Colton Manor

  Colton Manor

  Francene Carroll

  Colton Manor

  Copyright © 2012 Francene Carroll

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this book. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Love is the greatest of dreams, yet the worst of nightmares.

  William Shakespeare

  Prologue

  Anna could hear him bellowing her name as he stormed through the upstairs rooms, throwing open doors and knocking over furniture in his haste to find her. Silently she opened the front door and walked down the steps to the circular drive. It was raining heavily, but she barely noticed the sting of the cold water as it dripped through her clothes, soaking her to the bone. She turned and looked back at the imposing white mansion at the same moment as a dark figure moved past the window in the upstairs library, briefly blotting out the candlelight. Soon he would finish his search for her up there and he would come back downstairs to find her. The rain would not stop him seeking her outside, and there was nowhere left to hide.

  It had been raining on the night she arrived at Colton Manor six months earlier with only a battered travelling case to her name. Dusk was falling as the carriage rounded the bend and she caught sight of the manor for the very first time. It was perched on the edge of a cliff with the ocean as its backdrop, creating a dramatic first impression. The manor was more like a castle than a house with its white stone walls and turreted roof. Even shrouded in misty rain it was quite spectacular. Anna should have been thrilled with her grand new home which was so different from the world she had left behind. Instead she was overcome with a strong desire to turn and flee.

  Putting her nerves down to excitement she had smiled at her new husband and linked her arm through his. She remembered how Edward had turned to look at her, but in place of the familiar warmth in his eyes she had grown to love, there was only coldness. It was as if the house had cast some kind of spell over him, and from that moment onwards he began to change. Gone was the charming, handsome man who had swept into her life like a prince from a fairy tale, stealing her heart and rescuing her from a life of drudgery as a kitchen maid. This man was jealous, sadistic and paranoid. He took great delight in terrorising her, and his cruelty had become more pronounced each day.

  It began with pinches and name calling when she did something to displease him and then progressed to open-handed slaps that left marks which lingered on her flesh for hours. When he started using his fists, Anna found a way to block out the pain by retreating to a place deep inside where he could not reach her. In addition to the beatings he also liked to twist her fingers until she begged him to stop, and just two nights earlier he had held her face so close to the fire that her hair caught alight. He had laughed at her terror and done nothing to help her put out the flames.

  For months Anna had continued to hope and pray that he would change back into the man she knew, but on that terrible night she’d finally been forced to face the truth. Her life with him had become unbearable, and his violence towards her would only get worse. She could not tolerate the thought of bringing a child into such a loveless, brutal marriage.

  “Anna, where are you? You know you can’t hide from me forever. I’ll make you pay for this.” He was downstairs now, and it was only a matter of time till he threw open the heavy front doors and found her standing there in the rain. For the first time since she had arrived at Colton Manor she was not afraid of him. “What have you done with my money? I’ll wring your neck till you tell me where it is, woman.”

  He had grown convinced over the past few months that she and the servants were conspiring to steal his money, and he’d gone to great lengths to hide his fortune. He’d dismissed every single member of the staff and taken to locking Anna is her room while he transferred his money from one hiding place to another. Sometimes it seemed there were other people in the house with him because she heard different voices, and they chanted strange words that filled her with dread. When he was alone he muttered to himself and paced the floor until Anna began to fear he had completely lost his mind. She spent these hours huddled in the corner of her room, listening intently for the sound of his footsteps on the stairs.

  “I swear to God I’m going to kill you if you don’t come out right now and tell me where my money is,” he yelled again. He was very close to the front door now, and she did not have much time left. Without another glance at the house that had brought her so much misery she made her way to the edge of the gardens and then down the path towards the cliff. Only a short time ago these gardens had been manicured and beautiful, but like everything else at Colton Manor they were neglected, and the grass and tangled weeds were now almost up to her knees. It was a moonless night and she couldn’t see far in front of her, but the endless, rhythmic sound of the ocean drew her forward and gave her comfort. Its song was soothing and familiar, almost as if it was calling her home.

  When she reached the cliff there was just enough light for her to make out the waves crashing onto the rocks below. Only the rain wet her cheeks as she contemplated what she was about to do. She was far beyond tears now. There really was no other way out for her. If she tried to leave him he would simply hunt her down and drag her back again, and her life would become even worse than it was. She had no money and no family to protect her. She was all alone in the world, and no one would miss her when she was gone. She had been foolish to believe that things could ever be any different for a poor woman like her, and she was about to pay the ultimate price for her foolishness.

  He was on the path now, walking towards her, a bulky shape moving heavily in the darkness.

  “Anna, I see you, don’t think you can get away from me, wench. There’s nowhere to run.” Anna turned around, and with slumped shoulders she walked obediently up the incline towards him. “You are a fool if you believe there is any escape for you.”

  When she was several feet from the cliff she turned back again, and then suddenly she ran, pushing out with her foot as far as she could when she reached the edge of the cliff. For a second she seemed to hang in the air, suspended in mid-flight, and then she began her descent to the sharp rocks below.

  The scream that tore from her throat was not one of fear, but rather of release as she let go of all the anguish and suffering she’d endured at the hands of the man who had vowed to honour and protect her. She felt no sadness or regret as her body sliced through the cold night air. For a few moments she had known what it felt like to fly, and it was exhilaration, not fear, that filled her heart even as she plummeted towards her death. At last she was free.

  Chapter One

  Ursula St Clare put her paint brush down with a sigh. It was raining again. She could hear it pattering on the roof, faintly at first but growing louder. When she had opened the curtains that morning it was grey and overcast outside, but dry for a change. She’d hoped the rain would hold off so she could go for a walk along the cliff top in the afternoon. Her plan had been to find a path down to the beach where she could do some sketches, but it seemed the bad weather was setting in for the day.

  She’d been at Colton Manor for almost a week and she had barely set foot outside during that time. Although it was summer it had rained every single day, and she hadn’t even seen the beach properly yet, apart from the glimpses she caught of it from the window. It looked windswept and freezing, not at all what she imagined it w
ould be like when she and her friends had decided on a whim to rent Colton Manor for the summer holidays several months earlier.

  The four of them had been on their way back from a friend from art school’s wedding when they’d stopped in the small coastal town of Paradise on the far north coast of New South Wales, Australia. After a hearty pub lunch the group had gone for a stroll down the main street and Rachel had seen the advertisement in the real estate window for a holiday rental. The house was an historic mansion and none of them had been able to believe how cheap the rent was. Ursula had gone inside to find out if it was a misprint, but the lady behind the desk assured her it was the correct figure.

  “Tourism was a bit slow last year and the owner didn’t want the house sitting empty again so he dropped the price,” she said.

  “It’s very cheap. Is it true he’s willing to rent it for the whole summer break?”

  “Yes, the family have gone overseas and they don’t know when they’ll be back. You might be able to get it for longer if you’re interested.”

  “Oh, I’m not really serious,” she replied, stepping back towards the door, “My friends and I couldn’t believe how cheap it was, and we were just curious”

  “I see,” said the lady, pursing her lips. She was wearing old fashioned horn-rimmed glasses and her black hair was pulled back severely in a bun. Ursula guessed she was in her fifties. Her sharp nose and features reminded her of a bird.

  “Sorry to waste your time.” She was about to step out the door when the lady got up from her desk and walked to the counter.

  “Wait a minute, if you’re not in a hurry you can go and have a look at it anyway. I’ll give you the keys. It’s quite impressive and well worth a tour, even if you don’t want to rent it.”

  Ursula hesitated. The offer was unusual, but there was no reason why they shouldn’t take a peek. They weren’t in a hurry to get back to the city, and normally she loved looking through old houses. It wasn’t every day an opportunity like this came along, but for some reason she felt no enthusiasm at the prospect. The woman seemed to sense her misgivings.

  “At the very least I’ll be able to tell my client that someone viewed it, because we haven’t had any interest yet. You just have to leave some ID with me,” she pressed. “He gets a bit cross when I tell him no one has been through it, as if I’m not doing my job properly.” She laughed shrilly and Ursula noticed it had a hint of desperation to it. She felt sorry for the woman, and reluctantly she went outside to see if her friends were interested.

  She had been hoping they’d say no, but Rachel, Dale and Connor jumped at the chance to see inside Colton Manor, and that was how she found herself navigating the winding road around the cliffs towards the huge house a short time later. The weather had been a little overcast when they stopped at Paradise for lunch, but as they made their way to the house it began to rain and it got heavier as she struggled on the unfamiliar bends.

  They’d rented a car for the trip, and Ursula wasn’t familiar with the location of the windshield wipers. When she tried to turn them on she switched on the left blinker instead, and she swore under her breath as they drove into a patch of fog. For a few seconds she couldn’t see a thing, and she was forced to swerve suddenly when a black car flew out of the mist directly towards them. The driver beeped the horn and gestured angrily, and Ursula realised she’d been on the wrong side of the road.

  As soon as she could find a safe place on the shoulder of the road she pulled over and took some deep breaths. When she looked around at her friends they were all pale with shock.

  “That was a close call,” said Dale, breaking the silence. “Do you want me to drive?”

  “Yes, thanks,” replied Ursula, getting out of the car with trembling legs and taking his place in the passenger seat. No one said much as they drew nearer to the mansion, but their close encounter on the road was almost forgotten when they caught sight of the impressive house through the trees. The others began chattering excitedly, but Ursula was overcome with the same unsettled feeling she’d experienced in the real estate office. She told herself it was nerves from the near miss they’d just had, and she tried to join in with the conversation.

  “Wow, it’s absolutely beautiful,” exclaimed Rachel, as they drove through the grand iron gates which were open, as if waiting for them, and past the manicured gardens that seemed to stretch on forever. Colton Manor was huge, and although it couldn’t have been more than one hundred and fifty years old, it looked like a castle. “It’s hard to believe we could actually afford to stay here.”

  “Can you imagine the parties we could have?” said Connor. “We could invite everyone from college up for weekends. It would be awesome.” When they stepped through the double front doors into the foyer they were even more impressed. The house was fully restored but most of the original features had been preserved. All of the rooms combined old world charm with modern comforts in an understated way that didn’t detract from the feeling they’d been transported back in time to the mid-nineteenth century.

  The misty location of the house had seemed romantic and charming on a winter’s day, and as they’d looked through the rooms and explored the grounds they’d indulged in collective daydreams about how nice it would be here in summer when they could swim on their own private beach and sip cocktails in the gazebo as the sun set.

  They all had to submit paintings for a major class exhibition when they returned from summer holidays, and they agreed this would be the perfect place to get some work done. The plans, which had started out as a lark, became more serious as they drove home, and by the time she dropped Rachel and Connor off in front of their student share house the four of them had agreed to rent Colton Manor together for six weeks over summer.

  As she was the only one with any spare cash, Ursula had offered to book the house and pay for it on the understanding the other three would pay her back as soon as they could. That had turned out to be her undoing and the reason she now found herself alone in a huge, chilly mansion on a windswept cliff top while nearly everyone else she knew was lapping up the sun. She now knew why the town had struggled to attract summer visitors the previous year; it was because they didn’t seem to have a summer at all.

  The room on the second floor that she’d chosen for her studio was especially cold that morning and she couldn’t get the heating to work. She pulled on the coat she’d brought with her just in case the evenings were chilly, but she’d never seriously expected to wear it. At the thought of the bikini and suntan lotion in her suitcase she gave a grim laugh. These things would probably never see the light of day while she was here.

  She’d been so looking forward to a fun, carefree holiday with her friends that she’d dyed her hair for the occasion. The pink and yellow stripes went perfectly with the vintage sundresses she’d picked up from the charity store, and although her parents told her disapprovingly that she looked like a typical art student, she was proud of her appearance. It annoyed her that no one would get to see these dresses now because she’d probably spend the entire holiday alone dressed in the oversized man’s shirt she always wore when she painted.

  Her college friends had assured her that the seclusion would be brilliant for her work and that she’d be so inspired she wouldn’t have time to feel lonely, but in fact, the opposite was true. She’d been unable to focus enough to get any painting done, and the isolation was beginning to play tricks on her mind.

  Just that night she’d woken with a start, thinking she heard a man calling to her in the darkness. She knew she had to be dreaming because it had sounded like he was right there in the room with her. She’d still turned on the light to look under the bed and inside the closet, feeling very silly as she did it, but needing to be sure. She hadn’t been able to get back to sleep after that, and now she was tired and unmotivated as she stared at the blank canvass in front of her.

  “Hello, is there anyone home?” The voice floated up the stairs, just barely audible above the rain and distan
t crashing of waves on the rocks. Ursula jumped in shock at the unexpected sound. Although she’d only been at Colton Manor a short time she’d become accustomed to the silence, and the intrusion seemed harsh and out of place.

  She didn’t know anyone in the area, and she felt slightly apprehensive as she made her way downstairs. Through the glass door at the back of the house leading into the kitchen she could see a woman with springy blonde curls standing on the veranda. She was dressed casually in jeans, and in her hand she held a plate with a cake on it. She appeared to be around thirty.

  “Hi, I hope you don’t mind me intruding like this. I live around the point with my family. We’re your closest neighbours. When Yvette from the real estate agency told me you were out here on your own I thought I’d better come and introduce myself. I’m Bonnie Forbes.”

  “Oh, thanks, that’s really nice of you. Please come in and I’ll make a fresh pot of coffee. I’m Ursula.” Bonnie hesitated as Ursula held the door open for her.

  “Do you mind if we sit outside? The veranda is completely sheltered from the rain.”

  “It’s a bit cold don’t you think? I can put the heater on in the kitchen and it will be nice and warm.”

  “I’d really prefer to sit outside if that’s okay. Here, this is a welcome gift for you.” She held out the chocolate cake towards her.

  “Okay, thanks” said Ursula as she took it. “You go ahead and I’ll be right out.” As she boiled the kettle and cut a piece of cake each, she contemplated the woman’s strange behaviour. The rain was setting in, and it would be very uncomfortable outside, but it was almost as if Bonnie didn’t want to come into the house. She seemed nice enough though, and Ursula could use the company. Grabbing a scarf someone had left in the hall closet she retrieved the tray from the kitchen and went outside to brave the elements.

  Bonnie had made herself comfortable at the table on the veranda and as they chatted amiably Ursula discovered that her neighbour was a school teacher with three young children. She and her husband had moved to the area five years earlier to escape the city grind.