November 2011
No one could have been more surprised than Dick Fellowes when he got the news that he had inherited his cousin's ancestral pile, Fellowes Hall. He vaguely remembered being taken there by his parents when he was a very small boy and from what he could remember from all that time ago was that it was haunted.
So it was that he found himself motoring down to Devon to the remote Fellowes Hall to take up residence there, with the bulk of his belongings to arrive sometime later.
He was greeted at the door by the old family retainer Grimble and his wife Martha, a rather ancient couple who he couldn't help wondering, looked almost as old as the Hall itself.
After they had shown him around his inheritance, Dick could contain his curiosity no longer, 'Tell me, Grimble,' he asked, 'is this place really haunted or is it just a local legend without any real foundation?'
'Oh, yes, Master Richard, it's haunted all right. Many a guest has stayed here and been only too glad to get back to what they called 'civilisation' the next day. Of course the family all know about the ghost of Sir Roger and his lady wife; she met an untimely end and they say he threw himself out of the second floor window out of guilt for her murder.'
'That's right, Master Richard,' said his wizened spouse, 'the room where we served you tea when you arrived.'
'Really,' said Dick, 'fancy that.'
So Dick stayed at the Hall that first night in a magnificent state room, anticipating the appearance of the Fellowes family ghosts. He lay awake for some time till he felt himself dozing off, when suddenly the window flew open and there was a blast of cold air. He moved swiftly to the window and saw that it had just become unlatched. Nothing further happened that night to disturb his sleep . . . Or the next . . . Or the next.
Somewhat disappointed, Dick took his leave of the Grimbles and Fellowes Hall and called in on his uncle's man of law, as he called him, Robin Sylvester, the family solicitor. This was prior to driving home to wind up his affairs and move permanently into the apparently un-haunted family seat.
Whilst discussing mundane matters of business and family history with the solicitor, Dick mentioned the fact that he had failed to encounter the family ghosts, Sir Roger Fellowes and his supposedly murdered wife.
'No, I can't say I've ever seen the ghosts of Sir Roger or Lady Agatha either.' said Sylvester, 'Who told you about them?'
'Why, the butler and his wife, the Grimbles.' replied Dick.
'But that's impossible, Mr. Fellowes, the Grimbles were both hanged for the murder of Sir Roger and Lady Agatha fifty years ago!'