Jake Conley Mysteries Collection - Books 1-4

Chapter 5

Skilful cajolery, deception and manipulation enabled Jake to penetrate the librarian’s stubborn defences and gain access to the Hotham-Thompson archives. The eighth baronet proved an enthralling study as Jake discounted letters that covered the young Charles’s scholarly career at various public schools, notably Westminster, and subsequent study of law at the Middle Temple. Unwillingly drawn into the life of this eighteenth-century nobleman, despite his desire to discover anything that might shed light on Aldfrith’s Cave, Jake’s setting aside of irrelevant material slowed as interest in the personage gripped him. A distinguished military career beginning as an ensign in the 1st Foot Guards saw Charles rise to the rank of colonel in 1762 during the Seven Years’ War. From 1761 to 1768 he was also the Member of Parliament for St Ives and in 1763 was made a Groom of the Bedchamber.

‘Blimey, this Sir Charles was a bigwig – someone to be taken seriously!’

‘Blimey, this Sir Charles was a bigwig – someone to be taken seriously!’Piecing together the man’s career through his letters was a tedious but rewarding experience, and Jake filled the pages of his notebook beginning from 1768 when Sir Charles transferred as colonel to the 15th Regiment of Foot and retired to Yorkshire, where he succeeded his father in 1771 to the baronetcy and his estate near Beverley. He took the additional name of Thompson on inheriting the Thompson estates in Yorkshire from his wife"s family in 1772. He was knighted KB in 1772.

This material gave Jake context for his search, and he began to sift through the post-1771 letters with more enthusiasm, but, frustratingly, he could find little other than mundane matters of family love affairs, the escapades of drunken friends, matters of estate management – such as cottage rental, and condolences; in short, all the major and minor events constituting the life of an eminent nobleman of the period.

It was not until he found a letter dated 1773 and addressed to Sir Robert Wanley of the Royal Antiquarian Society that, with shaking hand, he thrust aside the hollow sensation of a day wasted. He read:

Sir,

Sir,

In your bounteous good nature, you will surely forgive the impertinence of an approach to your esteemed self through this epistle for which I would ask pardon, if I did not think you would be better pleased if I did not.

In your bounteous good nature, you will surely forgive the impertinence of an approach to your esteemed self through this epistle for which I would ask pardon, if I did not think you would be better pleased if I did not.To the point, Sir, my solicitation is founded upon the deserved reputation that precedes you as a scholar of all matters Anglo-Saxon within and without the Royal Soc.y . As most worthy heir to a noble, erudite forebear, viz. your grandsire Sir Humfrey, I beg leave to trouble you, aware naturally of disturbing your employment otherwise in useful and essential study, with a matter of mutual interest, which I believe you will be desirous of appraising. May I draw your attention, Sir, to mysterious and awesome occurrences on my property in the Chafer Wood, at a place known locally as Elfrid’s Hole, a cavern upon which undoubtedly your peerless learning will be able to shed light. It is therefore with considerable disquiet that I await your reply to my invitation to sojourn at my humble residence of Ebberston Hall to conduct an inquiry. If it so pleases you, you may make agreeable progress into Yorkshire to see all the Fine Seats and Places in this country and I feel sure you will not be disappointed.

To the point, Sir, my solicitation is founded upon the deserved reputation that precedes you as a scholar of all matters Anglo-Saxon within and without the Royal Soc.y . As most worthy heir to a noble, erudite forebear, viz. your grandsire Sir Humfrey, I beg leave to trouble you, aware naturally of disturbing your employment otherwise in useful and essential study, with a matter of mutual interest, which I believe you will be desirous of appraising. May I draw your attention, Sir, to mysterious and awesome occurrences on my property in the Chafer Wood, at a place known locally as Elfrid’s Hole, a cavern upon which undoubtedly your peerless learning will be able to shed light. It is therefore with considerable disquiet that I await your reply to my invitation to sojourn at my humble residence of Ebberston Hall to conduct an inquiry. If it so pleases you, you may make agreeable progress into Yorkshire to see all the Fine Seats and Places in this country and I feel sure you will not be disappointed.

Your Most Humble and Most Obedient Servant,

Your Most Humble and Most Obedient Servant,Chas. Hotham-Thompson, KG.

Chas. Hotham-Thompson, KG.Jake re-read the letter and, with growing excitement, copied it word for word into his notebook. In vain, he sought a follow-up letter. Coming to the end of the archive contents, he replaced the letters carefully and carried the box file back to the stern, pinch-faced librarian who made a show of checking the contents and their condition whilst Jake was effusive in his thanks. Having made a point of remarking how useful his experience had been, he asked her about Sir Robert Wanley. She disappointed him by insisting that their archive did not house the correspondence of this particular knight of the realm. Instead, she told him that his best chance of finding anything written by the antiquarian might be found at the Society of Antiquaries in London. She hunted in a card index and produced an address – Burlington House, Piccadilly. Jake thanked her and jotted it down, thinking ruefully that there was much more to writing a novel than he’d ever imagined.

The next morning, after breakfast, he flipped opened his notebook, found the churchwarden’s mobile number and called it. A brief exchange and they arranged to meet in half an hour at the church. The man seemed relaxed about the appointment, calming Jake’s doubts about his sincerity.

When he approached the church along the path, a cheery wave from the stout figure of the warden encouraged him forward.

“I went to Hull yesterday and read through the Hotham-Thompson letters,” Jake plunged straight in.

“Did you? And what did you dig up?”

“A letter to an antiquarian that referred to ‘mysterious and awesome occurrences’ at the cave.”

‘mysterious and awesome occurrences’ “That would be just before Sir Charles had the grotto built and blocked off the entrance to the cavern.”

“Unfortunately, there were no other letters to this Sir Robert, so I don’t know any more than that vague reference to occurrences. Can you tell me anything more?”

occurrences“I can, but you’d best be warned not to meddle in matters that don’t concern you.” The menacing tone of the churchwarden seemed so out of character with his benign presence until Jake looked into the pale blue eyes, which had taken on an aggressive hardness behind the glasses. “Writing a novel’s one thing, my lad. From a distance, you can use as much imagination as you like, but stirring up certain forces, that’s another matter. I’ll tell you all I know and let you judge for yourself.”

The wind whistled through the churchyard, the trees creaking and groaning under the buffeting, causing Jake to shiver and pull up the collar of his jacket. So he readily agreed to the suggestion of sheltering in the vestry where they sat opposite each other at a small table. The surplices and other ecclesiastical accoutrements hanging limply from their pegs served to make the small room more oppressive. Jake fought to quell a sense of claustrophobia and listened intently to what his host had to say.

“Whatever happened in the eighteenth century has come down to us as what many would dismiss as old wives" tales. They say that the smallholders at the time began to lose animals, and of course, theft of livestock in those days was a capital offence. Several ne"er-do-wells were suspected, but it wasn’t until reports of fires up at the cave became frequent that a band of men went to investigate. They found signs of slaughtered animals such as hides and bones, as well as the charred remains of a fire. They determined to keep a watch on the area and to return to the cavern to apprehend the guilty parties when alerted by a fire.

"Sadly, a local man, too impetuous by far, spotted the glow of the flames one evening and instead of summoning help set off to investigate, telling his wife beforehand what he was about. He never came back. Nobody knows what became of him. That was when Sir Charles decided to look into the matter. There was a rumour that he’d fired off several shots in the woods that evening. Of course, he might have bagged himself a pheasant or two. You know what people are like at exaggerating everything. Certainly, it didn’t help that when Sir Charles returned to the Hall, he gave instructions to his tenants to stay well clear of Elfrid’s Hole. Soon after these events, as you know, Sir Robert Wanley, a famous antiquarian, came to investigate the cave. And here’s the most curious fact: the vicar of St Mary’s at the time kept a diary where he affirms that Sir Robert arrived as a sociable, jocund personality and left as a haggard, haunted, and irritable individual. It was he who encouraged Sir Charles to fill the cave with rocks and to block off the entrance. Then, of course, after the fashion of the time, Sir Charles built the grotto around the entrance. It stands there, as you’ve seen, as a folly to this day.”

Jake looked at the earnest countenance of the churchwarden and could see that the man was disturbed by his tale.

“There’s more, isn’t there?”

“There is. People have lost count of the tragedies associated with that place. More than two hundred years have passed, but the curse of Elfrid’s Hole continues. We’re talking about travellers disappearing without trace, headless bodies, and even raving madmen. Don’t look at me like that! I’m not making this up. You can check it out easily enough, Mr Conley.”

“It’s not that I don’t believe you. Just that…if it’s as bad as you say, how come the cave isn’t more notorious throughout the land?”

“People here want a quiet life. We can do without that kind of notoriety. You see, in 1951 the cave was cleared out and excavated. Do you know what the archaeologists found? No? Nothing to do with the Anglo-Saxons. Far older. They found the remains of seven humans, five adults and two children, along with flints, pottery, antlers and animal bones. The finds were assumed to be early Neolithic, but no dating was done, and strangely they have gone missing. That’s caused gossip and wild speculation. The cave was sealed after the excavation with a large boulder. As I say, we can do without notoriety. The last bad happening was the death of a visiting schoolteacher–”

“In 2004, Mrs McCracken told me. The poor fellow slipped and cracked his head.”

“That’s what we’d like people to think, but there may be another far more sinister explanation.”

“What do you mean?”

“Never mind. Just stay away from Elfrid’s Hole. We wouldn’t want an accident to befall you, would we? I believe it’s our concerted effort to keep visitors away from the Hole that’s reduced the frequency of sinister events. Let’s keep it that way, shall we, Mr Conley?” He made no effort to keep the aggression from his voice.

accident“Are you threatening me?” Jake stared hard at the plump churchwarden of the innocuous appearance and contrasting voice.

He gifted Jake a warm smile and made an apologetic open-handed gesture. “Just the opposite. I’m trying to protect you from your own curiosity. I’d hate anything to happen to you, young man. Look, why don’t you find another king to write about?”

Jake thanked him, shook hands, and left the church, marvelling at his own contrariness. The churchwarden’s warnings had elicited the opposite effect in him. He was more determined than ever to return to the grotto. Not that the recounting of terrible occurrences hadn’t troubled him – they had. In fact, he didn’t feel like rushing up the hill straightaway, there was no hurry; instead, he would stroll over to Ebberston Hall. Meanwhile, the wind might calm. The sight of the building would give him a better feeling for the man who had built the grotto. If he wanted to make a success of this venture, he needed to immerse himself entirely in the character and atmosphere of Ebberston.