Chapter 1: The Society Meets

[aine]

ooc,Yes I'll go to the times with the others and have a mooch.

"And an Irish cup of tea is one with a biscuit. Apparently, thank you, Melody." Says Isolde as she takes tea.

[Philulhu]

With a smile Melody says, "Oh you know me Captain, always bringing brown joy to the Doctor and his friends."

”Oh, yes, well, err... indeed!” spluttered FitzWilliam, who was, it was fair to say, somewhat more worldly than the young servant.

[HoneyDog]

Through their efforts, after a couple of hours the members manage to find 3 articles regarding the Allinghams of Dartmoor; the first dated a few months ago, and the others dating back a couple of years.

[Mr. Handy]

"Cheers, Melody," says Alexander, taking a cup and inhaling the aroma before sipping. "Ah, you always brew the best tea. It keeps the Empire's subjects going as well." Thus fortified, he resumes his trawling through the archives, but with no further luck. Fortunately, his friends have found some interesting articles. "These are awfully vague on this so-called curse and how it came about. We may want to look further into how that legend started. Personally, I'm skeptical. Each of these deaths has an explanation, and the fact that these men were all younger than forty could be merely a coincidence. The most recent death is clearly foul play, and the killer may be deliberately exploiting the rumours of a curse."

[Rooter]

"Still, Lady Allingham may know something these reporters don't," Percy points out. "I'm looking forward to getting the inside story, as it were, when we meet this barrister."

[Philulhu]

”It could be, Dr Campbell,” said Captain FitzWilliam, ”But three brothers in the same family would suggest something more than coincidence.”

[Mr. Handy]

"You may indeed be right about that," says Alexander, "but that doesn't necessarily mean supernatural involvement. It could simply be that someone has a grudge against the family. The other two deaths may have been murder as well. Someone could have pushed that gargoyle onto Sir Charles and sawn most of the way through Sir Walter's saddle girth."

[aine]

"There will be other forces at play here, that is why they have asked for the services of The Seekers of Enlightenment. We may not there be there to solve the case but to help those still living. Or to help those who have died." Says Isolde, closing a book.

[Raiko]

"We can help the dead?" asks Melody wide eyed.

[Mr. Handy]

"Perhaps it would help them to bring those responsible to justice," says Alexander. "We can certainly at least try to solve the case while we are there. I don't like leaving a mystery unanswered."

[aine]

"Oh yes, Melody. I have often been in contact by those who have passed. Some of them cannot rest until all has been made right on this side and it helps to pass on their wishes to those still living. I feel sure this may be the case this time with such violent deaths." says Isolde expansively. In a more normal voice she then says,"Do you think this curse is true? If we have time we should see if other men in the history of the family have died before they are forty."

ooc,Great news articles, HoneyDog!

[Philulhu]

”I think this is all we found, Miss Beauchant,” said Captain FitzWilliam. ”Perhaps a copy of Burke’s Peerage may help in tracing any earlier ancestors? I’d be surprised if they haven’t got a copy knocking around here, somewhere.”

[HoneyDog]

A copy of Burke’s is located. As well as the recorded deaths of Sir Walter and Sir Charles, three more Allinghams are found:

Captain The Honourable Gordon Allingham, cousin, died May 1875, aged 27. Suicide by drowning.

Sir Fitzhugh Warrick Allingham, father, died Bargrove Hall December1861, aged 39. Fell down stairs and broke neck in celebrations on Christmas Eve.

Sir Percival Gilbert Allingham, grandfather, died in the Crimean War, 1855, killed by enemy fire, aged 38.

[Philulhu]

”Six dead - and all before the age of 40!” said Captain FitzWilliam, quietly. ”You can see why there may be talk of a curse...”

Despite himself, he could feel the hairs rise on the back of his neck and he shivered involuntarily.

[Raiko]

"So there might be six souls who cannot find rest?" asks Melody, "Will you be able to help so many spirits to find peace Miss Beauchant? Do you think that all those souls are trapped at the house?"

Melody is fascinated by ghosts, and by ghost stories, but is feeling a little apprehensive at the idea of contacting so many!

<Still at least Miss Beauchant seems to know what she's doing.>

[Rooter]

"And how about the living?" Percy wonders. "Does the Peerage mention any male relatives still extant or was our Lord Bargrove the end of the line, so to speak?"

[Mr. Handy]

"That's a good question," says Alexander. "If there are male relatives under the age of forty still living, they could be in danger."

[Philulhu]

Captain FitzWilliam studied the newspaper articles. ”Allingham was survived by a wife and daughter - no male heir, apparently.”

He turned back to the copy of Burke’s Peerage and read some more, trying to find out if the male line continued.

OOC,Any luck?

[Raiko]

OOC,I think that by the Victorian era succession would go to the daughter rather than say a male nephew or cousin anyway. Not sure, but otherwise Victoria probably wouldn't be Queen Victoria? I know that medieval succession would look for a more distant male relative first, but haven't got a clue when it changed. Queen Mary? I know it's all just a Google search away, but it's tea time! :lol:

[Philulhu]

OOC,[url=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hereditary_peer]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hereditary_peer[/url] This suggests that male children would be more likely to inherit, although it would ultimately determined by the writ of barony (I think - l’m extemporising). Victoria “inherited the throne at the age of 18, after her father's three elder brothers had all died, leaving no surviving legitimate children”.