The Madman's Room

Sarah’s mind was empty as she drove the remaining three hundred yards to the manor. The road ended outside the wide open gate to the property. A wide gravel drive traversed a park of ancient trees, in which the birds were greeting the arrival of a warmer season. If the cracked, moss-covered pillars of the entrance showed signs of abandonment, the lawn, on the contrary, had obviously been carefully maintained. Halfway along the drive, a paved path to the left led to a wooded hillock on which stood a chapel. A thick hedge inside iron railings encircled most of the park, in the middle of which stood the manor. It was a well-proportioned XVIIth century stone construction consisting of an imposing main building, in the centre of which was the front entrance, and a small wing to the left.

Sarah eased her foot off the accelerator, causing the sound of the motor to be drowned out by the noise of the tyres crunching on the gravel. As she approached the manor, with its windows sparkling in the sunshine, she began to appreciate the peaceful charm of the place.

She had hardly cut the motor when the front door opened. She immediately recognised Brian. Thinner than his brother, he looked old for his age. Was that due to his weary manner, his bony face with its premature wrinkles, his balding head with its long russet hair, or the disillusioned look in his pale, deep-sunken eyes?

He came over to Sarah with a smile on his lips. But sadness clouded his otherwise warm and welcoming look.

‘Greetings, Sarah,’ he said as he extended a brotherly hand. ‘I trust your journey went smoothly?’

‘Perfectly. And the weather is beautiful. I’ve been thinking of nothing else but the pleasure of discovery and I’m not disappointed! So spacious and so calm… Now I understand why you’re so attached to the place, and I hope that our arrival won’t disturb the peaceful life you’ve led until now.’

‘Rest assured, Sarah, my solitude can sometimes be a burden. Welcome inside these old walls, which will be rejuvenated by your graceful presence and that of your family.’ His expression darkened. ‘Even as I wonder whether it’s a good thing….’

Brian noticed Sarah’s eyes widen in astonishment and lowered his head.

‘I… I was talking about all the modernisation work, which is an affront to the past. But didn’t Harris come with you?’

‘He was detained at his company headquarters in Coventry, but he’s promised to be here before nightfall.’

‘Good!’ he exclaimed pensively. ‘But come, allow me to show you around. I’m sure you’re dying to see the place.’

On entering the main hall, Sarah was first struck by the imposing staircase of dark wood whose balustrade extended all round the balcony, where the wide landing gave access to all the rooms on the upper floor. Next, her admiring gaze fell on a magnificently ornate Gothic bench.

‘That’s a period piece, isn’t it?’ she asked.

Brian smiled indulgently.

‘It’s an artful copy, commissioned by Harris. The tiled floor is original. I had to fight to save it.’ There was a vaguely damp smell which mixed with the more agreeable one of the freshly waxed wood. ‘Harris wanted to replace it with marble.’

Sarah mused privately that it was a pity Harris had yielded to his brother’s wishes, but she kept her thoughts to herself so as not to upset Brian, who seemed to get considerable pleasure from acting as guide. He ushered her into the salon to the right of the hall.

A wide opening revealed a spacious room bathed in sunshine from the large mullioned windows. Deep leather armchairs of a more modern style faced the monumental stone fireplace, mixing audaciously with much older pieces of furniture: a remarkable French Renaissance chest; another one of English origin lacquered in black with chinoiserie; English baroque chairs; several delicate Louis XVI chairs; all standing on an oriental carpet. The walls were panelled to head height and whitewashed above.

‘Harris had the door and a good part of the wall removed, thinking to make the room lighter. Which is what happened.’

Sarah detected a note of regret in her brother-in-law’s voice, but she was too excited by the visit to attach any importance to it. She discovered the library and the game room, with its billiards table and congratulated herself for having given Harris a free hand for the renovation: the modern touches he’d introduced didn’t clash with what was there before, whatever Brian might think.

After having shown her the closets and cloakrooms accessible from the hall, their doors concealed in the panelling, he pushed open the door of the dining room. Like the salon, the windows opened to the south. Two Dutch chandeliers sparkled in the sunshine above an immense table. The room was connected by a corridor to the kitchen located in the wing, which also contained an office and a laundry room. The vast kitchen, with its old earthenware and copper pots, combined modern comfort with ancient charm and pleased Sarah enormously.

‘And what about that door there, Brian?’