not used to changes and he did not like surprise

changes at all.

By the time Tessa came back into the room Mr Chambers had got himself

into a nervous state.

He said, Miss Bucknell I do most strongly protest about this arrangement Iwould much rather you or young Miss Smythe be here, this is highly irregular.

Aunt Tessa said, Dont worry Mr Chambers.Julie, I mean Mrs Cleever has

kindly consented to go around the house with you, but she must be finished for

3.00.

She has the children to sort out but we will probably be back by then if you

need to carry on.

Jenny will be making you some sandwiches for lunch, I think that is

everything, oh yes, dinner will be at six if thats all right?


37/40

Mr Chambers looked at her. He said, Well I am not all together happy about

it Miss Bucknell, but thank you for solving the problem. If you could tell me

where I may find Mrs Cleever, I would like to make a start a soon as possible.


38/40

Chapter Four

Tales and Family

As Elly waited for Joseph Underwood to bring the car round to the door she was

deep in thought, she was still wondering what the dream had meant and if she

would have a repeat performance that night.

This and many other thoughts were whizzing round her head so fast she was

getting a head ache from it all.As the car arrived she said, I dont really feel like driving today Aunt Tessa,

will you take it!

She again for the second time that morning could see the worry in her aunts

eyes. Elly had been trying to get behind the wheel of this particular car for so long

and now it was within her grasp she did not have the concentration to drive it.

Tessa got into the car and waited for Elly to get in. She did not say anything

she knew Elly was troubled and she was anxious to find out why but she would

talk when she was ready and hopefully that would be in the village.

The drive to the village was strained at first. Elly tried to make conversationbut it was poor, her heart was not in it so she decided to just sit quiet and wait

until they were somewhere they could talk properly.

Tessa said, Elly, shouldwe go to South Etching instead. There are far more

shops to look round and the Pheasant and Fox has a very nice fillet steak with

peppercorn sauce.

Elly nodded and they continued their journey. When they reached the village,

which had now grown into a small town, Elly felt a lot brighter. It was a nice

crisp day but not too cold, it was late November and the autumn leaves were

nearly gone, but even so Elly could still see the beauty in the trees. The snowwould be the next thing to enhance the beauty of the countryside.

Her thoughts snapped back to her environment. She looked at the shops as

they passed to go to the car park. She saw a nice dress in one of the boutiques in

the High Street and decided she would try it on.

She had not had anything new since before her illness, this was mainly

because of all the weight loss but now she was getting back to her normal size ten

or twelve and with Christmas on the horizon a new dress was just what she

needed.

They parked up, paid for a full day stay and started to walk into the town.

Tessa said, Would you like a coffee dear or do you prefer to do a little

shopping first? She was hoping that Elly would choose the former but she

decided on the latter so they went to the High Street to look at the dress Elly had

seen.


39/40

Elly was very pleased with herself as they came out of the boutique. She had

bought the dress and a sweater, she had also persuaded her Aunt to buy a new

dress too, now they would both look glitzy as she called it for Christmas.

She said, I would like that coffee now and a chat if you dont mind Aunt

Tessa. I will try not to make a long tale of it

A long tale, Tessa replied, It must be a good story Elly.Tessa walked towards a new tea and coffee shop that had just opened off the

High Street. She told Elly it was very nice and served proper Victorian Teas after

2pm in which you had sandwiches, a scone and a cake; but for now a coffee

would suffice.

Elly looked at the shop, appropriately it was called The Victorian Tea Shop,

it was old worldly but with a clean modern feel to it. Elly immediately liked it and

knew it would be a place she would revisit.

After they had settled at a corner table and the coffee had arrived Tessa said,

Now, are you going to tell me what is bothering you dear or am I going to haveto suffer until lunch time?

Elly forced a smile and then explained to her aunt about the dream. After she

had finished, she said, I am not sure what it means, was it just a dream or was it

like a replay of the past and if so why was this woman, who looked like Eloise!

Like me! Why was she wearing 18th Century riding attire and riding side saddle?

She really did look as if she was struggling to stay on the horse. How she did

not fall I do not know and it was not because she was riding side saddle but

because of the sheer speed of the horse. Eloise was pushing it to the brink of

exhaustion and you only do that in desperation.Elly paused then added, Thingskeep happening to me aunty, things I can cannot control, I do not want to sound

melodramatic but there has got to be a reason why this is all happening to me now

hasnt there?

Tessa sat thinking; she was trying to make sense of the things her niece had

told her. She said, As the Bucknell family Custodian happens to be a ver

elly's juxtapose by pauline taylor

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