Haunted Happenings

by Lucrezia Black

  Summer 1835

  * * *

  Moving into a new home was difficult enough, but knowing she was pregnant now added a whole new level of stress. On top of that, she wanted everything to be perfect. She wanted the home to be perfect for their child. She wanted it to be comfortable. She wanted it to be just right.

  Aaron was indulging her at every turn. Cilla couldn’t decide whether it was the pregnancy or his general good-natured personality, but she was not going to protest. She would enjoy being doted on until the baby came; she’d enjoy the pampering, because she knew that there was hard work ahead.

  This was her first child, but she had no intentions of it being her last. She wanted a whole brood. She wanted to fill her home with running feet and little voices. She wanted to carry on their lineage.

  She was in love with their new home. They had come such a long way from the one-bedroom farmhouse in which they had started out. Aaron had always had a head for business, he’d always been intelligent. She’d always been proud of him for that.

  He’d had very little when they got married. She’d taken a risk with him. Most of the women she knew had married for money, land, or title. She had married a man with very little to his name. He had a title, but nothing exciting. Still, she married Aaron because she loved him. Her parents hadn’t approved at the time, but they were coming around.

  That had a large part to do with the fact that Aaron had done nothing but impress her since the day of their wedding. He had gained land. He had gained money. And now they had quite the estate.

  And in return she would give him children. After all, that was her duty as wife. And if she was lucky, she would give him sons. She wouldn’t mind a daughter or two, but she now hoped she carried a son inside her, someone to carry on the Suffridge name. She needed to give him that, at least.

  Cilla wandered around the new home, her hands resting protectively over her belly which had just begun to swell. She liked being able to see the change. She liked knowing someone was growing in there. She liked that other people were now noticing.

  There was a pride in being a mother, and she had taken up that mantle at a time when they could afford the help she wanted. Someone making her place in society couldn’t be off nursing an infant all the time.

  She had events to host. She had people to meet. She had to ensure everyone knew just how well off they had become. She had to make sure those who had doubted them along the way, were silenced. And she was looking forward to that.

  She headed up the winding staircase towards their bedroom; it was time to lie down for a nice afternoon nap. She was entitled to that, and she would take advantage of the pampering as long as it was offered.

  Cilla had four children before she buried her husband in 1909. She gave birth to three girls and one boy over the course of their marriage, but whenever anyone asked, she would always claim she had three.

  This was not out of distaste for one of her children, but rather out of sadness. Penelope Suffridge did not make it past infancy and Cilla did everything in her power to keep that fact a secret. She did not want to think about it. She did not want to remember it.

  She had borne her husband a son to carry on the name. She had done her duty as wife, and she was entitled to forget about the child she lost if it got her through the day.

  She instead focused on the children she had. They were her world as they grew up, and the family remained close even in adulthood. They had all given her grandchildren. And Aaron and Cilla had enjoyed that very much.

  But now Aaron was gone. Her children were grown and her husband was gone. Cilla was at rather a loss for what to do with herself.

  In the time that passed after Aaron’s death, she strayed very close to the house. Her family began to visit less and less. She was all but forgotten in the social circles. She was all but forgotten by everyone.

  And fifteen years after the death of her husband, Cilla passed away. Finally allowing her to reunite with the man she loved.

  Chapter 1

  New Beginnings

  * * *

  Yorkshire, England

  Summer 2016

  * * *

  Maybell Rizzow had always wanted children. She had spent most of her young adult life dreaming about the day she would have little ones running around her house. She’d been happily married seven years now and had yet to be blessed with children. She was always hopeful, but she had reached the point where she wasn’t willing to wait any longer for a miracle to happen.

  The conversation with her husband, Stu, had been long but eventually he’d come around to her plan. If she couldn’t have her own children then she would simply adopt. Plenty of children were out there needing a home. And she was more than willing to provide a warm and caring one.

  She felt as though she had so much love to spare. She wanted children to nurture and raise. She wanted little ones running around. She wanted to be able to take care of someone other than her husband, and so they embarked on the adoption process, which was long. It involved much paperwork, interviews, and meetings with a great many people. Maybell thought that it would never end.

  She regressed into depression towards the end, and Stu could do nothing to fix it. It was months before they had an answer, but finally their letter of approval came in the mail.

  And it was like their entire world changed. Maybell’s wave of depression disappeared and she was jumping for joy. They spent the next month preparing. They’d received the call to say that they were to adopt a sibling pair; a three-year-old and a three-month-old. A boy and a girl.

  Maybell couldn’t be happier. She was not only getting a child, she was getting two. It was everything she could have ever wanted. It was everything she could have ever dreamed.

  The day the children arrived at the house was chaotic. Maybell had no idea what to expect, but everything got turned upside down. And it became clear rather quickly that they would need more space to accommodate their new family.

  Stu took it all in stride. He wanted nothing more than for his wife to be happy. He’d known that she’d never been fully content with simply being a married couple. He knew that she’d always wanted children and it killed him that he couldn’t give her the traditional family. So, they had explored other options.

  And now they had Deirdre and Daniel. He was excited. He wasn’t as overjoyed as Maybell, but it would be hard for anyone to be that happy. He knew that she was overwhelmed. He knew that she was exhausted. But he also knew that she would be a great mother.

  They made it a full month before Maybell hit a wall. There just wasn’t enough space in their bungalow to accommodate the family. The time had come for them to make a change in order to deal with the change in their life. So Stu began to look for a new place to live.

  It didn’t take him very long. He had somewhere in mind already when he began to look. He’d heard about a place a few years ago that had piqued his interest. He’d always kept his ear to the ground when it came to property. It had always been a bit of a hobby for him. It wasn’t that he was unhappy with what they now had, he was just always curious about what was out there.

  Tailsbend Farm House had been a property of interest for him for quite some time. He liked the history of the place. He liked how the property had grown and expanded over the years under the ownership of the Suffridge family. But it had been abandoned shortly after the Second World War.

  No one really knew why the family had just up and left the property. Perhaps it was just life taking them in different directions. Perhaps there was a quarrel of some kind. It was really hard to say.

  There were rumours, of course. There were always rumours around places that had that much history. But he’d never paid much attention to rumours. He’d always preferred to find things out for himself. And he was willing to take that leap when it came to this property. It was worth it. The property was worth it.

  Maybell wasn’t won over by his proposal. She was sceptical about the price. She was sceptical abo
ut the age of the home and the amount of updating that it needed. She’d said no a few times, but he wore her down.

  It took them another month to finalize matters. They’d taken out a substantial mortgage to make it work, but Stu was willing to make that commitment. He wanted them to have a family home. He wanted the children to have property to run around on. He wanted his wife to be happy. He’d never wanted anything but that.

  “Are you sure about this?” Maybell asked as they loaded the last of their items into the car and closed the door. The moving van was already packed and on its way to the farm. It would get there before them and the movers would begin to unpack for them.

  Stu shrugged as he watched her load the children into the car. “It’s a new adventure for us, that’s for sure. But so was getting these two and look at how well that’s turning out.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah, it’s been such a walk in the park.”

  He chuckled. “Did you think it would be? I didn’t think you were remotely naïve when it came to childcare.”

  She fastened the youngest in her car seat and moved around to put Daniel in his. “Oh, I knew it would be work. After all, we are raising little humans. It’s not like having a cat.” She looked in at the two of them and couldn’t keep the smile from her face. “And all of the work will be worth it in the end.”

  “That’s exactly how I feel about Tailsbend farm. It may need a bit of work right now, but it will be the perfect home for us; for all of us.” He gave her a kiss. “It’s time we had a home that suited our new family. We need this.”

  She still maintained a sceptical expression. “Did we have to go as big and extravagant as Tailsbend though?”

  “What if we have more kids? What if we get a dog? What if your parents decide they can no longer live alone and want to move in? We need to be prepared for eventualities, dear. Life can throw anything at you. I would rather us have too much space than not enough.” He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

  “But what about work?” She gnawed at her bottom lip as she fought off a wave of worry.

  “I’ve already got a job lined up in that part of town, and you said you would not be returning to work until Deirdre was at least a year old. By then I’m sure that you’ll be able to find a job in nursing. They are always looking for nurses!” He looked into her eyes and held her gaze for a moment. “This is going to be great, darling. We just need to be willing to take a leap.”

  She sighed. “I suppose you are right, as usual.” She rolled her eyes. “Well, if we are going to get out there anywhere close to when the movers do, we better be on our way.”

  He nodded in agreement. “Let’s start this new adventure.”

  Chapter 2

  Stories

  * * *

  The Tailsbend Farm House

  Yorkshire, England

  Summer 2017

  * * *

  The house was bigger than she’d ever imagined it to be. The pictures hadn’t done it justice. And moving from a bungalow to the large estate was quite a change, but Maybell did her best to embrace it.

  They arrived about a half hour after the moving truck and the movers were waiting patiently for their instructions. It took a while to get the truck emptied, but they were happy to keep busy. There was an excitement to it all, and even the kids were well behaved during the process.

  Still, when the moving truck pulled away it was edging towards dinnertime. Now they faced a dilemma of sorts. They had very little food in the house and a mountain of unpacking to do.

  “It’s much too late to start on all this,” Maybell said, her eyes going to Deirdre who was already dozing in her swing. “We need to get food into us. I’m sure there is a pub somewhere close by.”

  Stu nodded. He remembered seeing a pub on the drive in. It couldn’t be more than five minutes away. He told Maybell this and she agreed that it was likely the best option. They could begin unpacking tomorrow. Right now, they’d accomplished more than enough.

  Stu was right. The pub was no more than five minutes away. It had a warm, cosy atmosphere and was abuzz with patrons when they entered. Many eyes turned toward them as the family made their way to a booth and settled in.

  The waitress walked over to them, a big smile on her face. “Welcome, how are you doing tonight?”

  Maybell couldn’t contain her sigh and received a sympathetic look from the waitress.

  “That good, eh?” She smiled. “Well I’m Laura and I’ll be helping you out this evening. Are you just passing through?”

  “Actually, we just moved into the Tailsbend Farm House,” Stu informed her and saw the name register by her expression.

  “Oh wow. That’s a bit of a commitment. I thought that place would never sell, to be honest.” Laura sighed. “It was quite beautiful back in the day, or so I’m told. It was quite an accomplishment to get invited out to that estate for a party or tea.”

  Stu nodded. “Well, we hope to bring some life back to it. I know there is an awful lot of updating to be done, but I’ve already got people lined up for that.”

  Maybell looked over at him in surprise. “You do?”

  “My head is good for more than just holding hats, dear. Did you think I was going to leave us without proper water for long?”

  She seemed to consider that for a moment. “No, I suppose not.”

  He rolled his eyes. It was very much like Maybell to doubt him when it came to planning. She’d always been the one to plan, the one to have everything in order. But he was also capable and he’d have her convinced of that before they unpacked their last box.

  The family ordered food, not wanting to keep the waitress at their table longer than she needed to be. And while they waited, Maybell worked on getting Deirdre fed.

  It was strange going from no kids to two kids. It was a little bit overwhelming, but she took it in stride. Stu focused on keeping Daniel entertained while she bottle-fed Deirdre.

  Part of her was still sad that she could not have her own children. She was sad that she would never know the experience of growing a person inside of her. She would never go through childbirth. She would never breastfeed.

  But she was grateful for the gift that she had been given. Deirdre and Daniel were more than she could have ever hoped for when they had started the adoption process. And now she couldn’t picture her life any other way.

  Well, she imagined that they would be living in a house with proper amenities, but she hoped that Stu would have that fixed quickly enough. And then they would be able to enjoy the large house, their new family, and their new life.

  Their food arrived and the family busied themselves with eating. Neither Stu nor Maybell had eaten lunch and they were both famished. Daniel picked away at his plate half-heartedly and she knew that it was because he was tired.

  They’d had a big day and she had a feeling it was going to be a long week. But they would get through it. They would survive and, if nothing else, it was an adventure. She’d always liked a good adventure.

  They were just clearing their plates when an older man approached their table. They looked up at him and smiled politely as he stood leaning on his cane. After a long, awkward moment he spoke.

  “You’re the folks who bought Tailsbend, right?” His voice was thick with age but his eyes were bright with interest.

  “Yes, sir,” Stu replied, nodding as he spoke.

  “Well I’ll be damned. I didn’t think anyone would ever buy that place.” He ran a hand over his thinning hair as if to emphasize his surprise.

  “So we’ve been told,” Maybell stated, thinking how the waitress had said the same thing.

  “Well, it is a bit of a shock.” He nodded thoughtfully. “My name’s Bob, and my family has been living around here for close to three hundred years now. Farmers by trade, and let me tell you, there are some stories to be heard about Tailsbend.”

  “Stories?” Stu raised a brow. He knew that the house had history, but he’d found nothing to indicate it mi
ght be a local legend. It seemed to him to be a fairly reputable house.

  “Oh yes, the place has a bit of a presence about it.” He leaned heavily on his cane. “When the Suffridges still owned it, they habitually rented out all the farm land. They weren’t in it for the farming. They fancied themselves high society. So all of the land was divided up between some local families to cultivate at their choosing. It was rather lucrative for everyone, but lines weren’t to be crossed.

  “About twenty years back a local boy Philip got his hands on one of the lots of land. He was going to build a farming enterprise, he said, but some of the outbuildings he had his eye on weren’t quite within the boundaries of his lot. They sat on the edge of Tailsbend Farm House. What could be the harm? Young Philip thought. It was just one outbuilding and the house wasn’t occupied. It seemed like nothing could go wrong.

  “So, he housed a few calves in there that were prime for veal. The next day he came back to feed them and the whole structure, calves included, had gone up in smoke. No one was around. There was no sign of foul play. It was just all gone.

  “Needless to say, he kept his cows and belongings on his lot of land from then on. Boundary lines are made for a reason it seems, at least when it comes to that estate.” Bob shook his head.

  “So one freak fire and the place has a reputation?” Stu sounded sceptical.

  “Oh, there’s been more than just that over the years, let me tell you.” Bob looked around the bar. “I bet a dozen men and women in here could tell you a story of their own. There isn’t a local who’s been here more than a decade who hasn’t had some sort of encounter with that place.”

  “What kind of encounters?” Maybell asked.

  “Strange happenings. Missing livestock. Spontaneous fires. Plenty of strange things happen on that property and the surrounding lots of land. Over the past hundred years it’s been nothing but strange things.” Bob shrugged. “But I’m sure you guys will get settled in fine.”