Chapter 20
I refused to eat the cooked breakfast I was offered the following morning, although I did stay at the Hall for a cup of tea and a slice of toast. While Toby and Honey ate breakfast in the kitchen, I sat at the large table in the dining room, joined by the entire household, including Jack and Clara and their children, and watched over by a curious Agnes and Aubrey.
‘I understand you could see and hear us all along,’ Aubrey said. ‘You should have told us. We’d have been perfectly polite to you if you had.’
‘It was very deceitful of you,’ Agnes informed me. ‘You made us look like fools!’
As Aubrey gave her a meaningful look, she added, ‘Still, I understand that you were trying to protect your poor, afflicted sister. I must give you credit for that. If nothing else.’
‘Thank you, Agnes,’ I said meekly.
‘It’s Mrs Wyndham,’ she said sharply. ‘We’re not on a first name basis yet, thank you very much.’
‘Sorry, Mrs Wyndham.’
Clara suppressed a giggle and Callie winked at me.
She’d warned me that Agnes took some getting used to and she wasn’t wrong.
Clara had informed me that Aubrey was actually her many times great-grandfather, but that she called him Grandpa and that he was a sweetheart.
Apparently, Clara and her children could all see Aubrey, but no other ghosts, but Jack couldn’t see any of them.
‘I’d better be getting back to the inn,’ I said, feeling a pang of regret at the thought as Mia – who’d done all the cooking alone, despite offers of help from every adult at the table, including myself – slipped into a chair to begin eating breakfast at last.
She looked up and, just for a second, I thought I saw a trace of disappointment in her eyes. ‘Must you? Are you sure you won’t have something more to eat first?’
‘Mia does like to nurture us all,’ Callie said, smiling. ‘But of course, we understand that you must get back to your sister. You’re leaving today, aren’t you?’
I nodded. ‘And you have a busy day here in the village, don’t you? Melissa told me you’re celebrating All Saints’ Day today.’
‘We are.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘Church service in an hour so we’d better get on.’
‘Are you quite sure you’re well enough to walk back to the inn on your own?’ Mia asked me. ‘I don’t mind walking with you if you still feel a bit funny.’
‘Please, just finish your breakfast,’ I told her. ‘I feel perfectly well this morning. It’s like last night was a bad dream. None of it seems real to me today.’
‘Then…’ She hesitated. ‘I suppose this is goodbye.’
I swallowed. ‘I suppose it is.’
For a moment we stared at each other, and I tried desperately not to look as depressed at the thought of leaving her as I felt.
I wouldn’t let her see me to the door, insisting that she finish her meal, but Callie accompanied me as far as the gate at the end of the drive, after I’d collected a reluctant Honey from the kitchen and dragged her away from an equally despondent Toby.
‘Will you take these back to the curiosity shop?’ I asked her, pushing the bag containing the brooch and cup into her hands. ‘Whoever that man was, he had no right to give other people’s property away. Please return them to Mrs Brown with my apologies.’
‘Of course I will, and I’ll certainly launch an investigation into who the mysterious shopkeeper was,’ she told me as we walked. ‘It’s all very puzzling but I’ll get to the bottom of it somehow. Would you like me to let you know if I discover anything?’
‘Oh, yes please. If you don’t mind,’ I said eagerly.
She smiled. ‘I’ll ask Mia to get in touch,’ she said, a twinkle in her eye. ‘I’m sure she’ll be happy to keep you informed.’
What did she mean by that?
Nothing, Verity. Stop reading things into her words that aren’t there.
Callie shook my hand. ‘It’s been lovely meeting you, Verity.
I said my goodbyes and thank yous to your sister last night, but do thank her for me again, won’t you?
Now I know how much she didn’t reveal on camera yesterday – well, I’m extremely grateful.
There’ll be a large bouquet of flowers arriving on her doorstep in a few days, but don’t tell her that! ’
Goodbyes over, I headed up the road to The Quicken Tree Inn, my mind churning over the events of the last twenty-four hours and wondering if anything would ever feel the same again.
Would I ever return to Rowan Vale, I wondered?
It was doubtful. Which probably meant I’d never see Mia again.
My mind wandered to the curiosity shop. Who was the genial man who’d so generously given me the brooch and the cup, even though, as it turned out, they weren’t his to give?
It was a bit creepy to be honest, and I had to admit I was glad I’d given Callie the items back.
I certainly didn’t want them, after what I’d experienced at the stone circle.
Melissa threw open the door of the cottage as I approached, so I guessed she’d been looking out for me. I was amazed because it was only just gone nine and I hadn’t expected her home before ten at the earliest.
‘Where have you been?’ she demanded. ‘I was just about to call the police!’
‘What makes you think I wasn’t out walking Honey?’ I asked, puzzled.
She grabbed my upper arms and stared into my eyes with alarming intensity.
‘I know you weren’t here last night. Honey hasn’t been fed this morning, and you’d never have taken her out before breakfast. There’s a stone-cold fruit tea in a cup in the kitchen, and you’re not packed.
You always pack your suitcase the night before.
Plus,’ she added darkly, ‘you’re still wearing the clothes you were wearing when I last saw you.
’ Her eyes widened suddenly. ‘Did you meet someone? Did you – you know?’
‘No, of course not,’ I said, embarrassed. ‘That would be you, wouldn’t it?’
‘Don’t change the subject,’ she said. Suddenly, to my surprise, she pulled me into a hug. ‘Where have you been? I rang and rang you, but the phone went straight to voicemail. I was worried sick.’
‘You were?’
It was the second hug I’d had in twelve hours. What was happening?
‘Of course I was! I should have checked in on you last night. I meant to, after we got back from the séance, but…’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘Sorry, Verity.’
‘It’s okay. My phone died and I didn’t have my charger with me. I wasn’t expecting you to check up on me.’
‘Not just for that. For everything. I was horrible to you. I didn’t do it, you know. I didn’t tell them about Polly and Harmony and that young couple.’
‘I know,’ I said. ‘Mia and Callie told me all about it. Thank you, Melissa. It really means a lot to me, and I know it will mean a lot to the ghosts, too.’
‘You’ve seen Mia and Callie?’
I blushed. ‘I, er, took Honey for a walk in the woods last night and bumped into Mia. We went back to Harling Hall for a cup of cocoa and…’
‘And?’ she said, puzzled.
‘Well, the fact is, I passed out. Don’t look like that,’ I added quickly as Melissa’s face paled. ‘I’m fine. But they didn’t want to send me home in that state, so they insisted I stay at the Hall.’
‘But why did you faint?’ she asked. ‘You never faint!’
‘I know. It’s a bit of a puzzle,’ I admitted. ‘Maybe I didn’t eat enough yesterday. It was a bit full on.’
‘Are you sure you’re feeling okay now?’ she asked.
Touched by the concern in her voice, I assured her that I was perfectly well.
‘Okay, if you’re sure. But I’ll drive us home,’ she insisted. ‘We can’t take any chances.’
‘Never mind all that now,’ I said with a smile. ‘Tell me about you and Diccon!’
I had never seen Melissa look so sheepish.
‘Well, er, yeah. That was a bit unexpected,’ she admitted.
‘It was nothing. I was touched that he’d come all this way to support me, that’s all, and one thing led to another.
It didn’t mean anything. He’s left to go back to London, so it’s business as usual. ’
‘Are you sure?’ I asked.
‘Quite sure. He’s really pleased with me, by the way.
He said I was brilliant last night, and I have to say I agree.
The reporter said I was a natural. I enjoyed myself, to be honest. It was fun to chat about It’s Haunted!
and answer questions. The audience was extremely engaged, and I signed loads of autographs afterwards.
There’s every chance that I’ll be on the local news tomorrow, and the reporter said I’ll definitely get a mention in the Cotswolds Courier, so that’s something, isn’t it? ’
‘It is,’ I said, relieved that she wasn’t regretting keeping my promise to Polly for me. ‘I’m so proud of you, Mel.’
‘Yes, well…’ She shrugged it off, but I could tell she was secretly delighted. ‘Do you feel up to packing or do you need help? We need to be out of here in a couple of hours.’
‘I’ll do it, but I’ll grab a quick shower first and get changed. Honey’s been fed,’ I added, as I made my way to the bathroom.
‘Good job,’ she called after me. ‘I hate feeding her. Dog bowls and dog food, and her all slobbery and eager, waiting for me. Ugh!’
But as I glanced over my shoulder, I saw her bend down and pat Honey on the head. I smiled. Maybe there was hope for my sister after all.