Chapter Four
Some People Never Seem To Learn
"Oh, my dears, no…" Olivia suddenly sat up and put one hand to her cheek in dismay. "Oh, dear…"
"What's the matter, Madame Tibaldi?" Candy asked, deeply curious.
The little medium had been teaching the four attentive Gull Cottage children the finer points of one of her many card games when she suddenly stopped and looked up to stare through the living room windows. She shook her head and didn't answer. She cocked her head like a small bord, listening to voices only she could hear.
Carolyn looked up. "What is it, Olivia? What are you looking at?"
"More listening than looking. Her spirits are speaking to her, I'd say," Daniel commented, watching their guest closely. "And it doesn't look like she's enjoying the message."
They were seated side by side on the couch, polishing their latest manuscript to make it ready to be mailed away in the morning. It would soon be time for them all to leave the room for their evening meal. They were trying to cram as much in before they needed to eat.
"By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes…" Olivia suddenly whispered in an oddly echoing voice before she shook herself from her trance. "That was odd…"
"That was Shakespeare. Maybe even the man himself." Daniel frowned as he leaned closer to his wife to murmur in her ear, "Uttered by a witch in Act Four, Scene One of the Scottish play. I saw it performed once, in London. Very atmospheric. But why did she say that?"
"MacBeth…" Carolyn nodded. "I too suddenly have the strangest of feelings. Like something touching the back of my neck. Remember, I told you I felt something was going to happen. I do hope it's not something bad."
"Yes…" Her husband's large hand closed over her two smaller ones, clasped together in her lap. "But if something, or someone, does come this way with ill intent, they will find they have some very stern opposition to whatever plans they may have. Lucius has cast his net wide and if needed again we can use the spirit screen to shield the house, and everyone in it, from harm."
"Thank you…" Carolyn turned her hands within his to clasp his fingers. "I know I'm only being silly. But still—"
Just then the doorbell rang and everyone in the room jumped. They all looked at each other in consternation.
Carolyn frowned. "How odd."
"I'll get it!" Jonathan jumped to his feet now truly intrigued by the sudden change in the evening's happy atmosphere.
"The trouble I sensed just now does not lie at your door," Olivia confided softly, as she got to her feet. "Well, not yet. I felt something passing us by." She raised a denying shoulder. "But it's not often that the spirit messages are so strong."
Her lips thinned. "But there will soon be a great deal of unavoidable consternation."
"I do wish you wouldn't talk in riddles," Carolyn complained, bracing herself.
Olivia shrugged. "I'm so sorry, my dear. But that is how the messages come to me. In bits and pieces. I am overtaken and I see things. I have to try and make sense of them. My spirits are restless and looking for answers. They too seek to protect you all here."
"And we are very grateful for that," Daniel replied, getting to his feet the face the open doors to the room as he heard Jonathan talking to someone at the front door.
"It's all right," the boy announced, walking back into the room. "It's only Cousin Harriet." He pulled a face. "She said she's come to visit us once more. Said she has news." He rolled his eyes.
"Good evening, everyone…" Harriet swept into the room behind him, seemingly very sure of her welcome. "It's so wonderful to be back in this charming little house again. You don't know how much I have missed it and all of you."
"Harriet…" Carolyn said doubtfully, getting to her feet. "It's… lovely to see you again. But, um, I don't remember inviting you to come and visit us at such short notice."
"Oh, pish tosh…" Harriet waved a dismissive hand. "Since when do I need an invitation? After all, I am family. And you know I would never presume or intrude where I am not wanted. You only have to say the word and I will leave as swiftly as I have appeared."
She stood expectantly, looking around the room. Her gaze settled briefly on Olivia and her eyebrows twitched together quickly in disapproval before her expression cleared.
"Word…" Daniel moved closer behind his wife to mutter for her ears alone. He straightened. "And what new news brings you this way again, Harriet?"
"Oh, all in good time…" Harriet waved her hand again giving him an arch look. "You know, I have driven all the way from Philadelphia to be here in time for some of Martha's excellent cooking. I'll admit, I am rather famished. I must keep my strength up at this delicate time."
Again, she waited expectantly, as if the Gull Cottage folk were supposed to notice something different about her. They all stared back at her, looking mystified.
"Don't like her…" Danny murmured, scowling at the woman he did not know.
"Me neither…" Lucy added, frowning as well. "She's funny."
Beside them, Bruiser grumbled deep in his throat. Not to be outdone, Scruffy barked his disapproval.
"Such lovely children and adorable animals." Harriet looked them over. "Oh, my, look at how much they've grown. I really can't believe where the time has gone."
"It does seem like only yesterday that we last saw you, Harriet," Daniel replied repressively. "I trust your loving husband is well."
"Oh, Owen is very well," Harriet recovered enough to smile proudly. "He has become quite the most attentive of husbands. He no longer talks of moving overseas and almost never lets me out of his sight."
She clasped her hands together in ecstasy. "Isn't it all just so wonderful?"
"And yet, here you are…" Olivia said sweetly. "Far from his loving side."
"Yes, well…" Harriet scowled at her, obviously miffed about something. "Is no one going to invite me to sit down?"
"Please, come and sit down next to me," Carolyn replied reluctantly. She knew once Harriet had made up her mind to something she was impossible to insult, ignore or remove.
"Oh, thank you my, dear, dear, dear Cousin Carolyn…" Harriet immediately availed herself of the invitation, casting Olivia a look of smug satisfaction. "I just knew you would not turn me from your doorstep without a scrap of nourishment. Now we have so much catching up to do. I simply do not know where to begin…"
"Well, I know where it will end…" Daniel muttered as he moved to stand close to the little medium. "Harriet's stay here will not be a comfortable one and mercifully brief."
"Ghostly shenanigans?" Olivia's smile was knowing. "I do like the cut of your jib, Captain."
Daniel shrugged. "Carolyn's kind heart would not allow it last time, but I think the time has come again for some chain rattling and a bit of spectral moaning…" He rubbed his hands together with satisfaction. "It's been too long since I have haunted someone. I would have the woman decide to leave of her own accord. With a little help from our friends."
"And it's not even Halloween," Olivia concurred sweetly. "But such apparitions are best viewed on a stomach full of Martha's good cooking."
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George Turner stalked up the cliff path. His mood was sullen and his temper thin to breathing point. He stood in the shadows observing the bucolic scene that was Gull Cottage. There were lights showing in the downstairs windows. The house shone in the white moonlight, serene and secure in its pastoral scene.
"Not for long," the demon whispered, folding his arms across his chest.
He wasn't in time to see the second car pull up. But as he arrived at the head of the path, he saw a woman he did not know get out. He drew back into the moon cast shadows as she paused to look around. But she didn't see him.
He sensed the woman only saw what she wanted to. She patted her abdomen lovingly as she talked to herself. She comforted herself about her arrival and seemed sure of her welcome within the house.
Turner scowled at her, sensing her new pregnancy and her smug satisfaction. She repelled him as an opponent. Her vapid mind was too full of women's things to be worthy of his metal or his time. She passed within feet of him without even knowing he was there.
"But this one…" He shifted his gaze to glare at the first car.
He was aware it had been driven to the house by the infernal little medium, Madame Tibaldi. Back again to interfere in his business.
Even now, she'd just sensed his arrival. Her cloud of watchful spirits put paid to any slim hope of surprise Turner had briefly cherished. He needed to adjust his plans before putting them into action.
He shrugged as he watched the newly arrived woman walk up to the house and be admitted by the boy of the house. Turner's lips quirked in a wry grimace.
"What I wouldn't give to be able to do just that," he muttered. "Walk up and walk inside as if I was welcome there. I would lull them with fine words and offerings of a truce…"
He grimaced as he rubbed his hands together. He warmed to the deeply unlikely scene. "Then and only then, I would strip that blasted Captain Daniel Gregg of all he loved and cherished most in this infernal world before I took his eternal soul with me to everlasting damnation!"
He shook one fist at the serene face of the moon sailing overhead within her nest of stars. "Bah, humbug!" he snarled. "I would show them that George Turner is not a demon to be trifled with! Even if it takes an eternity!"
His words echoed hollowly in the darkness. He well knew the futility of them for now. But he needed someone to take his frustration out on before he entered into the fray with the master of Gull Cottage. He needed to put the fear of the devil himself into someone named Gregg.
"I think a visit to my good friend, Claymore Gregg will suffice for now…" He turned his back on the house as he vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving only the stink of sulphur behind.
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Claymore had done his best to fulfil Carolyn's odd request for a cat to give to her children as a pet. He'd agreed to see what he could secure, for the right fee, of course. It was the money that motivated him to pursue his quest.
What he hadn't realised was how onerous a task it was to become. Days passed and he was no closer to securing her a suitable animal. He'd found that cats were a valuable commodity in Schooner Bay and were not to be given away or sold lightly.
Ships' crews in the harbour and the dock workers all prized their lean, furtive animals. Claymore had seen a few of them around the docks hunting vermin among the bales and boxes of cargo and stores. But their hard-bitten faces and all-too-ready claws and teeth were not what Carolyn was looking for in a child's pet. He decided to look closer to his office.
"Best thing I ever found for keeping the mice and rats out of my stores," Lorrie Hammond informed him the next morning when Claymore visited the general store with a view to putting up a notice in the window. "Wouldn't be without any of my three. And the kids wouldn't give me any peace if I gave you one."
"There would be a small finder fee attached, of course," Claymore wheedled, sensing he was nearing his goal. "I would make it worth your while." He pinned on his best smile.
If Hammond had cats that were used to children, then his job was done. He would buy one and be on his way. He raised his eyebrows expectantly hoping to make an easy deal and a goodly profit for his troubles.
"That's all well and good," Hammond complained. "But you don't live with my wife and my three kids. They would skin me alive." He shrugged. "But you can put up your notice in my window if you want."
His lips curved in a knowing smile. "For a small fee, of course."
"Thank you…" Claymore stiffened with dislike as he pushed his hat back onto his head. He tucked his flyers beneath his arm once more. "But I shall have to look for a cat elsewhere, it seems. Good afternoon."
"Suit yourself…" Hammond smiled as he watched him leave the store.
"What did Claymore want?" his wife asked as she walked into the store from the back room.
Her husband shrugged. "He said he wanted to buy one of our cats."
His wife frowned at him. "I would be grateful to have one less mouth to feed. I've never seen a lazier bunch of felines. They just lie around and watch the mice and rats going about their business. Why didn't you want to sell him one of them?"
"Because Claymore's all too used to always getting his own way," Hammond replied. "Doesn't hurt to frustrate him a little now and then. I might even warn a few people about what he wants. See how that sits with him."
"Suit yourself…" His wife shrugged as she stared up at him. "I never could understand why men have to be so competitive."
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"That was delicious…" Harriet pushed her empty plate aside with a sigh. "I simply couldn't eat another bite."
"That's because there's nothing more left to eat," Martha observed grimly as she gathered the empty plates together and stood up.
"We'll help you carry the dishes to the kitchen, Martha," Candy added as she beckoned her brother to his feet. "Come on, Jonathan."
It would have been too tight a fit to get everyone seated around the small kitchen table, so they'd eaten at the long mahogany table in the formal dining room. Danny and Lucy had been fed earlier and were playing games in the living room before bedtime.
"But your cooking is superb," Harriet countered brightly. "I wish I could entice you back to Philadelphia and you could come work for me. I know Owen would adore your delicious Lobster Thermidor."
"I'm sure Owen Mitford could get by in life without me to feed him," Martha replied repressively as she followed the children from the room. "I'm quite happy as I am. Maybe his loving wife should learn to cook." She shut the door behind her.
"Oh no…" Harriet tittered comfortably, looking around the table at the three remaining occupants. "My Owen knows I'm all fingers and thumbs when it comes to anything to do with the kitchen. We have been looking for some time for a new cook."
She smiled again, running a slow hand over her abdomen. "As I said before, when I arrived, I must keep my strength up at this delicate time." She looked from one to the other, raising her brows in encouragement. "Emily was just so excited when I told her my news. You do know, Carolyn, that your mother has been like a second Mom to me. I couldn't do without her love and support."
Carolyn's expression cleared. "Oh, I see. You're pregnant," she said softly. "That's just such… wonderful news." She got to her feet to walk around the table to hug her cousin. "I'm so glad for you."
"Yes, it is, isn't it?" Again, Harriet flashed Olivia a smug look of satisfaction as she returned her cousin's embrace. "I just had to come and tell you right away. You know I will have the very best of care in Philadelphia. That is why I need an excellent cook. I just know I will have the most delicious cravings and will need them served up at a moment's notice." She laughed indulgently.
"We do wish you all the best with your excellent news and your search for a new cook," Daniel said evenly. "It seems your husband has finally recovered well enough to make love to his own wife." He grimaced hardly.
"Yes, well…" Harriet flushed rosily as she fiddled with her linen napkin. "My poor, dear Owen was quite ill for some time. Overwork, it seemed. That's what the doctors said. And the psychiatrists. He did speak of some very odd things, at times. Seeing things that simply were not there. With the help of some very good doctors, I forced him to take a complete break for six months. That seemed to do the trick."
She patted her abdomen again. "Now all is as it should be, and we couldn't be happier."
"Well, that's wonderful news…" Carolyn hugged her again, looking over her cousin's head at her husband. "Now we don't need any sudden shocks or frights to upset you at this delicate time."
"Blast…" Daniel uttered softly and with feeling. He raised his voice. "And how long then do you plan to stay with us, Harriet?"
"Oh, not long," Harriet assured him blithely. "My poor Owen can seem quite lost without me. But I just had to come and share my news with you in person, Carolyn. You were always the best of my cousins. But you know I would never impose."
"What about your sister, Hazel?" Olivia asked in an innocent tone. "Is she not a great help to you?"
"She can be…" Harriet pulled a face. "But she is also jealous of my good fortune. All that fuss over my diamond ring and a few other pieces that were found to have been faked. Again, my poor Owen was so distressed by it all. He simply did not know how that could have happened. He was duped."
She lowered her voice. "You know I'm almost convinced it was Hazel who left that spiteful little note on my pillow all that time ago." She turned to Carolyn who was now seated in the chair beside hers. "You know, that note I showed you the last time I was here. The one about getting my beautiful ring appraised. Hazel said she didn't like the cut of it. It was all very troubling."
She raised a distressed hand to her lips. "And then that odd cousin of your husband's said it was a fake, after all. I didn't know what to think or what to do."
"Well, it's best not to dwell on the past." Carolyn patted her hand comfortingly. "Everything has worked out for the best now. And that's what truly matters."
"Yes, it has, hasn't it?" Harriet nodded quickly, eager to accept her words. "And now here I am again with my loving family." She looked around the room, avoiding Olivia's gaze.
"You know, I am rather thirsty after that most excellent meal…" she said then. "I do have rather a passion now for a nice herbal tea. I have some in my handbag for emergencies. I knew you would not have it in the house." She looked expectantly at Carolyn who rose slowly to her feet.
"Of course, why didn't I think of that?" Carolyn rolled her eyes at her husband who was watching their interplay with frustration in his gaze. "I'll go and see Martha about some hot water and cups." She left the room.
Daniel and Olivia exchanged looks. Daniel shook his head as he turned back to his unwanted houseguest. "Tell me, Cousin Harriet, is your loving husband still at home, waiting eagerly for you to return to him?"
"Oh yes," Harriet assured him with a slight frown. "He never goes anywhere without me now. I told you he has become quite the most attentive of husbands."
"Has he indeed…" Daniel mused. "How very interesting…" He stroked his beard with thoughtful fingers as Olivia tried to maintain a straight face.
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