“I appreciate your loyalty, Molly,” Hannah said with a smile, “and thank you for coming here with me.”
Molly nodded as they entered the first chamber. She lifted a blanket off of the furniture, waving a hand in front of her face as dust filled the air. “I must speak with Mrs. Ackerman about cleaning out some of these rooms,” she said. “I’m sure your parents or your sister will want to come see you at some point, and they must have acceptable living quarters.”
Hannah felt slightly uneasy about the thought of Edmund welcoming her family as guests, but she said nothing.
Molly wrinkled her nose in an expression of dismay as she found what was underneath.
“Have a look, my lady, but this is quite dismal,” she said, moving from one piece to another. “I think it’s best left here.”
“There is another room,” Hannah said, remembering the upstairs chamber, which Andrew had made his. “It has some beautiful paintings, if I recall. There’s also a lamp that could be something we might use, if it is as I remember.”
“I’ve never been up there,” Molly said, and she bit her lip worriedly as she lowered her voice as though someone could hear. “I’ve heard noises, though, coming from above my room at night.”
Hannah met her eyes, attempting bravery. She had heard the odd noise herself, but had told herself that it was likely one of the servants. It was also much easier to push aside her worry when she had Edmund’s arms around her.
Ever since the night they had first been together, he had come to her for the beginning of the night, though he always left her bed by morning. She had waited for him to have a nightmare such as the one she had discovered him in the throes of during her first night here, but so far, he hadn’t woken her. She slept deeply and had no idea how long he stayed with her, but she kept waiting for the day when he would still be snug against her upon the sun’s rising.
As of yet, she had been disappointed.
“It’s an old house,” Hannah said, attempting to reassure herself as much as she did Molly of the strange noises. “I’m sure it’s just shifting, or creaking in the wind.”
Molly nodded, but Hannah could tell that she didn’t quite believe her.
They were silent as they climbed the stairs to the second floor. Hannah led Molly through the long gallery before they stepped through the door into the end bedroom.
“It looks lived in,” Molly exclaimed, to which Hannah nodded.
“That’s what I said as well,” she said. “It hasn’t been touched since…” It seemed wrong to share Andrew and Isabel’s secret, somehow, even with Molly, “since one of Edmund’s relatives lived here.”
Molly nodded again before setting herself to the task at hand.
“These draperies are pretty,” she said, running her hand over them. “You could use them downstairs. Or perhaps this painting on the wall. It’s a beautiful landscape – in fact, it looks like something that could be found near here, although I’m not sure from what vantage.” She looked out the window beyond, and Hannah saw she was right.
Far below them, they could see the ruins of the guest house – the reason why Andrew had chosen this room.
“Perhaps the view is from the guest house,” she murmured. “I shall have to look sometime.”
Molly began walking over to take the painting down from the wall, but as she did it fell off on its own, landing at her feet. Molly gasped as she looked up and met Hannah’s eyes.
“I… I think we were meant to take it,” Molly said, her eyes wide. She bent and picked it up, passing it to Hannah.
Hannah took it in her hands, words on the back catching her eye as she did.
She turned over the painting, reading it aloud.
“Always my love, Isabel. She painted it for him.”
Molly cast her an inquisitive gaze. “Who?”
“Who… whoever this was,” she said, looking forward to sharing her discovery with Edmund. So Isabel was a painter as well. It sent eerie chills down Hannah’s spine when she thought of the similarities between the two of them.
She clasped it to her as Molly looked around the room. “Anything else?”
“Perhaps the lamp,” Hannah said. “It is nice. And that chair in the corner could work in the withdrawing room, but I’ll have Falton or Edmund bring it down.”
“Very good,” Molly said, seemingly relieved that Hannah was ready to leave the room.