Love by the Lake Read online

  “No one is ever going to beat you again. Listen to me Simon, I promise you I will see that no one hurts you and you must believe me.”

  She was determined as she spoke that she must prevent this woman somehow from being so cruel to this helpless little boy. Even if it meant her going back to the Social world and ensuring that Mrs. Brook was condemned for her cruelty by every person she knew.

  Lolita recognised how gossip could circulate and every time Mrs. Brook appeared, her friends would whisper about her and avoid her.

  It was then Lolita remembered that to do this she would have to resume being a debutante and socially important with her title as her stepfather desired.

  The mere idea made her shiver as so much more was entailed. Yet anything which might happen to her was insignificant compared to everything that Simon had been made to suffer.

  Her arms tightened round him as she said soothingly,

  “It’s all over. You are going to be happy and I promise you that I will never allow you to go back to live with your stepmother again.”

  As she spoke she was determined that somehow she would force Lord Seabrook into accepting his nephew and if he refused she would look after Simon herself, even though it meant defying her stepfather again.

  She felt Simon mover closer to her and knew he was comforted by what she had said.

  Very gently she made him lie down on his pillow.

  “I am going to tell you a story and while you are listening to it you will fall asleep and have no more nasty dreams.”

  Lolita smoothed back the hair from his forehead and then bending forward she kissed him gently on each cheek.

  “You are just like Mama,” murmured Simon, “and I love you.”

  Lolita kissed him again.

  She thought that of all the compliments she had ever received his was the most sincere.

  CHAPTER THREE

  They took longer to reach Penrith than Lolita had expected, which did not matter except that the journey had cost quite a lot of her money.

  She had to buy Simon a new shirt to replace his dirty and blood-stained one as well as a hat to wear if the sun was hot.

  They had changed horses twice more and been to yet another livery stable.

  Lolita was sure that it would be almost impossible for anyone to follow their tracks.

  But now she thought that the big test was still to come as she needed to persuade Simon’s uncle to take him in and look after him.

  She had already gathered from Simon that Lord Seabrook was young and unmarried and she could quite understand he would feel it very tiresome to have to set up a nursery before he was ready for one.

  Equally she was determined that nothing and no one would make her give Simon back to his dreadful stepmother.

  When they set off from Penrith to the castle by the lake, she remarked to Simon,

  “Now you can be yourself again. You are Simon Brook and I am no longer your mother.”

  “You are not leaving me?”

  There was a note of anxiety in his voice which told her that he was afraid of losing her.

  “I don’t want to leave you,” she told him, “but you must remember that I am in hiding too.”

  “We will ask Uncle James to hide you,” suggested Simon. Lolita thought that was what she was hoping would happen.

  “I want to be a governess,” she replied, “so perhaps your uncle will allow me to teach you.”

  “That would be spiffing and I will learn lots and lots, because you tell me such scrumptious stories.”

  Because she wanted him to sleep and not have to endure any more nightmares, Lolita had told him a story every night when he went to bed.

  Then Simon asked her,

  “If I am not to call you Mama, what do I call you? What is your name?”

  Lolita thought quickly as it was a question which had not occurred to her. “

  My name,” she said slowly, “is Lo-Lo.”

  She was trying to find a name like her own which would be easy to remember and she was hovering between Lola and Lorinda.

  Simon gave an exclamation.

  “Lolo. That is a nice name. I will call you Lolo.”

  Lolita laughed.

  She thought as she was a young governess it would make it easier for him than if he had to call her ‘Mrs. Bell.’

  “Very well,” she said, “I will be Lolo, but do not forget that you have to be very polite to me, because I am a governess!”

  Simon put his cheek against her arm.

  “I will always be polite to you, Lolo, but not to people who are unkind and cruel to me.”

  Lolita quickly changed the subject.

  They were driving through some particularly beautiful country, when suddenly they caught a glimpse of a huge expanse of water.

  “It’s Owlswater, I know it’s Owlswater!” cried Simon. “It’s just as big as Papa said it would be.”

  It was certainly a most impressive expanse of water.

  The lake seemed to stretch away into a misty distance, which Lolita thought very romantic and at the far end there were tall mountains silhouetted against the sky.

  When they drove alongside the lake they saw fields sloping down to the water’s edge and there were small boats with coloured sails scattered all over the lake.

  Simon was entranced by the view.

  “It is just what Papa told me it would be like,” he kept saying.

  And then suddenly ahead of them Lolita saw the castle.

  It was a lovely scene with the sun shining on its battlements with the mountains in the background and she thought the whole scene must have stepped out of a dream.

  As they drew nearer still she could see that the castle was very old, but with later additions, and it was now a very imposing building enveloped by trees.

  A little later she noticed a beautiful garden filled with flowers sloping down to the lake itself.

  It was all so awe inspiring that even Simon was stunned into silence and he just looked around him wide-eyed as they drove up a twisting drive.

  Then they were in front of a very impressive porticoed front door with the castle tower on the left side of the great building.

  Feeling her heart beating rather quickly, Lolita climbed out of the post-chaise. She paid the driver and thanked him for bringing them safely to their destination.

  She picked up her suitcase and taking Simon by the hand they walked up the steps of the castle.

  The front door opened before she could pull the bell.

  At first she saw two footmen in smart livery and next the butler came forward.

  “Is Lord Seabrook at home?” Lolita asked, her voice sounding a trifle nervous.

  It had suddenly occurred to her that if he was not at home, they would have to find somewhere to stay until he returned.

  To her relief the butler replied,

  “His Lordship is in residence, ma’am. May I ask who wishes to see him?”

  “Will you please inform his Lordship,” answered Lolita, “that I have brought his nephew, Simon Brook, with me?”

  The butler gave an exclamation and looked at Simon.

  “I knew your father, Master Simon,” he said, bending towards the small boy, “and now I sees you resemble him.”

  “You knew Papa! He told me he lived in this big, big castle.”

  The butler smiled and said to Lolita,

  “Will you please come this way, ma’am?”

  He walked ahead and Lolita followed with Simon holding on tightly to her hand. He was looking round excitedly at the great staircase, the huge medieval fireplace and the walls covered with portraits which Lolita was sure were his ancestors.

  The butler showed them into an attractive sitting room with windows overlooking the lake.

  Letting go of her hand, Simon ran to the window and exclaimed,

  “It looks even bigger from here and I can see three boats with white sails.”

  Lolita looked out as well and she thought that no
house could have a more beautiful view, which seemed almost mystic as if it had nothing to do with the ordinary humdrum difficulties of life.

  She wondered how Simon’s father had ever been able to leave a place so beautiful even though he was in love.

  “There’s another boat!” enthused Simon. “A bigger one. I want to go in a boat.”

  “You will have to ask your uncle if he has one. I am sure he has,” added Lolita.

  As she was speaking the door opened and as she and Simon turned round, she saw a tall and extremely handsome man enter the room.

  As he walked towards him, Simon gave a cry of delight.

  “Uncle James! Uncle James, I have run away to you.”

  He threw himself against his uncle, who bent down and put his arms round him.

  “This is a surprise. No one told me you were coming.”

  “I ran away because – Step-mama beat me and it hurt so much I cried and cried.”

  “Beat you?” Lord Seabrook repeated in astonishment.

  Simon put out his hand.

  “She beat me with a whip, Uncle James, and it bled and bled.”

  Simon’s weals had turned brown, but the one which Lolita had bandaged still showed several ugly scabs.

  Lord Seabrook’s lips tightened and then he rose and looked towards Lolita.

  “What has happened?” he asked. “I imagine you have been kind enough to bring my nephew here to me.”

  He held out his hand as he spoke and when Lolita’s hand touched his, she felt he was both strong and reliable – in fact what she had hoped he would be.

  “I brought Simon to you, my Lord, because what he is telling you is the truth. But I think it would be better if we were alone and I can tell you exactly what the situation is.”

  She thought before they arrived that it would be a mistake to talk too much in front of Simon as she did not want him to remember the terrible state he had been in when she first found him.

  He had had another nightmare at the last inn but one where they had stayed on the journey North and she had found that telling him a story before he went to bed prevented him from thinking about his stepmother, but it would take time to heal the mental wounds she had inflicted on him.

  Lord Seabrook understood what Lolita was trying to tell him.

  “I will tell you what, Simon,” he said, “I think as you have driven so far you would like something to drink, and I am sure Barty, my butler, will have some of the chocolates he always kept for me when I was your age.”

  “I would like that very much,” Simon replied.

  Lord Seabrook walked to the door and opened it.

  Barty could not have been far away and without raising his voice he said,

  “I have just told Master Simon that you will give him something nice to drink and some of the chocolates that were always kept for us when his father and I were children.”

  “I know exactly what you means, my Lord,” replied Barty, “and Master Simon be the splitting image of Mr. Rupert when I first comes here.”

  He came into the room and stretched out his hand towards Simon.

  “If you will come with me, Master Simon, I’ll show you some exciting things which be hidden in this castle.”

  “That would be such fun.”

  Simon was moving towards Barty when he stopped suddenly and turned back towards Lolita.

  “You will not go away, Lolo?”

  “I will be here when you come back.”

  “I will bring you a chocolate, if they give me enough.”

  Lord Seabrook laughed.

  “I’m sure they will do so and when you have had a drink and something to eat Barty will bring you back to us.”

  Simon seemed satisfied and ambled off holding Barty’s hand and giving a jump of excitement as he went.

  Lord Seabrook closed the door and turned towards Lolita.

  “Shall we sit down?” he suggested.

  Lolita seated herself on the comfortable sofa and he sat opposite her in an armchair.

  “What is all this about my sister-in-law beating Simon,” he asked. “I cannot believe she would do such a terrible thing.”

  “You have seen his hand,” replied Lolita quietly, “and his back is very much worse. When I found him, my Lord, there were no less than six weals that were bleeding and I could see he had been beaten many times.”

  “I cannot believe it!” exclaimed Lord Seabrook.

  “How could anyone do anything so brutal?”

  “That is just what I thought myself,” answered Lolita. “So when he told me he had run away I brought him to you.”

  “That is exactly what you should have done, but how did you meet Simon?”

  Lolita smiled.

  “I happened to be in Illingworth Square when he bumped into me because he could see nothing through his tears. He told me he had run away and when I realised he was serious and saw the way he had been treated, I knew it would be wrong to try and persuade him to go back to his stepmother.”

  “Of course it would have been,” agreed Lord Seabrook, “and I am extremely grateful to you. But how did you travel here all the way from London?”

  “By post-chaise and quite a number of them.”

  “They must have cost you quite a lot and of course I will refund all your expenditure.”

  “Thank you, my Lord,” said Lolita. “I would have spent it willingly, but as it happens I am at the moment looking for employment as a governess.”

  “As a governess?”

  The way he looked at her told Lolita without words that he thought she did not look in the least like a governess.

  She was wearing the dress she had run away in, which had obviously come from an expensive shop and she was sure that he was astute enough to know it was too smart for anything that an average governess could afford.

  “You sound surprised,” said Lolita quickly, “but what I have told you is the truth. I have to earn my living and I think Simon is very happy with me as I do understand how to keep him from dwelling on his past suffering. So I am hoping I might perhaps stay with him.”

  She had no idea how lovely she looked as she gazed at Lord Seabrook pleadingly.

  He was not only astounded but somewhat suspicious as to why she wished to be a governess.

  A dozen questions came to his lips, but aloud he said,

  “Of course I should be delighted if you would stay with Simon, at any rate until I can decide what will be best for him. I have been rather remiss in not yet asking your name.”

  He smiled before he added,

  “I heard Simon call you Lolo, which I thought was an affectionate name but not particularly authoritative.”

  “My name is Bell, my Lord, and I am a widow.”

  She thought Lord Seabrook looked a little surprised when she uttered the last word. “

  My husband was killed in an accident,” she continued, “after we had been married only for a very short time and as I now have very little money I have to earn my living.”

  “I understand and of course it would be extremely convenient for me if you looked after Simon at any rate until he has completely recovered from the intolerable way he has been treated.”

  “That is what has been worrying me, my Lord, and he has had several very bad nightmares, but I have discovered that telling him a story before he goes to sleep prevents him from thinking that his stepmother will pursue him.”

  She clasped her hands together as if to make Lord Seabrook understand as she resumed, “

  All the way here Simon was afraid she was following us and would find us before we could reach you. It is a very real fear for him! I am sure you will appreciate that it will take some time before he forgets what has occurred and is no longer afraid of being captured again.”

  Lolita did not realise that there was a little tremor in her voice. She was thinking it was not only Simon who would be afraid of capture but herself as well.

  There was silence for a moment and then Lord Sea
brook said, “

  I can assure you, Mrs. Bell, that I am delighted for you to stay here and teach Simon that all human beings are not as cruel as his stepmother.”

  He drew in his breath before he added,

  “How could I imagine for one moment that she would behave in such an appalling manner?”

  “Simon said that she hated him,” responded Lolita, “and perhaps it was because when your brother died she had no children of her own. I have often read in stories, although I have not met it in real life, that step-parents are almost fanatically jealous of their partners’ children because they are not their own.”

  Lord Seabrook nodded.

  “I have read the same stories and now it has happened to us in real life we shall have to do something about it.”

  “I thought you would understand, my Lord,” said Lolita, “and thank you for saying I can stay with Simon. It matters more to me than I can possibly tell you.”

  She thought as she spoke that she had been somewhat indiscreet. The words had come impulsively to her lips.

  Then before Lord Seabrook could speak again the door opened and Simon came rushing in.

  “I’ve had a scrumptious drink, Lolo,” he called, running to Lolita’s side, “and here’s a chocolate for you. They are delicious and I’ve eaten three.”

  He gave Lolita a chocolate wrapped up neatly in some pretty paper.

  “That is most kind of you, but I think I will keep it until I am hungry.”

  “I am hungry now,” Simon piped up, “and Barty says luncheon is ready now.”

  “Then of course we must go into the dining room” said Lord Seabrook, rising to his feet. “But I expect Mrs. Bell would like to wash her hands first, so you and I will wait here while Barty takes her up to Mrs. Shepherd.”

  He walked to the door and they could hear him giving instructions to Barty.

  Simon slipped his hand into Lolita’s.

  “It’s fabulous here,” he bubbled. “Very big and exciting. There’s armour in the passage and they look like real soldiers!”

  Lolita thought that might have been expected in an ancient castle. She walked towards the door and found Barty waiting to take her upstairs.

  “You come with me, Simon,” said Lord Seabrook, “and I will show you one or two of the family treasures while we are waiting.”