The Legend of the Irish Castle (3 page)

The Davisons went over to the table to refill
their coffees on the other side of the room.
“Well,” Jessie whispered so they couldn’t
hear. “If it wasn’t the other guests, and there
isn’t anyone else staying in the hotel or living
around the property, maybe it was Erin we
saw out walking.”

“She doesn’t really slouch, though,” Violet
said quietly.

“That’s true,” Jessie said. “If it
was
her, she
may not like it that we noticed, and if it
wasn’t
her, she may be worried about who it could
be. Either way, it’s probably best if we don’t
say anything.”

“I agree,” Henry said. “Let’s look out again
tonight—I’ll stay awake this time too. Maybe
we’ll see the figure again.”

Grandfather joined them in the dining
room just as Erin came in carrying a large
tray of food. Her foot caught on the edge of
the rug and she started to lose her balance.
Grandfather helped steady her, and Henry
rushed over to take the tray. He brought it
over to the table and Erin passed the plates
around. The Davisons sat back down in their
chairs with their steaming cups of coffee.

“Well, that was bad luck!” Grandfather
said.

“Or good luck,” Henry said, “since you
almost
fell, but didn’t.”

Erin took a deep breath. She seemed a little
shaken up, especially when she heard the
word “luck.” Soon, though, she regained her
composure and gestured to the food. “This
is a what we call a ‘full breakfast’ in Ireland,”
Erin said. “Eggs, rashers—that’s what we
call bacon—toast, black pudding, and a fried
tomato. I hope you like it!”

“It smells delicious,” Grandfather said,
digging in.

“What’s black pudding?” Benny asked,
poking it with his fork. “Does it have chocolate
in it?”

Erin smiled. “No, it’s not a dessert. It’s kind
of like sausage. But traditional Irish pudding
is made with pigs’ blood. That’s what turns
it black.”

The children’s eyes went wide. Jessie
tried hard to keep her manners. “Well. That
sounds…very interesting.”

Erin laughed. “It’s okay if you don’t want to
eat that part.”

The guests ate their breakfasts, and Erin
bustled around the table pouring orange
juice. “How did everyone sleep?” she asked.

“Pretty well,” Benny said. “Except for
when we saw the banshee. I wonder if we’ll
see it again tonight.”

“Benny!” Jessie said. She sometimes forgot
that Benny was still pretty little, and blurted
things out when he shouldn’t. She hadn’t
wanted to worry Erin with talk of a banshee.

“Oops,” Benny said.

“Banshee?” Erin asked. Her face went
pale and she sank down into an empty chair,
holding the pitcher of orange juice in her lap.
Mrs. Davison perked up. “Oh, I knew
these little ones were keeping a secret!”
She turned to her husband. “This changes
everything, darling. We have to see if the
castle is really haunted. Let’s stay another
night.”

Erin perked up. “Well, we’d be glad to have
you!” she said.

Jessie nodded at Henry, remembering
how they’d wondered whether the hotel was
getting enough business.

“Except,” Erin said, frowning, “your room
is already booked for tonight, by some new
guests arriving today. The only doubleoccupancy
room we have left is the other large
suite. But it’s quite a bit more expensive.”

Mrs. Davison clutched her husband’s arm.
“Well, it
is
a special occasion,” she said to him.

Mr. Davison smiled. “That’s true. We only
have one honeymoon. We’ll take it!”

“Wonderful,” Erin said. “I’ll go get it
straightened up for you right away.” She set
down the pitcher on the buffet table and
hurried out of the dining room. The Davisons
left to gather their things as well.

As the Aldens finished their breakfast,
Violet noticed that once again it had started
to rain. “I guess we won’t be going outside
this morning,” she said.

“Well, there’s lots more of the castle to
explore,” said Henry.

“Good idea,” Jessie said. She cleared the
dishes from their places and put them back on
the tray, and the children went out into the
hallway. They walked in the opposite direction
of the staircase, to another wing of the castle
that held the kitchen. Past that, they entered
a narrow hallway that led to a dimly lit room.
Inside they saw that all four walls were lined
with shelves that went all the way up to the
ceiling. In the center of the room were two
leather sofas and a low table between them.

“A library!” Violet said. “This is the perfect
place to spend a rainy morning.”

A tall ladder with wheels that ran on a track
halfway up made it possible to reach books
on the highest shelf anywhere in the room.
Benny couldn’t resist climbing up it.

“Careful, Benny,” Henry said. “That ladder
looks pretty old.” He went over to help his
brother down and noticed a large photo on
the desk by the window.

“Hey,” Henry said, “look at this.”

The picture showed a black-and-white
image of a young man wearing a fisherman’s
sweater.

“I wonder how old this picture is,” Jessie
said. “Something about that man looks very
familiar.”

“Yes, it does,” said Violet, squinting at it.
Then she said, “I know—he looks like Erin!”

Benny picked up the frame and walked
toward the door. “Maybe we could ask Erin
who this is.”

“She wouldn’t keep his picture on display if
he was a secret,” Violet pointed out.

Just as Benny was about to go into the
hallway, he noticed Fergus down at the end
opening a cupboard door. He didn’t know
anyone was watching him. After a quick glance
over his shoulder, Fergus took something out
of a box and slipped it into his pocket.

Then Fergus closed the cupboard and
walked toward the library. Benny scurried
back in, eager to stay out of Fergus’s way.

But Henry was convinced that Fergus was
just having a bad day, and he tried again to
be friendly. “Good morning again,” Henry
called with a smile, and Fergus stepped into
the library.

“Reading, eh?” Fergus said grumpily.

“Yes, and wondering about the history of
this place,” Henry said. He held up the picture
frame. “Do you know if this is a picture of
Erin’s father?”

Fergus set his mouth into a line and stared
at them. “It’s best if you don’t ask,” he said.
“You kids need to find something to do, and
stop asking so many questions!” He left the
room.

The children looked at each other with
wide eyes. “It definitely seems like Fergus is
hiding something,” Jessie said.

“Fergus
is
hiding something,” Benny
said. “In his pocket.” He described how he
had seen Fergus take something out of the
hallway cupboard.

Henry nodded. “Something strange is
happening around here.”

B
y afternoon the rain had finally stopped,
and Grandfather found the children sitting
in the library looking through old books.
Violet had found a botanical guide full of
drawings of the different kinds of flowers
that could be found growing in this part of
Ireland. Jessie was curled up in a chair by
the window with
Irish Fairy Legends
. She had
almost finished it.

“Down the road a little way is an old manor
house that has a traditional walled garden,”
Grandfather said. “Would you like to come
with me to see it?”

Benny was the first to leap up and put his
book on the shelf. He was restless after being
stuck inside all morning, and ready to get
outside for some fresh air. “Let’s go!” he said.

The children changed into boots Erin
called “Wellies” that she kept on hand for
guests in a variety of sizes. They were bright
yellow with handles on the sides, and would
keep the children from getting too muddy
as they tromped around in the fields. Violet
brought her camera along, and Grandfather
took an umbrella just in case.

They walked about half a mile down the
winding lane to the manor house. Beside it were
tall stone walls that looked like they’d been
standing for hundreds of years. You couldn’t
see what was beyond them. The caretaker of
the property let the Aldens in through a door
in the wall using an old skeleton key. The
children gasped at what was inside—the most
beautiful garden they’d ever seen!

A narrow stone path curved through fruit
trees and lavender and thorny roses. Off in
one corner were peony bushes taller than
Benny, in pink and white. Birds hopped from
branch to branch.

Violet sat down on a stone bench beside a
fountain in the shape of a fish that spit water
into a mossy pond. She snapped pictures of
the big goldfish swimming in circles in the
water.

“Look, Violet,” Benny said, “violets!” He
pointed at a large planter full of purple flowers.

Violet smiled. “This is my favorite place in
Ireland so far,” she said.

“Are the walls to keep people out?” Jessie
asked Grandfather.

“Or maybe animals that would eat the
plants?” Henry wondered.

“Actually, the walls keep the plants warmer,
and protect them from the wind,” Grandfather
said. He pointed to an opening in one of
the walls that was charred black around the
edges. “This wall is hollow,” he said, “so the
gardener can build a fire inside it and warm
up the garden. That way, he can grow grapes
and peaches and other things that normally
wouldn’t survive in this colder climate.”

“Peaches?” Benny asked, his eyes wide.

“Well, it’s too early in the season for them
to be ripe, I’m afraid,” Grandfather said. “But
the trees are very beautiful!”

The children explored the garden for a
while longer, until Jessie noticed it was getting
late and they decided to walk home. As they
came up the road toward the castle near dusk,
Benny noticed a lilac bush growing along the
fence at the edge of the castle’s property.

“Look, Violet,” he said, “more purple
flowers!”

Grandfather told the children he was going
inside to read the newspaper. “Being out of
the country is no excuse to skip the crossword
puzzle,” he said cheerfully.

The children said they’d see him inside,
and lingered by the fence. Jessie knelt down
and smelled the lilacs.

“Wow, these smell so pretty,” Jessie said.

“Let’s take some inside to Erin,” suggested
Benny. “She can put them in a vase of water
on the front desk.”

“Yes, great idea,” Henry said as he broke
off a branch. Benny carried the lilacs proudly
up the lane to the door of the castle.

But just as they were about to go inside,
Fergus appeared and put his arm across the
door.

“What are you trying to do? You can’t
bring those in here!” Fergus barked, looking
at the lilacs.

Jessie felt her stomach drop. She realized
maybe they had been wrong to pick the
flowers without asking permission. “We’re
sorry, Fergus,” she said.

He shook his head and stalked off.

“Uh-oh,” Violet said. “I think we made a
mistake.”

“Let’s put the branch back where we found
it,” said Henry. “And when we get back inside,
we’ll apologize to Erin too.” The other Aldens
nodded their agreement.

Back near the fence, they set the branch on
the ground beside the lilac bush. Just as they
were about to head back inside, Benny froze.
“What’s that?” he said, sounding afraid.

He pointed to the opposite side of the
meadow, where the woods began. It was the
same spot they had been able to see from
their room on the second floor. The tall
hedges along the edge of the property were
rustling, as if someone or something was
moving them.

“Is someone watching us?” Jessie wondered
aloud.

“Maybe it’s just the wind,” Henry said,
glancing around. But none of the other
trees were moving as much as that one spot
in the hedges.

Benny looked very worried. “What if it’s a
pooka?” he said.

“It’s not,” Jessie told him. “Pookas are just
myths. And anyway, the pooka is the horse
that drags its chains. If that was a pooka, we’d
be able to hear the chains.”

“But it’s not,” Henry added, “because
pookas aren’t real.”

“I’m still not sure,” Violet said. “A lot of
people believe in these creatures, and I
might too.”

“Let’s go look at the book again,” Jessie
said, “and I’ll show you what I mean about
the pooka.”

The children went inside the castle and
back to the library where they had been
reading earlier in the day.

“See, Benny,” Jessie said, crossing over
to one of the leather couches. “In the book
it says—wait.” Jessie stopped and looked
around. “Where did my book go? I left it
right here before we went to the gardens
with Grandfather. I’m sure of it.” She looked
among the books and newspapers stacked on
a shelf nearby, but her book wasn’t there.