Chapter 11
DANNY
Danny and Brooke were sitting on the stage at The Magic Lantern, along with the other ghosts. Right now, it was a scene of chaos. Lucy had suggested a song for them and there was a lot of disagreement about her choice.
‘“Sunshine on Leith”,’ she said cheerily. ‘It’s a beautiful song, it really is, and the thing is that it’s easy to sing. It has simple lyrics and the melody isn’t too demanding for you, so none of you should struggle too much with it.’
‘I’ve never heard of it,’ Millie complained, and the rest of the ghosts nodded in agreement.
‘Maybe not, but I’m sure you’ll love it when you hear it. It was Sam’s suggestion actually, but when I thought about it, I realised it was a great choice.’
‘Why? What’s it about?’ asked Bill.
Millie asked the question of Lucy.
‘Well, it’s about love and loss. It’s about healing from heartbreak, and feeling grateful to a higher power for bringing them through this pain and leading them to someone who helped mend their broken heart.
The song’s actually full of gratitude at having found this person, and it’s so full of love it gives me a lump in my throat. ’
‘Oh, that does sound rather lovely,’ Agnes said.
‘It certainly does, my dear,’ Aubrey agreed, ‘and I quite understand the sentiment in it. I shall never cease to be grateful to whoever or whatever brought us together for eternity.’
He took her hand in his and they smiled at each other, seeming to forget for a moment that they weren’t alone.
Danny marvelled at how much Agnes had changed.
She hadn’t mixed with the ghosts for years if she could help it, but since her marriage to Aubrey on Christmas Day, she was everyone’s friend.
Danny had rarely seen her before the wedding, but he’d heard she was a miserable, cantankerous old so-and-so.
Yet Callie had told Shona who had told Polly who had told everyone else that she never stopped smiling these days.
That, he thought glumly, was what love could do for you. If only it was that straightforward for everyone.
He glanced at Brooke who was looking thoroughly fed up. He wondered what she was thinking and felt an ache of compassion for her. She’d never had a real relationship with anyone. Her life had been cut off before she’d even found the person she wanted to be with.
At least he’d had Kirsty for a short while. At least he’d got married. At least he’d known love. Poor Brooke had never experienced it, and he felt sad for her. She deserved to be loved, he thought. Despite everything, she was a nice girl. A kind girl.
He remembered when they’d worked at the same company. She’d always taken the trouble to bring him a coffee and a pastry each morning, and she always had a smile on her face for him. It had cheered him up on the mornings he wasn’t feeling that great, seeing her looking all bright and happy.
It was unusual for her to be so glum, and he squeezed her shoulder.
‘You okay?’
She looked surprised. ‘Er, yes. Why?’
‘You look a bit down,’ he told her. ‘Is it the song? Don’t you like it?’
‘Actually,’ she told him, ‘I do. I remember it well. Although it’s connected with football, isn’t it? I seem to remember something about that.’
He nodded. ‘I think you’re right. It is a football anthem. I can’t remember which team.’
‘A football team?’ Ronnie screwed up his nose. ‘We’re singing a football song at an engagement party?’
Millie asked the question of Lucy, who laughed. ‘It’s become the anthem for a Scottish football team,’ she admitted, ‘but there’s so much more to it than that. Actually, it’s become quite popular at funerals as well, but maybe we shouldn’t dwell on that in the circumstances.’
‘Great,’ said Isaac. ‘I can’t think of anything more romantic.’
Harmony laughed. ‘We should at least give it a shot. It’s not as if we’ve come up with anything better, right?’
‘Shall I play it?’ Lucy asked Millie and Immi, who nodded.
They all sat quietly, exchanging glances occasionally as the music floated out from Lucy’s laptop and across the stage.
‘Well?’ Lucy asked when it had finished. ‘What did you think?’
Danny glanced round at everyone. Agnes and Aubrey were huddled together, both in tears. Brooke looked as if she was a million miles away. Harmony, who had arrived without the Roman this time, was sitting with her arms wrapped around her knees, deep in thought. Everyone else looked highly doubtful.
‘What I don’t get,’ Millie said, ‘is how come we couldn’t have The Beatles because of all the “yeah yeahs” in their songs, but this one’s got a load of them in it, too, and that’s okay.’
‘She has a point,’ Percy agreed. ‘Too many yeahs, if you ask me. Why can’t people at least say yes if they must use the word repeatedly?’
‘How very British,’ Harmony said, with a wry grin.
Polly admitted she wasn’t sure about the song. Ray thought it was dreadful.
Walter said that the lyrics were sadly lacking in poetic substance.
Ronnie and Bill agreed it was too soppy, which made Peter and Isaac laugh and point out that was rich coming from two people who’d killed each other over a girl.
‘Where is Leith anyway?’ Florrie asked. ‘I ain’t never ’eard of it.’
‘It’s in Scotland,’ Aubrey explained, as Immi asked Lucy the question.
‘Edinburgh,’ she said.
There was an immediate chorus of protest.
‘Well,’ said Polly, ‘I’m not being funny, but what’s that got to do with Rowan Vale?’
‘I shouldn’t think there are many songs about Rowan Vale though,’ Immi pointed out. ‘I think it’s lovely, Lucy. I really liked it and I think Mum and Brodie will too.’
‘Well I think it’s the most depressing song I’ve ever ’eard,’ Florrie told them, ‘and Robert and John agree with me, don’t you?’
Robert and John, who seldom dared do anything else, nodded.
‘Can’t we ’ave “Give a Little Whistle” from Pinocchio?’ Florrie enquired. ‘That was the last film I ever saw before I came ’ere,’ she told everyone. ‘It’s a proper cheery song that. Better than that maudlin’ rubbish.’
‘Well I think it’s terribly romantic,’ Aubrey said firmly. ‘Perfect for the occasion, in fact.’
‘Oh, I agree,’ Agnes said. She frowned. ‘You know, it sounds rather familiar. I’m sure I’ve heard it before.’
‘You may be right, my dear,’ Aubrey mused. ‘I rather think I have, too.’
‘What’s the reaction so far?’ Lucy asked.
‘Mixed,’ Immi admitted.
‘I’ll play it again. It often takes a while for a song to grow on people. Think about the lyrics and the emotion of the song while you’re all listening.’ She tapped her laptop again and the voices of The Proclaimers began to sing.
‘Tell you what,’ she said a few minutes later, as the song ended, ‘I’ll put the video on for you this time and you can all watch it. That might help.’
They all crowded round her and watched in silence.
She was right. Something about seeing the singers and the scenery touched them all.
‘It’s such a long time since I saw the sea,’ Percy said with a sigh.
‘Well, they’re not exactly Paul and John,’ Millie said, ‘but I love their voices. That was actually really nice.’
‘Beautiful,’ Agnes said with an emotional sniff, ‘really beautiful.’
‘Everyone seems to have liked it,’ Immi told Lucy, who beamed in response.
‘Great! So, are we going to have a go at singing it then? Did you ask Lawrie if he’ll join us, Immi?’
Immi nodded. ‘He said he’d be delighted. He should be here any moment. Mia’s going to drop him off because he can’t manage to get to the bus stop on his own any more.’
There was some sadness about that. Lawrie had been an excellent owner of the Harling Estate, and had shown nothing but kindness to the ghosts. The fact that he was growing increasingly infirm and dependent on his former personal assistant was worrying.
‘I wonder if he’ll end up staying with us?’ Ronnie mused. ‘You know, after he’s snuffed it. Will he become one of us, or will he move on?’
It was difficult to think about such things, and Agnes looked quite distraught, so Polly quickly changed the subject.
‘Well, while we’re waiting for Lawrie to arrive, why don’t we all have a bash at singing this song together?’
Immi told Lucy what Polly had suggested and Lucy nodded.
‘I was hoping you’d say that.’ She did something on her laptop and the song lyrics appeared on the screen. ‘Here you go. I’ll have the song playing on another tab and you can read the lyrics as it plays.’
There were some mutterings and awkward shuffling.
‘Er, some of the ghosts might have difficulty reading the lyrics,’ Immi explained hastily. ‘Not everyone was taught to read during their lifetime.’
‘Me and Robert are learnin’ though!’ John said. ‘I’m gettin’ quite good at my letters, aren’t I, Master Tasker?’
‘Indeed you are, thanks to my expert tuition,’ Walter told him, nodding approvingly. ‘You too, Robert.’
‘Sorry,’ Lucy said, looking embarrassed. ‘That was stupid of me. I never thought. I didn’t mean to offend anyone.’
Everyone rushed to assure her that they weren’t offended, even though she couldn’t hear them. Millie passed on their responses and Lucy nodded.
‘Well, those of you who can follow the lyrics do so, and those of you who perhaps would struggle, just try to sing along with the others. It’s probably the best way to learn anyway. The more you hear it the more the words will sink in. Please don’t worry. Are you all ready?’
Immi assured her that they were, although there were a few nervous looks exchanged as the ghosts prepared to sing in public for the first time.
It quickly became clear who could actually hold a tune and who definitely couldn’t. Immi and Florrie exchanged amused glances as Isaac bellowed in their ear, and Danny and Harmony winced at poor Brooke’s tone-deaf rendition.
‘My goodness, that sounds splendid!’
They all turned and Lucy stopped the music as Lawrie arrived, rather breathless and leaning heavily on a stick, but looking remarkably cheerful.
‘Isn’t this wonderful?’ he asked no one in particular. ‘What a fantastic idea! And how thoughtful you all are to do such a lovely thing for Brodie and Callie.’