The Haunting of Ashburn House by Darcy Coates

They could be friends.

CHAPTER NINE: Rumours and Tea
     
    When Adrienne entered the sitting room with a new cup and saucer, Jayne had regained her poise save for a pink tinge that lingered on her ears. She thanked Adrienne as she took the fresh cup of tea and then nodded towards a plate on the coffee table. “We made up some scones for you. I hope that’s okay.”
    “Thanks.” Adrienne took one and passed the plate to Beth on her other side. “You said Marion made the jam?”
    Marion, the fringe-haired vet student, nodded. “Yep, first batch of the season.”
    “Wow, it’s delicious.” Adrienne spoke around a mouthful of the warm scone. She wasn’t exaggerating; the jam was sugary and tart and tasted amazing.
    Marion’s whole face lit up with pride. “Ha, thanks! It’s my nan’s recipe.”
    The atmosphere was miles away from what it had been when they’d first sat down. The disaster with the teacup had broken the awkward formality of first introductions; she was no longer afraid of them, and they were no longer afraid of her. Adrienne found herself relaxing as she took another bite. “I really appreciate this, actually. Edith didn’t leave much food in the house, and I haven’t had a chance to go to town.”
    “Did you know her well?” The question came from Beth, who was leaning forward in her chair.
    “Not at all.” Adrienne wasn’t sure how much to share with her companions and settled on the simplest version of events. “I didn’t even know I had a great-aunt until she passed. I wish I’d been able to meet her while she was alive.”
    The four ladies exchanged a glance but didn’t comment. Adrienne looked between them as curiosity bloomed inside of her. “Why? Did you know her?”
    “We didn’t really know her.” Jayne spoke slowly and glanced at Beth, who gave her a small nod. “But we knew of her. The whole town did. I… I don’t want to be rude, but…”
    “No, no, go on.” Adrienne set her scone on the edge of her plate and leaned forward.
    Jayne gave an apologetic smile. “She was a bit eccentric.”
    “ A bit. ” Beth snorted but sobered when Jayne shot her a glare. “Sorry.”
    “Well, see, she wouldn’t let anyone into the house.” Jayne raised one shoulder in a shrug. “You probably saw the warning signs in the driveway. The last time anyone set foot in this building was when John McManus was brought in to repair her bathroom a decade ago. He says it took him two days, and Miss Ashburn stood in the doorway and watched him the whole time. Not speaking, not moving, just… watching.”
    Tiny chills ran down Adrienne’s arms.
    “That’s, uh, part of the reason we came today.” Jayne gave another apologetic smile. “Wow, you’re going to think we’re so unbelievably rude. We really did want to meet you, too—and I’m not just saying that—”
    “But you wanted to see the house.” Adrienne allowed herself a smile as she released her breath. They had come to gawk after all, but she couldn’t blame them. If a notorious house in her town had fallen empty, she’d have been curious to explore it too.
    “Hell yeah,” Beth said, her eyes blazing. “I wanted to see if there were really skulls decorating the hallways.”
    “Beth, please ,” Jayne hissed.
    Adrienne snorted in laughter and had to cover her mouth so that she wouldn’t spit crumbs over the table. “Sorry, none that I’ve seen. Yet.”
    Beth shrugged. “Oh well. I always thought that was one of the stupider stories.”
    “There are a lot of rumours about Ashburn,” Marion said. “The kids in town love telling each other ghost stories about it. Heck, even we did when we were younger. It was like this holy grail of mystery. Edith came into town every day, but she never spoke to anyone except to do her shopping, and she always wore these huge, heavy black dresses, even in summer.”
    Adrienne desperately wanted to know more about her mysterious great-aunt but took a detour into a more urgent issue.