Midsummer at Eyre Hall: Book Three Eyre Hall Trilogy Read Online Free PDF

children. I’m guessing, due to your
ample thighs and rosy cheeks, that you’ll have plenty of them.”
    “I will not marry a man I do not love.”
    “I’m afraid you will do as John decides,
and you’ll find he’ll agree with my suggestions. In any case, you will certainly
not marry a village doctor.”
    My hands were trembling and my head
spinning. What kind of hell had Eyre Hall become in the space of a few hours?
     “What about Helen? Why can’t I see her
and why is she locked in her room?”
    “She has bewitched Mrs. Mason into
believing that she is her mother. I haven’t decided whether she’ll be spending
some time at the asylum, too. What do you think? I have enquired. There is a
children’s ward.”
    My heart raced. Helen in an asylum? I
had to stop him. “Please don’t do that, Archbishop Templar. I beseech you.” I
forced myself to smile. “She is a very sensitive child.”
    “In that case, it was Jane who, inspired
by her madness, decided the child was her long-lost daughter, was it not? If
you would testify to that, Annette, Helen would be sent to a strict boarding
school, instead of an asylum. She needs some discipline. She spends the day
running around the house and the kitchen like an unbridled pony.”
    I nodded. There was nothing more I could
do until John returned. I would make him understand, but for the time being, I
had no choice but to follow the archbishop’s instructions. He pushed the
document towards me.
    “Kindly sign here, Annette. I believe
Lowood is the best institution for liars to be taught to speak the truth.”
    I scratched my name on the document. “Where
is Michael?” I asked quietly.  
    “I wanted him in prison, in York. I had informed
the constable that he had stolen some goods from my house, but I thought better
of it. The constable insisted on a hearing and I didn’t want to wait, so I
hired some men. It took four of them to restrain him. Two were badly injured,
but he received a good beating in the end.”
    He gulped the last of the wine. “He’s
here, in the ice house. I want to make sure he’s close and under control. We
both know how resourceful he is, don’t we?”
    “It’s freezing in the ice house.”
    “It is. He’s paying for his sins. He
should never have put his filthy paws on Mrs. Mason.”
    I was alone. I couldn’t speak to John, Harry
or Michael, and I didn’t have any money of my own, except the housekeeping
allowance and some jewellery. I had to make sure Michael was safe and find a
way to set him free as soon as possible, so he could help Jane.
    “Michael will need blankets, food and
water.”
    Fred walked in. “Can I bring you dessert,
Archbishop, Miss Mason?”
    “Ah, here you are, Fred. Yes, bring us
some fruit and any cakes and biscuits Cook has prepared.”
    “At once, sir.” He bowed and turned to
leave.
    “And Fred, see to it that the prisoner
has some bread and water.”
    “And blankets, please, Fred,” I added.
Fred looked at the archbishop, who nodded.
    The following day after breakfast, I
informed the archbishop that I would go downstairs to see if Leah was better
and discuss the household arrangements with her, as I did every week. He warned
me that Mrs. Leah would lose her job if she disobeyed his instructions. We had
to be careful, but I was sure Leah, Cook and Joseph would help Michael escape.
    Only Fred and Joseph were allowed to go
to the icehouse. It was usually Joseph who took down his food, so I made sure
Michael had enough supplies. There were no windows, the door was heavy, and the
bolt and lock were solid. Michael would never be able to open it from the
inside. The archbishop would punish anyone who helped him escape. I felt
hopeless, until a week later, when the heavy rains started. 
    Fortunately, the icehouse flooded and
Michael was moved to the stables. To my relief, he was chained to a horse bar,
which would make it much easier to plan his escape. We had to make it look
believable, so Michael had