The Madman's Room

‘I don’t feel happy about the situation,’ he sighed. ‘A family united all together under the same roof, in an old manor, with a generous and very rich man. If this were a novel, it would end in tragedy.’

4

At the wheel of her convertible, Sarah Thorne followed the winding road leading to Hatton Manor at high speed. She had just driven through Withington, followed by admiring and envious looks. The inhabitants of the village were not accustomed to see such a beautiful sports car, with such sparkling chrome, nor such a beautiful driver.

Sarah was wearing a bright red dress of a deceptive simplicity, which suited her perfectly. Her luxuriant black hair trailed behind her in the wind. She filled her lungs with the pure air, as exhilarating as the speed of the little Bugatti. Happy at the thought of finally exploring her new home, she felt tempted to push harder on the accelerator, but decided otherwise when she heard the squeal of the tyres as she rounded the latest curve.

Harris had wanted to show her the place himself that very day, but had been detained by important business in Coventry, much to his annoyance. No longer prepared to wait, Sarah had decided to go there alone: Harris would join her that evening, along with her parents, Francis, and Paula.

Far from being upset, she was thrilled by the idea of discovering, all by herself, the property her husband had described in such glowing terms. Of course, there would be Brian, strange Brian, but from what little she knew about him she felt sure he would not make a nuisance of himself.

At the sight of the sign for Hatton, her eagerness intensified. But as she left the village behind, she was obliged to stop. The road forked left and right ahead of her, but there was no indication in which direction the manor lay. ‘Turn left just after leaving Hatton, you can’t miss it,’ Harris had assured her.

After a brief hesitation, she made a random choice and proceeded along a narrow, rocky road, but stopped a second time as she saw a couple coming towards her. She switched off the engine and waited for them to draw level. The man, dark-haired, slender and of medium height, was tastefully dressed and about the same age as Harris. Sarah found his regular features and discreet but engaging smile quite attractive. His younger companion, with her striking golden hair and charming profile, would have been very beautiful but for the rather vacant look in her pale blue eyes.

Sarah asked for directions to Hatton Manor and the couple looked at her in surprise.

‘Would you, by any chance, be Brian’s sister-in-law?’ enquired the man.

‘Well, yes,’ replied Sarah, charmed and a little confused by his admiring regard.

‘Allow me to introduce myself,’ said the man, bowing slightly, ‘Mike Meadows, at your service, and this is my fiancée, Bessie Blount.’

‘Delighted to meet you,’ said Sarah, in response to Bessie’s friendly smile. After an awkward silence, and not knowing quite what to say, she added:

‘So you know Brian?’

The couple exchanged amused looks. Mike Meadows cleared his throat and continued:

‘Yes, we’re from the village. Brian’s a friend of ours, an excellent friend. And we owe him a lot.’

‘Oh, yes!’ exclaimed Bessie, laughing heartily. ‘You could say we owe him everything!’

Sarah tried to make sense of their strange words and hilarity, but failed.

‘You see, Mrs. Thorne, as the village doctor—.’

‘Doctor!’ Sarah blurted out, having a completely different image of the medical profession in her mind.

Meadows smiled.

‘I can understand your astonishment, madam. Obviously, I haven’t yet acquired the same experience as my colleague Dr. Allerton, whom I shall replace a couple of years from now. But what I meant to say was that, as a man of science, I bow before your brother-in-law’s powers.’

‘His powers?’ repeated Sarah, stupefied.

There was another silence. Bessie Blount turned to her fiancé:

‘Obviously Mrs. Thorne doesn’t know… Brian isn’t the sort of person to shout from the rooftops that he’s capable of….’

‘So you really don’t know?’ asked Mike Meadows.

‘I don’t understand. What powers are you talking about?’

‘Your brother-in-law possesses a particular gift and one that’s very rare. A gift which I, as a man of science, refused to admit… until I met Brian. Prophecy, divination, clairvoyance, call it what you will, your brother-in-law is capable of predicting the future.’

Sarah was about to burst out laughing, but the serious looks on the couple’s faces dissuaded her.

‘Predict the future? But that’s impossible!’

Mike Meadows nodded solemnly.

‘I won’t spend any time on facts which don’t personally concern us and which we haven’t personally witnessed. But be aware that Brian told Bessie and me, just a few weeks ago, about a happy event in the near future which would be of great importance to both of us. He literally told us that we would know great love in the coming weeks. And the very next day we fell madly in love with one another.’

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