The Haunting

by Raymond M Hall

  After breakfast, she left. Sebastian offered to drive her wherever she needed to go but declining with that little tinkling laugh he had already come to love, she said she would be just fine on her own. She promised to return that evening, after dark.

  ‘I’ll make us some dinner.’ He said, his heart already beating faster with the thought that they would spend another night together.

  ‘Lovely.’ She replied as she passed through the doorway and out into the yard. A wave and she was gone, around the side of the house and out onto the road. Sebastian couldn’t bear to part and raced out for one last wave. He looked up the road towards Upper Marston, but of Briony, there was no trace. He stood in the middle of the road, heedless of any traffic which at any moment could bowl him over. Where had she gone?

  Chapter 25

  With Luke firmly at the reins, the bakery continued to expand. The population of Norfolk, in the New World Colony of Virginia, was growing rapidly and people needed to eat. The staple diet consisted of bread for the larger part of the population but demand soon outstripped supply, and Luke was working harder than ever. Ben proved to be a tremendous asset to the business and Luke decided to take on more Irishmen as indentured servants. Their wage consisted of food and board, so the profits of the bakery soared. The new bank in town threw open its doors to industrious businessmen like Luke, and he was soon a highly valued and revered customer.

  By the end of the first year, after he had taken over the business, he had three indentured bakers working for him, turning out hundreds of loaves every day. Ben was put in charge of the other bakers, and with his wife, Lucy and their new baby boy occupied quarters at the rear of the premises, which had been tacked onto the bakery. Luke purchased the vacant block next door and commissioned plans for an extended shop together with housing at the rear for the other bakers and shopgirls, who were growing in number. With virtually no labour costs the bank account was soon bulging at the seams. Richard’s widow, Maggie, was more than happy to give over complete control of the business to Luke, being content to sit at the back of the shop and chat to all the customers. She was getting on in years and relied heavily on Luke who looked on her fondly as the mother he had never really known.

  Over the next three years, the business became one of the most successful in town and Luke was well aware that a significant part of the success was due in no small part to the industry of Ben. Together with Lucy and their three children, Ben had taken up residence in a smart new house Luke had built on yet another vacant block adjacent to the business. Luke approached the authorities and with his new standing in the community managed to convince them to release Ben from his indenture.

  It was a happy day in the Reilly household when Luke gathered them together and produced the documents releasing both Ben and Lucy from their indentures. He didn’t mention that the children would, in law, technically remain the property of Maggie. That right would, he knew, never be exercised by her. She considered herself as grandma to all three plus any subsequent little ones that might eventuate in the future, almost a certainty with that fertile pair. But, Luke wasn’t finished. With the full agreement of Maggie, he produced a legally drawn up document stating that Ben was now a full partner in the business. Eventually, reality set in and the couple, holding hands, danced around the room much to the delight of Maggie, Luke and the laughing children.

  Under Ben’s accomplished management the business took on another growth spurt, and Luke was able to step back. It was now ten years since arriving in Norfolk Town and he still missed and yearned for Bethany. No one else had even come close, and he doubted he would ever accept another into his life. Luke needed to find his wife.

  And so it was, after ten years in the colony he stood at the quayside looking up at the ship that would take him back to England. He wasn’t leaving for good; he intended by all and any means to locate Bethany and return with her to the New World so she could share in the life of wealth and luxury he had built up around himself. She had been firmly in his mind for the entire ten years; everything was for her. For himself he wanted nothing.

  Dear Maggie had passed away only a few months previously, and she was sadly missed by the entire extended family which she had so graciously nurtured. Her will had been executed, and her entire estate passed to Luke. He, in turn, shared it with Ben and Lucy, making them equal partners in the bakery business.

  Before setting sail for England, Luke had his will drawn up, it would be a long and arduous voyage, anything could happen, and he wanted no loose ends should the unthinkable occur. He left his entire estate to Bethany on the proviso that if she could not be located within one year of his death, his estate would pass to Ben and Lucy in its entirety.

  He looked up at the ship and laughed out loud. The irony of the situation couldn’t be ignored. The name on the bow stood proudly. It was the ‘Black Swan’. The same ship which had brought him to Virginia from England in chains. This time he would be travelling as a first class passenger, occupying the best cabin aboard. He walked up the gangplank to be greeted by the Captain, a different one he realised breathing a sigh of relief. He assumed after ten years the crew would also have changed, they rarely remained with the same vessel for any length of time.

  Luke was shown to his cabin and his baggage secured therein. An old sailor had been assigned to him as steward, and he waited deferentially for any further orders.

  ‘What’s your name?’ Asked Luke.

  ‘Wilson, Sir.’ Replied the sailor.

  Luke stared at the man, recognising the voice, dragging it up from his memory. The last time he heard that voice it had addressed him and others as scum. It was the coarse sailor who had shown how to use the latrine when he had been put aboard this same ship as an unwilling guest secured in manacles and chains. Luke smiled at the man, time had not been kind to the sailor, it was a harsh life at sea, and the elements were cruel to both muscle and flesh. The sailor looked twenty years older instead of ten. He would never have recognised Luke and Luke had no intention of jogging his memory.

  ‘Anything you want, sir, just call for old Dan, always happy to oblige.’ The sailor said tugging at his forelock in the ancient sailors’ salute to their superiors.

  Luke assured him he would be the first to know should he require anything during the voyage. ‘What cargo do you carry?’ He asked as an afterthought.

  ‘Sugar, sir, as usual. We carry sugar to England then load up with Gypoes and Irish swine for the return journey.’

  ‘I see.’ Said Luke, putting on a haughty manner, imitating those he had heard at the bank in their silk jackets with plantations full of slaves of all breeds and colours. He disliked those particular gentlemen knowing of their cruel treatment of the people under them.

  ‘That will be all for now, Dan, I’ll call if I need you.’ Luke said, dismissing him with the wave of a hand. He glared at the man’s back as he turned to leave. He was very courteous, but Luke had no doubt as to his treatment of the unfortunates who would be sailing with him on the return journey.

  The voyage to Bristol was swift and uneventful. They had a following wind all the way and rather than buffeting through enormous waves ran before them, although Luke found the yawing motion a little disturbing until he got his sea legs. Dan was at his beck and call night and day and his obsequious attitude began to annoy Luke to the point of distraction. He knew only too well from first hand experience how obnoxious the man would be to the next human cargo.

  They docked in Bristol on a dark misty morning, and Luke felt his heart sink to the bottom of his boots. He hadn’t missed England in the slightest and was only here to find Bethany. Ten years was a long time, but Luke was determined to reunite with her. Somehow he knew she had not travelled far from Lower Marston and he was convinced he would find her nearby.

  The Black Swan had finished her voyage, and Luke was obliged to disembark. He knew nothing of Bristol but he was a man of means now, and money opened all doors. He quickly found the best hotel in the ci
ty and reserved a room. The man at the reception desk reacted in the same way as Dan aboard ship, rubbing his hands together and bowing in a show of deference which turned Luke’s stomach. In Virginia, men had respect for each other and their particular place in life, respect had to be earned, but this was the old world, remaining steeped in the traditions of serfdom. Luke knew it was his apparent wealth which made others deferential to him, however, if they knew of his background then no matter what his monetary worth might be he would be looked down upon by everyone, from the highest to the lowest. In this place, it was ‘breeding’ that counted, nothing else. He found himself wishing and hoping he could find Bethany and leave, never to return.

  He was forced to consider the overland route to his old home as there would be a long wait for a coastal ship to transport him around the coast to Kings Lynn, the original port where he had been thrown into the hold in chains. Maybe it was for the best, for in that small port there may well be those that might recognise him.

  There was a stage leaving the following day bound for London, and he booked a seat. He spent the rest of the day looking about Bristol and purchased some new clothes, not too many as he wanted to travel light. He was astounded by the amount of beggars and prostitutes lolling in the streets. The women paraded in the main road, and at the corner of a side street, they could be seen trying to attract customers by hooking their thumb and indicating the alleyway where they had rooms in which to conduct their business. Luke considered it a brave man who would risk following one of these women down a dark alley to who knew what? He had been staring at a particularly unattractive woman as he pondered and she took this for a yes, indicating that he should walk over to her. As he approached, he saw she was not as old as he had at first thought. Her rough clothing and dirty face masked a young girl not yet mature enough to be even considered a woman. She put out her tiny hand and grabbed at his sleeve.

  ‘C’mon Mister, I ain’t eaten for two days, spare a young girl a little of your time for a few pence, please.’

  Luke tried to shrug her off, telling her no. But she persisted,

  ‘I’ll show you a good time, honest I will, and I’ll do it for tuppence.’

  Luke was feeling a little embarrassed as people were beginning to look at him in a disparaging way as they passed by. A rather portly man approached and took the girl’s hand,

  ‘C’mon then my lovely, let’s see what you’ve got, I’ll give you your tuppence and more if you show promise.’

  The young girl released Luke’s hand and made to follow the other man down the alleyway. He took a firm hold of her wrist and dragged her along. She looked over her shoulder, and the look in her eyes as she met Luke’s was too much for him to bear. He chased after the pair and rounded on the man.

  ‘I’ll pay a shilling for her.’ He said.

  The other man retained his grip on the girl as he met Luke’s eyes.

  ‘After me, you can have her and pay your shilling for what’s left!’ He exclaimed, crudely.

  Luke was unruffled.

  ‘I’ll buy her from you for a florin, that’s twelve times what she’s worth.’ He said, producing the coin and showing it to him between a finger and thumb.

  The portly man sneered,

  ‘Like ‘em young do you? If that’s the case you can pay me a crown, but I’ll still have her first, you can watch if you like.’

  Luke sighed as he realised this man was not about to release the child. The man was reasonably dressed but mistook Luke’s superior new clothes for those of a gentleman and was dismissing him as a weakling and unlikely to challenge him in any physical context.

  Luke struck the man hard and fast; he never saw the blow coming and buckled at the knees releasing his grip on the girl at the same time. He knelt on the cobbled street wheezing heavily as Luke bent to whisper in his ear.

  ‘If I see or hear from you again I shall have you arrested and hanged for raping this young girl. She will attest this to be true, and with my influence, you will be sure to swing. Do I make myself clear?’

  The man nodded miserably, and Luke stood up, taking the young girl by the hand. Instead of proceeding down the alley to the girl’s place of business he walked with her back up and out onto the main road.

  ‘Now young lady, do you have a home?’ He asked.

  ‘No.’ She answered.

  ‘Parents?’ Luke asked.

  ‘No.’ She said, adding, ‘C’mon mister let’s go somewhere, you can give me the florin and for that, you can do anything you like.’

  Luke maintained his hold on her hand and led her to his hotel. He walked into the foyer, and the obsequious manager suddenly found some backbone.

  ‘Now, sir, we can’t allow prostitutes in the hotel, those are the rules, begging your pardon.’

  Luke pulled himself up to his full height.

  ‘This, sir, is my niece. She has just been waylaid in the street, and luckily I was on hand to intervene. I saw her attacker off in no uncertain terms but not before her clothes were torn. Now, if you don’t mind, you will arrange for a warm bath and a seamstress to attend on me within the hour.’

  Luke’s attitude left no room for argument, and the manager was once again reduced to his previous grovelling manner. The girl began to laugh but Luke’s hand tightened around her own in warning, and she changed the laugh into a sob.

  Once in his room, the girl looked about her in wonder. She had never seen such opulence. She was still standing there with her mouth open when two servants brought in a large hip bath and set it down on the floor in front of the fire. Luke gently lifted her bottom lip up to close her mouth with a finger as he addressed the servants.

  ‘Now, I shall need this fire made and a goodly supply of warm water. Bring towels and soap, none of your everyday stuff, only the best will do for my brother’s daughter.’

  The servants scurried off to do his bidding. As soon as they had left the room, the girl could contain herself no longer and burst out laughing. Luke joined in, and they were both still chuckling when the water arrived and fuel for the little fire.

  When all was ready, Luke indicated to the girl that she should strip off her dirty clothes and immerse herself in the warm water.

  ‘What’s your name, girl?’ He asked.

  ‘Mary.’ She replied.

  ‘And how old are you?’

  ‘Don’t know.’ She said, and he felt saddened. This poor girl had probably been fending for herself for some time. Maybe she would survive but at what cost? Luke doubted she would make old bones. He guessed she would be no more than twelve years old; it was not uncommon to see young girls plying their trade on the streets. England was a very unforgiving environment for the young and destitute.

  Before he could turn his back, she had stripped and paraded before him. Luke turned away from her,

  ‘Okay, now, into the tub and get yourself washed, there’s perfumed soap and make sure you use it.’

  Mary gave a little moue of displeasure,

  ‘What’s wrong with me? Don’t you fancy me then?’ She asked, standing naked with hands on hips.

  Luke replied, speaking to the far wall.

  ‘Mary, you are still a child. I’m here to find my wife who I haven’t seen for ten years, and that is my sole purpose for being back in this accursed country. Do I, fancy you? No, I don’t and neither should any civilised man. You are young and as such should be cared for, not abused. Now get into the water and enjoy the bath.’

  Mary was mollified by his remarks and allowed herself to sink back into childhood,

  ‘I ain’t never had a bath. Heard about them but never been in one.’ She said, looking at the inviting water in wonderment.

  ‘Well, get in then.’ Said an exasperated Luke.

  The splash made him turn around. She was buried up to her chin in the warm water and smiling innocently. Luke was pleased that for once she could be a child without the harsh realities of the outside world sitting heavily on her young shoulders. He laid out the towe
ls ready for her when she emerged. She should, he explained, wrap herself in them and remain that way until the seamstress had arrived to take her measurements.

  ‘What do you mean?’ She asked, only her head poking out of the water.

  ‘I mean to buy you new clothes as befits a young lady of means.’

  ‘But, I ain’t got no means.’ She replied.

  ‘But I have, and I was once as poor as you, I understand what it’s like.’ He said, thinking back over the last ten years.

  The seamstress arrived and the next hour was taken up in measuring and choosing materials. Luke left them to it and went to the stage office. He cancelled his seat for the following day and booked instead for three days time. He booked the seats in his name and explained to the clerk that his niece would now be joining him.

  When he arrived back at the hotel, the seamstress was waiting. He ordered three dresses for Mary together with underskirts and drawers, insisting they be delivered within two days. The woman readily agreed and left with a handsome deposit clutched in her hand.

  Luke couldn’t believe the change in Mary, she had transformed into a young girl, and he was pleased, telling her of their intended destination. She listened carefully, and he could see the doubt creep across her face. Nobody had ever done anything for her that didn’t require payment of some sort, usually of a physical nature.

  ‘Mary, I want you to be my niece, that’s all. Once I find my wife we will all go back to Virginia together, as a family, would you like that?’ Luke said, sitting down beside her.

  Mary relaxed back into a child once more,

  ‘Oh, yes please.’ She whispered.

  Luke smiled affectionately,

  ‘Do you have a last name?’

  ‘I think it’s Skully or something like that.’ She replied looking a little uncertain.

  ‘Then you shall take my family name.’ Luke asserted.

  Mary nodded her head in agreeance but was still quite confused about everything. Only a little while ago she had been a streetwise young prostitute, used to living on her wits, but here she was being offered a life of luxury and comfort, and from a complete stranger.