The Haunting

by Raymond M Hall

  ‘Bugger off.’ He yelled across the room, holding tightly onto Briony’s arm. Then added as an afterthought,

  ‘Not you, my love, that over there, whatever it is.’

  The smoke dispersed immediately, and Briony laughed.

  ‘Seemed to work!’ She exclaimed.

  She managed to get him upstairs rolling him onto the bed.

  ‘Please stay.’ Sebastian implored.

  ‘Just for a while then.’ She replied, climbing onto the bed to lie beside him. He felt her warm body close to his and sighed deeply, returning to the deep sleep he had been enjoying in the ditch before being rescued.

  He was sleeping soundly and snoring gently as Briony carefully extricated herself from his embrace and left the bed. She went downstairs and through the kitchen door closing it gently behind her. There wasn’t a trace of tobacco smoke in the room and smiling to herself she went out onto the road and began the walk back to Upper Marston. With each footfall, the smile lessened to be replaced by a grim set to her mouth.

  She made her way to the edge of the village changing direction to the narrow back lane adjacent to the main road and walking along in the darkness she made her way surefooted to the biggest house at the end of the village. Letting herself in through the back door she made her way upstairs pausing at a bedroom door,

  ‘I’m back; I promised you I would return before dawn.’ She said.

  Chapter 30

  The coach journey to Bristol was mostly uneventful, uncomfortable and dusty when the roads were dry, and damp and miserable in the rain. Luke and Mary had stayed in London overnight before catching the stage to Bristol, another bumpy journey in a small carriage full of travellers. The journey had taken four days from Lincoln to London, a record time. They put up at inns along the way, and Mary thought it ironic that those who could afford the journey in such luxury were nearly always corpulent and spent the entire journey wheezing and coughing until they reached each staging post where they would disappear inside the inn to feed and drink copious amounts of alcohol. By the end of the four day journey to Bristol, their corpulence had increased along with the somewhat rancid smell. Mary was glad to be once again standing on the city streets. At least she could breathe fresh air. The journey had taken a total of nine unbearable days including the stopover in London.

  They had a week to wait before setting sail back to Virginia and Luke felt happy to be leaving. Mary, however, was not at all happy. She had been warned not to cross water and by none other than the spirit of Bethany. She had to find a way to change Luke’s mind although in his present mood she stood little chance. She pretended to have developed a fear of the sea and begged him to change his mind and even considered telling him of the warning she had received from Bethany. She was afraid to take that particular course, fearing that Luke’s mind may be turned back to his longing for her. Mary was feeling very comfortable with their relationship and had no desire to risk upsetting it. Instead she concentrated on imagined fears over the sea and on board diseases they might contract.

  To take her mind off her fears, he arranged for her to see a dressmaker, a different one this time as they were now plainly not uncle and niece. Luke intended asking the captain of the ship to perform a marriage ceremony during the voyage. He had not yet asked Mary but was confident of her answer. He gave Mary an amount of money in her purse and escorted her to the shop. She might find something to buy already made; they didn’t have that much time for measurements and such.

  Leaving her in the capable hands of the dressmaker and her assistants, he decided to take in the sights of Bristol. It was a bustling seaport, and there was activity everywhere he looked. It was also a very prosperous city, and he saw many fine carriages driven by liveried coachmen carrying people resplendent in the most beautiful clothes imaginable. He knew only too well there were also seamier and less attractive parts of this bustling place but purposely avoided them.

  He was so taken up with his sightseeing that the time passed quicker than he realised. He noticed the sky beginning its journey into dusk and hurried back to the dressmakers. They had already closed up, and it was only after much loud rapping on the door with his cane that it was eventually opened. No, they didn’t know where Madam had gone. She had purchased two of their finest dresses, ordering them to be delivered to the hotel and left some two hours earlier.

  ‘On her own? Yelled Luke to the now frightened dressmaker.

  ‘Yes, sir, madam said she knew her way well enough and said she would make her own way back to her hotel.’

  Luke left and began to run. He made quick time to the hotel and bounded upstairs to their room finding it empty and rushing back down to the foyer asked the receptionist if madam had returned? No, he hadn’t seen her, and he had been on duty all day.

  ‘Damn and blast, shouted Luke, where is the stupid girl! Angry with her but more at himself for letting the time slip by without noticing the lateness of the hour.

  He calmed himself and began to retrace his steps from the hotel to the dress shop in the hope of finding her.

  Mary had spent an enjoyable time in the dress shop; it was a new experience for her to be treated with so much respect and deference. She had chosen two perfectly beautiful frocks, both fashionable and reasonably functional for daily use. She gave instructions for them to be delivered to the hotel and insisted on paying in cash herself. Ladies were not usually expected to carry money, but Luke wanted her to be independent. They were, after all, returning to the New World where values were changing faster than here in stuffy old England.

  She waited patiently for Luke to return but after an hour of sitting still with nothing to do, she decided to leave and go back to the hotel.

  ‘Tell my husband that I have returned to our hotel when he calls if you please.’

  She delighted in referring to Luke as her husband even if he had not yet even proposed. No doubt the age difference would be commented upon, but it was nothing out of the ordinary for a man to have a younger wife.

  She was bowed out of the premises by the dressmaker and assistants lining up at the door. Mary turned in the direction of the hotel and began walking. A short time later she paused at a narrow side street. It was her old street, the road to her former home. She was a different person, grown up and a lady, but the temptation to visit her old haunts was high, so erring against caution, she entered the narrow street, no more than an alley and walked towards the ramshackle building she had known as home, the only home she could remember. It was quiet, the noise of the main road fading into the distance the further in she walked. She was busy looking up at the grimy exteriors trying to recollect her own place when a voice from the shadows startled her.

  ‘Well, well, what have we got here then? Lost yer way ave yer? Pretty little thing like you oughtn’t to be down here on yer own, no telling who might be lurking about.’

  Mary stepped back as the man came out of the shadows; he was older now but she recognised him and before she could stop herself she called his name out loud.

  ‘Ralph, you leave me be, I’m a lady now.’

  He laughed, recognising her through all the finery,

  ‘Well, if ain’t little Mary, I wondered where you got to? You were one of my best, you were. Cost me a pretty penny in lost earnings when you disappeared. Took ages to replace you. You was good, Mary, the best. The men all wanted you, where’d you get to?’

  Mary knew she was in trouble and cursed herself for being curious, why on earth had she wanted to revisit this place? She made a run for it, but in her fancy clothes, she was an easy target. Ralph grabbed her dress and reeled her in. He crushed her to him, and she was appalled by the rank smell of his unwashed body and clothes. His breath smelled of tobacco mixed with stale beer together with his rotten brown teeth. She gagged as he spoke to her quietly, which to her was even more menacing than if he had yelled.

  ‘You’re coming home with Ralphy, won’t that be fun, just like old times. You’re a bit old for my tastes now, bu
t I’ll make an exception in your case.’

  Mary was horrified as she recalled the first time she had encountered Ralph. She had been so young and innocent. Her parents had gone, left her or died; Ralph had found her wandering the streets, cold and hungry. He had taken her by the hand and led her into the alley, to this building and persuaded her to follow him with the promise of food; she couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten. Once upstairs Ralph had turned on her, ripping her thin clothes to shreds as he stripped her. She had screamed out in fear, but he slapped her face so hard she almost fainted. He threw her onto a dirty horsehair mattress and laughed as he dropped his clothes to the floor. She was horrified at the sight of this naked man looming over her and began to scream again. He didn’t hesitate but slapped her with the back of his hand so forcefully that this time she did lose consciousness.

  When she came to, she was still lying on the bed, but he was dressed. He sat at a table and ordered her to join him. She was in pain and looking down at her legs saw that she was bleeding.

  ‘Soon heal, don’t worry, Ralph will look after you. Come here and eat. Always plenty of good food for my girls, nothing’s too good for them. You’ll meet the others soon.’

  She did meet the others later that same evening, and they were all similar to herself. They explained the work she would be expected to carry out, and she shrank back in fear. It would be more of what she had experienced that afternoon with Ralph. She was supposed to go out and offer herself to whoever would pay. All the money was to be handed over to Ralph. All of it, the others emphasised. They pointed to a young girl hiding in the shadows,

  ‘She held some money back, and Ralph cut her,’ One of the girls said, pointing to her face.

  Mary looked across at the girl and noticed the ugly scar running from the top of her eyebrow down to the bottom of her chin. It had cut right through her cheek the other girl said, so she could not hold a mouthful of water without it trickling out of the slit.

  ‘Ralph spent weeks forcing it to stay open until it eventually healed that way.

  ‘Ralph hires her out as a novelty now, the men can do whatever they like to her for a few pence. Ralph says it’s to remind us what will happen if we cross him.’

  Mary had no option but to do whatever he wanted. She went out onto the street every day with the others and became adept at attracting willing customers. She lost any sense of self-worth or self respect, and when men weren't using her for a few pence, Ralph used her himself. The girls’ biggest fear was getting pregnant. They could stay until they were too big to hire out then simply disappeared. They were never seen again, and none of the girls dared ask what happened to them.

  Now, here she was in the clutches of the odious Ralph once again, she feared for her life but worse, what he might do to her face, she had crossed him after all.

  In desperation, she forced herself to think clearly. Ralph was a pervert, but above everything, he craved money.

  ‘I can get you money.’ She said, quietly, ‘Lots of money.’

  Ralph had not paused dragging her inside the filthy tenement and up the steep stairs, his feet ringing hollow on the bare boards.

  ‘Where are you going to get money from?’ He sneered.

  ‘I’m a married woman now, and my husband is a wealthy man, he will pay well to have me returned unharmed and unsullied.’ She said, hoping his greed would surpass all his other depravities.

  Ralph paused, the thought of money taking his mind off what he had originally intended for her.

  ‘Maybe I might just give you a good seeing to then, instead of giving you a ‘Clown face’. Then your husband can have you back.’

  ‘Clown face?’ She asked before she could stop herself.

  Ralph drew out a wicked looking thin bladed knife from his belt.

  ‘Filleting knife this, I don’t cut down the face anymore. Just give a wider mouth.’ He said, putting the blade on his own and making a sawing motion. ‘One of my girls has a mouth from ear to ear. Looks funny when she smiles, but the bitch doesn't do that much anymore.’

  Mary sank back onto the bed, knowing full well that the man was very capable of carrying out his threat.

  ‘How much do you want to let me go?’ She asked.

  ‘Well, considering how long you’ve been away I reckon fifty pounds ought to cover my losses.’ He said, salivating at the prospect of so much money.

  He moved towards her, and she pulled away, but he caught her by the hair and pushed her back onto the bed. Grabbing at her breasts with his free hand he sneered,

  ‘Look at these titties; you have grown up, and you’re so clean too.’

  Tearing at her bodice, he exposed her breasts and pinched them. She screamed which earned her a backhanded slap.

  ‘Now! You shut up and everything will be fine, but if you yell one more time I’ll knock some teeth out, that might please your husband, make it easier for him to get into your mouth.’ He yelled in her face.

  Mary was beaten, she knew he would have his way with her, just as he had when she was a little girl. The main thing was to avoid mutilation. If she could get back to Luke, hiding what he was about to do to her would not be a problem, but if he scarred her, he might not want her anymore.

  She lay back on the bed and relaxed, throwing her arms up behind her. Ralph tore at the rest of her clothes until she was naked and stood back to study her. She closed her eyes, and he shouted again,

  ‘Open those pretty eyes and see what Ralphy’s got for you.’

  With that he dropped his filthy breeches and stood before her, she thought she would be sick as she looked at him, he was so revolting. He moved forward and taking her ankles spread her so that nothing was hidden from his probing eyes. Holding her legs up he put his face into her mound and began to nuzzle her. She thought she would die of shame and closed her eyes again, thinking that surely this had to be a nightmare, maybe she would wake up soon and be in her comfortable hotel bed next to Luke. But the nightmare continued as he changed position and began to move up the length of her body, pausing at her breasts and biting her nipples painfully.

  As he clambered roughly on top of her, she could smell the stale sweat of his body and his foul breath.

  ‘Open your eyes, sweet Mary, let me look into them. It’s been so long, and Ralphy’s missed you.’

  It was over mercifully quickly, and he got up off the bed, all business again. Mary reached for her clothing as he described how her husband was to pay the ransom. She told him the name of their hotel, and he said he would get a message to Luke giving him instructions.

  ‘How old is your husband?’ Ralph asked.

  Mary, thinking quickly, told him Luke was in his sixties and not of a very robust constitution.

  ‘Still playing the whore then?’ He laughed.

  ‘You treat him right, Ralph, you’ll get your money but don’t hurt him.’ She implored.

  ‘He can’t be far off dying anyway; then I dare say you’ll be a wealthy widow.’ He replied, thinking that maybe there could be even more advantage to this situation.

  Mary could see where this was heading,

  ‘Ralph, I shall never marry again. Besides, I look after my husband very well and hope for many more years of his companionship.’

  Ralph sneered,

  ‘So, what I just gave you must have been very welcome if it’s only friendship with your husband.’

  Mary didn’t bother to dignify that with an answer, but Ralph was already scheming. She said she would never marry again? Maybe, maybe not. We’ll see when he’s gone and out of the way. He had already decided that this was too good a deal to waste on one transaction.

  Ralph made ready to go out to the hotel; he decided to make the ransom amount one hundred pounds after what she had told him about Luke being elderly and frail. It would be a pittance to the old man but a fortune to himself.

  He bound Mary hand and foot stuffing a dirty piece of cloth in her mouth as a gag and securing it with a strip of equally dir
ty sheet torn from the bed where he had raped her. Locking the door, he waved, admonishing her to be a good girl until his return. Ralph laughed loudly at his own joke as he made his way downstairs.

  He had written a note on a scrap of paper, barely legible in his coarse handwriting giving instructions as to how the exchange was to be made. One hundred pounds for an unharmed Mary but should Luke not come up with the money in gold coin then he could have his lovely young wife back a piece at a time. He had used her name as proof that he had her as his prisoner.

  He waited outside the back door of the hotel until a young serving boy emerged with a bucket of refuse. Ralph approached the boy and asked the number of the room a certain Mr Luke Bishop occupied. He dropped a silver coin into the young servant's hand; the boy clutched the money firmly as he gave the number.

  Ralph went into the hotel through the rear entrance and guided by the servant approached Luke’s door. He soundlessly slid the scrap of paper under the door and left hastily.

  ‘Forget you ever saw me, or it’ll be this for you.’ He told the boy, showing him the evil looking thin blade of his knife. The boy had his shilling and couldn’t care less about this man’s business with Mr Bishop; he walked downstairs and back to the drudgery of his life looking forward to the coming evening when he would spend the shilling on liquor.

  Luke had walked the streets steadily until he accepted that it was getting him nowhere. He was desperate to find Mary but now didn’t know where to look next. He had even found the alleyway where Mary had first crossed his path and searched it thoroughly, little knowing that as he passed by she was being assaulted only a few feet from where he stood.

  He returned to the hotel weary and disheartened. On entering his room, he noticed a scrap of paper lying on the floor. He bent to pick it up and went to the window throwing more light on the clumsy writing.

  He was to go to a meeting place the next day in the afternoon, alone and carrying the sum of one hundred pounds in gold coin. His wife would be waiting for him, and once the money had been paid over, he was free to take her home. The warning at the bottom of the page described how she would be returned to him one piece at a time if he didn’t bring the money or arrived in the company of others.