And sat up in bed.
Chapter 4
Marlene awoke the next morning to the bright light of day shining through the drapes in her room. Again, she thought it odd that she was allowed to sleep later than the other servants, that she wasn’t expected to be up when Lady Erica decided to rise.
She put a hand to her head as she threw the covers off and dropped her legs over the side of the bed. She paused, wondering why she felt so offset when she’d obviously had plenty of rest—
She lowered her hand to her lap to find that it was perfectly clean. Last night she distinctly recalled digging through the dirt in the orangery and finding something…
Immediately, the pain in her head vanished, as her heart started to pound. Marlene might have been too weary to question how she had made it to her bed without knowing she’d done so, but she couldn’t ignore it now. She might have also allowed herself to believe that the night she’d opened the portrait and stumbled upon the hidden study, that it had been nothing more than a dream. The orangery was a different matter altogether. She was convinced that it hadn’t just been an illusion, because it had been all too real.
She glanced down at her nightdress and didn’t recall changing. She shook her head. There wasn’t any way that she could explain this away again. The truth was staring directly at her with the remembrance of her past.
Something strange was going on at Rosedale Heights.
A shiver crawled up her spine, even though the fire was still glowing steadily in the grate. It wasn’t until her mind started to fall into a fog while she was staring at the ashes beneath the burning logs, that she recalled a very important detail.
She got up and began the search for her discarded gown. It wasn’t over the chair where she normally left it, but already neatly pressed and hanging in the wardrobe. She stared at it for a moment, hardly daring to believe what she was seeing. There was no way possible that it could have already been sent to the laundry. And yet, there it was.
She pushed that knowledge aside for the time and concentrated on her original task. Feeling around in the hidden pocket of her skirts, she froze when she encountered a metal object. She withdrew it from the gown and stared at the innocuous item in her palm.
It was the key she had recovered from beneath the pot of the lemon tree.
It was still slightly dirty, giving credence to the fact that it hadn’t been discovered by whoever had carefully attended to it. If so, she was quite certain she wouldn’t have possession of it now.
Marlene promised herself that she would find time to investigate this further, although she had no idea where to possibly begin her search for whatever this opened. Perhaps she might find a way to ask Lady Erica about it.
She wondered where to hide it, and then decided that the best place would be inside the lantern. She opened the latch and tucked it along the metal edge that held the candle, so that when it was moved, it wouldn’t rattle around, but stay firmly in place.
Satisfied that it would remain undiscovered, she dressed for the day. Today she decided on a white and red striped gown. Once she’d eaten the food that had been left on the silver tray in her room, presumably by Amy, she went in search of her quarry.
Thankfully, the following week passed without any incident. After the night in the orangery, Marlene made sure to keep to her rooms whenever she wasn’t with Lady Erica, to ensure that nothing untoward might happen. When she did venture out among the manor, it was during the daylight hours with the key hidden in her skirts. She hoped that she would stumble across something that it might unlock. But thus far, she hadn’t been led to anything in particular. No more chill drafts or whispered hints.
She was starting to wonder if everything had been nothing more than a dream, but the cold metal in her palm continually reminded her of that night. But at least she wasn’t feeling the dread she once had. She was still on edge, as if waiting for something to happen, but with each day that passed and she was spared, Marlene started to enjoy her time at the manor.
During this time, Sir Gothry had been conspicuously absent as well. She didn’t know if he had merely sequestered himself in his study, or if he’d decided to travel somewhere, but neither did she ask. She decided it was probably for the best that she didn’t know where he was.
She went downstairs and found Lady Erica doing a bit of needlepoint in the front parlor. When Marlene entered, she glanced up and offered a smile. “Ah, there you are. I was wondering when you were going to rise.”
Heat rushed to Marlene’s face. “I do apologize, my lady. I fear I didn’t rest well last night, and I slept longer than I should have.”
Lady Erica set aside her work. “Not to worry. If I was that concerned, I might have sent Amy to rouse you.” She got up with the assistance of her cane. “I should like to go into the village. I am in need of a few things.”
“Of course.” Marlene bobbed slightly. “Allow me to collect my pelisse and I shall be happy to join you.”
The day was overcast and cloudy as Marlene escorted Lady Erica down the front steps of the manor. In truth, she was grateful to be leaving the cold edifice for a time, even if she still didn’t particularly care for the odd coachman. He was polite enough as he opened the door, but she had no doubt her movements would be reported back to the master of the estate.
Marlene sat back against the deep purple velvet squabs and released a slow breath. With each turn of the carriage wheels, it was as if she could gather more air into her lungs, that the weight that had been pressing her down for the past two weeks since she’d started this journey, had finally started to ease somewhat. If things continued in this calm manner, she decided there might be hope for the future after all.
As they settled themselves for the brief journey to the nearby village of Rosedale Abbey, Marlene wondered whether or not she should bring up the subject of the key. She slipped a hand into her pocket and grasped the metal in her palm. It had almost become a source of comfort to her, flipping it round and round as she tried to consider the best way to approach the subject to her companion.
With a light clearing of her throat, Marlene said, “Do you know if Mrs. Bates might have lost a key?”
Lady Erica glanced at her with a certain alertness about her features, as if she was suddenly focused on the conversation at hand. “Why do you ask?” A brief pause. “Have you found something?”
“No,” Marlene denied with a light lift of her shoulder. “I thought I heard her mention something the other day is all.”
“Did she?” Lady Erica murmured. “How curious. She hasn’t mentioned anything to me.”
