Book Title: RIDDLE OF SPIRIT AND BONE
Characters’ Names: Lydia Strong and Jane Woodfield - cousins
Interviewer: I only expected to see one young lady today, but I see two before me. There is no need for you both to stay.
Lydia: Actually, there is. If Jane’s report is the only one you hear, you will miss some important details about our last few months. Truly, 1851 will be a banner year for me, even if my cousin disagrees.
Alright, if you prefer a joint interview, please take a seat. Miss Woodfield, I’ll pose my first question to you. How would you describe your family or your childhood?
Jane: Mostly happy in an ordinary sort of way, until misfortune struck us both. Lydia and I suffered the double misfortunes of losing our fathers, along with their meager resources, about two years ago. And then just ten months later our mothers died, both victims of the same grave illness. Fortunately, our Aunt Madeleine, our mothers’ sister, came to our rescue. She and her husband kindly opened their home to us.
And that is where you are now living, with your aunt?
Jane: No. Unfortunately, our uncle also died very recently, and our former residence is now occupied by his sons from his first marriage and their families. Our aunt decided it was best to leave and to seek a new home elsewhere. At the moment we are in transit; life is rather unstable.
Lydia: That’s right. You can consider us nomads for the time being. Momentarily rootless. But we are not disturbed by this prospect, as our travels have proven most interesting. Perhaps especially for me. You see, I -
We will get to those interesting travels momentarily, Miss Strong. But let me get to know you both a bit first. Jane, what do you consider your greatest talent?
Jane: I love to draw and to paint. I have recently learned to use a camera obscura, which is a great aid to the eye. It helps me observe the world and capture its appearance on paper or even cloth.
Lydia: And admit it, you also like to look on and scrutinize everything around you.
Jane, laughing: True. Painting does give one an excuse for close observation of others without appearing very rude. But looking closely is not merely prying; it is gathering details that otherwise might be overlooked.
And you, Lydia, are you artistically inclined as well?
Lydia: No. Paper and paint do not appeal to me, nor does the pianoforte, even though both talents are approved for young ladies. My own art is less tangible. In fact, I have discovered my talent only recently.
Interviewer: And? Do go on. I can see from your smile that there must be a story here.
Jane: Please forgive my cousin’s dramatic pause. Sometimes the subject turns her head. In the course of our travels, Lydia has discovered that she is a medium. Do you know the term? It means that she is able to communicate with the dead. But do speak for yourself, Lydia. As you noted, my report on your activities is not likely to be accurate.
Lydia: Please note my cousin’s skeptical tone. Unfortunately, she has not opened her mind to the possibilities that lie beyond the material world. And although she attends many séances with me at which the voices of the deceased have been heard, she refuses to admit that she sees or hears anything from beyond the grave.
Voices? Really? You have heard from the dead?
Lydia: Most definitely.
Jane: I have not been so visited, alas.
What is it like to communicate with the dead? Would you please elaborate, Lydia?
Lydia: It’s hard to describe. At first, I feel at rest and quite relaxed. Then when a spirit grows nigh, there is a tightening in the air. And before long, it is as though I am no longer quite present but have made way for someone else. Afterwards, sometimes I remember the event poorly, but others present at our gatherings confirm that spirits visited. Now Janie, don’t scowl like that. You know it is true. Even you have had a glimpse of the Other Side, for recall when your hand moved and produced that drawing?
Jane: I’m quite sure that I was just dropping off to sleep and my hand simply jerked.
Lydia: You see? She refuses to credit her own experience.
I was going to inquire about what you consider your greatest achievements, and also your greatest personal failings. I gather, Lydia, that mediumship counts as a great achievement for you. Am I correct?
Lydia: It is a gift. I take no credit for achieving anything.
Well, Jane, do you consider your lack of affinity with the spirits to be a failing?
Jane: Sometimes I do.
Care to elaborate?
Jane: No. It is simply that what appears to others does not appear to me.
Lydia, taking Jane’s hand: Please don’t be downcast. You just need to be patient and open-minded. (Jane smiles sadly but says nothing.)
Here is a question on a very different subject. Do you have any enemies?
Lydia: None.
Jane: Yes.
Interviewer: I now insert “awkward pause” into my notes. Would one of you care to explain? I see. You remain silent. Perhaps this subject is best passed over. So, moving on—what do you do for a living? Oh, never mind. I shouldn’t have asked, as of course, well-bred young ladies have no need for payment for their talents.
Jane: On the contrary, I would like to answer that question, for even a well-bred young lady may find herself in need of independent funds from time to time, as it is risky to assume that one will always be provided for. Myself, I ply my brush and for a fee can produce a fair likeness of persons. Both my portraits and my still life pictures have earned me a bit of money.
Lydia: Communication with the Other Side is its own reward. Indeed, it is my greatest source of joy; and my greatest disappointment is that my dear cousin cannot join me in those experiences.
What keeps you awake at night? Is this a difficult question? Both of you have again fallen silent.
Lydia: Actually, despite all we have said that contradicts each other, and despite the disagreements that divide us, there is one thing we both care about deeply. And yes, I suppose it also keeps us up at night. We both seek the Truth.
Jane: Lydia is correct that we remain steadfast friends. And each of us deeply values honesty over lie, accuracy over approximation, truth over falsehood. Although we do not agree about where our beliefs should be safely placed, we are equally committed to discovering the answer.
What is the most pressing problem you have at the moment? The cousins look at each other, frown, then burst out laughing, exclaiming together:
Lydia: “Jane!”
Jane: “Lydia!”
In contemporary Buffalo, Dan's world is upended when he unearths a young woman's skeleton while replacing the gas main in a city neighborhood. Using the meager clues available, he and his archaeologist friends embark on a quest to piece together the mystery of her death. In 1851, the newly widowed Madeleine Talmadge and her orphaned nieces, Jane and Lydia, seek the aid of a cunning spiritualist, Alexander Dodge Lewis. Lewis leads them on a perilous journey from one sé ance to the next, attempting to summon the spirit of Madeleine' s late husband and promoting Lydia's latent abilities as a medium. Jane, suspicious of his motives and fearful of his influence, seeks to disentangle her aunt and cousin from Lewis' s beguiling sphere— with dire consequences. As the past collides with the present, layers of time peel back to reveal long-buried secrets of loss, love, and murder. Alongside its riveting plot, Riddle of Spirit and Bone offers subtle rumination on what can be observed, what can be known, and what can be trusted.
Historical | Mystery [Regal House Publishing, On Sale: February 4, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9781646035403 / eISBN: 9781646035496]
Carolyn Korsmeyer is a philosopher turned fiction writer who has published three novels and co-edited a collection of short stories. She lives in Buffalo, where half of her dual-timeline mystery, Riddle of Spirit and Bone, takes place.
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