Echoes in the Darkness by Jane Godman Read Free Book Online Page A

and the beautiful couple I had seen. Or perhaps imagined.
    “No, miss. Some of the outer walls are original, but this is the only part that has been included in the interior,” Porter replied in his precise way. “If there is nothing more, miss, I will leave you now. I have a few matters that need my attention.”
    When he had gone, I reached out a hand to touch the historic stones of the first Tenebris. Something made me draw back at the last second. If this was the heart of the house, it did not beat to any rhythm I knew. Its origins were lost in the darkness of Jago time. A foul, unbidden image of these walls oozing blood took a grip on my imagination. I shook it off with an effort, but, nevertheless, I felt the need to hurry away. Sparkling pins and needles along my spine urged me to break into a run. I managed to retain my dignity. Just. But there was nothing on earth that would have persuaded me, in that instant, to glance back over my shoulder.

Chapter Four
    We had been at Tenebris for about a week when Eddie’s belongings, including his paintings, arrived from Paris. He was adamant that he needed a studio, and there was some debate about where this should be located. Lucy was inclined to view an artist’s studio as something less than a necessity for the heir to an earldom. Eddie, moody and sullen as a result, dug his heels in stubbornly. Eventually, Tynan broke the impasse by suggesting that one of the estate cottages, which was located half a mile or so from the house itself, might be converted to suit the purpose. This decision met with everyone’s approval. Eddie would have peace, quiet and privacy in which to pursue his art, and the clockwork precision with which Lucy ran the household need not be disturbed. A team of farm workers were deployed to make the cottage suitable for his requirements.
    Once Eddie had organised the small rooms to his liking, I strolled over to the cottage with him. The tiny building was basic and simple but in a good state of repair. Time had stolen much of its charm and the once-white outer walls were now diseased and flaking. Inside, there were two rooms downstairs and an attic bedroom. All of these had dangerously uneven flagged floors and windows that, despite recent efforts, were darkened by the scars of age. Steep steps led down to the cellar. These were so narrow and rickety that I eyed them dubiously before declining to descend into the darkness that lay beyond their base. Eddie laughed at my expression and made a joke about pushing me down there and throwing away the key, should I prove to be an unsatisfactory wife. I responded by calling him Bluebeard, and our funning felt easy and natural once again. That had not been the case since we left Paris, and I missed the easy camaraderie we had always shared.
    Standing side by side, we examined the paintings, which had been neatly stacked in the smaller of the downstairs rooms. There were several large canvasses of me, and I studied them thoughtfully. Eddie had ability, it was true, but he lacked the special something that would make his work stand out from the crowd. I had seen raw talent once or twice and it was unmistakable. I think Eddie knew he didn’t have that touch of genius, and he allowed the knowledge to gnaw like a hungry rat at his insides.
    I was seventeen when I first took off my clothes for money. Forced to flee my home in troubled Buda, one of the twin capital cities of Hungary, I worked my way across Europe with no clear destination in mind. My only object was to ensure that Sandor could not find me. When I set out, I had very little money, and only the clothes I stood up in. I was innocent, but not so naive that I was blind to the dangers facing me. My face and figure were all I had, but I knew already that both were remarkable. Men, and sometimes women, stopped in the street to stare at me. There had to be a way I could use my looks to my advantage, other than the obvious option of prostitution. It was in