The Haunting Page 3

  Sebastian left the hardware store and was about to drive back to the village when he spotted Briony walking down the street. She didn’t appear to be in any great hurry, and it wasn’t difficult to catch up to her.

  ‘Hello, fancy meeting you here.’ He said by way of introduction.

  ‘Hello yourself, I believe I owe you a coffee.’ She said smiling.

  He allowed her to lead him into a coffee shop but insisted on paying for a coffee and cake each.

  She appeared to be interested in his report on the work being carried out at the house.

  ‘Perhaps you would like to come out and see it?’ He offered.

  ‘No, not just now.’ She replied, her smile slipping for just an instant, ‘Maybe later.’

  He had to settle for that but decided to try and find out what lay between her and James, if anything at all.

  ‘So, tell me and forgive me for being so direct, but I hope I’m not treading on anyone’s toes by having coffee with you, a boyfriend perhaps?’

  She laughed gaily,

  ‘No, I don’t have any ‘boyfriends’ as you call them. I’m a little old for ‘boyfriends’ anyway. They would have to be man friends, but I don’t have any of those either.’

  Sebastian took the plunge,

  ‘Not even James?’ He asked, sipping his coffee and peering at her over the rim of the cup.

  ‘Especially not James.’ Came the abrupt reply.

  He detected a small shudder as she looked away and the smile had disappeared.

  ‘Well, that’s alright then and if I might make so bold, would you care to join me for dinner this evening?’

  He waited for her reply, holding his breath in anticipation.

  At last, she looked at him, a faint smile touching her lips.

  ‘Yes, I’d like that, but not in Marston, somewhere else would be better.’

  ‘Well, we’re here in Rainly now, so how about we have a walk around the town, you can show me the sights and then we can have a quiet dinner.’

  ‘That would be very nice, but the last bus leaves here at five.’ She said, and he sensed regret in her voice.

  ‘That’s no problem. I can drive you home, and I’ll be very discreet, I’ll even drop you up the road from wherever you live if you like. Please say yes.’ He hated the wheedling tone of his voice but desperately wanted her company.

  ‘Okay.’ She said. ‘Love to.’

  Sebastian breathed out, unaware he had been holding his breath while awaiting her answer.

  They wandered through the town together side by side, Briony pointing out the points of interest and some of the local history. As they walked their hands occasionally brushed against each other, and after half a dozen times he plucked up the courage and gently held her hand in his. She didn’t resist the overture, and he was further heartened when he felt the answering pressure.

  They walked hand in hand for some time until the sun began its long descent in the evening sky. It was mid-summer, and the light would remain until quite late in the evening. Sebastian looked up into the soft sky and thought, not for the first time, that there was no place on earth quite so perfect as England on a warm summer’s evening.

  A small restaurant came into view, and he realised they had passed by it several times on their circular walk. Now, however, the sign on the door had changed from closed to open, and they walked through into a delightfully cosy room. There were not too many tables and still being early they guessed they would have the place to themselves for a while yet.

  Dinner was the most memorable Sebastian could remember, and he knew he would never better it. By the end of the meal, they were sitting holding hands across the table. They didn’t order wine; somehow there seemed no need. It was as if they had known each other for a lifetime already; they were so comfortable in each other’s company. Sebastian couldn’t get over how naturally they had come together, they seemed to know what each other was thinking and quite often answered a question before it had been completed. Secretly he wondered if they had known each other in a previous life. He didn’t believe in any of that sort of stuff, but what other explanation could there be?

  On the drive back to Upper Marston, Briony made a strange request.

  ‘When we meet in the village can we pretend that none of this happened? Just kind of pass the time of day in a greeting and move on?’

  Sebastian was taken aback,

  ‘You mean we won’t be repeating this evening?’ He realised he had real fear in his voice as he asked the question, but was unable to conceal his disappointment.

  She laughed gaily,

  ‘No, silly, of course, I want to see you again. In fact, as often as you wish. However, it’s best if we don’t display it openly in the village.’

  He had to ask,

  ‘Why ever not? Surely, we are both adults and both free; I can’t see any problem with that.’

  The smile died on her lips as she answered,

  ‘Trust me, Sebastian, it’s better we are entirely discreet. In fact, Rainly may even be too close. We should find somewhere else a lot further away, where no one knows either of us.’

  Sebastian frowned but accepted the judgment. They were approaching the outskirts of the village when Briony asked him to pull over.

  ‘I’ll walk from here,’ she said, ‘It’s not far.’

  He pulled into a small laneway and stopped the engine. He didn’t hesitate and drew Briony into his arms, their lips meeting in a kiss. The kiss seemed to go on for an eternity and once again he had the feeling this was not the first time they had connected in such a passionate embrace. The world seemed to come to a standstill as they kissed. A private world of their creation with them as the only inhabitants.

  They broke apart as if by mutual consent, and he wondered again at their almost ethereal connection. They were reading each other’s thoughts.

  She opened the door and stepped out into the warm evening; dusk was fast turning into night as she made her way out onto the road and walked towards the village. He stayed in the car, thinking he would follow in a few minutes to ensure she was safely in the village.

  Mentally, he counted out the minutes until he thought she must be there and started the car. He reversed back onto the road and slowly motored into Upper Marston. She was nowhere to be seen, and he could have sworn he hadn’t passed any houses on the way. Sebastian cruised the empty main street hoping for a glimpse of her, but only saw a few late evening strollers enjoying the last of the warm dusk. He was disappointed but more than that he was worried. What if something had happened to her? He felt the panic rising and began the deep breathing exercises his specialist had recommended after one of his earlier breakdowns. Resist the panic, he told himself. She’s safe, and no doubt is sitting at home right now.

  Chapter 6

  Sebastian had a restless night. He dreamed of Briony, beautiful romantic dreams of spending their lives together at the bakery and living in perfect harmony. Then it would take a dark turn, and she was nowhere be seen. He searched for her everywhere in his dream, but there was no trace of her. No one even knew her. In the dream, he spoke to James who denied any knowledge of her.

  He awoke in a fright, bathed in sweat and glancing at the clock saw it was six in the morning. Torn between trying to go back to sleep and continuing his search for Briony or getting up to the reality of the morning, he decided on the latter.

  In the pub dining room, he tried to lift his mood with a cooked breakfast, but it was with a heavy heart he finally motored down the street towards the bakery. He was so intent on his thoughts he almost missed Briony. She was standing on the footpath at the entrance to the village and waved conspiratorially, her hand remaining at her side. He saw her as he passed and the relief swept through him like a curative tonic. He stopped the car further down the road and performed a U-turn. He drove past her as she walked into the village and at the end of the main street out of sight of any casual passer-by he repeated the turn. Now he retraced his route throu
gh the village and as he approached her gave a small wave accompanied by a huge smile. She couldn’t resist the urge and beamed back at him.

  The two secret lovers had not gone un-noticed, James was glaring at the scene from his office window. His hands were hanging down, his fingers balling into a fist.

  The bakery was a hive of activity. Old wires were hanging everywhere inside, and the plumber was doing a good job demolishing the existing pipework in the kitchen and outside bathroom. Sebastian walked around surveying his new kingdom itching to get stuck into some work himself. He would not be interfering or altering the outside structure, so wouldn’t have to bother with planning permissions, which were bound to be a long and painful experience.

  He was standing in the yard when the van arrived with the tools and bits and pieces he had bought yesterday. He helped the young driver carry everything to the shed which was to become his garage.

  Sebastian armed himself with a wooden chart board, sheets of paper and a pencil. He moved from room to room sketching as he went. Once he had a rough plan of all the rooms, he revisited each one, pencilling in his proposed alterations. There wasn’t too much in the way of major reconstruction, mainly the doorway to the bathroom. The upstairs bathroom would have to wait until he was living there permanently.

  A van pulled into the yard with signage announcing to the world that it contained the very best central heating engineers in the world. Sebastian was a little dubious about that particular claim, however, in these parts, it was unlikely to be challenged.

  The two men toured the entire property making notes as they went. They suggested a natural gas fired unit as according to their information the main supply ran past the door. Sebastian was pleased about that, the constant feeding of a solid fuel boiler had no appeal to him whatsoever. He was sure he would need a good reliable source of heat as the house was still cold inside despite the sun bathing the outside in its warm rays. He had already heard the comments of the electricians who described the interior as ‘cold as a bloody grave’.

  The central heating men, having finished their inspection, promised to have a quote to him by the end of the week and drove off. Sebastian heard a comment from the open window of the van as it pulled out of the yard. ‘Why bother?’ Said one to the other. ‘More money than sense.’ He heard as the van drove away.

  Sebastian smiled to himself as he realised they all thought he was quite mad. Why had he taken on this monstrosity of a building? It wasn’t interesting architecturally in any way, it stood alone in a long ago abandoned village, and it never seemed to warm up. He guessed the real reason behind it was his desire to immerse himself in something challenging. Well, in that sense he had succeeded, the whole project was stacked full of challenges.

  After the tradesmen had left for the day, he set about creating the doorway between the main house and the outside bathroom. He carefully inserted a lintel over the new door and once it was secured proceeded to demolish the wall. It was a simple job. The wall had been constructed of red bricks and mortar, no cement, so it was easy to remove the section for the new door. With the new power masonry cutter delivered that morning, he was able to cut out the shape of the door and swiftly remove the bricks. He stacked them neatly in the yard, not wanting to scrap such old and rare building materials.

  Sebastian stood back to admire his handiwork. At last, he had made a start himself. The evening shadows were creeping around the walls, and with the lack of any lights, it seemed an appropriate time to return to his temporary home at the pub and a good meal. He turned the car and headed for Marston, or Upper Marston as he now referred to it. He lived in Lower Marston, his very own village and the thought brought a smile to his face as he sped off down the road.

  Back in the dark house, a figure stood in the new doorway, surveying the work.

  Sebastian drove into the village, and the first person he spied was Briony, he was about to sound the horn when he stopped himself as the figure of James came into view. Pulling over to the side of the road he turned off the engine; Briony had not noticed the car parked between two others, out of the line of sight.

  James appeared to be arguing with her, or at the very least laying done the law. He was wagging a finger at her while talking like he was chastising a child. She stood still with her face hanging down accepting his harsh words. She turned away and began to walk towards the outskirts of the village. James remained, watching her walk away. A sudden anger welled up in Sebastian. It was all he could do to stop himself getting out of the car and confronting him. How dare he speak to her that way? His protective instincts were coming to the fore, and he beat the steering wheel in frustration. She had implored him to keep their relationship secret, and he figured she must have a good reason, so he remained in the car. James was heading back to his office, and he took the opportunity to pull out, executing a neat three-point turn and followed in her direction. At least he could ensure she was safe; it was the least he could do.

  He searched the road ahead for her, but she had disappeared. So he drove out of the village towards the bakery scanning the surrounding countryside. The village houses stopped abruptly at the end of the footpath, and he couldn’t make out where she could have gone. Puzzled he did another turn and headed back to the pub. As he pulled into the kerbside, he saw James leaving his office, shaking the door to make sure it was locked. Sebastian waved in greeting, but James either didn’t see him or ignored the gesture. He stomped up the road in the opposite direction eyes fixed on the pavement in front.

  Sebastian shrugged his shoulders in resignation and locking the car went inside; unsure of what he would have said to him and deciding perhaps it was better that James had ignored him. Sitting in the dining room alone and making up his mind to at least find out where she lived, he pondered over who would know. However, James was the only person he could ask, and he didn’t think any answers would be forthcoming from that direction.

  The owner of the pub was serving behind the bar after he finished the meal, and Sebastian ambled over to sit on a bar stool. After ordering a drink, he broached the subject of Briony.

  ‘Briony who?’ Asked the landlord.

  Sebastian admitted he didn’t know her surname, just that she was a very attractive young lady.

  ‘Well I must admit to having a passing interest in women if you understand me, but I can’t recall anyone by that name from around here.’ He said, apologetically.

  Sipping his drink while the landlord busied himself behind the bar Sebastian decided on a different tack. He ordered another and asked if he would like to join him. His drink appeared, and the landlord quickly poured himself a scotch and stood opposite him.

  ‘James seems a nice sort of chap.’ Sebastian began.

  ‘An oddball that one.’ Came the reply.

  ‘Has he been in the village long?’ Sebastian asked.

  ‘All his life, man and boy.’ The landlord replied.

  Sebastian ordered the same again and the owner rather more cheerfully this time helped himself to another scotch. Sebastian was quite sure that would appear on his bill too.

  ‘Call me George by the way.’

  ‘Sebastian or just Seb if you prefer.’ Said Sebastian, pleased that at least things were starting to head in the right direction.

  ‘His family’s been here for generations, told me one day he could trace it all the way back to the fifteen hundreds.’ Said, George.

  Sebastian tried to keep the ball rolling,

  ‘And were they always involved in the estate agency business?’

  Oh no, He started that up himself. No, all his people were bakers, his father and his father before him. James used to be a baker too I believe, but he worked in Rainly as did his father. They always lived here in the village mind, just travelled to work.’

  Sebastian wondered if James’ family were ever involved in the bakery at Lower Marston, but surely if they were he would have mentioned it, wouldn’t he?

  He decided to tackle the subject of Bri
ony again; maybe the free drinks would loosen George’s lips.

  ‘The girl I mentioned earlier seems to know James quite well.’ Sebastian offered.

  George shook his head slowly from side to side,

  ‘Well then, maybe you’d better ask him about her.’

  Sebastian finished his drink and made for the door; this conversation was going nowhere. He thanked George for an excellent dinner and the chat. The landlord watched him leave; a little sad the free drinks had stopped.

  ‘City folk.’ He said aloud to the empty bar as he poured himself another scotch. ‘He won’t notice one more on his bill.’

  Chapter 7

  The next morning Sebastian drove slowly out of the village towards the bakery. He gazed out over the fields and spotted a small stand of trees, pulling in to the side of the road he opened his door and decided to investigate further. It stood quite alone with the barrenness of the surrounding fields accentuating the woody oasis with a unique beauty of its own. He guessed it was the last remaining trees of some old wood which had been cleared for farming in the past. Idly looking over the car roof towards the small stand of trees he heard a car approaching. Closing the door, he began to walk around the front of the car, but before he could fully complete the manoeuvre, he felt a blow to his hip. The force of the impact catapulted him into the grass verge forcing him to his knees. He looked up to see a vehicle disappearing into the distance. It was already too far away for him to make out any details, even to see if it were a car or van. He got to his feet feeling the bruise on his hip. It was tender, and he hoped there was no real damage. If the pain persisted, he would have to see a doctor, but he could still walk and made his way back to the driver’s side. He pulled into the yard to see the tradesmen busy as usual and climbed out to greet them. He limped over to the house to inspect the progress. The plumber noticed both the limp and the expression of pain marking his features,