Kate's Story, 1914 by Adele Whitby

Author:Adele Whitby
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Spotlight

After we were excused from breakfast, I took Beth on a tour of Vandermeer Manor. The long, empty corridors were perfect for quiet chats that no one else could hear. On the second floor, we settled ourselves on a plush bench beneath the large picture window that overlooked the ocean. Beth stared at the rolling waves.

“I had hoped to go to the seashore,” she said wistfully. “I wanted to look out at the waves to see if they were different on this side of the ocean.”

As her voice trailed off, Beth frowned and leaned closer to the window. I thought at once about the ghost I’d seen. My pulse quickened. “Do you see—is someone out there?” I asked.

“Yes,” she replied right away. “It’s Shannon! Where is she going?”

We watched Shannon run from the house.

“Is she afraid?” I wondered. “She seemed upset when she first heard about the . . . haunting of Vandermeer Manor. Maybe she wants to get away for a spell.”

Then Shannon turned her head to glance behind her. Who was she running from . . . or to?

“What is she doing?” Beth asked. Then she leaped off the bench. “Come on,” she cried. “Let’s follow her!”

We ran through the hall toward the stairs, keeping an eye on Shannon through each window we passed until she disappeared through the hedge that led to the rose garden.

“Rats,” I said, trying to catch my breath. “We won’t find her now. By the time we get downstairs, who knows where Shannon will be?”

But Beth didn’t answer me.

I turned around to see her kneeling next to a door in the wall. With a sinking feeling, I realized exactly where we were.

“Kate, do you see this?” Beth asked. “It’s a door! This is just how the secret passage looks at Chatswood. Does Vandermeer Manor have a secret passage too?”

“No, it’s not a secret passage,” I said. “This door leads to the East Wing. It’s closed; we have no need of these rooms. And no one ever goes inside.” I reached for Beth’s hand. “Come. Let’s go down to the rose garden and see if Shannon’s there.”

Beth’s eyes were shining with excitement. “Kate,” she said urgently. “Why didn’t we think of this sooner?”

“Think of what?”

“If no one ever goes in there, it’s the perfect place for me to hide!” she exclaimed. “I won’t have to leave Vandermeer Manor. I won’t have to leave you!”

“No, Beth,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s a good idea—a great one, even—but there’s something you don’t know about the East Wing.”

“What’s that?”

I swallowed hard. “It’s—it’s haunted. There was a . . . a ship’s captain lost at sea, long ago, and his ladylove waits for—”

Beth’s laughter pealed through the hallway. “Oh, Kate, you goose,” she said. “There’s no such thing as ghosts.”

“But everyone says—”

“I’m not a bit afraid,” Beth said. “And even if your ghost captain and his ladylove did appear before me one day, I would point in the direction of the sea and send them on their merry way.

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