by Nell Dixon
John nodded his agreement, his thick, dark blond hair tinged with flame in the eerie light from the fire. He steered Victor past Fae and out toward the hallway.
As they passed her, a cold gust of air appeared to spring from nowhere, raising goosebumps on her arms. Looking ahead, a tiny dot of light floated and danced in the air near the doorway.
"Bob, can you film that? We've got an orb!" Fae grabbed Bob's sleeve.
They all paused and watched the small fragment of light shimmer and flicker before drifting off into the inky darkness of the hall.
"Wow, that was a good one." Bob muttered.
"Come on. Let's get moving." Fae wanted to get out of the room. The atmosphere had grown increasingly thick and oppressive while they had been filming. She wondered if it was possible for Giles to have rigged up an orb.
She clutched nervously at the back of Bob's jacket as they moved forward again. She wished John was with her to hold her tight and make her feel safe, but he was still ahead of her, supporting Victor, who was slowly recovering from his trance.
They had reached the door when a loud crash behind them made them all turn. John instantly produced his torch to reveal the books that had been set up to fall earlier — they had been triggered.
"Do you think our host is up to pranks?" Fae asked, keeping her voice low. Maybe Giles had created the light sparks in the hallway.
"I'll let Tim know. He can do a check." Gabe's voice came from outside the room as he vanished from sight.
"We have to hurry. We go back live again in a couple of minutes." Fae wished her pulse would slow down. Even though she knew the books toppling from the table was staged, it still made her uneasy.
She tried to listen for any sound of movement from the far end of the hall near the dining room. If Giles had pulled the string to make the books fall, he had to escape from the dining room, and there was only one door that she knew of, apart from the one in the priest hole.
Moving more rapidly, they made their way into the dining room. The table had been cleared from dinner, and a new cloth laid. There was no sign of Giles or of anyone else having been in there.
Chapter Six
John pulled out the heavy, carved oak chair at the head of the table and assisted Victor into a seat. He looked around for Fae, struggling to see her in the darkness.
Someone, he guessed Gabe, tugged the rich velvet drapes back from the window to allow a little more light into the room, not that it made much difference. Fae was near the door, her delicate features a pale oval in the gloom.
He knew that Victor's trance and the books toppling would have unnerved her, and he was trying to edge his way across the room to be near her when the next segment of the show commenced.
"Welcome back to Fingelly Manor. While you were away, we filmed an orb in the main drawing room, and now we've moved on to the dining room. This is another area of the house where the family have reported seeing and hearing strange and unexplainable things." Fae sounded confident and professional. She stepped further into the room and began to make her way to the window.
Bob went with her, keeping his camera trained on her face. John guessed she wanted to make a panoramic shot of the table area, making the best of the poor light from the window.
He moved back into the shadows, trying to stay near her but out of view of the camera. Victor seemed to have returned to his normal self and remained in his seat while Fae continued to describe the room to the viewers.
Tim's voice sounded in his earpiece. "Mags says Giles isn't answering his mobile, and he didn't come to his door when she knocked. The old couple upstairs were in their rooms watching TV when she checked on them."
The prickly sense of unease that had been building all evening flared into new life. Giles missing and some stranger prowling around the grounds had him on high alert.
"Stay with Fae. I'll get Gabe back here to patrol the hall in case anyone tries anything stupid," Tim continued.
John looked around and caught a glimpse of Gabe's bright blue sweater as he slipped out of the room. He was slightly reassured, knowing Gabe would be guarding the room, but somebody had been in the dining room earlier to stage the book toppling, and no one appeared to have seen them leave.
Fae had handed over to Victor. Bob was crouched at a lower level, aiming for a dramatic close-up of Victor's face as he talked about the impressions he was receiving from this part of the manor. John noticed Fae kept glancing out the window, as if she expected to see the man who had peered at them earlier to suddenly reappear out of the fog.
Orbs appeared above Victor's head, first just one tiny dart of light. Another two quickly followed, winking and flashing as they moved around. Bob continued to film, capturing it all for the audience watching from the comfort and safety of their homes.
John felt rather than saw Fae's gaze seeking him out in the darkness, and he wished he could be close enough to offer her the reassurance of his touch.
"Great stuff with the orbs. This shoot is turning out better than I'd hoped." Tim's voice sounded in his ear as the producer issued instructions to Fae and Bob.
A shout sounded from the hallway.
"Gabe!" What had happened in the hall? He hurried to the door, just behind Bob and Victor.
He pulled his flashlight from his pocket and shone it along the hallway. Gabe lay prone on the carpet, a few feet from the door to the dining room.
"What's going on?" Tim's voice sounded in his ear, followed by the London studio cutting the live feed.
Gabe pulled himself to a sitting position to rest his head in his hands.
Tim appeared from the music room, carrying another flashlight. "What happened? Gabe, are you hurt?"
"I'm okay, I think. Something or somebody came at me out of the darkness, and I ended up on the floor." Gabe sounded shaken.
"Are you all right to carry on?" Tim helped him to his feet.
"I think so. Just be careful, everybody." He brushed the dust from his jeans and sweater.
"Okay, we're going back to live feed in thirty seconds. Back to your places." Tim hurried back down the hall.
"You sure you're okay?" John asked Gabe.
The other man nodded. "Fine. I don't know quite what happened. I thought I felt someone push me hard in the centre of my back. Stay alert; there's something weird going on here."
John turned to re-enter the dining room to find Victor at the doorway.
"Stay close to Fae. There is something wrong here tonight." The older man's whisper rasped through the darkness, sending a chill along his spine.
Fae had vanished into the room. His heart thumped for a second in panic before he heard her talking to camera and realised they were back live. Victor melted away into the dining room to join Fae.
John paused for a moment to collect his thoughts before re-entering the room to continue his watch from the corner. It was lucky that Gabe hadn't been hurt, but who or what had attacked him? And why?
****
Fae tried not to allow her fears for Gabe's safety distract her from her work. They only had a few more minutes in the dining room before the live feed would cut again for the next commercial break. Then it would be the segment she dreaded filming. The next stop for the shoot was in the disused nursery on the first floor.
"Okay, guys, and we're out for twenty minutes. Mags has the kettle on, if you want a quick cuppa before the next part of the show." Tim sounded stressed.
Fae was glad to escape the chilly gloom of the dining room for the marginally warmer brightness of the kitchen. Blinking, she waited for her vision to adjust before taking one of the steaming mugs of tea from the table.
In the light, she could see that although Gabe still looked shaken, he bore no physical sign of injury.
"What happened, Gabe?" she asked, cradling her mug in her hands.
"I honestly don't know. It was pitch dark in the hall, and I thought I heard a noise at the far end, near the front door. I set off to try and see what it was, and then wham
! I was flat on my back on the floor. I don't know if I was pushed or what. It felt like somebody shoved me from behind, but I can't be certain."
Fae noticed his fingers were still trembling where he clasped his mug. The strange incident had clearly shaken him up.
"Do you think it could have been Giles, or maybe that guy who was out in the grounds?" Mags’s eyes were wide over the brim of her mug.
Gabe shrugged. "I never saw who or what it was."
"I don't like this at all. It's not on when my staff are assaulted." Tim adjusted the green knitted scarf he had tucked around his neck. His usually jovial plump face bore an indignant expression, reminding Fae of a disgruntled turkey cock. "London are checking feed from the motion sensors in the hall and the infra-red remote camera. It's caused an enormous stir in the audience."
"There's not much we can do now. We have ten more minutes, then we're back on air for the final part of the show. Once we've finished filming, we can go in search of Giles and try to get to the bottom of this." John placed his hand on her waist.
Just having him near her, holding her, made the world of difference. He gave her a gentle tug towards him, and she leaned on him for a wonderful, precious moment. She wished the shoot was over, and she and John were safely away from Fingelly, its curse, its ghost, and its creepy owner.
Tim clapped his hands together. "Break over, people. Final segment is up in the nursery. Take care, everyone. Any sign of trouble, I'll cut the feed, the lights are going on, and London will take over till the end of the show."
Reluctantly, Fae replaced her mug on the table and prepared to follow the others back into the icy, silent darkness of the hall and stairwell.
"Fae, try to stay near me if you can. Victor is worried, and so am I. I don't like this place." John's head was close to hers, his gaze intent as he looked into her eyes.
"I want to finish up and go home," she confessed.
"Not long." His lips met hers, and ignoring Mags’s clucks about wrecking her makeup, she allowed herself to surrender to his kiss.
"Come on." He squeezed her hand, and together they climbed the oak staircase toward the nursery.
At least it was slightly warmer inside the old nursery than it had been on the stairs. The fire had taken away some of the chill from the air. Bob positioned himself next to the fireplace so he could scan the room. Victor was next to the cobwebbed doll's tea party, and Gabe remained outside the door to keep watch. John released Fae's hand and moved into the shadows as Tim began to count them in for the live feed.
She felt strangely bereft at the loss of his touch, and it took her a moment to refocus on her work. "Welcome back to Fingelly Manor, and we've now come upstairs to the old nursery."
Her hand flew to her mouth, smothering a shriek as one of the dolls teacups began to vibrate on its saucer. The china chattered and rattled as the agitation grew. Fae watched, her pulse racing as Bob zoomed in to get a better shot. Just as he drew closer, the cup rose into the air and flew across the room to smash against the wall cupboard.
"I don't know what happened there. That was amazing. Bob, did you capture that for our viewers?" She could hear excitement in the London studio as they discussed the drama unfolding at Fingelly.
"I'm just going to look at the fragments now." She picked her way across the room, intent on checking the broken pieces of the cup to see if it had been rigged, like the books downstairs.
It was hard to tell in the poor light, but she couldn't see anything to make her suspect trickery.
"Fae, look out!" John warned.
She moved aside just in time before another teacup hurtled across the room toward her. It missed her by inches, smashing harmlessly into tiny pieces.
"Hannah insists you try to help her find her baby. They must be reunited and laid in consecrated ground, or the laird will die." Victor's voice, unnaturally high and tinged once more with a broad Scots brogue, echoed across the room.
John was at her side, his arm across her shoulders to move her to a safer place even as Tim roared, "Cut the feed!" in her earpiece.
Gabe had entered the room, and he clicked the switch on the wall, flooding the room with light. Victor stood, rigid, next to the fireplace, his eyes blank and staring.
"You must find Hannah's bairn." He raised his hand and pointed at Fae.
Blood roared in her ears, and she thought she might pass out. What on earth was happening?
How could she find out what had happened to a maid and her illegitimate child all those years ago? And why pick on her, anyway?
Victor's arm fell back by his side, and before she could move, the elderly clairvoyant slumped to the floor.
Chapter Seven
Tim and Mags burst into the room.
"What happened in here? Check his pulse," Tim ordered as Gabe and Bob bent over Victor. Tim already had his mobile phone in his hand, ready to dial for an ambulance.
"He's okay. He's coming round. Think he must have fainted," Bob said.
Fae blinked, trying to hold back tears that threatened to fall. "Is he okay?" Her feet felt rooted to the floor. If it hadn't have been for John's quiet support, she might have joined Victor in falling to the ground. Her legs had grown so weak.
Bob and Gabe supported Victor to sit up.
"I'll get you some water, Victor duckie." Mags dashed away, and Fae heard her heels thumping down the stairs to the kitchen.
"Do you need an ambulance? A doctor?" Tim asked, peering at Victor.
The elderly medium shook his head. "It's been a good many years since I was so overwhelmed by a spirit."
John's arm tightened around Fae's shoulders.
"What did Hannah mean, Victor? How can I help her? She hurled teacups at me." Fae stared at the shattered china fragments littering the floor around her feet. Someone or something had thrown china at her. It seemed a peculiar way to persuade somebody to help.
Mags clumped back into the room, bearing a glass of water. "Here you go, Victor."
Tim frowned. "London are asking if we can go live again to end the show. Viewers are concerned about Victor. Apparently the switchboard is lit up like a Christmas tree, and thanks to the social media outlets, the ratings are through the roof."
Victor nodded his assent. "I'm fine, now." Gabe helped him to his feet and provided him with his arm to lean on.
"Are you okay?" John asked Fae, his brow creased with concern.
She nodded. She was a professional. She'd somehow manage to convince the viewers all was well and close the show. Then she intended to get to the bottom of this mystery.
"Counting you in then, people." Tim tugged Mags out of the camera shot as Fae took her place next to Victor.
Fae wasn't quite sure afterwards how she got through the next few minutes. Somehow she continued to present the show on autopilot while her mind busied itself with trying to link all the crazy things that had happened at Fingelly.
"That's a wrap, guys." Tim unhooked her earpiece, the tension creases on his face relaxing.
"That's a relief. Victor, duckie, you look all in." Mags fussed around the elderly clairvoyant, and Gabe helped him out of his microphone pack and earpiece.
Fae watched as Mags led Victor away. Tim, Bob, and Gabe were engrossed in conversation. She folded her arms and shuffled her feet on the dusty carpet in an attempt to get warm. The fire had died down since they had started filming, and the chill that pervaded the rest of the house had begun to seep into the nursery.
"Well done for getting through that." John wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She rested her head on his shoulder, enjoying the security and warmth of his embrace.
"You know we're not done here though, right? We have to get to the bottom of this craziness, and Giles holds the key." She kept her voice low so the others wouldn't hear. She knew Tim wouldn't be very happy if he discovered she planned to go sleuthing around the manor.
"I wonder where he's gone? Mags was adamant that he wasn't in his apartment." John's breath blew warm
against her cheek.
"I don't know, but I think we should wrap up and go out to those trees on the far side of the lawn. There's something going on out there. Maybe Giles went to meet the man who looked in through the window. He might even be in trouble of some kind. It's not long till his birthday, and if the curse is real, he could be in danger."
"Brr. Anyone else want another cup of tea before bed? I can't feel my toes—I'm that cold." Mags reappeared at the doorway.
"We can slip away while everyone is in the kitchen," John murmured.
Fae nodded her assent as they followed the others down the stairs. The former ominous menace of the hall appeared diluted under the weak glow of the wall lights. Even so, Fae was glad to be inside the kitchen with the rest of the production team. Company and a warm drink would fortify her for the rest of the night's adventures.
"Well, it's been a queer night tonight, all right." Mags busied herself with the kettle.
"I'll be glad to see the back of this place tomorrow, that's for certain." Bob shivered and rubbed his hands together before blowing on his fingers.
"Yes, I shall be having words with our host in the morning about the events of tonight. I'm not sure how much was planned or rigged and how much was genuine supernatural activity." Tim adjusted his scarf. His pleasantly rounded face registered his displeasure.
"Funny he didn't answer earlier when I knocked on his door. I gave it a fair old clout," Mags mused as she poured boiling water into an old blue teapot.
"He didn't answer his phone, either." Tim frowned.
"Maybe he took some of them sleeping tablets. My dad has some of them. You could have a brass band playing next to his bed, and he wouldn't hear them," Bob suggested as he accepted his mug of tea from Mags.
Fae guessed by the expressions of everyone's faces that no one really bought Bob's proffered explanation for Giles's failure to respond, but they all muttered assenting sounds and sipped their tea.
The hot drink revived Fae's flagging spirits, and she waited for her chance to slip away. It would be slightly awkward, as she was sharing a guest bedroom with Mags, but she knew her friend wouldn't be in a hurry to go upstairs. With luck, she could be back inside the house before anyone noticed she was gone.
