Chapter 12
DANNY
It was hard to say who was the most shocked – Danny or Rory. Danny couldn’t believe his big brother was in Rowan Vale and, overcome with emotion, he tried to hug him.
Clearly it didn’t work, but his attempt terrified Rory even more as he let out a cry of alarm and stepped back again.
‘Oh, this isn’t good,’ Rory mumbled, running a hand through his hair. ‘I must be having a breakdown.’
He strode at breakneck pace along the road, heading for the bridge that crossed the River Faran.
Danny had no choice but to run after him, managing to stay alongside him as his brother sped over the bridge and turned left, heading towards the inn.
‘I need a drink,’ Rory muttered. ‘A bloody large one.’
‘Are you going to talk to me?’ Danny begged. ‘Rory, stop! Please say something!’
Rory shook his head frantically. ‘You’re not real. This is my guilty conscience. Or overwork. Or stress. Or something.’
‘I am real! Why are you running away from me? You’ve come all this way for me. Well, now you’ve found me! Talk to me!’
As they neared The Quicken Tree, Rory’s steps finally slowed. He turned to face his brother and Danny’s shoulders sagged as he saw the wary look in his eyes.
‘Is it really you?’
‘It’s really me,’ Danny said gently.
‘And you’ve been here all this time?’ There was a catch in Rory’s voice and tears that could never fall welled in Danny’s eyes.
‘I’ve been here all this time. I can’t leave. I’m bound to the Harling Estate.’
‘Eighteen years…’ Rory murmured. ‘I’m so sorry. I had no idea. If I’d known…’
‘You’re here now,’ Danny said. ‘I’m so happy to see you. We have so much to talk about. Are you here for the day or are you staying here?’
Rory weakly waved a hand towards the inn.
‘You’re staying at The Quicken Tree?’ Danny smiled. ‘Shall we go inside then and have a catch-up?’
Rory seemed to find new strength from somewhere. ‘No! I mean, not in there. Let’s go somewhere else. I really need the fresh air to be honest.’
Danny nodded. ‘The churchyard,’ he said. ‘There are benches in there. Is that okay?’
‘Among the gravestones?’ Rory shivered. ‘Why not?’
‘We can find somewhere else—’
‘No, it’s fine. Lead the way.’
Danny felt pretty dazed himself as he led his brother towards All Souls’.
Of all the things he’d expected to happen today this wasn’t even on the list of remote possibilities.
He’d missed his brother so much, but now he was here, Danny wasn’t even sure where to begin.
He felt overwhelmed with emotion. There was so much to say, so many questions, but he didn’t want to scare Rory off.
He had a feeling his brother was teetering on the edge as it was.
They walked up the path towards the church and sat on a bench. There was silence for a few moments, then Rory leaned forward and buried his head in his hands.
‘You just can’t be here. There are no such things as ghosts. It’s impossible.’
Danny was confused. ‘But surely that’s what you were hoping for? To make contact with me? And you can see me! I’m right here.’ He paused as a thought occurred to him. ‘Rory, if you didn’t come here looking for me, why are you here?’
Rory went very still. Eventually he sat up and turned to face Danny properly.
‘I, er, needed a break from work, and I thought this would be a good place to get closure. I never came here – afterwards… It didn’t seem right somehow.
But I thought this was the right time.’ He stared at Danny and shook his head.
‘Not being funny, but you look ridiculous. Is that what you were wearing when…’
Danny bristled. ‘Yeah. I was at a work event, remember? It was an eighties themed fancy dress party, and I’d gone as Adam Ant.’
‘Of course you did. I remember. I heard all about it later, but I never imagined you looking like – that. I’m sorry.’ He threw up his hands. ‘For God’s sake, what am I doing? I’m apologising to a ghost. You’re not real! You’re not here! I’m going insane.’
‘You know that’s not true. I am here. Make-up and everything.’
Rory shook his head. ‘Of all the things I expected to happen while I was in Rowan Vale, meeting you never even crossed my mind. I mean, why would it? I thought you were… Wait a minute!’ He stared at Danny as if something had suddenly occurred to him.
‘You mean to say that when we die we’re stuck in what we’re wearing? Forever?’
‘Looks like it,’ Danny said with a sigh.
‘But I sleep naked!’ Rory said in horror.
Danny couldn’t help but laugh. ‘If I were you, I’d buy myself some pyjamas, pronto.’
‘Bloody hell.’ Rory looked decidedly gloomy. ‘That’s all I need.’
‘Yes, it must be awful for you,’ Danny said sarcastically. ‘Lucky me being fully dressed, eh? Who wouldn’t want to spend eternity wearing a hussar jacket, leather trousers and tasselled boots, or have make-up stripes across their face?’
As his brother’s lips twitched with amusement, Danny glared at him. ‘Laugh and I’ll kill you.’
‘Can you do that?’ Rory reared away, clearly nervous.
Danny sighed. ‘No. I can’t touch you. It’s not like the films, you know. I can’t do anything much. It’s crap to be honest.’
‘I’m so sorry, Danny.’ Rory’s eyes filled with tears. ‘It must be awful for you.’
‘Well, I suppose it could be worse. Rowan Vale is a pretty special place. The whole Harling Estate is, to be fair. We’re looked after here – ghosts, I mean.
The owner of the estate can see us. It’s sort of a rule that only someone with the ability to see ghosts can own it, and they take care of us.
Make sure we have somewhere to live and that our opinions are listened to, that sort of thing. ’
Rory stared at him, open-mouthed. ‘Are you having me on?’
‘No, honestly! In fact, they’re starting a book club for us soon.’
Rory groaned. ‘I must be hallucinating. No one would start a book club for ghosts.’
‘They would here. There are quite a lot of us, you see. And some of the living residents are related by blood to various ghosts, so they can see their own relative and help them out. But even those of us who don’t have any relatives here are looked after.
For example, we have some lovely ladies who come up to our flat and turn lights on and off for us and put the television on and hoover and polish. That sort of thing.’
He wasn’t really surprised when Rory slumped back in the bench and rubbed his forehead. ‘You have cleaners. And a television! Of course you do.’ He threw up his hands. ‘And you have a flat?’
Danny couldn’t help grinning. ‘Yes, above the hairdresser’s. And it’s rent free, which is a good job because I can’t exactly earn a living, can I? Or an un-living as the case may be.’
‘Well,’ Rory said with a shrug, ‘I guess you’ve struck lucky then. A rent-free flat in the Cotswolds complete with cleaners, and a book club to boot.’ He stared into the middle distance for a few minutes, clearly trying to get his head around everything.
‘Are you the only one without family here?’ he asked softly.
‘No. There are quite a few of us who don’t.’ Danny paused. ‘In a strange way, the other ghosts have almost become a sort of family. And Callie – she’s the owner of the estate – and her daughter Immi, and her fiancé’s grandad, Lawrie, they’re part of the family, too, because they can see us all.’
He realised he’d never thought of it that way before, but it was true. It really was like having an extended family around him.
‘If I’d known…’ Rory turned to him, his eyes gleaming with tears, ‘I would have come to see you before now. You know that don’t you?’
Danny nodded. ‘I wish you had. I miss everyone. How’s Mum and Dad?’
‘Fine. They miss you, of course, but they’re getting on with their lives now. It took them ages to come to terms with it, but we all rallied round. Dad had his seventy-fifth birthday last year. We had a little party for him. We all raised a glass in your memory.’
Danny gulped and leaned towards his brother, eager for information. ‘Did you invite Kirsty? Have you seen anything of her lately? How is she?’
Rory shrugged uncertainly. ‘She’s – she’s fine.’
‘Fine?’ Danny gave a short laugh. ‘Is that it? Surely you can tell me more than that? Have you any idea how much I’ve missed her?
It’s been agony without her, wondering if she was coping, hoping and praying she’d be all right without me.
I need to know. Is she still living in our house?
Is she managing all right financially? Has she – has she met anyone else? ’
Rory got to his feet. ‘I’m sorry, Danny. This is all too much for me right now. I understand you want to know everything that’s gone on over the last eighteen years, but I wasn’t expecting… Look, I need to get my head around it all. This has been one hell of a shock.’
Danny nodded. ‘I understand that. I’m sorry if I bombarded you with questions.’
‘No, don’t apologise!’ Rory shook his head, the tears spilling onto his cheeks. ‘Honestly, you have nothing to be sorry for. I’m so glad to see you, I really am. I promise we’ll talk, okay? But I just need some time…’
‘I get it.’ Danny sighed. ‘I suppose I’d feel the same if I were in your shoes. But you mean it? We will talk?’
Rory’s expression softened. ‘Of course we’ll talk, Danny.
You’re my kid brother and I’ve missed you so much.
I want to talk to you. I want to know what’s been going on with you for near enough the last two decades.
And I want to answer your questions. Of course I do.
We’ll meet tomorrow, okay? Promise. When’s best for you? ’
‘Because I have such a hectic social life?’ Danny managed a smile before he remembered. ‘Actually, I do have something on tomorrow. Choir practice.’
He wished he could take a photo of Rory’s expression at that moment. His brother was clearly stunned by his answer and Danny couldn’t help but laugh.
‘Well, not exactly choir practice, but we’re learning a song to sing at an event that’s coming up. Oh, it doesn’t matter!’
‘Choir practice and a book club?’ Rory shook his head. ‘There really is quite a ghostly community around here, isn’t there?’
‘Oh yes.’ Danny gave him a mischievous smile. ‘They’re around every corner in this village.’
Rory glanced around nervously, clearly expecting to see a myriad of phantoms jumping out from behind the gravestones.
‘Don’t worry. You wouldn’t see them even if they were here, which they’re not. Like I said, you can only see the ghosts you have a blood connection to.’
Rory frowned. ‘So… You mean, only I can see you? No other living person can? Apart from the owner of the estate and the others you mentioned?’
‘That’s right.’
‘It’s unbelievable. I mean, I do believe you, but – wow! This changes everything! There really is life after death. But – but what happens if you don’t become a ghost? Where do you go to then?’
‘I honestly don’t know. It didn’t happen to me, did it? I don’t know any more than you do.’
Danny had been about to mention Brooke but thought that could wait for another day. Rory had enough to deal with right now.
‘I’m glad,’ his brother told him. ‘I’m glad you’re not alone.’ He pulled his coat tighter around him and said, ‘I’d better be getting back. It’s so good to see you, kid. It really is.’
He looked and sounded dazed. Clearly he had a lot of information to absorb, and Danny could see why he needed time.
‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’
‘After lunch,’ Danny said. ‘About two thirty?’
‘Two thirty. Here?’
Danny nodded. ‘See you then, Rory.’
‘See you then, Danny.’
Rory shook his head slightly, as if he still couldn’t believe what had just happened, then he turned and headed up the path and out of the church grounds.
Danny leaned back in the bench and closed his eyes.
At long last he had a chance. Now that Rory knew he was here he’d be able to get in touch with Kirsty.
She could come here and he’d be able to see her.
Oh, she wouldn’t be able to see him, but Rory could help the two of them to have a conversation.
He could finally tell her how much he loved and missed her.
Maybe… Oh, he didn’t want to get his hopes up, but maybe Kirsty would want to move here to be with him permanently? If she hadn’t met anyone else…
A cloud passed over the sun. Danny felt it without opening his eyes. His optimism ebbed away and he gave a heavy sigh. He wondered what was making him feel so sad suddenly, his mind groping for whatever it was that was causing the happiness of only moments ago to disappear like vapour.
‘I suppose I should tell Brooke that Rory’s here,’ he murmured to himself.
Yet he knew he wouldn’t. Not yet at least. And he really wasn’t at all sure why.