Lions House was full of whispers. No one dared speak out loud in case the mistress got to hear. But the servants huddled in corners when they could, and asked each other what might happen. It was a scandal to be sure. That Miss Alice had been found was a miracle, but to think she was in that place in Spaxton where the unspeakable happened, where a charlatan ruled over a band of heathen women, where illegitimate children ran wild – it was unthinkable. If the mistress were ever to get a whiff of the truth … well, it didn’t bear thinking about.
Eli returned from Spaxton with his head in a spin. Could he do it? Could he really rescue Alice and bring her home? He would need help for certain. But who could he ask? Who could he trust? It was a tricky situation, and how he would ever explain it to his mother, he didn’t know. Would she accept Alice back when she couldn’t even bring herself to speak her name?
Eli stopped outside Alice’s chamber on the way to his own room. He opened the door and stepped inside. It was a sad sight. The bed had been stripped bare and the furniture was covered in dust sheets. He wondered if Alice’s clothes were still hanging in the wardrobe and folded in her drawers, or had his mother tried to erase every trace of her?
If she had, it hadn’t worked because he could still see and smell Alice everywhere. The mattress still held the shape of her and every corner of the room vibrated with the memory of her defiant voice. She was always good at standing up to Mama, he thought. Much better than I am.
Then as though he had conjured her up just by thinking about her, Temperance appeared in the room. ‘What are you doing in here?’ she demanded. ‘You have no business in here. Get out.’
‘Oh, Mama. I was just remembering Alice. That’s all. Don’t you miss her? Wouldn’t you like her to come home?’
Temperance put her hand to her throat, as though she might choke. Then in a sudden movement she reached out and slapped Eli across the face. ‘Where have you been all day?’ she shouted. ‘I know you haven’t been at the mill.’
She followed Eli as he left Alice’s chamber.
‘Where have you been? I demand to know. Where have you been sneaking off to? I will not allow it. Do you hear me?’
Her voice vibrated inside Eli’s head and poked at his brain. He was desperate to get inside his chamber and shut the door in her face. Why couldn’t she just leave him alone?
‘Don’t forget, Eli,’ she said, her voice suddenly calm. ‘This is my house. The money is all mine too. Just you remember that.’
Eli turned and looked at her. She reached out her hand and he flinched. But this time she just rested her hand gently on the side of his face. ‘My son,’ she said. ‘Now be good for your mother. You are all I have left now.’
As Eli retreated to the sanctuary of his chamber, he felt sick to the stomach. He had to bring Alice home. There could be no doubt now. He couldn’t bear it any longer. Now, he didn’t care how his mother would react. With Alice back in the house his mother would surely return to her old ways and leave him in peace. And it would be all right, because Alice would know how to deal with her. She had had a lifetime of practice, after all.
He would speak to Wraith, he decided. He wouldn’t refuse to help. Not if he knew what was good for him.