Fields of Home by Marita Conlon-McKenna

Author:Marita Conlon-McKenna [Marita Conlon-McKenna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781847176028
Publisher: The O'Brien Press
Published: 2013-09-19T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 11

The Big House

NOBODY COULD SAY FOR SURE HOW IT STARTED, but only a few days after the harvest home festival, the big house caught fire. Lord Henry and his family were all in their beds and the household staff fast asleep when, like a thief in the night, the first flame jumped through the broken window, catching the wooden frame and shutters. It chased its way across the heavy, century-old damask curtains, the dry fabric splitting and igniting. It raced downwards to the polished floorboards, then across the hand-crafted chairs and upwards over the pelmet to the beautiful plasterwork ceilings.

Finn, the great lumbering Irish wolfhound, Lord Henry’s favourite of all his dogs, began to howl as he tried to escape from the huge, smoke-filled hallway. By now an inferno was raging in the elegant drawing-room and its curving bay window blew out onto the lawn.

Hearing some sort of commotion, Lord Henry roused himself, pulled on his silk dressing-gown and went to his bedroom window to see what was going on. But there was nobody outside. Suddenly he noticed the vivid orange flames reaching up over the bedroom windowsill and smoke seeping through the open cracks between the floorboards. Then a great roar came from the chimney at the side of the room, as if some enormous bellows were pumping air up it.

Lord Henry ran to the bed. ‘Wake up, my dear! We must leave the house immediately.’

‘What is it, Henry?’ his wife asked crossly.

Passing her a dressing-gown he implored her to rouse herself as there was ‘a bit of a fire’.

Lady Buckland began to scream for the children and servants, while her husband shoved the jewels on her dressing-table into his pocket. In an instant, the two girls stood in their nightgowns outside their bedroom doors. They stared, terrified, across the banister where they could see huge flames sweeping up the broad staircase.

‘We must keep calm, my dears,’ ordered Lord Henry.

Finn jumped amongst them, barking madly, and growling down at the encroaching fire. At the same instant they all began to shout. ‘WAKE UP! THERE’S A FIRE!’

The housekeeper appeared immediately, her hair wrapped in tight rags and clutching a leather valise. ‘My valuables,’ she stated firmly.

‘Rouse the household!’ yelled Lord Henry, praying that the butler heard him. ‘We must go down the servants’ stairs!’ he said, leading the way through the small wooden door up on the half-landing. ‘Make haste. These old houses are like tinderboxes.’

A smell of smoke permeated the small, enclosed space as they all hurried down the stairs, the large dog shoving ahead of them all and barking madly at the encroaching fire. The line increased rapidly as the rest of the staff filed down behind them. Half-afraid, Lord Henry shoved the door at the bottom of the staircase open, and stepped out into the tiled passageway, conscious of the loud cracking roar close by.

‘Hurry up! Do hurry up!’ he ordered curtly, and they all rushed out into the large kitchen. Bernard Delaney, the butler, now

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