Horror anthology with story about a woman who finds something in her bed

Question

Looking for an elusive horror anthology published sometime before 1990. Included a story I believe to be titled “ Three in a Bed” about a woman who finds something other than her husband lying next to her. Cover has a purple border and I believe a creepy chair on the front.

Answer 1

Just a guess, but there's a story "Three in a Bed" in the anthology Echoes of Terror, which is at least kinda purplish.

It also appears in The Ghost Book of Charles Lindley and Lord Halifax's Complete Ghost Book.

"Three in the Bed" is a very short story, only two pages, including an introduction indicating that this was a story that Lord Halifax used to tell to guests, and was extremely frightening, but by the time the story was written down, he had forgotten many of the details.

A little later on, a young couple arrived as guests. They were given the same room as the previous visitor had had. When they retired to bed there was a bright fire burning and there was nothing to disquiet them. They settled themselves for the night and soon fell asleep. Presently the man awoke with a start and a strong feeling that he was lying between two people. So certain was he of this that he dared not put out his hand on the side opposite to that on which his wife was lying. Instead, very cautiously, he roused his wife, and persuaded her to get out of the bed on the far side. He followed her, and then, looking back, they both distinctly saw, by the light of the fire, the bedclothes heaped up, as it were, round a human form which lay in the bed.

As they stared, they heard footsteps coming slowly and softly down the passage outside. They reached the door and stopped. After a moment's pause, the brass handle turned and the door, which had been locked, swung gently open. The unfortunate couple hid their eyes in terror, so they saw nothing of what immediately followed. But they heard the footsteps pad softly across the room. There was silence, and then a freadful gurgle; and looking at the bed once more, they saw the clothes twitched suddenly right off it on to the floor. Once more the footsteps retreated to the door and died away down the passage.