Chapter 5: Further Investigations

[Philulhu]

”Perhaps there is the opportunity to do both?” interjected Captain FitzWilliam. ”We could offer you a lift, Constable? Or might that cause you problems with the villagers?”

[HoneyDog]

Hallifax shakes his head and points to the sky.

"The sun is going down and the locals think there will be a storm tonight. I suggest you return to Bargrove Hall and come and see me tomorrow. I can take you to the site of the murder afterwards.”

[Philulhu]

”Very well,” replied Captain FitzWilliam. ”We shall call to see you tomorrow.”

He turned to rest of the party. ”Shall we return to the hall, or is there anything else we need to do in the village?”

[Mr. Handy]

"Right," says Alexander. "Thank you, Constable. We'll come to the station in the morning." He nods to his companions. "I think we've done everything we can do here today. We'll know more what avenues to pursue after our meeting tomorrow."

[HoneyDog]

OOC,I can move the action back to Bargrove Hall. What are your plans for the evening?

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,After supper, we should organize another watch for the night. I'd like to read the book I found during my watch.

[Philulhu]

OOC,Sounds like a plan.

[HoneyDog]

OOC,Okay, unless anyone has any other thoughts, I'll set that up tomorrow.

[aine]

"And now a storm to top it off!" Grumbles Isolde, "It's been a while since the incident so I don't suppose a storm will make any more damage to the location. We might as well head back to the hall. A stormy night is always good for paranormal investigation; the electrical charges are much heightened ."

[HoneyDog]

Under a sky which is growing dark with rainclouds, the companions return to Bargrove Hall, huddled against the cold. When they return there is time to relax before dinner, and Isolde and Alexander take the time to look through the books they found in the library.

Isolde,There is only one entry in Isolde’s book which seems a little unusual: [attachment=0]History of Bargrove.pdf[/attachment]

Alexander,[b]Alexander’s[/b] book on the [b]Allinghams[/b] details the rise and fall of that family from around the time of the 4th Crusade which took Byzantium in 1204, on through successive generations. After the battle [b]Allingham[/b] was knighted, and the family began to flourish. However in 1642 a shadow fell over the family line. The death of [b]Sir Montague[/b], referred to in the book as a ‘hot-blooded rogue’, marked the first male to fall victim to the curse. A sizable portion of the book deals with the curse and its effects, but it is plain that the deaths follow no particular pattern. According to the book, [b]Sir Montague[/b] apprehended a gypsy boy in the act of stealing a horse from the stables of Bargrove Hall. In a frenzy, [b]Montague [/b]beat him to death, and the boy’s mother, apparently some kind of wise woman, placed a curse upon her son’s murderer and his offspring. The exact wording of the curse reads; [i]“As my boy hath died young, so shall ye and your sons, until the old gods waken and night becomes day.”[/i]

After resting, it is dinner time again; this time the meal is succulent venison. As usual, Lady Allingham, Ursula and Josephine are in attendance; the former eager to hear any news. Melody is again relegated to the kitchen.

Outside, the rain begins to fall, and the wind picks up.

[Mr. Handy]

"I spoke with the constable today," says Alexander. "He's agreed to work with us. In the morning we'll go down the station and he'll share what he knows."

[HoneyDog]

Lady Allingham nods in satisfaction.

“Thank you Doctor. The police have been most unsatisfactory so far, but I have hopes that you might be able to motivate them into more assertive action. Have you planned anything for this evening?”

[Philulhu]

”We intend to sit up and watch again, Lady Allingham,” replied Captain FitzWilliam. He paused for a moment, then continued, ”By any chance, did your husband have any photographic equipment? I wonder if it would be possible to capture an image of whatever is causing these disturbances at night?”

OOC,Kodak’s first box camera didn’t appear until 1888 but larger cameras had been around for a few decades at that point: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_photography_technology

[aine]

"We could try one more night of watching with any new methods," Agrees Isolde. "And then tomorrow maybe a seance."

"I found some interesting background history about the local area. Apparently Bargrove could be a variation of 'Burnt Grove'; it's an ancient Druidic site from Roman times where they used to perform human sacrifices! And when Caesar sent the legionnaires in, the Druids responded with dark magic and summoning strange beings, killing all but one of the Romans and he went mad!"

[HoneyDog]

“I’m afraid not” says Lady Amanda in reply to Captain FitzWilliam’s question. “William didn’t have any such interests.”

At Isolde’s commentary, Howard coughs loudly and Lady Amanda frowns, looking angry. Josephine also colours, her cheeks taking on a dark hue.

“Perhaps such talk isn’t appropriate in front of the young Mademoiselle” she says sternly, indicating Ursula with a nod of her head. Ursula’s eyes are round with surprise.

“Let’s reserve such talk until after Ursula has retired” says Amanda, who is glaring daggers at Isolde.

[Rooter]

"Quite right," says Percy, the soul of circumspection. "Let's hope the young miss doesn't have any more nightmares tonight, eh? Perhaps you might allow Isolde or the maidservant who accompanied us to watch over her tonight, to save yourself and Josephine the trouble."

[HoneyDog]

“Thank you, Monsieur Stringer, but it is hardly trouble. I will be on hand to care for Ursula as usual” replies Josephine.

After a short while, Ursula and Josephine retire for the evening.

“I was hoping for a séance tonight, but of course I respect your methods” says Lady Amanda. “I wish you every success, and of course, the servants are at your disposal.”

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you, milady," says Alexander. "I canna speak to what the Druids may have done to fight the Romans, but they couldna keep them out forever. We Scots didna use dark magic. We managed to do it with thistle and cold steel." He tells the others what he found in the book he had read. "Most of what I saw in the book we already knew, The dead gypsy lad's mother was some sort of wise woman, and she inflicted the curse in 1642. Her exact words were 'As my boy hath died young, so shall ye and your sons, until the old gods waken and night becomes day.' Nothing in there about them dying by the age of forty specifically."

[Raiko]

Melody,[ooc]Who's present in the kitchen? As mentioned in the OOC thread Melody initially askes what the servants know about the "imported" workers in the village. Sorry, I'll follow up with an actual IC post.[/ooc]

[aine]

Isolde listens to the rising storm, "It would be a shame to waste this storm; it ought to make for a good seance! If everyone would prefer to do that rather than possibly wasting another night watching."

ooc,Sorry I missed the post re Ursula being present and assumed wrongly that we on the adults' part of dinner. Isolde would never have brought up the Romans else.