What is Peckham up to and where are all the girls disappearing to? Can Cathy save Alice or is she about to become Grisham House’s next victim?

Grisham House Part 9

I left the empty tray on a sideboard and followed Alice. It was easy to go unnoticed because guests fluttered in and out of the rooms. The grandfather clock in the hall chimed and I counted every gong – 10 o’clock. Another hour and the guests would leave. I’d no time to waste.

Alice turned towards Eric’s study and I paused. There were no guests down here, so I had to be careful. She knocked and Peckham let her in. I crept towards the door, checking behind me to make sure no one was coming. Muffled voices filtered through the solid oak. Two, maybe three. Peckham unmistakable and another gruff sounding male. I placed my ear to the wood and listened.

“Good girl, Alice. At least you can follow orders. Take a seat and Duffy here will explain.” Peckham sounded her usual pompous self, but I had no idea who this Duffy person was.

“Yes, miss,” Alice replied.

I stepped back from the door. “This is useless. I can’t see.” If I had any chance of rescuing Alice and protecting Eric, I had to think of something else.

The low wall around the patio stretched across the back of the house and hid me from prying eyes. I could see into the study though. Sweat dripped down the back of my neck. The air hung heavy, but for once it wasn’t raining. The patio doors swung open giving me perfect visibility as well as sound. Alice sat with her hands rested on her lap in the chair I usually sat in when I spent my evenings with Eric. Peckham was standing in the middle of the room and Duffy – a middle-aged, scruffy-looking man with a stomach the size of someone about to give birth – paced back and forth with his arms folded behind his back. He wasn’t aristocracy, that’s for sure. His workman’s boots a giveaway, not to mention his accent – droll and boring.

The study door creaked on its hinges and Eric stepped inside dressed in his finery – black neatly pressed trousers, a black slim fitting shirt, tie, waistcoat, and a dinner jacket. His eyes opened wide when he saw Alice. “Why is she here?” He turned to Peckham and I actually saw her flinch. “I told you what I wanted.”

“But, Eric, you know that’s not possible. Alice is the perfect choice.”

“I don’t want, Alice. I’ve spent the past three weeks playing up to Cathy, getting her to trust me and you bring me this.” He waved his hand at Alice.

“Calm yourself, lad. Elsbeth’s done her best and believe me, the others won’t mind.”

“I mind,” Eric bit back, but Duffy paid no attention to him, his hand wrapped around Peckham’s shoulders.

I chewed on my bottom lip. What the hell were they up to and what on earth did Eric mean – playing up to me? My stomach clenched as did my back teeth. A knock on the door drew my attention and I looked up to see Melissa saunter into the room.

“There you are,” she said, zoning in on Eric. “Are we nearly ready? The order is getting restless.”

“No. We’re not,” Eric snapped. He pointed at Alice. “Look.”

It amazed me how still she sat with everything going on around her. The only giveaway that she was actually aware of anything was the knotting of her apron in her hands. I wondered if she was as clueless as I was.

“What’s wrong with her?” Melissa asked.

Alice’s eyes darted to the side. Her fidgeting increased.

“She’s not who I wanted.” Eric folded his arms across his chest.

“Oh, for goodness sake, Eric. Stop behaving like a spoilt child. The order wants a sacrifice. It doesn’t matter who.”

“It matters to me.”

Duffy pulled Melissa and Peckham to the side. I couldn’t hear what they were saying. Eric paced back and forth in front of Alice, his fists clenched. I watched, waiting for her to flinch, to move, to do something to save herself.

Doors opened to my right and music filtered out into the cool night air. I crouched low and hid in the shadows. I couldn’t see what was going on, but I couldn’t risk getting caught. A woman laughed and then started giggling. It took all my willpower not to look up. A month ago, I would have. A month ago, I would have marched into Eric’s office and demanded to know what was going on.

The music stopped and I peeked over the stone wall. Slimy moss-covered stones crumbled under my fingertips. Eric’s study was empty. Without hesitating, I climbed over the low wall and raced through the doors. Where had they taken Alice?

The hallway outside the office was empty and still. Laughter and chat echoed from the front of the house – the guests making their way home. I watched as they filed out the door taking my place to hand out coats. From this vantage point, I could scan the crowd and hopefully spot Peckham or Eric and follow them. I had no idea how much time I had. The word sacrifice rolled around inside my head. Alice, so frail and slight, whatever were they planning to do to her?

Peckham’s sharp voice came from behind and my body froze. A cold sweat broke out on the back of my neck as she placed a hand on my shoulder. “Cook will need help in the kitchen after the guests leave. Make sure you don’t keep her waiting.”

I turned and plastered a fake smile across my face. “Yes, miss.”

She seemed pleased with my response. As she made to walk away, I let the words fall from my lips. “Have you seen Alice?”

She went rigid before turning. “Alice has taken ill. Dr Smith sent her to her room for rest and recuperation.”

#

Below are the links to the previous instalments and if you don’t want to wait until tomorrow, you can pop over to Amazon where you can purchase the complete story on Kindle for 99c/77p.

Grisham House Part 1
Grisham House Part 2
Grisham House Part 3
Grisham House Part 4
Grisham House Part 5
Grisham House Part 6
Grisham House Part 7
Grisham House Part 8

Buy Grisham House on Kindle:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QFVJC1S
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08QFVJC1S

Until next time,

Keep reading and writing,

Amanda