Chapter Fifteen
The Grounds
The Dig
Mid-Morning
By the time that they’d headed out, after saddling up the horses, and getting shovels, it was later in the morning. They’d hoped the weather would change, but it hadn’t gone their way.
Outside, the world was still gray and dismal. Welcome to October in Scotland. That was for damn sure.
There was a breeze in the air, and the gray sky looked ominous like it was going to be snowing sooner rather than later.
That would be cold and miserable.
Also, they hoped that the ground wasn’t as frozen as it could be, or this was going to be a fruitless trip though the property.
Oison, and Ceit’s heart, would be in that grave until next year’s spring thaw. That also meant the castle was going to be spook-filled until then.
And no one wanted that.
They needed to be ready for Christmas, and when the castle was opened for business.
Riding the trail was the only highpoint at that moment. As the wind whipped around, at least they had the horses to keep them company on the trek to the other side of the estate.
It took a good hour of riding to reach that area, and with good reason. Keeping Oison at estate’s length was good for all of them.
His energy was foul.
With Michael on Romeo, Graham on Juliet, and Gabby on MacBeth, that left Hamlet for Elizabeth and Ethan. She was sitting in front of him, and his arms were around her body, holding the reins.
The horses were meandering along, and this was one hell of a trip.
Elizabeth loved the view, but lordy! When Graham said they’d buried Oison on the opposite side of the lands, he was NOT kidding.
The dude had been ostracized.
Then again, it wasn’t like he didn’t deserve it. Back then, it may have been different, but you didn’t kill your kids when they told you they wanted to come home.
That was a big no-no—or should have been, even back then.
As the horses went single file as the trail went narrow, Elizabeth and Ethan were in the back of the line.
Together.
“This is nice,” Ethan said, his chin on her shoulder as they rode out to commit some sort of crime.
Grave robbery.
Then again, was it robbery when you owned the land and the bones on it?
She agreed.
“Yeah, I love a romantic horseback ride to go dig up a body. Nothing says love like that. This is even after death, you still don’t part,” she admitted. “Had anyone said I’d be digging up a body, I would have throat-punched them.”
Oh, he was aware.
Now, he was curious.
“Want to go on a date later?” he asked. “We can head down to the town, and maybe get a drink in the pub? Feel like getting tipsy with me?”
Well, that kinda sounded like fun.
Both.
Parts.
“Michael and Graham get dinner there once a week, and tonight is the night. It would be a shame to make them miss it. I want some authentic Scottish fare.”
She didn’t hesitate.
“You had me at date. I’m in. Hopefully, I don’t ruin it for everyone. You know, when someone recognizes my face.”
Honestly, he didn’t care.
He loved that face.
Sue him, but it made him happy when he could see her smile, and some tipsy pub crawl might be what the doctor ordered. They were, after all, on vacation.
Oh, and he was the doctor in question.
“So, it’s a yes?”
She nodded.
“Sign me up,” she said. “I’d love a date. Can we triple?” she asked. “Or do you want to do it alone? I have a feeling that even though Ivan isn’t here, Michael is going to want to hover over me—just in case, and Finn will want to be there to do the same over Gabby. Men like to hover.”
Well, yeah.
That was a natural thing. When you had your mate, you wanted to be all over them.
As for the triple date…
Ethan liked company.
The more the merrier.
“Sure. I’m going to get tipsy, so we’ll need a driver anyway. I like you tipsy because then you get handsy after the fact, and I like when I’m your focus for some drunken mauling.”
She laughed.
Well, yeah.
That was half the fun.
“Then, I’m going to maul my girl right back,” he said, biting her on the neck, through her thick sweater.
The mouthful of wool had been worth it, too. Her response made him giddy.
“Well, then, let’s make that happen,” she stated. “Saint Michael!” she called, getting her son’s attention.
When he heard her, he turned in his saddle, glancing back at her.
“You good, Boo?” he asked. “There’s no rest stops on this journey, so I hope you don’t have to pee. You’re not going to like where I point.”
She laughed.
He was ridiculous. While she had the bladder of a woman who’d birthed big babies, she wasn’t that bad.
Yet.
“Yeah, we want to go into town tonight to get lit at the pub and dance on the bar. You in?” she asked.
Ethan laughed.
“That was NOT what I suggested. I said get tipsy. There was no drunken counter carousing in that suggestion, Elizabeth.”
Tomato.
Tomatoe.
It was all the same to her.
Besides, why not throw caution to the wind? When in Rome, do an orgy—or something like that.
Michael shrugged.
“I mean, I’m always down for a bar fight,” he said. “They think Graham can’t hold his own. I hear he gets into fights in alleys.”
He gasped.
“ONE TIME, LAD! ONE TIME!” he admitted. “And I was being blackmailed. I had to take out the trash, and the alley seemed like the most appropriate way to do that. Besides, may I point out that you came here, and the trash followed you, so whose fault is that?”
Michael laughed in amusement.
“I have a sketchy following. Wait until the next ex shows up. I think that was a woman. I’m not sure,” he busted.
Graham gasped.
“Jaysus. You’re a whore, and I say that as the one who was acting like one while we weren’t together!”
That made Elizabeth laugh.
Her family was insane.
“So, is that a yes?” she asked.
“We’re in,” he said.
Gabby raised her hand, making Elizabeth snort. The people who worked for her were criminally insane.
This was the proof.
“Yes, Gabriella.”
She glanced back.
“Can anyone come to this bar fight? Because I can bring the police, so no one calls them on us. I know Finn will LOVE knowing that’s why he’s invited. I think he was there for that alley brawl. I wouldn’t know. I WAS NOT INVITED TO THAT LITTLE PARTY!”
Michael snorted.
“Shit. She’s not letting us forget we didn’t take her with us. I’m blaming Gryphen, since he’s not here,” he stated. “Sorry, Gabs. Next alley brawl, we’ll call you first.”
She was amused.
How could she not be?
As for the evening, Elizabeth wanted Gabby there. It was fun hanging out with her. The next few weeks here were going to be fun.
She could tell.
“Well, it looks as if it’s a triple date,” she said. “If the ghosts don’t get us for digging up some bones.”
Oh, she had no idea.
There was no doubt in Graham’s, Michael’s, or Gabby’s minds that this was going to make the castle go wild. They knew what it was like BEFORE.
Now, it would really be stirred up. The only thing that would make it worse was if Catherine came to the party. She was the mean one.
As they kept moving toward the grave, they all heard it all around them.
Crying.
At first, she thought it was the wind whipping through the trees, but it wasn’t.
Not.
Even.
Close.
“Did you hear that?” Ethan asked, as he scanned the area, looking to see what was making that noise.
Was it an animal?
It couldn’t be a person.
Could it be?
That’s when Elizabeth saw her. This was the first time she’d ever seen a ghost while awake.
Holy.
Hell’s.
Bells.
What the hell was going on here?
“Uh, what’s that?” she asked, pointing.
Ahead, on the trail, now that it opened up, she saw herself standing there.
Only, it was likely Ceit, unless she was dead, or in a coma, and this was all a big cosmic prank.
“Well, Ceit’s here,” Graham admitted. “Let the fun begin,” he added.
Oh, boy.
“Uh-oh,” Gabby said. “She’s leading us to her heart. Sarah had to be right. It has to be in the box.”
Yes, yes, she was.
Elizabeth didn’t know why this made her twitchy as fuck, but it did. Her palms were itchy, and she didn’t think it was the wool sweater.
As they headed after her, the sky seemed to get cloudier, and the air got…colder. Elizabeth hoped that was just the weather, and not something else. Before coming here, she’d blame Mother Nature.
Now, she wasn’t so sure.
Oof.
As they rode, Michael pointed to the furthest part of the woods where they’d ‘dumped’ the body.
“That’s where he is,” he admitted, as he led them toward the place where they had interred the man’s bones.
As they all reached it, the men all got off, and helped both Elizabeth and Gabby down from the backs of the two horses. That was when they heard more crying.
“We gotta get this done,” Michael said. “My skin is crawling, like everything is watching us,” he stated. “I don’t like the way that feels.”
Know who else felt that way?
Elizabeth.
How the hell did people dig up bodies like it was nothing? This felt all kinds of wrong. At that very moment, her hair was standing up on the back of her neck.
On top of that, she felt like someone was RIGHT beside her, looking over her shoulder—and she didn’t mean Ethan.
“Well, then, let’s get digging,” she said. “So, we can get the hell out of here.”
There were no protests there.
As they approached the grave, shovels in hand, they saw where the man’s body had been placed.
And something looked like it had been digging there.
“Please tell me that’s not something trying to escape,” Michael said. “Because that grave did NOT look like that when we closed it up.”
No, it didn’t.
That was for sure.
The grave was simple and had just a cross made from sticks at the top of it. They’d marked it for now, until they waited to see if they’d move it, or let it be lost forever.
“I wonder how many people are buried all over these grounds?” Gabby asked. “Think about it. They are probably everywhere. What if we’re standing on his son’s body?”
As soon as she said it, EVERYONE looked over at Gabby, and that look said it all.
It made her laugh.
“Sorry. I’m a curious cat,” she said.
Yeah, and they all knew what happened to that cat. Curiosity kicked its ass.