Strangers at the Gate
A short story by Dennis Stallard of Penygraig, Rhondda.
Why didn’t anybody visit Stangeway Manor? Why did the local people not go anywhere near it? Was there any truth about the house being haunted?
Our story begins one warm summer evening on the coast of Cornwall near St. Ives.
Jill Bradshaw and Steven Long were on a cycling holiday in Cornwall and as it was getting late they decided to see if they could find somewhere to stay for the night.
The sun was beginning to set and the sunset was breathtaking.
The two were riding along the cliff road not far from St.Ives.
In the distance they could see a large house which stood on the cliff over looking the bay. It seemed quite sinister but also looked so grand standing there in the sunset.
Steven said “Why don’t we go and see if that house on the cliff is a hotel and if they have any rooms for the night.”
As they approached they could see that there were two large iron gates, beyond this was a drive which lead up to the house. The couple stopped and Steven went to try to open the gates.
They were locked and as he looked up the drive through the metal gates he could see a light come on in a downstairs room in the house.
“Well,” said Steven “someone must be living there as the light just came on in the room.”
“I don’t like the look of this place.” Jill said “I’m a little scared.”
“Don’t be so silly, it’s only an old house and as it is getting dark you are letting your imagination run away with you.”
Just to the right hand side of the gate was a pull chain, “I’m going to give this a pull and see what happens.”
Steven caught hold of the large ring at the bottom of the chain and pulled down really hard. As he did so the gates swung open.
Jill didn’t want to go inside but Steven said “It must be ok as the gates opened when I pulled the chain.”
The two entered the driveway and started pushing their bikes up the gradient towards the large old house.
Jill said “I’m scared Steven.”
“Oh don’t be such a cry baby.” he replied.
As they came in front of the house the big front door opened with a creak and there standing inside was a man who came out and spoke to them.
“What do you want at this time of day here?”
“Well we have been riding all day and thought we might be able to get some rooms for the night.”
“You want to stay here?”
“Yes please” said Steven “if it is alright and you have two single rooms.”
“Please come inside.” the old man said. “I will go and see if we can accommodate you for the night.”
As they followed the old man inside the house, Jill felt terribly scared and caught hold of Steven.
“If you would be so kind as to wait a few moments I will be right back” said the old man.
He disappeared into a room and Jill and Steven were left alone in the large hallway.
In front of them was a long staircase which went up and then split off on both sides.
All could be heard was the loud ticking of a big grandfather clock standing in the hallway.
Eventually the old man returned,
“I have asked the Mistress if it would be alright for you both to stay the night, she said it would be lovely to have some company as not many people stayed here at Strangeway Manor anymore. I will show you to your rooms then.” said the old man.
“Do we have adjoining rooms please?” asked Steven.
“Yes if you so wish. I will put the two of you in the East Wing which overlooks the bay, such lovely views from there.”
They followed the old man up the stairs and turned to the right as they got to the top.
When they were walking down the passageway the old man said “Supper is at 7 30. The Mistress will look forward to you joining her.”
Steven was shown into the first room and Jill was shown next door.
The rooms were large and not very well lit, there was a large double bed in each room and as the old man had said, a lovely view overlooking the bay from the window.
Steven waited for a few minutes and when he thought it was quiet he came out of his room and knocked on Jill’s door.
She opened it immediately, “Steven I’m so scarred something doesn’t feel right here.”
“It’s only your imagination as the house is old and no one else here, only us and the old man and his mistress.” said Steven.
“It is nearly 7 30pm we had better go down stairs for our meal and meet the mistress of the house.”
As the two of them came down the stairs a large gong vibrated the whole house. The old man came from no where and said “Supper is Served.”
Jill and Steven were shown into a large room on the right of the stairs. As they entered they could see an old lady sitting at one end of a long table.
She beckoned them to join her and sit one on each side of her at the bottom end of the table.
As they sat down she introduced herself saying “I am Mrs Danvers, I am the housekeeper of Strangeway Manor and have been so for over 40yrs.
The old man who met you is my husband Giles, we have both lived here for nearly sixty years.
Please enjoy your meal, and I hope you will have a comfortable night staying here at Strangeway.
We do not have many people staying here anymore as there are some strange stories in the area about the Manor.
It is not that I want to frighten you but I can tell you some are true and some are not.”
“What do you mean?” asked Jill.
“Well my dear, the owners of the Manor died some years ago under strange circumstances and since that time people living locally have turned against us and spread rumors.
Don’t let this worry you as you are most welcome here at Strangeways.”
“How do you mean ‘strange circumstances’?” Steven asked.
“Well it was a stormy night and the Master had gone to St Ives by boat and instead of staying the night decided to return to be with my Mistress.
Unluckily his boat capsized in the storm and he was never found again.
My Mistress was distraught, she would wander along the cliffs and down on the sea shore looking for him and calling out his name.
Some people said she was insane, but she was so full of grief that she just couldn’t live without her husband and one night she went to the edge of the cliff and threw herself off.
They never found her body either.
The story goes that on stormy nights they can be seen walking along the cliffs hand in hand, and then they disappear over the cliffs together.”
“That is very scary.” Jill said. “Do you believe it Mrs Danvers?”
“I can tell you one thing young lady, that on stormy nights I never venture outside onto the cliff, but I have seen two figures walking along them in the storm and then they disappear.”
“Well Mrs Danvers, that was a delightful meal and if you don’t mind we will have an early night as we have to go a long way tomorrow.”
The two young people excused themselves and left the room and started upstairs to their rooms - as they reached the landing there was a flash of lightening and a crash of thunder. A storm was starting.
Jill grabbed Steven’s arm and they both headed for their rooms, Steven took Jill to her room then went next door.
Jill was so scarred she didn’t even get undressed but just jumped onto the bed and pulled the clothes up over her head.
Suddenly she heard a noise that made her jump, it was a knock on her door.
“Who is it?” she called.
“It’s me Steven, let me in for a moment Jill.”
She ran to the door and opened it. Steven told her that he had been looking out the window at the storm and said he saw two figures walking across the cliff top.
“That’s ridiculous!” she said “It’s only superstition.”
“Come and have a look.” he said.
The two of them went to the window in Jill’s room and there on the cliff, in the flash of lightening, they could see two figures walking in the storm across the top of the cliffs.
Jill said “I am not sleeping here on my own, I am coming in with you.”
“Wait, I’ll go and have another look.” said Steven. He went to the window and there was nothing - only the light from a flash of lightening and a roll of thunder.
The next morning they both awoke and came downstairs but there was no one around.
They called “Giles!” “Mrs Danvers!”
No answer, the house seemed empty.
They opened the front door and their bikes were on the path against the front of the house from the night before.
They got on their bikes and started to cycle down the drive and out through the big iron gates, as they did so, the gates just shut behind them of their own accord.
When they reached St. Ives, they stopped at the local Post Office to send off some postcards to their friends. On News Board outside was a sign which said “Couple found at the bottom of the cliff near Strangeways Manor.”
Steven and Jill just looked at each other in disbelief. Was it Giles and Mrs Danvers?
They didn’t know what to do, whether to inform the police or say nothing and just leave as they might have been implicated in all of it.
They decided to just say nothing and get away from there as far as possible.
Later that day, when they arrived at St Austel, they were watching the television in a bar and on the local news came a report about the couple found at the bottom of the cliff near Strangeways Manor.
It was Mr and Mrs Danvers, the housekeepers who went missing two months before and had been lodged in an underwater cave under the cliffs below the Manor.
Then who were the old man and lady who entertained Jill and Steven the night before at the Manor?
Was it their ghosts who told them the story - so that they could be found and put to rest together again?
That is for you to decide yourself.
.........................The End