‘Goodbye, Drake.’ A fragile smile played on her quivering pink lips. ‘I will miss the kittens.’
‘I will look after them. Goodbye, Evie.’
She looked at him shyly through her lashes, a slight blush colouring her cheeks. ‘Evie,’ she said, testing the name on her lips. ‘I like Evie.’
‘I like Evie too,’ he said, without thinking.
He had told his mother they were barely friends. He could not claim that any more.
Drake waited for several minutes, before he ventured outside. To his surprise Timmins was waiting for him. The head gardener looked towards Carrack House, but his words were for Drake.
‘Tomorrow you will start clearing the gullies and paths in the valley gardens,’ he told him, solemnly. ‘It will keep you out of the way — and keep us all out of trouble.’
The head gardener left without explaining further. He had seen Evie leave and wanted to keep them apart. Drake watched him go, aware he had been temporarily banished from the gardens as a warning and a punishment. He was about to leave too when he noticed Abel standing by the far wall. His leisurely stance and the confident twisting and flipping of a broken twig in his mouth told Drake that he had probably been there for some time. Abel suddenly taunted him with a smirk, before removing the piece of wood, spitting on the ground and walking away.
Chapter Nine
The emergence of the narcissus flower heralded the arrival of spring, draping the lawns and flowerbeds in sheets of fragrant yellows and whites. The name originated from Greek mythology, where the young Narcissus fell in love with his own image. It seemed fitting that the arrival of the fragrant blooms corresponded with the reinstatement of the narcissistic tutor, Mr Burrows, whose self-absorption was only rivalled by his hatred of the female gender.
Little was known about the private life of Mr Burrows. His teaching career, on the other hand, was better known, or at least what he chose to share of it. He had obeyed his overbearing father’s orders and entered the profession at a young age. It was thanks to his father’s influence, as a member of the board of governors, that he secured his first teaching post at an exclusive school for boys in London.
The reason for his sudden departure, some years later, was somewhat hazier. An incident had occurred, which, if he was to be believed, he found intolerable and led to his abrupt resignation. He moved to Cornwall with a glowing reference in his pocket from the board of governors, but no invitation to return. His father had not spoken to him since.
He eventually found a position in a small village school, but teaching the children of farm labourers lacked the prestige he felt was due to him. He often remarked on his experience, saying the children ‘were deficient in basic intelligence’ and that ‘one cannot build an education on a foundation of sludge’.
Securing a position as Nicholas Pendragon’s private tutor fulfilled all his desires. Teaching the son and heir to the most respected and wealthy family in Cornwall lifted him above his peers, gave him the power of autonomy and a good annual income. Nicholas’s deterioration in health, and subsequentdeath, was both a shock and an inconvenience to him. He accepted the role as a private tutor to Miss Evelyn Pendragon with a mixture of relief and reluctance. Although it carried the same benefits he had previously enjoyed, the position was marred by the fact that she was a girl.
There appeared a marked absence of the female gender in his life, for he never mentioned a wife, sister or mother. Although he was once seen coming out of a seedy establishment in the town of Saltash, an incident which fuelled gossip amongst the servants who held a distinct dislike for him.
Evelyn overheard their whispers, but did not understand, whilst her parents never learnt of them. Needless to say, his clandestine trips continued, while the more sordid details of his private life remained unknown and unchallenged. Yes, there was far more to the private life of Mr Burrows, more than even the servants were aware.
Although Mr Burrows was Nicholas’s only tutor since his bout of rheumatic fever, Evelyn had had little to do with him until now. Nicholas had found him tolerable, although a little odd, so Evelyn, although apprehensive about her future education, was eager to meet him and begin her studies.
Her father formally introduced Mr Burrows to her at the beginning of her first lesson. She remembered the meeting clearly. In order to convince her new tutor, or perhaps himself, her father endorsed her abilities to her new tutor with a nervous eagerness she had not witnessed before. He presented her as if she was a gifted protégé. It was a lot to live up to and a long way to fall.
As her father stood between them and talked, Evelyn and Mr Burrows studied each other. He was short for a man, not much taller than his new pupil. He had fair red hair and light lashes which appeared almost transparent and not of this world. His eyebrows were almost white and, to her surprise, appeareddusted with powder. He had pale skin, as smooth as porcelain, with a straight nose and grey eyes, which could penetrate one like a knife. A large neatly trimmed moustache topped the mouth that never smiled, and always near to hand was his cane, made of birch, which she would later learn he called ‘The Master’.
During the first month of his appointment, Mr Burrows was all Evelyn hoped he would be. He was knowledgeable, kind, patient and encouraging. As a result, Evelyn’s confidence in her abilities grew with each day that passed. Whenever her parents ventured into the schoolroom, which was often in the first few weeks, he would turn his charm on them, calming their nerves and providing the reassurance they craved.
For the first time since Nicholas’s death, Evelyn could see that her parents’ suffering had lessened. Although they still grieved, they were reassured by Mr Burrows that their daughter was well cared for, enjoying her new studies and might achieve success as an heir. Their visits stopped, confident that all was well. They were right to think that, for in the first month she had reassured them herself. She would have shared her happiness with Drake, if he could be found. She did not realise then that things were about to change.
* * *
Evelyn looked out of her bedroom window and up at the dark grey clouds in the sky. The north facing schoolroom will be dark today, she thought, smiling. On such days, when everything was cast in a gloomy, chilling shadow, the lamps in the schoolroom were lit early to provide much needed light for study. Their soft golden glow made the sparsely furnished room cosy and welcoming, which Evelyn loved. She left her bedroom and practically skipped to her lessons where she knew Mr Burrows would be waiting for her. A few minutes later anda little breathless, Evelyn entered the small schoolroom. Her jaunty steps faltered as she saw the unlit lamps and realised Mr Burrows had no plans to use them today. She tried not to let his decision dampen her mood and bid him a polite ‘good morning’ and her brightest smile before sitting down at her desk to wait his instruction.
This morning Mr Burrows did not return her greeting as he usually did. Instead he remained seated at his desk and stared at her with narrowed eyes. He remained strangely still and quiet for some moments, which unnerved Evelyn. She grew increasingly self-conscious under his gaze, but dared not question his odd behaviour. Instead she offered him a nervous smile. He abruptly stood, making Evelyn jump.
‘Our lesson today is writing,’ said Mr Burrows as he came round to the front and sat on the corner of the desk.
To Evelyn, he resembled a doll that had been awkwardly placed there, as his back was too rigid and his legs too short. She wanted to giggle, but knew her manners and did not allow her thoughts to show.
‘I want you to write about Nicholas,’ ordered Mr Burrows.
The mention of her brother caught Evelyn unaware and at first she thought she had misheard.
‘Write about Nicholas?’ she repeated unnecessarily.
‘Yes, I want you to write about Nicholas,’ he replied slowly as if talking to a half-wit. Uneasily, Evelyn looked about her. The schoolroom had beenhisschoolroom, but as Evelyn had never entered it until after his death, somehow the connection never really felt real. Suddenly, hearing his name in this room, spoken by his tutor, the connection felt very real indeed. Only Nicholas wasn’t here any more—
