Ready for any case
So this year’s theme is “mysteries” in honor of Agatha Christie’s novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles turning 100 years old. To really have this theme be present I decided to review a mystery every month…somehow and ideally connecting it to Jane Austen.
Mystery, you say?
In January, I wasn’t sure what to do when I received a goblin in my mailbox.
It turned out to be a a mysterious package from The Mysterious Package Company.
Ah, mysterious
So the last package seemed to be saying that there is something wrong with 27 East Heath Road
Haunted house!
The architect, Henry Griggs, had been going crazy trying to finish building the house, after his wife died-using all his money. He even felt as if something was there making him continue, something altering his plans, something controlling him.
The house was almost complete, but Griggs has descended into some kind of madness.
“The madness in the walls must not escape…I fear I shall be gone altogether…I fear harm may come to her [Lizzy] if she is not sent to safety.”
He ends up putting his daughter in an orphanage and Griggs disappears, presumed dead.
Or is it?!
This package contained a lot of items and goes on a bit:
- 1 Deed
- 1 Letter from Dr. Jack S. Aigner
- 4 Small Memorandum/ Doctor’s notes from Dr. William Elliot
- Arsenic Druggist Note
- A Page from Baldwin’s Physician’s Guide
- 1 Large Memorandum/ Doctor’s notes from Dr. William Elliot
- Dr. Elliott’s Tincture Receipt
- 1 Poster for The Great Goodyear
- 1 Great Goodyear flip book that showcases two of his illusions
- Garden Diary of Héléne Ashworth
- Elise Face Cosmetiques Label
- Newspaper Clipping
- A page from Charles Dickens’ The Chimes
So first of all, I saw Dr. Walter Elliott on the letters:
And as a Jane Austen fan my mind went:
This is 1888, I am going to believe this is Mr. Elliot’s great or great-great grandson, named after Sir Walter. I mean I don’t know if he married Mrs. Clay, but I do know that eventually he would have to secure his family line and inheritance.
So Dr. Walter Elliot, descendent of Mr. Elliot, has purchased 27 East Heath Road and everything inside the building for £420 sterling. I think he will regret this…
So Dr. Elliot has a conservatory and grows herbs but according to his former instructor Dr. Jack S. Aigner, Dr. Elliot is sensitive, insecure of whether or not he is a good doctor, creates different tonics and medicines; AND medicates/tests himself. Uh, oh. Oh no, that does not sound good.
Dr. Aiger mentions the room he is using to treat patients and that it holds a mirror, but it is placed strange on the wrong wall. It should be behind the patient, not in front, but it will be good if he wants to try self-hypnosis. There is a young girl he is trying to help that is an interesting case. Hmm…could it be Elizabeth Griggs?
Then we have Dr. Elliot’s notes on the patient, although not all of them. He mysteriously chose to remove the notes in his patient from September 1889-October 1891, us picking it up in October 1891.
His patient is interesting…she wants to be in the room alone and when he stepped out as she said she heard footfalls in hallway, she moved the flowers in the office, why?
She likes the tincture he gave her, which pleases him as he is really getting the use out of his conservatory.
The next notes are from February 1889, and we are given that the name is on Beth Siggers 15 years old. The DOB is inked out, but we know it is 1874. Could this be Elizabeth Griggs? Just her name changed so the Doctor doesn’t connect it to the architect if the house?
Hmm…
Beth comes to see Dr. Elliot because she is suffering headaches and shortness of breath, but when she came in she would not sit, instead touching and knocking into everything-walls, tables, the mirror, etc. Searching…but for what? He thinks she faked the illness but why? He gives her some tincture and she leaves.
Weird…
March 1889
Beth continues to return to the Doctor’s office, but every time she has a different ailment. Obviously she is suffering from a mental issue rather than a physical ones, but what and why?
She returns another time and says she left her bag behind, but when he finds her he sees she isn’t in the reception area but on the main staircase as she got “turned around”. Strange behavior, the doctor prescribes tonic.
Hmmm…
April 1889
She seems much better, although she is fixated on the mirror. The doctor looked at it and thought he saw a face in it, but that is just nonsense. He gives her 1/2 bottle of tonic.
She returns later complaining the tonic is too strong, and Dr. Elliot watered it down and 1/2 the dose-1/4 tonic. It’s strange, he notices the hallway door is ajar. That keeps happening every time Beth comes to his office.
Spooky…
May 1889
Beth returns, upset and acting strange: pulse elevated and pupils dilated. Dr. Elliot thinks it is just “spring fever” and gives previous mixture and dosage.
Hmm…strange
June 1889
Beth has been by again and Dr. Eliot thinks he saw a figure in the mirror, again. He has always hated the way the mirror was fixed in the wall. He searches, but there is nothing there. Dr. Elliot begins to worry that maybe the tincture he took and tested on himself might be giving him hallucinations.
July 1889
Dr. Elliot has decided to no longer see Beth. He tells her and later that evening he discovers she has hid in the parlour…weird why? She begs him to let her come back and he agrees for one more time.
NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!! Something is wrong with this girl-you need to get way from her.
January 1892
Dr. Elliot feels watched and puzzles over the patient. Maybe he should stop seeing her, nothing seems to be changing.
YES!!! STOP SEEING HER SOMETHING ISN’T RIGHT!! But of course he won’t listen. He will continue and things are going to go wrong.
February 1892
Things are getting worse. After Beth comes poking on walls, knocking here and there, looking in corners, seeing things that aren’t there, Dr. Elliot too starts to feel as if there are spirits, ghosts, or something in the house. He tries to talk himself out of it but wonders.
He continues his experiments and taking the tincture. Oh no Dr. Elliot, don’t test on yourself!
In another set of letters from February 1892 to Jack, Dr. Elliot mentions a page with ciphers from Baldwin’s Physcian’s Guide. The page is included with these lines underlined:
“…what can be gained from inclusive speculation on the subject?”
“…physiognomy is mere judgement, assumption, and, in some cases, coincidence.”
On the back is an image that looks out of the Grimm texts and has some strange ciphers on it.
In his letter he has figured out what two of the symbols mean, an E & R.
Meanwhile, Griggs’ daughter, Beth, continues to see the doctor and every visit something odd happens. The flowers espechially always seem to be moved.
Beth keeps talking about something she sees under hypnosis so Dr. Elliot decides to test it and takes extra tincture.
Don’t Do it!!! Stop!!!! NOOOOOOOOO!!!!
There is a receipt for his tincture and on the back it says:
“You’ve got the right bottle, doctor.” With a bunch of symbols.
DON’T DO IT!!!!!
Dr. Elliot gets some cramps but about 30 mins in, he sees a figure in the mirror, or looking to come out of the mirror…
He leans toward the mirror and the figure was gone. He searched the house for it and found the dispensary unlocked, even though he always locks it.
He decides to increase the dose and do it again, adding to his letter later-he does and it says:
“I see it! It comes…”
And that is the end of Dr. Elliot. I’m assuming he died. Poor guy, you shouldn’t have tested on yourself-you shouldn’t have delved into the unknown, espechially on your own.
You’re crazy!
Crazy, am I? We’ll see whether I’m crazy or not.
There is no more correspondence, we then switch to the second half of the package.
Time to get on the case!
The next item in the package is the garden diary of Héléne Ashworth.
June 1892
The house has been sold to the Great Goodyear, Claude Goodyear, and his muse, assistant, and wife Héléne Ashworth. The name sounds familiar, but I’m not sure why.
Where have I read or seen that name before?
Their friend, Lilibeth, let them know about 27 East Heath Road becoming available after the doctor died. It seems he accidentally took too much of his medicine, although some whisper it was a suicide.
Claude loves the room with the mirror in it, as it can help him to practice his tricks and Héléne loves having the conservatory as she is a gardener. She has taken inventory about the plants and discovered hemlock. Hemlock? Why would a doctor need that?
Strange…
Claude jokes about ghosts in the walls as the house does make noise, but Héléne is not afraid. She loves her new house.
Ghosts?
July 1893
Héléne’s garden is doing well except for the calla lilies and forget-me-nots she planted. Instead the hyacinth, lavender, and dragonwort are doing extremely well-even though she did not plant them. There is no way Claude did so where did they come from?
At 27 East Heath Road.
Héléne believes in the language of flowers and these ones that mysteriously appeared mean constancy, devotion, and twice twisted. Hmm…maybe it means something twice twisted in the house? Devoted to it?
Hmm…
Let’s see-hemlock was poisonous, are these too? Let me look…yes, hyacinth bulbs are poisonous and touching them causes skin irritation. So lavender is used in food and perfumes so it is okay to take, but it can cause constipation, headache, and skin irritation in some people. Dragonwort is used to stop bleeding. So again, doesn’t seem too bad.
Hmmm…
There are a lot of strange herbs Héléne doesn’t know growing as well. She also discovers two more letters of the cipher-M & Y.
Another entry:
Claude is doing extremely well and even gets to perform at the famous Egyptian Hall. Héléne is so excited to perform, but Claude wants her to quit now that they are married. Hmmm…
Meanwhile, Héléne feels watched in the house. She wants to mention it to her husband, but decides not to worry him before a big show. On a sad note all the Calla lilies died, just like their hopes for a baby.
May 1895
Héléne is no longer allowed to perform, Claude thinking that is what caused them to have a miscarriage. Try as she might the yellow hyacinth (jealousy) keeps growing, and Héléne is convinced there is a curse on this house-a curse keeping a cild from being born, her nice and kind flowers from growing, and the hyacinth strong.
Later entry:
Héléne finds more and more deadly plants-nightshade and monkshood. She also sees the gruesome figure from her nightmares. She tries to tell her husband but he doesn’t listen, saying the illusions have turned her head.
June 1895
Claude has refused two engagements and is very upset. He is convinced spies are coming into the halls and watching/copying his ideas. He continues to practice in the room with the mirror and won’t let anyone into it, not even Héléne.
Héléne is very hurt and upset as she and Claude grow farther and farther apart. Sometimes Héléne pus on the old costumes and performs in front of the plants-wishing she could still be on the stage.
Lilibet has grown worried about Héléne and has taken up spiritualism and becoming a very famous medium. Lilibet and Héléne have known each other since girlhood and Héléne decides to throw a get together and help Lilibet. I’m starting to think Lilibet is Elizabeth “Beth” Griggs. Maybe Héléne was in the orphanage? I’ll check. The records say she is, ah “…the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life” (A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) is Elizabeth Griggs.
And it is “…our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it.” (A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Mystery, you say?
September 1895
Liliibet otherwise known as Mrs. Alizbeta Divak has asked Hélene to join in. Helene has created the character Madame Solandra, wears black bombazine, and pale makeup that comes from the Elise makeup company. There is a label from Elise Cosmetiques and it has a message on the back:
“YOU THINK TO HIDE YOURSELF FROM ME?”
Followed by the ciphers.
Claude does not approve of spiritualism, Helene has to hide it from him.
November 1896
They held the seance but things did not go as planned, A real spirit came from the mirror shouting at them “interlopers! Be gone!”
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
When Héléne did the automatic writing it was if someone else was controlling her. Helene faints and when she awakens, it is Lilibet giving her smelling salts.
Oh no, the smelling salts were poisoned with the Doctor’s medicine.
Nooo
Lilibet preetends it didn’t happen, but Héléne knows it was real. She however feels very sick.
December 1896
Helene is still sick and supposed to be in bed, but has found a strange hidden doorway and secret hidden rooms in the house But is it real? She is fading in and out and unsure.
But no! She found it! She has found a secret door in the conservatory, as soon as she is stronger she will investigate it!
Time to get on the case!
January 1897
Helene’s passage is a strange one. She believes the phantom is walking the house and Claude has all but disappeared. Is there a spirit in her home? A man? Or is her husband gaslighting her?
Gaslight (1944)
And all her flowers were ripped up? Why would the phantom want to do that?Why put dirt on her hands after?
Claude is yelling and locking Helene in her room refusing Lilibet to come in. But she has found a way out. She will follow the wallpaper and escape that way…
That is the last entry in the journal.
This felt a lot like The Yellow Wallpaper, the short story where the lady goes mad and her husband locks her up (or did her husband lock her up and then she went mad?)
Hmmm…is there a phantom or just an evil husband?
Gaslight (1944)
Next we have a newspaper clipping “Murder at the Mad Magician’s Mansion”.
The wife of The Great Goodyear, Claude Goodyear, has been found dead in her home, found by her husband when he returned from performing.
Héléne’s face was frozen in terror and the inquest found that she had been poisoned-even though she was alone in the house and it was locked up tight. But by who? And how?
Of course authorities looked at the husband first, but it was impossible for him to slip away as he was performing and his every moment had witnesses.
Hmmm…
Her body was strangely found, it looked as if she was trying to crawl out of a small under-stairs cupboard with her face frozen, and hair turned white.
It appears Claude has lost his mind at his wife’s death. He warns people of a gruesome phantom moving in his house, warning people to stay far away.
After two incidents, one of him claiming a police constable to be a monster, he was relocated to the Broadmoor Asylum for the Criminally Insane.
Aw, that’s sad.
And last a page ripped out of Charles Dicken’s The Chimes with the following words underlined:
“Monsters uncouth and wild, arise in premature, imperfect resurrection; the several parts and shapes of different things are joined and mixed by chance..”
“Haunt and hunt him…”
“Bleak his slumbers…”
“he saw
thisWITH Goblin sight…”“…saw these creatures, not only among sleeping men but waking also…”
There are more marks of the secret language written in the margin.
Hmmm…
I have been working on decoding it, and I think I’ve figures out a few letters based on what they gave me and just common sense of filling in the blanks, but there are some I am just not sure of.
Hmm…
So I am getting a Phantom of the Opera vibe from this (I love The Phantom of the Opera)
So in the original story of The Phantom of the Opera, one of Erik’s (the phantom’s) many talents was architecture and he builds the opera house-creating his secret home and all the passages, using the mirror as a door to bring Christine to his lair.
I think Henry Griggs is alive! And living in the house he built, probably a secret passage in the mirror. I’m just not sure if he is killing people because he us possessed by something or because he thinks if he does he will have his house back. I’ll have to wait and see.
Hmmm…
A lot of stuff came in this package and I did my best to try and put it all in one picture:
For more from The Mysterious Package Company, go to A Goblin in My Mailbox
For more insane doctors, go to Mr. Hyde Versus the Werewolf: Dr. Jekyll Versus the Werewolf (1972)
For more Persuasion, go to The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)
For more mysteries, go to I Won the Cederberg Tea Giveaway + Book Club Picks: The Insanity of God
For more ghosts, go to North by Northanger (Or, the Shades of Pemberley)
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