Read Online The Locket of Dreams by Belinda Murrell - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Belinda Murrell
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door.
Wilson the butler, wearing a jacket over his nightclothes, hurried down the back stairs and into the hall, carrying a hastily lit lantern. Nanny bustled after him, a thin wrapper over her nightclothes, her hair covered by a mob-cap. She was followed by two chambermaids, who were clutching each other nervously.
Wilson unbolted the big front door, which slowly swung open. A saturated fisherman fell into the hallway, shedding puddles from his sou-wester.
‘My God, man!’ Wilson exclaimed. ‘Whatever has happened?’
‘Storm,’ panted the fisherman, breathless from his breakneck ride. ‘Ship hit the rocks near Kyle of Lochalsh. Eliza Mackenzie sank without trace. We saved two mates.We fear the crew and the laird of Dungorm are lost.’
A faint sob came from the top of the marble staircase.
‘Alexander? No. No. Please God, not my Alexander.’
Eliza stood like a ghost in her long white nightgown, a crimson shawl thrown over her shoulders and her long hair tumbling down her back. One of the chambermaids shrieked.
‘My lady,’ cried Nanny, running up the stairs. But Nanny was too late. Eliza crumpled to the floor and slid down the stairs, her head banging on the hard marble.
‘Noooooo,’ screamed Sophie and found herself whooshing up the stairs, past the gaping servants, past Nanny and up to Eliza’s tumbling body. When Sophie reached her, a moment later, Eliza had fallen only a couple of steps.
Sophie was as frail as tissue paper. She could see right through her own hand to the rich Persian carpet below. Yet somehow her panic gave her strength. She skimmed up the stairs and met Eliza’s falling body with her own transparent ghostly one.
Sophie concentrated with all her mind. Save Eliza. Stop her falling .
Somehow, like a mother who manages to lift an impossibly heavy car off the body of her fallen child, Sophie managed to break Eliza’s fall and stop her on the third step. In a moment Nanny was there fussing over Eliza, cradling her head in her lap and murmuring soothing noises, while fat, salty tears fell from her eyes.
Downstairs the chambermaids sobbed in shock and fear. Wilson the butler shouted orders, sending for smelling salts, wet cloths, towels for the fisherman, hot tea.
All the servants were now gathered in the hall and leapt tohis command, tending Eliza, fetching items, rubbing down and stabling the shivering horse, towelling the fisherman dry and leading him to the kitchen for hot tea and rum.
Sophie collapsed on the stairs, trembling violently with the effort of saving Eliza, overwhelmed with both relief and grief. Sally the chambermaid stepped right through Sophie’s ghostly body as she ran up the stairs.
Nanny carefully checked Eliza’s head, neck and back before supervising two footmen who carried her back to bed. The chambermaid hurried in with the smelling salts and wet cloths.
Nanny looked at Eliza’s wan face. It seemed cruel to wake her up, to make her face this nightmare. Nanny took a deep breath, then waved the pungent smelling salts under Eliza’s nose.
Eliza coughed and choked. She woke up, her eyelids fluttering open. She took in Nanny, the smelling salts, her vicious headache and the feeling that her insides had been ripped open by a knife. Consciousness flooded back.
‘Alexander, oh, Alexander,’ Eliza moaned. Sophie floated near the dressing table, tears spilling down her cheeks. She wondered where Charlotte and Nell were. Was it possible they had slept through all this commotion?
‘Where are my girls?’ begged Eliza. ‘Do they know? Are they awake?’
Nanny shook her head, trying to speak. ‘I sent one o’ the kitchen maids to check on them … the bonnie lassies were sleeping like bairns. I could no’ bear to wake them up, and I wanted to make sure ye were all right first.’
‘Thank you, Nanny,’ whispered Eliza. ‘You did well. I do not want to scare them unnecessarily. Hopefully bymorning we will have found him.’ She paused, her voice
Wilson the butler, wearing a jacket over his nightclothes, hurried down the back stairs and into the hall, carrying a hastily lit lantern. Nanny bustled after him, a thin wrapper over her nightclothes, her hair covered by a mob-cap. She was followed by two chambermaids, who were clutching each other nervously.
Wilson unbolted the big front door, which slowly swung open. A saturated fisherman fell into the hallway, shedding puddles from his sou-wester.
‘My God, man!’ Wilson exclaimed. ‘Whatever has happened?’
‘Storm,’ panted the fisherman, breathless from his breakneck ride. ‘Ship hit the rocks near Kyle of Lochalsh. Eliza Mackenzie sank without trace. We saved two mates.We fear the crew and the laird of Dungorm are lost.’
A faint sob came from the top of the marble staircase.
‘Alexander? No. No. Please God, not my Alexander.’
Eliza stood like a ghost in her long white nightgown, a crimson shawl thrown over her shoulders and her long hair tumbling down her back. One of the chambermaids shrieked.
‘My lady,’ cried Nanny, running up the stairs. But Nanny was too late. Eliza crumpled to the floor and slid down the stairs, her head banging on the hard marble.
‘Noooooo,’ screamed Sophie and found herself whooshing up the stairs, past the gaping servants, past Nanny and up to Eliza’s tumbling body. When Sophie reached her, a moment later, Eliza had fallen only a couple of steps.
Sophie was as frail as tissue paper. She could see right through her own hand to the rich Persian carpet below. Yet somehow her panic gave her strength. She skimmed up the stairs and met Eliza’s falling body with her own transparent ghostly one.
Sophie concentrated with all her mind. Save Eliza. Stop her falling .
Somehow, like a mother who manages to lift an impossibly heavy car off the body of her fallen child, Sophie managed to break Eliza’s fall and stop her on the third step. In a moment Nanny was there fussing over Eliza, cradling her head in her lap and murmuring soothing noises, while fat, salty tears fell from her eyes.
Downstairs the chambermaids sobbed in shock and fear. Wilson the butler shouted orders, sending for smelling salts, wet cloths, towels for the fisherman, hot tea.
All the servants were now gathered in the hall and leapt tohis command, tending Eliza, fetching items, rubbing down and stabling the shivering horse, towelling the fisherman dry and leading him to the kitchen for hot tea and rum.
Sophie collapsed on the stairs, trembling violently with the effort of saving Eliza, overwhelmed with both relief and grief. Sally the chambermaid stepped right through Sophie’s ghostly body as she ran up the stairs.
Nanny carefully checked Eliza’s head, neck and back before supervising two footmen who carried her back to bed. The chambermaid hurried in with the smelling salts and wet cloths.
Nanny looked at Eliza’s wan face. It seemed cruel to wake her up, to make her face this nightmare. Nanny took a deep breath, then waved the pungent smelling salts under Eliza’s nose.
Eliza coughed and choked. She woke up, her eyelids fluttering open. She took in Nanny, the smelling salts, her vicious headache and the feeling that her insides had been ripped open by a knife. Consciousness flooded back.
‘Alexander, oh, Alexander,’ Eliza moaned. Sophie floated near the dressing table, tears spilling down her cheeks. She wondered where Charlotte and Nell were. Was it possible they had slept through all this commotion?
‘Where are my girls?’ begged Eliza. ‘Do they know? Are they awake?’
Nanny shook her head, trying to speak. ‘I sent one o’ the kitchen maids to check on them … the bonnie lassies were sleeping like bairns. I could no’ bear to wake them up, and I wanted to make sure ye were all right first.’
‘Thank you, Nanny,’ whispered Eliza. ‘You did well. I do not want to scare them unnecessarily. Hopefully bymorning we will have found him.’ She paused, her voice
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