Amelia B. Edwards and The Phantom Coach

Returning to that collection of ghost stories compiled by Rex Collings (I remembered his name at last), there is another gem in there and that is The Phantom Coach by Amelia B. Edwards. And it was a gem! A breath of fresh, snowy air after a veritable slog of mediocre scares and unwarranted bigotry. 

Not to say that The Phantom Coach is particularly spooky, being in fact a really simple story, but there is an atmosphere to it that makes it compelling. A lingering tension and wintry setting makes it a perfect fireside story. Our protagonist is likable if not perhaps a little absent-minded, but never to the point of irritation.

Our story follows a man named James Murray, who on a solo hunting trip has made the mistake of staying out too late on a wintry night. Spurred by concern for his wife and his well-being, James sets out on a direction and soon comes across a surly, mysterious man named Jacob, who reluctantly takes James to the house of his employer. Once there and after a brief, tense confrontation, the master of the house unburdens himself to James about the subject of ghosts and regales him with the story of an accident that killed four people some years ago. From there on, James once more attempts to get home and that's where things go wrong, as he takes a path down an old coach-road.

All of this is a good foundation to recommend The Phantom Coach as an uncomplicated, classic ghost story to enjoy on an off-day, or even an off-hour, as it's not very long.

It's author, however, is far more interesting, not just because it seems to be a trend for journalists to write one or two of the most excellent ghost stories ever and then unceremoniously refrain for the rest of their life.

Amelia Ann Blanford Edwards, more commonly known as Amelia B. Edwards, was born 7th June, 1831. Starting her career extremely young, Edwards occupied herself with writing articles and poetry for various periodicals, as well as taking up art, but this talent waned for a while under the influence of her parents who felt the arts to be a 'lesser' and 'scandalous' profession. She would take up music for some years, before suffering a bout of typhus which left her throat too sore to sing. She would go on to regret the time she spent on music and opera.

Amelia Edwards, 1890

What Edwards is chiefly known for is our aforementioned ghost story, being one of the most influential Egyptologists of her time, her books about her travels, and for being queer.

Indeed, that last point is what cemented her to me as a figure of interest and study. Throughout all of her life, Edwards had close and loving relationships with women, and she is even buried alongside her life partner of 30 years, Ellen Drew Braysher. 

This tenderness and affection for women is present in The Phantom Coach, as while we do not see our protagonist's wife, she is a constant point of worry in his mind. She occupies him thoroughly, and is the force that drives him to strike out with some rashness across the moors in vain hope of returning to her before the night has worn too long. At the core, it is a refreshingly sweet relationship, relatively shallow as it is.

Edwards was also, as mentioned, a frequent traveller, and authored a book about one of her ventures in Egypt, A Thousand Miles Up The Nile. She was most often joined on these journeys by her female friends, and in particular by a woman name Lucy Renshaw, who was her companion travelling through the Dolomites, a mountain range in Italy that was unknown to most foreigners at the time. This expedition is relayed in Untrodden Peaks and Infrequent Valleys, and I am intrigued to read it.

Overall, Amelia B. Edwards' life and legacy is fascinating and filled with travel, talent and education. She died on the 15th April, 1892 at the age of 60, having unfortunately contracted influenza. Her grave, situated in St. Mary's Church, Henbury,  has been designated as a landmark in English LGBT History. 

I find a very heartening sort of kinship in recognizing through her work when I first read The Phantom Coach, without knowing anything about her, that there was something different.

 That even through the words of a ghost story I could sense her queerness, that it could draw me so immediately to her and confirm a glowing suspicion I was harbouring. It would take far more research and far more time than a day to properly expound and explore the years of work and travelling she poured into her life, the contributions made to the admittedly complicated field of Egyptology (of whom she was dubbed the Godmother). 

But for now I would simply like to say how happy I was to find her.