“Someone has to. I guess.” Edward looked at William with such intent that his gaze almost bore directly through him. The pure emotion William recognised in Edward’s eyes was enough to completely sober him. He expected Edward to say something else, but he didn’t. Instead, he leaned back on the sofa, regained his composure and offered William a smile that didn’t quite reach his sky-blue eyes.
“I get the impression there’s more to that story,” William said.
Edward sighed, his loosed breath heavy with tension. “My family have… ties to Hanbury Manor, going back a long time. Believe it or not but my great-great uncle once worked here for a short time. I moved back to the area recently, and have been spending my time here when I can.”
“Why, though?”
“Ah ah ah, now it’s my turn to ask you a question.”
“As long as you don’t expect me to start paying you a salary. As of tomorrow, you can consider yourself relieved of your duties, great-great uncle or not.”
Edward brought his hand to his forehead and saluted.
William held his stare, challenging, as he took another hearty sip of his wine.
“Do you believe in ghosts?” Edward’s question caught William off guard. So much so that he almost choked on the mouthful of wine.
“Not you too,” William moaned, thinking back to the taxi driver. “What’s every obsession with ghosts. Am I missing something?”
“I will take that as a no to my question then.”
“Well, it’s hard to say I don’t believe in something I haven’t seen,” William added. “Why do you ask?”
He looked at the room around him. “Well, you’ve moved into one of the Cotswold’s most notoriously haunted buildings.”
“Hanbury isn’t haunted,” William said, brushing the comment off with the brush of a hand.
“Oh, it most certainly is.” Edward leaned forward and snatched a book from the table, which William had hardly paid attention to. It was Robert’s journal. “Ask anyone in a thirty-mile radius. For years there’s been reports of strange sightings around the grounds… some of the local’s even believe that people have gone missing inside Hanbury’s walls.”
“Sounds perfect,” William said far too quickly. “Disappearing is exactly what I’m in the market for.”
Edward shot him a discerning glare, but didn’t push William to explain. Instead, he asked another question. “When youinheritedthe property, did you not research its history? Look into its sodden past?”
Of course, William had researched what he could about Hanbury Manor. Besides the information pack provided by the lawyer’s firm, the internet offered little information about the manor. It seemed it was a true hidden gem of the Cotswolds. A secret place – somewhere William could store his secrets.
“I know it has been vacant for years. It was passed down in Archie’s family from his great-great-grandfather who died during World War One. He decided to have it written in his Will to be left to me, since the last person who lived here was some distant cousin who moved out sometime during the late nineties.”
“And now you’ve been burdened with it,” Edward said. “Seems like a really shitty gift if you ask me.”
“You could say that. The solicitors have tried to convince me to sell it, and I just might. Thought I’d come and see it for myself, check how much work needs to go into it to make it purchasable.”
It didn’t go unnoticed to how Edward perked up at his mentioning of selling the manor.
“I’m sure someone would buy it,” Edward replied, eyes hyperfocused on William. “I guess you could say the manor is… unique.”
“Would you?” William’s brow peaked. “Buy it that is?”
“I’d need money for that…” Edward looked down, inspecting a nail for distraction.
“You need more than money. Look around you. It’s a challenge. The state of the manor will drive the price so far down there isn’t even a point. Who’d want to live in a place like this, besides the gossip of ghosts and missing people?”
William couldn’t begin to understand why Archie would leave this to him. It felt like a cruel joke, the last nail in the proverbial coffin.
“Well, someone once loved this place, I’m sure you could too – or whoever you sell it to if that’s what you decide.” Edward’s reply had a hopeful tone that William didn’t miss.
“Yes, like who? Archie’s family abandoned it, and money isn’t an issue for them.”
“The allusive Thomas family.”
