Page 53 of Searching for Mr Tilney

‘Harry thought you might enjoy being in one of the rooms that’s been less modified by Victorian ancestors,’ Elsa said. I didn’t quite know what to expect beyond the hinged wooden door set into a stone arch, which looked just how I’d imagined it would, and couldn’t help thinking of Catherine Morland who’d been a little disappointed by her modern furnishings.

I wasn’t let down in the least. The roughly plastered walls were painted a crimson colour glowing in the firelight reflected round the room, and the lanterns and candles glimmering on the mantle above the stone fireplace. Best of all, was a mahogany four poster bed that looked very ancient, but with the most beautiful bed linen in plain white cotton edged in the most delicate lace, and clearly belonging to a distant era. There was a tapestry on one wall, a huge landscape painting over the fireplace, and windows on the opposite walls with damask curtains drawn to keep in the heat. It looked a cosy room at first sight, and I couldn’t wait to get into bed.

‘I hope you’ll find everything you need. There’s a small bathroom just next door, and there should be plenty of hot water. We probably won’t have breakfast until nine tomorrow. I’ll come and knock for you, if you like. It’s easy to get lost in this vast place.’

‘Thank you, Elsa, I’ll look forward to it, but if there is anything I can do to help tonight, please let me know.’

Elsa leaned forward to kiss me on my cheek. ‘You’re so sweet, but I’ll see you in the morning.’

When she’d gone, I suddenly remembered my case, but I needn’t have worried. It was there by a chair next to my bedside, and I couldn’t help thinking about the supposed ancient retainer struggling up the stairs with it, until I guessed Harry must have left it there for me on the way to see his uncle. I couldn’t see very well by candlelight in the bathroom, but managed to have a quick wash and brush my teeth. It was so warm in the bedroom, a combination of the fire and the glowing walls; that I lingered over getting undressed, fetching out my hairbrush, imagining I was a heroine in a novel getting ready for bed. The only problem was there didn’t seem to be a mirror of any kind, and though I hadn’t seen one in the bathroom I thought there must be one somewhere that I’d overlooked.

I hopped into bed, and found the mattress so wonderfully soft that I might have dropped off there and then, if not for the fact that I saw one or two very interesting books on my bedside table. The one on top was Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a novel I’d never got round to reading, and I picked it up wondering if Harry had left it especially for me to find. I was soon engrossed, and it amused me to read that the hero of the novel had made a journey to Dracula’s castle at night, like me, and I loved the description of the Count’s sharp fingernails and hairy palms, but decided I wouldn’t read any more when I got to the part about there being no looking glass.

I know for a fact, after watching several vampire films that there are never mirrors in them because vampires have no reflections. And then, I found my imagination running wild as I thought over the fact that Elsa said her uncle preferred to sleep in the daytime, as silly as that sounds. I couldn’t get the idea out of my head that I’d been invited to the castle by Count Dracula himself and that I was never going to see the light of day again. I was wide-awake, feeling completely spooked, and very hot, as the fire showed no sign of dying down. Even so, I pulled up the covers on my bed and peeped over the top to look round the room. At least there were no old chests where dead bodies might be hidden, though in one corner of the room I suddenly noticed a crucifix hewn into the wall, which I told myself had most likely been there for centuries, preserved by monks or whoever had lived in the castle centuries ago. The heat in the room was becoming oppressive, and even with the covers thrown back I felt hot. There was nothing for it, but to get up and open the window. I felt nervous pulling back the curtain, but nothing stirred or leapt out at me, and the leaded casement was easy to open. I looked out into the blackness of the night, and jumped when rainwater splashed my face. The sound of a dog howling pierced the quiet lull of the sea, though I scolded my silliness when I realised it was probably just Randolph having dreams or feeling restless. There weren’t any wolves left in England, were there? No, the worst was yet to come, as my eyes got used to the light and I could see flitting birds crossing and swooping, diving down and flying up above the castle walls. Except, I very quickly realised no self-respecting bird would be awake at that time of night, and what I was seeing were a cloud of black bats circling over my head. Needless to say, I shut the window very firmly, simultaneously managing to blow out the candles on the shelf and even in the lanterns. I’d never moved so fast as I jumped into bed, my heart beating like a drum, to hide myself under the covers and cower in the dark.

***

When I woke next morning, I couldn’t think where I was at first. The room was quite dark, and I couldn’t decide whether it was very early or because the dark curtains were shutting out the light. My watch said it was eight o’clock, which was a surprise, and I leapt out of bed to open the curtains. All the rain of the previous day was gone, and there were wonderful views over a turquoise sea stretching before me. I couldn’t see anything of the castle itself, except when I opened the window and leaned out, though I didn’t go too far, as there was nothing but a deep drop to the seaweed covered rocks down below me. I’d never seen such a magnificent view, and with mounting excitement for the day ahead I got myself up, washed and dressed as quickly as I could, discovering a full length mirror behind the door that had been obscured by a dressing gown, and a hand mirror on the high shelf of a Victorian washstand.

Elsa called for me on the way down, just as she said she would, and as we walked back along the corridors and down the many staircases, the castle was filled with light from large windows that I hadn’t noticed from the previous evening. If I’d felt I was in Dracula’s castle at night, in the daytime there was a completely different atmosphere.

‘I hope you were able to sleep,’ she said, as we came down into the great hall and turned into another corridor. ‘I’m not too good at sleeping in strange places.’

‘I can’t remember when I last slept so well,’ I said, which was true to a certain extent. ‘The bed was so comfy and the room so warm, I soon dropped off.’ Once I’d fallen asleep I hadn’t stirred once in the night, despite all my dreams of being chased by vampires.

The pretty breakfast room was small, but with large windows overlooking the sea where a table was laid. I wasn’t sure if Harry would be down or not, but I imagined he’d be really tired if he’d been up all night.

‘I hope you’ll have a lovely week, Caroline,’ said Mrs Davies, the housekeeper, coming in with a bowl of scrambled eggs. ‘At least we have the electricity back on this morning, though whether we’ll still have it by nightfall is anybody’s guess. There’s some bacon and sausage, kedgeree if you prefer … just make yourself at home.’

‘Thank you, Mrs Davies,’ I answered. ‘I must admit I enjoyed the candlelight … everywhere looked so romantic and slightly spooky. I could imagine just what it was like to have lived in the castle years ago.’

‘Yes, that’s what I’ve always loved about the castle too,’ Mrs Davies agreed. ‘You could be in another time when the candles are lit.’

‘So much depends on the light and the weather,’ added Elsa, when we were sitting down again. ‘It can be romantic, gothic, cosy or terrifying, all in the space of an afternoon depending on the light or whether there are sunshine or storms.’

‘I hope Harry managed everything he needed to do in the power cut. Have you seen him?’ I asked, wishing he could be there with us and hoping against hope he might appear.

‘I’m afraid Harry had a bit of a night of it,’ Elsa replied, buttering a piece of toast, simultaneously flicking a stray blonde curl out of her eyes. ‘Our uncle couldn’t sleep, and was very restless. He has a habit of roaming the castle when he’s like that … I do hope you weren’t disturbed.’

‘Oh, not at all,’ I said thinking back to my late night reading, making a mental note to lock myself in my room when I went to bed in future.

‘Harry is having a lie-in, and sends his apologies, but we’ll see him this afternoon. I’m put in charge of your entertainment this morning. What would you like to do? It’s a fine day … we could go down to the village or Harry suggested you might like to be shown round the castle.’

‘I should love to have a guided tour,’ I said. ‘If I’m not disturbing you, Elsa … you’ve probably got a lot to do.’

‘Not until later … the nurse comes and stays all day so I’m quite free. What would you like to see first? There’s the old castle ruins, which are quite splendid, and best enjoyed in the sunshine or I can show you round the rest of the modern parts, though quite honestly they’re getting rather ancient in themselves.’

‘I should love to see the old ruins. Harry told me about the resident ghosts, which sound just my kind of fun.’

‘Well, if there are any, neither of us have ever seen them, though they’re easy to imagine when the wind comes whistling across the top of the battlements. There are always strange noises to be heard, though there is so much wildlife, it’s usually a stray sheep or a seagull disturbing the stones … nothing sinister in the least.’

***

We finished our breakfast and agreed to meet in the hall in twenty minutes. Elsa said I should wrap up warmly, even though the sun was shining, so I headed back upstairs to fetch a jumper and my coat, which was drying out before the dying fire. I couldn’t help wondering whereabouts Harry was sleeping, and was tempted to try a few doors along the corridor, though I knew I was being very selfish. A picture of Harry sleeping was hard to erase - in my mind it was an image I could easily imagine. I clung on to the hope that I’d see him downstairs later, even if I felt sure he’d be shattered. Perhaps he’d stay in bed all day, I wondered, and though I knew he’d need the sleep I still hoped he might be able to get up before then. He’d looked more handsome than ever when I recalled him running across the quad to meet me, and the memory of his strong arms lifting me gave me a lovely thought to hang onto - but how I wished he’d kissed me, even just a little peck on the cheek would have been enough.

I must have taken a wrong turning on the way back down because I found myself in a corridor that I didn’t recognise. I heard a door opening with a loud creak, which terrified me because I felt I didn’t belong there, but before I had a chance to turn back, I saw a uniformed nurse pushing a figure in a wheelchair towards me. She’d clearly seen me, and so I had no choice but to wait until they came nearer.

‘Slow down, the house isn’t on fire!’ the man in the wheelchair shouted, and I guessed he must be Harry’s uncle. ‘Can’t you drive in a straight line?’