The Ghost and the Rose

Chapter 4

I woke up with a start. The dream flooded back almost drowning me and I gasped for the last breath of air.

The moonlight I recalled from last night had transformed into beams of pale gold, the faintest rays of the sun penetrating the thick mist. Propping myself up on my elbows, I appreciated the room much more in the new light of the day. Piece by piece, it slotted into place like a jigsaw.

I pictured Aunt Lily. At first, I imagined trying to describe to her the room I'd stayed in and the glee on her face as she soaked up the images I painted with my words but then my aunt's face contorted into one of horror when I listed all the objects easy to break.

Raising my arm, I strained my eyes to bring the face of my watch into focus. "Ten to eight," I muttered to myself.

I sank back into the soft comfort of the bed and closed my eyes but all I could see was his face. Even when the mist clouded most of him, I could make out those sharp blue eyes that pierced me so deep they must be engraved on my soul. I groaned, laying flat on my back again. With my thumb and forefinger, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. What the hell was wrong with me?

A gentle knocking on the door interrupted my thoughts, and I watched it creak open. Meg waddled in carrying a large bowl in her hands. "For you to wash, my dear," she said with a kind smile illuminating her flushed cheeks. "We do not normally partake in breakfast," she appeared to struggle with the word. "Although an exception has been made if you wish to join us in the main hall. I have brought you a cloth and a mixture of herbs for you to clean your teeth." She stared at me with old, grey eyes that looked like someone had intricately painted them with watercolours. I would have sworn tears filled them.

"A wise woman, we shall follow her example. We can't have you going hungry and my Lord is joining us today, which is quite an honour."

"Ok. I'll just get ready and I'll be down." She seemed happy with that answer and after another whimsical smile aimed in my direction, she left.

Hearing the thud of the door closing and the echo of Meg's footsteps growing quieter, I jumped out of the bed to examine the items she had brought. I splashed the water on my face several times letting it cool my burning cheeks. Then I picked up the cloth and bundle of herbs turning them over in my hand. A strange noise escaped my throat as I discarded them back on the side, there was no way I could use them to brush my teeth. I didn't even know what to do with them. With no other water to use, I reached into my travel bag and pulled out my toothbrush and toothpaste. I squirted a blob onto my tongue and began dry brushing.

I glimpsed myself in a nearby mirror and moaned at how awful I looked. The perturbing night mixed with the all too real violence of the dream had contributed to the purple circles under my eyes, edged with a line of red. I'd always been told I had good skin. Aunt Lily described it as a 'delicate glow' but now it was pasty, powder white and my cheeks flushed a gentle pink.

Thoughts of the dream returned. John had looked haunted after he had cut down that last soldier. He'd looked broken. I'd used my dream of him to replace the images I had when he had been in his final hours by the roadside. I shook my head hating that I was struggling to think of anything else. They were only dreams. Dreams that were becoming harder to dismiss. Never had I seen the faces of the knights. Not until last night.

My thoughts rolled one into the next. Again. Car. Focus on the car and hope it gets fixed quickly.

***

Leaving the room ten minutes later, I was dressed and on a mission to find the Main Hall. I crept down the Gallery keeping to the centre runner so as not to disturb anyone in the other rooms, with no idea who had slept where and it would be my luck to piss off one the family members who owned Burnley.