Hoaley Ill-Manored Read Online Free PDF Page B

would eventually chase away the
cold which had moved in as Edgar told his story.
    “In 1831, Old Matthew Bilsworth, the
original owner of the manor, gave Lolly’s great, great, great
gramma Biddy that parcel of land you kids visited yesterday. He
gave it to her as a gift when she turned up pregnant.”
    “Ahh.” Adam suddenly understood. “She was
pregnant with his child, wasn’t she?”
    “That was what everyone assumed, yes. When
he died, old Mr. Bilsworth’s will ensured the continued association
of the two families by tying his descendants’ inheritance to the
continued support and employment of the Worth family by the
manor.”
    “Then how could Delf’s mother throw Lolly
and her family out of the manor?”
    Edgar shrugged. “They were rich, well
respected members of the community. The Worth’s were poor, black,
and powerless. They really couldn’t fight it legally.”
    “Which explains Teddy’s anger.”
    “I’m afraid so, yes.” Edgar shook his head.
“Shortly after Lolly was thrown out of Bilsworth Manor, strange
things started happening here.”
    “Like what?” Maddy dropped onto the bench
beside Edgar.
    “Strange sounds in the attic. Random,
unexplained bursts of light at night. The spot on the floor beneath
where young Delf hung himself was covered in blood one morning.
There was so much blood it had seeped through the ceiling of the
floor below and ruined it. Stories of haunting surfaced. Many
believed poor Delf was coming back to avenge the mistreatment of
his lady love. But even ghost stories failed to explain the
physical damage being done to the manor.”
    “Damage?”
    “Yes. Walls were torn up when the family was
away. The basement floor was dug up. Several rafters in the attic
were destroyed, causing part of the roof to collapse. It was a
terrifying time for the family. So much so that everyone encouraged
Mrs. Bilsworth to invite Lolly back to the manor. But she
refused.”
    “Did the damage only
occur after Delf’s death?” Adam asked.
    “Funny you should ask that young man. “The
answer is no. Eventually the stories broke down into two
kinds…spiritual and physical. The general consensus was that the
physical damage was part of an ongoing problem with treasure
hunters.”
    Maddy’s eyebrows shot into her bangs.
“Treasure hunters!”
    “Yes, my dear. I told you that the jewels
the infamous Mr. Jenks stole before he died were never found. Many
locals believe they still exist. And that they’re hidden somewhere
inside Bilsworth Manor.”

CHAPTER FIVE

    Adam lay on his cot listening to the drone
and buzz of the night insects. Walter was across the room,
twitching on his bed. The big dog was in the midst of a dream that
seemed to include chasing and barking. Walter’s favorite thing in
all the world was to chase stuff. Though Adam had never seen him
actually catch anything.
    The night was warm but not uncomfortably hot
like the past couple of nights. A front was moving in, blowing cool
air before it and providing blessed relief from the August heat.
Mosquitoes buzzed around the room but mostly didn’t bother him.
They seemed put off by his heavy layer of mosquito repellent. He
only wished he didn’t smell like a bug candle.
    Pleasantly drowsy, Adam lay with his hands
clasped over his chest, his covers kicked to the side, and thought
of Dirk. The other man had done what Adam had asked. He hadn’t
called back to try to plead his side.
    Adam told himself he was glad. The truth
was, though, he really wasn’t all that happy about it. Thinking
about Dirk was a depressing exercise, and it tightened his body
with unfulfilled sexual heat, so he pushed those thoughts away and
tried to blank out his mind. A few minutes later he was starting to
drowse, pleasantly sleepy, when a soft sound invaded his near sleep
state.
    Scratch, scratch, scratch…
    “Walter! Stop that.”
    The big dog groaned and rolled over onto his
back, all four sticks straight in the air. Adam sighed and