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Authors: Victoria Holt
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atmosphere in these ancient houses ; and at nightfall the shadows came to plague those whose imaginations were too vivid. I was in an extraordinary position. I was eventually to be the mistress of this house, and three days ago no one in it had been aware of my existence. No wonder I was resented.
I shook off the uncanny feeling, turned my back on the portraits and followed Gabriel through a door on the right and into a corridor. We went along this until we came to a door which Gabriel threw open. I gave a gasp of pleasure for I was standing on the threshold of a charming room. The 44 heavy red damask curtains had been drawn across the windows; a fire was burning m the big open fireplace and, on the mantelpiece which was of beautifully carved white marble, candles in gleaming silver candlesticks were burning and throwing a soft light about the room. I saw the four-poster bed with the curtains to match those at the windows, the tall boy, the chairs with tapestry backs worked in gold and red; there were red rugs which seemed to be flecked with gold, and the general effect was of warmth. On a table was a bowl of red roses.
Gabriel looked at them and flushed. Then he said: ” Thank you, Ruth.”
” There was too little time to do much.”
” This is a beautiful room,” I said.
She nodded.
“It’s a pity you, can’t see the view from the window.”
” She will in an hour or so,” put in Gabriel. ” The moon will be up then.”
I felt my fears evaporating.
” I’m going to leave you now,” said Ruth. “‘ll1 have hot water sent up; and could you be ready to dine in three- quarters of an hour?”
I said we could; and she and Luke left us. As the door shut on them Gabriel and I looked at each other in silence.
Then Gabriel said: “What’s wrong, Catherine? You don’t like it, do you?”
” It’s so magnificent,” I began. ” I didn’t imagine …” Then I could not restrain my resentment. ” Why on earth didn’t you tell them you were getting married?”
He flushed and looked distressed, but I was determined to know the truth.
” Well, I didn’t want any fuss….”
“Fuss!” I interrupted.
“But I thought you went back to tell them.”
” So I did.”
” And you found you couldn’t … when it came to the point?”
“There might have been opposition. I didn’t want that.”
” You mean they wouldn’t have thought me worthy to marry into their family?” I knew that my eyes were flashing;
[ was both angry and miserable; this was such a disappointing beginning to my life in this house. I was hurt with Gabriel, and very depressed because I was realising that the fact that 45 my marriage had to be kept a secret until it was a fait accompli meant I was not going to live on very easy terms with my new family.
” Good heavens, no!” cried Gabriel emphatically. He caught me by the shoulders, but somewhat impatiently I freed myself. ” They’ll be delighted … once they know you. They don’t like change, though.
You know what families are. “
” No,” I retorted, ” I don’t. And they are distressed, which is natural. The idea of having me suddenly produced as a new member of the family 1 I can understand how they feel.”
” But you don’t understand, Catherine,” Gabriel said pleadingly.
“Then tell me,” I flashed at him.
“Explain. Why does there have to be this mystery?”
He looked very unhappy. ” But there is no mystery. It’s simply that I didn’t tell them. I didn’t want fuss and bother. [ wanted to marry you as quickly as possible so that we could be together and make the most of all the time that’s left.”
When he spoke like that all my anger disappeared. Thai softness, that desire to make him happy because he was afraid of something in life (perhaps it was of death) enveloped me. It was because of this desire that I had married him. I vaguely understood then that he was afraid of something in this house, and
I shook off the uncanny feeling, turned my back on the portraits and followed Gabriel through a door on the right and into a corridor. We went along this until we came to a door which Gabriel threw open. I gave a gasp of pleasure for I was standing on the threshold of a charming room. The 44 heavy red damask curtains had been drawn across the windows; a fire was burning m the big open fireplace and, on the mantelpiece which was of beautifully carved white marble, candles in gleaming silver candlesticks were burning and throwing a soft light about the room. I saw the four-poster bed with the curtains to match those at the windows, the tall boy, the chairs with tapestry backs worked in gold and red; there were red rugs which seemed to be flecked with gold, and the general effect was of warmth. On a table was a bowl of red roses.
Gabriel looked at them and flushed. Then he said: ” Thank you, Ruth.”
” There was too little time to do much.”
” This is a beautiful room,” I said.
She nodded.
“It’s a pity you, can’t see the view from the window.”
” She will in an hour or so,” put in Gabriel. ” The moon will be up then.”
I felt my fears evaporating.
” I’m going to leave you now,” said Ruth. “‘ll1 have hot water sent up; and could you be ready to dine in three- quarters of an hour?”
I said we could; and she and Luke left us. As the door shut on them Gabriel and I looked at each other in silence.
Then Gabriel said: “What’s wrong, Catherine? You don’t like it, do you?”
” It’s so magnificent,” I began. ” I didn’t imagine …” Then I could not restrain my resentment. ” Why on earth didn’t you tell them you were getting married?”
He flushed and looked distressed, but I was determined to know the truth.
” Well, I didn’t want any fuss….”
“Fuss!” I interrupted.
“But I thought you went back to tell them.”
” So I did.”
” And you found you couldn’t … when it came to the point?”
“There might have been opposition. I didn’t want that.”
” You mean they wouldn’t have thought me worthy to marry into their family?” I knew that my eyes were flashing;
[ was both angry and miserable; this was such a disappointing beginning to my life in this house. I was hurt with Gabriel, and very depressed because I was realising that the fact that 45 my marriage had to be kept a secret until it was a fait accompli meant I was not going to live on very easy terms with my new family.
” Good heavens, no!” cried Gabriel emphatically. He caught me by the shoulders, but somewhat impatiently I freed myself. ” They’ll be delighted … once they know you. They don’t like change, though.
You know what families are. “
” No,” I retorted, ” I don’t. And they are distressed, which is natural. The idea of having me suddenly produced as a new member of the family 1 I can understand how they feel.”
” But you don’t understand, Catherine,” Gabriel said pleadingly.
“Then tell me,” I flashed at him.
“Explain. Why does there have to be this mystery?”
He looked very unhappy. ” But there is no mystery. It’s simply that I didn’t tell them. I didn’t want fuss and bother. [ wanted to marry you as quickly as possible so that we could be together and make the most of all the time that’s left.”
When he spoke like that all my anger disappeared. Thai softness, that desire to make him happy because he was afraid of something in life (perhaps it was of death) enveloped me. It was because of this desire that I had married him. I vaguely understood then that he was afraid of something in this house, and
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