The forgotten house, p.6
The Forgotten House, page 6
Charles Robson looked concerned. ‘But he would have signed up regardless. I’m doing you a favour. He’s going as a journalist not a soldier.’
Theroux reached into his jacket pocket; Robson flinched and stepped back.
‘I’m not a violent man, Mr. Robson. What does that ever solve?’ Instead Frank Theroux pulled out a small black bag, no larger than his palm and handed it to Robson.
Confused, the editor took it. ‘What’s this?’
‘Thirty pieces of silver,’ Theroux said. He turned and departed. Robson dropped the bag to the ground.
*****
Frank Theroux had one last trip to make. He knocked on the large timber door and stepped back.
Inside, he could hear a person approaching, feet tapping along a stone floor. An older lady, a housekeeper, opened the door.
Theroux removed his hat. ‘Would Mr. Taylor be in please? Frank Theroux calling.’
He declined the offer of a seat and waited near the window in the large entranceway as the housekeeper went down the hall and knocked on a door, entering at the sound of Taylor’s voice.
‘Hello!’
Theroux swung around as Moira Taylor approached him. ‘Mrs. Taylor.’ He bowed.
‘Please, Mr. Theroux, Moira, I insist. We weren’t expecting you, this is a pleasant surprise.’
‘Just business,’ he smiled. ‘A small matter between your husband and myself.’
‘I hope everything is all right?’ She frowned.
‘Yes, yes, no need for concern. You look very well,’ he commented, observing her rose-print frock and her hair tied up showing off her slim neck.
‘Thank you.’ Moira blushed. ‘And you look thinner since last I saw you, if I may say.’
Frank Theroux laughed. ‘Yes, I suppose it is a bit difficult to reciprocate my compliment. Mrs. Atkinson, my housekeeper, constantly tells me I look too thin.’
‘Forgive me, I didn’t mean to be rude.’
‘Not at all.’ Frank assured her. ‘And your lovely daughters, Alexandra and Carrie, are they well?’
‘Very well, thank you.’
Frank Theroux shuffled his hat from hand to hand. ‘Moira, I know it is not what your husband wants, but we, that is, I am delighted to welcome Alexandra into our family.’
‘Thank you, Frank.’ Moira lowered her voice. ‘Believe me, the feeling is mutual. I think James and Lexie are very well suited and I know Lexie is blissfully happy. What more could any mother want for her daughter?’
The conversation stopped as they heard Samuel Taylor’s footsteps approaching. Holding himself to full height, Taylor’s eyes narrowed at the sight of Theroux.
‘Leave us dear,’ Taylor said to his wife. He stopped in front of Theroux.
‘Of course,’ she said. ‘Very nice to see you, Mr. Theroux.’
‘Mrs. Taylor,’ he smiled ignoring her earlier request to be informal.
They waited until Moira had left the entrance hall. Frank Theroux turned to face Samuel Taylor.
Samuel Taylor’s lips narrowed and his jaw tightened, ‘Frank,’ he greeted Theroux.
‘Samuel.’ Theroux answered him in like fashion.
They were equally matched in height but Taylor had more of the look of a well-fed man.
‘Please, this way.’ Taylor indicated his office.
‘That won’t be necessary,’ Theroux said. ‘I don’t intend to stay. I’ve just been to see Charles Robson.’
‘Oh.’ Taylor nodded. ‘You heard then that I funded a war correspondent position for the Daily News?’
Theroux glared at him. ‘Samuel, let’s not play this game. We are both intelligent men. James is my only son, my only family. Sending him away just to honour an archaic family promise is unconscionable when you consider the danger you will be putting him in.’
‘You mean James got the job? I had no idea James was going to get the job.’
‘Stop it!’ Theroux snapped. ‘Repeat that lie often enough and you may convince yourself but we both know the truth. The car was a nice touch.’
Taylor’s eyes widened.
‘Yes, I know about that too. You can relax … I didn’t match or increase your offer. My son would never want that.’
‘Robson said he was one of the paper’s best journalists. He would have been sent anyway, even if …’
‘They would have taken the reports from the daily paper in London. Save it, Samuel. I’m not here to listen to your excuses. I hear you are now going for my manufacturing contract as well. Good luck to you. I am happy to compete with you, but only on a level playing field. Competition is good and healthy for our country. You’ve taken my son, if you have to take my livelihood, then at least do it because you’re the better man and not dishonourably.’
‘Spare me the sermon, Frank. This is business. If you can cut it, you’ll keep it. If I’m savvier, then bad luck to you.’
Theroux returned his hat to his head. ‘Sleep well, Samuel. This ignoble act is bound to catch up on you.’ He turned and let himself out.
Samuel Taylor flinched as the door slammed.
Carrie emerged from the shadows of the staircase, shocked at what she overhead; shocked that her father could do such a thing to Lexie.
‘Father, tell me you didn’t pay to get James out of the way?’
Samuel Taylor walked past her, back to his study and slammed the door.
They fell quiet as they sat on the bench, in the maze of hedges, only a few feet from where James had proposed only last weekend. Finished with the small talk, the silence enveloped them.
Lexie slipped her hand into James’ hand.
She looked straight ahead and whispered, ‘What if you get killed?’
James squeezed her hand.
‘How do I go on …’ she continued whispering the words as though hiding them from fate.
James cleared his throat. ‘Lexie, I’m going to be carrying a pen, not a gun. I’m reporting, not shooting.’
‘That’s just as bad,’ she turned sharply to look at him. ‘You will be close to the war zone with no protection. Couldn’t you say no to the scholarship?’
James shrugged. ‘I could have, but then I would have been conscripted anyway, I’m of age. At least this way I’m over there working rather than as a soldier. Don’t you think that’s a safer option?’
‘I don’t know,’ Lexie answered truthfully. ‘All I know is that you are going to war and we will be separated, maybe forever.’
‘You can’t think like that.’ James played with the ring on her engagement finger, turning it back and forth. ‘I’ll be coming back as soon as I can so we can put another band behind this one.’
Lexie smiled and swallowed hard. ‘We could get married before you leave, just a simple ceremony, the two of us …’
James kissed her hand. ‘No, I don’t want that for you. I want you to have the big dress and the bridal shower. I want you to be excited about planning the invitations and table settings and I want to watch you walk down the aisle towards me, with our friends and family sharing the day.’
‘All I want is you.’
‘I’ll be there too, at the end of the aisle,’ James teased her.
Lexie smiled. ‘Very funny.’
‘Will you do something for me?’ James asked.
‘Of course, anything … well maybe; if you are going to ask me to knit socks and send them to you, we might have a problem.’
James laughed. ‘Well there goes that idea. No, I was going to ask you to call in on my father every now and then.’
‘I would love to, that will be my pleasure,’ Lexie assured him.
‘I know he’s got a business to run and a house full of staff, but he’s a bit of a loner and I don’t want him sitting on that terrace, worrying himself to a skeleton.’
Lexie patted James’ knee. ‘Don’t you worry, I’ll adopt him.’
James grinned. ‘I had better warn him.’
‘You know all we’ll do is talk about you anyway,’ she rolled her eyes.
‘Well that will be riveting. You’ll have plenty to talk about.’
Lexie hit him playfully. He leaned in and kissed her.
‘I’m going to miss that,’ James sighed and looked away.
Lexie smoothed her dress, frowning as her hands travelled over the folds of fabric. She looked up to find James staring at her.
‘What are you thinking?’ he asked.
‘I’m thinking how much the world can change in a week,’ she answered.
‘Yes,’ James agreed. ‘Although we knew trouble was brewing.’
Lexie nodded. ‘Regardless, last week, my biggest concern was what colour dress to wear to your party and how to handle the inevitable blast from my father when I came home with an engagement ring.’
James sat forward and twisted on the seat.
‘What do you mean? Did you know that I was going to propose to you at the party?’
Lexie tried to change the subject.
‘Did you?’ James insisted, not letting her get away with it.
‘I might have heard on the grapevine …’
James frowned. ‘How? Dad wouldn’t tell and none of the staff knew …’
Lexie made a face at him. ‘You’re missing the obvious … you did buy a big enough ring to set every tongue in town wagging! I just guessed that of all nights, that would be the night.’
James smiled. ‘Oh yes, I forgot about that part. So much for discretion.’
They sat for a while, inhaling the fresh air and the sweet smell of the flowering jasmine. Their smiles faded.
Lexie spoke. ‘It all seems so trivial—the dress, the party, the parading around in the latest fashion—when nothing is certain.’
‘It was nice though wasn’t it, to just have fun without anything threatening? Some things are still a certainty. My love for you won’t change whether I am here or somewhere in Europe writing about the fighting.’
‘But I saw our future; our house, your work, our family. Now there’s no certainty … we don’t know if we will get married, if we will have a family, even if we will be the same people this time next year. Who is to say how this war might change us.’
James took her words in, and gave a small nod of agreement.
‘You are right, I guess there’s no certainty.’ He moved closer and put his arm around Lexie.
They sat like that for a very long time.
Chapter 10
A veritable sea of soldiers covered the station platform from one end to the other—smartly attired in their clean, pressed uniforms. Draped on every arm was a loved one: a mother, wife, girlfriend, child, father, waiting to see their men off to war. Lexie stood beside James—she felt separated from him already; the crowds around them made her feel like he was no longer hers.
James held her tight. ‘I have to go,’ he said not releasing her.
‘I know,’ she held on.
‘Lex, there are not enough words in the world to tell you how I am feeling …’
‘Write as much as you can,’ she begged, ‘and please, James, don’t be a hero, don’t take risks, don’t give up the pen and pick up a rifle, don’t …’
James smiled, ‘I’ve got it.’ He patted his jacket pocket where her photograph and a strand of her hair sat next to his heart.
Lexie pulled away and blinked back tears. She swallowed and nodded.
The final call to board the train boomed above their heads. James turned and embraced his father. Frank Theroux patted him on the back and then stood back. James returned to Lexie, and whispered his love to her once more.
‘I’ll miss you …’ she whispered back, as he turned and joined the uniformed men boarding the carriages. Lexie reached for Frank Theroux’s arm, threading her arm through his for support. They stood and watched as James jumped on board with the other young men and waved until he was out of sight.
*****
Carrie found Lexie at the stream, sitting with her feet in the water, staring down at the surface; her face puffy from crying. Carrie lowered herself beside her sister without speaking.
Eventually, Lexie spoke. ‘Thank you.’
Carrie looked up. ‘For what?’
‘For just sitting. For not saying “he’ll be back, don’t worry” or any one of those dreadful things that don’t make me feel any better.’
‘I didn’t know what to say, so thought I’d best say nothing,’ Carrie admitted. ‘For a change.’
Lexie smiled, then laughed. Carrie joined in. ‘Well, this time, you did the perfect thing.’ Lexie squeezed Carrie’s arm.
‘You know, isn’t it odd that everything looks the same?’ Carrie looked around. ‘Even though most of the men have gone and the women are trying to run businesses and trying not to cry; all of this, everything here looks the same.’
‘It is funny, isn’t it?’ Lexie agreed. ‘I bet over hundreds of years people have fought for our town, built houses, worked farms, married, had babies, even drowned here maybe and yet, everything looks the same; the stream looks the same.’
Carrie shuddered. ‘I wonder if their spirits are still here.’
Lexie continued. ‘It’s like when something awful happens and you think the clocks should stop and everyone should be silent, but life just goes on and eventually you catch up with it again.’
Carrie circled her feet in the water creating a small whirlpool. ‘I hope it will always go on. Kind of like somewhere that you can always come back to.’
‘One day, I’ll be coming home to Autumn Manor,’ Lexie sighed.
‘It’s Father’s fault,’ Carrie blurted out.
‘What is?’ Lexie turned.
‘I didn’t know whether to tell you or not.’ Carrie rubbed her sleeve over her face in an agitated manner. ‘It’s so warm …’
‘Carrie, what are you telling me?’ Lexie grabbed her sister’s arm.
Carrie looked down at her skin going white around her sister’s tight grip.
‘Sorry.’ Lexie released her grip. ‘What is Father’s fault?’
‘I’m not completely sure, so please, please don’t get me into trouble …’
‘I won’t, I promise,’ Lexie assured her younger sister. ‘Just tell me what has Father done now?’
‘Mr. Theroux came over to see Father …’
‘When?’ Lexie cut in.
‘About a week ago, before James left us.’
‘And, what happened?’ Lexie prodded, ignoring Carrie’s joint possession of James.
‘Mr. Theroux accused Father of creating the war correspondent position and paying the editor to send James to do the job.’
‘No!’ Lexie gasped. ‘No. Surely not even Father would stoop that low.’
Carrie watched her sister absorb the information, processing in her head if it was possible.
‘Mother told us we wouldn’t have heard the last of it. She warned us Father would do whatever it took.’
Lexie shook her head. ‘No, surely not. How desperate could he be to get rid of James? How could he do that to Mr. Theroux when he knows he’s a widower and James is all the family he has left? I can’t believe Father would be capable of doing that.’
‘I challenged Father about it,’ Carrie said proudly, ‘when I overheard the conversation, I confronted him!’
‘And?’ Lexie asked.
Carrie sat upright, ‘He just stormed off, but he didn’t deny it. He didn’t say anything which is as good as admitting it, I think.’
Lexie stared at Carrie dumbfounded.
‘Why didn’t you tell me sooner?’
‘I didn’t know … I wasn’t sure and … it wouldn’t have made any difference, you knowing I mean.’
Lexie looked away. ‘No, I suppose not.’ She stood abruptly and began to shake the water off her legs.
‘Where are you going?’ Carrie jumped up beside her. ‘You promised not to tell Father I told you.’
‘I won’t.’ Lexie grabbed Carrie and hugged her. ‘Thank you.’
Lexie snatched up her shoes and stockings and began to climb back over the rocks.
‘Where are you going?’ Carrie called again, startling several birds that took to the air.
‘I’m going to see Mr. Theroux. I’m going to ask him if it’s true.’
Carrie watched her sister until she was out of sight. She turned back, picked up a stone and skimmed it four times, perfectly.
*****
Lexie walked the three miles to Autumn Manor, getting more upset by the minute and oblivious to all else around her. She arrived at the imposing white gates and pushed them open. There was still another half a mile to the front door but fuelled by anger at her father and concern for James and Frank Theroux, Lexie would barely have remembered walking the distance or the time it took to get there, if not for her feet reminding her with every step; blistered and aching, the skin rubbing raw on her heel.
As the house came into view, she was overwhelmed with missing James but at the same time, flushed with excitement that one day, soon, she would be living here. She would be the lady of the manor; this was her future home.
She looked down at her attire and straightened her crepe suit. She felt hot from the walk and her shoes were covered in dust. Lexie could feel her mother’s rebuke for arriving at someone’s house in such a state. It never occurred to her that after seeing James off at the train station, his father might have gone to work to keep himself busy or perhaps visited friends to console himself.
Then, she spotted him. He was chopping wood; a task normally reserved for his servants. She sighed with relief and continued walking up the driveway towards him. Frank Theroux’s sleeves were rolled up, the back of his shirt was covered in sweat and he was chopping with gusto. Around him were piles of wood, cut and neatly stacked.
As Lexie approached, Frank lifted a piece of cut wood and as he moved to place it in the nearest pile, he saw her, a broad smile lit his face.
‘Alexandra!’ He put the axe down.
