Page 48 of Beatrix

The drive seemed as though it went on for miles, and the barmaid’s skin almost prickled, feeling eyes on her from both directions. As they got closer, she pulled Billy back into her skirts, mumbling ‘Keep yer eyes on the ground, no lookin’ at anyone.’

Moments later, they were stepping up to the fancy door. Gladys gave it a sharp rap and stepped back. In the two minutes it took for the door to open, she felt the sweat begin trickling down between her shoulder blades. It was a long time since she’d felt such a shivering Jemmy.

The face that appeared in the open doorway was that of a woman Gladys reckoned was likely a similar age to her. But that was where the similarity ended. The woman stared at her with eyes that seemed to suck in the light. It took a lot to scare the barmaid, but looking at the face scrutinising her from behind the door, she felt a stirring of true fear.

Whatever else she was, the woman staring at her was evil.

‘Yes?’ In contrast to her appearance, the woman’s voice was soft and refined. Gladys gripped Billy’s hand tighter, fighting a sudden urge to run. Then, will a small cough, she repeated the Banbury story she’d given the guard.

The woman’s answer was to pull the door wider, and step through it. Seen fully for the first time, she reminded Gladys of a spider. Without speaking, she took hold of Billy’s chin, and lifted his head. The boy tightened his grip on the hand holding his but didn’t pull away. The bravado he’d shown earlier had vanished as soon as the woman answered the door.

It was a good thirty seconds before she spoke. ‘I’m afraid he’s so filthy I can’t tell if he belongs here. I think the only thing to do is clean him up and have another look.’ She turned and stepped back through the door, throwing an indifferent ‘Follow me’ over her shoulder.

For a moment both Gladys and Billy remained rooted to the spot. Both knew it was far too late to run now, but the thought of stepping into the darkness beyond the door provoked an almost primordial fear that neither had ever felt before.

The woman turned and waited, barely discernible in a hallway of shadows.

At length, Gladys gave Billy’s hand one last squeeze, then without letting him go, stepped into the darkness. ‘Shut the door behind you,’ the woman ordered without moving.

The door closing sounded like a death knell and plunged the area into an almost stygian darkness. Next to her, Billy gave a small sniffle, and all of a sudden, the barmaid’s fear turned to anger, and stepping forward, she declared, ‘I can’t see ‘and in front o’ me in ‘ere. You a bloody vampire or summat?’

In answer, the woman sighed. ‘Wait here,’ she ordered coldly, before turning and slipping through a door directly behind her. A few seconds later, she reappeared, this time carrying an oil lamp, next to which her face now appeared like something out of a Penny Dreadful.

Gritting her teeth, Gladys cast a quick look round the hallway revealed in the flickering light. It was the oddest shape - almost circular, with several doors leading off and a narrow winding staircase off to their right. Each door was set inside a gothic pointed arch, and above them, the ceiling was made up of what looked like stone vaulting. The whole place was silent, with no sign of any guards or anyone else for that matter.

‘I’ll take the boy from here,’ the woman intoned. In answer, Billy’s grip on the barmaid became almost painful.

‘I don’t reckon so,’ Gladys responded firmly. ‘The lad’s ‘ad a nasty bump on ‘is head an’ can’t remember ‘is own name or where ‘e’s from. I don’t want to leave ‘im here if I’ve got the wrong end o’ the bloody stick. Why don’t I put ‘im in a tub in the kitchen an’ save you the trouble. Then you can take a squint at ‘im, an’ if ‘e’s from ‘ere, I’ll be on me way. If not, I’ll take ‘im off yer ‘ands.’

For a moment she thought she’d gone too far, then the woman shrugged and nodded. Gladys guessed the thought of having to scrub down a grubby urchin didn’t appeal. Without another word, she turned and led them towards a deeper patch of shadow, which turned out to be a low-ceilinged passageway with a door at the end. As soon as it was pushed open, welcome light flooded in. Desperate to get out of the dark, both barmaid and boy quickened their pace.

In contrast to the dramatic entrance hall, the kitchen contained little more than a primitive range, a stone sink and a large, weathered table. It was an odd shape to accommodate the circular hall, and the walls had just been whitewashed.

Their guide pointed to a door in the corner. ‘The bathtub’s in there and pump’s outside. I can give you no more than half an hour. The scullery maid will assist you when she returns.’ With that, the harridan stepped back into the passageway and closed the door firmly behind her, leaving Gladys and Billy alone.

* * *

It took longer than they’d anticipated to reach their destination, and by the time they stepped onto the platform in Yatton station, it was nearing three o’clock. Jem and Spry disappeared almost immediately, declaring they’d meet the other three men on the northern edge of the deer park at eight thirty or thereabouts. Quite how they’d find it was waved nonchalantly away.

Naturally, the remaining members of the party were a little concerned at the thought that the two members of the team with singular breaking and entering skills might well have done a runner. However, none of them could deny that even a temporary respite from the strong smell of decomposing liver drifting up from Jem’s pocket was more than welcome. Aside from Aggie, that is, who spent the entire train journey staring at the man adoringly while sniffing the air in drooling anticipation. Unsurprisingly, no one managed a witty response to his mumbled, ‘Told you I ‘ad a way wi’ dogs.’

Still, Charlotte especially was persuaded that hiring a private room for dinner was not going to end up with them being slung out on their collective ears…

After leaving their luggage in the station cloakroom, they headed to the Great Western Hotel just outside. It was busy enough to ensure they didn’t attract any unwanted attention, liver induced or otherwise, and gave them the opportunity to spend a couple of hours enjoying a hot meal. The fact that even Beatrix had to force the meal down was not alluded to, since everyone realised it might be some time before they had another one. That said, Aggie certainly wouldn’t be needing a late-night snack.

At five thirty it was time for them to split up and head their separate ways to the planned muster points. Beatrix found herself watching enviously as Alex and Bella both received passionate embraces, regardless of propriety, and couldn’t help glancing over at Rob, only to find him already staring at her, the look in his eyes gratifyingly intense. Bea reddened, only belatedly noting that the entire exchange was being enthusiastically observed by Daisy and Flo…

The three younger men departed first, hiring a carriage from a local fly proprietor a few yards down the road, while Henry remained behind to chaperone the ladies. Rather than use the same business, Henry hired two carriages from the hotel itself. After being informed that the journey back to Axbridge would take approximately an hour, the carriages were booked for six thirty. They would be dropped on the edge of the village, thus necessitating only a two-mile walk to the Grange.

All they could do in the meantime was wait.

* * *

‘Do I ‘ave to take a bath?’ Billy complained as soon as they were alone.

‘Are you tellin’ me that of all the bloody things you could gribble about, you choose to whinge about ‘avin’ a bleedin’ bath?’ Gladys shook her head in disbelief, before marching over to the pantry. Pulling open the door, she stopped, shaking her head at the shelf filled with joints of meat, fresh bread and large pitchers of milk. There were also several small casks of ale on the stone floor.

Billy, coming to stand beside her, muttered, ‘I bet none o’ the prisoners are seein’ any o’ this lot.’