Ghost Song

by Mark L'Estrange

  “I stupidly countered that Verity had seemed very nice and friendly, which was met with an immediate scowl of disapproval. I decided that under the circumstances that it was best to just let her unload her loathing and scathing, in the hope that once it was all off her chest, she might be willing to acquiesce to my request for information. Finally, when there was a lull in the conversation, I decided to chance my arm, and I enquired as to whether or not she had been informed about my benefactor Spalding’s demise.

  “Upon my revelation, the look she hit me with, proved to me that she had not, before this moment, been aware of the fact. For a minute, she studied me as if I were a page of a book of cryptic text that she was trying to decipher. Although the uneasiness of the silence was unbearable, I knew better than to interrupt her train of thought. Eventually, she slumped back in her chair as if she had suddenly had a breakthrough in her thought process.”

  “So, I take it that you’ve inherited Denby Manor!”

  “She did not express her thought as a question, but more a statement of fact. I believe that in that moment, even if I had not inherited the manor, I would have admitted that I had, such was the severity of her penetrating stare. When I nodded my response, an odd smile almost creased the sides of her mouth. My shock at the bluntness of her next statement left me reeling, to the point of dizziness.”

  “Has she been visiting you at night?”

  “I did not need to confirm with her exactly who she was referring to. We both knew, and in that moment, I could tell that she was feeling very pleased with herself, as she realised the true reason for my visit. I allowed her ample time to enjoy her little victory before I dared speak again. As it happened, before either of us uttered another word, there was a knock at the door, and, when it opened, another young girl brought in a tray of tea and biscuits on a trolley.”

  “The girl smiled at me, but before she had a chance to introduce herself, my aunt bellowed at her that she did not want any tea, and that if she did, she would call for it.” The poor girl looked so embarrassed that I could feel my cheeks reddening on her behalf. She looked over at me, obviously too afraid to speak after my aunt’s outburst, and indicated towards the tray, as if trying to enquire if I might like something. In truth I was gasping for a cup after my long drive, but under the circumstances I shook my head and smiled back at her, which she sensibly took as her cue to leave.

  “Once the girl had closed the door behind her, I decided that now the subject was out in the open, so to speak, I needed to take full advantage of the situation, so I asked my aunt straight out if she would mind filling me in on the details concerning Amy, and why she was haunting me.”

  “So, you know her name already, that’s very clever of you. How did you find out?”

  “I explained about my visit to the library, and the articles the librarian had shown me. My aunt actually appeared as if she was impressed with my diligence, and I felt as if I had finally made some headway with her. I only hoped that this new-found admiration she felt for me might actually inspire her to tell me what I so desperately needed to know.”

  “She used to haunt old Spalding, you know. Not that he didn’t deserve it, the weasel. I am amazed that he lived as long as he did without going completely insane. Or perhaps he did, towards the end. I hadn’t seen him for years, and he looked much older than his years the last time I laid eyes on him.”

  “I leaned forward on the table, just enough to give the impression that I would be willing to listen to every word she had to say. Part of me was conscious of not wanting to annoy her now that she finally seemed willing to open up to me. But, at the same time, there was so much that I wanted to know, I believed that it would be more beneficial for me to ask her some direct questions.

  “I made a mental note not to let my impatience show, as I realised that this could well be my one and only chance of finding the answers I sought. I spoke as softly and as gently as I could, trying desperately to keep the impetuosity out of my voice. I asked if she could explain to me what had gone on at Denby Manor during that summer, and specifically, the circumstances surrounding Amy’s death. She sighed deeply, almost as if she could not be bothered. But, underneath her reluctant stance, I saw a glimpse of self-satisfaction, which led me to believe that she would actually take great satisfaction in divulging all that she knew.

  “I waited, with baited breath, for her to begin her story.”

  “When I was born, your grandparents were both medical officers in the military. As a result, they were often posted abroad at short notice, and the thought of dragging a child around with them must have seemed impractical. Therefore, I was often left in the care of nannies, tutors and any distant relative they could convince to put a roof over my head and food in my belly. These duties of theirs continued well into my early teens, and it just happened that, at the time in question which you are concerned with, I was foisted on my distant uncle, Artemis Hunt, at Denby Manor.

  “Artemis was not a kind soul by any stretch of the imagination, but he took me in because my parents were willing to pay him an allowance, and money was the one thing that Artemis loved, more than life itself.

  “I was shocked, especially having read the obituary report in the paper, which had made Artemis sound like a veritable salt of the earth. When I mentioned this to my aunt, for the first time since our meeting she threw back her head and laughed, with what sounded like genuine gusto.”

  “Oh, for goodness sake, Jonathan, don’t be so naïve. Spalding paid off the journalist to write that story. Artemis was nothing more than a nasty, mean-spirited, wicked, money-grabbing individual who cared about no one else but himself, and his precious business.”

  “It was obvious to me now that there was certainly no love lost between my aunt and Artemis Hunt, and there was something in the conviction of her tone that made me believe every word she was saying. Therefore, I knew now that I could virtually discount the article from the paper, and the only way that I was ever going to get to the truth, was to hear what she had to say.

  “Suddenly, it was not enough just to know about Amy’s death, I wanted to know the entire story about everybody who was living at Denby Manor at that time, and what the circumstances were that led to the tragedy. I decided to lay all my cards on the table and rely on my aunt’s compassion and understanding to reveal to me all that she knew.

  “I explained to her about Jenifer arriving the following day, and her enthusiasm about seeing the manor for the first time, plus my reservations about Amy, and if my aunt thought that it was safe enough for me to let Jenifer inside the place. My aunt leaned forward with a severe look of reprimand in her eyes.”

  “You listen to me now Jonathan, you’d be a fool to allow your wife within a mile of that accursed house. If you’ve got any sense whatsoever, you’ll call her and tell her to stay in London.”

  “Her words certainly struck home. I had been thinking along those same lines, especially as the hauntings appeared to be growing in severity with each passing night. I begged her to tell me everything she knew, from start to finish, and I think that she finally recognised the conviction in my tone, as, after a couple of seconds, she let out a deep breath and nodded, slowly.”

  “That damn house was built by Artemis and his then business partner, a chap called Harrington. Apparently, the idea was to build somewhere large enough to house both their families, as well as to run the business from. It seems an odd idea to me, but I’m sure that to them it all made sense. Anyway, the story I was told was that when Artemis’ parents died abroad, he always thought that they would leave him in sole charge of the family business and finances, as he was the eldest. He had a younger sister, Irma, who I believe was in her teens at the time. But, as it happened, everything was bequeathed to be split evenly between the two of them.

  “Artemis was not happy, naturally, but there it was, so he had to include Irma in all his business transactions, although I believe she had no real interest in the business, and usually went
along with whatever he said. Artemis and Harrington had made a provision between themselves, that if either died without issue, the other would inherit their share of the business, with an annuity being paid to the deceased partner’s spouse, if one existed. As it turned out Harrington died young, and as he had not married his share of the business went to Artemis, leaving him with a majority share over Irma. Not that she particularly cared either way, as I said, the business meant very little to her.

  “Irma never married, but she did bear a child, Spencer, as a result of a fling she had with a visiting business associate, who had come over from America to discuss some sort of export deal with Artemis. Poor Irma believed that he was in love with her, but the minute she discovered that she was pregnant he left on the first ship available. Or so it seemed. Subsequently she found out that Artemis had paid the man to go, as a way of putting a stop to there being any possibility of a permanent relationship forming. You see, Artemis’ biggest fear was that Irma would marry, which, in those days, meant that he business interests would automatically pass to her husband, and the last thing that Artemis wanted was someone with business savvy taking an interest in his shenanigans.

  “Anyhow, rumour had it that this American was known to the police for his own shady dealings, so Artemis threatened to expose him if he tried to contact Irma again. When poor Irma discovered the truth, she packed her bags and left for America to find the man, who she believed was the love of her life. She left Spencer in the care of a local couple, as she, justifiably, did not trust Artemis, and she sailed away, never to be seen again.

  “Word reached Artemis several weeks later that she had contracted food poisoning during the crossing, and died as a result before the ship even made it to port. Artemis arranged for her to be buried in America, doubtless because it was a cheaper option than having her brought home. According to the reports at the time, Artemis was all for sending young Spencer to an orphanage. But, when Irma’s solicitor contacted him to tell him that she had left her share of the business to Spencer and made him his nephew’s guardian until he was twenty-five, Artemis had no option but to keep young Spencer under his wing.

  “Over time, Artemis married some foreign girl he had met on a business trip, I can’t remember where, but she died giving birth to Spalding. Her parents arranged to have her remains taken back to their country for burial. I don’t know if Artemis held out any objection at the time, but that was an end to it. Spalding was looked after by the same nanny Artemis had hired to look after Spencer, although by now Spencer was almost six years old, so he did not need as much supervision as a new-born.

  “Once he was old enough, Artemis packed Spencer off to boarding school, and did the same with Spalding when he reached the same age. Spencer and Spalding were quite close, despite the difference in their ages, and Spencer would do his best to protect his younger relative, treating him more like a little brother than merely his cousin. During the holidays they were left mainly to their own devices, as Artemis was always too busy to bother himself with such trivial matters. The two boys were kindred spirits, as Spencer had only briefly experienced the warmth and affection of a mother’s love, and poor Spalding had not even had that. But, as time went by, Artemis took his son more and more into his confidence, enticing him with tales of the importance of being a man of business, whilst effectively leaving Spencer out.

  “So it transpired that the two boys began to drift more and more apart, with Spalding under his father’s influence, growing more like him with each passing day. By the time I came on the scene, Spencer and Spalding acted more like perfect strangers than relatives. They were as opposite as chalk and cheese. Spencer was kind and protective towards me, and always made me laugh with his silly jokes and odd impressions. Whereas Spalding took himself incredibly seriously; even though he was several years younger than Spencer you would have thought him the elder by far. He acted as if he was already a man with huge responsibilities, and no time for juvenile behaviours such as those displayed by Spencer when he was trying to keep me amused.

  “It was true that Artemis by now had already promised his son that he would one day inherit his share of the business, which was considerably larger than Spencer’s portion. But Spencer, just like his mother, did not seem at all phased by this, and continued to live his life in blissful ignorance to the plotting and scheming of his uncle and cousin.

  “One day, we heard talk of a fair coming to town. I think that I was about nine or ten at the time, and I had never seen a real circus. I pestered Spencer into taking me, and at first, he pretended as if he felt that such amusements were beneath him. But he could not keep up the pretence for long, and eventually he announced that he had already bought us tickets as a treat. I was overjoyed, and I think I must have counted every minute of every day until we went.

  “I wore my Sunday best dress, and Spencer looked resplendent in a fine dark suit. Surprisingly Artemis even allowed Spencer the use of his personal carriage, which, in itself, was a first. The atmosphere when we arrived was generated with such energy that you almost felt as if the very air itself had a charge of electricity coursing through it. I had never seen so many people gathered in one place before. It seemed like the entire town had turned out for the first day.

  “There were animals that I had only ever read about in books, and never dreamed that I would one day see in real life. They had acrobats, and clowns, dwarfs and men on stilts so tall that I could barely see their heads, and a freak show with all manner of strange and peculiar acts. There was a bearded lady, a man who was meant to be half cat with the strangest eyes I had ever seen. Twins from the orient who were joined together at the hip, and a man with three legs.

  “They all looked so odd and scary that I remember holding tightly onto Spencer’s hand when we first entered the tent. But he assured me that they were just people like us, and nothing to be afraid of, and after a while, with his encouragement, I found the courage to talk to them. They were all so kind and friendly that by the time we left their enclosure I felt a little tearful for them. But Spencer assured me that they were not to be pitied and that they were happy amongst their own kind, and that showbusiness people were a family within themselves, who loved each other just as we did. That made me feel better, and I continued to enjoy the show.

  “There were stalls selling all manner of treats, ice-creams, candied fruits, chocolate and warm cider for the adults. Spencer let me have a ride on an elephant, which was led all around the park by a man dressed from head to toe in Indian garb, and although at first I was terrified about being so high up, after a while I began to love it, and felt as if I was the queen of the world.

  “One particular tented-off enclosure seemed to be garnering a great deal of noise and excitement, so Spencer led me in and to my astonishment it was a lion-tamer who had four huge specimens, all of which looked big enough to swallow me whole. As fascinated as I was by the beasts, I was more scared by the fact that there were no cages between us and them, and I remember tugging at Spencer’s hand urging him to take me back out again.

  “When he realised how petrified I was he acquiesced to my demands, and we were just about to turn around to leave, when a young girl appeared from behind the tarpaulin cover and crouched down in front of me to assure me that there was really nothing to be afraid of.”

  Twenty-One

  “My aunt stared at me with knowing look, and in a moment, I caught on to her unspoken intimation.”

  “That’s right, it was Amy, and as she spoke to me she gently touched my cheek with the back of her fingers, and I felt a sudden calmness surge through my body, which left me feeling completely unafraid of the lions which moments ago had terrified me. This miraculous transformation in me did not go unnoticed by Spencer, but what was even more conspicuous was the way he looked at Amy. It appeared that I was not the only one whom she had managed to cast a spell over.

  “Whether she noticed Spencer’s obvious enchantment or not, she kept her attention on me, and asked m
e if I would like a closer look at the lions. I felt myself nodding, excitedly, and without any resistance from Spencer, she took me by the hand and led me down to the inner enclosure. It is still hard for me to describe what was going through my mind at the time. But, somehow, with Amy guiding me, I had absolutely no fear that anything bad could possibly happen to me.

  “As we approached the first lion, Amy made a gesture with her hand, and the animal lay down at her feet without a qualm. She placed my hand on the beast’s flank, and I could feel its heartbeat as its massive chest rose and fell. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life, and I shall remember it to my dying day. With another gesture, the other lions too appeared to be utterly entranced by Amy, and one by one they walked over to us and began to rub themselves against us. One of them even licked me, and its tongue was so enormous it covered my face like a huge flannel.

  “The crowd that was gathered in the tent began to gasp and then to cheer, and I suddenly realised that I was part of the show, which made me feel terribly exposed and embarrassed. But Amy took my hand once more and placed me in front of her, urging me to take a bow, and enjoy the adulation of the people.

  “After the show, as the rest of the people filed out of the enclosure, Amy took me back to Spencer who had been sitting patiently during the performance. I was so full of animated chatter after my experience with the lions, I barely gave the two adults a chance to say anything. Being so young it was naturally not that obvious to me that the two of them had an instant connection, and that I was doing my level best, albeit unintentionally, to prevent them from introducing themselves to each other.

  “Amy, for her part, seemed to find my eager babble quite captivating. I heard her tell Spencer that he and his wife must be very proud of me, which, naturally, prompted Spencer to relay a hasty potted version of our true relationship, and I remember thinking how he seemed to be going to great lengths to emphasise the fact that not only was he not married, but also that he was not even courting. Naturally, had I been a little older and worldlier, I would have realised that I was getting in the way of the pair of them conducting a mutual introduction, but as it was, I was far too young and excited by everything that was going on around me.