This House is Haunted Trivia Quiz

Answer: Charles Dickens

Over breakfast, Eliza Caine and her father read the newspaper and discovered that Charles Dickens planned to hold a reading in London. Despite her father's poor health, Eliza decided to let him go along, feeling that it would be good for him to get out and enjoy himself.

They arrived in the rain and, despite Eliza's protests, stayed the entirety of the dramatic reading (from his yet-to-be-published ghost story, 'The Signal-Man'. When she turned to her father at the end of the tale, Eliza saw that he was dreadfully pale, perspiring, and coughing into a bloody handkerchief.

The next morning, he took a turn for the worse and passed away.

Answer: Norfolk

After her father's passing, Eliza was only afforded minimal time for grief. Shortly after the funeral, she was surprised when she was forced to leave her house; her father had been renting the location without her knowing, supporting them alone. The evening she learned this, she read an article in 'The Morning Post' about a governess position at Gaudlin Hall advertized by an H Bennet. On an impulse, she quit her teaching job to pursue her new venture.

Taking the train out of Liverpool she rode into the dense fogs of Norfolk, getting stuck on the train platform, unable to see her way out of the station. During this time she walked into a woman (coincidentally with the initials HB) and nearly fell onto the tracks in front of an oncoming train, feeling as though she'd been pushed. She was saved by a Mr. Alex Toxley, who'd been nearby with his wife, Madge. Shortly after this meeting, she was picked up by the gruff caretaker, Heckling.

On the way to Gaudlin Hall, Eliza learned very little of her arrangement. Evidently, the estate was being cared for by a lawyer, Mr. Raisin, who lived in town. H Bennet was not the owner, but the former governess who both advertized the job and, as it seemed, got on the train after Eliza's arrival; she bumped into her at the station unknowingly. There would be no master awaiting her at Gaudlin Hall.

Answer: Isabella

When Eliza arrived at Gaudlin Hall she was not met by the owners per se, but two small children, Isabella and Eustace, a brother and sister. Discussing matters with them, she discovered that the financial side of the estate was cared for by a Mr. Raisin in town, and the only two other people to visit were Heckling and the cook, Mrs. Livermore, who also lived in town. Through all of this, the kids seemed a bit too intellectual. When she headed to bed, Eliza thought that she may have been touched by a spirit, but she calmed down and fell asleep.

The next morning, despite the events the night before, Eliza awoke refreshed. Heading down for breakfast, she just missed someone who must've been Mrs. Livermore heading out the back door, but she seemed to have disappeared around a corner. Heading back inside, she was surprised by Eustace, who showed her to a seemingly inedible breakfast made by Isabella. When Eliza noted that she didn't have an appetite, Isabella rebutted with the comment that she didn't know how governesses stayed alive....something that Eustace was bothered by. Leaving the children to themselves, Eliza decided to ride into town to meet with Mr. Raisin.

Answer: Five

Eliza visited the offices of Mr. Raisin and found a very confusing visit awaited; she made her way in to a very short meeting, no longer than five minutes, before he ushered her out, only answering questions about her pay and avoiding the most pressing matters about the Westerleys. She headed back with little to console her and, when she arrived at the house, she was held back by an almost sentient wind. Perhaps something really was wrong at Gaudlin Hall.

She wouldn't receive her answer until heading to church the next Sunday. Meeting with and introducing herself to Reverend Deacons, she was informed that the previous five governesses to be employed at Gaudlin Manor had left...or rather, not...under odd circumstances. In fact, Ms. Bennet was the only one to leave alive. After inviting the Toxleys to tea, she rushed over to speak to Mr. Cratchett sternly about a meeting with Mr. Raisin to clear everything up.

Answer: Spain

After planning her meeting with Mr. Raisin, Eliza feels a little less worried, but things change quickly. Walking around outside one day, she looks up at her bedroom window to see a figure in her room. Believing it to be the kids, she goes inside to scold them, but discovers them playing in the main foyer. When she reaches the room, she's nearly pushed out her now-unlocked window by an unknown force then saved by another powerful, unseen push. Despite her horrible fear, she vows to see her problem through, if not for herself, then for the kids.

When she finally speaks to Mr. Raisin, only one question gets answered: Where are the Westerleys? As it turns out, James and Santina Westerley had an odd life at Gaudlin Hall. Santina, James' Spanish wife, was once a wonderful member of the community, but she went mad after the birth of their first child, Isabella, and descended further into madness after Eustace's birth, possibly because of the sexual attacks made on her by her father and uncle. Clearly unstable, she refused to allow anyone take care of her children, even their own father, and attacked several who tried, even going so far as to murder their first governess, Miss Tomlin, with a fire poker She was hanged for the murder shortly after. James Westerley, however, has been at Gaudlin Hall since Eliza arrived, a fact she never knew.

Answer: Mrs. Toxley

Eliza awakens early and finds a way to sneak up on and meet with the housekeeper, Mrs. Livermore, at 4:00am on Mr. Raisin's recommendation. What she discovers is that Mrs. Livermore is an almost classless woman, who reveals that she lives nearby and that there are, to Eliza's shock, secret doors in the house; there's one outside and another door in master bedroom leading to the top floor, splitting off to reach the roof and master's room. Finally, Mrs. Livermore reveals that she's actually a nurse taking care of Mr. Westerley, and he's not in a good state.

Following her meeting with Mr. Westerley, Eliza feels she has to cancel class for the day to recover. Considering the goings-on she also forgets her teatime with Mrs. Toxley, who arrives with a bundle of pear-cinnamon cakes. During a rather candid talk, Mrs. Toxley says that she and her husband were good friends with the Westerleys and were actually there on the night of the incident involving Santina and the first housekeeper. Eliza breaks the news to Mrs. Toxley that Mr. Westerley was gravely injured; he has no face to speak of and can't move, forced to remain in bed. This, of course, shocks her.

The conversation ends when Eustace and Isabella come inside, the former seeing an older man outside and hurting himself. When Eliza goes to pour some cold water for the wound she ends up hurting herself in the process. The taps now seem to run scalding hot water despite never having done so during her time in the mansion.

Answer: Great Yarmouth

Eliza's burns are treated over the course of a week by Mrs. Livermore and Dr. Toxley at which point she's able to remove the bandages, showing obvious scars. At this point, Eliza feels resolved to beat whatever seems to be against her.

To get away from the stuffiness of Gaudlin Hall, Eliza pledges to take the kids on a field trip, originally to Norwich but, on Isabella's recommendation, they go to the beaches of Great Yarmouth instead to enjoy the sand and sea. While there, Eliza asks Eustace about the old man from the week before, at which point he claims that the man cryptically said "she should leave here". Isabella swims while the other two are on shore and a barking dog, running across the sand, tries to separate Eliza and Eustace. The kids, however, are calmly able to shoo away the dog, somehow knowing it wasn't there to hurt them.

Before they leave Great Yarmouth, Isabella convinces Eliza to take them up to the church where, oddly, the kids are very interested in the cemetery. Their third governess, Ann Williams, was buried there.

That evening, Eliza asks Eustace once more about the old man and he says that the figure asked if the children liked their new governess, mainly because he would see that no harm came to her.

Answer: Shot

Eliza, heading out onto the grounds one day to get fresh air, runs into Heckling and asks about the possibility of an older man trespassing on the grounds of the estate but he says that none have done so under his watch; if they had he'd have shot at them. Mr. Raisin, meanwhile, finishes working in Mr. Heckling's cabin (on expenses) and starts to depart, but Eliza takes him aside, asking for a few moments of his time on his alleged half-day vacation. It's then that she asks about the former governesses, considering the position is one she inherited from four deceased women and one survivor. The first was attacked by Santina Westerley, of course, and the fifth left moments after Eliza arrived in the train station, but the second, third, and fourth were accidentally hanged in the yard, drowned in the bathtub, and trampled by horses in town, respectively.

The next day, Eliza heads to London and speaks directly to her predecessor, Ms. Bennett, and finds out what drove her to leave. Nonetheless, she's compelled to go back, if not because it's her only home, then because of the children. When she returns it's late, and surprisingly, Eustace is awake, speaking to someone in the dark. Eliza finds that he's speaking to the old man, though she can't see him, and she's told that he won't leave while she's still around.

Answer: Cinnamon

Eliza, seeking any help she can find, speaks to Reverend Deacons in the church about her dilemma but, as he is a staunchly religious man, will not discuss the possibility of a haunting in Gaudlin Hall, instead believing the incidents to be a result of her sensibility. She's asked to leave and, when she does, she heads directly to Mr. Raisin's to ask about the possibility of taking the children and their father to another location. Unfortunately, this is not feasible; she's stuck at the house while she is the governess.

Madge Toxley stops by that evening and Eliza feels pressed to discuss Santina's final day in prison, during which Madge visited and tried to talk sense into her old friend. Santina, fearing for her children, vowed, of course, that they would never be taken care of by anyone else. Madge, like the others, does not believe that the house is haunted. After she leaves, Eliza is attacked once again, but this time she's protected by another spirit who leaves the smell of cinnamon behind.

Answer: Eustace

After the incident in the main hall, Eliza decides to take action, writing a note to Mr. Raisin outlining her intent to travel away from Gaudlin Hall with the children and reading it out loud. She takes the letter to Heckling and insists on its delivery that night and, upon returning to the house, is almost killed by a falling gargoyle, pushed from the roof. She heads upstairs to pack the children's bags and is attacked by the ghost of Santina but, once again, is saved by a spirit that must be her father's. In the wake of this fight, much of the upper floor of Gaudlin Hall is wrecked; pictures fly from the walls, the carpet is torn, and the window in Eliza's room is pulled free of the house. In the ensuing battle, she races upstairs to Mr. Westerley's room where the damaged man, barely able to speak, begs her to kill him. She hesitates, but realizes that the link between Santina and the house will break if she complies. When she musters up the strength to do so, however, the structure starts to break away and she must retreat to the grounds outside.

Mr. Heckling returns with Mr. Raisin and the Toxleys just in time to find Eliza, bruised and battered outside. As the building starts to fall apart, Eliza rushes inside to save the children but is only able to retrieve Eustace; she finds Isabella from outside, walking into her father's room and falling upon the bed as the house gives away, killing them both. When this happens, the spirit of Santina Westerley is destroyed.

Over the coming days and after the funeral ceremonies, Eliza decides to return to London to take her old job back. With her she brings Eustace and acts as his guardian instead of his governess. All becomes right again for Eliza until one night in December, she hears noises from Eustace's room and a single name in the darkness: Isabella.