Chapter 6 #3
Danny and his young lady, Brooke, were the most recent additions to the ghostly community, having died less than twenty years ago. They’d just left a 1980s fancy dress party and as a result were wearing the most extraordinary clothes.
Danny was apparently dressed as someone called Adam Ant – a most ridiculous and unlikely name in Silas’s opinion – while Brooke had chosen to wear the costume of some outlandish singer from a musical band known as Bananarama.
Her hair was like a bird’s nest. Silas sometimes wondered if the world had taken leave of its senses.
As Brooke shook her head fiercely, he couldn’t help marvelling at how not a hair moved when she did so. He’d never seen anything like it.
‘We have family still alive,’ Brooke pointed out. ‘Family that don’t know we’re ghosts and living in Rowan Vale. They think we’ve moved on. That we’re at peace. We don’t want that taken away from them.’
‘I totally understand that,’ Callie said, after repeating Brooke’s words to the livings.
‘I don’t want nothing coming out about me,’ Polly said nervously.
She cast a look at her brother and then at her great-niece Shona and nephew Jimmy.
‘There are some things that I want to keep private. Reputations matter. People might not understand. I don’t want the whole case raked up again, especially not for the entire country to gawp at. ’
‘It would only be on the local news, Polly, although again, I understand,’ Callie assured her. ‘I know there are some of you ghosts here who want to be left in peace, and for your stories to remain private. No one will force you to talk to these mediums.’
‘Maybe,’ said Lawrie thoughtfully, ‘it might be better to issue a blanket ban in that case. All ghosts should stay away from this Madam Mariska to protect the privacy of all – just on the off chance that she’s genuine.’
‘But then ’er séance will be ruined! Who’s she gonna talk to if we’re all ignoring ’er?’ Florrie demanded. ‘I don’t mind ’er knowing what ’appened to me. It’ll be a lark.’
‘Yes, and knowing you, Florence, you’d tell her everything about the residents of this village,’ Agnes said disapprovingly. ‘I forbid you to go anywhere near her.’
Florrie folded her arms and pouted mutinously. ‘T’ain’t fair,’ she said.
Millie literally stamped her foot like a spoilt child.
‘You can’t stop us talking to her,’ she said hotly. ‘We have every right to tell our stories if we want to.’
‘I must say, that seems jolly unfair,’ Wyndham agreed, ever the sap. ‘We are, after all, a democracy.’
‘Aubrey!’ Agnes said, clearly shocked that he’d sided with the rabble.
‘I’m sorry, my dear. I’m not saying that I want anyone to talk to Madam Mariska, only that it does seem rather undemocratic to forbid them outright.’
‘I don’t care,’ she said with feeling. ‘Forbid them all you like, Lawrie. Callie, tell them!’
Callie looked uncertain.
‘Okay,’ she said at last, holding up her hands to quieten not only the ghosts, but the living villagers who – having been informed of the problems – were furiously arguing with each other about whether there should even be a Halloween séance if none of the ghosts were going to co-operate.
‘There’s only one solution to this. We need to vote.
Ghosts, can you move to the left-hand side of the room please? The rest of you move to the right.’
There was much grumbling and scraping of chairs as everyone who needed to shift position did so. Silas noted that Callie had made sure Lawrie didn’t have to move.
‘Right,’ Callie said, when everyone was settled. ‘Those ghosts in favour of a blanket ban on talking to Madam Mariska, hold up your hands.’
A lot of hands shot up, to Silas’s gratification. Callie quickly counted them, but it was obvious who’d won that argument.
‘Sorry, kid,’ Harmony said, shaking her head slightly at Millie.
‘No offence and it’s nothing personal, but the last thing I need is a bunch of dead movie star hunters on my trail here.
If this Mariska dame gets the slightest hint that I’m here, there’ll be every crazy medium from here to Sacramento coming over to track me down.
I like my afterlife as it is, thanks. Peaceful and anonymous.
I ain’t changing that just so you can get a mention on the television. ’
Only Ronnie, Bill, Millie, Florence and Walter Tasker had voted against the ban.
‘Motion carried,’ said Callie.
‘I would suggest,’ Lawrie said wryly, ‘that we ask Quintus Severus if he would be so good as to keep an eye on those who voted against.’
He gave Callie a meaningful look and she nodded. ‘I see what you mean. Quintus, would you be so good as to do as Lawrie suggests?’
Quintus bowed low. ‘It would be my honour,’ he told her, then glared at the five miscreants, making them squirm under the force of such determination.
‘There is no need to worry about Florence,’ Agnes said hastily. ‘She’s a good girl, and now she knows fraternising with the enemy is forbidden I am sure we can trust her to do as she is told.’
‘Don’t count on it,’ said the ghastly Wyndham child sulkily.
‘I think between us we can keep an eye on Florence,’ Wyndham said firmly. ‘There are, after all, four adults and one child living at Harling Hall who can see her and report on her whereabouts.’
‘Charming!’ Florence protested.
‘So we’ve got that great hulking brute following us day and night?’ demanded Ronnie in horror. ‘How is that fair?’
‘If you behave yourself,’ said Percy Swain, the Edwardian station porter who had, after all, been forced to put up with the two soldiers fighting on his station platform every day since 1915, and had long since run out of sympathy for them, ‘you won’t have anything to fear, will you?’
‘It’s a disgrace, that’s what it is,’ muttered Bill.
‘I think so, too,’ Millie told him. ‘Whatever happened to freedom of speech?’
Bill smiled at her and Millie smiled back. Silas rolled his eyes.
‘What about Verity?’ Brodie said suddenly. ‘Should we keep the ghosts away from her, too?’
‘Oh no,’ Florence said immediately. ‘I was only jokin’ about ’er. She ain’t got no gift.’
‘In that case, yes, I think we’d better keep them away from Verity, too,’ Callie said, clearly cottoning on, as had Silas, that Florence had seen an opportunity to tell her story to at least one of the women. ‘Quintus…’
‘I will make sure they do not go near either of the two possible mediums,’ Quintus promised.
Mia frowned. ‘I honestly don’t think Verity has that gift, Callie,’ she said. ‘I don’t think she’s the deceitful sort.’
‘Well, maybe we should try to find out,’ Brodie suggested. ‘But in the meantime, we take no chances.’
‘And now that’s sorted,’ Callie said loudly, ‘we need to talk about the séance and whether it should go ahead at all. We have no real way of knowing if Madam Mariska is genuine, but now the ban is in place she will get no information from anyone here about the spirits on the Harling Estate. Therefore, whatever happens on the night will have no impact on any of them. So, do we still want it to go ahead?’
‘I say yes,’ said Ernie Baldwin gleefully. ‘If she’s banned from speaking to the spirits who do live here, she’ll have to make it up, whether she’s got a gift or not. That should be a lark, seeing her thinking of stuff off the top of her head while the local news’ television camera’s on her.’
‘When you put it like that,’ Brodie said, ‘it does seem rather mean. Perhaps we should cancel the whole thing.’
‘Nonsense,’ said Lawrie cheerfully. ‘She’s a professional.
Do you think she’s contacted spirits at every single place she’s filmed at for the last ten years?
It’s Haunted! has been all over the country.
There’s no way there have been ghosts at every location.
She must have learned how to make things up on the spur of the moment.
If she’s a fake she’ll have the whole thing down to a fine art, and if she’s genuine – well, I still say she’ll know how to cover her tracks.
Yes, it will be live, but I’m sure she’s preparing for every eventuality. ’
‘I suppose Grandpa’s right,’ Brodie said. ‘And even though I don’t think much to her, I can’t deny that her presence will attract more visitors and bring in extra revenue.’
‘But is that ethical?’ Callie said worriedly. ‘We’re selling tickets to people who will be coming to see a genuine medium talking to genuine spirits. If we know that won’t happen, is it morally justifiable?’
‘I doubt that many of those people believe any such thing,’ Lawrie said.
‘Some people will buy a ticket to see any celebrity, just because they’re on the television.
If Madam Mariska announced she was having a night off from talking to ghosts and was going to spend the evening singing songs and signing autographs, they’d be happy with that. ’
‘You think?’ Callie asked doubtfully.
‘We’re providing them with a lot of good food, drinks, and a spooky night out in a creepy location,’ Brodie reminded her. ‘All that and a celebrity as well. I think we’re okay, honestly.’
Callie nodded. ‘Okay, so now you’ve all heard that, hands up who’s happy for the séance to go ahead – without the involvement of our ghosts.’
Hands shot up on both sides of the room. Evidently, most people – living or not – had decided it was going to be a fun event that they didn’t want to miss out on. Even Ernie and Gordon were up for it.
In fact, Silas realised, looking round, he was the only person who hadn’t put up their hand, and there was no surprise about that.
‘You’ll regret it,’ he said as he stormed out of the ballroom in disgust. ‘You mark my words. You’ll all regret it.’