21
“Oh, the nerve of them!” Monique pushed the air in front of her to make the notepad on the coffee table rustle. According to Monique the two love birds lying on the floor had embraced long enough.
Jessica and Danny broke free and grinned at each other. Danny kissed her cheek once more. “Our chaperones are back.”
“Oh, leave them alone,” Mirabella said as she and Karina floated into the room. “They only wish to congratulate themselves of their fortitude in not dying.”
“Yes, but they show a lack of discipline in their innocence.” Monique paced the room. “They are not beasts of the field and therefore should not behave as such.”
Karina folded her arms and watched the two living beings separate and attempt to go to sleep. “You seem anxious, my dear. He is not in the castle at present and if he did show up we can keep him at bay.”
Monique’s voice turned sour, “Really, Baby, you think so?”
“Yes. And my name is Karina.” She lifted her chin higher.
“You know he has weakened.”
“Not enough,” Monique said.
“What is it you are anxious over?” Mirabella asked, watching Monique circle the room. “Why the change of heart?” When Monique didn’t answer she continued, “Two nights ago you fought with us, trying to convince us it was a good idea to run her out.”
“That was before.”
“Before?”
Monique stopped and let her arms drop to her sides. “Blast you two! All right, yes, I now agree she should stay. She has shown her value and now I believe she can help us, but ... the reason I fought to keep her away was to save her life. But now that he has weakened, I think she has a fighting chance. Satisfied?”
“Yes.” Mirabella smirked. “But answer me this, why do you hover over them now?”
Monique lowered her head, pressing her hands to her gown. She sighed. “I wish ... I wish to know.”
Mirabella nodded in understanding.
“Then we will stay, be your side and help you through it,” Karina said with a warm smile. Mirabella nodded.
Monique smiled in return. “Thank you.”
A bond of sisterhood developed between the three of them. They waited until Jessica had slipped into a deep sleep before the three of them gathered over her.
“Remember, it will be excruciatingly authentic. Do be careful not to linger in her too long. It only makes the pain worse,” Karina added and watched Monique get closer.
“We will be here when you have finished.” Mirabella said.
Monique took one last look at the woman before her and felt a pang of jealously at her triumph over death. Just as quickly, she brushed it aside and let her gratitude win over. She lowered herself into the body with the determination to know how she’d come to be forever in a nightmare.
A meal I don’t remember eating sat heavy in my stomach one second then rose to my throat the next. The corset upon my bodice didn’t help with the queasiness. I lifted my eyes to see a man of the clothe wearing an elaborate robe standing before me. A large cross hung against a church wall behind him. I glanced to the left to see who had held my hand.
A dignified, proud looking man in an elegant coat with a ruffle at his neck stood with his eyes trained on the man before him. His dark, wavy hair had been pulled back to the base of his neck in a ribbon.
Who was this man?
The church leader rambled on and on, reading from the bible in a foreign language. I chanced a glance behind me to see several overstuffed men and women sitting on the pew of the church, all eyes on the three of us.
“I do,” the man said beside me.
Wait. What?
A few seconds later I spoke the same words, “I do.” Holy flippin’ cow! I just got married!
I turned and walked the path down through the pews to the carriage that awaited us and climbed in. Then something happened that confused me. It was as if time were forced into fast forward. Images of people congratulating me and dining in a grand hall rushed by until I sat alone in a darkened hallway.
Tears dripped down my chin, onto my chest and down into my dress. It tickled and I wanted to wipe it away, but the person I inhabited would not move on my will alone. “Ce que j’ai fait?”
Sounds of footsteps grew closer. “A footman.” I whispered. I took hold of the man’s arm from behind the tapestry. He gasped and stumbled back onto the bench I occupied. “Please, you must help me.”
“My lady! Are you in danger?”
“Please, I need to run away. I should not have married that man. He is cruel.”
“You must be mistaken. My lord is everything that is amiable.”
The grasp I had on the man’s arm did not lessen. “Please, here me, he has ruined all happiness. I had loved another, but in Lord Wrenthal’s pride he wanted me and would not stand for me to have another. He lied to my love about my family—and now Emerson will not have me! Lord Wrenthal forced my hand into a miserable union. And now I know the mistake I made in making such an agreement. I have to leave. Please, will you assist me?”
He placed his hand over mine that clung to his arm. “My lady, do not fret. I am sure as time goes on that you will find—”
“No! You do not understand. You must not have seen him when he is angry. You do not know. Oh, if you will not help me, then I am doomed!” I flung my arms around his shoulders and rested my forehead on his neck and cried.
With reluctance the man lifted his hand to pat me on the back. “Madame—My lady. Please do not cry. I will take care of you.”
I hiccupped.
“What is this?”
I jumped at the booming sound like thunder and nearly fainted at the sight of the man who threw back the tapestry. He wore the same coat as before and his hair still hung from the ribbon at the back of his neck. “Florence!”
He grabbed the footman by the front of his coat and hauled him into the nearest room. The blue walls and fabric had not changed from the memories I knew. I followed, holding onto the coat of my new husband. The footman begged his forgiveness.
I joined in, “Please, my lord, he did nothing wrong to warrant your—”
“Silence, wench!”
He grabbed the nearest candlestick and hit the footman over the head with it. His body crumpled to the ground. I dove on him and slapped his cheeks. He still breathed, but would not wake.
“You whore of the earth! You are mine! You belong to me! Do you understand?”
“Oh, please—”
“No amount of crying will save you!”
I slapped my hands together in an effort to beg him to let us be. “Veuillez! It was not his fault. It was mine!”
“It all is the fault of that man—how dare you still love him! He is a buffoon!”
“No! You will not speak so foul of Emerson! He is more man than you will ever be!”
His hand jerked back. I shut my eyes then felt the blow hit my cheek. Stars filled my eyes and I fell back, hitting my head on the wood floor. I opened my eyes to see Florence coming at me with his hands out. His fingers wrapped around my neck and squeezed.
No! You cannot die like this!
I clawed at his hands, but he would not abate.
“You belong to me, do you understand? You will never belong to another. You are bound to me, even in death.” No!
My fingers relaxed and my arms went limp. The light in the room dimmed.
“Adieu, mon amour.”
Jessica
I gasped for breath and clawed at my throat. Hands clamped down on mine, stopping them.
“Jessica, it’s all right. It’s over,” Danny soothed. “You’re just dreaming.”
“Danny, I saw it.”
“I know.”
“You know?”
“You were talking in your sleep. I didn’t want to wake you if you were witnessing another death. S—s—sorry, perhaps I should have.” He touched my neck and made it sting. “You’ve scratched yourself.”
“No. I needed to see—” I stopped midsentence when I saw the ghostly figure of a woman in a heap on the floor, near the corner. Her shoulders shook, but no sound came. Two other ghosts who I knew well hovered over her, reaching out as if in comfort.
“Look.” I pointed. Danny acted as if he couldn’t see. I stood from the sofa and knelt beside the ghosts. “Monique, I am so sorry.” My words fell flat in my ears. “I don’t know what to do.”
The woman I knew as Karina turned her sad eyes to me then back to the woman on the floor and spoke.
“I don’t understand,” I said.
Monique snapped her head up with eyes wide. She covered her mouth and stared at me with something in her eyes that made me wonder if she’d remembered something more than what we’d just gone through together. She pointed up and waved me to follow her as she headed toward the door.
“Jessica…” Danny said with unease.
“No. It’s okay. I need to follow her.”
“I’m coming with you.” He took my hand and hurried beside me as we made our way up to the second floor, using the faint glow of the three ghosts as our only source of light.
I stopped in my tracks. “The blue room.” I held my hand to my throat and swallowed hard.
“Did it happen in here?” Danny asked. I nodded and proceeded into the room.
Inside, Monique drifted in and out of the bookcase that had been built into the wall. Whatever she had searched for didn’t show up, so she fled from the room by way of the door that led into the orange room. Danny and I and the two other ghosts followed.
Monique repeated her anxious search until she reached the wardrobe. A wooden box fell to the floor from atop the wardrobe, its contents scattering when the lid snapped off. She pointed at the pile of papers and looked at me.
I knelt on the floor taking each paper in hand. They felt so old that they might crumble at my touch. Two letters written in a foreign language were mixed in with what looked like old handwritten news articles. I skimmed through one article telling of the social state of the Pugh family and the goings about of those at Wrenthal castle. I set it aside and picked up another one that was dated before the first in the fall of 1710. I grabbed hold of Danny’s pant leg and jerked him down beside me and continued reading.
“I can’t believe it!” I lifted my head to Monique who knelt in front of me. “That dirty rotten scoundrel blamed your death on that poor footman!”
She nodded, her relief evident in her eyes.
I continued reading. “And look! He was hung in a gibbet to die!” I said then read out loud, “The nature of Alfred Dewey Ellis’s barbaric punishment will not go unnoticed by the aristocracy and our Lord. A mark the Pugh family name—well, duh! Florence Pugh is a nut and belongs in Hell!”
“Then we should put him there,” Danny said.
“Hold on!” I said and grabbed hold of Danny’s arm. “That must be who I saw hanging from the roof when I fell.”
“What?”
“A man—the poor footman—reached for me as if begging for me to set him fr—” I jumped to my feet. “Holy macaroni! I know what to do!”
“Hold on, Jessy.” Danny leaped to his feet to follow. “Where are you going?”
“I need a knife—or preferably a sword.”
“What! What w—would you need a s—sword for?”
I ran down the hall, stopping near a tapestry where I knew a decretive sword hung beside a shield. I pulled the sword free. My arm dropped with the weight of it.
“Here, let me.” Danny took the weapon from me and followed me to the tower.
Bang! Bang!A screech followed the sounds coming from below.
“What was that?” I asked.
“Monitque!” a man bellowed.
“Uh, oh. It sounds like Mr. psycho pants has got possession of Ron again.” I turned to the tower and called, “Hurry!”
Danny took hold of my shoulder and spun me around. Over his shoulder stood the three ghosts with terror in their eyes.
“Where are you going? What are you planning?”
“I need to set him free—the footman. He was blamed for something he didn’t do. Someone needs to set it right.”
“But not you,” Danny said and passed me by. I hurried up after him, taking care not to run into the sword at his side. The white of the bandage wraps on both forearms helped me keep track of his position.
The moment the door swung open leading to the outside, rain pelted my face. Danny turned to me and kissed my lips. “I’ll go alone. You stay.”
“Oh, hell no, you won’t! I’m coming with you.”
“S—stay here!” Danny demanded then rolled his eyes when he couldn’t hold back a grin. My heart flipped. Even though he’d just ordered me about like a child I still couldn’t help but think how irresistibly sexy he looked when doing it.
“You’re so hot.”
“Don’t try to butter me up. It won’t work. Stay here, please.”
I gave him my best smug look and folded my arms. I waited until he climbed up on the wall and out of view before I followed. The way was slick and wet. The rain weighed down my hair making it a weapon against my eyes. I cursed under my breath and eased out another step.
“Jessica! I told you to stay!” He had already made it all the way around and stood on the rooftop.
“And you should know before we tie the knot that I don’t listen very well! I’m old and set in my ways!” I called back over the roar of the rain and wind.
“Stubborn woman!”
“Overbearing hottie!” I said, not holding back my laughter. “Oh, I love you, Danny! Do you think I could sit by and watch you fall to your death? No way! I’m here for you, babe.”
An ear-piercing wail rang through the night air, freezing my blood. All teasing was forgotten as terror flooded my limbs, rooting me to the spot. A dark figure appeared to Danny’s right and my left. As quickly as it materialized it started flying toward Danny. I’d experienced what this ghost’s force can feel like and I knew it would knock Danny clear off the roof.
“Danny!”
He dropped to his belly, clinging to the shingles. The ghost missed him and flew overhead. Feeling the need to do anything I could for him and stand by his side, I shimmied the last few blocks of stones to drop myself to the roof.
“Go back!” Danny yelled to me.
“No!”
The wail sounded again, and I ducked in time to miss flying off the castle top. “Go!”
I got on my knees and met him face to face.
“Go back!”
“You’re wasting time!”
“Jessica, go—”
“Forget it!” I said and started crawling over his body. “I’ll do it.”
Another shriek pressed against my eardrums. I dropped to my belly and screamed until the breath was knocked out of my lungs at the force that hit my ribs. Luckily, I had the sense to keep a strong hold on the shingles with my hands and knees.
“Jessica!”
I coughed. “I’m fine,” I wheezed and crawled forward again. It was only a few feet away, but each time I moved an arm or leg the psycho ghost would come at me. Twice it missed and twice more it hit. I blinked away the water in my eyes and sputtered. “Where are you?”
“I’m right behind you!” Danny called.
“Not you! Alfred!”
At the call of his name, the ghostly figure of Alfred Dewey Ellis, the footman, appeared within the gauzy bars of the gibbet. He wore the same clothes as he had in the dream, but he looked tattered and worn. His arm reaching through the metal rods and his eyes rejuvenated the determination to see this through.
Another wail and another hit stopped me from progressing for several long seconds.
“Jessica!” From the sound of Danny’s moan, I could tell I wasn’t the only one under attack.
Whispering voices carried through the wind and hummed in my ear, “Set us free.”
This needs to end now.
I pulled myself on my belly, letting my chest hang out over the broken beam that stuck out from the end of the peaked rooftop. I turned to look back over my shoulder then lowered my head when I saw another attack coming right at me. The blast of air hit hard to my left, forcing my body to shift to the right. Had I not seen that charge coming, I would have toppled off the edge easily. As it was, I struggled to right myself with the lack of breath I had in my lungs.
“Jessy!”
A tap at my side brought my head around. The handle of the sword hit my hip. I reached back for it and pulled it from Danny’s hand, hoping he wouldn’t be cut in the process. I heaved the heavy sword around to point outward toward the man in the gibbet. The end of the sword did not reach the transparent rope that hung from the beam. In order to reach it I would have to stretch my arm out, but doing so would mean using upper body strength I didn’t believe I had.
How in the world am I going to do this? I should have done more crunches.
The sorrow I saw in the man’s eyes and the stretched boney fingers he held out to me brought on a wave of remorse for the man’s lost life. In some way, his bondage was tied to the centuries of imprisoned spirits. I knew it. I could feel it when I looked into his afflicted eyes. Years of pain and wasted hope of all the lives lost reflected back at me in that moment. It was the eyes of Mr. Tilton, Mr. Barret, Monique, Karina, and Mirabella.
I lifted the sword out as far as I could go. “Albert Dewey Ellis, I release you from the unjust accusations!” I swung my arm through the smoky image of the cage.
To my surprise, the sword jolted as if it truly had hit something other than a ghostly image. The sword jerked out of my hands and fell. The rope broke free and the gibbet dropped to the ground. Ghostly pieces of metal flew everywhere. A ghost wailed at the same time the soul of Albert Dewey Ellis shouted for joy and flew skyward until he broke a hole in the dark clouds above. The remaining stars that hung in the dawning sky glimmered as the clouds dispersed. The rain stopped. Three glowing souls of woman drifted into the sky, smiles upon their faces.
My attention lowered to the ground at the sound of wailing and grinding. Darkness boiled from the gravel path below until they took the shape of arms, reaching and clawing for the lowering figure of Florance Pugh, once Lord of Wrenthal. A great whip snapped from the dark hole and wrapped around the spirit of Pugh. Within seconds, the last of his cries were cut off when the darkness below disappeared, leaving the world at peace.
He had gotten his just desserts. “Wallow in it forever,” I whispered.
A gentle wind blew at my face and it sounded as if a chorus of words were spoken, “Thank you.”
I glanced at the sky. “You’re welcome.” My heart leapt for joy at the same time it hurt with regret. I wished I could have heard and spoken with them. It felt as if we’d grown close, like sisters, and now I had to say goodbye. I only had a glimpse of what their life was like and I felt I could have been friends with them had I an opportunity. I had mourned with Mirabella over her broken skeleton. I cried over Karina’s horrific death. I had wept with Monique over the unjust marriage to a wicked man. None of these women should have had their life taken from them at such a young age and in such gruesome ways.
Life wasn’t fair.
“Jessy, come on. love. Easy does it.” Danny’s calm voice brought on the sting of tears.
Don’t start bawling now. Get to safety first then I can break down.
No, life and death wasn’t fair.