Puck started running. Over the years she’d developed some speed, and combined with her knowledge of the grounds, she was able to follow him. He was headed toward the old cemetery. But why would he want to go there? No one ever did.
When she got there, she saw the horse tied to a falling-down fence post. Sean was among the gravestones, talking to two men, neither of whom she’d ever seen before.
Had it been anyone else, she would have figured out a way to hide so she could hear what was going on. But this was Sean. Her friend. She wouldn’t intrude.
At the corner of the cemetery was the caretaker’s old brick house. It was tall, narrow and boarded up. No one had lived in it for many years—and no one wanted to. The private Renlow cemetery had a reputation for being haunted. People were always saying they heard noises and saw lights there. Besides, the house was in such bad condition that it would cost a lot to renovate. Bertie wasn’t going to waste money on it.
Cautiously, Puck went to the house. She didn’t want the men to see her, but at the same time she was curious as to what they were doing.
When one of the men looked in her direction, Puck stepped backward—and fell inside. An old board had given way. When her weight hit it, she’d fallen back and the board had landed on top of her. The only sound was of her “oof.”
She lay there for a moment, waiting for the dust to settle, and to see if anyone had heard and would come running. But there was silence. When she lifted the board off and set it aside, she saw the floor. It was inlaid tile in terracotta and white, with strips of blue. Very pretty, she thought.
For a moment she was torn between whether to go back outside and try to figure out what Sean was doing or to explore the house. The scary thought of Sean catching her spying made her choose the house.
It was three stories, with the ground floor little more than an entrance hall. Upstairs were half a dozen small rooms, with a couple of fireplaces. The top floor had two bedrooms and a bath.
The bathroom had a tub so big that it must have been installed before the walls were built. The room was dark, with the windows boarded up. She was about to leave when she saw something in the tub. Leaning over, she picked up a white mask. It was full face, with long holes for the eyes. The mouth was open and turned down. The bottom of the tub held yards of soft white cloth. Under it all was an old tape recorder. Before she thought, she pushed the play button. Out came eerie sounds of clanging and moaning. Quickly, Puck turned it off.
It looked like she’d found the source of the haunting. Masks, white drapery and recorded sounds.
Her question was why? And who was going through so much trouble to keep people away from the cemetery?
Puck peeked through the boards nailed over a window to look out at the old cemetery. It held over a hundred years of the Renlow family, plus valued friends and retainers. There was a Victorian marble mausoleum that looked like a military tent. Not that any Renlow had ever been a soldier, but one of them had kept the accounts for a British general who’d served in India. It was enough to lay claim to military service.
Sean wasn’t far away from the structure. She saw him hand a small canvas bag to one of the men. In return, Sean took a paper bag.
Puck leaned back against the wall. Was the bag full of money? Was this about drugs? Was Sean buying them? Selling them?
This was a secret she did not want to have to keep. But she knew that this was one she was going to have to guard closely. If anyone found out...
When she looked out again, Sean was gone. She needed to find him but he mustn’t know that she’d seen... Whatever he’d been doing.
She ran down the stairs. As soon as she was outside, she saw that her clothes were covered in dust. Sean would take one look at her and know where she’d been. With energy, she dusted herself off.
She caught up with him as he was walking Lady Chance back to the stables. Like always, she started walking beside him.
“What have you been up to this morning?” he asked.
“Listening to everyone.”
“Oh?”
It was an invitation to tell all. And besides, Puck wanted to fill the air with words so she wouldn’t have to think about what she’d seen. She told about the errands—including about Willa.
“Poor girl,” Sean said. “If he marries her, he’ll make her miserable.” He looked at Puck. “And what’s this about Nadine?”
There was a sneer in his voice, but it was understandable. Nadine arrived with fabulous cars from her father and they scared the horses.
“You’re to give her riding lessons.” Puck pulled the money out of her pocket and held it out to him. “She wants her first lesson tomorrow.”
“No,” he said. “Get somebody else.”
“Nadine is a nice person.” Puck sounded desperate, but then she was. If Sean didn’t give Nadine lessons, her father would be angry, then Nadine wouldn’t be allowed to come and she was good at keeping peace and—“Nadine is funny and interesting and she cares about people.”
“You mean she cares about that group of misfits that hangs around here. Does she know it’s her money they love the most?”
“I’m afraid she does.” Puck was being honest. “But she has to do whatever her father tells her to do.”
“And he wants her to marry the future earl.” It wasn’t a question.
“Sean, please. Nadine will get in trouble if you don’t teach her.”
With a grimace, he took the money. “All right. Tomorrow at 8:00 a.m.”
“I don’t think—” She’d been about to say that Nadine wasn’t up that early but she didn’t. “Fine. Eight in the morning.”
“If she shows up wearing some riding costume from a BBC drama, I’ll send her back.”
“Jeans and T-shirt,” Puck said.
Sean frowned but he nodded. “You’re nervous about something. What is it?”
Puck could feel her heart pounding. “It’s just Mum. Trying to escape her. And Clive’s bad temper and...” She trailed off. Sean’s face showed he wasn’t believing any of it.
He stopped walking, then reached out and pulled something from her hair. It was a ball of dust. “You look like crap.”
She started to make up an explanation, but she knew Sean would know she was lying. She was silent.
“So don’t tell me.”
He started walking but Puck didn’t move. Somehow, she was giving away too much about what she’d seen. “I’ll see you later,” she said. When he didn’t answer, she headed toward the house. She’d gone only a few feet when she began running.