The Haunting of Blackwood House by Darcy Coates Read Free Book Online Page A

there’s no phone reception. If something happened to you—”
    “You checked the house out yourself and said it’s sound. It’s not about to collapse on me.”
    “I could have made a mistake, though. What if the floor gives out, or you step on a rusty nail, or the boiled cabbage stalker is still hanging around?”
    “ Boiled cabbage —you’re mixing up my metaphors, Neil.”
    “My point is, it’s at least five hours’ walk to town, and you don’t have a car. If anything goes wrong, you’d be trapped with no way to communicate with the outside world. I’m not asking you to move in with me or anything. Just let me arrange a hotel room for you until the worst of the issues are fixed.”
    “You’ve got a better chance of convincing me to eat one of your salads.”
    Neil sighed heavily. “Mara—”
    “I know.” She squeezed his arm. “You want to help. And I really, truly appreciate that. But I’m also really, truly excited to live in my new house. The damage isn’t anywhere near as bad as you’re making it out to be, and I’m confident in my ability to defend myself if I bump into a geriatric stalker. Please, please don’t be anxious about me.”
    Neil worried at his lower lip. The car was coasting nearly ten kilometres faster than it should have been. “Would you be open to a compromise?”
    “What did you have in mind?”
    “Could I stay with you tonight? Just in case.”
    Mara tilted her head to one side and tried not to grin too broadly. “A sleepover? That’s not a compromise at all. You’re more than welcome.”
    The car began to slow down. “Great. I can stay until eight the following morning, but then I’d have to get to my work. Is that all right with you?”
    “Absolutely.” A thought struck her, and she raised her eyebrows. “Will your mother be okay with it?” She quite liked Neil’s mother, Pam, but the older woman held what Mara could only describe as traditional values .
    “I already ran it past her—she’ll be fine by herself for tonight.”
    “But we’ll be all alone. Together . It’s absolutely scandalous.”
    Neil grinned. “Let me put it this way. I’m her only child and still unmarried at twenty-six. I think I could take up residence in a bordello and she’d turn a blind eye provided it produced some grandchildren.”
    Mara had to laugh.

CHAPTER NINE: Home

    They left the main road and followed the incline into the country area. Another turn moved them out of the farming land and into a heavily wooded landscape. The road, which had been sealed until then, turned to dirt and narrowed so much that Neil had to pull over to let vehicles driving in the opposite direction pass.
    Blackwood’s driveway was a long stretch from any other signs of habitation. Mara couldn’t help wondering what had prompted the original owner to choose that plot of land. She knew that, if she followed the dirt road farther, it would eventually lead into the next town. But Blackwood House had been built nearly halfway between the two points of civilisation and didn’t seem to have any close neighbours.
    Her driveway was a little over four kilometres long. The path was potholed and rough, but Neil’s car managed it without trouble. Partway along, green and autumn-yellowed trees gave way to the spindly, grey-trunked monsters that surrounded Mara’s house.
    They turned around a final bend and found Blackwood looming ahead of them. Mara dug her fingernails into the car’s seat as an almost electric excitement rushed through her. The house looked even better than she remembered. It was hardly going to win the Cosy Home of the Year award, but it had personality, and it suited Mara perfectly.
    Neil pulled up in the scrappy yard and squeezed her hand. “Ready?”
    “Absolutely.”
    Neil opened the boot while Mara followed the white-stone path to the front door. She took the bronze key out of her pocket and fit it into the lock. The metal scraped, and when the door opened inwards, Mara felt