The Secret of Hollyfield House, Jude Bayton [books for 20 year olds txt] 📗

With Dominic gone, it proved challenging trying to concentrate on my work at hand—I could not engage. I abandoned the task and instead spent the day assisting Mrs Stackpoole with the washing. The activity was a welcome release. By late morning, as we pegged wet clothes onto the washing line and as the sun warmed my shoulders, I had the impulse to remain out of doors.

Securing a list from Mrs Stackpoole, I retrieved my shopping basket and set off for a walk into the village. Uncle Jasper would be back at dusk, and I had been sent to purchase a thick slice of ham to be served with a salad from the garden.

Ambleside was a well-populated small village. There were generally people shopping or taking a stroll. Today was no exception for the weather was glorious. The promise of a warm summer carried in the air. I was contemplating this when I heard someone call my name.

“Miss Jillian?” It was a child’s reedy voice. I stopped and turned, then smiled as I recognised the young face of Jem Riley. I waited for him to catch up with me and we fell into step together.

“Hello Jem. How is your sister? I hope she did not catch cold.” It would not surprise me if she had—the poor little mite had almost drowned.

Jem gave me a gap-toothed grin. “She’s right as rain now, miss. But I got a wallopin’ from my da for lettin’ her run off.” His face scrunched up with injustice. “It wasn’t my fault. She always runs away from me when mam’s not there.”

“Little sisters can be a big handful, Jem.”

“Yes,” he agreed somberly. “She did it to me the week afore that too.”

“She is a rascal. I hope she did not wind up in the lake that time as well?”

“Nope,” he said cheerily. “She hid in that posh boathouse. I had a heck of a time findin’ her afore mam got home from work.”

I chuckled. Jenny Riley was a little scamp. But then my mind latched onto what the boy had just said. “Which fancy boathouse was that, Jem?” I glanced at him.

He looked sheepish. “I don’t want to get into no trouble.”

I stopped and rested a hand on his shoulder. “You will not. All you did was go in there to get your sister. There is nothing wrong with that.” I noticed the quick flash of guilt ripple across his face. “Is there anthing you wish to tell me?” I said in the most non-threatening tone I could muster. For some reason I instinctively felt the lad was hiding something.

He nodded glumly. “I did go there to find Jenny,” he said reluctantly. He wiped his nose with a sleeve and looked up at me with wide chocolate-coloured eyes. “But once I got her, I pinched a cabbage from the garden, an’ I nearly got caught.” He paused, waiting for my swift admonishment and then blinked several times when I did not utter a word. I resumed walking, and he kept pace with me.

“Are you angry with me, miss? I ain’t really a thief, but mam an’ dad work so hard, an’ there’s never enough food to go ’round.”

“Stealing is very bad, Jem,” I said quietly.

“I know,” he pleaded. “I won’t ever do it again, miss. I just couldn’t help myself. Then I saw the lady an’ man walk up to the boathouse an’ I knew I was for it. So as soon as they were busy with each other, me an’ Jenny ran for it. No one followed us. We were lucky.” He shook his head. “I was so scared I dropped the blasted cabbage anyway. We never even got to eat it.”

I did not care about the cabbage. It was his other comment. “Jem, who was it you saw? The lady and man I mean. Did you know them?” We had reached the butcher’s shop.

“Of course, I did,” he said with a groan. “That’s why I was scared I’d get in trouble. It was the blacksmith an’ the pretty lady from the House, the one with the yellow hair.”

My heart picked up rhythm. “Jareth Flynn and Miss LaVelle?”

“Yes. Who did you think I was on about?”

I ignored the question. “What did you mean by them being busy with themselves?”

His face turned a warm shade of pink. “They were kissin’ an’ cuddlin’.” His nose wrinkled in distaste.

I could not help but smile at his expression. “And they did not see you?”

“Not at first. But then the blacksmith saw us out of the corner of his eye, ’cos he winked at me.” Now his confidence returned as Jem realised I was not angry with him. “But me and Jen, we’re good at hidin’ from me da when he’s had a drink or two. So, we hid in the bushes, an’ while they were all lovey-dovey, we ran off home. Thing was though, miss.” He looked up at me, and his face was racked with guilt once again. “When I heard the blacksmith was dead, all I could think about was how lucky I was. No one would find out about me an’ the cabbage.”

The significance of Jem’s words was overwhelming. He had innocently recounted his story, placing Evergreen and Flynn at the boathouse in a romantic rendezvous. Our suspicions were correct. Though it seemed a bizarre union to me, more importantly, I now felt certain Jareth Flynn had been inside the boathouse when he dropped his watch, and it had happened right before he died.

WHEN DOMINIC RETURNED FROM CARTMEL Sunday evening, I pulled open the front door so quickly, he practically fell inside. I had paced for so long the hall carpet could have been threadbare. My mind had been working furiously with information as it knitted together all I had learned about Jareth Flynn.

Dominic asked if Uncle Jasper was home, and at my answer to the negative, he pulled me into a warm embrace and kissed my lips. Momentarily,