A/N: Hello and welcome back to Ghost of a Kind. Took me a while to get this done due to being busy importing chapters over to AO3. It's probably going to hinder me for a while, as three of my fics need to have previous chapters edited, so in future please don't expect quick updates for this fic. Still, thank you to those of you who have been reading. It's good to see this fic gaining some viewer traction. A little unexpected it's coming from people outside of the UK though... Didn't realise BBC Ghosts had overseas fans too. XD
A little heads up about this next chapter: it plays out a bit differently to how the original scenes go, as I thought it made sense that Cordelia wasn't present for the actual debate between the Captain and Fanny for reasons you will find out. Also, it gave me an opportunity to expand on some one-on-one ghost interactions and set up events for later. And regarding the exclamation Cordelia uses at the end... That was done on purpose. I promise. XD Anyways, I hope this chapter tides you over until the next one. Chapter 4 is going to take a lot of time to do, I think, due to the amount of short scenes and timeskips that occur that I will need to sift through. Until then, hope you enjoy my failed attempts at humour for this one. XD
Chapter 3: One and the Same
Mid-morning arrived at the Button Estate within a blink of an eye. Or at least, that's how it felt to Cordelia when she'd attempted to fall asleep again.
Despite the previous nightly events and the dread that had swirled within her very being at what was likely to follow them the next day, the century-something-old ghost had managed to close her eyes once more in preparation to sleep, only to find herself suddenly opening them to the faint tweeting from the birds outside, along with the sunlight streaming in through the windows. Due to the sun's trajectory focusing more on the front of the house than the back, it wasn't as blindingly bright in her room as it likely would be for some of the other ghosts. That didn't mean the sunlight wasn't stinging her eyes, though, forcing Cordelia to raise her arm to her eyes with a squint.
'I feel like I did not sleep for even a wink.'
The blonde ghost released a quiet groan and rolled onto her left side, putting her back to the morning light currently shining onto Button House while she attempted to pull herself together. Thudding aches crept through her limbs as she pulled her arms to her chest and her knees closer to her person, making her feel like spiders were crawling up her arms and legs.
'I have been dead for over a century and a half, yet I still cannot fathom how apparitions like us feel such familiar sensations without a physical body. Although, I could say that about many other contradictions we have experienced since reawakening this way…'
She knew it was only a matter of time before either the Captain or one of the other ghosts came to seek her out regarding Fanny's jumping and screaming stunt from last night, so Cordelia chose to close her eyes again to gleam what little sleep she could get to prepare herself for the inevitable storm she would soon be pulled into.
A single pair of hurried footsteps approaching from the corridor outside forced Cordelia to open her eyes, her brow furrowing at failing to recognise who they belonged to. She knew for certain they weren't the Captain's as they lacked the echoing tap that was made as a result of the slight heel on his shoes, taking out the fact that the Captain never ran but instead used quickened strides (unless it was a dire situation, of course). So, who else's could they possibly be?
By the time Cordelia was pushing herself up to sit on the bed's edge, the footsteps halted on the other side of her door, followed by the breathless and wobbling Yorkshire accent of Pat sounding through the wood.
"Cordelia? You in there?"
'Oh, thank goodness! A ghost whose presence I can tolerate!' Cordelia inwardly sighed and closed her eyes. 'I don't believe I had it in me to cope with the Captain singing that dreaded tune a second time.'
She waited several seconds while she adjusted her posture, moving her legs to dangle over the side of the bed before responding. "Come in."
Pat phased through the door shortly after being given the confirmation to enter, his fingers briefly brushing at his bushy moustache.
"Hello!" he greeted with his usual friendly smile, eventually moving his hand away from his face to give a small wave.
"Greetings, Patrick," Cordelia replied with a nod of acknowledgement.
"Oooh!" Pat gave the bedroom a brief glance as he adjusted his glasses with a hand, his gaze eventually settling on the window. "I think this is the first time I've been in your room. Looks nice and cosy, doesn't it?"
"I would say so."
"Yeah…" Pat trailed off as he fiddled with the bottom of his neckerchief and broke eye contact for a moment, choosing to stare at his feet and rock back and forth on his heels while making clicking sounds with his tongue. It seemed to Cordelia that he was hesitating with what to say next, which was proven when he cleared his throat and raised his gaze again. "Lovely morning!"
"It is, yes," Cordelia answered and placed her hands together in her lap, peeking over at the window behind her with a soft sigh. "But that is not what you came here to discuss with me, is it?"
Pat delayed his response for a few seconds, but once Cordelia returned her gaze to his, Pat's shoulders slumped with a quiet huff, his smile slowly fading with his dejected words. "'Course not."
"I thought as much."
Her remark earned herself a chuckle from Pat when he mustered the courage to raise his eyes to hers, reaching a hand to the frames of his glasses to adjust them slightly.
"Always cutting to the chase, aren't you?"
"Sometimes one has to." Cordelia momentarily paused before continuing, her eyes drooping. "Has the Captain forced you to fetch me for yet another emergency meeting?"
Pat delayed his answer by several seconds, eventually giving a slow shake of his head that left Cordelia raising a brow.
"Not this time, I'm afraid," he answered quietly. He put his hands behind his back and started to approach the biologically younger ghost. "I'm actually here on behalf of Lady B."
"On behalf of Lady Button?" Cordelia repeated despite her voice rising an octave, prompting Pat to nod stiffly.
"Yes." He twitched his moustache and briefly looked to the ceiling. "'Though I suppose it'd be more accurate to say I chose to come here on her behalf."
Cordelia frowned at Pat's words, her head tilting to the side as she sat up a little straighter. "I do not understand…"
Pat sighed heavily at this and lowered himself to sit on the edge of the bed, keeping a small gap between him and Cordelia. At first he didn't say anything, appearing to stare ahead at the table and chair opposite them as if he was trying to contemplate on how to explain himself. After what felt like several minutes of silence, Pat faced Cordelia with a furrowed brow, resting his arms on his thighs and clasping his hands together between his knees.
"You know how the Captain doesn't like you because you're the only ghost brave enough to stand up to him?"
Cordelia's left eye twitched a bit at Pat's phrasing, yet she managed a low-voiced response after a quick intake of breath through her nostrils; not that what Pat had said wasn't true, because… it was. She wouldn't deny it. "… Yes."
"Well, after what happened yesterday, he decided to have today's emergency meeting without you." Pat gave a small smile and forced a chuckle. "Turns out you gave the others the courage to speak their minds in Lady B's favour." He placed a hand to his chest. "Myself included."
Cordelia bit her lip and looked away to resist the urge to smirk at Pat's words, already getting a mental picture of the Captain's stern and reserved features trying hard not to crack like an egg shell the moment the others voiced their concerns and opinions.
"But what does this have to do with Lady Button?" she asked after taking several seconds to recompose herself and then face Pat again.
Pat swallowed thickly with hunched shoulders and the slight shrinking of his pupils behind his glasses, which Cordelia noted was an expression that closely resembled the fearful one the Captain sometimes let slip whenever he would reflect on his days during the war.
"It was awful, Cordelia," Pat stated in a tremulous tone, causing the blonde ghost to blink widely and raise a brow. "Cap ripped into Lady B for coming into the room and screaming last night." He momentarily sideways glanced the window, his next words spoken quietly. "You probably saw and heard it."
Cordelia followed Pat's gaze with drooped eyes, the sounds of Fanny's screams and the Captain's shouts resounding within the confines of her head.
"…Part of it," Cordelia muttered, her brow furrowing as she and Pat locked eyes once more and she saw him shaking his head slowly.
"I've never seen Lady B so troubled. She got so het up that she almost told us why she thinks it happens. Until the Captain ended the conversation."
Cordelia scowled and clenched her hands into fists against her skirt, her blue eyes staring ahead at the wall with pursed lips. "Of course he did. He has never been one for discussions unless they go in his favour."
"After that, Lady B left in a hurry," Pat concluded through a small sigh, his own spectacled gaze fixing upon his lap. "The others think this is connected to how she died."
"I am not surprised," Cordelia remarked while closing her eyes. "Aside from yourself, the Captain and Julian, the rest of us were witnesses to her death and thus are aware of her circumstances in their entirety. Hence why I said what I did the day previous."
"Yeah, Kitty suggested the same thing. Which brings me neatly to why I'm here." Pat paused to tug at the collar of his shirt with a finger, prompting Cordelia to look back at him when he started speaking slowly. "I've spoken to Thomas, Mary and Kitty about Lady B's…" He trailed off for a moment with a faint frown. "…sleepwalking. And after a bit of back and forth…" He fidgeted from side to side before holding his hands out towards the biologically younger ghost with a forced smile. "…we were wondering if you'd be willing to talk to her."
Cordelia's reaction was delayed by a few seconds, but the moment she managed to let Pat's words sink in, the blonde ghost stared at the scout leader with wide eyes and raised brows, leaning away like she was a bear who had just locked eyes with a hunter and his rifle.
"I beg your pardon?" she questioned with her voice rising a couple of octaves, causing Pat to blink widely and raise his palms in surrender.
"I know how it sounds, but please hear me out." Pat waited until Cordelia straightened out again and dropped her shoulders to continue. "It's possible the reason why Lady B feels the need to re-enact… whatever happened is because she's keeping it all bottled up. But I think we can free her from her nightly terrors if she gets it off her chest."
"And you think I am the perfect fit for that?" Cordelia retorted, eventually turning her gaze elsewhere and folding her arms. "Apologies, Patrick, but I simply cannot. Lady Button seldom listens to anyone. What on earth makes you think she would reveal her burden to the likes of me?"
There was a moment of silence before Cordelia heard Pat huff loudly, followed by slight shuffling of the quilt, as if he was attempting to move closer. "I know you and Lady B don't get along—"
"To put it mildly," Cordelia grumbled under her breath.
"—but you're the only one who isn't afraid to say what needs to be said," Pat continued, his face slowly relaxing with the lowering of his hands. "Plus, you sounded like you understood why she was doing it, which everyone else has attributed to… well, you know…"
"My abnormal behaviour?" Cordelia finished as a mumble, failing to see Pat's slight nodding. She huffed and lowered her head, keeping her eyes averted. "I will not deny it: my refusal to divulge the details of my life or death, among other things, is a commonality I share with Lady Button. Meaning in theory, I can empathise with her in a way the rest of you cannot."
"Along with the fact you were both born in the same era, according to the rest," Pat added, making Cordelia nod in agreement.
"Also that." She finally brought herself to lock eyes with Pat again. "But I highly doubt that is enough for Lady Button to see reason. She has high standards for whom she deems her 'peers', and I do not meet her criteria." Her eyes drooped. "And that is without acknowledging her general dislike of me due to the belief I am a deceitful person."
"Because of…" Pat trailed off and circled a finger around Cordelia's outfit. "… that?"
"Yes."
"Isn't that a typical outfit of your time period?"
"Not for one who supposedly comes from wealthy stock," Cordelia answered through gritted teeth. "according to our resident misery."
"Well, could you at least give talking to Lady B a try?" Pat asked with his voice raising an octave or two, a small frown appearing. "You might not like to get involved with us, Cordelia, but you do speak up when you have a reason to. Don't you think it's better to make an attempt than regret it later?"
The biologically younger ghost silently stared at the biologically older scout master for what felt like a while, with the only indication of her seeming to mull his words over being the slight tilt of her head.
'Patrick is right. If I hold my tongue and allow this dilemma to escalate beyond natural proportions, we all will be privy to Lady Button's unresolved suffering and the Captain's temper tantrums. And it is no secret that compared to the rest, I am the only one with enough courage to traverse into the lion's den despite the danger of being eaten alive. As much as I loathe the idea of involving myself in affairs that do not concern me, should I not at least plant the seed within Lady Button's head to encourage her to nurture the thought on her own?'
Several minutes of awkward silence passed before Pat saw Cordelia close her eyes and huff loudly while straightening out her head.
"Very well, Patrick," she replied lowly as she stood from the bed and smoothed out the creases in her skirt with both palms, remaining unaware of Pat blinking widely at her response. "I will attempt to speak with Lady Button."
"You will?" Pat questioned through a slight gasp, prompting Cordelia's eyes to droop with a stiff nod.
"But please lower your expectations. I do not see anything good coming from this exchange…"
Cordelia clasped her hands at her front and turned to Pat when the scout master leapt to his feet with a wide grin like a child who had just been offered sweets.
"Oh, thank you, Cordelia! I knew we could count on you!"
"Do not get used to it," she muttered under her breath, eventually clearing her throat before she started to walk past Pat and towards the bedroom. She waited until she heard Pat following behind her to make her enquiry. "Where is Lady Button now?"
"Last I saw, she was heading towards the fields out front."
As she phased into the corridor leading away from her room, the blonde ghost released a quiet groan and threw her head back, already feeling the urge to fade through the floorboards churning within her being.
"Oh, I despair!" she moaned and slapped a palm to her forehead. "Since when did I become an adventurer forced on a quest alone to find the elderly witch whose heart has been turned black by the evils of the realm? Must the Lord test my patience more than He already has?"
There was a brief pause before Cordelia lowered her head at Patrick's chuckle. "Hey! You almost imitated Thomas spot-on there!"
Cordelia's left eye twitched with a quick intake of breath through her nostrils, doing her best to remain calm before peeking over her shoulder at the biologically older ghost.
"… That was no imitation, sir," she replied lowly, causing Pat's brows to raise.
"It wasn't?"
"No."
"Oh…" He swallowed thickly and pulled at his shirt collar with a finger, averting his gaze to the nearby wall. "Sorry." When Cordelia faced where she was going again, however, she caught Pat's next words despite his attempts to prevent her from doing so through a whisper. "Could have fooled me!"
One of the original reasons why Cordelia recalled coming to Button House specifically was because of its surrounding stretches of countryside and lush empty fields. The first time she'd walked through those metal gates and up the thin path that had led to the white, gravelled courtyard the rectangular building lined the edge of, Cordelia felt as if she'd entered another world. The quaintness and privacy the isolating nature brought to this large and magnificent manor house had been exactly what she had been looking for, a feeling that had continued to manifest even after her death. However, she couldn't deny that in recent years she'd experienced a sense of emptiness at slowly witnessing the once vibrant home decline alongside its frail and aging homeowner, falling to disrepair both inside and outside, like the light and life of this beautiful house was being snuffed out into a black void.
Even months after Heather's passing, she could still feel the faint pang of an ache strike at her chest as she walked towards the wooden fence that separated the fields from the courtyard, her gaze looking over the vegetation immersing the house's front walls and rundown stone fountain, along with the leaves and muck cluttering the guttering lining the sloped and tiled roof. Pat had since returned to the others in the common room, leaving her alone to venture the Button Estate in search of Fanny Button.
'It is truly a shame that this once magnificent building has fallen into such disarray, especially so in recent months past. Still, as with the fog on that day, it would seem the deterioration was but another forewarning to Lady Heather's inevitable fate.' She slowed to a stop in front of the wooden fence and clasped her hands together at her front, gulping thickly. 'If only I had had the capability to be more than an invisible observer to her suffering and struggles. I could have done more. I could do more now in her absence…'
A shrill and familiar female voice sounded from somewhere to Cordelia's right, causing her to turn to where a bit of a gap between the fenced field and the building's wall gave one access to a garden area past the courtyard and the manor house's east wing. Cordelia couldn't make out what the voice was saying, but it didn't stop a loud sigh from escaping her upon realising who the voice belonged to.
'Well, well, well. It would appear I have found the lair of the wicked witch earlier than I thought. Lucky me.'
Rolling her shoulders and straightening out her back in attempt to steel herself for her reluctant task, Cordelia followed Fanny's voice towards her current location with long strides, desiring to get this interaction over and done with as soon as she could. It didn't take long before the blonde ghost was stopping just inside the gap and getting a clear view of the unkempt grass behind the wall, where she was now witness to a fuming Fanny pacing back and forth while sternly talking to herself, occasionally throwing her arms about in an animated manner.
"Honestly! The nerve of some people! I don't think I've ever—"
Fanny came to a halt the moment her eyes fell upon Cordelia, prompting the biologically older ghost to freeze and stare at the other blonde wide-eyed, looking like a deer caught on the end of a hunter's rifle. Several seconds of silence passed before Fanny became the first to speak, regaining her composure with the immediate straightening of her posture.
"Ahem!" Fanny cleared her throat and kept breaking eye contact with the biologically younger ghost, her gaze continually shifting back and forth like she was struggling to maintain it. "… Cordelia," she quietly greeted with a stiff nod and loud sniff, clasping her hands across her middle.
"Lady Button," Cordelia replied in kind, briefly bowing her head.
A short pause followed while Fanny continued to refrain from looking Cordelia directly in the eyes, eventually asking a question that the blonde ghost had naturally expected.
"How long have you been standing there?"
"I would assume less than a minute at least," Cordelia answered immediately, finally prompting Fanny to frown at the biologically younger ghost. "There is no need to fret. I did not hear the content of your discussion with the imaginary person inside of your head."
"It is still rude of a lady to eavesdrop and not announce her presence when in present company," Fanny snapped, tilting her chin up and crinkling her nose. "You have a good grasp of the King's English and conduct yourself in a manner one would expect from a lady of your standard, yet your refusal to use even the simplest of etiquette continues to bewilder me."
"As it should," Cordelia replied sarcastically, prompting Fanny's frown to deepen with the lowering of her head and Cordelia to let a small smile of amusement slip for a few seconds. "What? I am aware I perplex you all, and I shall admit there are times where I take great amusement in it."
"Well, I, for one, do not have the time to entertain your silly little larks." Fanny turned her body to face the wall. "So, if you have no actual reason for being here, Cordelia, then leave me be."
Cordelia sighed heavily and momentarily closed her eyes, allowing her face to fall to its set expression as she bowed her head a bit. "Forgive me. I got carried away." As she opened her eyes, she saw Fanny give her a sideways glance, indicating she was listening. "Truth be told, I am here at the behest of Patrick." Fanny cocked a brow, prompting Cordelia to clarify. "He informed me of your… heated discussion with the Captain this morning."
"… Oh," Fanny said after a moment of delay, fidgeting her body from side-to-side while keeping her gaze on the grass. "I see." Cordelia saw her clasped hands tighten their grip against her front, prompting her knuckles to flush white with the added pressure. "I suppose he's sent you because of what you told the Captain yesterday, yes?"
"That is correct."
Cordelia heard Fanny click her tongue and roll her eyes, inhaling and exhaling deeply through her nostrils as she turned to face the biologically younger ghost with a faint frown. "Well, you can tell him everything is fine," she replied with an even tone. "He doesn't need to worry."
Cordelia looked between Fanny's visibly trembling hands and her averted gaze, her brow furrowing a little. "… You are quite sure you are fine?" she repeated slowly, purposely putting emphasis on her words to give Fanny the chance to change her mind. "Because it did not sound so when I was making my approach."
"I am quite sure," she answered sternly, her lip curling as she dared to sideways glance Cordelia and look her from head to toe. "But even if I wasn't, it's not like I would divulge such to a young lady who loves to keep up silly charades. After all, private thoughts are best left shared among peers and intellectual equals, of which we are neither."
Cordelia narrowed her eyes at this. "And you would say that despite me coming to your defence yesterday when I had no need to?"
"Yes," she responded abruptly and turned her nose up to the air, once again refusing to make eye contact with the other blonde. "I am no damsel in distress, and I certainly do not need pity, especially from you."
Cordelia knew Fanny wasn't being truthful. Her body language said it all. Yet the blonde ghost decided it wasn't wise to push the matter after staring at the Edwardian noblewoman for a moment in silence, eventually huffing and shaking her head a bit.
'And thus, my quest to soothe the troubled witch has ended in failure, as expected.'
"Very well. Then I shall take my leave."
"Thank you."
Cordelia gave a low bow before she turned to walk away; however, she only took one step before she felt her leg wobble, a clear sign of hesitation on her part. Pat's words from earlier soon followed, echoing within the confines of her head like a hidden mantra.
"Don't you think it's better to make an attempt than regret it later?"
She was not satisfied with this outcome, was she?
'Oh, Lord, why must you test me so?'
"Lady Button?" Cordelia said as she dared to peek over her shoulder, catching the Edwardian noblewoman perking up and looking her way with a blink. "Before I take my leave, may I say one more thing?"
Fanny's brows raised at this, likely out of surprise Cordelia thought, but after several seconds, she was loudly clearing her throat and nodding, straightening out her shoulders as if she hadn't just lost her composure. "You may. But make it snappy."
Cordelia returned the nod, waiting a few seconds before taking a deep breath through her nostrils.
'You can do this, Cordelia. Just say what needs to be said, as Patrick and the rest claim you do.'
"You should not allow the Captain to treat you in such a way," Cordelia stated sternly. When Fanny's eyes widened at her words, Cordelia partially turned to face her, a scowl gracing her brow. "While you do have a right to your privacy, I would like to remind you there are six ghosts who haunted the Button Estate before you, and thus know more about the circumstances surrounding your death than you might realise. Which is why you have nothing to fear." Cordelia paused to gauge Fanny's reaction, yet when the biologically older ghost didn't say anything, with only her jaw dropping and a hand going to her chest being the initial response, the blonde ghost took that as her cue to continue. "So, the next time you feel compelled to speak up in defence of yourself, I encourage you to unshackle your voice, Lady Button. Because the only reason why no one else has is out of respect for you and your private affairs."
When Cordelia was finished, she took the opportunity to focus on Fanny, who was seemingly speechless. The Edwardian noblewoman was as still as a statue, her eyes still wide and her hand to her chest, and had she stayed that way any longer, Cordelia was sure she would have assumed Fanny had actually turned into a statue. After at least a minute of silence passed, though, the biologically older blonde straightened her posture and returned her hands to her front, her expression falling to its set flaring nostrils and pursed lips.
However, as Fanny opened her mouth to respond, Cordelia saw her eyes shift to the left somewhere behind her, followed by her body tilting in the same direction as if to peek round the other ghost.
"What on earth?" Fanny questioned with a squint, prompting Cordelia to follow her gaze and twist her body round.
The flattening and crunching of gravel reached Cordelia's ears (alongside loud and muffled singing and music the blonde ghost did not recognise) as she focused towards the second set of metal gates that separated the gravelled driveway from the courtyard. A small gasp escaped the biologically younger ghost at the sight of a small green coloured and four-wheeled horseless contraption making its way towards the manor house, causing her whole body to freeze as if she'd been cast with a magic spell that had turned her into a statue. Cordelia recalled Heather referring to this modern-day object as a 'car', something that had apparently been invented a decade or two after she died. There were also two large, black objects piled on top of it. Perhaps they were meant to be modern-looking versions of trunks.
For a moment, Cordelia found herself unable to move, stuck in a trance amidst the bass-driven music and the sight of the vehicle pulling up to a stop beside the ruined fountain. Yet when it became clear after repeated blinking that she was certainly not seeing things, the blonde ghost was unable to hold back her shock, allowing a euphemised oath to slip from her tongue before she could stop herself.
"What the deuce—?"
The stern and aghast voice of Fanny soon brought her back to reality with a flinch, however, her words apparently rousing the biologically older ghost from her shock first.
"Language, Cordelia!"