The inside of the castle was just as impressive as the outside. The style of decoration was very Tudor. The walls were decorated half and half with the top being painted white and the bottom part composed of auburn wood panelling and were hung with elaborate tapestries and paintings. Each room was complete with an iron chandelier suspended from the ceiling on a chain. The windows were crystal-clear and covered by red moreen curtains. Every mantelpiece was made of grey marble and Turkish rugs covered the floor. It was a place fit for royalty.
Since the castle was such a big place, and not very many people were staying there, finding rooms for the gang was no challenge. Daphne and Velma found themselves a room overlooking the graveyard and Fred, Shaggy and Scooby got a room directly adjacent to theirs. Both rooms were cosy little places with king-sized beds draped in scarlet linen sheets, solid oak wardrobes and satin armchairs.
Once the gang had unpacked and sorted their luggage, Ruth gave them a tour of the castle and introduced them to the few guests that were staying there. They eventually came to a small courtyard outside the castle with a large area of grass, small fir trees, bushes and flower beds. There were also a few benches set out where the guests could sit. As they entered the courtyard, Shaggy noticed a man resting on his knees, tending the shrubbery. He was quite a large man, even while kneeling down, with a red ruddy face and a great bushy ginger beard that almost reached his chest. Despite the warm weather, the man was wearing a thick black overcoat and an old battered hat that had seen better days.
Shaggy gave Ruth a light nudge. "Uh, Ruth, like, who's that?"
Ruth followed his line of vision. "Oh, that's Seamus, the gardener."
"Like, he looks pretty big for a gardener" Shaggy said uncertainly.
Ruth nodded in agreement. "I know. When I first met him, I thought he played basketball for the Boston Celtics in his spare time." She then turned to the others. "Why don't we sit down for a while? Me feet are killing me."
The rest of the gang agreed and parked themselves on the nearest bench. By this time, it was early evening and the sun was just beginning to set. From where the group was sitting, it was possible to clearly see the pale blue sky turning to a mixture of pink, yellow and lilac as the golden sun slowly disappeared behind the walls before them and on this pleasant summer evening, the sight was picture perfect. Unfortunately, as is always the case in such situations as these, someone had to go and ruin things for everyone.
"So, Ruth," Velma said, breaking the silence, "about these murders. When exactly did they happen?"
Shaggy frowned at Velma, as did their fellow mystery-solvers."Like, did ya have to bring that up NOW?!"
Ruth fidgeted in her seat, the cheerfulness from her face gone. "Err... I don't really like talking about it but...if ye must know." She took a deep breath. "Well, they began a few months after people started coming te stay here at the castle. Guests would disappear in the night and be found the next morning lying in the graveyard, covered in their own blood. The police were contacted, of course, but they were never able te find any leads on who the culprit might be. The strangest thing, though, was that the victim was always a young woman. It was never a man."
Everyone stared, wide-eyed, at Ruth as she finished her story. "Do you have any idea who or what might have done this?" Fred asked.
Ruth paused for a second. "Err, well...there is one possible suspect. Although, the very thought isn't exactly..." she paused, searching for the right word. "Realistic."
Daphne raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Well, this castle is rumoured te be haunted by a man who used te live here. Now, I'm not saying it's true, but there is a possibility that it could be..."
"'Tis the ghost of Emmet O'Reilly."
Everyone jumped as Ruth was interrupted by a gruff voice. They all looked up to see Seamus the gardener standing in front of them, his tree-trunk arms hanging stiffly at his sides. Up close, Seamus looked even bigger and more intimidating. Shaggy and Scooby began to quiver.
"Wh-who?" Velma stammered.
"Emmet O'Reilly" Seamus repeated. "He was a man who worked in this castle in the early 1800s before he met with a tragic end."
Emmet O'Reilly was the son of a farmer who lived some distance away from Kavanagh castle. His family was extremely poor, barely able to afford to keep a roof over their heads, let alone feed and clothe themselves and with a grasping landlord always demanding taxes, life for them was miserable. Emmet was employed at the castle to work as a servant for Lord Kavanagh so he could help his family pay their bills.
Lord Kavanagh had two children: a daughter named Sophie and a son named Andrew. The Kavanaghs were one of the richest and most distinguished aristocratic families in Cork. However, they soon fell upon hard times when Andrew took up gambling and lost a great deal of their money. Lord Kavanagh knew they would be ruined if something wasn't done soon. He decided that the only way to prevent financial ruin was to find Sophie a rich husband. But Sophie wasn't interested in marrying for financial gain. Why should she have to suffer because of her brother's mistakes? Besides, she had already promised her heart to someone else. And that someone was Emmet O'Reilly.
From the moment he first laid eyes on her, Emmet thought Sophie was the most beautiful woman he had ever met. He loved her with all his heart and the feeling was mutual. They were completely besotted with each other and every night they would meet in secret at the graveyard near the castle where they would stay until morning. But it was not to last. Lord Kavanagh soon announced that he had found a husband for his daughter. The chosen suitor was Lord Beaumont, an English nobleman who was at least twice Sophie's age. The girl was horrified by the news, for Lord Beaumont was a horrid man who had a terrible reputation for grooming young women. Sophie begged her father not to make her go through with the marriage but his mind was already made up.
The night before the wedding, Emmet asked Sophie to meet him in the graveyard that night. Emmet knew of Lord Beaumont's scandalous deeds and could not bear to lose the woman he loved to such a man. Together, they made plans to run away to Scotland where nobody would find them. It sounded like a foolproof plan and probably would have succeeded if they had not been overheard. Lord Beaumont, who had arrived the previous day for the impending nuptials, had woken in the middle of the night to the sound of muffled footsteps passing his bedroom door. Curious, he peered through the keyhole, only to catch sight of Sophie creeping down the hall. Suspecting something was amiss, Beaumont followed her all the way out to the graveyard where he overheard Emmet plotting to run away with Sophie. Furious at Emmet for daring to take what he believed to be his, Beaumont began plotting a scheme of his own to foil the young lover's plans and the next night, he was ready.
At the celebration on the night of the wedding, Sophie waited until she thought no-one was looking, and quietly slipped away. But Beaumont saw her leave and followed her. Alone in an empty hallway, Beaumont seized the girl, dragged her into a nearby room and tied her up and gagged her. "Do not be alarmed, my love" Beaumont said to the frightened girl. "I am doing this because I love you." Then he kissed her and left the room.
In the graveyard, Emmet was waiting for Sophie and was beginning to grow worried. She was late and Emmet wondered what could possibly be keeping her. Then, to his surprise, Beaumont came marching through the gates to the graveyard with a pistol in his hand.
"Where is Sophie?" Emmet demanded. "What have you done with her?"
Beaumont gave no reply but instead pointed the gun at Emmet and fired. The sound of a gunshot alerted everyone inside the castle and all ran out to the graveyard to find Beaumont standing triumphantly over the dying Emmet O'Reilly. It didn't take long for them to figure out what had happened.
"I did it because I had to!" Beaumont cried. "He tried to steal my wife from me! He will never come near her again!"
Not a minute later, Emmet died, but not before uttering his final words: "May sudden death befall everyone who brought this about."
"Nobody dared challenge Beaumont for his actions, for he was an extremely rich and powerful man" Seamus said. "A few days later, he returned te England with his new wife. Exactly one year after the weddin', Lord Kavanagh and his son disappeared from the castle one night, only te be found dead the next mornin'. They were both lyin' in the graveyard in the exact same place where Emmet died, both covered in bloody wounds. On that same day, Beaumont had been called te Ireland on a business matter. His carriage was travellin' along a path near a cliff overlookin' the sea when, for some reason, it suddenly skidded te the right a tumbled down inte the water where he drowned. Nobody knew how these sudden deaths came about but they suspected that the curse bestowed by Emmet O'Reilly had somethin' te do with it."
The gang stared at Seamus in amazement, their eyes wide and their mouths hanging open. It felt like an eternity before Daphne finally broke the silence. "W-what about Sophie? W-what happened t-to her?"
"I don't rightly know, lass" Seamus replied. "Some say she fell inte a deep depression after bein' abused by Beaumont and killed herself. Others say that when she heard her husband was dead, she took all his money and fled te Scotland where she lived the rest of her life under an assumed name."
Ruth suddenly rose from her seat, frowning. "Thank ye, Seamus, Ye've said enough. Come on, ye guys. Let's get inside. It's getting dark."
The sky had indeed grown dark in the time it had taken Seamus to tell his story. One by one, the gang rose to their feet and followed Ruth inside. None of them wanted to admit it but they were all a bit shaken up by what they had just heard. Perhaps coming here wasn't such a good idea.
Nobody was in the mood to sit up and talk and besides, it was getting late. So, they bade each other goodnight and retired to their rooms.
"Do you think the story is true?" Daphne asked Velma as they changed into their pyjamas.
Velma shook her head. "Of course not. It's just an urban legend. There's no such thing as vampires."
While everyone else slept that night, Daphne lay awake in her bed, thinking about what Velma had said. Was the story really a work of fiction? Was it just a legend made up to attract tourists? Or was there some sinister truth to it? These thoughts continued to float around Daphne's head until fatigue got the better of her and she drifted off into a deep sleep.