The Garber Manor
It was a grey, overcast day when Rose Hockley walked up the long, twisted driveway of Garber Manor, carrying her single travelling bag. Garber Manor was to be her new home. She had taken the position of a maid for the rich, elderly gentleman who lived in Garber Manor, Squire Garber. The manor had been in the family for generations, and was a vast estate that at distance had a look of aristocratic elegance, but on closer inspection revealed the manor to be in a state of disrepair. It had once been a bright , cheerful place, or so Rose had been told, until Garber had inherited it from his father, then it had turned into a cold, eerie place, and few had found reason enough to travel very far beyond it's gates. Victor Garber was a strange man, no doubt he was something of an eccentric. He had never married, instead living a solitary life with only a few servants. He never made appearances at the village social occasions, never went to market or court, and was known in name and title only: Squire Victor Garber.
Rose stopped and stared as the Manor loomed into sight from the fog. She let an involuntary shiver pass, drew her coat around her more tightly, and pressed on to the front door and rapped the knocker lightly. The door apparently was not shut tightly, as it swung open when she touched it. She peered into it, trying to see the room beyond it, but it was so gloomy it took a few seconds for the room to discern itself from the darkness. "Hello?" Rose called out nervously. There was no answer. Trying to steady her rapid heart beat, she stepped inside the room, and let out a gasp. Inside the wide main doors, there was a beautiful lobby, with doors on either side of the walls and a large double staircase in the centre of the room. Rose had never seen such extravagance in her life before. She could not think of words to describe that room. She stepped forward to examine the beautiful oak banister of the stairs. A hand fell down upon her shoulder. She spun around, shocked. A tall, immaculately groomed, well dressed man stared pleasantly down at her. "May I help you?" He asked quizzically. Rose had no idea who this man was, surely a butler wouldn't be this well spoken? "Excuse me.I was.er.after Mr Garber." "I am Mr Garber. State your business here. Intruders are not tolerated under my roof." "Please sir, I am the new maid.". Squire Garber did not fit Rose's vision of whom she imagined him to look like. She had pictured an old hermit, not an attractive, well groomed man. "Oh. Well I suppose you'd better go to the kitchens, then. My other staff will tell you where to start." "Yes sir, I would but." "Are you deliberately disobeying me? I will not tolerate impertinent servants!" He glared at her with eyes blazing with anger. 'Uh, no sir, I was meaning you no disrespect sir, I just don't know where abouts the kitchens are." "Oh." A look of amusement passed across his face. "Oh no, we can't have you getting lost in the manor now, can we? I shall have to get one of my staff to take you. Maria!" Presently one of the side doors burst open and a young woman came running out of it, dressed in a shabby dress and apron.. "Yes sir?" She asked breathlessly. "Maria." He said almost fondly. "Maria, will you take my new servant, miss..erm..miss?" "Uh, Miss Hockley, sir. Rose Hockley." Rose supplied. "Yes.Maria, escort Miss Hockley to the kitchens and tell her where to start." "Oh, yes sir, oh thankyou, sir."The young girl Maria has a look of fondness upon her face, as if she felt grateful to be able to carry out the squire's orders. "This way, miss,". The girl, Maria, led her through a door to the right, and from there through what seemed to Rose to be a maze of doors, into what finally resembled a kitchen. "These are the kitchens. It is just myself and two others working here, a cook and a butler, and now you, so we are kept very busy attending to Mr Garber. You can start by washing all the curtains on the uppermost storey, they haven't been done in a while. And then you can help the cook with dinner. You can cook, can't you?" "Oh, yes, I can cook.Uh.may I ask where my room shall be? Only I have to put my luggage down." "Oh, yes, I shall take you. It is in the west wing, with my quarters. Mr Garber's quarters are on the east wing, the other's are down on this level." Maria walked briskly up a flight of stairs, down a long corridor and up more stairs, that were steeper this time. "Oh, I shall get lost!" Rose exclaimed. Maria laughed. "That's what I thought, when I started. I only began a few months ago. I was nervous, but Mr Garber was very helpful." She laughed and looked even younger in the flickering candle light. "Mr Garber is a very helpful man." "Is that so?" Rose said politely. It seemed obvious from the interchanges between the Squire and Maria something was going on between them. But that didn't seem particularly outlandish, for the Squire had never been married, and Maria certainly was a nice looking young woman. It would be entirely unsuitable for a man of his status to marry someone like Maria, however. Maria must know that she could never be anything more than Victor's mistress. Rose turned around to question Maria about this, but she was gone. Rose peered down into the dim light the way they had come. She couldn't see anything. She could feel her heart heaving in her chest, and she drew breath quickly. It was downright disturbing to be alone in this dark hallway. She started back down the hall, trying to retrace her footsteps, and had come to what she thought was the door they had come in by, and was about to open it when she heard footsteps and laughter from the hall she had just left. She turned towards the sound. "Maria?" She called. "Victor?" She started back down the hall, but noone was down there. "Hello?" She called. She heard a sound from a room at the end of the hall. It was dark, but she still had the candle that Maria had given her to put in her room. She stepped inside the room. "Maria?" She called. The door slammed shut behind her. Rose spun around, and tried the handle, but it wouldn't budge. "Hello? Let me out! This isn't funny,Maria!"Rose called frantically. Now wasn't the time for claustrophobia. The candle went out suddenly, throwing Rose into total darkness. She felt her legs give way beneath her. Then the manic laughing began again. "Help!" Rose screamed, terrified. "Help!"
The door opened, and Rose could see again. There was noone in the room in front of her. "I heard you screaming, my lady?" Rose turned to see the owner of the voice. It was not Maria, or even Mr Garber for that matter. It was a man of about forty years of age with a look of concern on his face. "My lady?" "Who..who are you?" "I am Thomas Andrews." "Are you the butler?" "The butler? This is my estate, my lady. May I ask what you are doing in my house?"
It was a grey, overcast day when Rose Hockley walked up the long, twisted driveway of Garber Manor, carrying her single travelling bag. Garber Manor was to be her new home. She had taken the position of a maid for the rich, elderly gentleman who lived in Garber Manor, Squire Garber. The manor had been in the family for generations, and was a vast estate that at distance had a look of aristocratic elegance, but on closer inspection revealed the manor to be in a state of disrepair. It had once been a bright , cheerful place, or so Rose had been told, until Garber had inherited it from his father, then it had turned into a cold, eerie place, and few had found reason enough to travel very far beyond it's gates. Victor Garber was a strange man, no doubt he was something of an eccentric. He had never married, instead living a solitary life with only a few servants. He never made appearances at the village social occasions, never went to market or court, and was known in name and title only: Squire Victor Garber.
Rose stopped and stared as the Manor loomed into sight from the fog. She let an involuntary shiver pass, drew her coat around her more tightly, and pressed on to the front door and rapped the knocker lightly. The door apparently was not shut tightly, as it swung open when she touched it. She peered into it, trying to see the room beyond it, but it was so gloomy it took a few seconds for the room to discern itself from the darkness. "Hello?" Rose called out nervously. There was no answer. Trying to steady her rapid heart beat, she stepped inside the room, and let out a gasp. Inside the wide main doors, there was a beautiful lobby, with doors on either side of the walls and a large double staircase in the centre of the room. Rose had never seen such extravagance in her life before. She could not think of words to describe that room. She stepped forward to examine the beautiful oak banister of the stairs. A hand fell down upon her shoulder. She spun around, shocked. A tall, immaculately groomed, well dressed man stared pleasantly down at her. "May I help you?" He asked quizzically. Rose had no idea who this man was, surely a butler wouldn't be this well spoken? "Excuse me.I was.er.after Mr Garber." "I am Mr Garber. State your business here. Intruders are not tolerated under my roof." "Please sir, I am the new maid.". Squire Garber did not fit Rose's vision of whom she imagined him to look like. She had pictured an old hermit, not an attractive, well groomed man. "Oh. Well I suppose you'd better go to the kitchens, then. My other staff will tell you where to start." "Yes sir, I would but." "Are you deliberately disobeying me? I will not tolerate impertinent servants!" He glared at her with eyes blazing with anger. 'Uh, no sir, I was meaning you no disrespect sir, I just don't know where abouts the kitchens are." "Oh." A look of amusement passed across his face. "Oh no, we can't have you getting lost in the manor now, can we? I shall have to get one of my staff to take you. Maria!" Presently one of the side doors burst open and a young woman came running out of it, dressed in a shabby dress and apron.. "Yes sir?" She asked breathlessly. "Maria." He said almost fondly. "Maria, will you take my new servant, miss..erm..miss?" "Uh, Miss Hockley, sir. Rose Hockley." Rose supplied. "Yes.Maria, escort Miss Hockley to the kitchens and tell her where to start." "Oh, yes sir, oh thankyou, sir."The young girl Maria has a look of fondness upon her face, as if she felt grateful to be able to carry out the squire's orders. "This way, miss,". The girl, Maria, led her through a door to the right, and from there through what seemed to Rose to be a maze of doors, into what finally resembled a kitchen. "These are the kitchens. It is just myself and two others working here, a cook and a butler, and now you, so we are kept very busy attending to Mr Garber. You can start by washing all the curtains on the uppermost storey, they haven't been done in a while. And then you can help the cook with dinner. You can cook, can't you?" "Oh, yes, I can cook.Uh.may I ask where my room shall be? Only I have to put my luggage down." "Oh, yes, I shall take you. It is in the west wing, with my quarters. Mr Garber's quarters are on the east wing, the other's are down on this level." Maria walked briskly up a flight of stairs, down a long corridor and up more stairs, that were steeper this time. "Oh, I shall get lost!" Rose exclaimed. Maria laughed. "That's what I thought, when I started. I only began a few months ago. I was nervous, but Mr Garber was very helpful." She laughed and looked even younger in the flickering candle light. "Mr Garber is a very helpful man." "Is that so?" Rose said politely. It seemed obvious from the interchanges between the Squire and Maria something was going on between them. But that didn't seem particularly outlandish, for the Squire had never been married, and Maria certainly was a nice looking young woman. It would be entirely unsuitable for a man of his status to marry someone like Maria, however. Maria must know that she could never be anything more than Victor's mistress. Rose turned around to question Maria about this, but she was gone. Rose peered down into the dim light the way they had come. She couldn't see anything. She could feel her heart heaving in her chest, and she drew breath quickly. It was downright disturbing to be alone in this dark hallway. She started back down the hall, trying to retrace her footsteps, and had come to what she thought was the door they had come in by, and was about to open it when she heard footsteps and laughter from the hall she had just left. She turned towards the sound. "Maria?" She called. "Victor?" She started back down the hall, but noone was down there. "Hello?" She called. She heard a sound from a room at the end of the hall. It was dark, but she still had the candle that Maria had given her to put in her room. She stepped inside the room. "Maria?" She called. The door slammed shut behind her. Rose spun around, and tried the handle, but it wouldn't budge. "Hello? Let me out! This isn't funny,Maria!"Rose called frantically. Now wasn't the time for claustrophobia. The candle went out suddenly, throwing Rose into total darkness. She felt her legs give way beneath her. Then the manic laughing began again. "Help!" Rose screamed, terrified. "Help!"
The door opened, and Rose could see again. There was noone in the room in front of her. "I heard you screaming, my lady?" Rose turned to see the owner of the voice. It was not Maria, or even Mr Garber for that matter. It was a man of about forty years of age with a look of concern on his face. "My lady?" "Who..who are you?" "I am Thomas Andrews." "Are you the butler?" "The butler? This is my estate, my lady. May I ask what you are doing in my house?"