The Legend of the Irish Castle (4 page)

“You don’t think someone could have
moved it? Maybe Erin was cleaning up.”
Henry said.

But the rest of the books still lay on the
table, right where the children had left them.

Jessie felt a shiver. “I think my book has…
disappeared,” she said.

“Yikes!” Benny said.

T
he search for the missing book was interrupted
when Grandfather found them in
the library and told them it was time for
dinner. The children followed him into the
dining room and took their places around
the large table set with white linen napkins
embroidered with
DC
for Duncarraig Castle.

Erin poured water in the goblets on the
table. Mr. and Mrs. Davison were already
seated, and were chatting with the new
guests that had arrived that morning, Robert
and George. They told the Aldens they were
visiting from Canada, and planned to play as
many rounds of golf in Ireland as they could.
Both men were dressed in garish plaid pants
and brightly colored shirts. George pulled
out a lime-green knitted tam with a huge
pompon sewed to the top.

“Whoever has the losing score has to wear
this,” George said, and Erin laughed.

George laughed too. “Half the fun of golf
is the ridiculous outfits.”

Robert nodded in agreement, then
turned to the children. “Mrs. Davison tells
us that you kids spotted a banshee out your
window the other night,” Robert said. He
had spiky gray hair and round pink cheeks.
“George here doesn’t believe in ghosts, but
I am inclined to be open-minded. A country
with such a long history is bound to be full
of spirits.”

“Well, we aren’t actually sure
what
we saw,”
Henry said. “I think there must be another
explanation.”

“Henry, you sound like a very sensible
young man,” George said. “The only spirit
I’d be willing to believe in is one who can
make sure all my putts go in!”

Everyone laughed.

Then Erin said, “Joking aside, we know that
all the hotel guests and staff were accounted
for that evening. And there isn’t anyone else
out in this part of the county. So I can’t really
think of another explanation,
except
for a
banshee.” She looked at all of her guests. “I
think we have to accept that this castle is a
little bit haunted.”

Jessie gave her siblings a surprised look.
Before, Erin had seemed to be half joking
when she talked about the castle’s banshee,
but now she sounded like she actually believed
the banshee was real. What had changed?

Mrs. Davison turned to her husband and
said, “I am very glad we came to this castle
after all, darling. A real banshee!”

Erin and the kitchen helper served the
dinner of roast beef and potatoes. After the
long day of walking in the fresh air, the children
were very hungry and they focused on their
food, then helped Erin clear the dishes. After
dessert, the adults wanted to linger at the table
drinking coffee and tea, and Grandfather told
the children they could be excused.

Back in the library, the Aldens sat on the
couches to discuss what they had learned about
the mysterious figure in the meadow. Jessie
was still confused about what Erin had said.

“She seems sure now that the castle is
haunted,” Jessie said. “Doesn’t that seem odd?”

“I was thinking about that,” Henry said.
“But I think I know why.”

“Because the banshee is real?” Benny asked
in a frightened voice.

Henry shook his head. He put a comforting
hand on Benny’s shoulder. “There’s no reason
to be scared, Benny. Remember, banshees are
just part of old stories.”

“Then why would Erin say she believes the
castle is haunted?” Violet asked.

“This morning, Mr. and Mrs. Davison were
about to check out, remember?” Henry said.
“But then when they heard about the banshee,
Mrs. Davison wanted to stay for another night.
Erin is talking about the banshee because a
haunted castle is good for business!”

Jessie nodded. “Now, that makes sense.”
She thought for a moment and an idea came
to her. “Do you think
Erin
is pretending to
be the banshee? Dressing up in the hood and
walking around at night, wailing?”

Henry snapped his fingers. “That could
explain why Fergus doesn’t want us exploring
the property. If we uncover what she’s doing,
then the guests will know that the castle isn’t
haunted after all and they might take their
business somewhere else.”

“I don’t know,” Violet said. “Erin seems
like such a kind person. I don’t think she
would lie to us.”

“Either way, we have to find out,” Jessie said.

“We can watch out the window again
tonight,” suggested Benny. “And maybe we’ll
be able to see if the banshee is really Erin.”

“But we need a way to be able to see for
sure,” Jessie said. “Last time, we couldn’t see
the figure’s face because he or she was too far
away.”

Henry noticed a pair of binoculars guests
used for bird-watching sitting on the desk
beside the window. “We could borrow these,”
he said, picking them up. “Maybe then we
could get a better look at the figure’s face.”

The children took the binoculars up to
their room and set them on the windowsill,
then returned to the library to read. Soon,
Grandfather joined them with his newspaper.
Erin built a fire in the library fireplace, and
the Aldens tried to concentrate on their books.
Even though they appeared relaxed on the
outside, they were impatient for the evening
to pass. They couldn’t wait for it to get dark,
and for bedtime to come, so they could start
watching the meadow behind the castle. They
didn’t want to raise anyone’s suspicions by
going to bed early. If Erin was pretending to
be the banshee, she might stay home if she
thought the children were planning to watch.

Finally all four Alden children had brushed
their teeth and put their pajamas on. Sitting
on the beds in their room, they made a plan.

“Violet and I will take the first shift,”
Jessie said, writing down the schedule on
a piece of paper in her notebook. “I’ll take
notes on anything odd we see. At midnight,
we’ll wake Benny and Henry up to take over
while we sleep.”

Henry nodded. He went over to the door
that opened onto a small balcony on the same
side of the room as the window where they’d
seen the mysterious figure the night before.
“You might be able to get a better look from
out here,” Henry said.

Henry and Benny got into bed, and the
girls stepped out into the night air. On the
balcony, they could hear crickets chirping in
the tall grass and watched an owl dive from a
tree branch to catch a brown mouse.

Violet looked at the side of the castle that
was visible from where they stood. Many of
the hotel’s guest rooms remained unfilled
and the windows were dark. But there were
a few lights on. Violet noticed that one of the
windows lit by a lamp had a butterfly shape
hanging on the pane.

She pointed it out to Jessie. “That’s Erin’s
room,” Violet said.

Jessie nodded. “That’s right—I remember
the butterfly sun catcher.”

“If her light’s on, that probably means she’s
in her room,” Violet said nervously.

Jessie had to agree. “I don’t think she would
leave the light on if she was going out,” Jessie
said. “She probably can’t afford to waste
electricity with all the other expenses she has
running this place.”

“And if she’s in her room,” Violet said, “that
means she can’t be the one pretending to be
a banshee!”

“Well, let’s wait and see,” Jessie said.
“Maybe no one will come out tonight.”

The sky grew darker as Jessie and Violet
watched and waited. To keep from getting
bored, they counted how many stars were in
the sky, and tried to name the many types
of plants they had seen in the walled garden
with Grandfather. The time passed slowly.

Around midnight, Jessie went inside to
wake the boys, and Violet stayed outside with
the binoculars. She was polishing the lenses
with the cuff of her sleeve when she heard
a noise in the meadow, a low wailing sound.
Violet put the binoculars up to her eyes,
her heart pounding. She panned across the
meadow, along the tree line, in the direction
of the noise. And then she saw it! It was the
same figure from the night before, wearing
the same gray hood.

“Jessie,” Violet called in an urgent whisper.
“Hurry!”

Jessie rushed back out onto the balcony and
took the binoculars. She looked through the
eyepiece and moved the dial on top to focus
in on the figure.

Violet’s hand flew up to her mouth, and
she pointed to the window with the butterfly.
“Jessie, Erin’s light is still on in her room.
Oh, this is all so spooky!”

“That figure I see is definitely not Erin,”
Jessie said. “And I don’t think it’s a ghost
either. But…”

Just then the boys came out, rubbing their
eyes and trying to wake up.

“But what?” Benny asked.
Jessie shook her head and lowered the
binoculars in surprise. “I can’t explain it, but
her face looks so familiar somehow!”

“Familiar?” Henry asked, holding out a
hand. “Here, let me have a look.”

But just as he raised the binoculars to his
eyes, the figure disappeared into the woods
once more.

T
he Aldens didn’t fall asleep until almost
one in the morning, so the next day they
slept later than usual. Violet woke up first,
and roused Jessie and her brothers so they’d
have enough time to get dressed and into the
dining room before they missed breakfast.

The promise of more eggs and bacon made
Benny get ready faster than anyone else.
While the others tied their shoes, he looked
out the window.

“The meadow is gone,” Benny said.

“Gone?” asked Henry.

“And the woods too, and the garden,”
Benny said. “It’s all gone.”

Jessie gave Violet a funny look, and they
joined Benny at the window. In a way, the
youngest Alden was right. From where they
stood, they could no longer see anything
that was more than a few feet away from the
window.

“Benny, I can see why you’d think that, but
don’t worry. The meadow is still there. We
just can’t see it because of the fog.” Jessie said.

“It’s the thickest fog I’ve ever seen!” Henry
said.

Benny remembered their lunch on the
pier at Howth when they’d first arrived.
“Now I can see why those ships needed the
lighthouse,” he said. “You can’t see
anything
out there.”

“We’d better go,” Jessie said after checking
her watch. “It’s nearly ten o’clock.” The
children hurried down the stairs and into the
main hall. Mrs. Davison stood at the front
desk, and Grandfather and Mr. Davison were
just coming back inside after loading the
Davisons’ luggage in their car. Mrs. Davison
was wearing a large yellow hat and sunglasses.

“Oh, just look at these little darlings,” Mrs.
Davison said to her husband. “Could they be
any cuter?” Jessie tried not to let the comment
bother her. She knew that Mrs. Davison had
good intentions, but some people just didn’t
know how to talk to children.

“Well, kids,” Mr. Davison said. “This is
good-bye.” He shook Grandfather’s hand
and gave the children high fives. “We’re off
to Galway this morning.”

“In a convertible!” Mrs. Davison said.

“I hope you enjoy the rest of your
honeymoon,” said Violet. “May I take your
picture for my scrapbook?”

The couple posed together. “I hope you
find the banshee,” Mrs. Davison said as she
smiled for the picture. “Make sure to keep us
posted!” She wrote down her email address
on a slip of paper and gave it to Jessie, who
stuck it inside the pages of her notebook.

Erin was behind the desk checking out the
Davisons. She gave them a receipt. “Thank
you very much for staying at Duncarraig
Castle. Please be careful driving in this
terrible fog!”