Chapter 6
By morning the storm subsided to a foggy, desultory drizzle, in contrast to William who was awake early feeling clear-headed and vigorous. Julia's fertility treatments had many effects as well as side effects he had discovered, including moodiness. It also seems to increase her desire, he thought about their relations last night. Keeping up with her was going to be a pleasurable challenge.
Up and dressed quietly, he left her to sleep and closed their door behind him, immediately proceeding to trip over a tray which had been placed by the threshold. The clattering was loud in the otherwise silent hallway. He looked around guiltily; thankful no one paid the noise any mind. William picked the tray up & peered underneath the silver dome. A plate of bread and jam! His mouth watered and his stomach acclaimed loudly.
How thoughtful. William assumed the kitchen staff provided it, prompted by Thelma White. There was a slip of paper under the bread which only bore the inscription "By 7:00". William assumed that was to indicate the time by which to deliver the snack. They are early, it is only 6:10. William packaged it up in his pocket and set off to explore the house. No one else was about. He walked the hallway, looking carefully at the doors, hardware, vents and end windows.
His first stop was the main hall. Outside the front door was evidence of the storm's fury: leaves and branches strewn about, large branches down and trees uprooted. He saw one of the home's shutters broken and twisted besides a stack of torn tree limbs and the property looked like a giant swung through with a club. The causeway was blocked by trees. Back inside, from the drawing room windows he could see the lake had lashed the shoreline, consuming feet, if not yards of ground, and the lake levels themselves were high. The windstorm would have pushed massive amounts of water towards the other side of Lake Ontario, and now the water was sloshing back in a seiche. He retraced his steps into the dining room, carefully examining the spaces, looking for anything which might explain the unsettling phenomena which the guests were experiencing. He catalogued several observations and guesses, stopping his systematic reconnoiter only long enough to finish his bread.
The music room looked much different in natural light: pleasantly proportioned but, he noticed, oddly placed in the house. Light came in through the French doors; the twin mirrors sat in large, gilt frames giving more depth to the room. On a hunch, he addressed the bookcase, pulling or shifting books, pressing on the millwork, trying to get the shelving to open or slide. Ah well, it worked once before, he sighed under his breath.
The only anomaly in this room he noticed was when the curtains puffed…without any corresponding wind outside. He lit the wick of a candle, blew it out and watched the smoke trail.
What is that?
There was some gap around the right-hand mirror into which the wisps disappeared. William ran his fingers along the gilt frame, feeling for air or a way to peel it back from the wall.
There?
He pulled back on a latch placed high in the frame, causing the whole mirror, frame and all, to swing out, revealing a long dark corridor running behind it. What was even more surprising was that when he turned around he could see through the glass back into the music room.
The space smelled of earth and dampness. William followed his nose down the corridor as the scent strengthened, his footsteps ending at a glass door. Beyond that was the remains of a greenhouse. The storm, at least he assumed it was the storm, shattered most of the windows by flinging branches, or perhaps the sheer force of the winds themselves caved the panes in. Sounds of a broom across the floor took his attention.
"Hello?" William stepped around the glass.
The scraping stopped. "Hullo?" Mr. Shaggis' voice called out. "How d'you get in here?" He sounded annoyed. "Best be careful there, stay back. I'll have the mess on the floor swept up soon. Don't know about the orange trees though," he mentioned sadly. The gardener approached, broom handle waving. Dusty blonde hair strayed outside a tweed cap and whiskers strayed on his chin, as if the man had not bothered to clean up before tackling such a dirty task. "Ah. Mr. Murdoch is it? I'm, er…surprised sir. None of the gentlemen is up so early. Why it's not even seven o'clock."
William saw the man's craggy face look puzzled.
"If you're up so early, would you care for some tea, sir? Or bread and cheese?"
William shook his head. "Thank you, but no. I am satisfied. There was a tray of food outside my door…" He stopped when the gardener's face drew up into a strange mask.
Mr. Shaggis looked away. "Is that so? It's not my place, sir, but I did not peg you for one of 'em." He shrugged with a sour frown. "Well, to each his own."
"Excuse me?" William's confusion brought the hairs up on the back of his neck. He barely made out what Mr. Shaggis said, as the gardener walked away.
"Well, you took the tray and the woman, but certainly did not spend much time on it…"
Oh my God! William gulped.
….Philomena?!
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Stretching luxuriously in bed, Julia wondered where William had wondered off to this morning.
No doubt he's looking for evidence or signs that explain what happened last night. Well, good. I want to know what's transpiring as well.
Stepping out of bed, Julia slipped on a purple silk quilted dressing gown, most grateful for the warmth it provided on a late fall morning. At least it is not raining much and the storm seems to have passed- a dreary day stuck indoors would be too much!
Deciding to wait until closer to breakfast time to dress for the day and go downstairs, she chose to sit in the chair by the window and read. She hadn't been there all that long when William sprang into the room as though he were escaping from someone.
Had he had an encounter with this spirit as well?
"William! Whatever is the matter?" she asked getting up to go to him.
William had fled to the safety of their room. He felt ridiculous skulking around; on the other hand, dodging from being seen by anyone (servant or guest he hoped), while avoiding being stalked by Philomena Murray was paramount to his dignity. He had no idea what to say to Julia about it, so he chose to dodge that too.
"I think I may have figured out what has been causing some of the odd experiences, and also what frightened Leonetta Fairweather, although not who did the deeds. I looked around the house—there is minor damage except for the greenhouse. I'm afraid it suffered the most. I will show you what I found after breakfast."
"William, why don't you go down on your own? You must be hungry. After all you are used to having breakfast hours ago," she lowered her lashes and smiled. "You did have a work out. I'll be along after I get ready."
William balked. Oh, perish the thought. "Not at all, Julia. I believe I can wait to eat and I'd much rather arrive with you. Take your time. Later I shall help you dress."
With William insisting on waiting until she was ready to go down for breakfast, Julia sailed into the dining room on William's arm, her face smiling brightly. Most of the other guests had already descended.
Her proud countenance must have been unmistakable, judging from the looks they received as she entered.
"You know, it's entirely possible that all of those sounds I heard the first night weren't supernatural at all, but rather quite human in origin," Margaret Swift was saying in a rather pointed stage whisper to her companions, Clyde Harrington, Bruce and Rose Nottingham as William and Julia passed by. The four of them chuckled.
Philomena merely pouted, flicking a cigarette ash into her ashtray. "Indeed. Some people can't help but announce themselves."
Julia felt William go rigid in embarrassment, thinking he was aware of the sexual nature of the jibes.
Julia was embarrassed herself, but as there was nothing to do about it besides go with it, she decided to embrace the comment. With a deep crimson to her own cheeks. Julia acknowledged it, as a scandalous topic wasn't quite so scandalous here.
"Oh, perhaps it was Rose. When we roomed together her snoring was legendary," she countered with a giggle of her own and promptly took her seat as the room erupted in laughter. Rose swatted her husband good-naturedly for joining in. Julia changed the topic so as to spare William any further embarrassment.
William decided he was not going to offer any explanation to Philomena, so he took himself to the buffet and attended to a plate for himself and one for his wife.
"Has anyone else had a chance to survey the damage this morning? I can see a few downed trees just from this window," Julia commented, gesturing towards the large single pane window that looked out onto the lake.
"I tried to find Sam to walk the property this morning. It was the damnedest thing, but I saw where a large sycamore had fallen, but the sapling next to it was unscathed. Of course, it's probably gone now, as the gypsies have undoubtedly already pounced on it for kindling," Clyde commented while drinking his ale.
Breakfast this morning was a similar affair to that of the day before. Of course the events of the previous evening were on everyone's minds, and as Leonetta nor Robert were down yet, speculation abounded on what Leonetta had really seen. William held his tongue, as he was uncertain of his findings and who the perpetrator might have been. Gossip swirled about ghosts, spirits and supernatural forces.
"Perhaps Leonetta saw one of the math exams we used to have to take in the hands of old dead Professor Barnsworth," Keziah joked as she sipped her brandy.
But the conversation soon became strained as the Wilmont sisters entered the room. Daphne held up her hand as she took her seat at the table, dressed in yet another purple outfit and matching leather shoes.
"There are no such things as ghosts and monsters!" Daphne asserted, effectively silencing that topic. So as not to upset her, so the party attempted more polite, acceptable topics of conversation.
"I trust you are well and are sufficiently recovered this morning?" Julia asked as a physician.
"I assure you I am most well and ready to enjoy today," Daphne replied.
What had been strained cordiality with Daphne became downright awkward as Leonetta and Robert came down to breakfast and the proverbial elephant in the room was ignored. William did a quick survey: Marcus Murray, the Harveys and Samuel Wilmont were nowhere in sight; neither was Caroline Balfour or Clint Harrington.
Conversation ground to a halt. After a few more minutes of uncomfortable silence, Grant King stood up, "Well, I believe I am most curious to see some of the damage around here for myself. Anyone else care to join me for a walk?" he asked, looking at Daphne in particular.
Unsurprisingly, Daphne was anxious to take him up on his offer and most of the others announced that they would follow.
Seeing his chance to discover more, William asked Thelma to remain behind for a few minutes to join Julia and him to go over what he had discovered during the early hours this morning.
In the music room, Thelma was puzzled when William pointed to the mirror. Frustrated without her glasses again, she squinted up. "Why yes, er…William. I am aware that behind there is a passageway between the glasshouse and this room." Thelma answered. "That was my grandmother's idea to make things easier. In the winter the tenderest plants are brought from the glasshouse, which is unheated, into the music room, since it has southern light and is heated. This becomes an indoor hot house."
When William opened the passageway, Thelma was shocked. "That door is not supposed to open from this side—only from the corridor. How did you do that?"
"There is a release mechanism." William explained to Thelma, then his wife. "More than that, ladies," William showed Julia and Thelma how the half-silvered mirror functioned.
"So you believe someone waited for Leonetta and then brought up a light to show themselves?" Thelma asked. "But why?"
William scratched his brow. "All it would take is a simple costume and an oil lamp. Not much time or planning. I am not saying it was necessarily or specifically for Leonetta's benefit; I suppose it was to give a fright to anyone who ventured in? If it was for Leonetta, then why her? And who would know about this?"
Thelma was appalled. "I suppose anyone who had ever been to this house before could have known about it."
"Who, then, is most likely?" William asked.
Thelma stood by the window and bit her thumb. "The long time servants, the gardener of course, Bruce Nottingham since he is my cousin—he and Rose come here often. His father was the brother of my grandmother. This was the old Nottingham place, you realize by now. Donald came here a lot when he and Samuel were at school, Grant King..." She put her arms around her midsection. "Well, I suppose anyone one except Marcus Murray, Robert Fairweather, Josiah Atkinson and you, William. Everyone else has spent time here over the years."
"And of course you, Daphne and Samuel," William continued despite Julia hissing her disapproval and Thelma's offended look.
"But even I did not know the door can be opened from this room!" she insisted.
Julia was focused on the larger issue. "Who would benefit from scaring Leonetta?"
Thelma's posture straightened. "Maybe the target was Daphne! She is always having unlucky events happen to her. I am going to get to the bottom of this!"
Thelma swept out of the room. Julia and William just looked at each other. "What do you think?" he asked.
"The Wilmont family is very tight-knit. Thelma is fiercely protective of Daphne. What I think is that Thelma is on a mission and I am not sure if I will feel sorry for whomever she discovers. She is usually very good at getting to the bottom of things. Woe betide that person…" Julia shrugged. "Other than that, what I think is that this is most likely a prank just as we played on each other at school."
"Julia! This seems rather serious…"
"Agreed. However, to belong at the school meant that we were subjected to hazing, which included playing pranks and trying to get us to react." Julia pulled the mirror open again. "Fascinating. I never knew this was here. I wonder if it was used for spying on the music room, back in the day?"
William opened his hands, showing he had nothing to offer. "I am still bothered by all of this. Would you mind satisfying my curiosity?" He gestured. "I'd like to talk with you and perhaps look at the greenhouse now that Mr. Shaggis has taken care of the broken glass. Of course any evidence of the perpetrator of the fake haunting is long gone."
"William!" Julia chastised. "This is not a criminal case you are pursing. Your powers of deduction are hardly necessary. Never the less I'd be delighted to see where this leads." Julia stepped forward into the dimness, and William closed the door behind. It was eerie to be able to see through the mirror.
The passageway was three feet wide with a jog about halfway down. The rain has stopped by the time the pair emerged from a glass door. The red tile floor was wet and "broom swept" meaning that large debris was pushed aside.
"If someone was coming from the greenhouse last night they would have had to go out and around in all that weather," Julia looked at the smashed panes of glass and damaged vegetation. "And since you found no water on the floor of the music room, they would have had to go back out that way as well."
William surveyed the space more carefully. "That is true, unless they knew how to open it from the inside. It does seem someone has been playing tricks on your friends. In my exploration this morning I found where hardware was loosened or tightened on a few doors and a railing, floor wax was applied too liberally," he gestured. "I found air vents which had been altered, a piece of paper along a door edge to make whistling sound…simple things explainable in an old house but which might be part of a deliberate attempt to create havoc."
Julia tsk tsk-ed. "How juvenile. Really, these are grown…"
William heard it first and laid a hand on her to ask for quiet. From outside, coming from the direction of the causeway, came a great howling paired with a woman's scream. The pair looked at each other, instantly alert.
"This way!" William pushed a small tree aside, found the exit and pelted down a gravel path with Julia close behind. When they arrived at the scene, Mr. Baylis, Mr. Shaggis and Grant King were in the process of pulling a figure from the water onto shore, fighting the waves and the unsteady edge of land. Skidoo was rushing frantically a round while a circle of guests was staring in shock. Caroline Balfour sobbed in Margaret's arms. William reached the shoreline in time to help get the body onto solid ground.
Julia came over to render aid. She tried to expel water from his lungs and applied mouth-on-mouth resuscitation, but it was too late. The body was cold.
"Do something," Daphne yelled while struggling in Grant King's arms.
William knew better, catching Julia's subtle head shake. He made his sign of the cross as she spoke.
"You'd better find Thelma." William saw how sad Julia's face was when she pronounced: "I am so, so sorry. Samuel is gone."