Arnie Jenks and the House of Strangers (9 page)

Outside, the stars sparkled like a hundred thousand silver pins across a vast universe of black velvet.

‘Which way would Joseph have gone?' cursed Arnie in desperation, stopping at a fork in the path. Emily carried on past him and veered right.

‘Oh! Good call!' he said, following in a heartbeat.

A little further on they rounded a corner and saw in the distance Joseph making off across a stretch of lawn, beyond which the lake opened out like a giant oil slick.

A scampering noise from behind made them turn back. Trotting merrily came Lady Dervela's little dog Tumble, yapping more excitedly as he gathered speed.

‘No! Not the time to be a friend!' urged Arnie, as the dog raced on by making a bee-line for the disappearing figure.

Joseph turned as Tumble jumped up to him. He knelt down. ‘Come to say goodbye?'

The dog panted happily, popping out his tiny pink tongue, unaware of a club swishing through the air from behind and cracking down hard on Joseph's skull. In one swift motion, Joseph keeled over onto the ground. A sharply pointed boot lashed out hard into his side and he groaned helplessly as he was dragged into the bushes.

Emily snatched Arnie's arm as he strained to run.

‘Let me go!'

‘There is nothing you can do!'

‘We can't just leave him!'

‘We must – we're not meant to be here,' begged Emily, ‘and it's turning ugly. Let's get help.'

‘Ok,' said Arnie, seeing the look on Emily's face. ‘But who can we ask? Not Lady Dervela – we promised we wouldn't say anything.'

‘But Arnie, we've got to.'

They were interrupted. Lord Martlesham stepped out from the bushes onto the path, smoothing his hair and slowly curling his hand around the same club that had struck Joseph. Arnie could see some red marks on his white gloves.

‘Blood!' Arnie spat.

Lord Martlesham's eyes stared daggers into them. ‘You two children – come here!' he bellowed.

‘
Run!
' shouted Arnie, and he and Emily made off in the opposite direction. They scurried like rabbits, trampling stinging nettles and trashing flowerbeds, covering the full length of the garden to arrive minutes later at the edge of the lake within sprinting distance of the house.

Arnie set off towards the drive but suddenly realised that he had lost Emily. He turned back and found her a little way off bent over on the ground.

‘I can't keep up!' she panted, clutching her side. ‘I've got a stitch! It hurts!'

‘We're nearly there – once we get back to the party we'll hide!'

‘Where?' she puffed.

‘I don't know – but we can't hang about here. He's in no mood to argue!'

‘But he'll find us in the end and then what'll happen?' she moaned, as Arnie helped her hobble to a spot in sight of the open front door. The soft flickering lights and cheery noise of laughing revellers wafted out.

‘You!' bellowed their pursuer from somewhere behind them. Arnie swung back to see Lord Martlesham marching hell-bent towards them. He was closing in fast.

‘I command you come to me!'

‘Look!' said Emily, pointing to a high up corner window. Arnie spun round to see a person holding a candle staring out over the drive.

‘It's Lady Dervela!' he said shakily. ‘We
must
get up there and tell her what's happened to Joseph!'

‘But we can't! We shouldn't interfere in other people's lives
and
in another person's time!'

‘Hasn't stopped us so far,' Arnie said with a sense of euphoria. ‘Anyway we've got no choice – he is lying back there hurt, might even die if we don't do something!'

Suddenly Lord Martlesham was upon them. He lunged for Emily.

‘No!' she clawed at his face.

‘Get off her – leave her alone!' shouted Arnie.

‘Don't you
dare
speak to me like that, you're on my land and you will do as I say!' hollered Lord Martlesham, staggering further towards them. But he stumbled awkwardly, twisting and landing heavily.

Arnie lashed out. ‘You're not in charge of me – you can't tell me what to do!' and pulling away they tore off towards the house, Emily holding her side.

They slammed into the hall and fought their way through the crowd who watched startled, as Arnie, with Emily a little further behind, scrambled his way to the bottom of the stairs and fled upwards, arriving seconds later at the first floor landing. To his left, seated in a rocking chair, was a figure poised looking out of the window. The candle sat quietly burning on the sill, reflecting a hint as to their identity in the cloudy glass.

‘Lady Dervela – we have something to tell you,' volunteered Arnie carefully as Emily joined him.

There was no reply.

‘Something's happened – it's important – we've just come from the stables where Joseph…'

The figure still said nothing.

‘Lady Dervela, did you hear what I said?'

The flame suddenly quivered like a belly dancer's tummy and went out as a gust of wind rippled over them all. The hubbub of laughing and merriment from below stopped instantly. Emily shivered and whipping round looked down into the hall. It was empty.

Arnie stared, fixated on the chair as it started to rock ever so slowly. Then the person moved and took a tentative step forward to stand, rising and turning to look at him, clutching a stick for support.

‘Joseph? You have news of him?'

Arnie stumbled as he recognised Lady Dervela's voice.

‘Yes…in a way. He…he…'

‘But it has been so long,' she sighed. ‘Why would he keep me waiting all this time to send word?'

‘Well, we got here as fast as we could…' Arnie stopped speaking as she took another step towards him.

Emily stifled a gasp.

Lady Dervela lifted her eyes to meet theirs. Arnie could see she was now an old lady. Hair grey and skin dulled – a face lined and drawn. A tortured hand scrabbled for her pearls.

‘You are familiar,' she said, squinting – scrutinising them intently. ‘Come closer. Have we met before?'

‘Um…' said Arnie, thinking hard of what to say.

‘You do remind me of some children who were here once…the night we had a wonderful party…' she said nostalgically. ‘They looked a little like you.' Lady Dervela put her hand to her forehead and rubbed it repeatedly.

Arnie edged nearer to her. ‘Was that a very long time ago?'

‘Almost thirty years. My life was very different after that…' she faltered. ‘He went away you know…without an explanation or a thought for how I must have felt.'

Lady Dervela steadied herself and swallowed a tiny cry.

‘And ever since then I have been watching at this window, day and night for Joseph to return.' She looked around vaguely, searching. Then resuming her poise, she studied Arnie again.

‘You haven't
seen
him have you?' Lady Dervela looked pained. ‘It would be so wonderful if
I
could…even for a moment.' She played with her pearls like worry beads.

‘No…no…I think it must have been someone else,' lied Arnie.

‘I mean, how could you?' she realised, ‘You're so young. Not even born when he was here last.'

An uncomfortable silence fell as Lady Dervela stepped back unevenly, gripping the side of her chair hard.

‘You have heard no news of him at all?' asked Arnie, ‘Since he…left?'

‘No.' Lady Dervela admitted reluctantly. ‘I made enquires everywhere but he simply vanished. How, I don't know, he was quite…unique. I thought he would have sent a message. Especially after my husband Charles was drowned on the very sea journey that Joseph was meant to have sailed on that autumn. All lives lost in a ferocious storm that drove
Empress of Hope
to her death.'

‘Are you sure of that?' Emily queried.

‘What a peculiar question my girl,' said Lady Dervela, gripping her pearls tighter. ‘Why would it not be so?'

‘Well…' said Emily, ‘were all those lost…
identified
?'

‘My husband's body was recovered and some of his crew too…the ones that the sea did not take…' She stifled a tear into a swiftly drawn handkerchief. ‘We prayed so much for those we could not find.'

Lady Dervela tilted her head to one side and returned to look out of the window.

‘We don't know that Joseph's dead,' whispered Arnie.

‘But we can guess,' said Emily. ‘Lord Martlesham would have made sure that Joseph was never coming back.'

‘I can hear him now,' said Lady Dervela softly. ‘Talking and just being himself – everywhere I look Joseph is all around. And if I need him to be really close to me, then I look at this.' She indicated something over on the far wall. Arnie and Emily moved across and stared hard at what she meant.

‘
The Lady at the Window,
' he said, reading the name plaque.

‘The one Joseph painted!' Emily gasped.

‘I found it after he had gone,' said Lady Dervela calmly, returning to her chair and sitting back down. ‘He created it without my knowing. I believe he meant me to have it to remember him by until we saw each other again. Look – it even places me right here – a sign that I must keep watch to await his return. But
why
he didn't show it to me before he went…I…can't explain.'

Emily leaned into Arnie. ‘We
can't
leave her to wonder,' she whispered. ‘She should know that Joseph is not coming back. It's the truth isn't it?'

Arnie thought hard before he shook his head. ‘Do we really know what happened?'

Emily looked at him. ‘I think
we
do.'

A gust of wind swirled once more through the landing but no one seemed to notice.

Arnie gritted his teeth and turned around to face Lady Dervela.

But the chair was empty.

‘Just when I was about to do my bit she clears off!'

‘At least you don't have to tell her about Joseph now, do you?' said Emily sadly.

Arnie frowned.

‘What is it?'

‘I'm thinking. Why did she show us the painting?'

‘It means a lot to her, it's all she had left.' Emily looked around as the light bulbs burst into life. ‘Must be back in your time Arnie,' she surmised, turning to the empty space where the painting had hung only a few moments before.

Arnie joined her. ‘Hope so.'

‘A reminder of Joseph,' said Emily. ‘That's probably all it is.'

‘Joseph painted it for her…but he
didn't
tell her that he had. Now why would he do that?' he wondered.

‘Because he felt ashamed about what he had done?'

‘Or was it because he was
proud
of what had happened between them. He wanted to leave a reminder of what they meant to each other.'

‘It just looks like an innocent portrait of a lady. No story there.'

‘But there might be!' Arnie's eyes lit up. ‘So let's go and find her!'

They spiralled down to the ground floor.

‘There she is!' Arnie said triumphantly, pointing to where Lady Dervela's piercing black eyes appeared out of the dark to stare at him.

‘She's doing what she did the first time I saw this picture – holding onto me. Perhaps she
is
trying to hint at something!'

‘Well what? If it had been important wouldn't she have said?'

‘Joseph was running out of time,' said Arnie. ‘He knew he had to escape while he could. He trusted she would find the portrait after he'd gone but that doesn't explain why he didn't show it to her.'

‘A surprise?'

‘Yes! That could be
exactly
right.' Arnie crouched further in.

‘What is it?'

‘Here,' he said, peering hard. ‘This paintwork is rough and swirly. And slapped on like toffee.'

‘So?' said Emily.

‘Even if he was in a rush – this looks like an afterthought. ‘It was wet when we found it wasn't it?'

‘Maybe he made a mistake and was hurrying to cover it up?' said Emily.

Arnie jumped back.

‘Yeah! That's it – brilliant!' He started moving around frantically.

‘What are you doing?' said Emily perplexed. ‘Can I help?'

‘Hang on! I think these might do,' he called back. He ran into the long corridor and climbed onto the top of an overcrowded sideboard. Reaching high, he lifted off a thin metal dagger from a hook on the wall.

‘Ow!' exclaimed Arnie, testing the tip of the blade with his thumb. ‘That's sharp!'

‘Don't play with it then,' cautioned Emily.

‘I need it,' he called back firmly.

‘I hope you know what you're doing,' said Emily, as Arnie returned to the portrait and started scraping at the paint.

‘No, I'm not sure at all – but we need to find out, don't we?'

‘Find out what?'

‘A four hundred year old secret perhaps?' he whispered.

‘If anyone sees you doing this – they won't half give you a hiding! Think how much this must be worth?'

‘I don't think she's valued very highly,' he said, angling the sharp edge precisely.

‘Even so, they're bound to spot it, what will you say if they catch you?'

‘Questions, questions! It's like I'm back at school!'

‘Charming!' Emily said.

‘And try to keep your voice down unless you really want Mr Silverthorne in here.'

Emily went into a sulk.

‘Look, this is a tricky thing I'm doing and I am trying not to shake,' he said, as a solid chunk of black paint came away revealing hints of red below. ‘There's something here…'

Emily watched as a suggestion of an image began to show – a pair of boots followed by a hand and a sleeve and then up to a head.

Arnie continued to work the area slowly and methodically until the full picture that lay underneath was finally exposed. He stood back and they shared a glance.

Where Lady Dervela had once been alone, she was now joined by Joseph, smartly dressed in a black and red tunic, standing to attention at her side.

‘Wow!' said Arnie.

‘What a liberty!' said Emily. ‘Putting himself in Lord Martlesham's place and in his uniform too! What would people have said?'

‘In the twenty-first century they'd be pretty proud I reckon,' winked Arnie.

‘Joseph can't really have imagined it would ever happen,' Emily replied. ‘Complete fantasy.'

‘His way of a joke then?' said Arnie. ‘Having the last laugh?'

‘It would seem so,' said Emily. ‘Clever of you for thinking to look.'

But Arnie wasn't listening – he was staring perplexed at Lady Dervela's face. ‘That's odd,' he said.

‘What is?'

‘She seems to be smiling now. Can't you see it?'

‘Not really, but then…perhaps I'm not meant to.'

Arnie moved from one side of the painting to the other and then back again. This time Lady Dervela's eyes didn't follow him.

He swallowed. ‘I think I'm free of her,' he said quietly.

Arnie returned the blade to its rightful place before hurrying to sweep up the evidence of his attack on the portrait. He dumped the scraps of paint in an empty fish tank. ‘I hope they don't need that anytime soon,' he chuckled, turning to find Emily gone.

‘Emily? Emily?'

But there was no sign of her.

‘I guess I'll see you when I see you then,' he sighed, wandering slowly back towards the hall.