All That Glitters: A Maggie Power Adventure (Maggie Power #2) *Unedited version*

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

It was a cold, wet November afternoon when I arrived at Hill House, the home of Mr Daniel Morelle and his good wife, Rebecca. Blake accompanied me on the journey and the carriage he hired for the occasion stopped by the riverside, at some distance from the large house, which stood isolated on the hill at the end of a newly constructed road.

Our journey from the city out to Richmond had been conducted in near-silence, and the dreary weather added to my sense of foreboding.

"Are you quite sure you wish to continue, Maggie?" Blake asked as I stepped from the carriage. "It's not too late to put it off and turn back."

I somehow managed to whisper the word yes, but felt that I was embarking upon an undertaking that was well beyond my capabilities.

Why had I felt obliged to offer my services in such a manner? Blake had never made me feel like I owed him for anything, yet still I felt compelled to take on this journey into a world of which I knew little. Yes, I wished to get away from Emily for a time. But had I overreacted? Could I have stayed with a Chartist friend in London, perhaps? Had I been rash in my insistence to continue on this mission?

"I'm not averse to taking risks, Maggie. But I fear for your safety," Blake began again as I stood out in the rain. I glanced back into the dry carriage and the discarded blankets that had kept me warm during the journey.

"When you decided to stay with my sister, I promised your father to look after you, not put you in harm's way," he explained.

I did not wish to rehash the same old reasons for doing what I was about to do. William Templeton-Wells had to be found; there was another man, linked to the case, murdered; and yet another missing. Additionally, a bank had collapsed and many of its customers had lost a great deal of their money. If Blake was correct, and I thought that he was, then the answer to this mystery lay inside the house, which stood tall, looking down upon all below, on top of the hill in front of me.

Blake pointed back down the road, "I shall wait a way bit back in the carriage for a while. If anything feels untoward, or if they dismiss your requests for work, come straight away."

I nodded. I shivered, a feeling of loneliness or something worse stirring inside. It felt so strange to be out beyond the noise and the bustle of city. I looked down at the stillness of the river, the empty boats discarded beneath overhanging trees, whose branches deposited golden leaves onto the water's surface beneath.

"Leave now," I said, turning back to the carriage to face the swirling rain. "We don't want to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves."

"Lizzie," he said.

I was slow responding. I was still getting the feel for the new name.

"Lizzie," he called again.

"Yes," I answered.

"Just making sure–"

"I didn't think it quite necessary, yet," I said.

"From now, you need to be Lizzie. Always. One lapse could..."

He didn't finish his initial thought. He checked himself before continuing,"It's important you remain in character, Maggie. Lizzie..."

He laughed. "I see your point. Just–"

I knew what he wanted to say. Knew also that he would use this as one, last opportunity to dissuade me, before I set off towards the house at the end of the road.

"Maggie, we can turn back and go home now," he said moving towards me.

I stopped for a second, thought of taking shelter from the rain back inside the carriage, but continued to walk. I had set my course. Onward I would go.