© Reseda Shaykhnurova, 2017
© International Union of writers, 2017
Reseda Shaykhnurova. The author has a degree in law. She is a candidate to the International Writers Association’s membership. During her collaboration with the IWA she has published three novels: “Sapphire», «Daughter of the monastery», «Captain Deloir»; her mystical novel «Demon» is coming. She has published repeatedly in the anthology «Russian bell», including a special addition of “Publicists’ Club of Vladimir Guilyarovskiy Prize” with her screenplay “Stones of Islam”, which received a third degree award at the International competition-festival of contemporary plays and scripts for children and youth “Kaleidoscope-XXI” on May 29, 2016: https://new.vk.com/club109071503. She has published her essay “The Topic of the Day” about the significance of the Russian language for the Russian people in the essays collection of the Literature Conference “Yalta-2015”. https://mybook.ru/author/sbornik-statej/yalta-2015-literaturnaya-konferenciya-sbornik-dokl/. The writers that inspire her are Thomas Hardy, Bronte sisters, Jane Austen.
Part One
The First Year
Chapter I
“Let’s everyone take something that troubles you and put it in Grandmother’s antique jewelry box,” Rebecca Fellows, the mother of the family suggested one day, “and ask Megan to hide it from us somewhere safe.”
Henry Fellows – the head of the family, Esquire Harry Fellows’s younger son, who inherited Bradby – a small estate in Derbyshire (his elder brother inherited their family castle in Leicestershire) – smiled at his wife’s suggestion, a younger daughter of an ordinary London attorney and resumed reading his morning newspaper.
He remembered his father, a tyrannical and arrogant cad, who either was absent all day or sat on a chair upholstered with gray-beige brocade. Esquire Fellows hardly ever took notice of his children, and even if he did, it was of his eldest son Patrick. He asked him about his achievements in school, his talents as a racecourse rider or a gig driving experience.
Most of the time Patrick had nothing to boast about to his father. So Henry, wishing to please the master of the household, would talk about his achievements in science and sport. But Harry Fellows always stopped him short at the first sentence and asked him to leave him alone.
The boys’ mother did not make time for her children either, leaving them at their governess’ care. She graced them with her attention on holidays only, hugging and kissing them, but did it somewhat deliberately in the presence of her guests. Matilda Fellows (nee Glasky) never concealed that she had wanted to have a daughter. Alas, she had sons.
Patrick and Henry often quarreled. The elder brother always tried to pique the younger saying he would be their father’s heir, so there was no point in Henry’s efforts to talk himself up in front of the father. The younger son tried to find their governess Rachel’s support at least; however, she did not care much the children, because male servants, to whom she made eyes, took all her attention.
All these memories were interrupted by Henry Fellows’s daughter.
“How can Ralph and I be sure that you or Father will not put Megan up to it and open the box while we are away?” asked Melody, the Fellowses’ younger daughter of 17.
“Mother is just joking, Mel,” her elder 20 year old brother Ralph responded.
“I am not! As for your question, Melody, I have things to hide, too. You are not the only one with secrets of the heart. That is why neither Father, nor I will make deal with the servants. Moreover, Megan will know about our idea only when we have put our things safely away, and every one of us have locked our compartment in the box.”
“I love Megan,” said Melody, “but are you sure that she will not open our cache?”
“You are right, my dear,” Mrs. Fellows paused to think. “That is why we will offer her to put her own secret thing that troubles her in the box. There are only four compartments with a lock though…”
“I personally have no secrets from you,” finally said the father of the family. “And I have nothing to put in the cache, however attractive the idea might be.”
“What about the letter from your father, Henry,” retorted his wife, “where he refused to bless our marriage 20 years ago?”
“It is not a secret to anybody, Rebecca,” her spouse said with a chuckle. “Besides, after the children were born he nevertheless bequeathed us this estate, which, mind you, brings 10 thousand pounds a year.”
“So be it! Megan can put her secret into your compartment then.”
The mother clapped her hands, and Ralph and Melody smiled, looking at her.
“How does Mother know about your love concerns?” asked the brother, going up to his room.
“She does not,” answered Melody sadly. “If she knew, she would…”
“She would what?”
“Believe me – she would not laugh.”
“You are strange. I do not remember you paying someone a visit alone with a governess. Usually you do it with Father or Father and Mother together.”
Melody was quiet.
“What makes you unsure about the object of your dreams, Mel?” continued Ralph, entering his sister’s room without an invitation. “Is he from a working class family or one of Father’s tenants?”
“Are you hiding anything, Ralph?” changed the subject Melody. “What are you going to put in the box?”
Ralph lowered his eyes and uttered unwillingly, “I will put something there. But it has to be a secret, does it not?” and he walked out.
On the following day at breakfast, Mrs. Fellows reminded the members of the household of the jewelry box. All except their father expressed their full readiness to participate in their mother’s initiative, although being suspicious at first of such a venture. The mother, the son and the daughter went to the library, where they took turns to put their secret things in the box and each locked his and her compartment with a key. After that, pulling on the string ending with a bell for the servants, Mrs. Fellows asked a footman to bring her Megan.
“Did you call, milady?” said the maid, entering.
“Yes, I did, Megan! We have a rather unusual task for you,” and the mother told the maid what she and her children decided to do at the weekend.
Megan looked at all the present with astonishment.
“Do you want me to put a secret thing into the fourth compartment, milady?”
“Your own secret thing,” clarified Mrs. Fellows, “the one that troubles you and stands in the way of your happiness. After that, I want you to hide the jewelry box where we cannot find it without you.”
The maid took the box.
“In three years you will show us where you have buried it,” said the lady at last. “And remember, none of the other servants must not know about it!”
“You have my word,” said the maid and left the library.
“What is it going to give us, Mother?” asked Melody suddenly. “What will we have achieved, digging up our secrets in three years?”
“Perhaps, having buried our fears and sorrows, we will become happier,” the mother’s voice sounded strange as she said it. “Or, perhaps, digging up the box with the secrets we will not be as dependent on these things as we are now.”
All three were staring at one point lost in thought, when Mr. Fellows entered the library.
“Look at those gloomy faces!” said he, bursting into laughter. “We have visitors – Countess Melshem with her daughter.”
“Wonderful!” exclaimed Melody. “Ralph, you must change before you see Miss Melshem!”
“What about the viscount?”
“I have an impression that you see the countess’s son more often than you do Miss Melshem,”