Moorcroft - the Possession: Book One of the Moorcroft Trilogy (20 page)

“Hey lass, I don’t think this house will ever be the same again.”

Emily had started to take long walks; she couldn’t stand the horrid tensions in the house. She pulled the collar up on her coat and headed for the fields behind the house. She mulled over Sarah’s account of the incident, but she still couldn’t get her head round Victoria being chased by a ghost, she herself had seen many strange things happen in the house, but why would anyone want to hurt Victoria. Things between Richard and his father had got worse and John had started drinking again, what was she to do? She felt chilled and a fine drizzle of rain had begun. She stopped in her tracks and looked around, she hadn’t realised just how far she had walked. By the time she got back to Moorcroft she was soaked to the skin.

Charles met her at the door. “You had better go straight upstairs and have a hot bath; I’ll get Mrs Shaw to make you a cup of tea to warm you up.”

“Thank you Charles, what would we do without you?”

Sarah walked around the house as if in a trance. Henry had prescribed sedatives to help her sleep, but she still woke up screaming from bad dreams. The weight was falling off her and Charles was constantly worried. Emily had tried to get her to eat, but she said she had no appetite. It was inevitable that she would come face to face with Richard. Whenever she tried to talk to him he would walk away, leaving her devastated.

It all came to a head when Sarah entered the study unannounced. Richard and his father were rowing as normal with Charles trying to keep the peace. All eyes turned to look at Sarah. Richard tried to pass her but she refused to move. Richard shouted at her to get out of the way, but she stood her ground. Richard grabbed her arms and screamed in her face. “Get out of my way you murderer.” With great force he picked her up and threw her to the ground.

Charles was soon at her side and helped her to her feet. He glared at Richard. “If you lay one more finger on her you’ll have me to deal with.”

Richard laughed in his face. “Then get out of my house and take her with you because next time I may not be so lenient.”

John came and stood between them. “Now stop this Richard, this has gone on long enough.” Richard pushed him away and left the room. Emily heard the commotion and met Richard in the hall; he swept past her without a word.

In the study Charles picked Sarah up and sat her in an armchair, crouched at her side and held her hand. Her father brought her a glass of brandy but she pushed it away. She was in floods of tears as Emily entered the room. She rushed to her daughter’s side and gripped her hand. “What on earth has been going on here? Richard walked past me in the hall with a look of thunder on his face.”

John had been pacing the floor, he looked at his wife. “This can’t carry on, when is that boy going to realise that it was all a dreadful accident?”

Charles stood up and faced them both. “I have to agree, this can’t carry on, and I’d like to take Sarah to stay at my parents for a few weeks.” He turned and looked at Sarah and back at them and whispered. “She can’t eat, she can’t sleep and she’s losing weight, she’s on the verge of a nervous breakdown and I for one will not allow that, so with or without your permission I’m taking her away from this house and as far as Richard’s concerned, he can go to hell.” He saw the shock on Emily’s face. He took her hand in his. “I’m sorry but I really think it’s for the best.” He picked Sarah up and carrying her, left the room and headed for her bedroom, his intention was to pack and leave Moorcroft that same night.

Emily leant against her husband as they waved goodbye to their daughter. Emily refused to go inside until the lights of Charles’s car vanished into the night. There was a light drizzle and Emily stood looking up at the sky letting the rain mingle with her tears.

John ran into the house and came out with an umbrella and shaded his wife. “Come inside now, they’ve gone, you’ll catch your death of cold.”

She leant against him. “What’s happening to us John, our family is falling apart.”

He gave her a gentle squeeze. “We still have each other, now come inside, you’re shivering.” He removed her coat and sat her by the fire. He went and poured himself a generous whisky and drank it down in one go, and then he refilled his glass. He took a brandy over to Emily. “Here drink this it will warm you up.”

She pushed the glass away. “No, I think I will just go to bed, I’m exhausted.”

“Good idea, I’ll follow you up in a little while.” He stood in the doorway watching his wife slowly climb the stairs, and then he closed the door and poured himself another drink. He sat by the fire looking into its flames. What was he going to do, Emily was a broken woman and now he had lost his precious daughter. He rested his head in his hands, this was all Richard’s fault, that boy had a lot to answer for.

Richard sat in the barn leaning against some bales of hay a half empty bottle of whisky in his hand. He had been drinking steadily since the row in the study. He had watched Charles drive away and saw his mother collapse into his father’s arms. Damn that girl, damn them all. He almost had everything, the girl of his dreams, a lovely home and a family and friend to cherish, now it was all gone, he was alone. He stood and shouted into the night.”I don’t care, I don’t need anyone, I’m okay by myself.” He took another gulp of whisky and fell back against the straw bales. Charlotte hovered in the shadows and watched him, wanting to hold him close and comfort him. Richard saw a movement and looked into the gloom. “Who’s there?” He stood and staggered closer to her. Through his drunken haze he saw a woman. He gasped. “Is that you Victoria, have you come back to me?”

Charlotte screamed inside, it wasn’t supposed to be like this, he was to turn to her, forget that wretched woman. In her haste to leave she pushed Richard to the ground, she looked down on him, one day he would realise that she was the only woman for him.

He lay on the floor laughing and crying, and there he stayed, thinking of his lost love until he passed out.

Emily lay in her bed going over the events of the last few weeks. Everything had been going so well until Victoria started to get ill. Sarah had told her that the woman, Moorcroft’s ghost, had been tormenting her for weeks and the poor child thought she was going insane. On the day of her death the ghost had appeared before them both and had threatened to take Richard away from Victoria. The young woman had been running away from the ghost and not Sarah. Emily shivered and pulled the quilt tighter around her. It sounded like a scene from a film but her daughter wouldn’t lie to her and if her story was the truth it meant that Richard too was in danger. How was she to protect her son from something, someone, he didn’t believe in. She heard her husband open the door and creep to the bedside, she pretended to be asleep. He removed his clothes and slid beneath the sheet, she could smell the whisky on his breath. She turned on her side away from him and closed her eyes but sleep evaded her. Soon John was snoring beside her.

In the kitchen Mr Howard was describing the events of the night before to Mrs Shaw and Mary. They all sat at the table a cup of tea in their hand. Mrs Shaw looked closely at Mr Howard, an upstanding man, a disciplinarian, but even he looked worried. “What’s going to happen to this family, Mr Howard? Miss Victoria’s death has sent Master Richard over the edge, he always was short tempered but now he finds fault with everything and everyone, walking round the house like someone demented.”

Mr Howard shook his head. “I really don’t know Mrs Shaw. Mr Gardener and Master Richard argue all the time, there’s no pleasing him. He walked through the back door this morning in a crumpled suit, covered in dust and straw, and reeking of whisky. I think he spent the night in the barn. A very sad state of affairs I must say.”

Mrs Shaw collected the cups and walked over to the sink and voiced her concern. “It’s poor Mrs Gardener I feel sorry for. First the death of Miss Victoria and having to watch the devastating affects it had on both her children and then for her daughter Sarah and Master Charles leaving that way, she must be a broken woman and that husband of hers isn’t much help, walks about with a glum face all the time, I don’t think he even notices what’s going on under his very nose.”

“I think you may be a bit unfair to Mr Gardener, he doted on his daughter Sarah and was dependant on Master Charles for his business acumen, and he too is really cut up about them leaving.” The door opened and in walked one of the village girls and the conversation was ended.

Emily opened her eyes and rolled onto her back. Her head was throbbing and her body ached from head to foot. She eased herself out of bed and went to the bathroom. She gripped the basin as a wave of dizziness came over her. She must have caught a chill last night standing in the rain. She slowly dressed and made her way to the drawing room.

John was already sat there studying some papers. He stood up quickly and thrust the papers into his pocket.

“What was that John?”

He forced a smile. “Nothing for you to worry your pretty head over, how are you feeling, I must say you don’t look too good, come and sit down.”

“Have you seen Richard this morning?”

John shook his head. “No, I haven’t seen him since he stormed out of the study last night. He’ll be around somewhere. Have you had any breakfast?”

Emily shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”

“Nonsense, you must eat, keep your strength up. I’ll get Mrs Shaw to make up a tray and you can have it in here by the fire.” With that he was out of the door and heading for the kitchen.

Upstairs Richard showered. He too had a throbbing headache. He took a couple of tablets and dressed quickly. He would take Dancing Lady out for her exercise and call on a few tenants at the same time and chase up their rent. He had had enough of this stalling, it was time to make a stand and show them who was boss around here. In the kitchen he was met with a wall of silence. “Mrs Shaw if you can tear yourself away from your tittle tattle could you make me some toast and a cup of coffee, I’m off to the stables I’ll be back in a minute.”

“Do you want this in the dining room or will you collect it yourself?”

“Just do what you’re paid for and take it to the dining room.”

Before she could say anything else he had gone out of the door. In the yard he could see that the stable doors were open, he went inside and shouted for Eddie. “I want Dancing Lady saddled up, I’m taking her out. I’ll be back here in ten minutes, have her ready.”

He walked into the dining room just as Mary was leaving. “Mary don’t go I need a word with you.”

Mary stood before him and watched him eat. He had a sip of coffee and sat back in his chair and stared at her. She had always thought him a good looking man but today he had a dark grim look about him.

“Mary how long have you worked here?”

“Twenty two years, sir.”

“How come you never married?”

“Never found the right man, sir.”

“And you live with your mother in the village?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Okay, that’s all I wanted to know, you can go now. If you see Mr Howard, ask him to come and see me will you?”

Mary left the room and hurried back to the kitchen, fancy Master Richard asking all those questions, what was he up to? She rushed back to the kitchen to tell her mother.

Richard finished his breakfast and headed for the stables. Eddie was standing outside gently stroking the horse and whispering in her ears. Richard grabbed the reins and without a word mounted Lady and was riding out of the gates. Eddie watched him go, shaking his head.

John was in the drawing room pacing the floor a bunch of papers gripped in his hand, thankfully Emily hadn’t seen them. Poor Emily was now resting in her bed unaware that the Moorcroft estate was about to go bankrupt. He walked to his study and sat looking at the letter from his bank. The money from the sale of the farm hadn’t even made a dent in his borrowings. What was he to do, how could he tell Emily that her home was under threat of repossession, and Richard, all hell would break loose when he was told. He went and poured himself a drink and then another, bracing himself for the inevitable battle that would follow.

When Richard returned to Moorcroft he was in an even worse mood than when he had left. He dismounted and threw the reins in Eddie’s direction and without a word went into the house. Dancing Lady was breathing heavily and sweating, Richard had been riding her hard. In the hall he hung up his coat and kicked off his boots. He opened up the kitchen door and came face to face with Mr Howard. “Good, I’d like to see you in the drawing room, and Mary will you bring me a cup of tea?”

In the drawing room Richard paced the floor until Mr Howard knocked and walked into the room. “At last, come in and sit down.”

“I’d rather stand if you don’t mind sir.” He moved over by the window, he felt uncomfortable. Richard continued pacing. He stopped and looked into the man’s worried face. “I won’t beat about the bush, I want you to sack all other staff except you, Eddie and Mary, everyone else can go.”

“But sir, does your father agree with this?”

“Don’t question my authority. Now that there are only three living in the house I hardly think we need a multitude of people to take care of us.”

“But sir, what about the fires in the morning, the laundry, the waiting on?”

“Oh I’m sure you can cope between you, if you can’t I’ll just have to get someone who can. Now go and tell the others, they’ll all be paid a week’s wages and no more.”

Mr Howard left the room and bumped straight into Emily.

“Mr Howard what ever is the matter, you look awful?”

He shook his head. “I think you should talk with your son, Mrs Gardener, he’s in the drawing room.”

“What has he done now?”

“He’s just told me to give most of the staff notice to quit.”

A look of shock crossed her face. “Leave this to me Mr Howard, don’t say anything to anyone until I‘ve got this sorted.”

He nodded and sloped away.

Richard was leaning with his back to the fire when his mother entered the room. “Richard, what do you think you are doing dismissing the staff in this way?”