Ancient Appetites by Oisín McGann

Author:Oisín McGann
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4976-6566-8
Publisher: Open Road Media Teen & Tween
Published: 2014-02-20T17:12:00+00:00

XIX

CONSIDERATION, RESPECT AND DIFFIDENCE

NATHANIEL LEFT SILAS’S office as early as he could, taking the mechanical lift to the ground floor. He walked outside with Slattery’s note clutched in his hand. Careful to check that he wasn’t observed, he made his way round to the south wing, the oldest section of Wildenstern Hall, built nearly three hundred years ago. The door he was looking for was below ground level, at the foot of a flight of stone steps. It was solid oak, reinforced with iron bands, and he was surprised to find the hinges well-oiled and the lock in good working order.

He pushed on it, but it didn’t budge. Looking back up the steps, he found he was nervous, unsure of what to do. He knocked tentatively and then again, harder this time, annoyed with himself for being so hesitant. Wildenstern Hall was his home, after all.

There came the sound of footsteps and he heard a key in the lock. The door opened slightly and a face peered through the crack.

“Ah, there y’are, sir. We was expectin’ yeh to come through the passage. We don’t use this door so much.”

So there was another way in, Nathaniel noted. Strange that he didn’t know it. The man opened the door and ushered him in, taking a quick, furtive look outside before closing it again. There was only a hint of daylight now, from around the door. Nate found himself in a long dark stone tunnel. The air down here was cool and a little damp, and there were heavy wooden doors at regular intervals on either side of the corridor.

“Not been down here before, sir?” the man asked. “Better let me lead so. Roof’s a bit low and the floor’s uneven, so yeh have to watch yerself. McHugh’s my name, sir. Pleased to meet you.”

The man had a candle in his hand and it cast a fluttering light as they walked along. Nate noticed that McHugh was wearing a leather apron over his shirt and trousers. He was a short man, with a stocky body, large arms and short legs; short red hair circled a growing bald spot. The roof was very low in places and Nate found himself catching his toes on the worn and cracked flagstones. He had a dozen questions he wanted to ask about the place, but he couldn’t bear to sound so ignorant of his own home. He supposed there were places all over the house that the servants knew better than their masters.

The tunnel took them to a door at the end where lantern light shone from round a corner. Going through the doorway, McHugh stepped aside and let Nate walk past. He wasn’t prepared for what he saw and his breath caught in his throat.

There were three men in the large, chilly room apart from McHugh. Slattery was on the far side, leaning over a table wearing only an apron over his bare upper torso, and washing his hands in a wooden basin. Its water was red with blood.

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