Haunting Grace Read Online Free PDF Page A

hear myself think.”
    “But, I’m with Kate and her friends. It would be awfully rude to just leave them... ” Grace protested.
    “Oh don’t be so silly, go with him, Grace. You’ll love Harry’s stories.”
    Grace doubted that most sincerely, but followed the pub owner to the door and out into the courtyard at the front of the pub.
    “This used to be a stable yard, you know. The Inn was a posting house, years ago.”
    Grace nodded, politely but silently wished she were back in her hotel room with her book. The elderly man unzipped his fleece and handed it to her.
    “Here, put this on. It’s cold out here for a lady.”
    “I couldn’t possibly. You will freeze.”
    “Take the coat, girl. I’m a tough old man. A bit of a breeze ain’t gonna kill me.”
    Grace smiled and took the coat. “Thank you, I do feel cold.”
    He motioned to a chair, propped up against a small round table. Obviously meant for summer use, but Grace obliged.
    “So where are you from?”
    “A long way from here,” Grace replied.
    “Aww, I see. A lady of mystery,” he said smiling across the table at her. “Well I hope you enjoy your time in our ancient city.”
    “Oh, I will... I mean, I am. Thank you. It is wonderful here. York is the most beautiful place.”
    “That it is, Grace. But we do have our fair share of the unexplainable. I’m guessing you’ve been having a bit of trouble in that area or you wouldn’t be sat here with me now.”
    Graced stared at him, her mouth open in shock. How could he know what had been going on? Was this just one big conspiracy, a joke, played on a newcomer?
    “No need to look so surprised, girl. I know the hotel you are at. Everyone who stays in room twenty three complains and wants to be moved. I am surprised you’ve lasted as long as you have. The hotel must have been fully booked. The owner doesn’t usually use that room for guests.”
    Grace relaxed a little and reached for her glass on the table. She had been hasty and jumped to an irrational conclusion. She took a large sip of the wine and sighed as it slid down the back of her throat.
    “Do you know much about this ghost then?” Grace asked, thinking that Harry was going to tell her what he knew whether she asked or not.
    “A bit. Why do you want me to tell you what I know?”
    She hadn’t expected that response and she took another large sip of her wine. This man knew people very well, but still, she liked him.
    “I guess... I am asking you to tell me,” Grace replied surprising herself. She hadn’t wanted to discuss Robert Hamilton with anyone but Harry had got her attention and she was intrigued to know what he was going to say.
    The side of his lips quirked and he smiled gently at her. “If you keep gulping that wine down you aren’t gonna remember anything I tell you by the morning. Relax, it’s ok. I’m not gonna scare you.”
    “Sorry, I guess I’m just finding all this a little creepy.”
    “I can’t argue that it’s not creepy but I’ve lived with it for so long now that it doesn’t bother me much.”
    “Do you have problems with the ghost too then?”
    “Do I ever! Drove me almost to insanity when I first took this place over, did Robert Hamilton. He owned the pub when it was a posting house back in the 1660s. It’s like we live in the same place and run the pub but on different levels of time. Mostly it seems to work for us. But sometimes the lines blur and our times mix, and then for brief moments, he is here and the pub is his, and I am here and the pub is mine. I have come to terms with it better than he has. A nasty temper has Mr Hamilton when he is riled. Fierce protector of this establishment, he is.”
     
    Grace could feel the bile in the pit of her stomach rise as the old man told his tale. It all sounded so plausible, yet her logical mind told her he was a fantasist and a dreamer with too much time on his hands. But what if he was right? What if all the different time lines existed around one