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The author is a widow with three children, two boys and a girl.

Having lost her husband to dementia, writing gave her something she could get lost in.

THE HERITAGE

This book is dedicated to my loving husband Gordon, whom I miss every day.

J e a n Wa l l a c e - D u f f y

THE HERITAGE

Copyright Jean Wallace-Duffy The right of Jean Wallace-Duffy to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978-1-84963-281-2 www.austinmacauley.com First Published (2013) Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd. 25 Canada Square Canary Wharf London E14 5LB

Printed & Bound in Great Britain

Part One
December 1932

Chapter One
In December 1932, in the town of York, four young people made their way to a solicitors office. They had made the journey from their home which was an imposing mansion house, set in its own grounds which had been home to their family for many years. Michael was the eldest of the quartet; he was a handsome young man of twenty-four, tall, well built, with jet black hair. He was accompanied by his brother Nicholas and sisters Paula and Joanne. Nicholas was sixteen years of age and had inherited the family likeness; he was tall for his age and powerfully built with an engaging personality. Paula was twenty and the end product of a select finishing college for young ladies. She was of medium height with a good figure which enabled her to show off clothes to their best advantage. She was pretty in an elfin way with her dark hair cut in a page boy fashion which highlighted her facial structure. She had startling blue eyes which were the mirror for her moods at the time. Since the death of their mother some six years previously in a motoring accident she had assumed motherly responsibility for the family. Her sister, Joanne, was fourteen years of age which made her the baby of the family, dark haired and vivacious she held the promise of great beauty as she matured. The request from the solicitor to see all four of them together had not come as a surprise as their father had recently died and they assumed that the solicitor handling his affairs wished to advise them as to matters appertaining to the will. Nevertheless, they were apprehensive as to what the future held in store for them. Upon arrival at the solicitors Messrs Allen, Simmons & Ashleigh, they were ushered into a well-appointed office where Mr Allen, the senior partner awaited them, he bade them to be seated, and commenced to explain the reason he needed to see them. Firstly, your father died owing a lot of money to creditors as the result of a business venture which went terribly wrong. He gave personal guarantees to the creditors in order to raise the money for

the venture and now they are demanding payment. To this end they have appointed a liquidator whose task is to realise monies on any and all of your fathers assets. One of the main assets is your family home and this will have to be sold in order to pay off some of the indebtedness. There was a shocked silence whilst they considered the effect of what they had just been told. Paula began to cry and Michael held both of her hands to comfort her, Nicholas and Joanne looked at each other in disbelief while the full consequences of what Mr Allen was saying dawned upon them. Mr Allen continued, Things are not as bad as they appear, Michael, you will remember that when you were twenty one you inherited your uncles property at Lyme Regis being his only living relative. Note A survey revealed that a great deal of money was required in order to make it habitable, nevertheless, it has a considerable amount of land attached to it. You, your father and I, as your family lawyer, took the decision not to do anything with the property apart from making it weatherproof and locking it to make it secure from vandals. In addition to this we also agreed to lease out the land for farming for a three year period at an attractive rental. The monies realised by leasing the land were banked in your name at the local Barclays bank and now amounts to a tidy little sum and with the annuity left by your mother to all the offspring of the family upon reaching their majority there should be enough to live on for two to three years providing you are careful. There will be a need of course to effect certain repairs to the property but these can be undertaken gradually, the most important thing is that you will have a roof over your heads and money in the bank which will be sufficient for you needs. You, Michael being the eldest, will have to assume responsibility for the rest of the family until such time as they are old enough to make their own way in life. You may rest assured however, that as an old friend of your fathers, you may rely on me for any help that I can give you. Now, arrangements have been made for you to arrive at Lyme Regis on the Saturday of next week. I have managed to save some of your possessions from your former house and these will be delivered to Lyme-Regis once you have taken up residence there. The house is fully furnished although some of the items are rather decrepit. The house itself dates back to the early sixteenth century. Your uncle employed the services of a cook whose family connections with your family go back many

years and I took the liberty of retaining her services for two reasons. One, to call at the house from time to time to ensure that all was well there. Secondly, to organise the provisions and to cook for you in the initial stages of your occupation of the house. Once you have met the lady, whose name incidentally is Flora, it will be up to you as her employers as to whether you wish to continue with the arrangement, meanwhile her salary and cost of the weekly shopping will be submitted to this office. It was a typical January morning, dark, overcast and threatening snow when the taxi carrying Paula, Joanne, Michael and Nicholas, along with Sam the family springer spaniel, pulled up on the gravel drive outside the house. They alighted and took their first view of Michaels inheritance and their future home. It was a rambling Tudor-styled farmhouse, in a dilapidated state. The roof guttering had collapsed in places allowing water to run off the roof and down the front of the house giving rise to patches of damp, one of the bedroom windows hung off its hinge and was banging against the casement. The paint on the window frames and door was peeling and the metal brackets and studding on the wooden front door were rusted and pitted. The outside of the property merely served to reinforce the first impressions of decay and neglect and they were apprehensive as to what awaited them inside. The taxi driver deposited their suitcases on the gravelled path, Michael paid the fare and thanked the driver who wished them good luck and pulled away to make the return trip to the village. Sam the spaniel scampered off to explore the grounds around the house, Michael, Nicholas, Joanne and Paula stood in the middle of the drive undecided as to what to do next... Well, said Paula, its no use standing here feeling sorry for ourselves, lets go and view the rest of the house, we have nowhere else to go and it might not be as bad inside as it is outside. Michael and Nicholas picked up the suitcases between them and made their way towards the front door with the girls bringing up the rear. Suddenly they heard a frantic barking coming from the rear of the house, Sam has found something, Paula remarked. Wed better go and see what it is. With that they made their way through the shrubbery towards the back of the house, there they found Sam barking at the back door which was hanging off its hinges causing it to creak loudly. Sams back hair was standing up

and he was obviously frightened and he wouldnt go anywhere near the house. Come here you silly dog, Joanne exclaimed but Sam ignored her and ran off towards an adjacent wood. Well, remarked Nicholas, Im not standing out here, Im cold, hungry and depressed, lets go into the house and do some exploring. Good idea, said Michael, come on. They turned towards the back door. Just then they saw a figure standing in the doorway. It turned out to be that of Mrs Flora Mason the cook whom had been retained by Mr Allen. She was a dumpy little person with twinkling brown eyes and grey hair pulled in a tight bun, she introduced herself and welcomed them to Lyme Regis. I wondered when youd arrive, you look frozen, come into the kitchen, I have a hot meal prepared for you. With that the four of them trooped into the big kitchen where four places were set around a large table. There was a fire burning away merrily in the kitchen range. Ive made you some hot stew and homemade bread, after which no doubt youll want to look around the house and make yourselves at home. Having eaten Paula announced she intended to view the upstairs. The other three decided they would explore the downstairs and off they went to do so. Paula made her way up the wide staircase which creaked alarmingly, the stairs led onto a large landing from which were situated the various bedrooms and bathroom . She inspected all five bedrooms which were quite roomy. Several needed slight repairs but all of them needed decorating. The furniture was mostly heavy oak and consisted of drawers, beds, blanket chests and dressing tables with single and double wardrobes. The beds in four rooms had been made up and fires laid ready for lighting. There appeared to be another bedroom at the far end of the corridor. She tried the door handle but it was locked. She was walking away when she heard a slight click, turning, she tried the door again, this time it opened. Paula entered the bedroom, it was quite obvious that the room had not been in use for many years, it smelled musty and everywhere was heavy with dust and cobwebs, some of the wallpaper had dropped off the wall and there were patches of damp around the window casement. She walked across to the window to observe the view and gazed down

upon several large fields bordered by woods, suddenly the air in the room turn extremely cold and she felt a presence. Thinking one of the boys were playing a prank on her she said, Stop trying to frighten me, and turned around to confront the culprit. There was no one there. A sense of apprehension flooded over her which gave way to outright panic, she ran out of the room, slamming the door behind her, down the corridor onto the landing and down the stairs then into the hall where she stopped to regain her composure. Hearing voices which were coming from a room off the hall she entered the room to discover what appeared to be a library. The rest of the family were inspecting portraits and drawings which were hanging upon the walls, on one wall were displayed two full length portraits, one of which depicted a handsome young man in his late twenties dressed in the flamboyant fashion of the seventeenth century and by the side of this portrait was another which pictured a slightly older man in his mid to late thirties. There was a slight resemblance to the younger man but the features were harder, the eyes merciless, and the demeanour was that of a cruel and fanatical individual,. His dress was that of a military man, he was wearing a breastplate and in the crook of his arm was a visored helmet similar to that worn by the elite guard of the Cromwellian army. Paula shuddered, not the type of person one would like to meet on a dark and stormy night she thought. There were a series of other smaller portraits on the opposite wall, depicting the family through the ages, the last two portraits were of her Uncle James and that of a handsome young man of approximately nineteen to twenty years of age. His resemblance to Michael was uncanny. Her brothers and sister were examining this portrait and commenting upon the likeness, Yes, remarked Michael, this was your cousin Charles who died in a tragic hunting accident in 1904 and as a consequence Uncle James became a recluse until his death in 1929. The other two portraits intrigue me, exclaimed Paula. I wonder as to the identity of the subjects illustrated. Obviously they belong to the Dubois family otherwise they would not be represented in the family gallery and from the style of their dress they must have lived during the seventeenth century, but there is no reference on the pictures as to their names. Michael came over to stand by the side of Paula whilst he gazed at the portraits, We know very little of our family history, he

remarked. But it would be interesting to research our family lineage, maybe we can enlist Mr Allens help. Turning to Paula he suggested that she ask Flora what she knew about the family background as she had been in service with the Dubois for many years. Good idea, said Paula, Ill put it to her tomorrow. Just then Joanne, who had been gazing at the portraits, called Sam the dog to heel but he failed to appear, she called him again, with no success. Joanne expressed her concern to Nicholas, Its gone dusk and as hes not familiar with the surroundings he could get lost. Nicholas agreed, Come on Sis, well go and find him. You go one way and Ill go the other, between us we are bound to come across him. With that the two of them made their way outside to commence the search. They passed Flora who was just coming into the library from the kitchen, Mr Michael, Ive made supper for you all and the bedroom fires have been laid, but they will need lighting, its going to be a cold night, and the rooms will need warming through. Leave that to me Flora, Ill see to it, replied Michael. Flora hesitated, Would you mind if I went now Mr Michael? I like to get home before it goes dark. Thats fine Flora, and thank you very much for taking care of us today, responded Michael.

Chapter Two
The search for Sam had only just started when Nicholas came across him crouched in the shrubbery. Come along old lad. But Sam took no notice, he was lying on his belly shivering with what appeared to be cold, Nicholas picked him up and slipped him inside his coat. Ive got him, he called to Joanne who was about to enter the woods. See you in the kitchen, she shouted and with that Nicholas made his way back. The nearer they got to the house the more agitated Sam became and as Nicholas entered the kitchen it was all he could do to hold the dog who was whimpering and struggling to free himself. Just then Joanne entered, Whats wrong with Sam? No idea, replied Nicholas. He appears to be frightened, no doubt something must have upset him, he might have seen a fox. Joanne placed Sam on a rug in front of the kitchen fire and plied him with some soup left over from lunch which seemed to calm him down. Paula walked in and made quite a fuss of the dog, We mustnt let him run off on his own again until he becomes familiar with his surroundings. This was agreed. Michael entered after having lit the fires in the bedrooms. Did I understand Flora to say that she had left some supper? he asked. Yes, replied Paula. Its laid out in the dining room. Nicholas and Joanne were already on their way switching on lights as they went. They all gathered in the dining room to enjoy the meal after which they sat around to discuss the events of their first day at Greystones and their suggestions and plans to make their life there more comfortable. Michael looked at Joanne, You looked tired out sweetheart. I am, she replied. Me too, chirped in Paula. Ditto, said Nicholas. Right, you lot sort out a bedroom for yourselves while I lock up and switch out the lights.

With that a scramble ensued to find the best bedroom. Paula selected one of the bigger rooms and Joanne took the room next door which was also quite big. Sam scampered after her as it was his practice to sleep at the foot of her bed. The two boys had no option but to select two bedrooms across the corridor which were smaller than those commandeered by the two girls. After the usual chorus of Good nights everybody settled down in their ind ividual rooms. Paula sat at the dressing table, looking into the mirror and brushing her hair prior to getting into bed. Suddenly the bulb in the bedroom light flickered and went out and she was plunged into darkness. The mirror which she had been looking into only seconds before assumed a luminosity and there looking at her from the mirror was the head and shoulders view of a young man, the very man she had seen in the portrait hanging in the library that day, the one Michael had referred to as Cousin Charles. She was utterly petrified and incapable of any movement whatsoever, her throat was constricted and all she could manage was a whimper of absolute terror. Suddenly the apparition spoke to her, What are you doing in my home? Have you come to set me free? If not, why are you here? Paula attempted to recover her composure and in answer to his question told him of the circumstances leading to their presence in the house and how Michael, her brother had been left the property by his uncle, Charles father. She also told him of their precarious financial state which had forced them into taking up Michaels inheritance. So, exclaimed Charles, you are the next generation of Dubois? Yes, said Paula. Are you aware of the history of the Dubois and how I cam e to die? questioned the apparition. I am aware that your name is Charles and that you died as the result of a hunting accident, replied Paula. There is much, much more that you do not know, retorted Charles. Are you aware that I have to haunt this house until such time as past wrongs are righted and only then can I be released to find eternal rest. In the meantime, if I wish to communicate I can

only do so within the parameters of this mirror. Just then there was a knock at her bedroom door. The image in the mirror faded abruptly and the room was once again in darkness, Paula! Paula! It was Michael. Are you alright? Are you dreaming? Who are you talking to? Switch on the light, I cant see a thing. Suddenly the lamp bulb flickered and came back on, Paula was still sat gazing into the mirror with the hairbrush clasped in her right hand. Is there anything wrong? Why are you not in bed? Why were you talking to yourself? The questions came one after the other. Im fine Michael, I just couldnt sleep. Well talk about it tomorrow if you dont mind. Just as you wish, said Michael and walked out of the bedroom closing the door behind him. The following morning Michael and Nicholas were up early, Flora who had just arrived was busy making breakfast. Did you have a good nights sleep? she asked. Fine, apart from Paula talking in her sleep, replied Michael. When we arrived yesterday, said Nicholas, we noticed a stream, where does it go to? It crosses the fields, through the woods and across the estate, replied Flora. How long will breakfast be? asked Michael. About half an hour, was the reply. Come on Nick, lets go and explore. And with that off they went. After the incident of the night before, Paula, who had slept badly, woke up cold. She got out of bed and shivered in the coldness of the room, put on her dressing gown and made her way towards Joannes bedroom. She did not want to frighten her sister so therefore she decided to say nothing of what had happened the previous night. They met one another in the corridor; the smell of breakfast permeated the air. See you downstairs, said Joanne . With that they returned to their rooms, got dressed, and made their way down to breakfast. Joanne, accompanied by Sam went to sit by the fire in the kitchen. Paula asked Flora whether she had seen the boys.

Yes, they came down early and decided to go down to the stream, was the reply. Would you go and find them and tell them to come and get their breakfast, said Flora. Paula put on her coat and made her way towards the stream. Crossing the fields she was impressed by the beauty of the scenery, she could see the daffodils and crocuses peeping out over the field and the trees were hanging heavy with the nights frost. It looked as though it was going to be another frosty, winters day. Michael was in a reflective mood as he watched the water gently flowing by, the responsibility he had undertaken for the family was weighing heavily on his shoulders and the future appeared, to say the least, uncertain. Nicholas on the other hand appeared not to have a care in the world as he skimmed flat stones over the water in an attempt to make them ricochet across the surface. Paula stood on a small hillock overlooking the boys, she too was deep in thought mentally replaying everything that had occurred just prior to and since the death of their father. Her eyes clouded with tears and she tried to shrug off the feeling of depression that had gripped her. She shouted across to Michael to get his attention and as he turned she said, You must be frozen, Flora sent me to find you and tell you that breakfast was ready. Michael waved to acknowledge the summons, Nicholas, who had also heard Paulas bidding joined Michael and his sister as they made their way back to the house. As they entered into the kitchen, Joanne who was sat with Sam near the fire looked up, There you are, I thought I was going to have to eat alone. No, said Michael. Ive been thinking about our situation and Ive formed a plan which Ill tell you about after weve eaten. Flora who had been busying herself at the kitchen range served them with a full English breakfast. There this should warm you up after your trip to the stream. There were murmurs of appreciation from the family. Flora then spoke to Michael, I have to go into the village to do some shopping for the meal tonight, is there anything special you would like? Michael canvassed the opinion of the rest. Nicholas elected himself spokesman for the family and requested his favourite dish, steak and kidney pie.

Steak and kidney pie it will be then, said Flora and sat down to draw up a list of the ingredients she would require. After breakfast the family made their way to the sitting room which was just off the main entrance hall. At one time in the distant past this must have been a pretty room. It had a large mullioned picture window divided into a number of individual leaded glass panels and commanded a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside. The low ceiling was supported by heavy oak beams and a big inglenook fireplace dominated the room. There was a large log grate set inside the fireplace on either side of which was a high back black oak trestle seat, the stonework inside the inglenook was black with soot and had not been cleaned for many years. Flora had laid and lit a log fire in the grate which was just about beginning to cast a little warmth into the room. The stained wooden floor was partially covered by three threadbare rugs and the furniture consisted of two large brocade settees and three winged chairs all showing signs of hard wear. There were two large occasional tables, a bookcase, a writing bureau, sideboard and a Welsh type dresser, all of which had seen better days. The walls were wood panelled. These too were in a poor state of repair, several panels had come away from their underframe and two showed signs of damp rot. It was in this environment that they held the first family conference since their interview with Mr Allen, the solicitor. After they were all seated, Michael being the eldest, took the lead, We have now had the opportunity to explore the house and it is quite obvious that there are a number of urgent repairs which need to be undertaken, I suggest that we list all the jobs which require doing in order of priority. Nicholas and I might be able to do some of them ourselves, others will require expert help. We will have to find out from Mr Allen precisely how much money we have in the bank, to enable us to work out a budget. What are the girls going to do? asked Nicholas. Joanne and I have already decided how we can help, declared Paula. The whole house needs a thorough cleaning and Joanne a nd I will tackle that task, Well have to ask Flora whether shes got any cleaning materials, remarked Joanne, if not we will have to ask her to purchase some, although Im sure I saw buckets, mops and dusters in the kitchen pantry.

Fine, said Paula, lets go and collect the tackle and start on the upstairs. With that off they went to see Flora. Michael and Nicholas found paper and a pencil in the drawer of the writing bureau and commenced to draw up their list of priority and non-priority repairs to the house. After finishing this Michael turned to Nicholas, Come on Nick, lets go and see whether there are any tools and ladders anywhere in the house or outbuildings. One of our first priorities on our list is to see whether we can do anything with the guttering, bedroom window and kitchen door, With that they made their way out of the house towards the derelict outbuildings to commence their search for tools. Meanwhile the two girls, armed with what cleaning materials they had managed to acquire from Flora commenced their task. Paula took her and Joannes bedrooms, Joanne undertook to clean Michael and Nicholass bedrooms, additionally they cleaned out the fire grates and re-laid the fires for that night from the coal scuttles that were by the side of the fireplaces. There was very little coal in the scuttles after having laid the fires in the four bedrooms therefore Joanne volunteered to go downstairs to ask Flora where the coal or logs were stored. Paula had finished tidying, polishing and making up Joannes bed; she then turned to her own bedroom to do the same. She had finished making the bed and was proceeding to dust and polish the dressing table and mirror when the spectre she had seen the night before, calling itself Charles Dubois, manifested itself once more in the mirror. Dont be afraid, I mean you no harm, my time is short and I urge you to do exactly as I tell you. Last night I told of my purpose in appearing before you; my quest involves you and the rest of your family, being the last of the Dubois line. Listen carefully! Go into the large field and take the path into the wood, you will come across the burnt out ruins of what was once a large cottage partially concealed by undergrowth. Enter the ruins and ask your brothers to lift the flags which formed the hearth of the fireplace. He was about to continue when footsteps were heard in the corridor, the apparition faded abruptly. Joanne entered the bedroom carrying a scuttle of coal, in the corridor behind her was the dog who appeared reluctant to enter the room and chose to stay outside He must obviously feel the presence of Charles, thought Paula. She became aware of Joanne talking to her. We need to buy some more cleaning materials, she said.

Michael asked me, seeing as we were going into the village, to purchase several tools that he and Nicholas require in order to start some of the more urgent repairs, I said that we would, providing he gave us the money. Whilst we are at it we may as well take Sam with us seeing as how he has not had a walk since we arrived here. Good idea, remarked Paula. Give me time to have a wash and change my dress and Ill see you downstairs. Getting ready she pondered on the latest visitation and wondered what Charles had meant by his reference to the derelict cottage. Pushing this to the back of her mind she joined Joanne and Sam downstairs and they made their way towards the village.

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