Read Online Here Comes a Candle by Jane Aiken Hodge - Free Book Online
Authors: Jane Aiken Hodge
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yourself? Well, that ’ s something. Yes, Job? ”
“ Tea is ready, Miz ’ Penrose. ”
“ Tea? Oh—you ’ ve not eaten, Jonathan? ” Wearily graceful, she led the way across the hall to a crimson and mahogany dining room, and sat watching them eat with a sultry indifference that took away any appetite Kate ’ s exhaustion had left her. She had grown so used to the American habit of asking questions that she was actually disconcerted by Arabella ’ s silence, but Jonathan seemed to notice nothing. He had questions of his own for his wife, about the manufactury, the news in Boston ... Her answers were oddly negative, Kate thought, harping always on how she had been tied to the house by Sarah ’ s bad behavior.
It was an awkward enough meal, and Kate was deeply grateful when Jonathan, saying, “ Mrs. Croston ’ s exhausted. I ’ m afraid I have brought her across country at a monstrous speed, ” gave her an excuse to escape.
Arabella rang a silver handbell. “ You won ’ t mind, Mrs. Croston, if Job shows you to your room? I have the migraine, a little. And—we keep early hours here in Penrose, you will find. Prue—the girl ’ s in bed long since, and I would not ask Mrs. Peters. ”
Jonathan was on his feet. “ I will take Mrs. Croston up, ” he said. “ We might look in on Sarah as we go. ”
“ I wonder you ’ ve waited so long. ” Something very strange in her tone, but Kate was beyond analysis.
Sarah ’ s room was on the second floor, next door to her father ’ s. “ Arabella ’ s over there. ” Jonathan pointed to a door at the far end of the red-carpeted hallway. “ You are to be upstairs, I believe, in the chintz rooms ... I had meant— ” he stopped, gestured for silence, and eased open the door of Sarah ’ s room.
It was dark inside, cool and quiet, with only a faint glimmer by the bed where a night light burned under a glass shade. “ I said she must always have light, ” he whispered. And then, “ Sarah, love, are you awake? ”
A listening silence in the room, and the faintest possible stirring under the bedclothes was all his answer.
“ It ’ s Father, love. I ’ m back. ” This time the only response was a definite movement down among the bedclothes. He sighed, moved forward to tuck in a loose sheet, bent to kiss the quiff of dark hair that showed against the pillow, and came back to Kate, who had stayed quietly by the door. “ She ’ s always worse when I ’ ve been away, ” he said, closing it behind them. “ Sometimes I let myself think that ’ s a good sign. ”
“ Yes. ” Thoughtfully. “ I see what you mean. She does notice— ”
“ Exactly. ” He had turned to lead the way to a steep flight of stairs that went up from the center of the hallway. “ Mrs. Penrose has had you put on the upper floor, ” he said, with a trace of apology, “ we will have to see— ”
The servants ’ floor? But he answered the unspoken question by pointing to a door at the head of the stairs. “ The servants ’ quarters are through there, if you should need anything. They have their own stairway. These are your apartments. I ’ m sorry Arabella is not well enough— ”
“ But it ’ s charming! ” The opened door revealed a snug low-ceilinged sitting room lit by candles above the hearth where a newly lit fire burned brightly. The chintz curtains and chair covers had evidently given the room its name .
“ The bedroom ’ s through there. ” The door stood ajar and she glanced in to see a bed, hospitably ready, and her carpetbag standing in a corner. It was all of a sudden an oddly awkward moment. “ I hope you have everything— ” he had stayed with his hand on the door handle.
“ Absolutely. It looks like heaven. And I could sleep for days. ” A yawn fought with the words. “ Good night, Mr. Penrose. ”
Downstairs, Arabella had poured herself a glass of madeira and was sitting, elbows on table, lazily sipping it. “ Did she greet you with
“ Tea is ready, Miz ’ Penrose. ”
“ Tea? Oh—you ’ ve not eaten, Jonathan? ” Wearily graceful, she led the way across the hall to a crimson and mahogany dining room, and sat watching them eat with a sultry indifference that took away any appetite Kate ’ s exhaustion had left her. She had grown so used to the American habit of asking questions that she was actually disconcerted by Arabella ’ s silence, but Jonathan seemed to notice nothing. He had questions of his own for his wife, about the manufactury, the news in Boston ... Her answers were oddly negative, Kate thought, harping always on how she had been tied to the house by Sarah ’ s bad behavior.
It was an awkward enough meal, and Kate was deeply grateful when Jonathan, saying, “ Mrs. Croston ’ s exhausted. I ’ m afraid I have brought her across country at a monstrous speed, ” gave her an excuse to escape.
Arabella rang a silver handbell. “ You won ’ t mind, Mrs. Croston, if Job shows you to your room? I have the migraine, a little. And—we keep early hours here in Penrose, you will find. Prue—the girl ’ s in bed long since, and I would not ask Mrs. Peters. ”
Jonathan was on his feet. “ I will take Mrs. Croston up, ” he said. “ We might look in on Sarah as we go. ”
“ I wonder you ’ ve waited so long. ” Something very strange in her tone, but Kate was beyond analysis.
Sarah ’ s room was on the second floor, next door to her father ’ s. “ Arabella ’ s over there. ” Jonathan pointed to a door at the far end of the red-carpeted hallway. “ You are to be upstairs, I believe, in the chintz rooms ... I had meant— ” he stopped, gestured for silence, and eased open the door of Sarah ’ s room.
It was dark inside, cool and quiet, with only a faint glimmer by the bed where a night light burned under a glass shade. “ I said she must always have light, ” he whispered. And then, “ Sarah, love, are you awake? ”
A listening silence in the room, and the faintest possible stirring under the bedclothes was all his answer.
“ It ’ s Father, love. I ’ m back. ” This time the only response was a definite movement down among the bedclothes. He sighed, moved forward to tuck in a loose sheet, bent to kiss the quiff of dark hair that showed against the pillow, and came back to Kate, who had stayed quietly by the door. “ She ’ s always worse when I ’ ve been away, ” he said, closing it behind them. “ Sometimes I let myself think that ’ s a good sign. ”
“ Yes. ” Thoughtfully. “ I see what you mean. She does notice— ”
“ Exactly. ” He had turned to lead the way to a steep flight of stairs that went up from the center of the hallway. “ Mrs. Penrose has had you put on the upper floor, ” he said, with a trace of apology, “ we will have to see— ”
The servants ’ floor? But he answered the unspoken question by pointing to a door at the head of the stairs. “ The servants ’ quarters are through there, if you should need anything. They have their own stairway. These are your apartments. I ’ m sorry Arabella is not well enough— ”
“ But it ’ s charming! ” The opened door revealed a snug low-ceilinged sitting room lit by candles above the hearth where a newly lit fire burned brightly. The chintz curtains and chair covers had evidently given the room its name .
“ The bedroom ’ s through there. ” The door stood ajar and she glanced in to see a bed, hospitably ready, and her carpetbag standing in a corner. It was all of a sudden an oddly awkward moment. “ I hope you have everything— ” he had stayed with his hand on the door handle.
“ Absolutely. It looks like heaven. And I could sleep for days. ” A yawn fought with the words. “ Good night, Mr. Penrose. ”
Downstairs, Arabella had poured herself a glass of madeira and was sitting, elbows on table, lazily sipping it. “ Did she greet you with
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