The House on the Hill: A Ghost Story

by Irina Shapiro

  “Sophie,” he whispered. “Thank God.”

  “J.T.,” she muttered.

  “He’s all right. Caleb got to him in time.”

  “The baby,” Sophie moaned, her hand going to her battered stomach. She winced when her hand met with tender skin.

  “You were bleeding, but it seems to have stopped. I will send Caleb for the midwife as soon as he returns.”

  Sophie wanted to ask where Caleb had gone, but fatigue overpowered her, and she fell back asleep, grateful for the painless embrace of oblivion. The next time she woke it was dark, the shutters closed against the night. Teddy was still there, a half-empty bottle of rum next to him on the floor. He looked ashen, his mouth drooping with fatigue.

  “Teddy,” Sophie whispered. It hurt to talk. Her lip had swollen, and her cheekbone was tender. She couldn’t bear to touch her stomach. The skin was on fire and the pain of the bruises was excruciating. Sophie felt a wave of relief when she felt the baby shift.

  “The midwife was here. She said the child is all right,” Teddy said, as if reading her mind.

  “Thank God,” Sophie murmured. She turned toward J.T., but he was no longer beside her. “Where’s—”

  “He’s fine. Caleb is telling him a story.”

  “And what story will you tell?” Sophie asked softly. Having seen the state of her, the midwife would know something awful had happened.

  Teddy leaned back in the chair, closing his eyes as if too exhausted to speak. “I’m going to have to leave, Poppet. I killed two men, there’s no getting away from that.”

  “But they attacked me. Surely you were justified,” Sophie argued.

  “George Holland was your husband. No one would blame him for coming after his wife. If taken, I’ll be charged with murder.”

  “We’ll leave here. We’ll go away. No one will find us.”

  Teddy shook his head. “No, love. You and our children need a home. You’re a widow now and no one can harm you. George Holland is dead, and so is that major.”

  “What did you do with them?”

  “I had Caleb row them out into the Atlantic. The current will carry them further out to sea. In time, George Holland will be pronounced dead, and you will be free of him forever. J.T. will inherit his estate.”

  “But what about you? What about us?” Sophie cried. She tried to raise herself on her elbow, but fell back on the pillows, gasping.

  “Sophie, George Holland and Major Boothe had been asking about us in the village. That was the last place they were seen before coming up here. Our neighbors alerted me to the danger, but they will not cover up a double murder. I must go. Tonight.”

  “Where will you go?”

  “I will find passage to Wilmington, then go about purchasing a ship and hiring a crew. I will always look after you, Poppet. Always.”

  “When will I see you again?” Sophie wailed.

  “Soon. Have Caleb build a dock. I’ll come when I can.”

  “Please, don’t go yet,” Sophie begged. “I can’t manage without you.”

  “You can and you will. Word’s already spreading through the village that the two men who’d been asking after us have not returned to the inn. I don’t know if George had given his real name, but if he had, they’ll also quickly realize that one of us might not be who he claimed to be. It’s only a matter of time until they come for me, especially if Reverend Martins has anything to say about it. He’s been looking for a way to drive us out.”

  “And Caleb?”

  “Caleb didn’t kill the major; I did.”

  “You saved us,” Sophie whispered.

  “I would kill a dozen men to save you,” Teddy said, brushing a stray curl away from her face. “I will be back, sweetheart. I won’t desert you. Remember, there’s gold buried in the shed should you have need of it.”

  Silent tears slid down Sophie’s cheeks. It was as if God himself didn’t want her and Teddy to be together. She was now a widow, but they would never wed, never live together as man and wife. Teddy would be a fugitive for the rest of his days, a man whose name would inspire fear and disgust.

  “Please, look after yourself, Teddy,” Sophie said, her hand going to his chest.

  Teddy covered it with his own and smiled sadly. “I always do. Don’t you worry about me. You just take care of our babies, and don’t let Reverend Martins intimidate you.”

  “He frightens me with his talk of witchcraft, Teddy,” Sophie said.

  “Reverend Martins won’t trouble you again,” Teddy replied cryptically.

  “Teddy, what have you done?”

  Teddy shook his head. “Nothing, Poppet. Everyone has their price, and Reverend Martins is no different. Seems the good reverend has an eye to getting his sermons published. I’ve volunteered to cover the cost of this endeavor and he was quick to accept my offer in return for leaving us alone.”

  “That greedy toad,” Sophie sputtered, amazed Teddy had found a way to defuse the man’s hatred.

  “That he is,” Teddy agreed as he reluctantly got to his feet.

  He was smiling, but Sophie could see the pain in his eyes. She wanted to cling to him, to beg him to stay, to refuse to be left behind, but she didn’t do any of those things. This was painful enough for them both, and she had no desire to make things worse. She cried softly as Teddy kissed her and left, his footsteps echoing through the silent house.

  Chapter 59

  Lauren

  The sun was already dipping below the horizon by the time Lauren pulled up to Ryan’s house. He’d invited her for dinner, but she’d texted him a few hours ago to let him know she might not make it and to go ahead and eat without her if she wasn’t there in time. Ryan smiled when he opened the door and pulled her close, giving her a lingering kiss before ushering her inside.

  “Sorry I’m late. I made a detour,” Lauren explained as she walked over to say hello to Tyler, who was sitting on the floor, surrounded by toy cars.

  “To your apartment?” Ryan asked.

  “Daddy, I’m hungry,” Tyler wailed. “When are we going to eat?”

  “You shouldn’t have waited for me,” Lauren said, secretly pleased they had. “What’s for dinner?”

  “Actually, I just ordered a pizza. It should be here in a few minutes. Ty, let’s wash your hands, buddy.”

  “Okay,” Tyler mumbled, and allowed Ryan to lead him to the bathroom.

  Lauren walked into the kitchen and began to set the table. She was starving, not having eaten much at lunch. The chiming of the doorbell announced the pizza delivery almost as soon as Ryan and Tyler returned to the kitchen, and Ryan went to pay the deliveryman while Lauren settled Tyler at the table.

  “Did you go to the zoo?” Tyler asked once he had a slice of pizza in front of him. “Daddy took me to the zoo in Boston. I liked it a lot.”

  “Would you like to go back?” Ryan asked. “Maybe Lauren would like to come with us.”

  “Would you?” Tyler asked.

  “I’d love to. I haven’t been to the zoo in ages.”

  “What’s your favorite animal?” Tyler inquired.

  “I like monkeys.”

  “Why?” Tyler asked, giggling.

  “Because they’re funny. What’s yours?”

  “I like bears, because I like Winnie-the-Pooh. What’s your favorite animal, Daddy?”

  “I like dogs,” Ryan replied.

  Jack came into the kitchen, as if on cue, and rested his head against Ryan’s thigh. Ryan patted him absentmindedly.

  “They don’t have dogs at the zoo,” Tyler protested. “It has to be a real animal.”

  “Well, then I like lions,” Ryan replied patiently.

  “Because of Lion King?” Tyler asked. “Am I your Simba?”

  “You sure are.”

  Tyler smiled happily and turned his attention to the pizza, devouring the slice in record time before turning to study Ryan, a thoughtful expression on his little face.

  “Are you going to kiss Lauren again?” h
e asked, nearly making Ryan choke on his pizza.

  Lauren lowered her head and smiled into her napkin, amused and embarrassed in equal measure.

  “If you’re finished with your dinner, I think it’s time for bed,” Ryan said, doing his best to look unperturbed, but the telltale blush staining his cheeks gave him away.

  “But I want to stay up,” Tyler moaned.

  “You have preschool tomorrow, and I have to go to work,” Ryan said. “Come on.”

  “Can I have a story?”

  “Of course.”

  “Can Lauren read me a story?” Tyler glanced at Lauren, whose cheeks heated with pleasure at being asked.

  “I’d love to read you a story.”

  “I want the one about dinosaurs,” Tyler said as he slid off the chair.

  “Let’s get you ready for bed, then Lauren will read you the story about dinosaurs,” Ryan said as he scooped up Tyler and carried him from the kitchen.

  Lauren smiled as she cleared the table. She enjoyed feeling like a part of a family. She could certainly get used to this.

  “All right, he’s all yours,” Ryan announced as he came back into the kitchen. “Teeth brushed, pajamas on, storybook ready. Don’t let him con you into reading more than one story.”

  “I won’t, but it’s hard to say no to such cuteness.”

  “Don’t I know it,” Ryan replied, smiling. “Hurry back,” he whispered as he pulled her close and gave her a kiss.

  **

  Lauren snuggled closer to Ryan, a contented smile spreading across her flushed face. The dinosaur story had worked like a charm, and once the son was in bed, the father had been eager to go to bed too.

  Ryan turned on his side and ran a finger between her breasts and down her belly, making her shiver. “Tell me about your day,” he invited. “Did you sign the contract?”

  “I did.”

  “Any regrets?”

  “None whatsoever. It actually felt very liberating. I can’t wait to close on the apartment and move on to the next chapter of my life. I think this new chapter will be titled ‘Ryan.’”

  “I think it will be a full-length novel,” Ryan replied, grinning confidently. “Did you meet Xavier and Brooke for lunch?”

  Lauren nodded. “I told them everything about Harper. They were a bit shocked, but they both think I’m doing the right thing in helping her. Now all I have to do is tell my parents, which will be a little more difficult. I briefly considered not telling them, but I think they have a right to know the truth.”

  “They do,” Ryan agreed. “As a parent, you always want to know what your child is going through, even if it’s painful. Were your parents close with Zack?”

  Lauren nodded. “They loved him like a son. They’ll feel almost as betrayed as I did.”

  “I think they’ll be proud of the way you’ve handled the situation,” Ryan said.

  “I hope so. They might think I’m a fool for agreeing to Harper’s demands, but I’m not doing this for Harper; I’m doing it for Finn. He’s innocent in all this.”

  “You’re a good heart, Lauren Masters. So, where did you go afterwards? I thought you were coming straight back.”

  “I stopped by the Boston Archive and then spent a few hours at the Library of Congress.”

  “Did you find what you were looking for?”

  “It’s what I couldn’t find that’s important,” Lauren said, grinning.

  “You lost me, Masters,” Ryan said with an amused smile.

  “I wasn’t able to find dates for either George Holland or Ted Mercer’s deaths, which only confirmed my suspicion that I was on the right track, so I moved on to the Library of Congress to search for answers. They have newspapers dating all the way back to the seventeenth century, but the content isn’t available online, which is why I couldn’t find anything when I did a search.”

  “So, what did you discover, Miss Marple?”

  Lauren playfully nudged Ryan in the ribs. “After trolling through hundreds of newspapers, I came across several very interesting articles that helped me piece together this story that’s begging to be written. Sophie Holland ran out on her husband after less than a year of marriage. Just vanished one day. Lionel Holland, George’s father, offered a substantial reward for any information on his runaway daughter-in-law, but I found no articles that mentioned her return. And we know she didn’t because she wound up here, we think with Ted Mercer. Now, at first, I thought she’d met Ted after her marriage to George, but her eldest child was born several months before she married George, and his name was John Theo.”

  “Theo as in Theodore?” Ryan asked, catching her excitement.

  “Bingo. So, it stands to reason that Sophie was in love with Ted Mercer before her marriage. I don’t know why she married George or what happened to her infant son, but I think it’s safe to assume it wasn’t a happy marriage. Ted suddenly came back into her life and she couldn’t pass up a chance at happiness.”

  “And what of George?” Ryan asked.

  Lauren turned onto her side and propped up her head with her hand. “That’s the really interesting part. There was no mention of Sophie or George for over a year, but then, I found several articles dating between April 1729 and October 1729 which covered the disappearance of George Holland and Major Elijah Boothe.”

  “And who was he?” Ryan asked, his eyes glowing with curiosity.

  “It seems Major Boothe was something of a colonial bounty hunter. I found several references to him online. He was instrumental in apprehending a serial killer in Upstate New York and had also helped track down a missing heiress in Boston.”

  “So, you think George Holland hired this Major Boothe to help him find his wife?”

  Lauren nodded enthusiastically. “I think they did find her.”

  “And Mad Ted dispatched them,” Ryan concluded.

  “It would make sense, wouldn’t it? Ann Oliver mentioned that two men had disappeared after arriving in Eastham. They could have been George Holland and Elijah Boothe.”

  “Yes, they could have,” Ryan replied, his expression thoughtful. “Do you think Sophie haunts the house because she feels responsible for their deaths?”

  “No, I think she haunts the house because she’s waiting for her Teddy,” Lauren announced triumphantly.

  “Were you able to discover anything about his whereabouts after the disappearance of the men?”

  “No, I didn’t have time. The library was closing, but I will find out what happened to him, Ryan. I need to know how this story ends.”

  “How do you think it ends?” Ryan asked.

  “In heartbreak and tragedy,” Lauren said, suddenly subdued. “We always think past generations were so prim and proper, but their lives weren’t all cotillions and church fetes. Deep passions ran beneath those buttoned-up exteriors, and the secrets they took to their graves still have the power to scandalize, even after all these centuries.”

  “People are people,” Ryan said. “Some things never change. So, do you have enough to write your book now?”

  “Yes. I know exactly how it will end.”

  “How?”

  “I guess you’ll just have to read it to find out,” Lauren replied, and straddled Ryan, bending down to kiss him.

  “I know how this will end,” Ryan said huskily, flipping her onto the mattress and pinning her down with his body.

  “Not in heartbreak and tragedy, I hope,” Lauren joked.

  “No, not this time,” he said. “This story will have a happy ending.”

  Chapter 60

  Sophie

  November 1729

  Sophie’s heart fluttered with excitement when she glanced out the window. A boat was approaching the dock, the lone man rowing steadily as he looked up at the house on the hill. Putting five-month-old Cynthia in her cradle, Sophie ran down the stairs and out of the house, skipping down the wooden steps that led to the water. She threw herself into Teddy’s arms as soon as he stepped out of the boat, holding him as if
he might vanish. She hadn’t seen him in nearly eight months and had begun to think he’d never risk coming back.

  At last, Sophie stood back and took stock. Teddy wore the golden tan of the Caribbean, but there was a wariness in him that was hard to hide. His eyes searched her face, his worry abating when she smiled broadly and took him by the hand.

  “Come inside,” she said. “You must be chilled to the bone, being out on the water so late in November.”

  Teddy pulled her close and kissed her soundly. “I missed you, Poppet.”

  “Not as much as I missed you,” she replied. “Oh, Teddy, you have to see Cynthia. She’s getting so big. She’s the spitting image of you.”

  It was only when Sophie saw the relief in Teddy’s eyes that she understood the fear she’d glimpsed in his gaze. He’d had no way of knowing if the child had survived George’s attack and had been too afraid to ask outright.

  “She’s fine, Teddy. She’s lovely,” Sophie gushed. “Born on time,” she added to reassure him. “She can’t wait to meet her father.”

  Teddy followed Sophie into the house. His gaze seemed to take in everything from the new settee in the parlor to the clock on the mantel.

  “Caleb brought that from Boston,” Sophie said, following Teddy’s gaze. “He bought it with his wages.”

  “Where is Caleb?” Teddy asked.

  “He went to the village. He and Bethany live here with me, but they go to visit her family at least twice a week. Bethany is expecting their first. She’s due in February.”

  Teddy didn’t reply. He drank Sophie in, his eyes misting with tears. “I hate being away from you, Soph,” he said hoarsely. “I miss you and J.T. How is he?”

  “He’s well,” Sophie said proudly. He’ll be so pleased to see you.”

  “I don’t know if I can bear to leave again,” Teddy said miserably.

  “How long can you stay?”

  “For as long as no one knows I’m here. Can Bethany be trusted?”

  “Yes, she can be,” Sophie assured him. “Come and meet Cynthia.”