Chapter Four – The Blythe Estate
The next morning, I woke to a harsh, warm sunlight streaming in the windows of the library. The curtains had been drawn back, and I sat there blinking. Lockwood was nowhere to been seen. I slowly pulled myself from where I'd been resting. The blanket that Lockwood had produced last night drifted to the floor. I left the library, and headed back up to my room to shower and change. The skull immediately formed as I walked into the room. I made a face back, and turned on the water in the shower. It didn't take long for me to shower and dress, and soon after, I was making my way back downstairs. I entered the kitchen to find George and Lockwood sitting down to breakfast.
"Morning, Luce," Lockwood said. "How'd you sleep?"
"Great. Thanks. How about you?" I smiled at Lockwood, and he grinned back.
"I slept very well." Another smile.
"So, Lucy," George began, "how did you wind up in the library? I could've sworn I saw you go to your room."
"Oh, I did. I just went down there to find a book and..." I trailed off. I grabbed a piece of toast from the steaming plate that George had just sat down.
"Anyway. We're heading to Bath today. We should start preparing for the trip and tonight," Lockwood hurriedly said.
"Yes, of course," George said. "Holly should be here soon. Back to you Luce, what were-" Lockwood cut him off. "I'll be at my desk if you need anything. Maybe practice with my rapier." He stood up, but continued speaking. "I don't know what I'll be doing, but I'll be down here." Lockwood swung open the basement door, disappeared below, and left George and me staring after him.
"What on earth! Why does he always do that?!" George ranted.
I shrugged. "I might head upstairs. Call if you need anything." I picked up my piece of toast and munched on it as I walked up to my room.
Noon passed, and by 1:15, we were on the train to Bath. We arrived about an hour and a half later and hopped into two cabs to ride the rest of the way to the Blythe Estate. I was tightly packed in the backside beside George, while Lockwood gave directions to the driver. In a separate cab were Holly Munroe and Quill Kipps, who had reluctantly come along with us. Although Kipps still worked for the Fittes agency, he had begun to go on cases with Lockwood and Co. We arrived at the main gate of the estate at three pm sharp and were met by the caretaker, Mr. Phillips.
"Hello. Are you the agents from London?" Phillips questioned.
"Yes," Lockwood replied, picking up his bag. "We're here to talk to Sir Blythe."
"Of course. Follow me. Oh no, please leave your bags, I'll be happy to grab them," Phillips said. His face shown a bright shade of…. grey. He looked 'extremely' happy to help. We started up the steps of the manor, when I caught a faint trace of whispers from the past.
"Lockwood," I murmured. He sidled up beside me, leaning in close. "I'm hearing things." He nodded. "Yeah?" he said. "There's a death glow that I saw through the window upstairs. It's a real whopper."
Phillips opened the great wooden door that relayed a sickening creak into the hall. The echoes of the past and present mingled, and I found it hard to distinguish between the two.
"Remember Lucy, we're just here to talk to Sir Blythe. We start the investigating tomorrow evening at the earliest," Lockwood said. I nodded. "Yeah, George was telling me that many of the records of anything happening here had been erased at the Archives," I replied.
Sadly, there's not much to report on the meeting with Sir Blythe because I wasn't there. He only met with Lockwood and, after a few minutes of heavily tense conversation, Kipps. Holly, George, and I were taken on a tour of the grounds. "Here we have the lake with the old corn mill."
"Corn mill?" George asked. "I wasn't aware of that."
My mind floated to the Wythburn mill incident. Horrible thoughts flooded my brain.
"Yes, a boy your age shouldn't be aware of many things and yet you are," Phillips replied.
George rolled his eyes and looked at me. I smiled sympathetically.
Phillips concluded the tour, and we met Quill and Lockwood outside on the front steps. "How was it?" Holly asked, her eyes lingering on Quill. "Boring. A bloody history. Reports of incest, murder, and money. The usual." Holly's laugh sounded, a soft tinkling that everyone turned to. Lockwood raised a dark eyebrow. "Well," he began, "I suppose we should head to the nearest bed and breakfast. Where would that be George?" "Half a mile up the road the right. On the left-hand side," George replied. "Okay then. Let's go."
We arrived at the B&B at tea time, and after everyone settled in to their personal rooms, we all met downstairs. Thankfully, everyone was granted their own room, although we to share bathrooms. I appreciated being alone. I set the skull up on the miniature dresser in my room and went into the hall. My room was at the end of the corridor, across from Lockwood's room. Holly was to my right, and George and Kipp's rooms were across from Holly.
We all met downstairs and sat down to tea and a game of cards.
"So far, we've been somewhat successful," Lockwood commented. "We achieved our main goal of today, gathering some background information. 5, George?"
"Go fish," George said. "I'm still hurt that I couldn't be there. There should've been more than one brain in there. 8?"
"Ugh. Have it, Cubbins. And there was more than one brain in there. It was me and Lockwood," Kipps replied.
George sighed. "Yes. Lockwood. My point exactly – one brain."
Holly glared at George. Then she turned sympathetic eyes in Quill's direction. "Lucy, you have a 2?"
"Nope. Go fish. I didn't really care what I was doing. All I know is that it was cold inside and out. Do they even have heating? You have a 1, Lockwood?"
"Yes, actually. Here." As he passed the card to me, his hand brushed against mine. I blushed. Lockwood looked away.
"Yay," I said as enthusiastically as I could. "I win."
"What?!" George gasped. "But I was so close."
Kipps smirked, and Holly looked in his direction. I watched once again as their eyes locked. Hm. I'd have to ask her about that. It was growing steadily dark outside, and after a nice evening meal, we all retired to bed. The sheets of mine were stiff and cold. The room was already frigid, and I shivered. I began to doze off and was soon asleep.
