Whispers Read online

  Saturday morning, Jess woke to the sound of birdsong and stretched lazily. For the first time in weeks Simon was not going to work today and as there were no workmen there at the weekend she was looking forward to a lazy day with her family. Or part of the family at least. Jo had been invited to a birthday party at the house of one of her new friends in Shanklin Drive in Weddington, and then once the party was over she was going to stay for the night. Jess had asked Mel if she would like to invite one of her friends to stay over, but the girl had silently shaken her head and disappeared off to her bedroom again.

  As she lay listening to Simon’s breathing, Jess tried to think of something they could do that might encourage Mel outside. And then it occurred to her. Laura had offered to take them all to see the stone bridge that their home had been named after. It was about half a mile away apparently, and Jess quite fancied a casual stroll across the fields. No doubt Laura would be happy to show them the way as Den would be working. He often spent the weekends repairing train tracks, which left Laura at a loose end.

  Slipping out of the bed, Jess shrugged her arms into her dressing-gown and headed for the kitchen. She would make Simon his breakfast and take it to him in bed. That should put him in a good mood if nothing else did.

  Alfie was lying in his basket when she entered the kitchen and Jess was surprised. He had always slept with Jo on her bed until recently, but for some reason he seemed reluctant to go upstairs now. Jess bent to stroke his silky golden coat then put the kettle on and began to rummage in the fridge.

  Half an hour later, Simon rubbed his full stomach as he sat propped up in bed on pillows. ‘I could get used to this treatment,’ he grinned. ‘What did I do to deserve this?’

  ‘You work so hard – too hard really.’ Jess was standing at the open window watching a heron that was hovering by the lake for a sight of some unsuspecting fish. ‘I was thinking we ought to give ourselves a day off. How about we go for a nice walk? It’s a lovely day and we have the whole afternoon to ourselves after I’ve dropped Jo off at her friend’s house. Laura offered some time ago to show us the stone bridge but I’ve never got round to going and seeing it yet. What do you think?’

  ‘It sounds lovely but I thought you wanted me to make a start on stripping the old wallpaper off the dining room.’

  ‘Oh, sod the dining room!’ Jess exclaimed uncharacteristically. ‘I reckon we deserve a break. We’ve been going flat out ever since we moved in and we both need a rest.’

  ‘In that case I’m all for it.’

  Jess wondered briefly if it was the thought of spending time with Laura that appealed to him more than the walk. She had seen the way he looked at their neighbour. Not that she could blame him. Laura was a very attractive woman, and Jess knew she had let herself go a bit since moving into the house. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been to the hairdressers or worn a skirt, and she promised herself she would make more of an effort in future.

  They all had a lazy morning at home and then Jess drove Jo to her friend in Weddington. Back home, she found Laura and Beth already there, sitting on the bench in the courtyard with Alfie skittering about their feet.

  She greeted them as she got out of the car before asking Simon, ‘Where’s Mel? Isn’t she coming with us?’

  ‘I’m afraid not. As usual she’s closeted herself in her room.’ He sighed. ‘She’s getting to be a right little madam, I don’t mind telling you. If this is what living with a teenager is like I reckon I’ll freeze Jo before she gets there and defrost her when she’s twenty-one.’

  Jess smiled at his joke but inside she felt uneasy. Mel was far too reclusive for a girl her age. She should be taking an interest in clothes and make-up and boys by now, and going out to discos instead of staying locked away in her room all the time. Still, there was no point in spoiling the afternoon, so after tossing her car keys through the open kitchen door onto the table she asked, ‘Are we all ready then?’

  It was nice to see Laura. She’d been avoiding the place lately, and Jess had missed her. Now they all strolled towards the sloping lawn at the bottom of the garden before walking along beside the River Anker, which slowly meandered into the distance ahead of them. Beth was as close to Simon as she could get, staring up at him like an adoring puppy, and again Jess was saddened. Beth really was a stunningly pretty young woman. It was only when she spoke or if you looked into her vacant eyes that it was apparent there was something not quite right about her. It somehow put the problems they were having with Mel into perspective. At least Mel was healthy and bright and once she came out of her mood swings she would be able to enjoy a full life, while poor Beth would always be dependent on someone to care for her.

  ‘L . . . look. B . . . buttercups,’ Beth now told Simon as she pointed to some.

  ‘That’s right. Clever girl,’ Simon said approvingly, and Jess smiled at him, proud of the patience he showed to the girl. Laura looked pleased too as she grinned at her lovely daughter.

  They had gone some way when Laura suddenly pointed. ‘There’s the stone bridge ahead – look. Or should I say what’s left of it.’

  Jess quickened her pace until she came to the remains of the bridge. The top of it had gone, tumbled into the river many years ago, but it was clear to see how it might once have looked. It had been built in three rough stone arches, the footings of which still stood above the waterline.

  ‘It must have been a very pretty bridge at one time,’ Jess said musingly.

  ‘It probably was in the summer when the waterline was low, but from what I’ve researched, it was pretty treacherous in the winter,’ Laura told her. ‘This whole area is prone to flooding, and more than a few people were swept to their death from that bridge.’ She flinched and took an involuntary step back, as if someone had trodden on her grave.

  ‘Are you all right?’ Jess noted how pale her friend had gone.

  ‘I, err . . . yes, I’m fine. Now how about we go for a wander over the Weddington fields? It’s too hot to stand about.’ Without waiting for an answer, Laura strode off, as Simon and Jess exchanged a puzzled glance. But then they set off after her, and for the rest of the afternoon they thought no more about it.

  It was shortly before tea-time when they arrived back in the courtyard of Stonebridge House pleasantly tired from their outing.

  ‘Christ, it would have been easier to go to work,’ Simon complained as he sank onto the bench. ‘I reckon you lot have nearly walked my legs off. We must have covered miles.’

  ‘Oh, stop moaning. Exercise is good for you,’ Jess giggled. ‘Now sit there while I go and get us all a nice cool drink.’

  ‘Not for me thanks,’ Laura said a little too quickly. ‘I’m going to have to shoot off to get Den’s meal ready. He should be in from work soon, but thanks for a pleasant afternoon.’ With that she snatched Beth’s hand and dragged her towards the drive.

  Jess stepped into the kitchen just in time to see someone pass the door that led into the hallway.

  ‘Is that you, Mel?’ she called out, but a quick inspection of the hall showed no one in sight and the only sound was that of the loud music wafting down the stairs from Mel’s bedroom. Sighing, she headed for the fridge to get the lemonade out, thinking that she must have imagined it.

  Chapter Six

  It was three weeks later before Jess ventured into the attics again. She was going into Nuneaton that afternoon and had decided to take the three sketches she had found with her. There was an art shop in Abbey Street where she could get them reframed, and then she intended to hang them in their bedroom.

  Once again she climbed the bare wooden staircase to the small room where she had found the other sketch and stood there in the doorway as her eyes adjusted to the gloomy light. The smell of roses still hung heavy on the air, which she found quite strange as the window was shut tight. She lifted the sketch from the wall, keen to get out of there for no reason that she could explain, and she didn’t look round again until she was out on the landing with
the door firmly closed behind her. She was shocked to discover that her heart was pounding fifteen to the dozen. I reckon I’ve been listening to Laura too much, she thought to herself.

  It was then that her curiosity got the better of her. She hadn’t been back into the big attic room and now that she was up here it seemed silly not to take a peek. Propping the picture up against the wall, she quickly headed for the big room, opened the door and put the light on. She was shocked at the size of the place and the amount of stuff that was stored up there. She hadn’t realised on her first inspection just how much there was. Cobwebs hung in great festoons from the ceiling and she thought she heard something scuttle across the floorboards. Shuddering, Jess made a mental note to get Simon to put some mouse traps up there. The whole place could be infested with rodents for all she knew, and she’d had a fear of mice ever since she was a child.

  Jess didn’t know where to look first. To one side of her was a large dressmaking mannequin, obviously very old, with straw sticking out of it. Crossing to the nearest chest, she cautiously raised the lid to find herself staring down at a collection of china-faced dolls. They looked very old and she wondered if they might be worth anything. The next chest she opened revealed bed linen, yellowed with age. Soon her trip into town was forgotten as she continued with her exploration. She found an old rocking horse with a beautiful if somewhat dusty mane beneath one of the sheets, and exclaimed aloud with delight. That would look beautiful in the bay window in the drawing room if I were to clean it up, she thought, and determined to get Simon to carry it downstairs for her. It was far too beautiful to be hidden away up here.

  Beneath another dust-sheet she unearthed a set of six matching ladder-back chairs. One of them was wobbling dangerously and the seats were in dire need of re-upholstering, but even so Jess fell in love with them and vowed to restore them to their former glory. She knew that they would look superb in the dining room. She just hoped now that she might be lucky enough to come across the table they belonged to.

  Another half an hour and a lot of rummaging later, she came to a smaller wooden chest with metal straps around it set beneath the eaves. She had to drop onto her knees to drag it towards her, causing a storm of dust to make her cough, but at last she managed it. The lid was stiff, and despite her best efforts she was beginning to think that she would have to wait until she could get Simon to force it open for her, but then the heavy brass hinges suddenly squealed in protest and slowly but surely the lid creaked open.

  This time she found herself staring down at a number of crudely bound leather books. They certainly didn’t appear to be of any value but all the same, Jess was consumed with curiosity as she lifted one out and blew the dust from its cover.

  Opening it to the first page she read, This Journal belongs to Martha Reid. The handwriting was neat and now Jess became excited. The sampler she had found in the servant’s room where the clothes still hung had been embroidered with the name Martha, and she wondered if this was the same girl’s journal. Curious to find out, she tucked it under her arm and headed for the door where she hastily snapped off the light and hurried downstairs, the shopping trip ignored for now.

  Jess made herself a large pot of tea and after plonking it on a tray with some custard creams, she headed for the drawing room where she curled up on the sofa and opened the journal to the first page.

  The first entry was dated 20 June 1837. And as Jess read on through the painstakingly written pages, splotched with blots and sprays of faded ink, she was transported back in time . . .

  Today I, Martha Reid, am seventeen years old. This book is a birthday present from my Granny Reid and from now I shall try to find a little time each day to write my journal in it, with my best grammer and handwriting. I know that I am fortunate to be able to write, as most of the staff that work here are only able to make their mark with a cross. But Granny had been taught how to read by the vicar before she married my grandad, in return for cleaning and baking for him, and she has taught me and my sister Grace our letters and how to do sums for as long as I can remember. My birthday has been slightly marred as word has reached us that today our King, King William VI, has died at Windsor at the age of 71 years. Princess Victoria, who is only one year older than me, will now become Queen of Great Britain and Ireland. It is strange to think that a girl of about my age should have so much responsibility placed upon her shoulders. My life is hard, and yet I am blessed, for I have Grace and my Granny Reid to look out for me. Until three years ago we had our own little cottage in Mancetter, which was tied to the pit our father worked in. Our mother died in childbirth some years ago, and sadly I only have vague memories of her, and then when Da was killed in a pitfall we had to leave our home. Thankfully, we were then taken on by Master Fenton and we came to live here. I know that we are fortunate that Master Fenton allows us to live in Stonebridge House but I do sometimes wish that he was a kinder master. Our granny is now very old, at least sixty years, so I believe, and I think sometimes that the kitchen work is becoming too much for her. Granny and I and Grace have rooms in the attic. They are freezing cold in the winter and unbearably hot in the summer. In the autumn when Grace marries her Bertie they will live in the accommodation above the stable, and the room that I now share with my sister will become all mine. Grace is the chambermaid and the scullerymaid, I am the kitchenmaid and Granny is the cook. Bertie is the groom, and I think that he and Grace love each other very much. I am quite envious of them sometimes and wonder if I shall ever meet a boy I will fall in love with. Granny tells me to be thankful for what I’ve got, but I cannot help but dream. Besides us, another family called the Tolleys live in a cottage in the grounds. Phoebe and Hal Tolley have four boys and they also all work for the Master. Hal and the boys do all the jobs about the place as well as tending to the gardens, and Phoebe does the laundry work.

  Today the tinker called by and Grace bought me a red velvet ribbon which I shall wear in my hair when I go to the fair on Saturday. It is presently in the Pingles Fields in Coton. I am going with Grace and Bertie, but Granny has warned me not to spend all my hard-earned pennies on fripperies. It is all right for her, she is an old woman, but I like to look nice on my afternoons off. I went to the fair last year and greatly enjoyed it. The only thing I didn’t like was the great brown bear who was shackled to the ground with chains about his ankles. His eyes were sad, and I felt sorry for him. People were poking him with sticks to make him roar and I thought they were cruel.

  I shall have to close now to go about my duties. Master Fenton has visitors arriving later today and I must help to prepare their rooms. Granny says they will no doubt be gambling in the study until the early hours of the morning as usual and so she will probably have to stay up too, to serve them drinks and food. She worries about the Master since the Mistress left him earlier in the year. She says it’s a wonder his flour mill in Attleborough hasn’t gone under because he is hardly ever there to run it properly now, but Bertie said the Master had a good manager in charge there. Bertie doesn’t feel sorry for the Master, in fact he said it served him right that the Mistress had gone because of the way he treated her, and that it was a good thing they were childless. Maybe that’s why the Master plays the fool: he might have wanted an heir. I miss the Mistress. She was kind. Sometimes she would give Grace and me her cast-off gowns, and Granny would alter them to fit us. Rumour has it that the Mistress has returned to live with her parents at their country estate in Shropshire and that she will never return. I hope they are wrong. The house is not the same without her.

  As Jess gently closed the book on Martha’s first entry a shudder rippled through her despite the heat that wafted in through the open French doors. She knew she should share the journal with Simon, but she felt strangely reluctant to do so. It was as if she had discovered something very precious and for now she wanted to keep it to herself. After carrying the book up to her bedroom she went about her chores, but her heart wasn’t in them now. She just wanted it to be bedtime so that
she could read some more of the young maid’s past. It was incredible to think that Martha had once known every room in this house just as she herself now did, and Jess was intrigued to read on and discover more about the girl’s life.

  Beth arrived on the kitchen doorstep later in the afternoon and Jess beckoned her inside where she was preparing a large bowl of salad to accompany the cooked ham they were going to have for their evening meal. Beth looked eagerly around the kitchen, the smile on her face as bright as an electric light bulb as she asked expectantly, ‘S . . . Simon?’

  ‘Sorry, sweetheart. Simon is still at work, and he’s likely to be late back this evening. He has a very big job on and he’s trying to get as much done as he can whilst the weather is still on his side.’ Seeing the girl’s crestfallen expression, she suggested, ‘Why don’t you take Alfie for a little walk around the lawn? He gets very lonely while Jo is at school and he loves to see you.’

  Slightly more cheerful again, Beth instantly rose, and seconds later she flew out of the door with Alfie following close behind, his tail wagging joyfully.

  The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Jess postponed her trip into town, intending to go the next day, and Simon arrived home late as she had expected, tired and more than a little frazzled. ‘I reckon I’ll have a soak in the bath and turn in, if you don’t mind,’ he said after he’d eaten his meal. ‘I’ve got another early start tomorrow and I’m all in.’

  Jess was secretly relieved, and once he was fast asleep in bed she slipped in at the side of him and took Martha’s book from the drawer. Within no time at all everything else faded away as she was drawn back into the early summer of 1837 . . .

  June 24

  Despite all my good intentions, this is the first day I have had time to write anything in my book since Granny Reid gave it to me on my birthday. The Master’s friends arrived later that day as expected and stayed for three whole days, during which time we were all run off our feet seeing to their needs. Granny is none too pleased at all with the way they have conducted themselves . . .