by Olsen, Lisa
“Would you say you’re pretty close to the Pooles then?”
“I wouldn’t say close. My father spent more time with them than I did. I always thought she was a bit… severe, though I’ve spent a fair amount of time helping Thomas out with odd jobs here and there. He’s a bit easier to talk to, but I wouldn’t consider them close friends, no.”
“What about Katie, she’s closer to your age, how well do you know her?”
“You’re not the jealous type are you?” Will’s head canted to one side as he regarded her steadily, and it wasn’t lost on her that he hadn’t actually answered the question.
“No, I’m just trying to get the lay of the land so to speak.”
“That’s understandable. I expect this is all quite different than what you’re used to. We are a fairly tight knit community. I hope you’ve been made to feel welcome. You must know how glad we all are that you’ve come.”
“Why is that exactly, Will?” she rolled onto her side to face him completely. “Why do I get the feeling you’re all scared to death I’ll pack Jack up and jump ship?” Her question clearly caught him by surprise, but then his face softened and he reached out to brush the hair back over her ear.
“I don’t think you can truly comprehend what it means to us to have you here. To use your analogy of a ship, we’re caught adrift without someone at the helm. I know it might be a flawed system in this day and age, but it’s what we’re used to. There needs to be an heir at Darling Park, it’s as simple as that. All of us sleep better in our beds at night knowing you’re in the house. Well, I do at least,” he grinned, leaning in to steal an all too brief kiss.
Was that all it was? The Pooles and Will were worried she’d freak out over some of the ghostly happenings and leave without giving it a shot? The overheard conversation took on a much less ominous tone when she took that into consideration. Almost as if he’d read her mind, Will brought up the subject without her having to scramble for a way to introduce it.
“Apart from the unwelcome visitor this morning, no other… unwelcome visitors?”
Sara knew what he was asking, and she struggled with whether or not to come right out and ask him what he know about the mysterious woman or ghost, or whatever she was. “Nothing new since last night, but I did hear an interesting story about the Lady of the Road from Katie. She said something like that’s happened a lot in these parts.”
“She told you about that, did she?” Will suddenly grew much more interested in the blades of grass beside them. “It’s just stories mostly; you know how these things get out of hand. Most likely the product of overactive imaginations and far too much ale on tap.”
“Do you honestly expect me to believe we both imagined what happened last night?” she stared at him incredulously until he caved slightly.
“Alright, I’ll allow we did see… something out in the fog. But we can’t know for sure what it was.”
“I do, I even know who she is.”
“You do?” he froze, a pucker of worry appearing on his brow as he stared up at her.
“I told you I recognized her from my dream, and the more I think about it, the more I’m convinced she’s the woman who tried to warn Jack away from here.”
“Sara… something like that just isn’t possible. If we are entertaining the idea that it is a ghostly apparition, then how is it she’s able to communicate with Jack?”
“I don’t know, they say children are more sensitive to that sort of thing.”
“And how did you hear her then?”
“How should I know? I’m not an expert on the subject, this is my first haunting,” Sara rolled back to look up at the sky in exasperation, hating the runaround she felt he was giving her. He’d said he wouldn’t lie to her if she asked a direct question… “Have there been stories of something like that happening in the house before?” The silence stretched between them and Sara looked over to see the struggle written plainly on his face. “Will, just tell me, I can take it. I’m not a shrinking violet, remember?”
“Alright, it’s true; there have been stories over the years of unusual goings on at Darling Park.”
“What kind of stories?” she sat up eagerly.
“Nothing dangerous, I can assure you. Little things, like missing objects that turn up in strange places, footsteps echoing through the halls when no one is there, creaking sounds like you said you heard last night. There have been reports of a ghostly woman who appears as solid as you or I, but then gets up and passes straight through a wall or disappears into thin air. I never gave much credence to them before, but now…”
“I’d say there’s pretty solid evidence I’m living with a ghost,” Sara chewed on the inside of her bottom lip.
“Does that notion frighten you?”
“No, not especially,” Sara admitted after a moment’s hesitation. If anything it enhanced the mystique of the place. How many people could say they lived in a haunted mansion? “It doesn’t seem like there’s a lot she can do to any of us, or she wouldn’t have tried to scare Jack off, she would have done something more spectacular. Only… it wasn’t like she was trying to scare Jack exactly, she sounded more concerned than anything,” Sara frowned, trying to remember the exact words of the conversation. Was it a threat or a warning for Jack’s safety? “I wish I knew what she wants.”
“It’s possible she hardly knows herself,” Will sighed. “I can’t imagine she’d be completely lucid after so much time rattling around the old place, can you?”
“I hadn’t thought of it like that before,” Sara blinked. “Maybe we should try and talk to her? See what she wants? Maybe she doesn’t want to share the house after Sir Stephen gave her the run of the place for the past thirty years.”
“Hold a séance?” Will snorted. “Do you really think that will work?”
“Why not? She obviously wants to communicate with us, or at least with Jack. When we get back, I think I’ll have a little talk with him about her. Maybe he can get through to her, let her know we’re happy to share the place.”
“Then you intend to stay?”
“Of course I do. I’m not going to let a little thing like this scare me out of my own home. What I don’t get, is why the need for all the secrecy? You and the Pooles have been tiptoeing around it like I’m made of glass.”
“We were that obvious, were we?” Will gave a rueful smile.
“So there’s a ghost in the house, big deal. Like you said, with a house that old and full of history, I’d be surprised if it didn’t have a few quirks.”
“Not everyone would take such news in stride, believe me. As I said, all of us want you to stay on. If we were a bit overprotective in how we treated you, then please accept that our intentions were good.”
He looked so relieved; Sara was inclined to believe him. “Is there anything else you’re not telling me?”
“Course there is, everybody’s got secrets, don’t they?” he winked playfully, his grin stretching wider before he sobered. “I would never let anyone or anything hurt you, Sara. Trust in that.”
Leaning forward, he brushed his lips against hers tentatively, allowing her plenty of time to pull away. Sara’s eyes drifted shut at the light touch, and it was she who chased after the next kiss, feeling in her bones that there was no way he could kiss her like that and mean her any harm.
Laying back against the blanket, they kissed each other lazily, as if nothing else in the world mattered. Will didn’t press for any more and Sara almost wished he had, but she couldn’t push past her inhibitions to carry it any further herself. It was with a groan that she pulled back, realizing the time.
“We should head back; I don’t want to miss meeting your father.”
“He can wait, I like having you all to myself,” Will’s reluctance to let her go was clear as he pulled her close for another kiss. When he finally released her, Sara drew in a shaky breath, and it took her a moment to remember why she’d even thought about heading back to the house.
&
nbsp; “I’m not going anywhere, remember? We have lots of time to spend together, but I don’t want your father to think I’m blowing him off the very first time we meet.”
“Alright then, I expect I must learn to be happy to share you, mustn’t I?” he sighed, gathering the remnants of their lunch to pack away into the basket.
“Now who sounds like the jealous type?” Sara grinned, hopping up to brush the stray leaves from her hair.
*
As they drew closer to the house, Sara spotted Jack sitting under a large oak tree, a book propped on his knee. She raised her hand to wave, but he was too sucked into the story to notice. About to call out to him, Sara froze in place as she spotted a tall, thin, shabbily dressed man watching the boy intently.
“Hey, do you know who that man is?” she turned to ask Will, who was fretting over a loose handle on the picnic basket.
“What man?” he looked up blankly, and Sara turned back to catch a flicker of movement among the trees as the man slipped away.
“There was a man right there, staring at Jack,” Sara scowled, picking up the pace. “Sorta tall and thin with stringy black hair that hung over half of his face, looks a little down on his luck?”
“I’m sorry, he doesn’t sound familiar and I pretty much know everyone around these parts. Are you sure you…” Will stopped talking once he noticed her expression, matching her pace until she stopped a few feet away from the tree.
“Will, why don’t you go on up to the house, tell your dad I’ll be there in a few minutes if he’s waiting. I want to have a quick word with Jack.”
“Are you sure?” his eyes went to the treeline, but there was no one in sight.
“I’m sure we’ll be fine. But ah, stay within yelling distance, okay?” she offered him a playful smile, despite the worry that nagged at the edge of her thoughts.
“Absolutely I will,” he pledged, offering Jack a salute in passing, which the boy returned with a lopsided grin.
“Hey Mom, did you ask Will to teach you how to play games for the fair tonight?” Jack asked, drawing a smile from her.
“No, but he’s helping me remember some other games I forgot I knew how to play,” she replied, watching the man lope back to the house with easy grace. “Have you been out here long?”
“No, not that long. Joanie said she wanted to take a nap and Katie had to do the laundry, but I think she didn’t want me to beat her at draughts anymore.”
“I bet she didn’t,” Sara chuckled. “Is it lonely for you here without any other kids to play with?”
“Naw, it’s not that bad. I’d rather be alone than with a bunch of mean kids.”
“Fair enough. Listen, I wanted to talk to you about the lady that keeps visiting you.”
“Again?” a roll of the eyes was given. “You guys should talk to each other, leave me out of it.”
“I’d love to, if I knew where to find her.”
“You can see her anytime you want, she’s always around,” he shrugged and Sara decided to try a different tack.
“Jack… when you see her, does she look the same as you and me?”
“No, of course not. She’s not like us.”
“She’s not.”
“Didn’t you know? She said you had your head buried in the sand, but I told her you always know when I’m up to something, so you must know what’s going on. What is going on, Mom?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out, kiddo, that’s what I’m trying to find out.”
Chapter Thirteen
Will’s father, Bernard Talbot stood waiting in the hall; hat in hand, a kindly smile stretching his face as Sara came into view. While he didn’t look like he belonged in the main house, neither did he look nervous or intimidated by the grandeur or by her.
“Thank you for coming Mr. Talbot, it’s nice to meet you,” she smiled offering her hand, which he shook warmly.
“Let me get a look at the girl who’s stolen my boy’s heart.”
“I don’t know about stolen, I might have borrowed it for a while…” she smiled shyly, wondering where Will had disappeared to. “Did Will say if he’d be back soon?”
“He’s gone off to help with preparations for the big todo tonight if I’m not mistaken. It’s got the entire village all abuzz; I hope we’ll see you there.”
“We wouldn’t miss it for the world, Jack’s been beyond excited ever since he heard about it,” she laughed.
“Ah, Ellie was right, you are the spitting image of Lady Margaret,” he sighed.
“Ellie?”
“Forgive me, I meant Mrs. Poole as you’d know her.”
“Oh right, Ellie.” Somehow she couldn’t picture the austere woman as anything other than Mrs. Poole, but of course she had a first name. “You know, she said the same thing to me when I got here, but I don’t see it myself. Thanks again for coming out to see me on such short notice, Will tells me you’re the one to talk to about getting the grounds back in shape again.”
“Aye, if that’s your plan I’m the man for the job true enough,” he nodded proudly. “Now then, what did you have in mind, your Ladyship?”
Sara took him out back to talk about restoring the gardens to their former glory. She was pleasantly surprised to find him still intimately familiar with what plants belonged where despite the current state of ruin. They spent nearly an hour wandering the overgrown property, and more than once she wondered if he should be taking notes, but Talbot assured her, he had a mind like a steel trap.
“I don’t mind telling you how it fills my heart to bursting to think of the life you’re breathing back into the old home again, my Lady.”
“Please, call me Sara,” she replied automatically, convinced he’d beg off like everyone else did, but Talbot surprised her there.
“I suppose it’s alright, all things considered,” he gave her a brief wink. “To think of my Will hanging his hat in the likes of Darling Park,” he let out a low whistle.
Oh… he must think… Sara’s cheeks grew warm as she realized the assumptions being made about her and Will. “I ah, I hope you understand, he’s staying here as a favor to me, not actually… with me,” she clarified quickly.
“I never meant to imply otherwise, dear girl,” he patted her hand gently. “But I must say I’m pleased as punch to see the happiness you’ve brought to my boy this past week. I never thought to see him smile like that again after leaving London.”
“It was pretty crushing for him to give up his dream of being an architect, huh?”
“All of it. The schooling, the city life, his girl… I feel for the boy, I don’t mind telling you. It kills me to think it was all lost because of me.”
“Don’t say that,” Sara laid a hand on his shoulder. “It’s obvious how much Will loves you; I think he was glad to have the chance to see you through your rough patch. I know if I had a chance to help either of my parents again, I’d give up all of this in a heartbeat. Family is what matters most.”
“Aye it is, bless your heart. It does me good to hear you say that, Sara. I hate to think of Will falling for another pretty face with no soul to speak of.”
“Another pretty face?” He’d said something about Will having to leave his girl behind.
“I don’t mean to talk out of school, but he was head over heels for this young slapper, even talked about bringing her home for a visit, but the timing would never suit. Soon as Will found out he wouldn’t be returning for the next session, he asked her to join him down here and she flatly refused. Didn’t so much as bother to try and make up a convincing excuse for it, broke it off, cold as you please. And this after nearly a year of walking out together mind you.”
“Poor Will, that does sound pretty heartless,” she agreed in sympathy.
“It was a dark time for us, I don’t mind telling you. But I told him bigger and brighter things were right around the corner. It took a few more corners than I’d reckoned for, but here we are all the same,” he beamed and Sara found herself smiling
back.
“It’s always darkest before the dawn,” she agreed. “But the dawn always comes if you wait patiently enough.”
“Too right. Well, I expect you have better things to do with your time than having a bit of a chinwag with old Talbot, eh? I’d best let you get to it.”
“Oh, not at all, I had a great time getting to know you better. Thanks so much for coming out Mr. Talbot; I know I’m leaving the grounds in the most capable of hands.”
“Thankee for the vote of confidence, dear Sara. But you must call me Bernard then if I’m to call you Sara. Maybe one day you’ll even call me Da, yeah?” he winked.
It was a bit early for that, but she gave him a kiss on the cheek, charmed by his easy manner. “You never can tell, Bernard.”
“Truer words were never spoken.”
*
“I wonder if I might have a word with you, my Lady?” Mrs. Poole waited politely by the door to the study and Sara waved her in, not big on ceremony.
“Sure, what’s up, Mrs. P?” she smiled, in a fine mood after spending all afternoon watching Jack follow the service man from room to room, wiring the house with internet access and setting up the new TV’s she’d ordered online.
“I hope you don’t mind, but Will brought a matter to my attention, and I feel I have caused you undue distress by my lack of openness.”
“Openness about what?” Sara sat a little higher. What had Will said to her?
“He mentioned you were startled to find a strange man lurking about in the vicinity of Sir Jack.”
“Yes, you’ve seen him too?”
“I rather hope so, I hired the man.”
“Hired him? For what?” Sara blinked, confused. The guy hadn’t been doing anything but standing around. And why did he slink away the moment she came into sight if he had a reason to be there?
“To look after the young master’s safety, of course.”
“You hired him as a bodyguard for Jack?”
“Not a bodyguard, per se. But after your concerns with Jack being threatened, I thought it would be best for someone to keep an eye on him whenever he’s alone. I apologize if I’ve overstepped my bounds, my Lady.” Her eyes dropped respectfully.