4
“The nerve!” Widow stomped her foot, which did no good, floating above the ground. “Did you hear that Mr. Davidson? Couldn’t hurt a fly,” she grumbled.
“He makes us sound like angels,” Baby scoffed.
“At least one of the two women is already frightened,” Beauty stated.
“Yes, but the wrong one,” Widow replied.
“She may not believe in ghosts now, but she’ll be singing a different tune very soon.”
Both Widow and Baby nodded in agreement to Beauty’s statement.
“Hold on, they are coming,” Widow said. In a small whoosh of wind, they disappeared before Mr. Gladwin and the two women pushed through the door. Mr. Gladwin walked ahead of them.
Along the way, he picked up the two larger bags they brought.
“Oh, I can carry my own.” Jessica moved to take it from him.
Mr. Gladwin shook his head and proceeded up the stairs without a word. Jessica and Crystal followed with smaller bags over their shoulders.
“Why do you suppose Mr. Gladwin keeps silent?” Baby asked the two invisible women following along.
“Would you want to parade your faults around in front of everyone?” Widow waved her hand, then folded them.
Jessica paused and looked over her shoulder as if confused about something.
“Hush. They might hear you,” Beauty hissed.
“They cannot understand a thing we say.” Widow rolled her eyes.
“But they can still hear a slight sound. Save your scares until they are alone,” Beauty ordered.
The three took a right at the top of the stairs. “Th—th—this room and the one down the hall are the only two with attached water closets—er ... should I say bathrooms?” Mr. Gladwin glanced at Jessica and she nodded. He continued, “One of you can take this one, th—th—the other can take the room across the hall from mine.”
Crystal took a deep breath. “Has anyone died in this room?” “No. Not that I’m aware of,” he answered.
“Has anyone died in the one down the hall?” Jessica asked and pointed at the room across from Mr. Gladwin.
“Uh ... My late grandfather died in his sleep ...”
“Crystal, you take the safe one. I’ll bunk in the spooky one down the hall.” She giggled and hugged Crystal goodnight.
“She’s actually excited to be in a room where someone once died,” Widow huffed. “Do you suppose she will be scared easily?”
“She thinks this is all just a game.” Beauty frowned.
“Which room will you be in?” Crystal asked Jessica, but looked at Mr. Gladwin.
“Second on the right.” Mr. Gladwin pointed.
“If you want to join me in a ghost hunt, I’ll stop by your room in a bit,” Jessica said to her friend.
“Not on your life.” Crystal rolled her eyes, entered her room with her luggage, and closed the door.
Beauty scratched her head. “I think we have our work cut out for us.”
Jessica
“I don’t think it wise to be poking around the castle at night, Miss Grayson,” Mr. Gladwin walked beside me down the hall, hands clasped behind his back.
“Oh, sorry. I guess this is your home. I shouldn’t be poking about without your permission.” I’m stupid for thinking I had free reign here.
“I’d like to give you permission, but I’m afraid of what might happen.” He looked sideways at me.
“I wouldn’t touch anything or steal anything if tha—”
He stopped abruptly and faced me. “Oh, n—n—n—no! That’s not what I’m implying,” his brows pulled together, and he rubbed the back of his neck. “I only meant that you might get lost—or stuck somewhere unsafe.”
“So, you have secret hiding places and passages leading to dark places full of spooky cobwebs?” Excitement bubbled deep inside and gave me chills up my back.
“Something like that, yes.” He almost smiled.
“Sounds thrilling.”
“Here’s your room.” He stopped and opened the door to a
room with a four-post bed, much like the other rooms I’d already seen. “You’ll find the water closet over there.” He pointed at a door to the left. “And there should be clean sheets on the bed. Hopefully, they won’t smell too musty.”
“I’m sure they’ll be fine.” I stepped next to him in the doorway and took in the room. From across the room, there was a large fireplace with narrow windows on either side. I took a moment to imagine a secret passage that might open the fireplace to something spooky beyond. “Are there any secret passages through there?” I asked, pointing to the ominous fireplace.
“Not there.” He almost smiled again. “There.” He pointed to the large bookcase beside the four-post bed.
I wanted to giggle with delight, but refrained so he didn’t think I was a moron. I turned to look at him and found us inches away from each other. A wave of embarrassment zipped through me, so I stepped back. “How does it open?” Hmmm, he smells good, like wood chips, leather, and spices.
He moved into the room and placed the suitcase on the bed. I followed and he tugged on a small black book with painted gold trim. The bookcase clicked. “It only opens one way and not on its own. You have to give it a good pull.” Once he opened the door, a wood wall revealed itself. “This is the bookshelf in the next room.” He knocked on the wood, and it indeed sounded hollow.
“Does anyone use that room?” I pointed to the wood wall.
“No. Bridgett and her stepson, Ron, sleep in the cottage out back.” The blue eyes I noticed when we sat in his car earlier looked darker in the light of the two candles we carried, yet they were still warm and kind. I wouldn’t mind drowning in them.
“Do they spend much of their time in the cottage?”
“We eat our meals together, but mostly they stay out there. Unless I’m away for work.” He closed the bookshelf.
“You must get lonely in this big place.” I don’t know why I said that. Why would I say that? Why would anyone want to be reminded how lonely they are? Awkward, thy name is Jessica.
He gave a wan smile. “W—w—well, have a peaceful night’s rest, Miss Grayson. I’ll see you in the m—m—” He let the word die away after struggling to get it out.
“Please, call me Jessica.” I placed my hand on his arm as a gesture of friendship.
“J—Jess—ssica—” He blushed.
“Do I have to continue to call you Mr. Gladwin?” I asked with my lip jutting out. I hated to be so formal with anyone.
His blush deepened, and he shook his head. “M—m—m—my name is D—Dan.”
“Thank you, Dan, for being so kind to let us stay the night. It’s almost like staying in a hotel but better. Shall I call for room service in the morning? Maybe I can get a mint on my pillow?” His smile was small but grew quickly.
Holy Hanna! That’s a knock-your-socks-off kind of smile. I wasn’t sure it was legal to have a smile like that. It would hurt someone if the recipient was behind the wheel or using heavy machinery when it fired upon them. “You have a nice smile,” I said lamely.
His gaze lowered to his feet then around the room. “Well, g— goodnight, J—J—. If you need me, I’ll be ac—c—c—” He stopped and pointed across the hall.
“I’ll be just fine, thank you,” I said and watched him walk to the door. I kept my eyes off his posterior. Mostly. Who could blame me if I did happen to ogle it when it looked so fine? He paused, took hold of the handle, and smiled again before shutting the door behind him.
Placing my hand over my heart, I thought of his blush and handsome face plus all the other nice bits and pieces that put him together. I shook my head. Idiot. You can’t think like that. I’m only here for one night. I rummaged through my bag, looking for my PJ’s and trying not to think of his smile. I pulled the PJ’s out and frowned. I should’ve considered bringing something a little heavier and covered more, just in case I had to run out of my room to rescue Crystal. What I was left with was a fitted, short-sleeved nightshirt that fell halfway to my knees. These PJ’s are going to be freezing. Plus, I forgot my slippers. I frowned. Wonderful.
I readied for the night and tiptoed to the bed. Shivering, I slid between the sheets and pulled the blankets to my chin. Like a weirdo, I ran in place under the covers, hoping the friction would warm the sheets. I’m pretty sure I looked ridiculous, but no one else was in the room. At least they better not be.
A small gush of wind blew a lock of hair into my eyes. Lifting my head, I glanced around, blowing the hair from my face. There were no windows open—I doubted they could open. No other sign of why I would feel the wind. A drafty fireplace? Maybe, it’s that. Resting my head back on my pillow, I watched the candle flickering on the nightstand. I might be more comfortable with blowing it out if I’d been more familiar with the room. As it was, I didn’t want to suffer from stubbed toes if I had to get out of bed for any reason, so I kept it lit. It eerily made the shadows dance across the walls. It didn’t make me frightened in any way; it made it difficult for me to sleep. I hated the light in the room while I slept.
A sound so faint that I wondered if I had imagined it tickled my ear. I lifted my head off the pillow, hoping to hear it again to determine if I needed to freak out or berate myself for being chicken. A whisper near my ear had my head jerking back, and chills ran down from my ear to my toes. The moan and breathy voice were unclear, but terrifying enough that I couldn’t move.
“Is someone there?” I asked into the darkness. Take a deep breath. You’re fine. I obeyed, giving myself enough courage to sit up and lift the candle out in front of me.
Nothing.
I shook my head. Maybe I’m letting this place get to me. I put the candle back and rested my head on the pillow.
Creak. My eyes popped open, and my gaze shot over to the bookcase. A shadowy gap between the wall and the edge of the bookshelf hadn’t been there before. The shelf had opened only a few inches, but enough to get my heartbeat galloping around my ribs. It just opened on its own. No big deal. Dan must’ve not shut it all the way.
As I stood up and took two steps toward it, intending to close it once more, I caught a glimpse of something translucent and white. In that split second, I saw the image of a hand, causing me to gasp and quickly retreat.
Holy canoli!I didn’t scream—to which I was proud of—I only said a range of vowels as I danced across the room and out the door into the hall. Kind of the same way I do when I see a spider or something hairy and small. The back of my body slammed against a door. I stood there, trying to catch my breath and comprehend what I just saw.
I’m fine. It was nothing. I’m fine.
The door gave way, and I shrieked as I fell past the figure standing at my left. In a panic, I reached out, took hold of some cloth, and pulled the unfortunate soul down on top of me.
“Ooph!” I cried when my head hit the floor and weight slammed against me. I blinked, seeing the shadowed face of Dan inches from mine. His warm breath caresses my forehead. His eyes were wide with alarm, and his arms straddled across my upper body, holding him up from crushing me. My fingers were clutching his T-shirt and a bit of his chest hair. My eyes widened, and I quickly let go. “I’m so sorry!”
Like an idiot, destined to get myself kicked out, I patted his chest as if I could replace any chest hair I might have removed.
He sat back. “Are you injured, Jessica?” He started to look me over but quickly locked his gaze on something over my shoulder.
I sat up and fumbled to push my night shirt back down. Heat rose in my cheeks. “I’m fine.” Like any good English gent, Dan helped me to my feet, keeping his eyes off my legs or braless self. I held my arms to my chest and started for the door.
“Is there anything wrong?” Dan asked.
“Uh ... no! I’m just ... uh ... I—” I was interrupted by a scream down the hall. “Crystal!” I took off full speed toward her cries. As I reached her room, the door flew open and Crystal and I collided. An instant later, Dan crashed into my back causing the three of our heads to bump together. Dan’s jaw had hit the back of my head at the exact spot where I hit it on his floor.
“Owe,” I said for the second time that night. “What are we, The Three Stooges?”
Crystal clung to my nightshirt, ignoring my comment. “I just saw a ghost!”
My heart quickened. Normally, I wouldn’t give her comment any thoughts other than she had a good imagination. However, after seeing what I saw earlier, there might be some truth to it.
“Where?” Dan asked. He placed his hand on the small of my back as he gently moved me aside. “Excuse me.” He stepped into the room, and I followed. Crystal stuck to me like glue.
“There’s nothing here,” I whispered, a bit out of breath from his touch on my back.
“There was a ghost. She stood right there, looking at me as if ... as if she was angry.” Crystal pointed near the plant in the corner.
“I think this place is getting to us,” I mumbled.
“I know what I saw, and I’m no longer staying here.” Crystal’s demanding voice shook.
“You can’t just leave in the middle of the night with no car to drive while it’s pouring outside,” I contradicted. The lightning crashed outside as if proving my point.
“I meant, I’m no longer staying in this room—alone.” Crystal hurried to the bed, pulled her pillow off, and stepped back to me. “As soon as the sun comes up, I’m looking for a way out of here, even if I have to walk back.”
“I guess we’ll be roommates tonight.” I half smiled—not because I mind Crystal sleeping in the same bed as me, but because all the embarrassment of what had transpired earlier was catching up to me.
Dan watched us as if wondering what species we were, and he’d been the first to discover our particular bread. The heat in my cheeks nearly set my hair aflame. “I guess we’ll see you in the morning.” I stumbled backward but kept my footing and shoved Crystal into the hall. We hurried back down to the room I stayed in and shut the door behind us.
“He must think I’m crazy.” Crystal gave a short snorting laugh.
“No more than me,” I mumbled.
“Why? What happened?” Crystal asked as she glanced around the room and hurried under the blankets.
Heat flashed in my cheeks again.
“What?” From the lift of her eyebrow, I knew I wasn’t passing the night without spilling the beans.
“I shuffled out into the hall against his door. Before I could move away, he opened it and—wallah! We stumbled to the floor together.” I moved into the bed beside her and smacked her leg to get her to move over more.
“Wh—what?” She chuckled.
“My PJ’s aren’t exactly tumble-friendly, and I’m afraid I showed off more than necessary. Our faces were this close!” I held my fingers just inches from each other to indicate the distance. “It was completely embarrassing!”
A knock sounded at the door. We both froze.
“Crystal? I have your luggage,” Dan called through the door. Had he heard our conversation? Could this be any more embarrassing?
I hurried to the door to open it while holding my arms to my chest. Dan stood at the door with Crystal’s luggage in hand. “I thought I’d save her the t—trouble of having to go back to that room in the morning.”
I took the luggage from him, feeling beet red. “Thank you. Have a good night, Dan.”
“G—g—good night.”
I waited for him to step away, so I didn’t shut the door in his face, but he still stood there looking from me to the floor then back again.
“Good night.” I moved the door slowly toward him. He glanced at it and must’ve gotten the hint. He stepped away and turned to his door. I shut the door faster than I should have, but I was feeling a little foolish and wanted to bury my head in my pillow—or perhaps hit my head against the wall.
Crystal chuckled.
“What?” I hurried back into the blankets.
She gave me a look like I was supposed to know ‘what.’
“What?” I asked, feeling a little annoyed.
“You like him.”
I laughed. “Don’t be absurd.”
“You like him,” she repeated as if she had a reason to pat herself on her back. “You were blushing.”
“Oh, how do you know if I was blushing? It’s too dark in here to see beyond that candle.”
“You should’ve seen your face, though. I could tell you were blushing.”
I frowned. “My behavior had nothing to do with liking him or not. It had everything to do with me stumbling and him falling on top of me...”
I huffed. “Oh, forget it.”
I turned over and tried not to listen to Crystal softly giggling at me. I also tried not to think of Dan, our trip to the floor, and his broad shoulders and arms.