14
Mirabella circled Baby, twisting the ghostly fabric of her nightgown in her fingers. Baby did not speak or move on her own accord for several hours. Her horrified look on her face had not lessened.
“Come, Baby, tell me. What did you see?” Mirabella glanced at the door again, hoping Beauty would stay away long enough that Baby could recover and nothing odd would be detected. Beauty mustn’t find out.
Baby said nothing.
“If you don’t speak now Beauty will come in here and figure out something has happened then we’ll both be in trouble. Now speak!”
Baby’s eyes flickered to Mirabella and back to the candlestick on the table before her. She closed her mouth and opened it again.
“Please, Baby.”
“Karina.” Her voice was soft and breathy.
“What?”
“My name.”
“Your name is Karina?” Mirabella knelt beside her as best a ghost could and pressed her to say more.
“I—”
“Please, Karina, what did you see?”
“I saw ... m—my death.”
Mirabella stood and covered her mouth. “You know how you died?”
Karina nodded.
Mirabella thought and thought, trying to find any glimmer of a memory of her own death or any hint to her life—nothing. She set her jaw with a new determination to know the answer to her longtime questions. She knelt again, taking Karina by the hand. “Karina, whatever you do, do not speak of this to Beauty. Go about your morning as if nothing happened. If you need to discuss it with me, then find me later. Right now, I need to take care of something.” She nodded and turned her eyes back to the candle stick.
The woman named Jessica did not occupy her room. Mirabella checked the Master’s chamber and found him missing as well. Worried that she’d scared her completely off, she searched in a frenzy and found them both fast asleep on the sofa as if they’d dozed mid-conversation. Jessica had her head resting on his shoulder, a modern contraption in her lap.
She hovered over them, debating whether to enter Jessica while she lie peacefully on his shoulder, or wait until she slept alone. The minute ticked by as she considered and paced, but in the end, she decided to wait, not wanting to chance her being woken too early to learn her fate.
After witnessing Baby’s experience earlier, Mirabella knew the Master would awake once she entered Jessica’s body. Almost the moment Baby had entered the living, Jessica had jerked and shook to the point she almost fell off the bed. Yes, she would have to wait until Jessica slept alone if she wanted time to find out the truth about her own death.
Dan
Waking up on the sofa with Jessica leaning at my side and in my arms was a heavenly surprise. I breathed in the scent of her shampoo and held onto that bliss of a woman. What would it be like to hold her every morning? Would she be willing to continue a relationship beyond the days she planned to stay? Would she want more than a long-distance relationship as I would? Would she be willing to move here? Could I move there? Would this relationship progress into something permanent at all?
Odd, how I wished for a relationship so soon after meeting her. I’d never been drawn to someone so quickly.
The phone rang, interrupting our embrace. Jessica sat up so quickly she nearly fell. I couldn’t help but chuckle at her dazed look in her eyes. “Careful.”
“Oh! Sorry. The phone?”
“Yes. I’ll get it.” My feet caught in her blanket as I darted for the phone, but made it in time. “This is Dan speaking.”
“Hi, Dan. This is Crystal. Is Jessica still alive or have the ghosts carried her off?
“Y—no. I mean, yes, she’s still here and alive. Would you like to speak with her?”
“In a minute. First, I’d like to ask you something.”
“Yes?” I ran my hand through my hair, aware of Jessica’s eyes on me and concerned about Crystal’s tone. What would she need to ask me?
“Have you caught any ghosts? You know, sent them into the light or whatever?”
“No. We’re making progress, though. We’ve learned a few names.”
“Right. So ... Well, do you like Jessica?”
“Er ... what d—d—do you mean?” I turned to hide my nervous grin from Jessica.
“I mean, do you like her, as in, like, like her. Or perhaps more?”
“Er …”
“Have you already snogged?”
“N—no.”
“Do you like her?”
“Y—y—yes.” I walked to the window, hoping that the cool glass on my forehead would help me organize my thoughts well enough to answer her.
“Okay. If you’d like to kiss her, that’s fine, but Jessica doesn’t need one-night stands. She needs someone willing to give a relationship a try. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that you might convince her to visit England more often if you’re dating her.”
A nervous laugh had me sounding like a ruddy fool. “Er…” Wouldn’t she be concerned that a relationship was happening too fast? Or maybe she was desperate to have her friend close by.
“Dan, I think I can trust you enough not to break her heart.” She ended the sentence as if it were a question.
“Er ... yes. You can trust me.”
“Good. Now, can I talk to her?”
When I handed the phone to Jessica, it slipped through my fingers and fell to the floor. We both bent to pick it up at the same time and knocked heads. Jessica breathed in a sharp breath and held her hand over her head while laughing. I apologized a few times before she turned to her conversation to Crystal. After they greeted each other, Jessica gave me a nervous glance, picked up her blanket, and walked out with the phone to her ear.
Oh, dear. I hope Crystal isn’t forcing Jessica to like me.
Shouldn’t these things happen naturally?
Jessica
“What did you say?” I asked into the phone and started up the stairs.
“He likes you.”
My heart twirled in my chest. “How do you know?”
“I asked him, and he said yes.”
My inner Jessica danced a jig in my head. Wait. Did he like, like me, or just like me? “Crystal, did you ask him if he likes me as a friend, or does he like me as more than a friend?” I mentally crossed my fingers and entered my room.
“Oh, well … I didn’t really get specific, but I think he likes you more than a friend.”
I rolled my eyes and entered the restroom. “Did you tell him that I like him?”
“Not in those exact words.”
“In what words then?”
“Well, I didn’t tell him that you liked him, but I did tell him not to break your heart by ... you know … toying with you.”
“Well, I appreciate the sentiment, but I doubt he would like me enough to let it get that far.” I turned the shower on to warm the water. “Anyway, can we just drop the subject—and please don’t talk to him again about me. I’m … well … just don’t.”
“All right. I’m sorry. I was just trying to help. So, any idea how long it will take—hang on, my buddy boy just woke up.” Sounds of squeaky voices muffled into the phone for a moment before she returned. “How long do you think you’ll be there? Do I need to come pick you up today?”
“No. I’m getting close. I’ve figured out all the names of the dead women and had a very vivid dream about the death of one of them.”
“Shut up! You dreamed about how one of them died? How do you know it was one of the ghosts and not some random dream?”
“I guess I don’t, but it seemed so real, and the way you described the ghost you saw, I assume it was her. I won’t know for sure until I find the body.”
“The body? You’re not going to go search for a body, are you?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“You’re crazy—Jess, I need to go. Austen needs to go to the loo and toddlers don’t wait! Ahh! Hurry!” The call cut off, ending with her laughing.
I showered, dressed, and brushed my hair into a wet ponytail. It would be a bushy mess atop my head in a few hours, but I could worry about that later. I leaned in to cross the T’s and dot the I’s by adding the last touch of mascara to my lashes. I paused, scrutinizing my face, my hair, my chest, my waist and hips before deciding that I couldn’t do anything to change what bothered me, and if by some small chance Danny was developing some attraction to me then he’d better be happy with what he got.
But what if he doesn’t?
That question hung on me as I headed downstairs. I checked the sitting room and found it void of Danny, so I continued to the kitchen.
As I approached the kitchen, the scent of hot, sweet bread grew stronger. My stomach growled, reminding me that it was still working. I took a deep breath as I opened the door.
“Good morning, Miss Grayson—it is Grayson?” Ron set a pan of what looked like blueberry muffins at the table and removed the hot pads from his hands.
“Uh, yeah.” Shouldn’t he already know? How could he not? “Good morning.”
“I made you breakfast. I hope you like raspberries. I picked them up this morning and thought of you. You do like raspberries in your muffins?” He flipped each muffin onto a platter and pushed it to me.
“Sure. Thanks, but you don’t need to go through all this trouble.” I sat where he indicated and set the napkin over my lap.
“No trouble at all for a beautiful lady such as yourself.”
It was odd to have someone his age flirting with me, but then again, I’ve seen eighty-year-old men hit on twenty-year-old girls. I guess I couldn’t hurt to flirt back and make him feel liked. “Careful. Flattering words like that, you’ll wish you’d stayed away.” I teased and winked at him. What a funny old man.
His eyes traveled the length of me. Okay. Even weirder. Maybe flirting wasn’t such a grand idea. I picked a hot muffin from the platter and set it on my plate.
A teapot whistled from the stove, and he glided over to get it. “What are your plans today?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I think I’ll check see if I can find more family history information to help me with these ghosts. And maybe I can get more info about my own relative.”
His brows rose. “Do you have a ghost problem?”
Where have you been, dude?I set my butter knife aside after spreading a dollop on the muffin. “Sort of. They seem drawn to me for some reason. Or maybe I’m drawn to them.” I took a bite, letting the tart and sweet flavors tango in my mouth. “Mmm, these are really good. Well done. I give you an A.”
“Thank you. Well, after your history studies, might you want a break by taking a tour of the gardens with me?” He set the tea tray in front of me and sat.
I struggled to swallow fast enough to answer. “That’s sounds fun, but—”
“Oh. Good morning, Ron. Jessica,” Danny said upon entering. He glanced at the two of us and headed to the cupboard. The strange look on his face seemed curious until I realized how little space there was between my chair and Ron’s. Considering how much room there was on the table it felt awkward. I leaned away, hoping to give us a little more space.
Why was Ron sitting so close? Is Danny jealous?
“Dan,” Ron said in greeting.
“It’s getting colder outside at night. How are the plants holding up?”
“Well, enough.” Ron’s words were clipped and deeper than the smooth, gentle voice he’d just used with me.
“It’s colder here this time of year than it is back home. If I’d known I would’ve left my shorts at home, or at least brought better pajamas,” I said, sipping the tea Ron prepared for me.
“I think there are pajamas in the room Crystal stayed in. But they are old,” Danny said, sitting across from me with a plate and teacup.
I watched him pour the water for his tea while I spoke. Did I enjoy how his forearm muscles flexed? Yes. Yes, I did. “Maybe we’ll take a look. Do the British drink tea every day? Do you ever drink coffee?”
Danny chuckled. “I usually stick to tea, but coffee is well supplied in our cupboards. Would you like some coffee?”
“No. Tea’s fine. I don’t mind a change every once in a while.” To prove my point, I lifted the cup to my lips and sipped.
“Well, I suppose I should go.” Ron stood and gave me a pointed look. “I’ll see you later.”
“See yah. Thanks for the muffins.” As soon as the door closed behind him, I turned back to Danny. “How old is he?”
“In his sixties, I think,” Danny said after he swallowed a bite of muffin.
“Sometimes I think he’s hitting on me, but maybe he’s just attentive to women, like my parents’ friend. He’s always flirting with young and old ladies. I asked my mom why, and she said he did that to make the woman feel pretty. It helps boost their self-esteem.
I think it’s cute and a nice gesture.”
“I’m not sure about Ron. I’ve not seen him around women often enough.” He took a sip of tea. “Most times when people come here, he’s pretty outspoken about them leaving. He doesn’t like strangers at Wrenthal.”
“Huh. Well, he did tell me to leave the other day when I showed up. Bridgette doesn’t seem to like me either.”
“I’m sure she likes you. At least she would if you weren’t causing an uproar with the spirits.” He set his cup down and sat back in his seat. “So, what are your plans today?”
“I wondered if I should go for a walk. See if I can find the place where Karina’s body might be,” I said, hoping he’d offer to join me.
“How would you know where to look?”
“Well, the dream was very vivid. If things haven’t changed that much, I think I could find it easily.” I took my last bite of muffin then added, “Hopefully.”
“I can’t say whether things have changed, but I can help you if you’d like. However, I do need to work at least part of the day.” He finished one muffin and then took another one from the pan.
“I don’t mean to take you from your work. If you need to stay, I can ask—”
“Don’t worry about my work. It won’t take us all day to find it.”
“Her. Not it.” I stood and carried my plate to the sink. “I’ll just check to see if anything has happened on our video while you finish.”
He nodded. “I won’t be long.”
“Don’t rush. Take your time.” I hurried out of the room, anxious to see the footage of the blue room. To make things go faster, I watched it in a quicker speed, careful not to blink too slowly so I wouldn’t miss anything. Unfortunately, the video stopped in much the same way as it had the night before not long after midnight.
I huffed. “Weird.”
“What’s weird?” Danny asked and came into the room. How long had I been staring at the screen?
“The recording stopped. What do you think we should do?”
“Don’t know.”
“Well, I guess there’s not much we can do about it right now.
If you’re ready, let’s see what we can find.”