The Forbidden Room

The Key

At dinner, my husband and I act like perfectly-behaved people. We pretend we weren't shouting at each other the last time we were together. I pretend I haven't been talking about the previous ladies of the house with an ex-convict and entering forbidden rooms that turned out to be crime scenes. He tells me about his day in London as if he means to share things with me.

Then, as we finish our dessert, he puts down his spoon. "I think you might be happy to know you'll have a housemaid by next week."

Delight at this unexpected announcement warms my chest, and I forget about my day for a moment.

"I'm very pleased to hear that. Thank you."

The shadow of a smile crosses his lips and his eyes sparkle in the firelight. "I thought I needed to make this trip to London worthwhile for you as well."

He appears so likable in that instant, I find it hard to believe he is hiding so many horrific secrets from me and the world. Right then, I want to ask him about his first wife and the child, about his second wife and the blood in the bedroom, about this dark house, about Sam, about him.

I open my mouth to speak when a scream resonates in the corridor. I recognise Mrs Edwards' voice at once and I spring to my feet, my heart thudding.

"What was that?"

My husband replies, "Don't move!"

He rushes out of the dining room and I follow him despite his orders. I'd rather find out what is happening than waiting behind alone.

In the hall, Mrs. Edwards is holding the bunch of keys under the candlelight. She shrieks again when my husband, Sam and I burst all at once in front of her.

"There's blood on these keys!"

I gasp, already trying to figure out how I am going to explain this. But my husband, instead of looking at me, turns a murderous glare towards Sam.

The boy shakes his head. "It wasn't me!"

"Liar!" Mrs Edwards replies, and Sam takes a wary step back.

Before things go any further, I blurt out, "It was me!"

They all stare at me, wide-eyed. My husband goes pale with rage.

"I was curious about the room you refused to show me," I tell him before he has time to speak. "I went in there and dropped the keys."

My words come out so fast I'm breathless and unsure whether I'm clear or not. A silence follows my statement, and my heartbeat goes wild with anticipation. I stare at my husband, who opens and closes his mouth a couple of times.

"You... what?!"

"The keys are stained with blood because of me," I say. "Don't blame Sam."

My husband presses his lips together, as if ready to explode. For a horrible moment I think he might hit me and I choose to act first.

"Whose blood is this anyway?" I ask, my tone as steady as possible. "Why is that room in such a state? And why did you try to hide it from me?"

Instead of answering me, my husband grabs me by the arm and drags me up the staircase.

"Let go of me!" I snap, forgetting my fear and turning to anger instead.

"Be quiet."

This does nothing to calm me and by the time we reach the first floor, I am fuming. I grip his hand to pry it from my arm but he is much stronger than me and his fingers don't even move.

"Stop this nonsense!" I say, my nostrils flaring.

He lets go in front of my bedroom door and he opens it before thrusting me inside.

"What are you doing?" I say, my voice going up in irritation.

"Stay here."

The door slams in my face and I shout at the closed wood panel. "You can't avoid me forever!"

I consider walking back out of the room immediately since the door is unlocked, but I decide against it. I am not sure what is happening with my husband, that blood-stained room on the ground floor or even Sam, but I have a feeling I am safer here than out in the corridor for now.

I don't know how my husband's former wives died after all, and even if I can't believe he would hurt them or me, it would be imprudent of me not to contemplate the possibility of his involvement in their untimely deaths. He did lie about it, after all.

I pace around the bedroom for a while before I'm certain that the house is quiet and the corridor empty.

Then I open the door and peer outside. Nothing and no one catches my attention in the dark and quiet hallway.

Whether it's curiosity or madness I don't know, but I need to find answers to my questions. I won't rest until I hear from my husband's mouth what happened, so I walk down the corridor, a candlestick in hand.

The manor is eerily silent as I walk down the staircase: no whistling of the wind outside, no creaking floorboards, no unidentifiable scratching noises. I reach the ground floor without any incident. There, a cold draught worms its way around me. The only light in the hallway comes from the moon outside the window. I turn to face the end of the corridor and the chilly breeze blows out my candle.

I let out an annoyed sigh while my eyes adjust to the sudden dimness. Then my heart misses a beat. My husband's body is sprawled out on the carpet, in front of the forbidden room, which has its door wide open.

***

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And let me know your theories about what's happening in this manor...