Free The Bluebeard Room by Carolyn Keene Page B

seemed to make it all the worse!
    The teenager turned and fled down the corridor, fearful that the Penvellyns’ door might open at any moment.
    Back in her own room, Nancy brooded over the mystery. Was the dispute she had just overheard bitter enough and important enough to have caused Lisa’s unhappiness and loss of health? Surely her friend’s trouble went deeper than mere resentment over her husband’s secrecy, but if so, what was the real cause?
    Neither Lisa nor Hugh appeared at lunch, soNancy was left to pick at her salad and cutlet alone. She had just finished her tea and risen from the table when the butler announced Ethel Bosinny.
    “I have explained that her ladyship is not feeling well and that Lord Penvellyn is busy in the library working on his book,” Landreth told Nancy. “Do you wish to see her, Miss?”
    “Yes, of course. Please show her in.”
    Miss Bosinny’s manner by daylight was bluff and hearty. Nancy could well imagine that she might prove slightly overwhelming as a constant companion. “What’s wrong with Lisa, my dear?” she demanded. “Another of those deuced headaches?”
    “I’m afraid so,” Nancy said. “She didn’t feel well enough to eat. I imagine she’s lying down.”
    “Then I must go and see her! I know just how to massage her neck and temples to relieve her muscular tensions. And luckily,” the elderly woman added, producing a bottle from her shoulder bag, “I’ve brought along some of my herbal restorative. It always does the poor dear so much good!”
    Before Nancy could object or stop her, Ethel Bosinny went striding up the staircase from the great hall and along the upper-floor gallery toward the Penvellyns’ private suite.
    Lisa was resting on a chaise longue. But she seemed glad to see her visitor and was soon relaxing under the ex-games mistress’s skilled touch.
    “Would you be kind enough to fetch a glass fromthe bathroom, dear,” Ethel said to Nancy, “so she can sip some of my herb cordial?”
    A thought occurred to the teen sleuth. Could something in the herbal concoction be affecting Lisa’s health? Nancy glanced through the medicine cabinet and picked out a small bottle of aspirin. She removed the tablets and rinsed out the bottle, then poured in some of the cordial, capped the bottle again and slipped it into her pocket.
    When Nancy returned, Ethel was crooning gently as she massaged Lisa’s head. From the latter’s contented smile, it appeared that Miss Bosinny’s ministrations were having the desired effect. Ethel took the glass of cordial but before she could hold it to her patient’s lips, Lisa’s head sagged forward and her eyelids closed in slumber.
    “Let her sleep, poor lamb,” Ethel murmured, “but when she wakes up, be sure she drinks some of this.”
    After Ethel left, Nancy poured out the concoction.
    At dinner, Lisa appeared more cheerful and in better spirits. Hugh, however, was grim-faced and taciturn. Nancy did her best to keep up a flow of conversation, but she was still so depressed over the tabloid news stories that it was hard to maintain a smiling front.
    Nancy wrote several letters home that evening, then read a novel until she drifted off to sleep. Herdreams were troubled and she tossed and turned. Suddenly her eyes opened and she sat upright.
    A creaking noise echoed from the corridor. What on earth is that? Nancy wondered. Her bedside travel clock showed 1:17 A.M . She threw back the covers, swung her feet to the floor, and pulled on a robe and slippers. Then she peered out of her room down the hall.
    At a bend in the corridor, a door stood ajar. Nancy could feel a faint cold draft coming through it. That’s the tower door! she reflected. Its creaking hinges indicated it was seldom used. Why would anyone be going up there now?
    Curious, Nancy snatched a penlight from her bag and hurried down the hall. Beyond the door, ancient stone steps spiraled upward. She mounted them silently.
    Suddenly Nancy stopped short,