LeRoux Manor

by Liz Butcher

  “I’m at least keen to try getting to the bottom of it,” Lachlan replied. “It can’t be a coincidence. Don’t laugh... but I think this is all happening for a reason.”

  “And what reason would that be?” Jonathan asked.

  Lachlan shrugged under everyone’s gaze. “I don’t know, but there has to be one. With everything Camille’s going through on top of my uncle’s research... it just can’t be for nothing.”

  “You’re quiet,” Grace said to Camille. Camille nodded but still hesitated with her hand on her bag, inadvertently drawing the group’s attention to it.

  “What is it?” Lachlan asked. He stood from the couch and approached Camille’s lounge to hover right there beside her. Camille lifted her bag onto her lap to make room for Lachlan to sit next to her, trying to ignore Jeyne’s sharp breath.

  “Is everything okay?” Grace prompted.

  Camille looked at her hands. “Things have... escalated a little.”

  “Escalated?” Lachlan asked.

  Camille looked up at Grace and Jonathan, feeling the intensity of Lachlan and Jayne’s stares on either side of her. Taking a deep breath, she said, “You’re going to think I’ve lost the plot this time for real. But a few things have happened at home the past couple days.”

  “So, tell us,” Lachlan said. “We won’t think you’ve lost it. Whatever it is, it’s clearly worrying you.” He lifted his arm and rested it on the back of the chair. Camille had to force herself to ignore the sensation of his arm resting against her hair.

  “Well, it started with a dream I had last night. Only it wasn’t a dream so much as it was a glimpse into the past. At least, that’s how it felt. Like it was something that had actually happened.”

  “What was it about?” Jayne asked.

  “Caroline. I didn’t know it was her at first. Not until she introduced herself.”

  “She introduced herself to you?” Jonathan asked.

  “No, not exactly. It was like I was there, watching. And then I was a part of it.” Camille explained the rest of the dream to them, emphasising the impression she’d had that Mena had known exactly who she was and had lied about it.

  “Okay...” Jonathan said. “So that’s intense. But it’s just a dream, right? Like you said, when Caroline worked at the manor, Mena would have been in her fifties. If she’d even been alive. Not still a little girl.”

  “I know. It doesn’t make any sense. But then... well, there’s something else.” Camille paused, and everyone stared at her in anticipation. “Okay, when I woke up from the dream, I wasn’t in my bed. I was lying on the floor in the attic.”

  “What? Like you sleep-walked?” Grace asked.

  Camille shrugged. “I guess, if I got all the way up there. The weirdest part is that when I woke up, I found this right next to me.” She reached into the bag and withdrew the letter.

  “Woah, that looks old...” Jayne exclaimed. “Can I read it?”

  Camille nodded and handed it over. Then she grabbed her coffee from the table and focused on that instead. Jayne read it aloud, then handed it back to Camille. The group sat in silence for a few seconds until Jonathan let out a low whistle.

  Lachlan took a deep breath. “So—”

  “Wait,” Camille interrupted, deciding to bite the bullet. “There’s one more thing. You guys remember the other dream I had, right? The one about the trunk and the mirror and the shawl?” They nodded, urging her to continue. “Well, just before Jayne came to pick me up, I found this in my wardrobe. It was just folded neatly on the bottom shelf.” Reaching into her bag, she gently pulled out the shawl and held it out for everyone to see.

  “That’s pretty much exactly as you described it,” Grace said, standing from the arm of the couch for a closer look. “Even the holes”

  “This is crazy...” Jayne reached out to touch the frail fabric.

  “You’re sure it wasn’t there before?” Lachlan asked.

  Camille nodded. “The wardrobe was definitely empty when we moved in.”

  “Damn. I have to get back to work so Kylie can go on break,” Grace said. “I’ll come back over when I can.” She gave Jonathan a quick kiss and Camille a reassuring albeit sympathetic smile before dashing off toward the register.

  “I believe you,” Lachlan stated, looking Camille straight in the eye. “I know something’s going on in that house.”

  “We believe you too, don’t we, Jonathan?” Jayne jumped in, though Camille couldn’t help but wonder how much of the girl’s support was genuine and how much was just following Lachlan’s lead.

  “I don’t know what’s going on,” Jonathan said. “But I have to admit there’s a tonne of weird stuff, and it seems to be centred around you.”

  Camille gave them a grateful smile. “Good, because I’m starting to feel like I’m going crazy.”

  “Who wouldn’t?” Jonathan said.

  “Have you said anything to your parents?” Jayne asked.

  “Not really. When I told them about seeing the old woman, they just put it down to an overactive imagination and a nightmare. I haven’t bothered telling them anything else.”

  “Well, you have us,” Jayne said. “Now we just have to work out what the hell’s happening.”

  “I think it’s clear someone or something is trying to tell you something,” Lachlan said. “It’s like the longer you live in the house, the more these things are revealed. Like you’re somehow giving it the energy it needs to show you.”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking on the way over,” Camille said.

  “It sounds like something out of a damn horror movie,” Jonathan added.

  “Do you have a better theory?” Lachlan demanded, sounding on the verge of anger.

  Jonathan sighed and leaned back into the couch, looking up at the ceiling. “Honestly, no. I just can’t believe we’re legitimately sitting here talking about messages from the past and ghosts and haunted manors.”

  “Tell me about it,” Camille said. “I don’t think this is what my parents meant when they said moving halfway around the world would be an adventure.”

  “Regardless of the how, what’s the why?” Lachlan said. “What have we learned?”

  While Camille now understood where Lachlan’s intensity about the manor came from, she found it confusing. She couldn’t tell if his interest was solely in the manor, or whether his enthusiasm might have been fuelled a little more by how he felt about her. Telling herself she was being silly; Camille forced that last possibility as far back in her mind as she could and focused on what Lachlan was saying rather than what he might or might not have been thinking.

  When no one answered his question, Lachlan dove in himself. “Okay, so we know Caroline’s important to the manor. She took Mena in as a daughter, only she didn’t know it was Mena. So, she called her Alice instead. Mena should have been in her fifties, not a little girl. Obviously, we can’t explain that bit now, so let’s just leave it as it is.”

  “Then we have the shawl from her dream. Right here in front of us. It’s obviously connected to Camille, but we have no idea how or why. Most likely, it’s something else to do with the manor...” Jayne said.

  “Don’t forget the old woman,” Camille added. “She’s been finding me from the moment we moved in.”

  “It’s got to be because you’re a LeRoux,” Jayne added. “That seems pretty obvious.”

  “And your similarities with Mena,” Lachlan said. “She was the last girl born into the family until you, Camille.” Jayne nodded. “It’s true,” Jayne added, and Camille wondered if she’d only imagined the other girl’s reluctance. “You fit right in, like you’ve always lived here.”

  “See?” Grace said. “That settles it. A birthday sleepover at the manor. That is, as long as your parents won’t mind.”

  “I’m sure we can find the room.” Camille joked.

  “This is going to be so awesome!” Jayne squealed.

  “What’s awesome?” Jonathan asked as he and L
achlan approached the table. “Aside from our basketball skills, that is.”

  “We’re going to have a sleepover at the manor tomorrow night!” said Jayne. “Well, maybe.” She glanced at Camille. “If Camille’s parent’s say it’s okay.”

  “Can we come?” Lachlan asked and took the only spare seat available, which was next to Jayne.

  “Oh... so you’ve always dreamed of going to a girl’s sleepover party?” Camille joked.

  Lachlan laughed in a rare expression of amusement, and she found herself revelling in the way his blue eyes brightened above his smile. “Not exactly. Though I have always wanted to spend a night in the manor.”

  “I’d have to agree with that.” Jonathan casually draped an arm around Grace’s shoulders and picked up a menu with the other, eyeing it hungrily. “I’m pretty sure no one in this town can say they’ve spent time in the creepy LeRoux Manor.”

  “Except me,” Camille said.

  Jonathan winked at her. “Exactly. So why should you have all the fun?”

  “Yeah, you’re part of the group now, remember?” Grace added with a laugh.

  “Okay, okay!” Camille raised her hands in mock defence. “I’m not sure how my parents would feel about boys staying the night... But it’s not like we don’t have spare rooms.”

  “We’d be on our best behaviour,” Lachlan declared, raising his hand as if swearing a vow.

  Camille smiled at him and pulled her phone out of her bag to text her mother. “All I can do is ask, right?” She figured it was a question better asked via text, so her parents could think about it, rather than saying no on a call if she put them on the spot.

  “Hi, guys. Congrats on the win.” Amy skated up to their table. “What can I get for you?” The girls placed their orders, and Camille’s mouth fell open when the boys listed their seemingly endless order.

  Seeing her expression, Jayne laughed. “We did warn you.”

  Camille smiled back at her, relieved that Jayne didn’t seem to resent her for Lachlan’s attention. At least, the thought of spending the night at the manor seemed to cool whatever resentment was there.

  THE GUYS WERE IN HIGH spirits after their basketball win, and Camille found herself enjoying the carefree evening full of wisecracks and laughter. It was a nice change from conversations focusing on the manor and its mysteries. For the first time since moving to Woodville, she felt like a normal, carefree teen surrounded by good friends. She realised she now liked the thought of calling this new place her home; it almost felt like she’d always lived here.

  Before she’d had the chance to fully register the thought, she felt suddenly lightheaded and queasy. She lowered a half-eaten chip to her plate and stared down at the table, forcing herself to take long, slow breaths.

  “Camille? Are you okay?” Jayne asked from the opposite side of the table.

  Camille didn’t trust herself to speak for fear she might be sick. All she could manage was a slight shake of her head.

  “Let her out.” Grace nudged Jonathan out of the booth, half a burger still in his hand. “I’ll get you some cold water,” Grace offered as Camille slid out of the booth.

  A loud rushing flooded Camille’s ears, and a wave of nausea hit her like a kick in the stomach. Tumbling to the ground, she clamped her hands over her ears, but that only seemed to make the noise louder. She had a brief thought of being trapped beneath crashing waves, the water swirling and whirling over her head. It felt as if she were about to fall through the floor itself. Squeezing her eyes shut, she willed the sensation to pass. At first, her friends’ voices sounded far away, but one by one, she heard their cries of concern.

  Grace and Lachlan helped her to her feet, and the rushing stopped. The sudden silence left Camille stunned and completely confused.

  “What happened?” Lachlan asked.

  Camille looked at each of them in turn. “I have no idea.”

  “Are you okay?” Grace asked.

  Camille swallowed and nodded. “Just... feeling a bit lightheaded.”

  “Here, sit back down.” Lachlan moved out of the way so she could sit on the edge of the booth.

  Then Amy skated toward them. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, we’re fine,” Camille replied before anyone had a chance to say otherwise. Amy gave them a dubious look but took off again for her other customers.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Grace whispered.

  “Yeah, I feel fine now. Just tired. That was so weird.”

  “Maybe eating something will help.”

  Camille gave her friend a small smile and absently picked up another chip.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  D

  O YOU REALLY think you’re up to having all your friends over?” Allysha asked.

  Camille avoided meeting her mother’s concerned stare, focusing instead on getting the pillowcase on the pillow, like it was the most technical task she’d ever attempted. “Yeah, I’m fine, Mum. Just tired. It’s been a big week.”

  “Exactly my point. Which is why I think the sleepover would be better suited for another time.”

  “Really, Mum. I’m actually looking forward to it. I think it’ll be good for me. And it’s my first birthday in Woodville. Kinda depressing if I didn’t do something, don’t you think? I feel lucky that I made friends already and that they want to hang out with me on my birthday.”

  Allysha sighed. “Fine. But I meant what I said about the boys sleeping in this room and not with you girls. And I want the doors left open.”

  Camille couldn’t help but smile. “Oh, come on, Mum. You don’t have to worry. Trust me.”

  Camille set up some cushions around the floor of her room and placed all the research she’d collected in the centre. Sure, it wasn’t the most exciting way to spend her birthday weekend, but she hoped her friends would be happy to pick up the research where they’d left off. She couldn’t explain it to herself, let alone to the group, but she felt like she was running out of time.

  Looking around her room, she tried to pick out a few ways to make it more comfortable for them all. There were a number of rooms in the manor better suited to studying, but she wanted to keep what she could away from her parents. She wasn’t sure how they’d react, especially after the way they’d taken her reports of seeing the old woman. It was enough for them to know she and her friends were working on an assignment. As for Miss McAllister ... well, Camille certainly didn’t want her to know what they were up to.

  As though on cue, a loud creak came from the doorway. Camille jumped and turned to see Miss McAllister at the door.

  “Your mother asked me to let you know your friends are here,” the woman stated, her distaste more than evident in her sneer. Camille could only stare at her while her heartrate slowed to normalcy again. Miss McAllister glanced quickly down at Camille’s research setup, then gazed at Camille again before a deep frown further darkened her expression. Without another word, the woman turned and walked away.

  Camille waited a few moments to be sure Miss McAllister was gone before she left the room. Then she shut her bedroom door behind her.

  “This place is insane!” Jonathan exclaimed, gazing around the foyer. “I mean that in a good way.”

  “Well, then, I thank you, Jonathan,” Allysha replied. “I think.”

  Camille descended the stairs two at a time. “Hey guys.”

  “This is seriously awesome,” Jayne said.

  “Yeah, I can’t believe we’re actually standing inside the manor.” Lachlan looked around as though trying to drink in every minor detail.

  “Well, I’m just glad you’re all so happy to see me.” Camille laughed.

  “Of course we are!” Grace replied, giving her a hug.

  “I’ll leave you lot to it,” Allysha said. “And I’ll bring up some afternoon tea a bit later. Camille, I’ll let you advise your friends of the house rules.”

  Camille rolled her eyes. “Yes, Mum... Come on, guys, My room’s up here.” She led them up
the stairs, smiling at their hushed exclamations as they pointed at one thing or another. “It’s not a church, guys. You can talk normally.” Ushering them along, she realised she’d already taken her new home for granted; the things her friends pointed out to each other had either gone unnoticed or had received no more from her than a passing thought.

  She stopped at the room next to her own and opened the door to reveal two single beds freshly made up. “This is where you guys are sleeping.”

  “Sweet.” Jonathan stepped inside and flopped down on the closest bed. “Ah... this is the life.”

  “Don’t even think about it.” Grace stormed in, grabbed his arms, and forced him to sit up. “You’re not here to sleep.”

  “I thought this was sleepover...” Reluctantly, he got to his feet.

  “A common misconception about sleepovers...” Grace corrected, and the girls laughed.

  “You’re a cruel mistress.” Jonathan wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and yawned. Lachlan walked to the bed beside the windows and set down his bag. When he opened it, he removed the journal, then looked up at Camille. He was clearly as eager to get stuck in their research again as she was.

  Camille led them on to her room and pushed open the door.

  “Holy crap. This has got to be the largest bedroom I think I’ve ever seen.” Jayne slowly wandered around the room.

  “Yeah, your phone did not do this room any justice,” Grace said, taking it all in with wide eyes.

  “I’m just glad to see it’s not all pink and girly.” Lachlan grimaced, looking entirely uncomfortable with his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans.

  “Hardly,” Camille said, suddenly hyper-aware that he was in her bedroom. What the hell had she been thinking? “Uh, well, everything I have is there on the floor, including the albums I found in the attic.”

  “Neat.” Lachlan took a seat on a cushion next to where Jonathan was already making himself comfortable. When the girls joined them, Lachlan added the journal to the pile.

  “Find anything interesting in that journal yet?” Jayne asked.