Things have got even posher for Dot – now she’s got a chambermaid called Rosie to look after her. But it’s not just that – Rosie has a real story to tell: the tale of Black Sir Crispin d’Auberley of Dendringham Hall and his murdering ways…
“An awful way to die, it was! And then… there was that curse… ”
Rosie had stopped brushing now, and she was staring out of the window, her breath coming in shallow gasps.
“Are you all right Rosie?” said Dot looking up at her anxiously.
“Oh! Oh… yes thank you Miss Dorothea!” said Rosie, giving herself a little shake. “S’pose it’s all just a silly old story really, whatever’s happening now! Let’s have a look at you, miss. See how we’re getting on.”
She picked up a mirror and held it in front of Dot. “There!”
Dot gasped. She’d never seen her hair look like that! After all Rosie’s brushing, it glowed a deeper red than she’d ever seen it, and it felt soft to her touch. She just had to do that when she got back from this net-voyage – every day! Genie would LOVE it!
Er… but then she wouldn’t have Rosie to do it for her, brushing away for ages like that! AND she’d have to fit it in before school! Hmmm… maybe not…
This sounded like too good a story to miss though.
“Go on, Rosie!” she said.
Rosie started brushing again. “Shouldn’t really!” she said – not like she meant it!
“Pleeeease!” said Dot, with her best smile.
“Oh well” said Rose. “It’s all such a long time ago, I s’pose. Can’t do no harm now, not really… ”
Brush, brush, brush…
“Well… it was like this… one night, a bonny young man came a-riding to the Hall, and Black Sir Crispin invited him to stay. It was a dark, windy night just like last night, and the young man was for riding on after having a bite to eat, but Sir Crispin made him stay. They was up late a–drinking till all hours, and then Sir Crispin showed the lad to his bedroom. And then… ”
“Who was he?” asked Dot. She always likes to have all the facts, as you know!
“Oh, his name was Sir Thomas Manners, and he’d just inherited a big house and estate after his old father died. Horses and farms and that too. He was on his way to Lunnon – going to the court to meet the Queen.” Rosie shook her head grimly, and tugged at a snaggy bit of Dot’s hair. Ouch!
“Now when they was a-talking, he’d told Black Sir Crispin all about his horse. Sir Thomas called her Wild Witch - said only he could ride him. Said anyone else who tried would ride to their death!”
Sounds a bit like Basil at Mount Park Riding School where I used to go, thought Dot. Only worse!
Brush, brush, brush…
“Well that was just a challenge to Black Sir Crispin” Rosie went on. “Always fancied himself as a horseman, so they say. But it was worse than that – he’d seen the purse at Sir Thomas’ belt, and heard it chink when he moved. He was out to have that gold, for better or worse!”
“What did he do?” asked Dot.
“He committed foul bloody murder, that’s what he did!” said Rosie, shaking her head. “You’ll never guess how!”
“How?” asked Dot.
“Not sure I oughta tell you” said Rosie stopping her brushing and peering round to look in Dot’s face.
“I’ve got to know if I’m going to help!” said Dot. Oops! She wasn’t supposed to say anything!
“Help?” said Rosie, looking puzzled.
“Oh… nothing… ” said Dot. “Do go on!”
“Oh well” said Rosie. She obviously loved telling a story and the temptation was too much for her. “Shockin’ it was! Sir Crispin had a special bed, see… in his guest room. A bed just like yourn!”
She waved towards Dot’s four-poster bed.
“Only… it wasn’t a tapestry he had up the top there, oh no! It was a solid sheet of iron, all covered up to look just like yours! Three inches thick they say it was, and as heavy as sin!”
Brush, brush, brush. Brush, brush, brush.
“All held up with ropes through the ceiling, in the room above it. And when he wanted to do his dirty work and kill ‘is guest, he’d creep up to that room, the black-hearted devil, and let it go! Just like that! And anyone in the bed underneath was squashed dead, flat as a pancake! Then he’d be off with the money and their poor broken body’d be buried in the dead of the night and no-one the wiser!”
“So… where was this room?” asked Dot. Not really sure she wanted to find out.
Brush, brush, brush.
“Well no-one knows for sure” said Rosie slowly.
Brush, brush.
“But some do say it was this one!”
