Haunted Happenings

by Lucrezia Black

  He knew that marriages weren’t always built on love. But if they could find trust, if nothing else, he would be happy. He wanted her to be happy. He wanted to provide for her. He wanted to take care of her. And he wanted a family.

  He hoped that she could trust him enough to give him that.

  He knew that the idea of the abbey may seem farfetched to her, but he also knew that when it was all finished, she would be blown away. She would love the building as much as he’d always loved it because, in his mind’s eye, it was breath-taking. It was as beautiful as she was.

  He reached out and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He had no words for her at this moment. He didn’t know what he could say to make her believe that this was all possible, so he would just have to show her. He would show her his dream. He would show her the abbey. And they would be happy.

  He was certain they would be happy, if nothing else. And that was all he wanted after all he’d been through.

  Chapter 2

  Jealous and Rage

  * * *

  Willow Abbey

  York, England

  Summer 1923

  * * *

  It took almost a year to get the abbey into a pleasing condition. Delia dealt with the delay. She dealt with living with her parents for an extra year. She wasn’t happy about it, but she dealt with it. And she did so silently as it was not her place to comment.

  But when the abbey was completed, she understood exactly why Stanley had been so insistent on seeing the project through. It had taken a great deal of time and money, but the finished product couldn’t be rivalled.

  The abbey had been completely converted into a liveable residence. The exterior had been returned to its previous glory with a single tower that jutted skyward from the front of the building. Stanley told her that it still held the original bell. That concept appealed to her even if it would never ring again.

  The main floor had been stripped of all religious affiliations, leaving a lovely living space that led back into a kitchen. The second floor held three bedrooms and a bath. It was much too much space for them, but she was very pleased with it.

  Delia couldn’t wait to entertain in their new home. She knew that it would be the talk of their social group. Everyone would want to come to their house. Everyone would want to see what Willow Abbey had become. And she was more than happy to show them.

  She’d been miserable the last year, but it might all have been worth it. When she saw the finished abbey, she knew that her lonely existence was about to change. She was about to be the talk of the social community. She was about to be the most interesting person in town. And she would lap it up.

  Stanley was simply happy that she was happy. When she saw the abbey, it was the first time in months that she had smiled a genuine smile. If he could give her nothing else in life, he would give her this house. He knew that it would make her happy and it made him happy as well. So they could share that at least.

  They had two wonderfully happy years at Willow Abbey after its completion. At least Stanley believed that they were wonderfully happy. He was overjoyed with how things were going. Delia would entertain almost every weekend and she would smile and interact with everyone. She looked happy to him, but he could never really tell with her.

  They finally began to live as husband and wife, and that seemed to make her happy. He tried his best to please her and keep her content. He earned good money and gave her all she asked for. She had the best clothing and threw the most extravagant parties. And he didn’t care. He just wanted her to be happy.

  During year three of their marriage, Delia came to him with the announcement that she was with child. He had picked her up and spun her in a circle upon receiving the news. He’d been overjoyed. All he’d ever wanted was to have a family and it was finally coming to fruition.

  He began to keep a closer eye on his wife now that she was with child. He didn’t want her to overdo things and risk losing the baby. He wanted to make sure that she was taken care of. He wanted to take care of her and he wanted her to be happy.

  But the closer he watched her, the more he began to notice something strange about her behaviour. She still hosted her parties every weekend. She still entertained the usual crowd. But he began to notice something strange about the crowd that was coming to the house.

  Delia paid particularly close attention to one man at every party. Stanley knew exactly who the man was. They’d crossed paths several times before in life. It was near impossible to travel in such social circles and not know who he was.

  William Mayfair was the epitome of high society. He had more money than anyone had a right to have, and he was generous with it as well. He spent lavishly and he donated to all sorts of organizations. And he still had money to spare.

  Stanley didn’t find it too odd that Delia doted on him during the parties. It was important to keep in close contact with the high rollers and keep them happy. The suspicious behaviour was how she kept pulling him aside for whispered conversations.

  He would watch the way she touched his arm and chest. The intimacy in these encounters rubbed him the wrong way. The way she would laugh when he spoke. The way she would lean her mouth close to his ear to say something they didn’t want the world to hear.

  But most concerning of all was how he would touch at her belly which was beginning to grow to the point of being visible. Something was very wrong with the way his hand would go there, as if he had some claim to what was inside.

  It was a party like any other. It was a weekend like any other. But Stanley had decided that he’d had enough. He’d had enough of the whispered secrets and the intimate touches. He’d had enough of his own jealousy. It was time to find some answers.

  He followed them closely that night, keeping among the crowds. Delia didn’t even notice him as he shadowed them up to the second floor where they huddled in the hallway, giggling and laughing. He waited until William’s hand went to Delia’s belly again before making his appearance known.

  “What’s going on here?” He crossed his arms as he felt the rage well up inside.

  Delia’s face dropped at the sight of her husband. She glanced sideways at William and knew that there was no way to explain away this situation. She’d finally been caught, and part of her was a little glad.

  She’d been sneaking around for so long now, hiding the affair for close to two years. She’d been fooling around in dark hallways and corners and managed to keep it all a secret. And it was a great relief that she didn’t need to hide it anymore, though she had no idea how Stanley would take it.

  “I would say it’s not what you think,” she began, her eyes not quite able to meet his. “But it’s likely exactly what you think.”

  Stanley felt the anger well up inside. “How long?”

  Delia felt the colour leave her face now that she was finally faced with the need to explain. She didn’t want to hurt him. He’d been nothing but kind to her over the past three years, but she had never been able to love him the way that she should have. And so she’d found love elsewhere.

  “You don’t want to know that, Greg. You don’t want to know anything about it.” She insisted, still staring at the floor. “It’s best to just pretend it never happened.”

  “Pretend it never happened?” He seethed, his teeth grinding together. He looked at William with disgust, “How long have you been bedding my wife?”

  William swallowed visibly. It was hard to tell if he feared the man confronting him or if he was simply upset about being stuck in such an awkward situation. “Stanley…” he began.

  “That is Mr. Willow to you. Only my friends are permitted to address me so informally, and you sir are not a friend.” His eyes shot daggers.

  “Alright, Mr. Willow,” William began again, but the look he received shut him up.

  “How long?”

  He swallowed visibly again and looked to Delia for help, but she was simply staring at the floor. He faced Stanley and said, “Two
years now.”

  Stanley looked from William to his wife. Two years? Since they had moved into their beautiful home. Since they’d started to live together as a real couple. She had been running around behind his back for two years! He couldn’t wrap his head around it.

  His eyes drifted from her downturned eyes to the place where his supposed child grew. “Is it even mine, Delia?”

  She wouldn’t look at him. She couldn’t bring herself to say the words, especially with the anger she heard in his voice. How was she going to tell him that he had no claim to the one thing that brought such joy to their relationship?

  She had planned on lying about it. She had planned on letting it be his. But William would hear no such thing. He would not let his child go to another man. And so she had told William the truth, but how to tell Stanley? She hadn’t been able to for months, how was she supposed to tell him now?

  “Delia!” Stanley raised his voice in a manner new to her, and her eyes jolted to his face. She had never seen such anger there. She had never seen such disgust in his eyes.

  “I don’t know…” she mumbled, shaking her head.

  Now she had William and Stanley looking at her in shock.

  “You told me it was mine!” William’s voice now held a level of anger, but it was nothing compared to Stanley’s.

  “There is no way of knowing,” she said in a whispered voice. “Not until after the baby is born.”

  “Has it been so frequent that you don’t know?” Stanley took a step towards her and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to meet his gaze. “How often have you been sneaking behind my back for your trysts with William?”

  “Stanley, don’t do this.” She protested. She wasn’t sure if it was because she didn’t want to tell him, didn’t have the nerve or because she wanted to protect him from the truth of the situation.

  “Do what, Delia? Find out the truth. Find out that my wife is nothing but a whore!” His voice rose to a level that they were certain could be heard downstairs.

  Delia blushed, concerned more with what the others would think than Stanley’s rage. She didn’t believe he could hurt her. She didn’t believe that he would.

  “I should never have married you,” he said, his voice dangerously low. He shoved her aside like the trash he thought she was.

  There was a moment of silence as Delia stumbled to regain her balance. William reached for her but she was too far away, and Stanley could only stare, open mouthed as she tumbled down the stairs.

  Chapter 3

  New Beginnings

  * * *

  Willow Abbey

  York, England

  Summer 2007

  * * *

  Drew Speyers loved his job. He loved being outside. He loved reforming a piece of lawn that had been neglected and unloved into a thing of beauty. He’d been doing it for as long as he could remember. The only difference was that he now got paid rather well for the work.

  So when the opportunity to work at Willow Abbey came across his desk, he didn’t hesitate to scoop it up. It didn’t hurt that the owner was willing to let him and his family reside in the abbey until the job was complete. It was always nice to have his wife and kids around.

  They never distracted him from his work, but it was still nice to crawl into bed with the woman he loved every night and eat breakfast with his family in the morning. The little things in life made all the difference, and having his family around made a world of difference in his life.

  He didn’t know much about Willow Abbey, which had merely fallen out of public discussion several years ago. He didn’t even know if anyone had lived in it in the last few decades. But that didn’t matter much. His job had nothing to do with the inside of the building and everything to do with restoring the grounds to their former glory.

  Well, it likely wouldn’t look like it used to. It would more than likely look better, going by the concepts he’d drawn up with the owners. Thornton and Caroline Willow were interesting people. They wanted very badly to be back in the abbey, but their parents had wanted nothing to do with it.

  Different strokes for different folks, he supposed. He was happy for the job and he was happy for the money he’d be making from it. He did not often have such big-ticket items coming across his desk, but they’d have a nice Christmas this year if things went well.

  He tucked his copy of the contract into his briefcase and closed it for the day. He needed to get home and get his family packed up for their new adventure to York, and he doubted they would be at all displeased.

  Being summer, the kids were out of school and therefore not tied to where they would have to be. They could spend a few months elsewhere; experience a different town and a different home.

  Driving home didn’t take him long at all, being only twenty-minutes from the office. He liked it that way; having a little distance between home and work, yet able to reach home in no time if something happened. And over the years, several occasions had arisen for him to rush home.

  His wife Danae stayed home with the kids. It wasn’t because he asked her to. She could have gone back to her office job any time, but she liked being home with the kids.

  She took on side work when she could, but his landscaping business made enough for them to pay the bills and have a little tucked away. He didn’t like being away from the house so much, but one of them needed to work and he brought in more money as a landscaper than she had as an office clerk, so it made complete sense to save on childcare and run their family as they did.

  Their kids were still young. Kat was only five and Brendan was going on eight. They still needed plenty of attention and love, so Danae stayed home and provided for them.

  He smiled as he thought about it. She was a good mother and a good wife. She was better than he deserved, and he’d lucked out somehow with her. He wasn’t going to question it, he just considered himself to be lucky.

  When he came through the front door he was greeted by the noise of children’s cartoons and the smell of dinner. It was a familiar welcoming yet he still took a moment to enjoy it. He needed to enjoy the little things about this house and their lives before he uprooted them all to York.

  He looked in on the kids as he passed the family room. They were completely engrossed in their television show and didn’t even notice him. He smiled and continued on to the kitchen, where he found Danae seated at the breakfast nook, reading while dinner cooked.

  He would never understand how she managed to do it. She could get completely engrossed in a book without ever burning their dinner or risking it being overcooked. It was always just right, and she would finish half a novel while cooking it. It amazed him and he envied her abilities.

  He walked over to the big pot on the stove and stuck his finger in to taste what was cooking.

  “I hope those hands are clean, Mr. Speyers,” Danae chastised without even glancing up from her book.

  He smirked and relished the taste of the pasta sauce for a moment before wandering over to her at the breakfast nook. “Aren’t my hands always clean, love?” He inquired as he bent to give her a quick kiss.

  She rolled her eyes and glanced down at his hands. The lines on his palms were permanently brown. She knew that no matter how much he washed, it would never really go away. But his fingernails were clean so she was certain he’d taken the time to scrub them before coming home.

  “Your hands are never clean, but I’ll let this one pass for now.” She smiled up at him. “How was work today?”

  “It’s funny you should ask,” he began as he pulled up a chair beside her.

  She gave him a sceptical look. She’d mastered that expression years earlier and it still appeared every time he had something to tell her. “And why is that?”

  He chewed on his lower lip for a moment before finally asking, “How do you feel about York?”

  Her eyebrows shot up and she seemed to consider the question for a moment. “I can’t say I have any feelings about York, to be honest. Why? What’
s in York?”

  He ran a hand through his hair and wondered why this seemed harder now than it had when he was thinking about it in his office. Perhaps it was the way she looked at him, expectantly and eyes full of trust. Perhaps it was that he feared she would say no. He wasn’t sure, but the words were freezing in his throat.

  He cleared his throat and then proceeded with his mission. “I got offered a job in York. A really good job, but it will take a month or two.”

  She frowned. “That’s a long time for you to be away from the kids. Especially during their summer vacation.” She tapped her fingers on the table. “I’ll have enough to deal with now that they’re home. They’ll be bored in a week.”

  He watched her get up and tend to the food on the stove. It was as though an internal alarm clock had gone off, alerting her that the pot needed to be stirred. He drew in a deep breath and continued.

  “Well, you see, that’s exactly why this job is so great. I can take you and the kids with me.” She turned towards him, eyes a little wide. “It’s a bit of an in-situ situation and I would love if you and the kids came with me.”

  “And where exactly are we going?” She taste-tested the sauce and approved.

  “Some place called Willow Abbey. The owner wants me to completely redo the grounds and is willing to let us stay at the abbey until the job is done.” He shrugged. “It could be a fun summer adventure.”

  “Staying at an abbey?” She raised a brow.

  “Oh, it’s been completely converted into a house. I wouldn’t drag you and the kids on one of my camp-out jobs.” He chuckled at the very idea of it. “I know how much you like having a bed to sleep in, love.”