Darke London

by Coleen Kwan

  Pip’s lips worked in unintelligible turmoil as he wrung his hands. “I—I don’t know,” he stuttered. “T—tell her how sorry I am. I did not mean for her to get hurt.”

  Nellie stiffened. What did he mean by that? Had Pip just revealed his culpability? “Your wife knows who is responsible for her death,” she continued implacably. “She was murdered by a common thug in the employ of a man called Thaddeus Ormond.”

  Pip’s complexion turned to ashes. He gawped at her like a hooked fish, but no sound came out of his white lips.

  “Thaddeus Ormond is your father, is he not?” She brought her hands down on the table with a sharp bang which made Pip start. “Your wife has a question for you, Mr. Barchester. She wants to know if you conspired with your father to get rid of her. She wants to know if you are responsible for her death.”

  He jolted back so hard his chair toppled over, carrying him with it. Nellie’s heart jumped as he crashed to the floor but she strove to keep her calm, knowing the situation teetered on a knife-edge.

  Pip scrambled back to his feet. His necktie was awry, and his complexion had turned putty grey. “You—you are a charlatan,” he cried, wagging a shaking finger at her. “I don’t believe a word you say.”

  “I am merely the conduit to the spirit world, Mr. Barchester. I cannot control the messages I receive.”

  “Well, then you must be talking to the wrong spirit. Yes, yes, that’s the problem, you silly cow. You’re not talking to my wife.”

  Nellie drew herself upright and snapped back, “You question my abilities? How dare you! I have been communicating with the spirits since I was a girl of ten.”

  “Nevertheless, I don’t believe you’re talking to the right Nellie Barchester.” Despite his bravado, a shadow of doubt had crept into Pip’s expression. “Ask the spirit for some proof that she is my wife. Ask her to tell you something only she would know.”

  “Very well.” Nellie sighed and cast her gaze upwards. “O spirit, your husband asks you to prove your identity.” She glared back at Pip. “Your wife says you have a scar on your foot left from an operation to remove a vestigial toe.”

  Gulping, Pip sagged into the chair and clutched at the tablecloth. “Well, that is something, but—but I am not yet convinced.”

  “When you have nightmares, you cry for your mother, over and over again.”

  “My mother!” His Adam’s apple bobbed convulsively. He stared at her, stricken with grief. “Oh, Mama, my darling mama! How I’ve missed her all these years.” Tears filled his eyes as he gibbered. “Dearest mama!”

  A spurt of indignation stung Nellie. This was the first time he’d cried tonight, and it wasn’t for her but for his mother. She quickly quelled her mean-spirited thoughts. If ever a son had needed his mother, that man was Pip.

  “Madame Dariya,” Pip called out urgently. “I wonder if you could summon up my dear mama’s spirit?”

  Nellie drew back. “No, I’m afraid that’s impossible.”

  “But why? I miss my mama so much. She did all she could to shield me from—well, from things, and when she died I was bereft. Oh please, Madame Dariya. I beg of you.”

  “Some spirits do not wish to communicate with the living,” she blustered. “They wish only to be left in peace.”

  “But you won’t know that if you don’t try.” Pip leaned his beseeching face forward. “Please, Madame Dariya. I will pay you extra—double!— if you allow me to speak with my mother.”

  Heavens, what was she to do now? She longed to steer the conversation back to the murder and what knowledge Pip might have had of his father’s plans, but it was obvious he was fully distracted by the notion of contacting his long-dead mother. Nellie saw no option but to pander to his wishes. She would pretend to call up his mother’s spirit, tell him regretfully that she’d failed, and return the focus to his dead wife.

  “Very well,” she conceded. “What is your mother’s name?”

  “Felicity Ormond.” Expelling a heartfelt sigh, Pip sank back in his seat and gazed at her with eyes large and hollow in a face burning with expectation.

  Pip’s fervent expression discomfited Nellie. His mother’s death had dealt Pip a devastating blow from which he’d never recovered. He’d been his mother’s pet, she surmised, and her death had left him exposed to the harsh treatment of his father. Anyone who grew up with a brute of a father like Thaddeus Ormond could be excused a little weakness. But it was not her place to give him false solace, however much he wanted it. She would simply pretend his mother’s spirit did not want to contact him.

  Raising her arms, she delivered her incantation, using Felicity Ormond’s name. Pip craned forward, breathing noisily through his parted lips, the tip of his tongue darting in and out nervously. Nellie repeated her words once more, then shook her head softly at Pip.

  “I’m sorry. Your mother’s spirit does not present itself.”

  “Try again, I beg of you.”

  “It’s no use—”

  “Please!” Moisture gleamed on his puckered forehead. “Just once more, please.”

  Suppressing her unease, Nellie resumed her position. How much longer could she continue with this shameful charade? It was one thing to make Pip think she’d raised his dead wife’s spirit, but his mother was truly dead, and she knew how much she meant to him. It was not right to delude him, but she had no choice. She lifted her hands higher.

  “Beloved Felicity Ormond, we bring you gifts from life into death. Be guided by the light of this world and—”

  Suddenly her tongue seized as air rushed out of her lungs in one great whoosh. An invisible force squeezed upon her chest. She could not speak or move. Coldness swept down on her in an arctic squall, freezing her every cell. She gasped and choked, but not a sound escaped her mouth. Mother of God, was she suffering some kind of seizure? Her eyes rolled upwards, her head tilted back of its own volition. All she could see was the dirty ceiling above her festooned with grey cobwebs. Out of the grime, an orb of light glowed in the centre of the ceiling. It pulsed and grew until it seemed to envelope her.

  I am dying. That light must be the tunnel to the afterlife.

  The light shifted, became a column and entered her mouth. It felt as though she’d swallowed a live fish. It squirmed about in her throat, and she heard words flowing out of her mouth, but the voice sounded nothing like hers.

  “Pip, my dearest boy!” she cried in a faint, high-pitched voice. “How wonderful to speak with you again.”

  White-faced, Pip fell to his knees. “M-Mama? Is that really you?”

  “Of course. Don’t you recognise my voice? Why, I used to sing you your favourite lullaby every night. Do you remember?” A strange tune warbled out from Nellie’s mouth. She had no control over herself, had never heard this song in her life, yet the phrases poured out in a quavering lilt.

  Tears streamed down Pip’s cheeks. “Dearest Mama, how I’ve missed you.”

  “You’ve grown into a handsome man, my son. I’m proud of you.”

  Pip sobbed louder. “There isn’t a day goes by I don’t mourn your passing.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I left you. It was not my choice.”

  Pip scrubbed at his wet cheeks. “What do you mean? Of course it was not your choice to bleed to death in your bed.”

  “I mean I…well, I might have survived the miscarriage if…”

  “If what?”

  A mournful sigh rose from Nellie’s lips. “You may recall that I died during the night I lost my unborn child, unable to rouse any assistance, and my maid found my dead body the following morning.”

  Pip shook his head in sorrow. “Mama, I shall never forget that dreadful morning.”

  “Well, the truth is, I wasn’t entirely alone that night. Your father came into my room…”

  “He did? He’s never mentioned any of this to me.”

  “He came into my room and saw I was in the throes of a miscarriage. He said he would summon the doctor immediately and left the room
, never to return again.”

  Pip stared at her in horror. Sweat rolled off his brow. He moved his lips, but remained mute.

  Words continued to flow from Nellie’s mouth. “I rang the bell but no-one came. I think—I think Thaddeus must have cut the wires outside my room.”

  “But—but why?” Pip’s eyes bulged out with terror. “Why would he do such a monstrous thing?”

  “Because he despised me. He always did. He married me for my wealth, but he despised my family, my humble origins, my gauche manners, and as time marched on he found it harder and harder to hide his disgust. For years he wanted another son from me. You weren’t enough; he needed to secure the Ormond lineage. That was the only reason he tolerated me, and he was genuinely pleased when at long last I became with child again. But that night when he saw I was about to lose the baby, he couldn’t bear my presence any longer. He saw his chance to be rid of me, and so he left me to die.”

  A hoarse gibber fluttered out of Pip as he staggered to his feet. He lifted his forearm to shield himself from Nellie as if she were too ghastly to look at.

  “No, no…” he muttered. “It cannot be true…” He backed away from the table, bumped into a chest, turned and fled from the apartment.

  As his footsteps clattered down the narrow staircase, Julian burst into the room, flinging the dusty curtain aside. “For God’s sakes, Nellie. What was all that blather about?”

  Nellie tried to turn her head towards Julian, but the force which had invaded her body held her captive. Julian darted forward, his expression darkening as he sensed something was deeply amiss. “Nellie, talk to me, in heaven’s name.” He shook her shoulder urgently.

  At his touch the light rushed out of her body, leaving her coughing and gasping for air but mercifully back in command of her faculties. As she tore off her veil, she heard Julian’s concerned voice, but it was some minutes before she had the power to speak.

  “I’m fine,” she choked out, wheezing with every breath she took.

  Julian disappeared into the other room and reappeared with a glass of wine. Her hands shook as she took a cautious sip. The sour wine almost peeled the roof off her mouth, but she was grateful for its bracing roughness and glad she was still in one piece.

  Julian drew up a chair near to her. “My dear, what got into you there? Why on earth did you pretend to be possessed by the spirit of Pip’s dead mother? It gave me quite a turn hearing you speak in such a strange voice.”

  She shook her head and kneaded her aching temples. A deep exhaustion gripped her, and she could barely see straight. “I don’t know what came over me.” She lifted her head to glance at him cautiously. “Julian, this will sound like utter nonsense, but I think I was genuinely possessed by his mother’s spirit.”

  His face grew rigid under the clenching of his jaw. “You know that is not possible, Nellie, because there is no such thing as communicating with the dead. Spiritualism is nothing but a fraud. You know that.”

  “I know, but…I have no other explanation. It was not me who spoke to Pip. Some alien force took control of my body, my mouth, and uttered those words.”

  “Impossible!” A deep furrow marred his brow. “As a man of science I cannot accept that. You must have suffered some sort of seizure. Let me examine you.” Tired, she submitted to his examination, docilely allowing him to lift her eyelids, take her pulse, and breathing in and out as instructed. He did not appear to be satisfied with his findings. “Well, I can find nothing physically wrong with you.”

  “I’m sorry, Julian. It seems I have wasted the entire evening. After all our efforts I didn’t get any proof either way of Pip’s involvement in my death.”

  “Your attempted death,” he retorted grimly. “Don’t speak as if you’re dead.” He rubbed the back of his neck before expelling a long breath. “By Jove I’ve had a gutful of spirits tonight. We should go home so I can conduct a more thorough examination of you. Perhaps you suffered a hallucination of some sort.”

  Would hallucinations be preferable to being a channel for the spirit world? Before tonight she’d scoffed at the idea of contacting the dead, but she didn’t know what to believe anymore. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around herself, and as she did so, she became aware of the skirts chafing at her limbs.

  “Before we go, I would like to get rid of some of these skirts. They’re most uncomfortable.”

  “Of course. Um, do you need some assistance?”

  The thought of Julian helping her undress sent a frisson down her back, but this was neither the time nor the place for tomfoolery. “I can manage,” she said.

  While Julian turned his back on her, Nellie swiftly removed several layers of skirts and shawls and bundled them into a holdall. Without the extra weight, her body felt cold and weak. The thought of the long journey home ahead of them brought a sigh to her lips. She’d give anything to be in bed right now.

  Julian swivelled back. “Ready?” he asked.

  Just as they moved towards the door, footsteps pounded on the staircase outside. They glanced at each other, but there was no time to do anything as the door crashed open. A familiar figure stood in the doorway, blocking their escape.

  “You!” Thaddeus Ormond exclaimed as he gaped at Nellie. “You’re supposed to be dead.” He transferred his stare to Julian. Ormond’s eyes bulged, as hard and black as the onyx pin stabbed in his cravat. “Well. Now this is a nasty surprise. I never would have guessed. All my bothersome fish in the same basket. That will save me a lot of trouble, I suppose.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Julian shouldered his way past Nellie and stood in front of Sir Thaddeus. “What an unexpected displeasure, Uncle.”

  Sir Thaddeus sucked in his cheeks. “Insolent pup. I’m no uncle of yours and never will be.” To emphasise his words, he thunked his ebony cane on the floor.

  Julian lowered his head as a slow-burning anger built up inside him. In the past few weeks his obsession with discovering his parentage had abated somewhat, swept aside as he focussed his energies on Nellie’s behalf, but now, confronted by his tormentor, his resentment blasted back to the fore.

  “It gives me no joy to acknowledge our blood tie,” he snapped. “Given the man you are, I’m ashamed to be related to such scum. But tonight I’ve received even further proof of our dismal connection. Your unfortunate son revealed he was born with a vestigial toe, a characteristic I too bear. A rather telling fact, don’t you think?”

  Above his high-necked frock coat, Sir Thaddeus’s face swelled up. The tips of his waxed moustache quivered in outrage. “That fool son of mine. The sooner I get him settled the better.” He turned his inimical glare on Nellie. “And you. Why am I not surprised to see you still so unpleasantly alive? I knew something was fishy about your death.” Twisting his neck, he hollered over his shoulder, “Kray! Get up here now.”

  Heavy feet clumped up the stairs. Julian tensed in anticipation. His fears were confirmed as the familiar burly figure of Thaddeus’s hired thug appeared in the doorway, the distinctive pockmarks around his deep-set eyes affirming his identity.

  “Aye, guv’nor,” he muttered, his gaze darting towards Nellie.

  “Well, then? You’re not taken aback by the sight of a ghost?” Thaddeus jabbed his finger at Nellie. “Despite the mess on her face, doesn’t she look remarkably like the woman you were supposed to dispatch?”

  Beside Julian, Nellie was breathing hard, her fists clenched at her sides. “You filthy mongrel,” she burst out at Sir Thaddeus. “You lying, despicable monster.”

  “P’shaw.” He sneered at her down the length of his bony nose. “You refused to go quietly, so you got what you deserved.”

  “And what of Pip? Did he know what you were up to? Did he want me dead too?” Two spots of colour stained her white cheeks.

  Sir Thaddeus merely sniffed and turned to his henchman. “What happened that night? How in hellfire did a slip of a thing like her get away from you?”

  The man raised his hillocky shoul
ders. “I were set ’pon.” Scowling, he jerked his brick-like chin in Julian’s direction. “By ’im. ’e must a followed you and me, and then ’e attacked me.”

  “The devil take it!” Thaddeus huffed in exasperation. “What’s the matter with you, you dolt? You’re more than a match for that stripling. Who was the woman you threw in the river, then?”

  “Some doxy no one would miss,” the dolt confessed resentfully.

  “But she had the rings.” Sir Thaddeus’s face grew thunderous. “I knew it. You were after the rings, even though I’d paid you. That’s why she escaped, you no good dunce.” He lifted his cane threateningly.

  Kray ducked. “Oi, sir, I’ll have none of that.” A surly scowl folded up his features. “She were a right little wildcat, she were, biting and scratching me like a hussy. I ’ad a devil of a time trying to snuff ’er.”

  Nightmarish images of Nellie fighting for her life seared Julian’s brain. This was the beast who’d assaulted her, who’d slashed off her fingers and hacked up her face. Volcanic fury spurted through him, and a second later he charged towards the other man. Bent low, he drove his shoulder hard into the thug’s belly. Kray let out a grunt and staggered backwards as Julian flung his arms around his waist in a tight bear hug. The man was taller and heavier than he, but Julian had the advantage of surprise. Using his own weight, he thrust at the man and toppled him to the ground. The floorboards shuddered under the impact. Nimble and driven by fury, Julian shifted position and collared the ruffian from behind in a suffocating chokehold. The man thrashed about, his meaty fingers clawing to free himself, but Julian had both forearms braced around the man’s thick neck. He knew he could maintain that stance indefinitely, and with every struggle the man merely added to his own choking misery. Not realising this, the man fought even harder, but inch by inch, Julian simply increased the pressure on the man’s throat. The man’s cheeks started to mottle, and flecks of spittle frothed from his mouth. His eyes, wild and desperate, bulged in their sockets. Julian pressed down even harder. Threads of red appeared in the whites of the man’s eyes. Someone cried out. It sounded like Nellie, but his ears seemed muffled. All he could focus on was the man gasping in his stranglehold.