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CHAPTER
30

Jessie jumped on hearing the deep tones of a male voice. ‘That is miraculous – dramatic.’

Her heart beating a tattoo, she swept round to see an incredibly handsome man in his early
twenties; his
skin had a golden sheen, hazel eyes sparkling, hair glittering blonde streaks in chestnut waves falling to his shoulders. His clothes were immaculate, if a little odd, pantaloons and a white frilled shirt with silk cravat, from which sparkled a diamond stickpin the size of a hazelnut. Astonished, she felt a rush of heat through her body, a yearning to peel off her clothes and appear naked before him.  Her thoughts reeled as she fought for control. She knew some women couldn’t resist good-looking men, but this was ridiculous. 

His eyes shone knowingly.   ‘Tis beautiful you are Jessie.’  Without the slightest hesitation, he strode towards her, opening his arms.
How did he know her name?
She tried to tell herself this was a dream, a nightmare, but felt his lips close on hers.  Frightened, she found herself responding whilst trying to fight her desire.  Their mouths touched, tongues tasted. Fevered hands stroked. Massaging her back, he pulled at her jeans, nudging her to the floor. Groaning – lost, she felt him pull away, as Dinah
shouted,
in the distance.   Astonished Jessie watched, as he vanished in a column of rippling air, gasped as a rush of wind swirled around her. Tears streaming, she pulled the tank top down, struggling to zip up her jeans.  

Stumbling to the door, she looked down the path to see Dinah walking briskly towards her with George in tow.  Strolling arm in arm behind them were Lucy and Nat.  She tried to compose herself, giving a rictus smile.

As Di walked through the door, she glimpsed Jessie’s face.  Turning quickly she shouted out to the others, ‘Hey give us a few minutes. Jessie’s caught up here.’ Putting her hands on Jess’s shoulders she said, ‘Hey – you look like hell.’ 

‘I feel I’ve just been there. You won’t believe this, but a ghost tried to seduce me. That’s not the worst, I wanted him to.’  Tears tumbled down her cheeks, ‘I lost
control; this
guy just stood
there,
and I was ready to ... I didn’t even know his
name,
and I wanted him to ....’

‘God.  Oh my God Jess.’

‘You stopped it by shouting out to me.’

‘What – how?’

‘He heard your voice and then vanished. The air rippled; I heard it whoosh around me. Di it was a ghost – couldn’t have been human.’

‘Incubus.  Oh God it was an incubus. Did
it…?'
 

‘No
.
’

‘
Look, d’you want me to get rid of the others?’

‘No – no, I think they should know Di.  It might be you or Lucy next time.’

Going to the door, Dinah talked in hushed tones. Silently, their faces tense, the friends trouped in. Lucy came straight over holding her gently.  ‘I’m sorry Jess – this is horrific.’

George gave a troubled glance. ‘What the hell happened Jess?’

Di'
opened a bottle of wine pouring a generous measure into a glass for Jess. Handing it to her, she said, 'Wish we had some brandy. This can’t be happening – it’s too much.’

George came over hesitantly and knelt before Jess, taking her hand. ‘Can you talk about it?’

Jess nodded and taking a gulp of wine, ‘It’s a living nightmare. First, Muriall just appeared in my room. And now this, I’m surrounded with ghosts – it’s terrifying. – unreal. Muriall was actually sitting at the desk.  Flesh and blood.  I just ran – that’s why I’m here.’ 

Di looked at them ‘This is far worse. They're not going to let Jessie alone.
But,
I don’t think the incubus is anything to do with Muriall – it‘s too evil.’

Nathan cleared his throat.  ‘The priest warned us about this. He said there was a darker force at work – that Muriall was shielding us from it.’

Jess looked up. ‘Darker force?’

Nat shook his head sighing.  ‘We should have told you Jess, but we didn’t want to start a panic – we thought Father O’Reilly had cleared everything.  But, he did warn that maybe he wasn’t strong enough – maybe we needed a Jesuit.’

Dinah scowled, ‘We should have known.  Jess could have been seduced or murdered here tonight by a bloody
incubus
.’

George muttered, ‘We’ve got to do something about this and quickly.’

‘What?’  Dinah got up and put her arms around Jessie. ‘What the hell can we do?’

Nat said hesitantly ‘We’ve gotta tell Douglas.’

Jess lifted her head sharply. ‘No – no way. He’s a Neanderthal when it comes to anything psychic.  I just couldn’t cope with
that.'
  

‘Look I know about the row. He's hurt you.’

‘Bloody right he has.’

‘Jess he's got a short fuse – can be a mean bastard.’

‘That’s no excuse.’

‘He’s got a lot of things on his mind – lot to lose. When he’s crossed, he’s got a tongue like a rusted razor.  Look, did you know about the inheritance?’

Jessie’s eyebrows knitted together. “What? He did say something about an inheritance – but it was all so sudden – I just couldn’t take it in.’

Nat lowered his head as he said, ‘You all might as well know. We could be in deep shit soon.’

Turning to the friends he said, ‘I know it’s no excuse for Doug’ acting like he did, but he’s pushed to the wall at the moment. Seeing as you all seem to be
involved,
I’d better explain.’

Taking a gulp of his wine, Nat leant against the table. ‘Two years ago, my brother inherited this place.  We thought it was great; we were bloody millionaires, a Manor, a ruined castle and seven million pounds.  Then the Solicitor told us Douglas wasn’t a direct descendent. He’s descended from Duncan’s younger brother Guy.  There’s a codicil to the will, it’s due to run out at the end of this month believe it or not.  Anyway, the Codicil says that if a direct descendent is
found,
then the whole estate reverts to
him or her.
  Doesn’t matter what we’ve done to improve it. They take the whole lot and the money.’

Jess tapped her foot, her mind seething. ‘So he thinks I want the estate?’

‘Yeah.  Look there’ve been so many fraudsters creeping out the woodwork, claiming this and that.  We’ve been presented with wills on parchment made to look antique, or portraits they’ve sworn  they’ve found in the attic when the truth is, they were painted the week before.  Then there're claims of old love letters, lockets.’

Dinah said sharply, ‘Lockets?’ 

‘Yeah, stuff people have bought from antique shops or found in car boot sales, and then putting in a sketch or claiming it to be that of Duncan or Muriall. Easily done, the two portraits are there on show in the gallery and there’re copies of them dotted around. People even come with scraps of paper in old dolls.’

‘But,
surely the lawyers can trace the family back?’

‘Yeah but these claim they were the love child of this or that person, so there’s no physical trace. Others know Duncan either drowned or disappeared, so they make up stories about the suicide. Slimy bastards. He’ll agree to an exorcism now, so far he’s refused the Jesuit priest coming here, but he doesn’t have a choice. One thing I do know Jess – Doug’s crazy about you.’

‘I wouldn’t have thought so after the way he talked to me.’

  He’s breaking apart Jess. The guy’s in love with you.’

CHAPTER 3
1
   

Jess felt hope like iced water freezing the pain.  He was in love with her?  Then why be so bloody ferocious, but she could see the reasoning behind his flare up.  Did he honestly think she wanted the hotel that she would resort to fraud?  But then, he hardly knew her. Even so, she’d thought that he really cared for her that it wasn’t just lust.  After all, they’d talked long into the night. Did he really love her or had he listened to his glands? ‘So what am I supposed to do, forgive him, kiss him for putting my heart through a meat mincer?’

Nat went to her, putting his hand on her shoulder.  ’Just give him a chance. He’s got to deal with this now.’

‘How
can I? I feel like a piece of shit that he’s just stepped in. But, thanks for telling me; it makes it a bit clearer.  Not that I−’

Nat could sense she was hesitating. Douglas was in with a chance.  Better to cut it short before she changed her mind. ‘Okay
, leave it at that – just think about it.’

Jess resigned herself to the moment.  ‘I could do with another drink. D’you want one?’  She wanted oblivion, to exorcise both the horror of the
incubus
and the heartbreak of Douglas from her mind.

As she went towards the drinks, Dinah called out, ‘I’ll do that Jess, you just sit and relax.

Nat said, ‘I think I ought to go tell Douglas about this.’

Seeing his lips set in a grim line, Dinah said, ‘I don’t know that Jess will take him back.  I’m sorry I know he’s under pressure, but he was a bastard.’  

Nat grimaced.  ‘There’s more to it than you know Di. It’s not just the hotel there are other things involved, I just can’t tell you what they are.  It’s personal.’

George sensing the strain Jess was under, tried to divert her attention. Walking over to the piles of mixed oils on the palette board said, ‘Never thought you’d mix so many colours, I mean for the green you’ve mixed yellow, blue, purple, brown.  Hmm.  Intricate.’    

Realizing that George was trying to help, Jess answered, ‘For green you get a multitude of shades from mixing the blue and the yellow. Grass or trees have so many facets of colour, especially if it’s been raining; the sheen of water on
leaves,
for instance, picks up miniature rainbows.’

Dinah was happy to lighten the situation. Sipping her drink, she said, ‘Is the painting psychic art or normal?’

‘Normal.  It’s a landscape of the lake and the island with the mausoleum.’

‘Come on let’s have a look’

Jess shook her head. ‘It's only in the first stages. You won’t see much honestly.’

Seeing Jess's face lift a little, George said, ‘Come on, then we’ll christen it with a toast.’    

Raising her shoulders in resignation, Jess turned the canvas towards them, only to feel horror like liquid lava plough through her body... ‘Oh my God – What’s?  What’s happened? I didn’t paint that – I didn’t paint her.’

The others surged forward.  Dinah put her hand on Jess's shoulder.  ‘Christ – it’s Muriall.’

Jess took a tight breath as she looked at the canvas; Muriall faced them standing in the interior of the mausoleum, the
painted
moon casting deep blue and purple shadows through the leaded light windows.  Jessie’s heart’s beat rapidly as she peered at another figure half-submerged in darkness by the corner of the open tomb.  Jessie murmured, ‘It’s inside the Mausoleum. The island, the lake has gone.  I didn’t paint this – I really didn’t paint it.’

Gazing at the figure, Lucy whispered, 'Whoever is doing the haunting is not letting up.’

Dinah shivered, looking around her.  ‘It must be Muriall.  She really means to get through to you Jess. Is she here d’you think?’

Jess felt the goose bumps rise on her arms. ‘I can deal with Muriall
,
as long as I don’t see her that is – it’s just the other – the
incubus
.’ Having said the word, splinters of fear stabbed her spine.’ 

Nat muttered, ‘We’ll get the exorcist in for that.’

Going nearer, Jessie examined the shadowy figure in the shadow of the tomb. ‘I can hardly see it; it’s too deep in the shadows.  It could be a man I think.’  Stepping nearer, her heart almost leapt out of her chest as she made out the golden streaked hair, the cravat and knee-high boots.  ‘It’s him – it’s him. The thing that attacked me. How could this happen?’ 

Lucy shivered, rubbing her arms. ‘This is spooky.’

Dinah rushed forward, ‘Christ.  You sure?'

‘Yes, it’s the same hair, clothes.  I did not paint this, I really didn’t.’

Nat growled.  “God – this is weird stuff.’   

Dinah went nearer the painting.  ‘Jessie, there’s some red hairs stuck on the canvas. I can see them glinting.’  

Jess frowned.  ‘The paint’s wet.’

Biting the tip of her tongue, Dinah carefully lifted a few long red hairs from the canvas.  ‘See?’

Nat’s eyes glinted. ‘You sure you’re not mucking around with us Jess.  That’s your hair.’ 

Jess whirled around on him. ‘Now you sound like your brother. Why would I do that?’  

Dinah said, ‘It’s an apport – that’s what it is.’

George echoed her, ‘An apport? Never heard of it.’

‘Sometimes a spirit will leave something, often as a gift or a thank you or as a reminder.  It just manifests out of the air.’