Alexander (8)

8

 

At seven o’clock, after Terry had dropped them at the pick-up point, Alexander and Luther walked to Luther’s house, entering through the kitchen’s rear sliding door which was always left unlocked.

 

Luther said nothing about what he’d discovered in the manor house. In fact, Alexander’s brooding work colleague had said nothing at all since descending from the turret window. Alexander had waited at the base of the ladder, eager for news of secret treasure and priceless paintings but, after supporting Luther as he climbed down, he was greeted with silence, and they resumed their work.

 

The white Rolls Royce returned late in the afternoon, the rather stern looking elderly woman parking the vehicle in the dilapidated garage. She went straight into the house and Alexander breathed a sigh of relief. The ladders had been safely returned and the turret window closed. Terry wouldn’t know a thing.

 

Alexander followed Luther upstairs and waited as he knocked on Padgett's door. As soon as Padgett saw who it was he collected the key for the empty house and handed it over. Alexander gave Padgett his money; Luther went into his own room and slammed shut the door.

 

‘What’s wrong with him ?’ said Padgett.

 

Alexander shrugged. ‘Who knows ?’

 

He glanced over Padgett’s bony shoulder and saw half a bottle of vodka standing upright on the floor. The unmistakable scent of cannabis drifted onto the landing. ‘Soz’ said Padgett trying to clear the air with a feeble wave of his hand.

 

Once Padgett had closed the door to his room Alexander stood on the landing for a while. He considered shouting ‘You Ok, Luther ?’ but thought better of it - the older man might already be asleep. Alexander picked up his rucksack and left.

 

-*-

 

At five am, after he’d posted the key through the letterbox, Alexander walked to the pick-up point. Luther was already there, standing apart from the others and giving only a curt nod when Alexander offered a greeting. At five thirty gang-master Terry arrived. He pointed at Alexander and said ‘You - come with me.’ Then, addressing the others: ‘The rest of you will have to wait.’

 

Alexander was confused. Why had Luther been overlooked ? He expected Luther to confront the gang-master, but instead Luther turned and walked across the car park in the direction of his house. Alexander contemplated joining him, in a show of solidarity, but that would mean losing a day’s pay – something Alexander couldn’t afford to do. Then something occurred to him: Terry knew that Luther had entered Brook Manor.

 

As the van rattled along the country roads Alexander pressed his head against the battered rear door, observing each sweep of the road in the same way that Luther had done. No vehicle was following. And the route seemed to be the same as the two previous mornings. Why, he wondered, am I alone going to work at the manor house ?

 

When they arrived Terry said: ‘Finish clearing the front lawn, then carry on with the furthest sections of the garden. At some point Lady Brook will ask for assistance. She'll explain what she wants you to do.’

 

Before Terry left, Alexander asked if Lady Brook was the same woman who drove the white Rolls Royce Silver Shadow. Terry nodded. ‘Remember - do as you're told and only speak when you’re spoken to.’

 

Alexander said: ‘Why isn’t Luther working with me today ?’

 

Terry looked into the far distance, took a deep breath and sighed. ‘Luther won’t be working for me any more – not here or anywhere else.’

 

‘Why ?’

 

‘Because I say so, that’s why’ said Terry. ‘I’m not his keeper.’

 

Alexander was now certain that Terry knew about what had happened the previous day. But how did he know ? The woman, Lady Brook, hadn’t seen Luther break into the house. There was only one answer: somebody had been spying on them.

 

As he collected items of gardening equipment from the dilapidated garage, Alexander was overcome by an uncomfortable feeling: Luther was in great danger.

 

-*-

 

Alexander cleared the front lawn, bagging leaves and removing dead branches that had fallen during the most recent gale. Every thirty minutes or so he stopped, took out his water bottle, and drank, staring at the manor house as he did so, trying to second guess the nature of the work Lady Brook had in store for him. It was during one such break that a figure appeared at one of the second-floor windows. The figure was strange and disconcerting - a brilliant white face on top of a body enclosed in a burgundy robe. Alexander walked towards the manor house in disbelief, eager to prove that his eyes hadn’t deceived him. Then, as suddenly as the figure appeared, it disappeared, leaving Alexander feeling anxious and confused.

 

As the afternoon light faded he continued at a rapid pace, filling bag after bag. Brook Manor was beginning to unsettle him. No longer was it the kind of grand country house that he remembered from his favorite books, but a place filled with secrets and lies. There was no stopping to drink water or eat the pieces of fruit he'd packed in his rucksack, only a determination to see out the working day and leave, glancing at the windows now and again in case the ghostly figure once again appeared.

 

At three o’clock a woman's voice called out to him: ‘Young man! Young man! Come here. And bring your cutters with you.’

 

Lady Brook, dressed in a tweed skirt and blue padded country jacket, was standing beneath the archway marking the end of the first garden and the beginning of the second. A pair of green Wellington boots gave her a clown-like quality as she beckoned to him. ‘Over here. Hurry along, will you!’

 

Alexander walked to where Lady Brook had been standing. He passed through the archway and saw that she was examining a bush that had lost its leaves and harbored sharp, thick thorns along the stem.

 

‘Do you know what kind of plant this is ?’ she asked. Alexander glanced at the rather forlorn looking bush and took a wild guess: ‘A rose ?’

 

Lady Brook looked at him with disdain. ‘Yes. And are you aware of the concept of pruning ?’

 

Alexander nodded. ‘It is the concept of cutting a stem so that it becomes healthier and grows.’

 

Lady Brook pointed at one of the bush’s stems. ‘You don't just cut a stem willy-nilly, wherever you want. You have to cut it here, near the join.’

 

She leaned in to demonstrate where the cut should be made and snipped a stem with her secateurs. ‘I want you to prune all of these bushes, do you understand ? And turn over the soil. It's imperative that roses are bedded in clean, wholesome soil. Prune and turn over. Prune and turn over. I'm expecting you to do a first-rate job, young man.’

 

She left him then and continued walking through the gardens. Alexander began to do as he’d been told, watching as Lady Brook made her way through the arch between the second and third garden. He could see through the hedge that acted as a dividing line between the gardens, that she was examining the ship - crouching beneath the hull, checking the keel and rudder as if she were preparing to launch the vessel on an important voyage.

 

After she had finished, she returned. She must have been reasonably satisfied by what he’d done because she offered no complaints, muttering to herself something to the effect that her roses would be healthier in the coming year.

 

‘May I ask a question ?’ said Alexander.

 

Lady Brook, surprised, stopped in her tracks and stared at Alexander for a moment before answering: ‘You may. What is it you want to know ?’

 

‘I would like to know why such a large ship is situated in your garden.’

 

She gave him an uncompromising, diffident look. ‘Where are you from, young man ?’ she said.

 

Alexander said: ‘Poland.’

 

‘Well, let me tell you: The reason why that ship is situated in our garden is to celebrate our great country’s sea-faring heritage. Do you know what a country’s heritage is ?’

 

Alexander said yes, he did know.

 

‘Good. Then you'll also be aware that you should respect it.’

 

She stood for a moment, basking in her authority, before turning towards the house.

 

‘Can I ask’ said Alexander, his voice slightly raised, ‘did Luther make a mistake ? Did he not respect his heritage ? Is that why he's no longer allowed to work here ?’

 

Lady Brook stopped and stared at Alexander with steely grey eyes: ‘If you’re referring to the man who worked here yesterday, then yes, that's precisely why he's no longer here. And if you don’t want to suffer the same fate, I suggest you make a decent job of the task in hand. Now, get on with your work before the light fades.’

 

Lady Brook made her way across the front lawn and entered the manor house through the front door. What did she mean ‘suffer the same fate’ ? Alexander determined to find out when he returned to Luther’s house.