Haunted Happenings Read online

  Haunted Happenings

  Lucrezia Black

  Contents

  The Haunting of Darkshade House

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Epilogue

  The Haunting of Ebonywood House

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Epilogue

  The Haunting of Sanctuary House

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Epilogue

  The Haunting of Trowbridge House

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  The Haunting of Pike House

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  The Haunting of Fyfe Hall

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  The Christmas Haunting at Ferguson Hall

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Epilogue

  The Haunting of Crystal Hall Village

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  The Haunting of Number 10 Maple Road

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Epilogue

  The Haunting of Dark Hallow

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Epilogue

  The Haunting of Willow Abbey

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Epilogue

  The Haunting of Tailsbend Farm

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Epilogue

  The Haunting of Manor House

  1. The Search Continues

  2. From the Ground Up

  3. Moving In

  4. Something Strange

  5. Night time Disturbance

  6. Hidden History

  7. Ghosts

  8. The Experts

  9. Put to Rest

  Epilogue

  The Haunting of St Martin’s Church

  1. Troubled Times

  2. Blessed

  3. A New Home

  4. A Surprise Guest

  5. The Woman in Grey

  6. A Disappearing Act

  7. Buried

  8. A Miracle

  9. The Truth

  Epilogue

  The Haunting of Ashwood House

  Prologue

  1. New Beginnings

  2. Transitions

  3. Settling In

  4. A New Friend

  5. Strange Behaviour

  6. Haunted House

  7. Smoke

  8. Evicted

  9. Moving On

  The Haunting of Darkshade House

  Chapter 1

  Tranquillity

  * * *

  Beverley, Yorkshire

  * * *

  “It’s nice to be back, isn’t it?”

  Laura Knight barely acknowledged her husband’s words with a nod as she stared out the window at the passing countryside. It was nice to be back. She could already feel something inside of her begin to settle the further they got from the city, but she didn’t trust her voice at the moment. It seemed that every time she opened her mouth, despite the kind words she had intended to say, only mean things came out.

  So, it was best that she just kept silent in the passenger seat and watched the scenery. It was best for both of them to avoid another fight, especially when they’d had such a peaceful trip so far.

  “You need some country air. You need some time to relax, reconnect with yourself.”

  She remembered Dr Sinclair’s words. They were the reason for this venture out to Beverley, the town she hadn’t been to since she was a child, and where her mother had grown up. Her doctor’s words of wisdom were the guiding force behind this, and all Laura could hope was that they were right. She didn’t think she could take much more.

  “Wait until you see the house I rented for us,” Andrew Knight glanced over at his wife but her face was still turned away from him. He kept the smile on his face. “I think you are absolutely going to love it.”

  She was certain she would have loved a hole in the ground at this point in time. A nice, dark hole that she could climb into and avoid the world. That was where she was with her depression. That was why they were running away from the hustle and bustle of the city. That was why they were seeking solace in the countryside.

  She also knew, though neither Andrew nor Dr Sinclair would admit to it, that they wanted to get her away from where it had all happened. They wanted to give her some time to let her mind rehabilitate, to catch up with her body. The logical part of her brain told her they were completely right, but the rest of her just really wanted that dark hole.

  Laura glanced down at her legs, which looked completely normal as she sat in the passenger seat of the car. They looked like average, competent limbs that would carry her anywhere. And they had been, once.

  She was determined that they would be again. She had worked hard to get where she was and she would work just as hard to get further. But the cabbie had done significant damage when his brakes had failed, and even Dr Sinclair was only cautiously optimistic.

  “What does she know?” Laura grumbled, crossing her arms and pouting at the beautiful church they drove by. She knew things were bad when she could not even smile at the architectural beauty of Westwood Minster.

  “What was that, dear?” Andrew glanced over at her again, a note of concern in his voice.

  “I was just wondering how far we were from this house you rented?” She inquired and was proud that she had managed to keep her voice level. She could sense the relief from him as well. The past few months had been especially trying on him, she knew. Getting away would be good for them both.

  “Shouldn’t be more than five minutes now.”

  H
e wasn’t far off in his time estimate. Within five minutes they turned into the drive of a lovely two-story stone house. The house had quaint white shutters that suited it perfectly. The front gardens were in full bloom, the grass was a vivid green, and she could just see the neighbour’s house over the rise. There was a bench in the side yard next to a small pond that had a large willow draping over it. Laura had a feeling she would be spending a lot of time on that bench.

  The car came to a stop in the drive and she let out a sigh as she took in the sight of the house. This was perfect. This was exactly where she needed to be. Once again, she felt something inside her shift, just a little bit. She felt a smile tug at her lips.

  “I did a good job?”

  She glanced over at her husband, the smile staying in place for the first time in months. “Yes, darling, you did a good job.”

  His smile bloomed in response as he got out of the car and went to get her things from the back of the car.

  “Which do you want?”

  She heard his voice sound from where he was rummaging in the trunk. “Bring me the crutches. It’ll be nice to stretch my legs.”

  She slowly went through the motions of stretching the muscles in her lower body. She repeated what her physiotherapist had taught her over and over in her head. She started with her toes, then her feet, then her ankles and so on until she was aware of all of them.

  She wasn’t certain that her legs would hold her after sitting for so long. She was making progress, great progress, in her therapy but she wasn’t hoping for a miracle. If her legs wouldn’t hold her, she would just ask Andrew to get her chair. She didn’t like being in it, but she had learned to accept that it was a necessary part of her healing. It wasn’t permanent. She wouldn’t let any part of this be permanent.

  She accepted the crutches when he handed them to her. She accepted his assistance in getting her legs out of the car so that she could try to stand. He was a good man. She’d always known that, but it had really shown in the last few months as her mood had declined and he’d stuck by her. Andrew was a good man and he would do anything for her. If nothing else, she had learned that from this accident.

  “Don’t push yourself too hard, Laura,” he warned, his eyes attentive as she strained her upper body to try and lift herself to her feet. “There is no shame in using your chair.”

  She shot him a pointed look, but kept the snarky comment to herself. She didn’t want to ruin this nice moment. She didn’t want to take away from the tranquillity that was this place he had found for them.

  This house was not a place for fighting and yelling. This house was a place for relaxing and rehabilitating. This was what the doctor had ordered, literally. She had a good feeling about this place.

  “I’ve got it,” she muttered straining against the crutches and feeling her legs tremble. They didn’t give out. That was the important part. They held steady as she stood straight and placed a good portion of her weight on them.

  “There you go, love. Nice and steady.” He held out a cautious hand, ready to catch her if she started to fall, but allowing her to make the journey to the house on her own. He knew that she needed this. She needed the independence. She needed to know that she was capable of walking again, even if he could see the pain on her face with each step. He hadn’t married a simple woman, but he loved every bit of her.

  It took her over ten minutes to cover the short distance between the car and the front door, but she did it all on her own two feet. That she could be proud of.

  She looked over at her husband, the smile on her face reaching her eyes for the first time in months.

  “This is a good place.” She watched him nod in agreement. “This place will be good for us.”

  He let them into the house, pushing open the heavy wooden door and stepping into the large entrance way. The house smelled stale, like it had been sitting for a while, but he wasn’t concerned. It was nothing that opening a few windows couldn’t fix. He’d hoped that the owner would have stopped by to air it out before they arrived but perhaps she’d been busy. Things come up.

  “Why don’t you set down here?” He gestured towards a padded chair just inside the door. “Rest for a few minutes while I get our stuff? And then we can explore the rest of the house.”

  She nodded as she lowered herself into the chair. Her legs were trembling now. She might have over done it a little bit, but it felt good to be on her feet. It felt good to be moving around.

  She set the crutches aside and ran her hands over her thighs, trying to calm the jumping muscles. Progress, she reminded herself, was often slow and required hard work. She had all the time in the world right now since work wouldn’t let her come back yet, and she knew how to work hard. The odds were in her favour.

  Her gaze drifted around the house, as much as she could see from her seat in the entrance hall. The kitchen was straight through to the back. She could see the gleam of the counter tops. She assumed that a sitting room and dining room were off to either side of her. And, if she remembered correctly, there were three bedrooms upstairs.

  Usually she would have been up and exploring. She’d lived in several places in her life, she’d stayed in several places in her life, but for now she was confined to the chair. Her eyes travelled for her and she would get Andrew to wheel her around the main floor when he was done bringing their stuff in. She wanted to see it all. The house called to her. It needed to be explored, every nook and cranny. She needed to learn its secrets.

  It was much more than they needed, with just the two of them. But after their condo in London the space was refreshing. The country air was refreshing. Not seeing taxicabs drive by every minute out the window was extremely refreshing.

  She grinned a bit at that. It was morbid humour but she figured she was entitled to it. If she couldn’t laugh at her own misery than what could she do?

  That was the first thing she’d learned to do after her accident. Her level of sarcasm had increased. Her like for gallows humour had become more prominent. But it went hand-in-hand with what had happened to her, she was told. A person didn’t go through what she did without gaining a bit of a morbid sense of humour about it.

  Andrew wasn’t too fond of it. He considered it to be in bad taste. But he indulged her, as he did with most things. He just wanted her to be happy. He just wanted her to be better. That’s why he’d brought her here in the first place. This was to be their new beginning. This was to be where she got on her feet again, literally.

  She hoped he was right.

  She leaned her head back and let her eyes drift closed as Andrew continued to make trips back and forth from the car.

  Yes, she was going to like it here. She could already sense that there was something special about the house. There was an energy to it. It was going to be good for them. She was sure of it.

  Chapter 2

  Unease

  * * *

  It was everything she could have hoped for. Every day that she spent in the house with Andrew, she felt a little bit of the tension that had been building slip away. She felt like she was returning to her normal self. She felt better than she had in months.

  They fell into an easy routine in their first few days there. They would cook together and enjoy meals in the little breakfast nook in the kitchen. They would drink tea in the living room while they read and listened to the radio. Andrew would do research and write. He was a dentist by trade, but he figured since he was on holidays, he could at least get some research done.

  Every night they went to bed together. Andrew would help her ascend the stairs, one step at a time. She refused to let him carry her up, even if it took her a half hour to make it up the thirteen steps.

  She had chuckled the first time she’d counted them. Of course there were thirteen steps. Her luck just went that way. So she always made a show of having him lift her over the last one so that she only walked up twelve. It was foolish, but she wanted to be foolish.