TALES FROM MORTIFER HOUSE - Part One - Meet The Immediate Family

 

 

Mortifer House was once a grand house dating back to the 1600s. Set in beautiful landscaped gardens it was a jewel of a property in the town of Eastington. But when a huge fire swept through it destroying a good portion of the upper storey in the mid-1700s it was partially rebuilt and extended.  It passed down through the family to Charles Mortifer who lived in the house until his disappearance. His wife Emma raised their two children Angus and Jane alone when her feckless husband was never seen again. He was not much of a loss, a useless father and even more useless husband by all accounts.  Some even remarked that Emma was much happier without him.

To say the Mortifer family were misfortunate would be an understatement, many of the family seemed to suffer ill health, loss of money in bad investments and untimely deaths. Rumours that the house was cursed were rife amongst locals in the small town.

Things did settle down with the disappearance of Charles, Emma lived a quiet life raising her children. With Charles presumed dead she was able to live in the house until her death. The children were total opposites, Angus was lazy, rebellious and loud, Jane was quiet and obedient, but Emma ruled the roost even in later life.

Jane found love with a gentleman who came to visit her mother and pretty soon she flew the nest to start her own family. That left Angus, who despite being quite the handsome eligible bachelor, struggled to find a woman to settle down with. That was until the delightful Eleanor Ford arrived in town.

Eleanor was actually quite a good match for Angus, she ignored his laziness and focussed on his handsome features and larger than life personality. Eleanor appeared sweet but had a sting like a scorpion if she didn’t get her own way.  Hence Angus let her get on with whatever she wanted to do. Anything for a quiet life!

They married and soon had the first of their five children Victoria followed by Flora, Amelia, Grace and finally Alice. Angus had been hoping for a boy, but every time he went near Eleanor after five births, she threatened him with a carving knife!

Sadly, one wet and wild October evening Emma passed away with Angus and Jane at her side and the family went into a period of mourning. This was also about the time when things at Mortifer House began to become a little strange.

With just Eleanor, Angus, Grace and Alice remaining in the house (the older girls had moved on to their own lives) it suddenly seemed much larger and emptier and so much colder. It was then that Alice started to have nightmares, talking about seeing children in the room she shared with Grace. Grace reported scratching noises coming from the attic partition when she was playing alone too.

Angus was quick to dismiss the children’s stories in his usual blusteringly loud way. Truth be told he spent 90% of his time with his male friends, drinking and smoking. He was either with them, in his study or passed out in a drunken stupor, he was, Eleanor reflected, turning into his father while the house slowly fell apart around them. 

Eleanor’s space was her garden room, the children knew not to bother her when she was in there. She knew something was going on with the house, she had been hearing voices when the house was quiet. Also, most curiously, although her garden room was quite dark and she had never had much luck with growing plants, they suddenly started blooming and growing at a huge rate. It was then that Eleanor set up a table with a crystal ball and started to read books about spirits and the afterlife. Some nights she would catch the crystal ball glowing as she stepped into the room.

 Her friends were fascinated and flocked to her little room wanting her to tell their fortune. At first, she protested but then she embraced it, happy to earn a little money on the side. She read tea leaves and tarot cards and would stare into the crystal ball as if she knew what she was doing. Except things would come to her, names, events, possible past and future life changing circumstances. Some things she kept to herself, the bad things. She was always horrified to learn that what she had seen had later come true.

Eleanor became deeply affected by her newfound abilities, Angus was no support at all, he merely scoffed at her and spoke loudly about her 'going insane' to his friends as they laughed in his study.

Meanwhile the house seemed to be closing in, just what were the secrets within the walls?

 

Sarah Russell 2022