It’s breakfast time at Dendringham Hall – and with her head still full of Rosie the chambermaid's scary story about an ancient curse, Dot has a lot of new people to meet. They all seem to know who she is, though…
“And so they say, night after night… the bloody ghost of Black Sir Crispin rides and rides and rides… and Wild Witch the horse can never stop to let him off, with the Devil of Dendringham after him, not through all eternity!!”
Those were Rosie’s last words, as she gave a final brush to Dot’s tartan dress before sending her downstairs to breakfast. And Dot just couldn’t get the story she’d told out of her head. Or the howling…
Even though it really was a totally DER-licious breakfast! Mr Mouse would have loved it, but she’d had to leave him in her room – in a really cute little cage she’d been given for him (Miss Walsingham had insisted!), complete with a tiny bed with a tiny pillow, sheets and blankets.
Mr Mouse had pretended to be cross about being shut up in there, but he obviously felt at home, because he was still fast asleep when she left.
And how he would have LOVED that breakfast!! Sizzling bacon, eggs, tomatoes and mushrooms, yummy sausages, fried bread, – everything. All laid out ready to eat. (No HP sauce though. Shame!)
DER-licious indeed - but Dot didn’t have much of an appetite. She could still see in her head the terrible scenes on the night Sir Thomas Manners was murdered, and the dreadful revenge of Lady Isobel’s curse on Black Sir Crispin d’Auberley – the wicked man who had killed her only son.
It was strange to think that that horrible man’s great-great-great-great-grandchildren (or should that be great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren…?) were sitting at the table with her.
And now… the ghost of Sir Crispin seemed to be riding again, and would have to ride Wild Witch forever, with curse of Lady Isobel upon him and the Devil of Dendringham driving him on and on and on!
Why was the mystery horseman carrying an axe though? Another mystery…
“Help yourself at the sideboard, Dorothea!” said a tall and beautiful lady, with ash-blonde hair swept back from her head in a great wave. She was dressed in a long lavender dress, nipped in at the waist, with a cream silk collar and diamond necklace at her throat. “I know your poor parents would want us to feed you up after your illness.”
“Thank you!” said Dot – and got herself a plate, which was nice and warm.
So… I’ve been ill in this net-voyage, she thought, as she started to help herself… but why did that lady say “my poor parents…? That doesn’t sound good!
And anyway, what was the lady’s name, and who were all these people?
There was a young man in a strange tweed suit with a belt round the middle of his jacket, and trousers tucked into some very thick socks. He was very busy with a plate piled high with SIX sausages, four bacon rashers and two fried eggs, but he’d given her a nice smile and waved his fork at her when she came in.
There was a young woman with a pale, thin face, dark hair, and burning black eyes who’d nodded at her and then gone back to reading a kind of magazine with a strange black and white drawing on the front. It had a funny title: ‘The Yellow Book’.
There was also one of the elderly ladies she’d seen on the computer all that time ago. She had a black dress and a white lace cap on – and she seemed to have nodded off in her chair!
“Have you SEEN this?” boomed a deep voice.
With a huffing and a puffing, carrying what looked like a very BORING newspaper, Sir Charles d’Auberley came into the breakfast room.
“Damned government!” he said, waving the paper. “Taxes, taxes, taxes, that’s all they’re good for!”
Dot smiled to herself. Sir Charles and her dad would have quite a lot to talk about!
Then the cross old man saw her and his red face, with its bushy grey moustache, went even redder. “Apologies my dear!” he said. “Welcome to the Hall! Hope you’ll enjoy yer stay with us. Know Lady Sarah’s been lookin’ forward to it!”
And he went off to help himself to a LOT of breakfast – including some fishy, eggy stuff with rice they used to eat then, called kedgeree. Yikes! (Some people really like it though!)
“Indeed, I have been looking forward to your stay” said the tall lady who’d first spoken to Dot. (So that’s her name at least, thought Dot – Lady Sarah d’Auberley. She must be Sir Charles’ wife.) “It’s so nice to have young people at the hall again!”
“It’s… it’s very nice of you to have me” stammered Dot. Lady Sarah smiled again and nodded. Then she turned to Sir Charles, who was trying to read his paper, eat his breakfast and mutter to himself all at the same time!
“Charles, my dear” she said. “That dreadful howling came again this morning. What is Mr Holmes DOING about it?”
I could tell you, thought Dot, cutting up her bacon and eggs with her very best table manners. Only I mustn’t!
“He’s… he’s investigatin’ away my dear” said Sir Charles, going a bit pink and rustling his paper. “He’ll have the scoundrel, you’ll see!”
“Well” said Lady Sarah “I do hope it’ll be sooner rather than later. It’s really getting very trying!”
“I’d horsewhip him, the cad!” said the young man, who’d just finished his last sausage.
The young woman with the dark burning eyes put down her ‘Yellow Book and folded her arms on the table. “Really, Herbert?” she said in a very cool voice. “And how do you propose to catch him? And how do you know it’s a ‘him’ and not a ‘her’?”
“Oh not more of that women are equal to men stuff, for goodness sake Laetitia!” said Herbert with a huge sigh. “Of COURSE it’s a man! Stands to reason!”
No WAY thought Dot! I’d tell you something! But I MUST remember I’m in the Victorian times when “Children are seen and not heard” (Nan Com saying!)
“You can’t whip a ghost, young man!” said the elderly lady. She’d woken up now! “Not if the Curse of Dendringham Hall is upon us once more!”
“Stuff and nonsense, mama!” said Sir Charles angrily.
“Is it?” said a voice.
It was Mr Holmes’ voice – but it wasn’t Mr Holmes!
