Page 3 of Chillingham Castle

“Yeah, and it’s bloody and murderous most of the time,” Evie replied, nodding.

“You’ve worked here thirty years?” Reaver asked.

“Yes. I adore the castle. I started and grew from there. Chillingham means more than just a workplace,” Evie said, her eyes shining with love.

“What about the ghosts?” Dive pried.

“There are so many. I’ll give you a rundown of the more famous and active ones. There is the Radiant Boy/Blue Boy, depending on who you talk to. We call him the Blue Boy. He is a child spirit seen in the Pink Room. He appears to be a resident of the bedroom. The remains of a small boy were discovered with his fingers and fingernails broken, which led to the belief that he was walled up alive. He is said to appear from the wall, and when he does, he’s preceded by a blue halo. He is so friendly. Everyone here loves him,” Evie remarked.

“Were his bones laid to rest?” Lucky asked.

“Yes. He’s never been mean or horrible, although we’ve noticed him crying sometimes before he appears. But it’s simply because he’s sad and scared,” Janice added.

Several of my brothers got up to make drinks as I scribbled in a notebook. I bit into a sandwich and nearly moaned. Janice had made crispy bacon, and that was my favourite.

“So, he’s a more fun, friendly spirit?” I checked.

“Yes. Then there’s the Pantry Ghost. She appears in the pantry and takes the form of an old lady. Legend has it that the family silver was stored in this room, and a footman used to guard it. She appeared to him as a pale figure, begging the man for a drink. He turned to get her one but realised he was locked in alone, and she couldn’t have been there. She was gone when he looked back. She is believed to have been poisoned, which is why she wants water and has been seen several times,” Evie explained.

“So, no danger or threat from her?” I asked.

“Nope. The worst she does is scare the beejeebus out of you when she appears so suddenly. But she’s harmless,” Evie said.

Janice agreed.

“Then there’s Lady Mary Berkley. Her ghost wanders the hallways looking for her unfaithful husband, the aforementioned Ford Grey. Mary had a baby in seventeen-eighty-two, the daughter who married Charles Bennet. Mary’s younger sister, Henrietta, who was seventeen, came to help, and Ford seduced and ran away with her. A huge scandal ensued, and it even went to court, where Ford was imprisoned. When he was freed, he never returned to the castle again. Before Mary’s seen, cold chills announce her arrival, and people smell roses,” Evie said, shaking her head.

“That’s some history and drama! And she’s not malevolent?” I questioned. “Surely, she’s bitter?”

“No. Just very sad. Her own sister betrayed her. It must have been awful. Mary continued to live here until her death, with her daughter- and son-in-law,” Janice added.

“That’s horrendous,” Lucky exclaimed.

“Men used to have mistresses, but nothing as blatant as what Ford did,” Dive threw out.

“Not so easy to get a divorce in those days,” Trunk remarked, and I nodded.

“There’s Thomas and Ralph Grey. We don’t know much about them, but they are buried at the nearby St Peter’s Church. And then there’s Dougal and Godric. These are a father and son dating back to twelve-ninety-six. Dougal testified against his father over a crime,” Evie stated.

“Yup, that will piss a man off,” I agreed, and nods abounded. “Are they violent?”

“No, noisy, and they like their presence known. Some claim they hear them arguing.” Janice picked up her cup and sipped.

“They could be residual,” Lucky said.

“Quite likely.” I thought for a moment and then turned to Evie. “Do they move about?”

“No”—she shook her head—“and next up is Peter, a manservant from the seventeen hundreds who is fond of the ladies. Female visitors talk about their ears being blown into or the backs of their necks being touched.” Evie shrugged.

“It happened to you?” I guessed.

“To most female staff, even though we don’t feel threatened. Peter likes to remind us that he’s here. However, he avoids men and hates them completely.

“We also have an eight-year-old girl called Eleanor. She is an attention seeker. Eleanor is known to pull hair and clothing, and traces a finger on people’s backs if they’re sitting. That’s the most famous apart from John Sage. He’s a whole other entity,” Janice continued while Evie drank her tea.

“John Sage, I’ve researched him. If half the information I read is true, the man was a psychopath,” Dive stated.

“It probably is correct. He was a steward here, and his death was gruesome. John killed his common-law wife, Elizabeth Charlton; he was supposed to be hanged publicly. But a mob formed, and they cut off his fingers, nose, toes, lips, and genitals. He died slowly and painfully.