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Up until now Margaret’s life had been a very busy one. Although she had not worked since marrying Duncan, there had always been the morning coffee get togethers, lunch dates and the arranging of the many dinner parties given by her and Duncan at their home. Her husband had a well-positioned job in an investment company in the city, Jeeves, Harbrook and Stevenson. They entertained on most weekends and sometimes during the week as well.
Margaret had become well known for the splendid dishes, which she served and she always made sure that she was the one in the kitchen, preparing the meal and seeing it through to almost the time it was to be served. She then handed it over to the people she hired to serve and to clean up afterwards. So Margaret was top of the list in being the ideal hostess. She made everyone feel welcome and chattered away in many topics of conversation.
So it came as a severe shock to her when Duncan was struck down by a speeding car and killed outright. He was only 36 years old, the youngest in the company at the top ranks and his death was also a major blow to the company as well.
Duncan had been well liked and there was a huge gathering at the funeral and many followed on to the buffet, which had been arranged and set out at a local restaurant. So many came and gave her their condolences, that their faces were a blur. It was when old Mr Jeeves came to speak to her that she suddenly became quite overcome with the constant noise of talking and the many people circulating about. He took her arm and led her away to a quiet corner.
“Margaret, please let me arrange for you to be taken home. You have done so much and been such a credit and strength to your late husband that I think that you now need to rest. I have a small beach house in France that you are most welcome to stay at, for as long as you wish. All you need to do is ring me and I will send the keys and arrange any transport for you. Now you must let me do this, for without you we would not have been able to get some of the clients that Duncan secured. But now, I think that it is time that I call my driver and have you taken home.” With that he signalled to his driver and she said her hasty thanks to all those who were still there and was then driven home.
As Margaret prepared to go to bed that night, she sat at her dressing table and took a long look at herself. At the age of 34 she was still a very good looking woman. They had decided that they wouldn’t have children as this could stop them doing the things that only they wanted to do. It may have seemed a little selfish to some people, but that was their choice. It was just at this moment though that she thought that maybe they had been wrong. Her days now looked as though they would drag on and on. As she only had herself to cater for now, she was going to have so much time on her hands. Her only employment many years ago had been at a florist’s. Today there were so many shops available, that she would probably find it difficult in finding a suitable place to work. She leant forwards and cupped her hands to her face and sobbed. She didn’t know if she was crying at the loss of her darling husband or that she was feeling sorry for herself. It wasn’t like her to feel selfish, but as she finally dried her eyes, she said aloud to herself, why did you have to die, you know that I am useless on my own, my whole world revolved around you and the company you worked for. Sleep came to her quickly when she finally retired to her bed.
When Margaret awoke the next morning, the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Although her eyes were puffy and her skin felt very tight with the crying she had done the night before, she had made her mind up that she would take up the offer of the house in France. The different scenery and long awaited holiday would be good for her. There she would have none of the things around her to remind her of Duncan and she would be able to take walks and think about what her future could be. But first she had a lot of papers to sort out and to transfer everything into her name. She would probably be kept
at this for some time. Also as she started to think about this, it might seem as though she didn’t care and that all she wanted was to go away.
So over the next few months she was kept busy at the house. Some of their friends had remained loyal, inviting her out, while others had drifted away just saying, we must keep in touch. But there again some of these friends had been Duncan’s and she supposed that they may feel embarrassed with her now being on her own. It was also a very good summer that year, blue skies and glorious sunshine. Just staying in her own garden and tending to the flowers, which had really come into bloom, made her feel safe in her own surroundings.
Six months had passed since Duncan’s death and although she had been busy, she was now thinking about a holiday. She then remembered Mr Jeeves’s invitation of the house in France. Later on in the morning she rang Mr Jeeves at his office, his secretary put her through straightaway and she was greeted by his friendly voice. “It has been a very long time Margaret, I hope that you are well. I have recently returned to the office, after being away for the last couple of months. Taking a rest before I retire. Now as I recall I offered you the keys to the beach house, I do hope that this call is to say that you are going to ask for the keys.”
“As a matter of fact I am. Margaret said in a happier tone than of late. I have been busy getting the affairs of the house in order and I have had a good think about my life and I thought that a break away would be good for me. Your offer seemed ideal, as I haven’t the faintest idea of where I would like to go.”
Mr Jeeves asked, “would you like to meet me for lunch and I can tell you about the house and give you the keys.”
“I would really love that. It will also make a change for someone to wait on me,” she joked lightly.
Over their lunch at the popular restaurant near to the offices, she was told of the quiet town of Wissant in France. Margaret had already decided that she would travel in her own car, so there would be no need for Mr Jeeves to arrange any transport for her. “I think that it will give me more confidence in finding my way about. I have been too dependant on others for a long time, so it is about time that I start now in trying to look after myself.” Margaret said in a positive way.
Although deep down she felt nervous, she put on a good face and after the bill had been paid she thanked Mr Jeeves profusely and said that she would send him a postcard and would keep in touch with him. She would let him know when she would return and then she would make arrangements to get his keys back to him.
All that remained now was for Margaret to book a ferry crossing from Dover to Calais and she could be on her way. She spent the rest of the afternoon going around the shops. She bought herself new jeans and sneakers, as she was looking forward to taking long walks and to do some sightseeing. She also took herself along to the bookstore to find maps, as she knew that there were no up to date reference books or maps at home.
She felt an excitement at the prospect of the journey that she was about to make. Normally she only took the car locally or in to the city, so this would be the first time that she would be driving any distance. After she had unpacked the car and had sorted through her new purchases she settled down with a coffee and planned her journey. The journey down to Dover was easy enough, it would probably take about an hours time. She had been told that there was very little distance from Calais to the village of Wissant and looking at the map it looked straightforward enough. She smiled to herself as she remembered what she was like at finding places, the word hopeless sprang to mind. It was something that she had always left to others. Just thinking of that made her sigh a little, from now on she would have to do things for herself.
She booked a crossing on the ferry and her ticket would be at the terminal for her. She had the weekend to pack her suitcases and let her neighbours know that she would be away for a little while. They were a super group of families who lived on the crescent. There were only a dozen houses and it was a very quiet area. She then got the local garage to give her car a quick check over and when Monday morning arrived she was ready to set off. She had a leisurely breakfast and then made sure the house was locked up safely and checking her purse to make sure she had her money and passport, she backed off the driveway and with a glance in her rear view mirror drove off.
When she arrived at the ferry terminal, she went straight to help desk and was given her tickets. She had arrived in plenty of time, but as she passed through the various stages ready for driving onto the ferry the time seemed to go by quite quickly. Once aboard she had ample time to have some refreshments and then to browse around the on board shop. All this was very exciting for her. All too soon it was time to get into their cars ready to drive off. This was going to be the testing time for her. She started to get butterflies in her tummy, but said to herself, you only have to remember to drive on the opposite side of the road, everything else would be the same.
As she drove along the AutoRoute she kept a close eye on all the signs. Knowing very little French, she didn’t want to end up driving and missing her turning. But she had no fear of that, it was clearly marked and she soon wound her way through the tiny roads into Wissant. Mr Jeeves had given her clear directions to the house and soon she was parked out in front of the house. The peacefulness of the place was the first thing that struck Margaret. The few people she saw walking about, looked as though they had all the time in the world to get where they were going. The only sound that she could hear, was the sound of the waves coming in from the sea on to the beach. She knew right away that this was the place where she would find solitude and peace of mind, so that she could think of what she was going to do with her future.
Margaret settled herself in after unpacking her suitcases and the boxes of grocery, which she had thought to bring along. She took a cool glass of lemonade out in to the garden and watched the late afternoon go by. As the day was clear, you could look across the waters and see the headland of Britain. So if she happened to feel a little homesick, she only had to glance out.
She had picked up a couple of pieces of local history. From Julius Caesar embarking there in 54BC, to the 100 year war and to the Germans occupying the area from 1940 to September 1944. Margaret was looking forward to exploring the area and to speaking to the locals. Later in the evening she found a small restaurant, which served a selection of omelettes, all of which sounded very tempting. She also decided to try the local cider, a drink that she had not had in many many years. All the people she had met so far seemed very nice. She had taken along with her a French phrase book and with lots of gestures she managed to get by. Also they were all very patient and many spoke English, which she was grateful for and thanked them very much.
After being there for several days, she noticed that there seemed to be a lot of dogs being taken for walks. One person seemed to be out and about most of the day with various types of dogs. He was very handsome, with dark eyes and dark hair and was tall of stature and had a way of walking as if on a catwalk at a fashion show. Margaret thought to herself, what on earth can his work be about. It was on the following day that as Margaret took a walk along the sea front, that the handsome guy approached her. For the first time he was without a dog and looked as if he didn’t know what to do with the empty hands not holding on to a dogs lead.
“Mademoiselle, would you please permit me to walk with you. I have seen you on my many occasions that I have walked by here, but as you see, today I am alone. I would like to walk by your side and see the sunlight dazzle through your golden hair. May I introduce myself, my name is Gerard.” He slightly bowed forwards, with one arm behind his back, which Margaret thought to herself, this should have been in a scene in a film, not along the seafront.
Thinking what a very polite man he was, she inclined her head slightly and said, “I would like your company very much. My name is Margaret and as you can already guess, I am here for a while taking a break from my home in England.” As she said this, a slight twinge of homesickness flashed in her mind. Also, it was such a long time since she had been approached by someone, that she felt a little bit awkward.
Gerard offered her his arm, which she took rather timidly and he said in his sexily accented tone, “as you have probably guessed, I have the job of taking the varieties of dogs for walks. My father has a boarding kennels just on the outskirts of the village, called Escalles. Most of what you see around here has had some historical moment. Did you know that King Ethelred 11 of England sailed from the port here in 1013? Just a little something for you think about, as you wile your time away here.” This was said with tongue in cheek, as she could tell by the twinkle in his eyes, when he gazed at her.
His look took her breath away. How could she start to feel like this after only being with him for such a short period of time? It must have something to do with having been left on her own so suddenly, because she had always been so used to meeting strangers, with Duncan bringing them home for the many dinner parties. She smiled at him and said quietly “ you must forgive me for being so quiet. I am not used to having attention being given to me so directly.” Gerard asked her “Have dinner with me tonight and then we can get to know each other better. There is a restaurant nearby, which has seafood as its speciality. Please say that you will dine with me.”
His manner of asking her made her smile and she accepted without a second thought. They said their good-byes for the moment and with a wave went their separate ways.
Margaret fussed over what she should wear, finally she selected a deep purple dress, which fitted closely to her curved body. Just to take off the plainness of the dress, she wore a gold bangle with matching earrings and pinned to the left side a small gold owl brooch. Satisfied with her appearance, Margaret set off for her dinner date. Just thinking of the word date, made her feel strange. It had been a long time since she had had to talk about herself to someone new. Her usual topics of conversation were about the weather, holidays and what her late husbands company dealt in. Tonight she would probably talk about Duncan to a stranger for the first time. The thought of this was a little daunting, but Gerard seemed such a thoughtful person, that she shouldn’t find any problems.
As she walked along the quiet street, she passed by an art shop and made a mental note to go and have a look in there the next day. She could possibly get a new painting to take back home with her. As she continued on, Gerard was walking towards her. She smiled as they got closer and Gerard held out his hand to her. He lifted her hand and brushed a faint kiss on the back of it. This sent a tingle rippling through her. “You look delightful, like a wonderful Iris flower, tall and slender, dark and intriguing.” Gerard had such a way of speaking that she felt as if she was floating.
Margaret smiled shyly and said, “Oh you are a smooth talker, I wouldn’t mind betting that you have all the girls wrapped around your fingers.”
“Mon dieu, you shame me. I only have eyes for you and I express my feelings with all honesty. You do believe me, don’t you?” Gerard feigned a look of disbelief in what Margaret had said. Together they laughed and she said, “Please let us carry on for dinner, I am truly hungry and I am looking forward to the meal and of course your company.”
During their meal they talked about the news of both their countries. Margaret found these topics no problem, she was used to small chit chat topics from all the dinner parties she had given. The evening passed by very quickly and soon it was time for them to leave the restaurant. “The night is still young, would you like to go for a walk and then I will take you home?” Gerard asked as he slipped her coat on to her shoulders. “I would like that very much.” she replied.
Gerard led the way, he took her passed a very old house, most of which had fallen down and it was surrounded by a high brick wall. In the moonlight it seemed as if someone was watching them. Margaret had a sinister feeling of eyes following her.
“Who lived in that house. It feels like a very sad house and as though something tragic has happened there?” Margaret asked quietly.
Gerard led her down to the sea front and told her the tale of the house. “That house has remained empty for many many years. The young man who was the last of the family who owned it died in very tragic circumstances. He had been engaged to be married to a local girl Marie, who had become a famous model. She had been on tour when the train she had been travelling in came off its rails and crashed down an embankment. Most of the passengers were killed outright, Marie was amongst them. He vowed then that he would never marry, for his love had died with Marie. He slowly went mad. It was said that he could be seen on some nights prowling through the corridors and looking out from the tower. It was on a bright starlit night, that he took his own life, he threw himself out of the window of the tower. The next morning the cook found him lying there. It is said that even today, that on clear moonlit nights he can be heard crying and calling for his love. Now after listening to that story, do you believe in ghosts? For as you can see, tonight is brightly lit, with the stars shining way up in the sky.”
“Well all that I can say is that you are a very good story teller. I am sure that his heart must have been broken, but as for ghosts, no I do not believe in them.” Margaret shivered slightly as she said this. She shook her head as if to dispel the feeling.
“You are shivering. Please let me take you home right away. It was foolish of me to keep you so long by the sea, with the cool wind blowing in.” Gerard gently took hold of her arm and escorted her to her front door. They stood there for a few minutes until Margaret broke the quiet by saying “I thank you so much for the lovely evening. You needn’t worry about me having dreams of the haunted house, because I will fall into a deep sleep until morning.” She leant forwards and kissed Gerard on the cheek and said goodnight.
“Sweet dreams my angel of the night. I will call on you tomorrow, but I may not be alone, for tomorrow I will be back with my dogs.” Gerard kissed her hand again and bade his goodnight to her.
Margaret made her way to bed and was soon fast asleep. It was in the early hours of the morning that looking around her and being afraid, she realised that she was standing outside the gates of the old house. She didn’t know how she could have got there or how long she had been outside. She was dressed in jeans and a thick jumper, but couldn’t recall getting dressed either. As she stood there she glanced up at the empty window, the old curtain was blowing in and out of the broken window. Faintly she could hear crying. Soon she was running back to her house, she ran faster and faster, until on reaching her door she stood panting and trying to get her breath. What on earth has come over me? It must have been the events of last night’s story and too much wine.
She took herself off to bed again and lay there for a while, sleep seemed to come to her slowly, but the next time she woke, it was morning and the sun was shining and she felt no lingering trace of last nights adventure outside. She thought perhaps that she had dreamt the whole thing. It was only when she came to get dressed after her morning shower, that she found that her trainers were full of sand. Perhaps when she met Gerard later she could ask him more about the story of the house.
It wasn’t until nearly noon that she met Gerard, he said that he had been busy working at the kennels and had just started to take the dogs for their walks. “What more can you tell me about the haunted house,” she asked quietly.
“Well I think that I told you about as much as everyone around here knows. He was madly in love with Marie. I believe that he is buried in the family crypt, which is on the grounds. Why do you ask?” Gerard responded.
“You will probably think that I am crazy. I had a dream last night, I was standing outside the house and there was crying, very softly, but I could make it out to be that of someone who was very sad. This morning as I went to put on my shoes, they were covered in sand. Now I don’t believe in ghosts, but I cannot explain how my shoes were in this condition, unless I had been there.” Margaret kept her eyes to the ground as she told this to Gerard.
“This I have heard before. Some other young ladies have been seen walking and sometimes running, away from the house in the early hours of the morning. But this was a very long time ago and I cannot recall any talk of their adventures.” Gerard looked quite concerned. They finished their walk and Margaret said that she was feeling quite tired and decided that she would go back and rest and probably have an early night. They parted with a friendly kiss on the cheek and went their separate ways.
Over the next few nights, Margaret had the same dream again and again. It was on the third night that she actually saw the man for the first time. As he drew closer to her, she recognised him. She turned to run away, but the next moment she felt herself falling. It seemed to go on and on, until she felt herself cradled in strong arms, which had caught her before she reached the ground. When she came around she was lying on an old chaise lounge. Kneeling at her side, with head bent downwards and holding her hand, was Gerard. She took a gasp of air and sat upright very quickly.
“You are the one that I have been looking for all my life. I should have told you from the beginning who I really was. Please forgive me.” Gerard stood back from her and looked at her with eyes that were filled with love.
“I don’t understand. Where are we and what is it that you should have told me?” Margaret was feeling scared. Her surroundings were not familiar to her and she could feel the cold night air.
“My name is Gerard, that part is true. Also where I work, is also true. Perhaps for me to tell you everything, we should go somewhere warmer. May I take you to your house, where we could be more comfortable and I promise to tell you everything.” Margaret nodded and they returned to her house, walking in silence all the way.
Once they had settled in and Margaret had made them both hot drinks, Gerard’s real story came out.
My name is Gerard, like I said. My parents are not my real parents, they adopted me when I was a baby, they told me this when I was quite young. It was about three years ago that I found out who my real parents were and it took me a very long time to come to terms with the new knowledge. You see my real father, although I don’t have his family name, was Edourd, the young man whose tragic death I told you about, who lived in the old house. My mother was Marie. She found out that she was expecting me during her modelling tour. She had been away for almost six months on the road and she was on her way back to tell Edourd the news, when the accident happened. She died before she had time to tell him. My mother was barely alive when the emergency people found her, but as soon as the doctors found out that she was expecting, they operated quickly and I survived. The house isn’t really haunted. It was me who you heard crying when you thought you were dreaming. I can call out to people and reach them even in their deepest state of sleep and beckon them. When I first saw you, I knew that you were the one for me. I have searched for a long time for the one that I could truly love. Please say that you will be mine.
As Margaret slowly took all this news in, she looked deep into his eyes. What she saw there was pain, but the kind of pain when you are hurting inside. She knew that what he spoke of was the truth. She also knew that one day she could find a new kind of love with him. A love of being with one another and maybe one day, the love of a close family. She could no longer stand the look that was on his face, the look that she may turn him away. She held out her arms to him and they clung to one another for a long time. The embrace was all there was to say. He had finally found the one to love and maybe the lonely walks, with only the dogs to keep him company, would now be at an end.
The End