Moorcroft - the Possession: Book One of the Moorcroft Trilogy (22 page)

Mrs Shaw had decided to retire and left Mary to look after the kitchen. She assured Richard that Mary was more than capable of running the kitchen by herself and preparing meals for Richard, his mother and a handful of staff. He had persuaded her to sit with his mother for a few days after she returned to Moorcroft, covering all her expenses. The unused bedrooms were closed down and the maids paid off. A young woman from the village came in two mornings a week to clean and tidy the rooms, and the washing was sent to the laundry. Richard thought he had everything under control by the time his mother returned home. Emily walked about the house like a zombie, sometimes asking for Sarah or John. Mrs Shaw would walk through the gardens with her and would sit in the drawing room reading to her, but she never regained her happy composure. She would sometimes look up and ask about Charlotte, was she at home, would she sit and talk to her later. No one could make out who this Charlotte was and assumed it must have been someone from the hospital. It was obvious that she was missing Sarah’s company.

As the weeks dragged on Richard became more aware of the debt Moorcroft was in. The sale of the farms had cleared his father’s overdraft and the second mortgage, but still left arrears on the first mortgage. Richard had no option but to sell off more of the farm land, the boundaries of Moorcroft were getting nearer and nearer to the house. Richard was relieved to know that the boy Ned had been reunited with his mother and sister and was now living in Coventry, only Eddie now lived above the stables. Richard still took Dancing Lady out each day but he knew that sooner or later she would have to go too.

Richard would sit with his mother in the evenings. They would sit by the fire talking about Moorcroft. His mother would talk of events that had happened long before Richard was born, of his grandfather, killed in the bombing, how he used to run the mills with an iron rod. How his father and grandmother lived in fear of his temper tantrums. These tales helped Richard to understand his father better, but he remained worried that his mother continued to live in the past. When Mrs Shaw wasn’t around Emily would often wander round the house leaving doors and windows open, Richard found her one night walking across the yard in her bare feet with just her nightgown wrapped around her delicate thin body. When he had taken her back to bed she had asked for Charlotte, was she coming to talk to her. He had asked everyone in the house about this woman but no one knew who she was.

Over the past months Charlotte had watched how the household had changed since the death of Victoria. The girl Sarah was no longer in the way but she would have liked Charles to have stayed, he seemed a charming man and kept Richard on the straight and narrow. The weak blundering husband had died and now Richard’s mother had been taken ill. She would sit with the old lady each night and chat about old times and Richard. They became friends, with Emily looking forward to the young nurse and her nightly visits. Charlotte had tried speaking to Richard as he slept in the hope that he would turn to her for comfort but his mind was either busy with Moorcroft affairs or he was too drunk to appreciate her, but she would bide her time, soon he would turn to her for solace.

Most nights Richard hardly slept and needed a drink before he went to bed. He would close his eyes feeling weary, but sleep would evade him. Some nights when he was in the state between being awake and sleeping he would hear someone calling his name, he often hoped it was Victoria, but he knew it couldn’t be, she was gone from his life forever. It was on nights such as these that he would put pen to paper and write to Sarah telling her of his contempt for her and his so called friend Charles Wesley.

Charles’s father was happy to have his son back in the family business; he had a good brain and a good understanding of people and got along with all the workers. The circumstances of his return were sad with Sarah being taken into hospital, but Charles visited every day and was pleased with her progress. Unfortunately, she still didn’t know of her father’s death or of her mother’s illness. The doctors had advised Charles to tell her while she was still in the hospital in case she had a relapse, but against his mother’s advice he kept putting off telling her. Charles and his mother had visited Emily at Moorcroft in the hope of explaining Sarah’s absence, but they were both shocked at her appearance and state of mind. Charles knew he must take Sarah home before her mother deteriorated further. It was a bright sunny day when he walked Sarah round the grounds of the country hospital. She was more herself and so he decided to tell her of her father’s death and her mother’s illness. Sitting on a bench in the shade of a sycamore tree he broke the news. Sarah wouldn’t believe it at first, but looking into Charles’s eyes she realised it was the truth. He held her in his arms as she sobbed for the loss of her beloved father. They sat this way for many minutes, Charles fearful that the news would send Sarah back into a state of oblivion, Sarah trying to put her life in order in her mind, looking for a way to help her mother. After drying her eyes she looked up at the man she loved and smiled. “I know what I have to do now.” She stood up and marched back to her room, Charles holding her hand, confused. Back in her room she took her case from the top of her wardrobe and began to pack her things.

Charles looked startled. “What are you doing?”

“I’m discharging myself, I’ve been here long enough wallowing in self pity, it’s time I went home and looked after mother.”

Charles took her in his arms glad to see the old spirit return to the woman he loved.

Charles drove Sarah through the village on their way back to Moorcroft. Sarah smiled at all the familiar surroundings and was looking forward to being home again. On the gravel drive Sarah looked up at Moorcroft. “What’s happened here Charles, the house looks so bleak, half the upstairs windows have the shutters closed, and the gardens are so uncared for, just look at mothers rose garden.”

The minute the car stopped Sarah was out and running up the steps to the front door. It was locked; she stood there banging on the door.

Charles took her hand. “Let’s go round the back, see if we can find anyone.”

Sarah pushed open the back door and rushed into the kitchen. No one was there. They walked through the hall towards the dining room when the drawing room door opened. Mary stood there with a tray in her hand. Her face broke into a smile.

“Oh, Miss Sarah, it’s so good to see you again, your mother will be made up when she sees you. Would you like a cup of tea I could make a fresh brew?”

“Thank you Mary that would be wonderful.”

Sarah tentatively opened the door of the drawing room and looked in. Her mother was sitting in the armchair by the fire, Mrs Shaw sat opposite dozing. Sarah walked up to her mother and crouched beside her. Sarah gasped when she saw how frail her mother had become and taking her hand spoke quietly to her.

“Mother, it’s Sarah, I’ve come home to take care of you.”

Emily lost in thought turned her head to the person next to her. A smile crossed her face. “Sarah, is it really you?”

With tears streaming down her face Sarah took her mother in her arms and hugged her, feeling her ribs through her clothing. Mrs Shaw hearing voices jumped up and took in the happy scene and wiped a tear from her eye. She looked up at Charles’s smiling face. “Well isn’t that just lovely?”

There was a knock at the door and Mr Howard walked in carrying a tray with teapot, cups and saucers followed by Mary carrying another tray with sandwiches and cake.

Mr Howard looked at Sarah. “It’s good to have you back home Miss Sarah and you too Master Charles.”

“Thank you Howard and thank you Mary, just what we need.”

Sarah took a sandwich from the plate and handed it to her mother. “Here you are Mother; now let’s get some meat on those bones of yours.”

Emily looked at the sandwich and was about to protest when she looked on the smiling face of her daughter. She took a bite and then another and when it was gone asked for another. Mrs Shaw was watching from the back of the room and sighed, everything was going to be alright now Miss Sarah was back. Charles put his back to the room and looked out of the window and scanned the countryside, he was looking and waiting for Richard.

A short while later Mary came in to collect the tea things and together, with her mother’s help, left the room for the kitchen. They placed the trays on the kitchen table and Mrs Shaw sat down with a sigh of relief. “It was so good to see Mrs Gardener eating something and I swear she had some colour in her cheeks and a smile permanently on her face.”

Collecting the cups and placing them in the sink Mary had to agree. “Yes I know what you mean, Miss Sarah has brought some sunshine into this house today, let’s hope it lasts when he gets back.”

Two hours later Richard crossed the yard and dismounted Dancing Lady. He opened the stable doors and shouted for Eddie. Without a word he handed the reins to him, turned and crossed the yard and entered the house. After removing his coat and riding boots he popped his head into the kitchen and was surprised to see both Mary and her mother sat at the table.

“I’ll have coffee and cake in the study when you’re ready Mary.” He glanced at the other woman. “Is my mother okay Mrs Shaw?”

She nodded. “She’s fine, sir, in the drawing room.”

He walked through the hall and headed for his study, he had a mountain of paperwork to get through. As he passed the drawing room door he heard voices, perhaps Henry had called on his mother. In order to be polite he knew he must say hello and with some reluctance, he slowly opened the door. All heads turned in his direction and the room went silent.

Richard took in the scene and stormed into the room pushing Charles to one side. Sarah stood and faced him. Emily grasped her hand.

“What the hell do you think you are doing coming into this house, upsetting our mother?”

Emily started to shake.

Sarah felt the grip of her mother’s hand tighten. “The only one upsetting mother at this moment in time is you.”

Richard laughed sarcastically. “So you think you can swan back into our lives just like that, do you?” He clicked his fingers. “The prodigal daughter returns, do you expect gratitude, do you want me to thank you?”

“All I want is to sort things out between us and start being a family again.”

“Family, who wants a murderer in their family?”

Emily gasped. “Please Richard don’t start that again.”

“I’m sorry Mother but that’s the way I feel, she doesn’t belong here anymore.”

“I belong here just as much as you do. This is my home.”

“Home, this is your home? Where were you when father died? Where were you when the trauma of it all put mother in hospital? Where were you when I had to sack most of the staff because our precious father made us almost bankrupt? Go on; explain that to me, where the hell have you been?”

A voice shouted from the back of the room. “She’s been in hospital.”

Richard spun round and faced Charles.

“She’s been in hospital unaware of what has been happening here. She was only discharged yesterday.”

Richard sniggered. “Hospital you say. She should have been in jail, that’s where she belongs.”

Emily started to cry.

Charles moved closer to Richard. “Let’s take this to the study, your upsetting your mother.”

“Don’t you tell me what to do in my own home, get out both of you; I want you out of my house.”

He opened the door and grabbed Charles’s arm.

He shrugged him off. “Don’t do this Richard or you’ll be sorry.”

Richard faced up to Charles. “Is that a threat?”

Mr Howard stood in the doorway. “What’s going on in here, you can be heard all over the house.”

Mrs Shaw pushed past and went to Emily’s side and took the woman in her arms and shook her head as she stared at the two men arguing. “I think it might be better if you go Miss Sarah.” She nodded her head towards Richard. “This is doing your mother no good at all.”

Sarah crouched in front of her mother and took her in her arms. “I love you Mother and no matter what he says I will be back.”

She looked at Mrs Shaw. “Please look after her for me until I return.”

Charles put his arm around Sarah’s shoulders and with tears streaming down her face they left the house. Richard followed them to the back door cursing all the way. The minute they were through he shut the door with a bang.

In the drawing room Emily was sobbing uncontrollably. Mrs Shaw helped the frail woman to her feet and together they climbed the stairs. In her room Mrs Shaw removed her clothing and put her to bed.

“It’ll be alright, Mrs Gardener, you just wait and see, they’ll soon come to their senses and be friends again, you mark my words. Now you just lie down here and have a nice rest, I’ll make us both a cup of tea when you’re settled, how does that sound?”

Emily slid beneath the cool sheets. She didn’t care what happened anymore. She had spent most of her adult life worrying over someone in the family, now she was tired, she just wanted to rest.

“Now you just lie there and relax and I’ll go down to the kitchen and be back in a jiffy.” There was no response and Mrs Shaw looked down on the quiet still figure, her eyes open but not seeing. She patted Emily’s hand and sighed. “I won’t be long.”

Emily heard the door close and looked in its direction. She looked up at the ceiling and went over the afternoons events. Would she ever see her darling daughter again? Victoria’s death had crippled Richard emotionally and then his father’s heart attack and finding that the estate was practically ruined had put an awful burden on his young shoulders. She had tried to calm him down, tried to help whenever she could, but the stress had become too much for her. She had let them both down, her son and her daughter. She felt the bed move and looked at Charlotte. This young woman had been such a good listener, always there with a kind word, she had just sat there at her bedside listening to her ravings and her woes, without a word of reproach, she must tell Henry what a good nurse she was.