Three Days at Allerdale Hall

Arrangements in the Making

Hello, Spiritual Guide,

I hope it is okay for me to address you as such, but I felt it too familiar to address you by name.

My name is Thomas Sharpe (unrelated to the previous owners of the manor, despite our shared name) and I am writing to invite you and your audience to experience the country manor Allerdale Hall, which has been passed down in my family since my great grandparents renovated it in the late 1890's.

It is a large, lesser known estate with a morbid history that I believe would fit the aesthetic of your channel perfectly.

This invitation is something I believe could benefit us both greatly, the video you would create would not only generate interest in your content and lead to potential growth of your channel but could also lead to tourism of our long-forgotten estate.

I feel it would be a shame for this beautiful home to go amiss and have found my own attempts at promotion have lacked results.

I am offering you an opportunity to stay in one of the many rooms within the manor, we shall accommodate any needs you may have, food and other amenities will be supplied with the best hospitality that we can offer.

The manor is not one open for public overnight stays, making this an offer exclusive to you.

I hope to hear from you soon should you read this email.

Sincerely,

Thomas Sharpe,

Owner of Allerdale Hall.

I lowered my phone to look at Heisen as he reclined in the only armchair in the room, putting his feet up on the deep red pouf that my parents had gifted me upon moving into my own place.

"It's weird, right?"

"It's weird that they write like an old timey gentleman," he laughed, lifting his bottle to take a quick sip.

"Yes that too but, like, what establishment owner is still sending out emails at one in the morning?"

"Desperate ones apparently."

"Right? And isn't it usually the 'influencer' who approaches the business, not the other way around?"

"Evidently not if they're desperate enough."

"Will you drop the desperate thing?"

Heisen looked at me and gave an exaggerated shrug.

"Where's the lie?"

I rolled my eyes and distracted myself with taking a sip of my cooling tea.

"Did you reply?" Heisen asked.

"I did about fifteen minutes later, had to have a little think about it first, you know?"

"I get it, what did you say?"

"After a couple of back and forths," I laughed at his expression and shrugged, "I know, at that time in the morning? But still, I agreed to meet with him before we set any definite plans, we're meeting halfway in Salisbury to talk things over so luckily it'll just be a quick train ride."

"Is this place in Salisbury? I don't remember any place called Allerdale Hall and I only lived twenty minutes from there for most of my life."

"Ah, no, Allerdale Hall is in Cumberland, so a little further than Salisbury, if anything it's closer to Winchester but still a ways off."

Heisen paused, his drink just barely touching his lips as he stared at me, eyes narrowed as a realisation hit him like a ton of bricks.

"You want me to drive you there, don't you?"