Malevolent Hall 1666AD Read online

  “I’m fine, thanks for coming. I’m sorry I frightened you all,” Jenny replied. She looked at the man holding her hand. “Jase, this is Matilda, and Mike,” she introduced.

  Mike was surprised she knew his name.

  “Hi, thank you so much for helping Jenny,” he said, and he stood up and held out his hand. Mike shook it and Matilda gave him a hug.

  “I’m so sorry, Jen,” Matilda rushed as she gave her a hug.

  “Hey, it’s okay. We’re both fine,” she said reassuringly.

  “Where is he?” Matilda asked, relieved.

  “He’s in ICU we can go and see him if you like?”

  “Oh I’d love to. Here these are from Mike and the lads,” she said, giving her the flowers.

  “Thank you, they’re beautiful,” Jenny replied, inhaling them.

  “And these are from me, I’m sorry they’re not wrapped,” she said, passing her the bag.

  Jenny put the flowers on the bedside table and opened the bag.

  “Oh my god, Matilda,” she said lifting out one of the blue baby grows and holding it in front of her. “They’re so cute, and just what I needed. We have nothing for him yet,” she said glancing to Jase, who nodded in agreement.

  “I got premature; I hope they’re not too small,” Matilda said.

  “No, he’s so tiny they will be perfect, thank you so much.” She looked at each outfit before putting them back in the bag.

  “Come on let’s go and see him,” Jenny said eagerly. “I hate not having him by my side,” she added, as Jase helped her out of the bed.

  “Are you sure you’re okay to walk, Jen?” Matilda asked. Jenny waved her hand at her.

  “I’m fine, come on,” she said, hobbling away from them while leaning on Jase for support.

  They followed the couple down the corridor, got in the lift and went down one floor.

  “Oh dear Lord, he’s so cute,” Matilda said, as they looked at the tiny baby in the incubator. He was dressed in a white baby grow and a red hat.

  “I know,” Jenny said proudly. “And he’s doing really well, the doctors think he will only need to be in for a week or two, and then we can take him home. He was quite big really, 4lb 6oz and he’s a little fighter.”

  “That’s great, Jen. I’m so sorry it happened,” Matilda said again, and she gave her friend another hug.

  “It’s not your fault Matilda, I think I fainted and the car swerved off the road and hit a tree, I’m just so grateful for your quick response. Getting the paramedics to me so fast saved my baby’s life.”

  Matilda never mentioned what Jenny had said at the time of the accident about the six women in white, nor the painting she found in the playroom.

  “We should go and let you get some rest,” Matilda said, seeing her friend was looking tired.

  “Yeah, I could do with a nap. It wasn’t quite the birth plan I had in mind,” Jenny said, looking down at her baby in the incubator. “But he’s alive and safe and that’s all that matters.”

  “What have you called him?” Mike asked.

  “Richard,” Jase replied. Matilda felt a shudder go through her body at the name, as it was the name of the demon.

  “That’s erm nice,” Matilda said.

  “Yes, it was going to be Simon, but Jen thought he looked more like a Richard. It’s a good strong name,” Jase said.

  “Yes, yes it is,” Matilda, agreed as she looked at the baby. “Well, we’ll be off then. Will you be here all week?”

  “Yes,” Jenny replied.

  “Okay, I’ll pop over on Sunday, take care,” Matilda said, giving her a one more hug.

  “Thanks, Mike for taking me,” Matilda said, glancing to him as they walked out of the hospital. It was dark by now, and the temperature had dropped, she gave a shiver.

  “No problem. Do you feel better now?” he asked, looking at her. She certainly looked better, the earlier stress in her beautiful face had eased, and she looked relaxed.

  “Yes, although I still can’t believe it all happened, I’m just so relieved the baby was okay. Honestly if something had happened to him, I don’t know what I would have done.”

  “You two seem close friends,” he remarked.

  “When we were kids we were best friends, and I hope we still are. This week was the first time I have seen Jenny since it all happened, I bumped into her in a teashop in town.”

  “Well, you would never have known.”

  “It’s funny really, even though I haven’t seen her for eleven years we chat as we only saw each other yesterday.”

  “That’s a true friend,” he said with a grin.

  “Yes, she is.”

  “So what next, do you want to go back?” he asked as they approached his van.

  Matilda looked at her watch, and it was nearly six o’clock.

  “I don’t know about you but I’m starving,” Matilda said.

  “Fancy stopping at the pub on the way back then and grabbing something?” Mike asked, unlocking the door. Her hand hovered on the handle.

  “Yes, that would be great.” He gave her a nod and walked around the van.

  As he put his seatbelt on, he gave her a smile. Matilda blinked and looked at him coyly, her heart fluttered and she glanced out of her window. She loved being with Mike. Jenny had been right, she wished there could be more between them, but never in a million years did she have the courage to make the first move.

  An hour later, they pulled up outside a quaint country pub. Taking a seat at the rear of the pub, Matilda and Mike perused the menu.

  “What are you having?” Matilda asked, tucking her hair behind her ear as she looked at him. Mike’s eyes lifted and he looked at her.

  “Do you know what, I’m actually starving as well I’m going for the 8oz rump, you?”

  “Scampi I think,” she replied, putting the menu down. She took a deep breath and glanced around the pub. It was quiet, only a dozen or so families and couples scattered around. Her eyes stopped on a man in his forties, she gave a shudder as something about him gave her a chill. There was no apparent reason for it, as he was reasonably smart wearing jeans and a shirt, and opposite him on the table was a young woman in her early thirties.

  “How are you feeling?” Mike asked. Matilda blinked and looked away from the couple. She smiled at him.

  “Actually I feel great. Thanks again for taking me to see them. I would have worried myself to death otherwise.”

  “I know that’s why I offered.”

  “It seems you know me quite well,” she remarked.

  “Getting to,” he replied with a smile.

  They both glanced to their right as a server appeared.

  “Are you ready to order?” he asked. Mike looked at her.

  “I’ll have the scampi with salad and a jacket please,” she said. The server jotted it down and then looked at Mike.

  “8oz rump and chips, thanks,” he said.

  “Anything to drink?” the server asked.

  “Matilda?” Mike asked.

  “White wine, please,” she said.

  “I’ll just have a coke, thanks,” Mike said, as he was driving. The server collected their menus and left. For a minute or two, there was silence.

  “So these ghost hunts you do, do you see many ghosts?” Matilda asked. “I find it interesting too. You know the paranormal and all that weird stuff,” she added before he had a chance to reply. “I mean down in that tunnel, that was weird, I heard it speak to me as clear as a bell.”

  He leaned across the table towards her. “I’ve seen and heard quite a lot. In fact, I have some really cool evp’s at home.”

  “I’d love to listen to them,” Matilda said.

  “Next time I’m home I’ll grab them I have some video footage as well. I just wish I had been more prepared this morning. I have a ton of equipment. My favourite is the spirit box it freaks the hell out of me when something comes through that.”

  “Has anything weird happen to you?” she asked. “I
mean have you ever spoken to one?”

  Mike looked at her uncertain whether or not to tell her of his experiences in the Hall, as he didn’t want to frighten her, especially as she was living in there alone.

  “Well, through the spirit box, I’ve asked questions and got answers and I have seen some weird shit that I don’t quite know what it was, but I’ve never had a conversation with one, if that’s what you mean.”

  “What do you mean by weird shit?” she asked intrigued.

  “If I tell you, you’re not going to think I’m nuts are you?” he asked. Matilda laughed.

  “Of course not, Mike. I’m interested.”

  “Thank you,” they both said, as their server put their drinks down on the table.

  “It started when I was fifteen,” he began.

  “What did?” she asked.

  “Being sensitive to the paranormal,” he replied.

  “Did something happen?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “What?”

  Mike looked at her hesitantly.

  “I’m not really sure. I went to this house to deliver a quote from my father, and....” He thought for a moment as wanted to tell her the truth but he didn’t think she was ready for it just yet. “Something happened and I woke up at home.”

  “What do you mean, something happened, and how did you get home?”

  “I don’t know that’s the weird part. I remember knocking on the door and a vague blur of being in a room and then I woke up in my bed at home. I never told my parents, as I was worried in case I had a black out or something. Then the following weekend I went out with some friends and what happened surprised me.” He paused to have a drink. Matilda picked up her wine and drank.

  “Anyway,” he continued. “While my friends were all larking about pretending, I really did see a ghost.”

  “What did you do, did you speak to it?” she asked. Mike laughed

  “No, it scared the shit out of me and I legged it.” Matilda laughed.

  The server arrived and gave them their meals.

  Mike cut into his steak, and just before he put it into his mouth, he looked at her, still unsure how much to tell her.

  “I’ve studied demonology, and witchcraft,” she said, before he had a chance to say anything else. “And I know these things are real. I’ve seen ghosts too,” she confessed.

  Matilda gave a shiver and glanced back to the table with the man in the shirt and jeans. This time he glanced at her. Her eyes caught sight of something in his eyes that frightened her and she looked away.

  “Are you okay, Matilda?” Mike asked praying he hadn’t gone too far. “I haven’t scared you off have I?”

  “No, of course not, in fact, I feel a lot better. I think there are ghosts at Malevolent Hall,” she said but she wasn’t going to mention she had spoken to one, just yet.

  “What makes you think that?” he asked, even though he knew she was right.

  “Just weird stuff going on, you know like noises, objects moving that sort of thing.” Demons, ghosts, and pictures that paint themselves, she thought – should she tell him?

  “We could do a ghost hunt if you like? I can get my equipment from home,” he suggested. Matilda nodded.

  “That would be good,” she agreed.

  “Although I may shit myself if we find anything,” Mike added.

  “Me too,” she agreed, with a laugh.

  As they finished their dinner, he put his knife and fork down.

  “Excuse me, I need to pop to the loo,” he said and he rose to his feet and hurried off to the other side of the pub. She watched him. The more time she spent with Mike the more she found they had in common. She deliberated whether to tell him about her ghost, and what had happened to her with the demon. He was obviously into ghost hunting and the paranormal, so she was sure he wouldn’t laugh or be suddenly afraid of her.

  She looked across at the man in the jeans and shirt. The woman was not there, and he turned and caught her gaze. The man gave her a smile. Matilda gave a half smile back alarmed that he caught her staring at him. He stood.

  Oh god, she thought, don’t come over don’t come over! He did. As he approached, Matilda felt a wave something spread through her body. It wasn’t fear, it was more like a defence mechanism. It was as if she was putting a magical shield around herself to stop him prying into her mind. She rolled her eyes at her own thoughts, as if he could do that.

  “So fancy getting out of here?” he asked.

  “What? No!” Matilda replied, shocked. “I’m with someone.”

  The man glanced behind him towards the toilets at the back of the restaurant.

  “So, dump him,” he said. “Me and you could have some fun.”

  “Please go away,” Matilda asked, looking away from him. When he didn’t leave she looked back up at him and stared at his eyes, and to her they looked almost a dark red in colour.

  “Can I help you?” Mike asked. The man spun around and Mike was right behind him.

  “No,” the man replied.

  Mike’s pupils dilate as the man’s facial features changed into something that looked demonic. Mike knew he was staring back at something that was pure evil. Having had this happen to him a number of times before, he had learned to control the look of surprise from covering his face. The first time it happened was not long after the incident at Malevolent Hall.

  He was minding his own business while standing at the bus stop. When the bus stopped, Mike waited for people to get off. As a man looked at him as he stepped off the bus, Mike saw an entirely different face from everyone else, and it had scared him witless. He ran onto the bus, paid his fare, and shot upstairs. He sat, looking out the window, his eyes following the ‘man’ as he walked down the road. Bad vibes washed over him, and as the bus pulled away, a woman joined the man.

  After that day, it happened about once a month in different random places, the high street, the hospital, the local café where he met his friends. These face shifters were everywhere and it had led him to research demonology and the occult. When he and Matilda found the pentagrams in the cavern, he knew what they were, although he kept this knowledge from her.

  “My misunderstanding,” the man added, and he brushed past Mike as he walked back to his table. Mike’s eyes followed him. The woman reappeared, and they left the pub together.

  “What did he want?” Mike asked sitting down.

  “I don’t know, he just came over, God, he gave me the creeps, did you see his eyes?” she asked.

  “No, it wasn’t his eyes I was looking at,” he replied glancing towards the door to make sure he hadn’t come back in.

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “Nothing,” he said, giving a shake of his head. “He just gave off a queer vibe.”

  Matilda’s heart raced as Mike really looked concerned.

  “What about that woman he was with?” she said. “Do you think she’s in trouble?” Matilda asked. Mike shrugged.

  “I couldn’t say, she didn’t look like she was worried, or in distress. Come on, shall we go?” Mike said, feeling that the whole episode had put a damper on their evening.

  “Yes, I think that’s a good idea,” Matilda agreed, and she opened her bag.

  “No, my treat,” Mike insisted, pulling out his wallet.

  “Oh are you sure?” she asked.

  “Yes, put it away,” he said, nodding to her purse.

  “Thank you, Mike,” Matilda said.

  As they left the pub, Matilda glanced around the dark car park, looking for the couple.

  “They’re not here,” Mike said, opening the van door for her.

  Matilda looked up into his eyes.

  “You were looking too?” she asked.

  “Yes” he added.

  “Mike thank you for today. You know with Jenny,” she said, lifting her hand and cupping his cheek, his stubble rough under her fingertips.

  “You’re welcome,” he replied, his eyes wandered her face
as a warm sensation ran through his body at her touch. He found himself having to hold back from kissing her. As she released his cheek, he smiled and gave her a nod. She turned her back on him and jumped up into the van. He closed the door.

  Mike wrapped his knuckles on the bonnet of his van as he walked around the driver’s side, a smile edging his lips as his skin tingled from her touch.

  “I’ve been researching my family tree,” she said, as they drove the few miles back to the Hall.

  “I’ve always wanted to do that,” Mike replied, glancing to her. “I know back as far as the great, great grandparents but before that it’s all a bit of a blur.”

  “From what I have found so far, my family have always lived at the Hall, since it was built in 1666. I’ve gone back as far as 1866 so far, and in all that time Teddy was the first boy to be born.”

  “Really, that’s odd,” he said, glancing to her again.

  “I know, right. In my family, the women keep their maiden names so we are always Rhiamon. Teddy took my father’s name, he was a Blackford.”

  “Oh right, I always thought your father’s name was a pen name or something.”

  “You knew he wrote books?” Matilda asked surprised.

  “Yeah, I’ve read most of them.” Matilda smiled at him.

  “What?” he asked, smiling back at her.

  “That’s nice, that you’ve read his books.”

  “I told you I ghost hunt, and I’ve done a lot of research looking for answers. Your father was an expert on the supernatural and that sort of stuff.”

  “Hmm,” she said, and she stared out the window.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Nothing,” she replied.

  “Matilda?”

  She sighed. “Sometimes I wonder whether he did something to cause all this.”

  “Did something, what do you mean?” he asked.

  “Oh I don’t know,” she said dismissively.

  Mike frowned as he indicated and pulled into the drive to Malevolent Hall.

  “Do you think he knew your attacker?” Mike asked.

  “No, no, of course not, I was thinking more of a supernatural nature,” she replied, and she sideways glanced at him to ascertain his reaction. He looked at her briefly before his eyes settled back on the driveway.