Short story: Dinner at Galmount Hall

The Weavers Pub was quiet when Craig and Marylyn arrived in to meet their friends, Daphne and Stuart. They’d just settled with their drinks when Paul and Kate arrived in.

“Come and join us,” Stuart invited.

“Are you sure?” said Paul. “We wouldn’t like to impose.”

“Don’t be silly,” said Daphne, then she added:“The more the merrier. We were just discussing Halloween and we can’t decide on where to go for dinner. We always like to go somewhere special.”

“Why not come to our place for dinner? I love any excuse to entertain,” said Kate while her husband, Paul added. “She’s a brilliant cook, and we’d enjoy the company.”

“Oh, that would be wonderful,” said Daphne, while her husband added; “We’ll bring the wine. It will be a nice change as Halloween is always such a busy night in the restaurants.”

While Craig and Marylyn nodded in agreement, they didn’t seem quite as enthusiastic as Daphne and Stuart. They’d never been to Paul and Kate’s home. The couple had moved to the area just over a year ago. But it was well known that their new home, Galmount Hall was haunted.

Seeing the hesitation on their friends’ faces, Daphne said; “You’ll love Galmount Hall. You were away during the summer when Kate and Paul had us over for dinner and we had a smashing time. The house is fabulous, massive and full of character.” She omitted to tell them about the feeling of a presence around the house but despite that, they enjoyed Paul and Kate’s hospitality.

Finally, Marylyn smiled at Paul and Kate; “Thank you for inviting us, we’ll look forward to it.”

“And we’ll look forward to having you,” said Kate, then she added; “I’ll cook my signature dishes… oh by the way are either of you vegetarians?”

“No, I’m afraid we’re both fond of meat and fish, so don’t worry, we’ll enjoy whatever you cook,” said Craig.

Kate and Paul stayed for another drink but left soon after, citing an early night as they planned to go hill walking the following day.

When they left, Daphne said to Craig and Marylyn, “I noticed that you seemed a little hesitant about accepting the invite.”

“Well, it’s just that we’ve heard rumours that Galmount Hall is haunted and remember this dinner party is scheduled for Halloween night,” said Marylyn.

“Oh, don’t worry about that, ghosts are harmless. Besides, while Galmount Hall is a sprawling mansion, the drawing room and dining room are very cosy. We really enjoyed our evening there last summer.”

“Yes, it will probably be a great night,” said Craig. “And as you said earlier, it will be something different from going out to a noisy restaurant.”

Seven thirty on Halloween evening, the couples arrived at Galmount Hall. Paul and Kate greeted them warmly, then led them into the large but cosy drawing room with a fire blazing up the chimney.

“Drinks?” Paul offered as he made his way over to the drinks cabinet.

After he’d poured their guests a drink, Kate went off to the kitchen to check on the food.

“Dinner will be about twenty minutes,” Kate announced a few moments later as she sipped her dry martini.

“The house is fabulous,” said Marylyn as she glanced around the old drawing room with antique furniture, the reclaimed wooden floor with the large Persian carpet square and gold brocade curtains.

“Yes,” Daphne agreed. “And this room is so cosy. I just love the open log fire,” she added as the wood crackled and hissed in the ancient marble fireplace. She had no sooner spoken when the room turned freezing cold. If Paul and Kate noticed, they didn’t say. But Marylyn and Daphne shivered as Craig and Stuart sipped their drinks and said nothing. Paul rose and topped up their drinks, while Kate went off to check the oven.

Returning a short time later, Kate said to the friends; “If you’d like to move into the dining room across the hall, take your seats and Paul and myself will serve up.”

“Sorry, but do you mind if I use the bathroom first?” said Marylyn.

“Sure,” said Kate. “It’s at the end of the hall, first on the right.”

As Marylyn made her way down the hall, she couldn’t shake off the eerie feeling of the place. She shivered, switched on the light, then closed the bathroom door. Afterwards, as she was washing her hands, she froze when she looked in the mirror. Her heart pounded as she spied the figure in the corner of the room, the face shrouded by a deep hood. “Hello,” she called out but when she turned around the figure was gone. With that the door swung open and a blast of cold air surged into the bathroom.

Dashing back to the dining room, her face a deathly pale as she took her seat at the table beside her husband.

“Are you OK, darling?” a concerned Craig asked, his voice low.

She stared back at him, her eyes wide with fright. Marylyn didn’t wish to cause a fuss and nodded; “Yes, I’m fine.”

Paul and Kate were busy serving the starters but Daphne and Stuart also noticed Marylyn’s pallor.

While they tucked into scallops, black pudding and apple compote, Marylyn was making an effort to enjoy their hosts’ food but she was still clearly unnerved by what happened earlier.

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After a main course of monkfish in a white wine sauce followed by blueberry pannacotta, the friends relaxed over liquors and coffee.

“Let’s go back to the drawing room, it’s warmer there,” said Paul, who obviously hadn’t noticed the drop in temperature earlier.

“We’ll help with the washup,” suggested Daphne but Kate wouldn’t hear of it. “We’ll just close the door on this lot and sort it tomorrow.”

The night had turned stormy and rain began to lash at the sash windows in the old house. Daphne excused herself to go to the bathroom but a short time later, she arrived back into the room, breathless and shaken.

“Are you OK?” asked Paul.

“I’ve just had a very frightening experience,” Daphne then began to relate exactly what had happened to Marylyn earlier.

Paul cleared his throat and began; “So, you’ve experienced the ghost that haunts this place. When we moved in first, we found it very frightening but soon got used to it.”

The four friends listened in horror, Paul then looked at Kate and continued; “We didn’t tell you this but that’s why we put the place on the market recently and surprisingly it sold very quickly.”

“Really!” the friends gasped. “But where will you live?” asked Stuart.

“We’ve put an offer on a small modern bungalow on the other side of Foxglove Glen. Something a lot more manageable,” Paul told them.

“And definitely not haunted,” Kate laughed.

“Do the new owners…erm…know about this place?” Marylyn shivered.

“Absolutely,” smiled Paul. “That’s why they bought it. They plan to turn it into a small hotel. Perfect for guests who are into ghosts and the paranormal. It’s amazing just how many people are interested in that type of thing.”

“It could prove to be highly successful,” said Craig who up until now had remained silent. He then raised his glass. “Here’s to the ghosts in Galmount Hall…”

“And to a less scary experience when you visit our new home in Foxglove Glen,” said Paul.

“Cheers,” the others chorused, deeply relieved that there wouldn’t be a repeat of tonight’s ghostly encounter.