by Natasja Rose
From the faint sniffles, Tina was pretty sure it was the latter, and tried to push back another pang of guilt.
Perhaps the ghosts were trying to apologize for the upset their hosts were going through, because the dream that night was far more pleasant.
Bess doubted that there was a single person who would give John up to the authorities, including the local authorities themselves, and it was an open secret that John was quietly courting her.
Even so, lying awake, waiting for the hoof-beats and whistled tune that heralded a clandestine meeting, always gave Bess a small thrill.
Charlotte, Bess's younger sister, was away at school, their father wanting to give her the best chance he could at making a good marriage, when it became clear that Bess was happy with enough learning to help run the Inn that she would inherit, along with her future husband. That was a pity, as Bess could hardly wait to tell her the wonderful news, and the mail coach wouldn't come through for another week!
John had friends in the village, but asking their help in this matter would create the wrong impression and start unkind rumours. That left the aid of the blacksmith, who could come up with a valid reason for asking, even if he was about as subtle as his trade, especially when he had asked to measure her finger. It was a sweet effort, and very obvious what John was up to, and Bess felt hope rising in her heart.
John wouldn't make a false promise, and the Blacksmith tried to have as little as possible to do with his illegitimate child as possible, so asking for his father's help meant that John must hold the matter in high seriousness.
There was no question of John continuing the life of a Highwayman if he had a wife and, in time, children to think of, so a ring in the making meant that soon, John would be able to leave off risking his life and finally come home and marry her!
Lizzy and James sat on a couch, talking quietly.
To the casual bystander, it would seem like small talk. To James's grandparents and the tour group, it would seem like two interested people getting to know each other. To James and Lizzy, it was far more serious.
They had attempted to put together a timeline of events, comparing the Innkeeper's stories with the dreams/memories, reports of previous occurences and what Tim had told Tina, and had finally come to a very worrying conclusion.
They had perhaps a day before Bess and John's story reached its inevitable conclusion. With Lizzy and James acting as their hosts, they needed to either change the ending, or share the same fate.
After a mini-freak-out that Tina's intervention managed to pass off as a fit of stifled laughter from the pair, James frowned, growing serious again. "We should talk to my grandparents. Granddad is an expert on ghost stories, especially the local ones, and Nana studied physics, as well as a thorough knowledge of injuries, thanks to years of patching up anything that didn't require an actual visit to the professionals."
Lizzy nodded. "Knowledge is power, after all. If you don't mind my asking, what about your parents? Would they be able to help?"
James shrugged. "Mum didn't want to work at the Inn her entire life, so she got a job in a bigger town, met Dad, and their work sends them all over the place. They're in Japan right now, and with the lack of airports around here, and the roads still in a state, they wouldn't get here in time, and they don't hold with the supernatural. They wouldn't believe it if Bess and John showed up in person, and would just think I was playing a silly joke to get them home sooner. They seem to have missed the fact that I'm not five anymore."
Lizzy nodded again. Her parents were much the same, being of a practical mindset that didn't include ghosts or dream-visions, and if Lizzy could barely explain the possession fiasco to Tina, who already knew about the supernatural and had therefore only spent five minutes staring with her mouth open before she started ranting about ghosts and hauntings, then she couldn't even imagine explaining it to sceptics over the phone.
Even if either set of parents did get there on time, James and Lizzy would be looking forward to months or years of visiting the nearest psychiatrist, if not a quick trip to a mentally ill facility.
James stood up, offering Lizzy a hand, trying not to think if it was the common courtesy drilled into him by his grandparents, or the manners that would have been second nature to John. "Nana and Granddad should be washing up after breakfast right now. We can ease them into it while helping out."
Of course, it could never be that easy.
James's grandparents had been forced to go on an emergency shopping trip, which meant that they wouldn't be back for a few hours, so they returned to the Common Room, finding the rest of the Tour Group, plus Ben, Will and a few other patrons, had set up an impromptu game of Trivia.
Tina, armed with the knowledge that came with years of being Lizzy's friend, had joined forces with the Bus Driver and another guest who was on vacation from his job as a tour guide, and a quick glance at the scoreboard showed that Tina's team was coming a narrow second to the Gap Year Students.
Lizzy and James separated to join their friends as the Quizmaster began the next round. "Starring Cary Ewles, the title of a Mel Brooks comedy, and what legend was it based off?"
There was a loud cheer from nearly everyone, who knew the answer at once, and a yell from Sean. "Do we get bonus points if we can sing the theme song?"
Tina laughed unexpectedly, "What about if we know the routine, as well?"
The Quizmaster grinned at the room at large, "If you can get up here and perform it for everyone, sure."
Lizzy exchanged conspiratorial looks with Tina, both of them very familiar with the routine and lyrics, before Lizzy jumped to her feet. "Well, who's brave enough to join me?"
Ben stood up, taking her extended hand. "I only know the words."
Tina gave a genuine smile for the first time that day. "You sing, then, and we'll dance. On three..."
An even louder cheer provided the count-down, and Lizzy grinned. At least this story wouldn't be making the rounds through the Blue Mountains back home, as the intoxicated serenade at a pub Trivia Night back home had.
Chapter Seven
After sharing what she had found out from the stable-boy with Will and Ben, Tina found the two spirits and their un-consenting hosts in the kitchen, Lizzy sitting on a stool and watching closely as James started on a stew.
Lizzy seemed to be telling a story, if her animated gesturing was anything to go by. From the look of exaggerated horror on the face she had just pulled and given the situation, it was probably a recounting of the honeycake fiasco. "-so he pulls himself together and mutters something about teaching me the difference between alcohol labels... Oh, hi Tina."
Tina did her best to act like everything was normal, offering a small smile. "Is this the one about using 30-year-old imported Scottish whiskey to cook with?"
From the way James burst out laughing, Lizzy hadn't reached the punch line yet. Tina's friend gave a half-amused, half-sheepish smile before her brow furrowed and her eyes narrowed. Clearly, Tina hadn't been as convincing as she had hoped.
Lizzy folded her arms. "It's not my fault someone re-arranged the booze cupboard so the cheap stuff was at the back! Now, I'm not the only one who's been acting strangely since we arrived. Do you want to tell me what's wrong, or do I march straight out that door to find a doctor, weather be damned?"
And Lizzy would do it, too, possession or no possession. With great friendship, came great worrying over each other.
Tina sighed. "This is going to sound like the weirdest thing ever, but I swear I'm not crazy." She took a deep breath. "I can see ghosts who have died violent deaths, and two of them are possessing you two."
Tina had almost expected one of them to bolt for the door and the doctor, but James and Lizzy only exchanged a careful look. James was apparently elected speaker in a silent conversation, "That's... Actually not the strangest thing we've heard of late."
Lizzy nodded, her voice soft. "We've been having... Dreams. Shared dreams, but more like a memory album of someo
ne else's lives."
James elaborated. "Lizzy's mostly been waking up at strange hours that wethinkcoincide with when 'Bess' would meet her secret boyfriend. I've been waking up in strange places with no idea how I get there. Three nights back, it was the hayloft, where 'John' slept when he worked at the Inn as a boy. Two nights ago, I woke in the yard, looking up at the window of 'Bess's' room."
There was a lot of teasing potential there, but Tina let it go. "Right, now that we have that out of the way, we need to figure out a way to fix it."
Lizzy sighed again. There seemed to be a lot of that going around. "Do either of you find it ironically amusing that most people would love to see ghosts or have adventures like this, but I'm finding it one of the most awkward experiences of my life so far?"
James raised an almost-flirtatious eyebrow. "Only 'one of'? I know what you mean, though. From what I know of you when 'Bess' isn't trying to exert herself, you seem a lovely girl, but a handful of days is a short time to fall in love, and I'm constantly trying to figure out what is me and what is John."
That was something that Tina had been hoping to avoid. "Um, about that, I managed to get hold of another spirit, the stable hand who gave the Highwayman up. He gave me the rundown."
There was a quickly-buried flash of rage in James's eyes, the same rage she had felt associated with the Highwayman's death-flash, but Tina ignored it in favour of watching Lizzy. Sometimes it wasn't such a good thing to have a friend who knows you well enough to be able to tell when you're trying to avoid a topic. Lizzy gave Tina a narrow-eyed look that the blonde knew all too well. There went any hope of skipping over this bit.
Sighing again, Tina sat down and started to go over what Tim had told her.
Her heart was pounding, beating so loudly in her chest that she was sure John could hear it.
But John was insensible to anything but his own distress, his tears soaking her night-dress as he rested his head on her shoulder.
Beas rocked back and forth gently, cradling her love with the same tender care as she hoped to one day hold their child. She hummed a soft tune, the same one that John would whistle to her window in the dead of night, waiting patiently until he was ready to speak.
Finally, he did, and it was not secrecy that kept his voice little more than a hoarse whisper. "I knew that I was far from the only former soldier who turned to crime for survival, but I never thought-"
He gulped, faltering, and Bess gently urged him on, knowing that he had to tell someone, or he would break under the weight of whatever had happened. "What happened, love? You know you can tell me anything."
John sighed, his eyes conflicted. "I know, but it is not something I am proud of. I - I encountered one of my former comrades, this last ride. He suffered a bad injury in France, and was never quite right in the head after. Sudden rages, forgetting things that happened only minutes ago, imagining himself to be in another place and time... You see it a lot in some former soldiers. We, the survivors of our unit, that is, all contributed some of our savings after he was discharged, to make sure his family could afford to look after him, but it seems it wasn't enough."
Bess smiled at him encouragingly. That was one of John's finest qualities; his desire to help those who needed it, despite his own unfortunate circumstances. But that was beside the point. "We had the same mark, it seems, but he arrived first."
John broke off again, taking a deep breath, and Bess waited silently, listening. "They had already handed over their valuables, but Jerry was waving his pistol and shouting for them to deliver. He shot one of the passengers in the shoulder when one of the women tried to say that they had nothing else. I - "
They both fell silent at the sound of footsteps outside, freezing in place and barely breathing until the owner of the feet had passed and all was silent again. Bess wrapped her arm around John and leaned into him, silently urging her lover on.
He closed his eyes, re-living the memory in all of its horror. "I was angry, Bess, and scared of what he might do next, if he was caught in one of his rages. I only meant to fire a warning shot, to distract him or re-direct his fury away from them, but - "
Despite her best efforts, Bess couldn't stop her eyes from widening a little. She knew that John had killed before - it was inevitable during a war - but those had been faceless strangers, who would have killed him without a second thought, doing their duty just as John had been.
The other Highwayman had been a comrade in arms, a friend, and John had not intended to kill him.
John looked to her for absolution and the forgiveness that the other man could never grant, but, God help her, Bess had no idea what to say. To be sure, it was a terrible accident, but the intent did not change the fact that the man was dead by John's hand.
She must gave been silent for too long, because John stiffened and started to pull away.
Instinctively, Bess tightened her hold on him. " I love you, John, and nothing will change that. I do not know what to tell you, other than that by taking one life, you may have saved more than a few. Perhaps now your comrade will be at peace."
John smiled bitterly. "Eternal peace, but better than the eternal torment that he suffered in life. It is scant comfort."
Bess reclined back on her narrow bed, still holding him close. John's lips found hers, soft and gentle as his desperate hold loosened into a caress. His eyes closed as he leaned against her, soothed by the sound of their hearts beating as one. "I can't do this much longer, Bess. A month or two for things to calm down, and my next ride will be my last. Though Hell itself stands between us, I'll come home and marry you, and we can start a new life."
Bess kissed his temple. "I'll keep watch every night, and get father to draw up the settlement papers. Things might seem dark now, but we have a new beginning to look forward to."
There was a weight on Lizzy's chest, far heavier than the down-filled blanket and the stuffed dragon she slept with whenever she was away from home.
Besides, blankets didn't snore quietly.
She bolted upright, cursing her tendency to sleep in the bare minimum, knocking James to the floor with a loud thump. He looked around, clearly confused as to why he was not in his own room, spotted Lizzy, and turned a spectacular shade of red. By the heat in her own cheeks, Lizzy was sure that her colour matched his. "I'm not sure whether to hope that you had the same dream I did, or to really hope that you didn't."
James attempted to meet her eyes, not doing a very good job and blushing even darker. "If John had accidentally killed a man and Bess was comforting him, then yes. I'm really hoping that's how I ended up in your bed, too, or Nan will string me up by my -"
He abruptly remembered that he was not talking to his mates, and cut himself off. The awkward silence returned. Lizzy attempted to change the subject. "Is there any way for you to get out other than doing a Walk of Shame? This is really not something I want to explain to Tina, or anyone else."
James nodded. "Out the window and over the roof. I'll say I woke up early and wanted to watch the sunrise. The roof is a great vantage point, especially for when there are fireworks."
Lizzy smiled in relief. "Good. I'll see you at breakfast?"
James returned a sunny grin, and things were back to as normal as they got between them. "Of course."
Putting five young heads together had resulted in a plan, though whether or not it was a good plan depended on who you asked.
Tina had not thought it possible to come up with a worse plan, which explained her spending the last three hours attempting to talk Lizzy out of the insane idea that she and James had thought up in an effort to get themselves un-possessed.
The problem was that as insane as the plan was, out of everything they had come up with, it was also the most likely to work, which made Tina's side a lot harder to argue. Still… "What part of 'you are very likely to die doing this' is so hard for you to grasp?"
It was a bad sign that Tina, normally in possession of iron self-control, was reduced to waving her arms
as she paced, but Lizzy's near-legend placidity was serving her well. "I know you don't like it, Tina, but can you think of any better ideas? Bess and John were trapped by their death, but if we're careful, we won't be! There's a well-stocked clinic less than two streets away, and you have some medical training. Everything will turn out fine."
That was the heart of the matter. "But what if it doesn't turn out fine? I already screwed this up by not noticing what was going on, what if I screw up again?"
Despite her best efforts, Tina burst into tears. If she had been paying attention, she would have caught on a lot earlier, and there were enough lapses in the weather that they could have brought an umbrella and walked to the next town, and Lizzy was good-natured enough to have gone along with it, if Tina had really insisted.
But Tina had been deliberately ignoring her psychic sense, and as a result the woman who was like her sister was being possessed by one half of a doomed couple from centuries ago!
Gentle arms wrapped around her, the same arms that had draped over her shoulders as they explored the Gumnut Guide hall the first day they met, more than two decades ago. Arms that had grabbed her in exuberant greetings, guided her around or away from obstacles after Tina banged into them thanks to a vision, and offered comfort or support when Tina needed it. Tina clutched her friend's body fiercely, trying to push away the fear that it might be the last time that she could hug Lizzy warm and breathing. She prayed to whatever force might be listening that it was paranoia and her own anxiety talking, and not another psychic hint.
Since the first time she had seen a ghost, Tina had forced herself to remain impersonal and distant from the visions, refusing to let herself be emotionally affected by the things she saw, though nothing could stop her from feeling physically ill when she saw the prisons and battlefields. Lizzy, so close to Tina's heart, was very personal, and the catalyst that held her tight as Tina sobbed out her fear and guilt, purging years of pain and empathic grief.