AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘That’s her modus operandi, discovering what a person cares about and torturing them by stealing it. She’s quite the minx.’ Rowan reached over and patted her hand. ‘Talking of spirit connections, you might want to avoid the churchyard tonight. If you think Ursula is a tricky customer, heaven only knows how you’ll react if you encounter the Red Lady.’
‘Rowan, can you stop scaring Kate, please?’ Calvin shouted from the front of the minibus. ‘This is supposed to be a fun night out.’
Kate caught Calvin’s expression in the rear-view mirror and saw his exaggerated eye-roll. She couldn’t help smiling.
Unfortunately, Rowan wasn’t to be deterred and leant closer, lowering his voice. ‘The Red Lady is a sorrowing ghost who wanders mournfully through the graveyard, searching for the body of her baby, who lies somewhere in an unmarked grave.’
Esme made a spooky ghost noise, which made Kate laugh.
Rowan tutted disapprovingly and turned to glare at her. ‘Do you mind?’
‘I was just adding some atmosphere,’ Esme said, her speech slightly slurred from the amount of ‘hot chocolate’ she’d drunk.
‘I don’t need any help, thank you, darling.’ He turned back to Kate. ‘The Red Lady was a member of the Dering family and thought to have died in childbirth. Why the offspring to such a notable family should lie away from the family vault in some unmarked spot is unknown. But it could be that the child died before there was a chance for it to be baptised, meaning a Christian burial could’ve been denied.’
The minibus jolted as they drove over a pothole, causing Geraldine to moan at Calvin for not avoiding it and Jacob to increase the intensity of his crying.
Annoyed at having his flow interrupted, Rowan refocused. ‘The churchyard is hallowed ground and in some eyes the child’s body would have had no right to be there, but his mother still searches for him, night after night, calling to her lost child.’
Kate supressed a sigh. ‘Why is she called the Red Lady?’
‘No one is entirely sure,’ he said, excited by her question. ‘It could be the colour of the gown she wears, or maybe her hair. But a ghostly red hue can be seen drifting through the gravestones, visible only to those with a spiritual connection… like you,’ he said, patting her hand. ‘And me, of course.’ He wasn’t about to be outdone.
‘I’ll be sure to let you know if I see her, Rowan.’
‘Please do! It would make my night. My year, even.’
Thankfully, they arrived at the village square and Calvin parked up.
He helped everyone off the bus, appearing by Kate’s side a moment later. ‘What are the chances of those two remaining sober?’ he said, as Esme and Rowan swayed towards The Black Horse Inn and joined in with the carollers, who were belting out ‘O, Holy Night’ in front of the church entrance.
‘Slim-to-none,’ she said, smiling. ‘We may need wheelchairs to get them home.’
‘Already thought of that.’ He pointed to the boot of the minibus. ‘But I only have two!’ he called out to the retreating group, which included Geraldine and Lucky Larry, as they also made a beeline for the pub. ‘The rest of you need to retain the use of your legs!’
Laughing, Kate zipped up her coat. ‘They’re not interested in the lights switch-on at all, are they?’
‘Nope. They just wanted an excuse for a booze-up.’
‘And I thought he was going to cause the most trouble tonight,’ Natalie said, placing Jacob in his pushchair. ‘You’ve got competition, Jacob.’ She tucked in his blanket. ‘I’ll take him for a stroll and see if he’ll settle. Have a good night, both of you,’ she said, heading towards the carol singers.
Calvin watched them for a moment, his expression concerned. ‘She looks tired.’
Kate slipped on her gloves, as it was a chilly night. ‘Any luck getting a locum nurse?’
‘I’ve registered with a couple of agencies. Hopefully, we can get someone soon.’
‘It’s a shame she doesn’t have anyone to help her.’ Kate searched for her scarf, wondering if she’d left it on the minibus. ‘I’m guessing her family don’t live close by?’
‘I’ve no idea,’ he said, with a shrug. ‘She doesn’t talk about them. All I know is that she was made homeless when herhusband filed for divorce and she was forced to vacate the military property she lived in.’
‘Seems a bit harsh.’
‘Especially as he’s serving abroad at the moment. The property’s sitting empty… What are you looking for?’
‘My scarf.’
Calvin smiled. ‘You mean, the scarf you’re already wearing?’
