Later that afternoon, all three of the adults were in the kitchen preparing for dinner. Rahni had been upstairs playing on her own. She seemed to be the only one who could bear to be in any of the rooms without someone else for safety. Cate was worried about her at first. A seven year old girl could be very vulnerable to an evil spirit. That was, until Charlie reminded her Alice was with Rahni and would look after her. As crazy as she felt, Cate couldn’t help but agree with her.
Dinner was going to be a pasta dish. As Charlie was straining the cooked pasta spirals, she turned around to see Rahni standing in the doorway. In her right hand, she was holding the statue of a little pink ballerina. She held it up for the adults to see before speaking.
“Mindy is crying,” she stated, pointing to the painted face of the ballerina.
“What do you mean, Honey?” Cate asked, heading towards the doorway and squatting down to be level with her daughter.
“Mindy is crying. You can see her tears.”
Cate took the figurine and examined it closely. She turned it upside down and all around. Rahni was right, from the looks of it, the statue looked to be weeping tears from its eyes. She tried to find out what was causing it. From the small opening in the bottom, she couldn’t see anything inside that could be causing the wetness. She dabbed the tears with her index finger and held it under her nose. There was no scent to the liquid. She handed it to Blair.
“What do you think is causing this?”
Blair went through the same process as Cate. He turned the little statue all around before handing it back. “No idea. Rahni, did you put the ballerina under some water?”
“Nope.”
“Did you do anything to do her?”
“Nope. I just saw her crying and came down here to show you.”
Blair handed the statue to Charlie. She looked it over and gave it back to Rahni who was waiting patiently. “I have no idea.”
“Rahni, Honey, maybe keep her in the sun so she can dry out,” Cate suggested. Rahni nodded and ran back up the stairs. The adults looked at each other, all they could do was shake their heads in wonder.
* * *
That night, as they were all asleep on their makeshift beds in the living room, Charlie had just drifted off to sleep. The dream she was entering was vivid and clear, almost as if watching a movie.
She looked down and was in period clothing. The long purple nightgown that floated down to the floor was delicate and made out of soft cotton. Her blonde hair was falling down her back in a thick plait. She was creeping down the stairs, careful not to step on the one creaky floorboard. It was dark on the staircase and in the corridor. The only source of light was filtering out through the gap of a half-closed doorway. She tip-toed over to the door and stood outside, holding her breath so she wouldn’t be discovered.
Beyond the door she could hear two voices. One female, one male. They were talking freely, unaware they were being overheard.
“He will be arriving in two day’s time. We need to coach her, make her understand exactly what is required of her,” the male voice said. He had no emotion to his voice, it was as hard as a knife’s edge.
“I’ll go over it all with her. She’s not going to like it. I don’t even know if I like it. She won’t know him,” the female voice replied.
“I don’t care if she likes it or not. Our current situation is not working. We gave her a chance. Mr Potter’s son would have been acceptable but he found another girl because she didn’t do her job well enough.”
“There is always the other man. You know she is fond of him.”
“Don’t even speak his name. She is wasting her time with him. If she could put in half as much effort with Thomas than she is with him, then I will be happy. He is nothing to this family, he has proven that.”
“But he could be something. He could really help our family establish itself in this town.”
“He has had long enough and he hasn’t proven himself. What’s he done for us? Nothing. He is a mere thorn in our side now. Thomas will secure our future. He will take her back to England and tell everyone of our fortune over here. With that kind of match, our family will be unstoppable.”
“We will never see her again. She is my youngest child. Richard, I don’t want to be parted from her. The girls are going to be devastated. Please, isn’t there another way?” The woman’s voice was pleading.
“There is no other way. We gave her a chance, I have done everything possible for the girl. Now, it is time for her to do what’s best for this family. It’s not like we are sending her off to Africa. She’s going back to England. Isn’t she the one always complaining about missing the place?” There was no wavering in the man’s voice. He spoke very matter-of-factly.
“She’s only fifteen years old.”
“She will be sixteen by the time she leaves. Well old enough to be married. I expect there will be children in the near future also. What else could a girl hope for? She will have a wealthy husband and fat little children running around. You should be pleased for her, not mourning her departure.”
“Her husband will be a stranger to her.”
“A stranger? They are cousins, Elizabeth. Did they not play together only a decade ago? Did they not share every Christmas together since they were born? They are well suited.”
“She does not have a wife’s love for him. I can see she is in love with the other. I can see it in her eyes. She will never accept Thomas as her husband while he is still in her life.”
“Then we will forbid him from seeing her. Nothing is going to stop this marriage, Elizabeth. It is going to go ahead no matter what happens. We need this to go ahead. I cannot stress how important it is that we make stronger alliances. We are going under and it is a slippery slope indeed.”
Charlie started to weep. Wet tears rolled down her cheeks. She was uncertain exactly why she was suddenly so sad but overhearing the conversation had left a sinking feeling in her stomach. She wanted to burst through the door and shout at the couple. She would tell them exactly what she thought about Thomas and the impending marriage. It would do her good to get all her frustrations out of her system. She couldn’t though, and that’s probably what was hurting the most. Here were two people planning the rest of her life and yet she didn’t even get a say. She would be marrying a man who she didn’t really know and be forced to be a good wife to him. Resentment would only build until she utterly hated everything about her life.
She wiped the tears from her eyes and crept back upstairs. She found her bedroom next to the stairs and threw herself onto the bed. She buried her head on the pillow and screamed into it. The sound was muffled by the fabric, no-one would ever hear her desperate cries.
* * *
For the first time in days, Cate decided to stay home for the day. She was busy cleaning the house from top to bottom in an attempt to get the house spotless for the upcoming party. Her friends hadn’t been over to the house since the wake. She didn’t want them to think she had let the place go in James’ absence.
Blair was playing a game of Pictionary with Rahni, entertaining her with his obscure drawings. Charlie found a quiet corner in which to read some more of Eve’s diary. The place she had chosen was in the conservatory. The sun beamed in proudly through the glass wall and cast rays of light across the chaise lounge she was lying on. Had she not been able to remember how the room had come alive while the Priest was visiting, she would have felt totally at ease. Now, she always kept her senses on high alert.
The diary was proving interesting reading. The more days that passed in the diary, the more her dreams were starting to make sense. She had determined they were out of order, jumping back and forth through stages of Eve’s life. During the séance, she had asked Eve whether she was the one that was making her experience the night terrors. She had confessed to being the perpetrator. Now, she wasn’t so frightened of them. Charlie knew Eve was showing her some of the most important parts of her life. It was up to her to work out what
she was trying to tell her.
For a few weeks in the diary entries, there was no mention of Mr L or Thomas. Instead, Eve had spent much time with her two sisters. She would describe their outings into town and how the other villagers would stare at them. She liked to pretend she was a princess and they were bowing down to the family.
At other times, her sisters would take her walking through the estate. They weren’t allowed to leave the grounds alone, so they would walk right to the boundary and back again. On one occasion, they had become so overheated on their walk they decided to take an impromptu swim in the creek. They had stripped down to their underwear and bathed freely in the cool water. It would have been so scandalous had they been seen. Eve and her sisters had been unable to hide their adventure from the housekeeper though who had tattled to their parents. They had each received a whipping on their hands. Their dirty clothing had given them away in the end.
Eve seemed really happy during those few weeks. Her days were full of adventures and mischief similar to the swimming incident. There was an obvious bond and love between the three of them. Charlie could relate to it, her and Cate had shared the same experiences when they had been growing up. It was always the two of them against their parents. All in fun though as part of a natural rebellion. While Eve didn’t hide the fact she mistrusted her father, Charlie doubted whether she had the same feelings about her mother.
Charlie’s thoughts were interrupted by Blair entering the room. He sat at the end of the chaise lounge.
“Rahni beat me,” he admitted.
“You were beaten by a seven year old at Pictionary? What am I going to do with you?” Charlie laughed as Blair made a sad face, as if he was really wounded by the loss.
“I don’t know. I guess find me a four year old to play with. Maybe then I’ll have a chance at winning.”
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of music. Faintly, in the distance, a soft piano tune was floating around them.
“Did Rahni or Cate go upstairs?” Charlie asked. Blair shook his head in a negative response. They stood up and followed the sound. In the foyer, they were met by Cate and Rahni who were also looking for the source of the music. They had already discounted the television and the neighbours were too far away to be heard.
“I think it’s coming from upstairs,” Cate muttered, confused. They all started walking up the main staircase, following the music. As they reached the landing, it was getting louder. They looked from side to side, trying to work out whether they should go left or right. Eventually, they decided it was louder down the right hand side and followed the melody down the hallway. They passed the blue room which was sitting in silence. They reached the end of the corridor to the closed door of the upstairs living room.
“It’s in there,” Blair whispered. The sound of the piano was loud now, like they were standing right next to the source. It was a beautiful piece of music, a happy tune. All four of them stood there for several minutes listening to it. They waited there partly to hear more of the music, partly because they really didn’t want to open the door for fear of what they might see. Eventually, they had no choice. It was either stand there all afternoon, or open the door.
Blair placed his hand on the doorknob and twisted it. He slowly pushed the door open. As soon as it was open even a sliver, the piano stopped dead, the last note echoing in the empty room. They stepped inside.
“There’s no-one in here,” Charlie commented.
“That music was beautiful. Rahni, was that Alice playing the piano?” Cate asked.
Rahni shook her head. “Alice isn’t here. She’s still in the play room.”
Blair walked around the piano, inspecting it. “Can anyone else smell that?”
“I can. It smells like lavender,” Charlie replied.
“It’s so strong,” Cate agreed. “It’s like someone dropped a bottle of lavender perfume on the ground.”
“This is creeping me out. Let’s get out of here. Maybe the music will start again,” Blair ushered everyone out of the room and closed the door again. They waited just outside but the music didn’t start playing again. They retreated back downstairs.
* * *
Later that evening, just as they were preparing for bed, Rahni came running from the bathroom. She had a worried look on her face, something none of them were used to seeing.
“Is something wrong Rahni?” Charlie asked.
“Alice told me to tell you something,” Rahni replied, her voice barely audible. “She said something is coming.”
“Did she say what was coming, exactly?”
“She just said ‘something’. She said that he’s mad so something is coming.”
Charlie gave her niece a hug and assured her everything would be okay. She tried to believe it herself.
They all crawled into bed and closed their eyes. As usual, it was difficult to get to sleep. Charlie always wondered why it was so hard when night after night they had hardly any sleep. Surely they had to come to a point where exhaustion set in. They eventually drifted off and the house settled into silence.
In the early hours of the morning, something awoke Charlie. She thought she had felt a light tap on her shoulder. It was enough to wake her from her sleep, but delicate enough to wonder if it had happened at all. She turned over to check on Blair, he was silent beside her. She sat up and looked across at Cate and Rahni. They too were sound asleep. She looked past the archway that separated the foyer from the living room. From the corner of her eye, she thought for sure she saw something move. After only a moment’s hesitation, she pushed back the blankets and stood, careful not to wake any of the others.
Standing in the foyer, something moved again. This time, it was on the stairs. She followed it, turning on only the lights that were absolutely necessary. Normally she would have insisted someone accompany her upstairs, but she didn’t feel afraid.
At the top of the stairs, there was movement to the left. She walked down and saw the door to the green room was open. She knew it should have been closed. Standing in the doorway, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the chest move. It was still at the end of the bed where she and Blair had left it but now the lock was swinging back and forth. Charlie surveyed the room, something was out place. Lying on the bed was the pink dress that should have been in the chest with the rest of Eve’s belongings. She sat next to it, picking it up and resting it over her knees. She shivered as the temperature dropped.
Whether it was instincts or luck, as her hands ran across the dress, she felt something in the fabric. In the bottom hem of the dress was a round object. Carefully, she picked at the threads and managed to make a small gap in the stitching. She pushed the object through the hole and held it up for a closer examination. It was a small rose gold ring with a pattern of a flower curling through the band. It was tiny and delicate. Charlie tried to place it on her middle finger. It didn’t fit. She went through each of her fingers until she found the one where it fit best, the one second from the left - her wedding finger.
There was a tapping noise on the window that startled her. She quickly replaced the dress in the chest and hurried back downstairs to the living room. Blair was awake and sitting up, looking around the room.
“Where did you go?” He asked sleepily.
“Something woke me up. Look what I found,” Charlie handed him the ring. He looked it over before giving it back. “It was in Eve’s dress, sewn into the hem.”
“It’s a nice ring. What made you go upstairs?”
“I don’t know. I kept seeing something out of the corner of my eye. I think it was Eve, she led me to the green room. The dress was on the bed instead of in the chest.”
“She must trust you.”
“It fits on my wedding finger, see?”
“Cool. Let’s try and get some sleep. No more disappearing on your own, okay? I was worried.”
“Deal.” They snuggled into the bed and fell asleep, the ring still comfortably on Charlie’s hand.
> * * *
“Ring, Ring,” the phone shrilled from the foyer. It woke Charlie first and she made a quick dash for the receiver. As she did, she glanced at the grandfather clock, it was only seven o’clock in the morning.
“Hello? ... Hello? Damn you!” There was no-one on the line. She indelicately banged the receiver back onto the telephone.
From the corner of her eye, she saw movement in the hallway again. She spun around to get a better look. For a fleeting moment, she saw a young woman standing right in front of her. In that instant, she saw the woman was pleading. She had blonde hair and a face Charlie now recognised like she was an old friend. She had encountered Eve. In the next second, she was gone again.
Returning to the living room, the call had awoken everyone. They were all looking at her expectantly, waiting to see who was on the line at such an early hour.
“It was a ghost call again, no-one there,” Charlie explained.
They slowly arose and made it to the kitchen for a family breakfast. It took them longer to wake up that morning due to the unexpected early morning wake up call. Cate decided to stay home again and let Rahni play. For some reason, she said she didn’t feel as bad in the house over the last few days.
As the rain had cleared, she headed straight for the garden as soon as breakfast was over, Rahni in tow to help.
Blair and Charlie were left deciding what they should do with their day. They still had more of the diary to read and also a whole party to prepare for. Time was running out, the next day was Cate’s birthday. As they were making a ‘to do’ list for their chores, Sammy ran into the room barking angrily.
“Sammy! Stop barking,” Blair said sternly. The dog ignored him and ran back out of the kitchen. From the hallway, they could still hear him, except now, his barking was echoing in the long corridor.
Gifted Page 33
