Chapter 23
SILAS
News of Charlotte’s inexplicable return spread rapidly around Rowan Vale, and an impromptu meeting was called later that afternoon in the village library, without even consulting or informing Callie. The ghosts were in uproar. This was an unprecedented event and they were afraid. What did it mean?
‘She can’t be here,’ Peter said repeatedly. ‘She passed on. She was never a ghost so how can she be here now? It’s just not possible.’
Silas suspected that Peter was rather afraid it opened the doors for his own wife to return. The last person the baker would want to see again was the ill-tempered nag whose cruel actions had resulted in his death – intentional or not.
‘Impossible it may be,’ Wyndham said, ‘but she’s here, believe me. We saw her with our own eyes. We spoke to her. She is in situ at Harling Hall and acting now as if she never left the place.’
‘Isn’t she just!’ said Agnes bitterly. ‘Once the initial shock wore off, she made herself very much at home, and now she thinks she can order us around as if we aren’t just as entitled to be there as she is.
More – particularly in Aubrey’s case. Charlotte and I married into the estate’s ruling families, but Aubrey is a born and bred Wyndham.
The entire estate was once his. Charlotte Davenport should remember that. ’
‘Always was a snooty bit,’ Ronnie said. ‘Mind you, can’t deny she was good looking. For an older gal, I mean. Classy like.’
‘Nothing classy about her,’ Agnes said with a sniff of disdain.
‘No indeed,’ Isaac agreed. ‘I well remember her regular visits to the inn and…’ His gaze fell upon Florence, Robert and John, sitting wide-eyed as they listened to the conversation, and he shook his head. ‘Enough about that, though.’
‘Indeed,’ Silas said grimly.
‘She wears funny trousers,’ Florence chipped in with a wide grin. ‘They flap round her legs like elephants’ ears.’
‘Jodhpurs,’ Mr Swain explained. ‘They’re part of her riding outfit. Always loved riding horses, did Lady Davenport, and very elegant she looked, too.’
Swain, thought Silas grimly, always was far too deferential for his own good. ‘Fat lot of good that did her,’ he pointed out. ‘Fell and broke her neck, as I recall. Hence the reason for this meeting, which we have called because—’
‘I remember all the to-do at her funeral,’ Millie interrupted eagerly.
‘When that man from Much Melton turned up and told everyone he was Lady Davenport’s true love, and he had every right to pay his respects.
’ She giggled at the memory. ‘And then Sir Edward lost his temper and told him to clear off cos if all Charlotte’s lovers turned up for the funeral, there’d be no room for the family! ’
‘Hussy,’ said Agnes in disgust.
‘I rather think that’s all beside the point now,’ Wyndham said firmly. ‘We’re not here to discuss Charlotte’s behaviour while she was alive.’
‘Precisely, Wyndham,’ Silas said crossly.
‘As usual, there is far too much liking for gossip in this group. It’s facts we need.
A woman who died in 1962 from a broken neck, caused by a fall while out riding, passed over to the other side and did not, I repeat did not, become a ghost. Now, all these years later, she is suddenly here, with no memory of where she has been for the last six decades.
That is correct, isn’t it?’ he asked the Wyndhams. ‘No memory whatsoever?’
‘So she says,’ Agnes said with a shrug. ‘And there’s nothing to say where she’s been. Not even,’ she added drily, ‘any scorch marks on her clothes.’
‘Agnes!’ Wyndham cried, shocked.
‘Well!’ Agnes folded her arms and Silas stifled a smirk. He did admire the way she always said what she thought, even if what she thought was in extremely poor taste.
‘So we have a conundrum,’ Walter Tasker said. ‘A mystery.’ He got to his feet and threw out one arm as he struck a pose. ‘“Ay, but to die, and go we know not where”,’ he said dramatically. ‘Measure for Measure,’ he added cheerfully as several of the ghosts groaned.
Tasker had evidently finally come out of the sulk he’d been in since Madam Mariska failed to mention him at the séance, which Silas thought a great pity.
The man had a Shakespeare quote for everything and usually claimed it as his own.
He decided to move the conversation on before the buffoon could do so again.
‘She can’t stay, of course,’ he said abruptly.
All heads turned in his direction.
‘What do you mean?’ Harmony asked. ‘She’s here now, so how do you propose to send her back to wherever she came from?’
‘Well, I…’ Silas hadn’t quite figured that out yet. Luckily, he was interrupted by the sound of a key in the front door and then footsteps in the library corridor.
The ghosts looked at each other. It was late on a Sunday afternoon. There should be no one using the library at this time.
Then a light went on and they all gave gasps of relief as they saw Callie in the doorway – a relief which quickly faded when they realised Quintus Severus was with her, his face grim.
‘He told you!’ Silas spluttered. Really, it was too much. Just for once, it would be nice to take charge of a meeting without any interference from the living.
‘He did,’ Callie confirmed.
‘It was my duty,’ Quintus said simply. ‘My loyalty is always to the owners of the Harling Estate. When something so momentous happens, she should be here, leading the discussion, whatever you think.’
They all stared at him. They’d never heard him say so much at one time before.
‘Yes, well…’ Silas murmured.
‘I’m very grateful to Quintus Severus,’ Callie said, smiling at the Roman centurion, who gave her a brief nod in return.
‘Let’s face it, you’d only have to repeat everything that’s being said to me later, so you might as well say it in front of me.
Besides,’ she added, sounding suddenly rather hurt, ‘I thought we understood each other? Your problems are my problems. If there’s anything worrying you, you can come to me. That’s what I’m here for.’
‘Don’t you think, lovely,’ Polly said, ‘that you have enough on your plate? What with running the estate and organising all these events and putting on little things for us ghosts? We don’t like to bother you.’
‘But you’re my responsibility,’ Callie said.
‘You’re the reason I got this estate in the first place.
I happen to know that you kept another secret from me recently.
Your stories were in danger of being made public by Madam Mariska, and you tried to deal with the situation on your own. You should have told me!’
‘How did you know that?’ Millie gasped.
‘It really doesn’t matter. The point is, I know.
Look guys, Quintus Severus very kindly says his first duty is to me, but the fact is my first duty is to him, and to all of you, so please, don’t try to deal with things that are worrying you alone.
Come to me. I’m always here to listen and I’ll help if I can. ’
‘We need you to send Charlotte back to wherever she came from,’ Agnes said bluntly. ‘Can you help with that?’
Callie slumped. ‘Hmm, maybe not,’ she admitted and there were some groans in response. ‘Well,’ she added defensively, ‘has this ever happened before? Can any of you explain how Charlotte’s come back here from… Well, wherever she was?’
They all looked at each other, but it seemed each one of them was stumped. There was no precedent. It made no sense whatsoever.
Callie sighed and pulled up a chair. ‘It’s going to be murder at home,’ she said gloomily.
‘Charlotte’s really throwing her weight around already, and now she knows I can see and hear her, she’s wasted no time in telling me how badly I’m managing the house.
She wants me to put an aspidistra in the hallway.
What even is an aspidistra? And she wants her portrait hanging there, too, and Brodie has no idea where it is. ’
‘That is out of the question,’ Agnes said with some satisfaction. ‘Sir Edward burned it, so she’s got no chance.’
‘Sir Edward burned it?’ Callie said in surprise. ‘Gosh, that was a bit harsh, wasn’t it?’
‘Certainly not!’ Agnes blurted indignantly. ‘Did you not hear what that woman did to him? How she humiliated him?’
‘Sir Edward wouldn’t have burned it if he hadn’t been distraught,’ Polly said firmly. ‘He had a kind heart, and he was very good to us all. I won’t hear a word against him.’
‘Unfortunately,’ Wyndham said, stroking his beard in a manner that always irritated Silas, ‘Lawrie doesn’t share our sentiments.
He always blamed his father for neglecting his mother and driving her into the arms of other men.
If you recall,’ he said, looking round at them all, ‘his relationship with his father after Charlotte’s death was never the same. Indeed, they barely spoke afterwards.’
‘If Lawrie hadn’t possessed the gift and accepted his duty to the estate, I do believe he would have walked out and never returned to Harling Hall,’ Agnes said sadly. ‘He adored his mother. Even when all the scandal came out at her funeral, he took her side.’
‘Blamed Johnnie Gates who ran The Quicken Tree Inn at the time,’ Isaac confirmed.
‘Johnnie used to let her have a room at the inn to, er, entertain her friends. Lawrie had a real go at him for it when it all came out, and Johnnie told him that he’d warned Sir Edward years ago and Sir Edward had told him to let her get on with it and that he didn’t want to hear any details.
Funny carry-on, I always thought. But there you go.
The rich live by different rules to the rest of us. ’
‘Utterly disgraceful,’ Silas said, and for once no one disagreed with him.
‘How’s Lawrie taking this?’ Ray asked suddenly. ‘Must have been one heck of a shock for him.’
‘It was, I suppose, but when I arrived at the Hall he’d already accepted it for what it was,’ Callie said.