Refuge of Delayed Souls

Part 14 - Bound to the Earth

Present Day

Lady Mabel Theawicke entered the room in which she had died and looked across to where there had once stood a heavily carved and curtained four poster bed. The view through the stone lintel and leaded windows had changed dramatically over the past three hundred years and yet she could still picture the fields and woods that had once been there.

Sometimes there was nothing at all. At other times, especially when a crisp layer of frost coated the ground and the nights crept in early, there was a part of her that knew she was still capable of giving up her soul to him. Cold, swollen tears fell as she remembered the taste of claret, the scent of lavender, the feel of soft woollen blankets and above all else the rush of his hair through her fingers.

Her thoughts were disturbed by an approaching coach party and their guide tramping through the Hall in their haste to reach the goal of a cream tea and rummage in the souvenir shop. The tale of Heyleigh Hall's Wicked Grey Lady had been attracting visitors for centuries. Lady Mabel considered it ironic that her infamy was enabling the present Lord to keep the property in family hands.

“I thought I might find you here,” Stanley said, clearly considering his words carefully. It occurred to him that Elizabeth and Lady Mabel were alike in some ways.

“Why does Elizabeth remind you of me?” Lady Mabel asked, drawing her attention away from the window.

“You are both such strong women,” Stanley answered without hesitation.

Lady Mabel threw her head back and laughed. The temperature in the room sank rapidly. Stanley knew without doubt that if any member of the Living had been in the room at that moment, their blood would have run cold.

Lady Mabel raised her eyes to boldly meet his. “I never was a victim.”

"Elizabeth has returned," Stanley announced, changing the subject.

“I never doubted she would,” Lady Mabel responded coldly, just as a tour guide and group of tourists entered the room.

“...this is reputedly the room of Lady Mabel Theawicke -– the Wicked Grey Lady of Heyleigh Hall -– who in 1690 made a pact with a disciple of the devil. According to local legend, her soul haunts the Hall and its grounds to this day and is said to be bound to the earth forever. You can see her portrait hanging in the long gallery...”

Stanley found himself recollecting the night Edwardina had entered the light without taking more than a second to acknowledge his presence. He could hardly bear the knowledge that she had chosen to leave him.

Lady Mabel approached him, her full grey skirts sashaying across the oak floor as she did so. “There was nothing to hold her back.”