Chapter 26
AUbrEY
Since Charlotte’s arrival a week ago, life at Harling Hall had become exhausting.
Aubrey hadn’t realised until then how lucky he’d been.
Chaos was all that awaited him every time he returned home from walking the estate – and he’d taken to walking the estate every single day without fail.
Anything to get away from the madness within.
He had no idea where Charlotte had come from, but although he would never admit it out loud, he was beginning to wonder if Agnes hadn’t been correct to check her clothes for scorch marks. The woman was a fiend!
Of course, he remembered Charlotte’s shocking behaviour when she’d been alive, but even though he’d watched then in dismay and disbelief, it hadn’t really affected him in any meaningful way.
After all, he’d been dead at the time. Charlotte hadn’t even been aware of his existence, so nothing she said or did directly impacted on him or on Agnes or Florence.
Now it was a completely different situation.
Charlotte seemed to take great pleasure in flirting outrageously with Aubrey.
He found this highly embarrassing and rather infuriating, as he realised all too well that she was only doing it because she knew it drove Agnes insane. And Agnes rose to the bait every time.
Aubrey had tried to explain to her that Charlotte was looking for a reaction, and that Agnes’s best course of action would be to ignore her, but his dear wife was a passionate woman, and deeply insecure. She reacted each time with a jealous fury that was extremely tiresome.
At least, he found it so now. At first, it had been rather flattering, but now he just felt exhausted.
How many times could he reassure Agnes that he had no interest whatsoever in Lady Davenport, and of course he found his own dear wife more attractive, even if she was perpetually dressed in a rather drab nightgown and bedjacket?
It had even involved Clara. He felt guilty about that.
He’d made the mistake of telling her what was going on, and his darling redheaded granddaughter had been furious on Agnes’s behalf.
She’d given Charlotte a fiery lecture on manners and decency, but unfortunately, she’d been facing entirely the wrong direction, which had only made Charlotte howl with laughter, as poor Clara told an empty chair exactly what she thought of it.
Aubrey hadn’t had the heart to tell her.
In retaliation, Charlotte had started flirting with Clara’s husband, Jack.
Jack! The woman had no morals. She knew perfectly well that he was a married man with four children but that didn’t stop her.
She didn’t let the little matter of him being alive get in the way either.
Whenever he visited the Hall she would sit on his knee, blow in his ear, and kiss his face and neck. It was intolerable!
The unusual, and rather worrying part, was that Jack could feel her.
At least, he could feel the icy coldness of her against his skin and so always knew when she was near him.
It alarmed Aubrey. Jack shouldn’t be able to feel Charlotte’s presence, and he’d never known it happen before.
There was something unusual about Lady Davenport.
Whatever the cause, it greatly upset Jack, and irritated Clara. Charlotte, meanwhile, thrived on it.
And then there were the children…
Charlotte did not like having children around. She despised Aubrey’s grandchildren, insisting that children should be seen and not heard. And preferably not seen if possible.
She didn’t like Imogen at all, particularly as Imogen could see her, and was terribly good at giving hard stares.
Imogen did not approve of Charlotte, and Charlotte well knew it.
The two had many clashes, as the twelve-year-old wasn’t as tactful as her mother and had no hesitation in telling Charlotte to behave herself or she’d get Amelia to sprinkle holy water on her.
She and Ash had taken to carrying wooden crosses, bought from the church gift shop, and held them up whenever they came across Charlotte, as if fending off a vampire.
They clearly thought that hilarious, but Charlotte was far from impressed and complained frequently that it was time those children were packed off to boarding school.
She loathed Florence. It wasn’t surprising.
Florence was a cheeky little thing at the best of times, but Charlotte had brought out the worst in her, and since Agnes resolutely refused to chastise her for anything inappropriate she may have said to ‘the interloper’ as Agnes called Lady Davenport, their daughter’s behaviour was veering out of control.
Florence was rude, mocking, and even went so far as to kick her nemesis on the shins for tormenting her that, one day, she might have a new stepmother.
Aubrey had tried to rein her in, but Agnes had got quite hysterical, demanding to know why he was taking the interloper’s side against his own family, and wailing that he must be in love with her after all.
A frustrated and weary Aubrey had thrown up his hands in despair and left them to it. Best keep out of the way.
Today he’d wandered down to the woods, in urgent need of peace and quiet. He found himself following the pumpkin path, although it was unlit now.
The pumpkins had been removed immediately and taken to compost, but the fairy lights were still in place, although they were never switched on. Brodie had mentioned just that morning that he would take them down as soon as he had a moment.
Shaking his head as he considered how out of kilter everything felt right now, Aubrey looked up to discover he’d reached the King’s Court.
The stone circle wasn’t somewhere he visited often.
In fact, he rarely visited the Wyrd Stones at all.
He found the whole legend behind them deeply moving and couldn’t help but feel sorry for the poor King and Queen and their children.
Fancy being turned to stone! And the poor Penitent King, standing all alone, apart from his family for all eternity. It broke Aubrey’s heart.
Of course, he knew deep down that it was just a story.
But then again, didn’t people say that about ghosts?
And anyway, story or not, it was moving.
The Penitent King had, after all, been bewitched by a vindictive woman, determined to break up his happy family.
He could sort of relate to that at the moment, although there was no way Charlotte would ever enchant him.
He loved Agnes far too deeply to be tempted.
Even if, right now, her constant shrieks and complaints were driving him to distraction.
He gave a heavy sigh then jumped, startled, as a voice said, ‘You sound as weary as me, Wyndham.’
‘Good heavens! Silas, what on earth are you doing here?’
A stone circle in the middle of the woods was the last place Aubrey had ever expected to find the old vicar. He glanced around but Silas was quite alone. No sign of Grace.
He entered the circle where Silas was sitting gloomily by the stones in the centre.
‘Why are you weary?’ he asked. ‘I would have thought you’d have been ecstatic to have your wife back with you. I know how much you’ve missed her.’
‘Life – afterlife – is never that simple, is it, Wyndham?’ Silas asked sadly.
‘I have spent so many years praying to be reunited with my darling Grace, and in all that time it never once occurred to me that the Lord would answer my prayers by wrenching her from His Heavenly Kingdom and dropping her back here in Rowan Vale. I assumed, rather naively it seems, that one day I would join her in His realm. Yet here we are. It seems He has found yet another way to punish me.’
‘Punish you?’ Aubrey was mystified. ‘But she’s with you! Isn’t that what really matters?’
‘Do you think I would wish this upon her?’ Silas asked, his brow furrowed. ‘We are trapped here forever! My one consolation was that my loved ones were not. Now, even that has been taken from me.’
Aubrey sat beside him, considering the matter. ‘How does Grace feel about it?’ he asked.
Silas sighed. ‘She is as she always was,’ he said, an unmistakable tone of affection in his voice.
‘Full of joy and optimism, her heart overflowing with love and gratitude. Totally unfazed by how many years have gone by since her passing, or even that she’s passed.
She puts me to shame, Wyndham. But then, she always did. ’
‘Does she remember anything?’ Aubrey asked cautiously. ‘About where she’s been, I mean?’
Silas shook his head. ‘All she can recall is that she’d been out to tea at her friend, Mrs Ludlow’s house, and she’d just arrived back at the vicarage.
She remembers taking off her coat and that she had terrible indigestion.
She blamed Mrs Ludlow’s scones. Said they were as heavy as bricks, but she was far too polite to refuse them.
The next thing, she found herself outside the library and then wandered into the meeting where we were all gathered. ’
‘It’s much the same for Charlotte,’ Aubrey told him. ‘She remembers riding out on Golden Boy but nothing about the fall that killed her. I should think that’s a kind thing. It’s the same for all of us, after all. It’s just a pity they can’t remember where they went afterwards.’
‘She does say that when she tries to recall it, she just feels extraordinarily happy and contented,’ Silas mused.
‘Charlotte said the same!’ Aubrey beamed at him. ‘That must mean something wonderful, mustn’t it?’
‘Who knows?’ Silas said gloomily. ‘It might well be another trick.’
‘Oh dear.’ Aubrey surveyed his old friend with some concern.
‘Can’t you just accept that, for whatever reason, you and Grace have at last been reunited?
If she’s happy, can’t you be happy too? Silas, my dear fellow, you’ve been lonely for such a long time.
Now you have your wife back. Enjoy it! Allow yourself to be happy again, and don’t waste this chance you’ve been given. Please.’