And then, the following morning, missus herself provided me with the means of revenge when she came to find me in the kitchen. She looked ill-slept.
“Bessy dear,” she says. “There are cobwebs on the hall ceiling. I want them brushed away, please. You will need to use the ladders.”
“Yes marm,” I says. “I’ll do it directly after breakfast.”
I expected her to leave then, but she just walked about the kitchen with her arms folded. Perhaps she had some other command to give me. I waited but none was forthcoming. She picked up a nutmeg grater, examined it, set it down again. And then she says, almost as an afterthought, “By the way, last night there were some—sounds—in the attic. Noises. Were you—did you happen to go up there? For any reason?”
“The attic?” I shook my head. “No marm. Why would I go up there?”
“I have no idea,” she says. “But I definitely heard noises.” She fixed me with a hard look. “Are you
sure
it wasn’t you?”
“Hand on heart, marm,” I says. And if you say that, it means you can’t tell a lie or you will go straight to Hades in a handcart except of course if you have the fingers of your other hand crossed behind your back, any fool knows that old trick.
The missus frowned. “Well,” she says. I’ll take your word for it. But did you not
hear
anything in the night?“
No marm. I must have been asleep. What d’you think it was, marm? Was it a gnawing sound?“ I opened my eyes wide. ”Could it have been a rat?“
She shuddered. “No,” she says. “I don’t think so. The ceiling in my room was creaking, as though someone was—pacing around, in heavy shoes. And I am convinced that I heard a deep cough.”
“That must be some rat,” I says. (Clearly, I’d not been as quiet up there as I’d thought!) “Do you want me to have a look for you, marm, put your mind at rest?”
I stepped towards the door but her hand shot out to detain me. “No!” she says. “That won’t be necessary. I shall simply get Hector to set a trap.”
“As you like, marm.”
I went back to stirring the porridge, thinking about the creaking ceiling. Something Flemyng had mentioned the day before came into my head, about the poem he was writing, the ghostly children with weeping sores and phantom beasties &c.
“You don’t think, marm—no, never mind.”
“What?”
I knew at once from the look on her phiz that the thought had already occurred to her. “Well—you don’t believe in evil spirits, do you marm?”
“Of course not!” she says, but immediately began chewing her lip and frowning, the very glass and image of anxiety.
She was scared of ghosts, I realised. And in that moment the idea formed in my mind, a way to get my own back. It was only a childish prank. How could I ever have foretold the terrible consequences of what I was about to do?
11
Both Strange and Startling
Extracted from Bessy’s Journal
Monday 30th November
It seems the past few nights missus has heard noises in the attic I do hope she doesn’t worry about it too much. Any person of sense will tell you there is no such thing as ghosts although I have heard a tale or two would make your nosehair stand on end. Of course there are those that might say missus is quite correct to be anxious after all there is a particular atmosphere about Castle Haivers you might call it spooky. But that is easy explained, it is only because we are so remote here and the sky seems low and the wind whistles through the trees at night. Well in that case what about the inexplicable happenings? For Pete sake what are you talking about? Well if you give me a minute I will tell you, I’m talking about those times that you set something down and two seconds later when you go back to look for it has the thing not moved apparently of its own accord. That happens ALL THE TIME at Castle Haivers so it does. But again there is usually a simple explanation often you will find that some person has moved the thing whilst you were not looking. Or conversely it will transpire that you have disremembered where you set the thing down in the first place. It would be entirely wrong to jump to the conclusion that there is an evil or malevolent spirit about the place come to torment us. That is what I say.
Tuesday 1st December
I am beginning to wonder whether missus might not be right about those there noises in the attic for last night I do believe I did hear something myself. Just as I was about to fall asleep after writing in my journal I think I heard a few creaks and some shuffling steps. I suppose it did sound a little like someone walking about up there but more likely as I told missus, there is a rational explanation. A few slates have came off the roof and the wind has got in. Or it is just vermin. Not phantom beasts or dismembered limbs. Anyway Hector went up there this morning with traps &c. so we shall see what gets caught. I would put money on a rat or a pigeon. It might even be the cat. When Hector came back down I had to laugh he says to me in all seriousness “I do love nature‘ and this with a bag of rat poison under his arm and the tails of 3 squirrels stuffed in the band of his hat.
Wednesday 2nd December
Nothing strange or startling.
Thursday 3rd December
Hector checked the traps in the attic this afternoon. All are empty as yet. But it can only be a matter of time. Apart from that nothing strange or startling, I do believe that we have been getting worked up into a froth over nothing.
Sunday 6th December
After a few quiet days last night about midnight I was laying abed when I heard noises coming from the attic. Right, says I to myself, once and for all I am going to find out what all this is about. And so I got myself dressed and snuck up there with a candle. I was not happy about going up there of course but also determined to find out what is upsetting missus. I had a quick skelly about the place but could find nothing and was on the verge of heading back down when I seen somebody coming towards me up the stairs! Crumbs and Christopher it scared the behicky out me. Thank goodness, it was only the missus herself (she too had heard noises and this time bravely ventured forth to investigate) but she startled me so much I screamed and dropped my candle. I don’t know which of us got the bigger fright me or missus for her hand was shaking so bad that her own candle was in danger of going out. She asked me what I was doing and I tellt her that I had heard noises and come up to investigate same as herself. I tellt her that I had already searched the place and found nothing. Just to be sure we relit my candle with hers and had another look around but there were nothing out the ordinary we then compared what we had heard. Missus thought she had perceived someone walking back and forth. I told her that I had the same impression but I also thought there were sounds of someone crying or whimpering as well. At this news missus grabbed me by the shoulder all this. Who was crying? she says. And when I tellt her I didn’t know she says, Was it female? After some thought I tellt her it did sound more like a woman than a man. Then she wanted to know was it a young woman and I said yes it sounded more like a young one than old. Well when she heard this her face took on such a look of anguish, I was quite scared for her. Her eyes was practically out on stalks. Then she says to me in a whisper, Was it an Irish girl? and I had to say I didn’t know since I didn’t hear her speak but that for all I knew it might well have been. Well missus clutched her head and looked so strange after that I insisted we go downstairs and I put her back to bed. I do be thinking she was very brave to go up to the attic if I were a lady like her I am sure I wouldn’t dare have done so for fear of what horrible thing I might have found. Of course master James slept right through everything, you could fire a brace of cannon over him and he wouldn’t wake, it is only me and missus that are subject to these night terrors. I tellt missus that if she heard noises again she should just pull
the
covers over her head and try to sleep and not go wandering about in her nightgown, she will only catch her death.
Tuesday 8th December
Sunday night both me and missus was alert in our beds for noises in the attic but neither one of us heard a sound. I thought that might be the end of it. However. Last night something happened that gave me the quivers again I am sure there is a rational explanation only I have not yet been able to think of it. What happened was this, I was the last to bed and had gone through the rooms checking that the fire screens were in place and the candles and lamps all out. It so happened that one candle was still burning on the side table in the parlour and so I snuffed it and left the room. A while later as I went back through the hall on my way to bed I seen a flicker of light under the parlour door. That is strange, I thunk to myself. And when I went in was greatly surprised and not a little worried to see the same candle on the side table. Burning brightly as before!
The only thing I can think of is that I had not snuffed the wick well enough first time and that the flame had rekindled without my noticing the more I think about it now, the more I am convinced that this is surely what happened.
Wednesday 9th December
Now something else strange has happened. Earlier today when the missus came back from church she called me to her room and when I went in she was stood by the bed. I seen straight away that she was desperate pale in the face and worried looking. Have you been in this room while I was out? she says and I tellt her no marm I had been down in the kitchen ever since she had left, washing the walls as she had commanded me. Then missus stepped to one side and showed me a pair of pale yellow gloves laid out on the bed. Did you put these out for me? she says. Tell the truth Bessy and shame the devil I promise I will not be angry with you, she says. Well I wish I could have said otherwise but I had to tell her that hand on heart I had not touched the gloves. We both stood there staring at them, the missus transfixed and trembling like she might run from the room or scream at any moment. After a few seconds, I pulled myself together. I stepped forward very matter of fact picked up the gloves and put them back in her glove drawer. There, I says. You probably put them out yourself marm and changed your mind at the last minute (for she had wore her grey gloves to church). And indeed this is probably what happened. But missus just shook her head at me and then she turned and went downstairs. When I followed her down I seen her out in the yard sweeping (in her good frock!) and it was an hour before I could persuade her to come back in, she was foundered and shivering and I had to warm her up at the kitchen fire. She made me promise that from that moment on I would report to her anything out the ordinary no matter how small or inconsequential it might seem and I agreed. Even though I dare say she is letting her imagination run away with her like what master James says.
Sunday 13th December
Well the strangest thing this morning. I was not witness to it myself so can only report 2nd hand. It seems that missus had another restless night she has been troubled by further noises either that or she can’t get to sleep for wondering whether or not she is going to hear things. Anyway. Apparently she gave up trying to sleep after some hours and went downstairs to start the day around 1/2 past 4 o’clock. Everyone myself included was of course still abed. Imagine the surprise of the missus upon entering the parlour to find that the fire had already been cleared, laid and not only that but lit! A little blaze burning merrily in the grate. (Almost like as if the room had been made ready for her!—that is what I says after missus tellt me about it when I got up a few hours later.) The minute I appeared downstairs Missus pulled me into the parlour and pointed at the hearth. And what is your rational explanation for that? she says to me. I have to admit I didn’t have one. My only thought was that perhaps master James had stoked up the fire and whaled on more coals before he went to bed and that somehow these coals had lasted all night. But when master James got up he claimed he had done no such thing. And when missus and me exchanged a startled look he put up his hands and waggled them and made a scary wailing noise. Then strolled away laughing to himself about women. Master James does not believe this balderdash about ghosts and is too busy to give it consideration he is up to his oxters with plans and preparations for his fountain in Snatter. Only a few days ago I might have been as sceptical myself but even I am beginning to wonder. Poor missus is quite beyond herself I think the fire this morning gave her a fright. She will not thank me for this but despite all evidence to the contrary I still hope that we might find a rational explanation.
Thursday 17th December
The last few nights have been quiet neither missus nor I have heard any noises. However, a few more strange things have happened in the daytime. The first might simply be due to my forgetfulness. I swear that when I came down on Tuesday morning I have no memory of filling the kettle and putting it on the fire, but when I turned around next minute there it was full of water. Steaming away, for all the world like someone knew my job and was doing it for me! I did not want to worry missus by telling her this but after some consideration I decided it was better to do so as she had asked me to report anything unusual. I did stress to missus that I may well have filled the kettle 1/2 asleep and put it on the fire without even remarking upon it, as we often do habitual things in a mechanical way. But she did not seem too convinced by my explanation. One thing should be borne in mind. As I said to missus. If it is a ghost that is doing these things it is a very helpful and considerate ghost, you might almost say an eminently practical ghost (so far at any rate). You would almost think it wanted to give service.
One further strange occurrence. Missus called me to her room this afternoon, she was sat in her chair and when I came in she pointed at a pair of shoes on the floor. Missus has several pairs of shoes and I recognised these as one of her everyday pair she wears around the place. She continued pointing at them while looking at me and saying not a word. There appeared to be nothing out the ordinary about the shoes and so I wondered why she was drawing my attention to them. Eventually she spoke. Did you clean these Bessy, in the last day or two? she says. Think carefully, she says. I looked at the shoes. They were very clean right enough, the shine would have reflected your threepenny bit. Much as I would have liked to lay claim to such expertise in shoe polishing, I could not. No marm, I says. Take your time, says missus. You might have cleaned them and forgotten about it. No marm, says I again. Sure I would have remembered giving them such a polish as that. Missus seemed strangely satisfied at that and yet somehow panicstruck. And then she tellt me I could go. I am a little worried about her. There was a faint smile on her lips when I left the room but her eyes was blazing like she had a fever. I do hope she is getting enough rest.