Joanna Gray and the Dancers at the Sabbat Ball (Part II)
an excerpt

The next morning was a school morning and Marie seemed unduly cheerful, considering. In fact, Joanna would have gone further; she was excited out of all proportion.

“So, what’s going on?” she asked.

“Hmm?” John asked, with typical midmorning eloquence.

“Marie is singing at the breakfast table; something must have happened, possibly something involving a fair.”

Marie rolled her eyes. “Savoir faire,” she chided merrily. “Oh, Jeanne ma chére; it is wonderful. At last a touch of real civilisation! Besides Madame Elizabeth’s most fabulous cuisine, naturelment,” she added quickly.

“Well remembered,” Joanna said with a smile. “But what is so wonderful?”

“Why don’t you open your letter and find out,” John suggested, pointing to an expensive envelope propped against the toast rack two places along. It was addressed to her in an artful, flowing script. Glancing around, Joanna noticed that a similar envelope, neatly eviscerated and only slightly marmaladed, lay beside John’s plate.

She leaned across and snagged the envelope, wiped her knife clean and slit the envelope open. It contained a single, folded sheet of stiff and costly paper with a customised watermark and headed by a heavily embossed crest.

Sir Christopher Marlin GC, Squire of Lampeter Cross,

requests the pleasure of the company of Miss Joanna Gray and guest at a ball to be held on the 1st of August, 1943.

Dress formal.
A buffet supper of two removes will be served.

RSVP

“I fail to see the cause of such excitement,” Joanna said.

"Joan,” John chided.

“Alright,” Joanna sighed. “I see why you’re so excited, Marie, although frankly this leaves me cold and when did the graverobbing Squire of Lampeter Cross get a GC?”

“Graverobbing?” Marie asked nervously.

John shrugged. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Um, what he got the GC for, I mean. He’s a very private man.”

“And a very wealthy one,” Marie added. “And tres chic, n’est pas?” She winked at Joanna as John flushed with jealousy.

“He’s sinister. And possibly Chinese.”

“Is that a bad thing?” John challenged.

“Of course it is; how can sinisterness be a good thing?”

“I meant being Chinese… Which he isn’t.”

“Not in and of itself; not unless it goes hand-in-hand with sinisterness.”

“Is sinisterness even a word?” Marie asked doubtfully.

“Yes,” Joanna assured her. “So; sinister party?”

“Are you talking about the Squire or his Ball now?” John asked.

“Yes.”

John flicked a good-natured mushroom at his cousin. “You’re a trial, Joanna Gray.”

“Thank you, John; you say the sweetest things.”

“You noticed as well?” Marie asked.

“What do you think?” John asked again. “Should we go?”

“But of course we should go!” Marie squealed. “’Ow can you think otherwise? This must surely be the event of the season.”

“Does Lampeter St Agnes have a season?” Joanna mused.

“If it does, this is the event of it and then some,” John said supportively. “The Squire hasn’t invited anyone but business associates and the Reverend Lancaster to the Grange since…”

“Since what?” Joanna asked.

“Since his wife… disappeared.”

Joanna was suddenly very interested. “Disappeared you say?”

John nodded thoughtfully. “It was… four years ago? Darling could say more accurately. They went out together one night and she never came back. There was… Oh, something else was going on at the time; I can’t remember what. Anyway, with one thing and another, no-one noticed for several days. All he’d say was that she was gone and never coming back. He seemed absolutely devastated by the loss, but no-one ever actually sees him crying. He just… doesn’t smile much any more.”

“’Ow… enigmatic,” Marie mused.

“Enigmatic?” Joanna exploded. “It’s downright fishy!”

“You ‘ave such a way with words, Joan.”

“Well, we must look into this. Never mind your caution, John; we must accept these invitations!”