The Ghostly Past

Chapter 17

In August, the Gloomsdale Summer Ball took place. The Vella's had hosted it for centuries, Jess told her, handing over the crisp cream envelope with her name neatly written on it. It was an important tradition, and invitation only.

"They use it mainly for networking and business." Jess shrugged. "Lots of important people, lots of rich people go."

"So why am I invited?" Clara asked, folding her arms. Her dark hair was messy, escaping its ponytail, dressed in a loose cotton shirt and jeans.

"Because you're our friend." Jess looked surprised. "You've spent an inordinate amount of time in Leo's house anyway."

Clara grinned. She'd gotten closer to the village group as the weeks had gone by. On the nights when she wasn't working or practising at home, she would go down to the pub and sit with them. Ryan and Kim still didn't like her, but James and Leo, Max, Oliver and Jess had become her friends. Since the incident with the ghosts where she had almost died, the boundaries and secrets had fallen away somewhat, leaving room for laughter.

The rest of her free time was spent with Harriet, in and out of the village to cinemas and anime stores. Any extra time was spent in research.

"Is everyone going?" She asked.

"I think so." Jess sighed. "I'm kind of dreading it. It'll be nice to have you there." She looked at her pleadingly.

"You're not exactly selling it to me." Clara frowned, "I thought it'd be right up your street."

"It's nothing." Jess looked momentarily flustered. "We just need to talk to Oliver about something serious. Don't worry about it."

"You're letting him in on the ghosts?" Clara said, smiling. It'd be nice not to have to make excuses to him the way she did to Harriet.

"Something like that." Jess looked uneasy. "I don't think he'll be too happy with us. It'd be nice to have you at the ball as backup. He thinks you're sweet."

Clara flushed, "Fine, I'll go."

"Yes!" Jess enthused, "See you Saturday. I'm sorry it's last minute, they just didn't think with you being an outsider, but Leo spoke to his dad."

Clara sighed as she opened the envelope. The ball was in two days, according to the embossed golden invitation in her hand, inviting her Grey Gardens for an evening of dancing and pleasure. She'd have to order a dress online. Grimacing, she disappeared back into her room to continue studying family trees.

It had become a small obsession, examining the thousands of photographs one after another, making limited notes on the names. She had found something curious however. When she had, in frustration, clicked through a dozen or more images, she had paused, seeing a red cross in ink beside one of the names.

There was no note, nothing to indicate why it was there. She typed up the name, and started to search more carefully the years and families in that generation. It took two hours, but she found another four names with crosses next to them.

On a hunch, she plunged back into the 1800's, looking through the Vella family. Her fingers traced across the screen. There they were. Thomas Vella had had four children: Thomas, Jacob, Eve and Mary. All except for Mary had died in childhood, in the same year. 1866. Mary had lived a long life, well into her seventies, married with five children of her own. The other three siblings however, had the red cross beside their names.

"I knew it." She murmured.

It took another hour of hunting to find Samuel Young, the boy Eve had been besotted with. He too had the cross. Finally, she searched for a boy called Leonard. It took time but she found him eventually, Leonard Carew, perhaps an ancestor of James? The cross was there, just as she expected.