“Artemis knew that he only had a short time before Spencer would have turned twenty-five and come into his inheritance, and that now on that same day, he would have to turn over his share to Amy. The obvious solution to anyone looking in from the outside would have been for him to just offer to buy Amy out. But I heard from Spalding much later that Artemis had already used up all his available credit on other business ventures, and he had nowhere left to go to secure anymore.
“By now, Artemis must have been growing desperate. Even I could tell that there was a definite shift in his character which was even darker and more sinister than before. Then, he thought that he had struck upon the perfect compromise. If Spalding were to marry Amy, then everything could be settled, to his mind at least. This was Artemis’ last-ditch attempt at keeping the business within the family, but Amy was having none of it. When he broached the subject to her, she actually flew into a rage and told him that she hated Spalding as much as she did him, and that she intended to do everything in her power, once she came into Spencer’s inheritance, to ruin both of them.
“Artemis, not being the sort of man to take no for an answer, was now out of options. All he could do was sit by and wait for his business empire to start to crumble. For he knew that the minute some business-savvy outsider became his partner, they would doubtless uncover most, if not all, of his dodgy dealings, and expose him for the fraud that he was. It was therefore with some surprise that I received word from one of the female servants that, as I only had a few days left before returning to school, Artemis had arranged for her to take me to the seaside for the day as a treat. This was completely out of character for Artemis, but with the loss of Amy’s company over the past week or so I was desperate for some escape, and agreed eagerly with the plan.
“We spent a very pleasant day at the seaside, and Artemis had supplied the maid with ample funds to ensure that we could visit every ride and attraction available. It was not until the late afternoon that the maid informed me that Artemis had also insisted that we spend the night there, before returning home in the morning. There was no point in arguing, and besides, the maid was a pleasant enough creature, so I was quite content to spend a night away from Denby. We were put up at an extremely modest establishment, but the dinner they provided was extremely adequate, and after such an exciting, if not exhausting day, I was glad of my bed.
“The next day, after breakfast, we set off back to Denby. We arrived shortly after lunch, and the cook was ordered to prepare some milk and sandwiches to tide me over until tea. I sat alone at the dining table and ate in silence. It occurred to me that there was indeed a rather strange air about the place. It was nothing specific that I could put my finger on, but nonetheless, the change in atmosphere was almost palatable.
“After I had finished my meal, I decided to go up and see how Amy was. I hoped that she would be suitably enthralled by the tales of my adventure, but when I reached her room, I found it empty. When I asked a passing servant where she was, the girl placed her hand on my shoulder and whispered that I needed to speak to the master. Confused, and more than a little irritated with the girl’s elusive manner, I went downstairs and found Artemis and Spalding in the back parlour, working over several stacks of papers as usual.
“When I enquired as to where Amy was, Artemis sat me down and in the gentlest tone I had ever heard him use, informed me that there had been a terrible accident the previous night, and that Amy was dead. I could not believe my ears, but I could tell immediately from his expression that he was in earnest. His explanation was that Amy, overtaken by grief once more, had rushed out into the night to visit Spencer’s grave. There was apparently a terrible storm raging as she left, but this did not stop her and, somewhere further along the Bodlin road, she was struck by a passing carriage and did not survive the impact.
Twenty-Two
“My aunt waited for a moment before continuing, doubtless because she wanted to allow me some time to digest everything she was telling me. There was an awful lot to take in, and I still had myriad questions to ask. But I decided to wait until she was finished. Otherwise I would be taking the risk of throwing her off her track, or worse still, of annoying her with my interruption, which in itself might cause her to refuse to continue.
“But for the moment I seemed to have her on my die, and I was grateful for that. Her initial hostility towards me seemed to have lessened somewhat, to the point where she appeared too wrapped up in her story to remember her initial reluctance to speak to me.”
“Well, at least that was the version of the truth I was given at the time. Not surprisingly, neither Artemis nor Spalding felt comfortable enough to let me know the truth. For one thing I was far too young, and what’s more, had I have been taken into their confidence I would have screamed the truth form the rooftops until someone in charge listened to what I was saying.
“As I mentioned earlier this was the day before I was due to go back to school, so it all worked out rather well for Artemis. Amy had been laid out in the local morgue, awaiting burial instructions, and I pleaded with Artemis to let me go and see her before I left. The truth was I was feeling extremely guilty about the fact that since Spencer’s death, because of the entire change in Amy’s demeanour, I had hardly spoken more than a couple of words to her. In fact, I had not even bothered to say goodbye before we left for the seaside. Naturally I never imagined that I would not see her alive again, but even so, the guilt still ran deep within me.
“Eventually, Artemis ordered one of the servants to drive me into town to see Amy in state. It was a stupid idea of mine, but I was far too young to realise it at the time. I do not know what I expected to see when I arrived at the sombre building, but I was certainly not prepared for the sight of my lovely Amy, laying on a cold marble slab, covered in a sheet. I was barely in there a few moments before I fled in tears.
“In the end, I went back to school, grateful to be away from the manor, and already dreading the prospect of having to return there during our next school break. As things turned out I became rather friendly with a girl who joined that year from another school, and subsequently I was allowed to go and stay with her and her family whenever my parents could not make it back. I don’t think that I ever fully expressed to her parents how grateful I was for their kindness, but I remember doing my level best not to give them cause to not invite me back.
“I was told about Artemis’ demise in a letter from my parents. To be honest, it may sound callous, but I did not feel any remorse or sorrow at his passing. Many years later, long after I had been finished and moved into the city to take up a position in the secretarial pool for one of the local government departments, I received a letter from Spalding, begging me to go and visit him. I knew that he had married a year or two earlier, and that his young wife had passed away, mysteriously, in her sleep. But all the same, I still found it odd that he wanted to see me after all this time.
“I wrote back to him, conveying my sympathies for his loss, but I made some excuse about not being able to get away from work in order to make the journey. For one thing, Denby had far too many bad memories for me to contemplate setting foot in there again. But he persisted, with letter upon letter, until I finally caved in and agreed to meet with him. However, I stipulated most precisely, and without any room for argument, that I would not come any closer than the main town, and that if he wanted to meet with me so desperately, he would have to make the effort to accommodate my wishes.
“Reluctantly he agreed, and I arranged some lodgings at an inn in town for us to hold our reunion. I could not believe my eyes when he walked into the entrance hall. He looked so gaunt and weathered that I would never have recognised him in a month of Sundays. I had arranged for us to take tea in the main lounge, but he begged me to take him to my room for the sake of privacy. As you can well imagine, under normal circumstances, the thought of a well-bred young lady allowing a single man into her private apartment was decidedly frowned upon. But as I had already announced
to the owners that we were distant cousins, I agreed to acquiesce to his odd request.
“When we were alone, Spalding finally confided in me about the goings on at Denby all those years ago. Although I must admit that I was curious to know the full details, I was in no way prepared for the severity of his account. To begin with, he admitted that his father had arranged for the robbers to kill Spencer during that staged robbery. Apparently, as a result of some bad investments which he himself had made, Artemis was so desperate to get hold of Spencer’s share of the family business that he was prepared to go to any lengths to secure his nephew’s inheritance. Little did he know, at the time, that Spencer had already made a will leaving everything to Amy.
“Apparently, when Artemis could not find a judge to overturn Spencer’s will, he grew even more desperate, which was when he came up with the idea of marrying Amy off to Spalding. But, when he realised that that too was not going to happen, according to Spalding, his father completely lost his mind. The day I was packed off to the seaside, Artemis also arranged for the rest of the servants to go and see a play in the next town, and he even paid for them to stay at a local hostelry which rented out rooms.
“Once the three of them were alone in the house, Artemis had ordered Spalding to bring Amy down to see him, but she refused to leave her room. So, Artemis screamed at his son to drag her down by her hair if necessary. Spalding was too afraid of his father to disobey, so he half-coaxed, half-hauled her down, pleading with her not to do anything which would exacerbate his father’s temper.
“Once they were all downstairs, Artemis informed Amy that he was giving her no choice, and that she would either agree to marry his son or else sign over her portion of the business to him. According to Spalding Amy just laughed in his face, stating that she would rather die first before acceding to either demand. By this point, Artemis’ temper had reached boiling point, and he grabbed hold of Amy by the arms and began to shake her, uncontrollably.
“According to Spalding his father had started drinking the previous night, and had not stopped since, and his temper was always at its very worst when he was inebriated. In a fit of rage Artemis began to slap Amy hard across the face, until she was bruised and bleeding. Spalding claimed that he wanted to intervene, but he knew the consequences of such an action so he just stayed there and watched.
“Eventually Artemis could no longer support Amy’s weight, and he let her drop to the floor with an unceremonious thud. Then, as she lay there, helpless, curled up in a ball and sobbing, Artemis stood over her and announced that he had been responsible for Spencer’s death, and that he would have no qualms about having the same done to her if she refused to cooperate.
“Spalding told me that he would never forget the expression on Amy’s face as the realisation of Artemis’ confession took hold. Apparently, she did not even try to get up. Instead, she stayed seated on the floor and began to repeat something in a language with neither Spalding, nor his father, could understand. According to Spalding there was such a look of pure malice in her eyes that even Artemis appeared shaken.
“Then, when she had finished her incantation, Amy rose to her knees and pointed directly at Artemis. When she next spoke, Spalding swore that the voice which came out through her mouth was not hers, but one belonging to some creature of the night. She held Artemis’ gaze, and stated ‘The curse of Ram Templey is now upon you and all your kin, until the end of time. You will live my pain a thousand times over, and even death will be no escape’. Spalding swore that while Amy, or whatever had taken her over, was relaying this terrible curse, that a huge gust of wind tore through the house, upturning furniture and nearly knocking the drunken Artemis off his feet. When the gust finally died down, Artemis turned to Spalding, his cheeks bright red, so much so that Spalding felt sure that the old man was going to have a seizure. But instead, he demanded that Spalding help him to drag Amy back upstairs, and lock her in one of the attic rooms.
“Spalding claimed that by this point, he wanted nothing more to do with his father’s scheme. But, being a coward, he felt unable to stand up to the old man, so he grabbed Amy by the arm and together they half-carried, half-dragged her back upstairs. By now Amy was no longer the helpless girl, weakened to the point of exhaustion by grief. Instead Spalding claimed that she fought them all the way back upstairs, like a feral animal trying to prevent itself from being shoved in a sack.
“Once they finally had her safely behind lock and key, Artemis ordered Spalding to fetch the carriage, and told him that they were going to drive out to a nearby village where a friend of his lived. Spalding claimed to have no idea who his father was referring to, but he acceded to his demand without question. They rode on for over an hour, with Artemis screaming at his son to beat the horses harder to spur them on.
“When they eventually reached their destination, Artemis hammered so hard on his friend’s cottage door that Spalding felt sure that the timber would shatter. The door was opened by a small-framed, bespectacled man, who appeared to Spalding to be about the same age as his father. Artemis did not wait to be invited. Instead he barged his way past the man, and without pausing for any of the usual pleasantries to pass between them, he informed the bewildered individual that he needed his medical expertise to perform an abortion that very night.
“Spalding was not sure who between them was the more shocked by Artemis’ words. It was obvious to him now that his father would stop at nothing to prevent Amy from receiving Spencer’s inheritance, even if it involved conducting something as monstrous as what he was suggesting. With Spencer gone, their baby was the only thing that gave Amy the courage and strength to survive, so doubtless Artemis saw it as an easy way to be rid of her for good without having to kill her. The local constable had swallowed the story about the robbers killing Spencer, but another death in the family so soon after that one might be just a tad too much for anyone else to swallow.
“Spalding discovered, much later, that the poor man his father was haranguing was a retired doctor of his acquaintance, who apparently had a rather unscrupulous reputation for performing questionable procedures for a fee. As it was, the doctor was clearly perturbed at being treated in such a manner, and at first, he refused absolutely to join Artemis and Spalding on their return journey. But Artemis, not a man to take kindly to being unheeded, began to threaten the doctor with information he had garnered over the years, about his nefarious practices. Spalding could tell from the reaction of the doctor that he did not want to risk Artemis reporting him to the authorities, so reluctantly, he agreed to his demands.
“By the time the doctor had gathered up his apparatus, and they set off back to Denby, the sky had grown dark and there was a storm brewing overhead. Even so, Artemis still forced Spalding to punish the horses beyond reason, so that they could make haste back to the manor. When they arrived back at the house the storm was already overhead, and the three of them had to fight against the wind and rain to keep their balance as they climbed the stone steps to the main door.
“Once inside Artemis wasted no time, and he yanked the doctor by his coat sleeve up the stairs to the attic. But, to his horror, when he unlocked the door the room was empty. There was a tiny window in one corner, which barely allowed daylight to penetrate the room, even on the brightest of days. Upon closer inspection they found an old bedsheet tied to the handle of the window lock, which hung down just far enough to reach the lower roof. It appeared that Amy had somehow manged to scramble her way out through the tiny opening, and from there, she must have climbed down one of the drainpipes which ran the length of the outside wall.
“Sure enough, when they glanced out of the window, Spalding said that they could just see the figure of Amy disappearing past the end of the drive, which led out onto the Bodlin road. They must have just missed her in the storm. Or, otherwise, she was still hiding somewhere in the grounds, and made a dash for it once she had seen them enter the manor.
“Artemis was livid with rage. He raced back down the s
tairs, as fast as his unsteady legs could carry him, screaming at Spalding to follow him outside to the carriage. By the time that they were back aboard the storm was at its worst, and Spalding claimed that visibility was so poor that he could not see past the trees that ringed the drive. Artemis, in his incensed state, seemed oblivious to the conditions, and demanded that Spalding lashed the horses so that they could catch up with Amy.
“As they drove past the clump of trees where they had seen Amy disappear, there was no sign of her on the road ahead. Fearing that she might make it to town to raise the alarm before they could catch her, Artemis grabbed the whip from Spalding’s hand and commenced to beat the horses, mercilessly, whipping them up into a frenzy. Spalding said that he was finding it almost impossible to hold onto the reins, but that no amount of entreating seemed to have any effect on the old man.
“As they reached a bend in the road they suddenly caught sight of Amy, vanishing into the storm up ahead. With the horses’ hooves trying desperately to keep traction on the soggy, waterlogged ground, Spalding claimed that Amy was making better headway than they were. But Artemis was not about to give up. No sooner had Spalding managed to get the poor animals under control, then his father was lashing them again with the whip. Up ahead, Amy had just reached a sharp turn in the road, and Spalding saw her legs slide out from under her. As she lay there, soaked and battered on the ground, Artemis saw his chance, and continued to spur the horses on by lashing them without mercy.
Ghost Song Page 23