Whisper Of Darkness. Anne Mather
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were best taken hot. Lamb was a greasy dish at any time, and in Mrs Harris’s unskilled hands it had been allowed to swim in its own fat. Left to go cold, it would be revolting, and she wondered whether her employer would be expected to eat it later. The vegetables, boiled carrots and potatoes, had fared a little better, but the gravy, like the soup earlier, was inclined to be floury. The custard tart to finish was not set properly, and as she sat over a cup of instant coffee, which anyone could make, Joanna wondered if the housekeeper would object to being given a few tips. Cooking was one of Joanna’s few accomplishments, and although in the past it had been confined to preparing sauces and desserts for far more elaborate meals, she didn’t think she could do much worse than the unfortunate Mrs Harris.
With supper over, she wandered aimlessly into the sitting room, switching on the standard lamp by the window, and drawing the heavy repp curtains. She discovered a rack of paperback books in an alcove, and a pile of outdated science magazines, and the furnishings were completed by a pair of buttoned horsehair sofas, that gave as liberally as a saddle when one sat upon them, and a black and white television set. Two corner cupboards faced the wide fireplace, but their contents of chipped and dusty porcelain inspired only a fleeting interest. There were no dolls in evidence, no toys at all that she could see, except a couple of jigsaw puzzles, stuffed into the bottom of the bookcase. None of the items present in the room seemed to reflect Jake Sheldon’s personality, and Joanna wondered whether he had bought—or leased?—the property already furnished. That would account for its deplorable lack of taste, she thought, although why she should imagine Jake Sheldon might have any taste was not a proposition she cared to explore.
Picking up one of the paperback books, she attempted to glean some interest in the activities of a well-known private detective, but her ears were constantly alert for any sound of her employer’s return, and the events being described in the book seemed far less improbable than her own situation. She wondered if there was a phone so that she could ring her mother, but the idea of assuring her of her daughter’s well-being seemed totally ludicrous in the present circumstances, and she decided to wait and write when she felt less emotional than she did at present.
She guessed she must have fallen asleep on the sofa, despite its hardness, because when she next looked at the clock on the stone mantelpiece, it was after ten o’clock. She thought some sound must have wakened her, but she was still alone in the room, and inclined to be chilly because of the lowering of her body temperature during her nap.
She got stiffly off the couch and walked to the door into the hall, but there was no one about, and a frown furrowed her brow. She supposed she might as well go to bed as wait here indefinitely for her employer to appear, and with a feeling of flatness she went up the stairs to her room.
It was only as she opened the bedroom door that a sudden thought struck her. She had neither seen nor heard from Antonia all evening, and while her father had declared she was safely in bed, remembering the incident in the woods, Joanna couldn’t help but feel apprehensive. She had read books about naughty children who upset suitcases and squeezed out toothpaste and even put lizards in their governesses’ beds. While she had been lazily snoozing downstairs, Antonia—or Anya—could quite easily have wrought havoc up here.
She pushed open the door tentatively, half prepared to step back if some awful booby trap was waiting for her, but after groping for the switch and turning the light on, she found no apparent signs of mayhem. On the contrary, the room was exactly as she had left it, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she closed the door.
She undressed quickly, shivering as she put on the nightgown she had rummaged out of her case. The rest of her belongings could wait until the morning to be unpacked, she decided firmly, and after a speedy trip to the bathroom she climbed eagerly between the sheets.
The mattress was at least interior sprung, but the nap she had had downstairs had left her wide awake now that she wanted to fall asleep. She tossed and turned incessantly, wondering about Antonia, wondering whether she ought to have checked on the child to see if she was all right before going to bed, wondering whether Jake Sheldon would expect her to be waiting up for him whatever time he chose to come back. She finally fell into a fitful slumber that was rudely destroyed by someone drawing back the curtains and shaking her awake.
‘What is it? What time is it?’ she mumbled, not really conscious of her whereabouts as she struggled to push off the bony hand, and Mrs Harris’s face swam before her, maliciously amused in the bright sunlight streaming in through the windows.
‘It’s time you was up, Miss Seton,’ the housekeeper declared, setting down a cup of tea on the bedside table and folding her arms, a favourite position of hers. ‘After eight o’clock, it is, and Mr Sheldon said to tell you we don’t keep town hours here.’
‘After eight o’clock …’ Joanna elbowed herself up on to her pillows, aware that Mrs Harris was studying her with evident interest. It made her self-consciously aware of the brevity of her silk nightgown, and also reminded her that this was the first time the housekeeper had seen her hair loose. Long and honey-brown, streaked with gold in places, it swung soft and becomingly about her shoulders, framing the oval shape of her face and accentuating the creamy paleness of her skin.
‘Yes, nearly quarter past, it is, and if I was you I’d get myself downstairs.’
‘Eight o’clock’s not so late, is it?’ protested Joanna, draping the sheet protectively about her shoulders. Despite the brightness of the day outside it was still chilly, and she needed a few minutes to gather her confused senses.
‘Mr Sheldon had his breakfast at seven o’clock,’ retorted Mrs Harris with evident relish. ‘And I have other things to do than keep meals hanging about for hours.’ She moved towards the door. ‘It’ll be on the table in fifteen minutes. If you’re there, all well and good, if not——’
‘Wait!’ Joanna strove to get into a sitting position. ‘Mrs Harris, I don’t eat breakfast. At least, perhaps toast and coffee sometimes.’ The aroma of frying bacon was unmistakable as the housekeeper opened the door. ‘I’m afraid I can’t stomach fried food in the mornings.’
Mrs Harris pursed her lips. ‘You mean to say my fried eggs, sausages and bacon are going to be wasted?’
Joanna tried to hide her grimace. ‘I’m sorry.’ She was tempted to add, give them to the dogs, but she was glad she decided against it when Mrs Harris continued:
‘I’ll have to tell Mr Sheldon about this,’ she declared, with the inevitable sniff. ‘He can’t afford for good food to go to waste. Like as not, he’ll suggest that I warm it up for your lunch, so don’t imagine you can pick and choose here like you used to in London.’
The door closed behind her, and Joanna’s shoulders sagged. She wondered whether Mrs Harris would believe her if she told her that at home finances had been so tight that the idea of having bacon, eggs and sausages for breakfast would have been an unthinkable extravagance. It was true, she had never eaten a big breakfast, but that was mostly because at boarding school the food had been so appalling, and in Switzerland she had grown accustomed to the continental style of eating.
Still, there was no time now to sit and reflect on the past. Evidently she was expected to start work at nine o’clock, and it would probably take her half the time she had to pull herself together.
The cup of tea helped, despite the fact that it was thick and black, and far too sweet for her taste. But at least it was restoring, and she got out of bed afterwards with a little more enthusiasm.
The lino was icy to her toes, which certainly quickened her actions. Slipping her feet into slippers, she padded over to the washbasin, and after sluicing her face in lukewarm water and cleaning her teeth, she hastily put on the first things that came to hand. The purple corded jeans were blessedly warm, and she found a matching polo-necked sweater that dispelled the gooseflesh from her arms.
Her hair presented more of a problem, but she managed to coil it into a loose-fitting knot, although she was aware that the tendrils which persisted in falling about her ears gave it a far too casual appearance. Nevertheless, it would have to do until later, she decided, after an anxious