-Ivy-

I put my hand below my neck as I take in the beautiful view. But I somehow know I'm not alone. Slowly, I turn, then a smile graces my face. The man I love is walking toward me, wearing a dark-gray vest, black pants and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His eyes are glistening. I notice he's holding something with a small chain.

He approaches me, "Ivy, my love."
I happily wrap my arms around his neck, looking from his lips to his eyes. He glances down at mine, then gestures me to turn around. I playfully do as told.

"Keep your eyes closed." He says. I giggle as I feel him gently put the warm chain around my neck. "Now," he grabs my hand, turns me back around and looks down at the necklace. I take it in my fingers to see the pendant, then I gasp. It's my favorite color; blue sapphire! He snickers and lifts my chin up with a finger, "How ravishing you look." His accent is so heavy. I love it. My lips part as I gaze into his eyes. He leans in and presses his lips to my neck, above the necklace. My heart skips a beat. As he embraces me, I grab and squeeze his shirt.

My eyes fly open as I feel my stomach leap and my heart about to jump out of my chest. I hear my door quickly shut along with faint male whispers in the hall. They sound aggravated. I don't remember seeing any other man besides Walter and that didn't sound like him. Automatically, I assume it's either a ghost, or perhaps...maybe it's Mr. Francis? Why in the world would that be though? It doesn't seem right at all. I blink oddly at the thought as I rub my neck and try to calm down. What is going on? I reach for the covers and see they're nearly about to fall off the end of the bed. "What the-?" I hope this weird stuff happening to me isn't some kind of supernatural stuff. Turning my head toward the windows, I see the sun is already up. The clock says it's 8am. It feels like I just went to sleep.

All through last night, I heard female whispers and banging in the walls and in the hall. I know they were in the walls; I put my ear to the one behind the bed. It sent shivers up and down my spine and made me go into a cold sweat. I felt so cornered and defenseless.

I called the maids' quarters twice in regards to the strange occurrences but both times one of the maids told me no one was up here except Gina and I, which completely threw me off. I know Gina wouldn't do anything like that. She'd have to be nuts first. So I accepted, and luckily by 4am, things started to calm down. They were at their worse between 2:30 and 3. I laid there curled up in a little ball with the blankets over my head. That's when I finally shut my eyes long enough to fall asleep.

There are a couple knocks on the door.
I pull the blankets up close and lie back down, "Yes?"

It opens and there's Christine, holding some towels and a washcloth.
"Sleep well?" She asks.

"Yeah..." Not really. I'm tired and freaked out.
"I brought you some fresh towels." She stands there watching me with a kind of passive concern for a few seconds, then gives me a nod and walks over to the bathroom, "I'll just put these in here for you."
"Thanks."

I sigh and look straight up at the bed canopy. That sure was a long night. If only I could just go back to sleep...

She comes back out and asks me, "Would you like some coffee?" I look at her. Boy that sounds great right about now.
"Yes please!"

She smiles, "I'll be back."
I glance at the window again and stare out at the trees. The weather is nice. It reminds me of what I just dreamt of. What a wonderful dream that was...

"Hmm..." For a few minutes, I lay here like this, lost in my thoughts, then I get up and put my robe on. At the same time, I hear Christine come to the door again, but she's not alone. I think I hear Gina talking to her.

I go to the door and answer it after Christine's first knock. There I see Christine with a coffee cart and Gina is behind her, dressed and ready to go. I feel sloppy because I'm the only one who isn't dressed. I'm pretty happy to see her though–it's a real relief she's here.

Smiling a little, I step aside. As Christine leads her in, she says, "Good morning Ivy. Wow, what a room!" I suddenly lose the smile.
Yeah... what a room.

Christine pushes the cart over to the table near the window and then turns to us, "Enjoy your coffee. There are some croissants on the side." She goes out with a friendly smile. After watching her shut the door, Gina shoots me an ecstatic smile. I take a deep breath, trying to do the same...but I can't. She and I step up to the cart, take some croissants, then sit at the table and start drinking our coffee.

"Well, how was your night?" she asks.
"It was..." No, I don't want to tell the truth. She'll think I'm crazy.

"It was...?" She's looking at me expectantly. I keep my eyes on the table. What would I lose if I told her the truth though? Nothing–but maybe a friend. However, I think I'm forgetting she's a very outgoing, open-minded woman. I put my croissant down and meet her gaze, "It was interesting."

She leans back a little, slightly confused.
I say, "All last night, I heard a woman or a few women whispering and some banging in the walls and in the hall. To be sure of what I was experiencing, I put my ear to the one behind the bed. It scared the shit out of me; made me go into a cold sweat. I felt so cornered and defenseless. I called the maids' quarters twice about this strange stuff happening but both times the maid in there told me no one was up here except you and I, which really unsettled me. I didn't want to seem childish. Instead, I just sat here, and luckily by 4am, everything calmed down. They were most active between 2:30 and 3. I laid here curled up in a little ball with the blankets over my head. Finally after a while, I shut my eyes long enough to fall asleep."

Now she's staring at me in a most bewildered way.
After a couple seconds, I suddenly smile, "You think I'm crazy don't you?"
Still, she stares at me.

"Yeah..." I look down at the napkins beside my coffee, "I expected that reaction."
"Um, no! I don't think you're crazy... It's just–I didn't experience any of that. I mean, I fell asleep right away and didn't hear a thing."

I search her face warily.
"What?" she says.

"I was right... The noises only happened around the Windsor room and nowhere else. I didn't want to think that at first but it–it's true." I sigh and take a sip of my coffee, which by the way is definitely nothing like Lounge n' sip's coffee...

"Well don't worry," she says, "we'll be getting out of here real soon. The weather is nice now." One side of my mouth slightly quirks up in a relieved, agreeing way. She finishes her croissant, hurries the last few sips of her coffee and stands up from her chair, "I'll be waiting in the grand room, alright?"
"Ok. I'll be there soon."

As she goes out the door, I look around the room cautiously. It feels like I'm still not alone. No, I'm not going to tolerate any more scary occurrences. This room has done enough for me. I finish my croissant, grab my clothes and decide to dress in the bathroom and also wash my face. I come out to see a woman walking across the room to the window. She has dark hair and is dressed like it's the 1940's. I gasp, eyes widening a little. She slowly looks at me and disappears. Oh hell! I blink quickly, then rush over to the window and look out. I see an older man down below with a shovel, wearing overalls and an old tattered coat. He is wearing an unusually large hat. I watch him lean the shovel up against the fountain and take his hat off to fan himself. He's looking at something off to his left. What could it be? My eyes zip over in that direction. There's a dirt path that leads behind the castle I think, then I see a wooden wheelbarrow filled with dirt and flowers. I don't think that lady was trying to show me anything, but who is she and why is she here? No, I really don't have time to concern myself with that.

I start looking for my journal. I check everywhere in the room, even the bathroom, then a different sort of concern begins to overwhelm me. I can't find it anywhere! If it isn't in here, maybe Walter or the maids know something.

I check myself in the mirror and give the room a last look before leaving. Just as I'm heading down the hall, I feel a gush of cold wind blow past me. A sudden feeling of anxiety, anger, hunger and great sorrow fills me. It's so bad I lose my breath and feel like breaking down on the spot. "Oh my god..." What happened here? Man, I really need to leave this place!

I start walking again until I get to the stairs and see Walter at the bottom talking to 6 maids standing in a row at attention. I wonder what's going on down there...

I slowly go down the stairs, and as I do, the first maid on my left looks up at me and then to Walter. She clears her throat and looks back to me.

Walter turns around and says, "Good morning Miss Summers."
I look at the maids, "Good morning."

Walter looks at them and says, "Ladies...please introduce yourselves."
The first to speak is Christine. "Good Morning Miss Ivy, we met last evening." I nod to her and then Maria speaks up. "Good Morning. We also met last evening." She smiles warmly while raising a brow.
"Yes, I remember..." I mutter.

Then Pamela; a petite red-head about 25 with high cheekbones, blue eyes and round-rimmed glasses. Next is Angel; a taller, slender woman about 35 with brown hair and brown eyes. She looks Italian. Then Lucy–she seems all-business and has a stare that's a little unnerving. But when she speaks, it's pleasing to the ears. A high-pitched tone from a large woman. She is about 30, has black hair and blue eyes. And lastly...Beatrice...whom seems to be happy no matter what. She has a small frame and a big smile with perfect teeth. Green eyes and red hair. She's about 21 or 22, I'd guess. When they finish, Walter dismisses them and they go in different directions. We're alone now.

"Sleep well?" he asks.
"Yeah...thanks." I look down and away while I collect my thoughts, "I have a question."
"Yes madam?"

"I had a journal with me when I came here, but now I can't find it... I left it on the nightstand in the room you put me in, but now it's gone. I checked everywhere possible for it. It has star stickers all over the front cover." I tell him, voice getting stern by the last two sentences. He raises an eyebrow and says, "Indeed... Well, Miss Summers, I will see if I can have it located right away."

I sigh gratefully, "Thank you so much," Looking up the stairs, I see Gina watching us curiously. I motion for her to come down.

When she reaches us, she gives me a hug and then starts talking to Walter.
"Good morning Walter, may I ask you a question?"

"Yes Ms. Lewis?"
"Will we be able to meet Mr. Francis?"

"He is out at the moment and won't be back for a few hours..." He says.
I frown slightly.

"Oh..." Gina shakes her head and looks at me. "Well I can't stay much longer; I have things to do."
"I understand." He agrees.

She gives me a questioning expression. I look from her to him, then get the feeling of something warm shooting up my spine. It feels internal. It doesn't freak me out either; rather, I stand quietly with a preoccupied stare. I was going to leave, but now I really want to stick around. No, not 'want'–I need to stay a little longer. Something is changing my mind... I don't know what it is. No, I won't leave yet. I've just formed a plan.

"Ivy...?" Gina says.
I blink finally and say to them with a small smile, "Well, if it's okay, I'd like to meet him."

She looks up through her eyelashes at me, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah." And then I face him. He inhales deeply as he stiffens; giving me the impression he really wants us to leave. But then–he smiles in a kind way and says, "I have no instructions from Mr. Francis concerning your departure... Very well then." I watch him for a minute.

"Well what about the boat? You know I don't know how to operate it." Gina quietly asks me. Now I can explain my plan. But before I speak, Walter says, "I think I know what you want to do. Our boatman's name is Leonardo. He and his sister Esmeralda are in the boathouse at the moment. They can assist you in moving your boat. Now that Ms. Summers wants to stay a bit longer, he may have to tow it." he looks at me, "Do forgive me for not mentioning it sooner but, I had Leonardo put your boat in our boathouse to save it from the weather."

I'm amazed. "Thanks... When did this happen?" I ask.
"Last night, after you decided to stay." he says.
"Oh... But how did you know where the boat was?"
He smiles a little but doesn't answer the question.

"Would you like to do what I suggested?" He asks.
Without a second thought, I agree to it. After all, that was my plan. Gina is looking at me a little oddly–probably because I didn't ask her opinion on this.

"Well alright, I'm fine with that." She says.
"Okay... Gina, I'll give you the keys to the truck and my car."

As she accepts, Walter clears his throat, then says, "Very good, very good. One moment; I'll fetch your bag Miss Ivy." He goes into the foyer, gets my stuff out of one of the closets, then comes back and hands it to me. I fish around and find the keys and give them to Gina.

"So...I guess this means goodbye for now." She mutters while looking down at them. I slightly smile and hug her, "Stay safe, alright? When you take Eric's boat back, park it in his backyard. You can tell where it was when I got it. Please try to put it there. I didn't ask to borrow it. Oh, and keep the keys for now." She gives me the 'oh shit' look and says, "Yes, of course...will do."

Walter waves his hand out, "Let us be on our way then, shall we? Miss Summers, please wait here while I escort this young lady to Leonardo's boathouse. I will return shortly."

"Yes, ok." I kindly say. Gina collects her grocery bags, gives me a last wave and nod, and I smile calmly at her. Watching her go out the front doors sends many different thoughts through my head–mostly questions about why I had a sudden change of mind.

I find myself staring after her a little too long, so I go over to the sofa in front of the fireplace and sit down for a while. My eyes rise to the big portrait of the man posing like Washington. Who is he? Or perhaps...who was he? For a long time, I stare at him. That's the thing about these kinds of pictures; if you look at them long enough, you start to think whoever's in it is looking back at you. Freaky–just...freaky.

Suddenly, a breeze of cold air brushes over my neck. I immediately turn around with a shiver, rubbing my arms up and down and searching everywhere. There's nothing here.

"Corneliu..." A male voice sighs into my ear, having a heavy Romanian accent. I jump away from the sofa. Just then, a maid comes in. It's Pamela. She notices the look on my face and then looks around the room in a bit of confusion.

"Miss Ivy, are you alright?"
I only stare at her. She doesn't move.

Her nose goes down as she peers over her glasses. She expects an answer–but she never gets it. A few tense seconds go by before she nods and says, "Excuse me." She leaves the room in
silence.

I let out a huge sigh and look toward the doors. "Hurry up Walter."
Turning back to the portrait, I examine the man's face further. He doesn't exactly look like the average American from the 1800's or early 1900's–or if he's American at all. His nose, eyes and lips say some kind of European all the way. This may seem crazy but...was he the one that just blew on my neck or said that name in my ear? I shudder again.

One of the front doors opens. I quickly turn to see who it is. It's Walter! Finally!
I wait for him.

When he approaches me, he says, "Your friend is safely on her way back." Suddenly, my stomach growls.

He begins to smile, "Hungry?"
I briefly roll my eyes, "A little but I'm alright."

"Miss Ivy, I insist that you have something to eat. After all, you are here for a little while longer and it's time for breakfast, isn't it?" I look around the room for a few seconds and answer. "Yes, I believe it is." I snicker.

"Well then...right this way."
I follow him toward the stairs.

"The dining room is upstairs?" That's different...
"Yes. Mr. Vladoiu has two dining rooms."

"Wow... That's cool." I smile a bit as we head up and turn right.
"Yes...very cool." He does a very brief smile. I can't wait to eat!

-Gina-

As I stand back in Leonardo's amazing 2-story boathouse, watching him and his sister Esmeralda finish getting the boats ready, I stare at Mr. Vladoiu's boat. It's pretty big. It has a gray finish with a single red stripe on both sides and a shiny black bow. I'm usually not one for boats but this sure does look nice! Leonardo and his sister must have years of experience working with boats. They certainly seem to know exactly what they're doing.

I'm also wondering about the weird stare Ivy had when we were trying to make a decision in the grand room. It's almost like she forgot I was talking to her and she remembered something she was supposed to do. I hope everything is alright for her.

I look out the window at the tops of the castle. Yeah, it's really a beautiful place... It must have tons of history.

Leonardo rubs his hands together while looking over the boats, "Alright, we're ready to go–the J. Wagner ramp, right?"

"Yes sir." I say, then look from him to Esmeralda, who smiles a little at me, motioning me to get in Vladoiu's boat while she starts the other boat's engine. I board it and he starts his engines. He presses a remote control button on the boat dashboard to open the large metal doors, then we carefully start heading out.

It takes about a half an hour for us to get across. The wind is a little strong today, which means the cool air is harder to tolerate. I see in the distance there are hardly any boaters out today on the Sound. This is something I half expected.

"How far do we have to go?" I ask.
"About 3 miles. We'll be there in a few minutes."

Not bad. I'm a little relieved. I look back and see Esmeralda is close behind and keeping up. She waves at me. She seems to be a happy woman.

During our trip, I hide my nose in my shirt and squint to the wind. He doesn't mind it much–he just puts up with it. After a little while, I feel the need to talk.

"So you work for Mr. Vladoiu?" I have to almost yell. He turns his head slightly, "Yeah. My sister does too. I've been working for him for 5 years and she has for 3."

"Do you two like it?"
"I sure do. It's a good living. Esmeralda loves it." His answer makes me smile.

"What about you?" He asks.
"I'm an RN–a registered nurse."

"Oh, that's handy."
"Yep, my dream job you know." I say with a small laugh.
"Well I'm happy for you!"

We slow down as we approach the ramp. Immediately, I look for the truck. Everything looks just how Ivy and I left it.
"That old white truck over there is what we used." I point at it and hand him the keys. He puts them in his pocket and nods as he pulls up to the dock. He shuts off the engines and says, "I'll be back." Quickly, he jumps across from the boat to the dock with a rope and ties the boat up.

"Keep the boat here." He says. I watch him walk away to the truck, then look back and see Esmeralda waiting for him to back the boat trailer into the water. As soon as he does, he jumps out of the truck and walks on the trailer. Esmeralda slowly drives Eric's boat close enough to it that Leonardo can attach the winch cable and pull the boat up onto it. I'm so glad they're here. I couldn't have done all this alone!

Leonardo drives the truck back up the ramp so Esmeralda can get out, then she helps him finish securing the boat to the trailer. He comes back to Vladoiu's boat and extends his hand to me. I take it and jump a little to the dock.

"Ok, you're good to go!" he says.
"Thanks guys," I gladly shake hands with both of them, "I owe you!"
Esmeralda waves it off, "Nah, it's alright."

"Haha...ok." I get in the truck and salute them both.
They head back to Vladoiu's boat and I start the engine.

Now I have to drop this off in Eric's backyard and use Ivy's car to get home.
"Okay...let's get this show on the road."

I carefully go on my way.