to whatever estate records are available from the past few hundred years.’ She didn’t tell them that she intended to spend most of her time in London trying to track down the identity of the actor who filled the mirror in her room.
‘Aren’t they on file here, or in the town?’ Nancy asked. ‘Or the parish church?’
‘I’m not sure about any papers here at the house. I’ll be going over it with a fine-toothed comb to see what I can dig up. The church records only register baptisms, marriages and funerals. I spoke to the town librarian and she said that most of the official records were sent to the National Archives several years ago.’
Nancy gave her a thoughtful look. ‘That’s great. Maybe you can verify who our ghost is, and why he is haunting us.’
Kelly let the comment slide.
‘Oh, I meant to ask – did you take a pile of stones from the bureau outside my room?’
Nancy drew her brows together in apparent incomprehension.
‘Stones?’
‘Yes. Runes apparently. I was told about them today in Abingdon – I found a row of seven on the windowsill in my room. I left them on the bureau in the hall, intending to ask you about them, but this morning they were gone.’
Nancy and Tom exchanged blank looks.
‘I’ve no idea,’ Tom said. ‘I’ll ask the builders if you like – perhaps they know where they went.’
‘Finally,’ Kelly said, ignoring the unwelcome throb between her thighs the instant John materialised in the mirror before her.
She’d sat cross-legged on the bed for over an hour as she waited. She’d considered calling out his name, more than once, but until she knew that Tom and Nancy were innocent of any complicity, she couldn’t afford to be overheard.
‘Did the lady await me? I am indeed flattered.’ A self-satisfied glow seemed to pass across John’s face.
Frustrated, she shook her head. ‘Doesn’t matter who they are or where they’re from, does it – men’s egos are all the same.’
‘But Kelly, you must allow me a modicum of liberty. It has been over a century since a woman of any kind has shown me even a grain of encouragement. Surely that warrants some allowance?’
She scrubbed her face. If he weren’t so damn polite she’d want to throttle him. Again she could only marvel at how well he played his part.
‘I have some questions to ask.’
‘Certainly. I will answer as I can.’
‘Truthfully?’ she raised her left brow ever so slightly.
‘Of course, Madam.’ He lifted his chin as if affronted. ‘A man’s word is his bond.’
‘Okay—’
‘ Okay, okay ,’ he mimicked in obvious frustration, ‘… you often say this, as do your friends, but the word is unfamiliar to me. What do you mean by it?’
Surprised, Kelly had to think a moment. It never entered her head that he might not recognise colloquialisms that have now become a part of everyday language.
‘It kind of means … “all right” or “so be it” … or maybe “understood”.’
He cocked his head to the side as if seriously attempting to digest her explanation and suddenly she realised that at some point she had begun to believe him again.
‘Damn!’ she berated herself. How gullible am I?
‘Madam! Such profanity is unbecoming in a lady – even if one is a divorcee.’
‘What the heck has that got to do with anything?’
His expression sobered.
‘Perhaps such behavior is acceptable in your world, but in polite society a lady would never demean herself by speaking thus. A little latitude is sometimes reserved for worldly ladies who have been long married or widowed, but never would such a word pass a lady’s lips in mixed company – nor a gentleman’s for that matter.’
‘Good thing we’re not in your world, then,’ she muttered under her breath.
The blue of his eyes hardened, but he didn’t comment.
‘ Okay ,’ he said the word loudly for obvious effect, ‘you wished to ask questions?’
‘Yes I did.’ Kelly studied the information on her
‘Aren’t they on file here, or in the town?’ Nancy asked. ‘Or the parish church?’
‘I’m not sure about any papers here at the house. I’ll be going over it with a fine-toothed comb to see what I can dig up. The church records only register baptisms, marriages and funerals. I spoke to the town librarian and she said that most of the official records were sent to the National Archives several years ago.’
Nancy gave her a thoughtful look. ‘That’s great. Maybe you can verify who our ghost is, and why he is haunting us.’
Kelly let the comment slide.
‘Oh, I meant to ask – did you take a pile of stones from the bureau outside my room?’
Nancy drew her brows together in apparent incomprehension.
‘Stones?’
‘Yes. Runes apparently. I was told about them today in Abingdon – I found a row of seven on the windowsill in my room. I left them on the bureau in the hall, intending to ask you about them, but this morning they were gone.’
Nancy and Tom exchanged blank looks.
‘I’ve no idea,’ Tom said. ‘I’ll ask the builders if you like – perhaps they know where they went.’
‘Finally,’ Kelly said, ignoring the unwelcome throb between her thighs the instant John materialised in the mirror before her.
She’d sat cross-legged on the bed for over an hour as she waited. She’d considered calling out his name, more than once, but until she knew that Tom and Nancy were innocent of any complicity, she couldn’t afford to be overheard.
‘Did the lady await me? I am indeed flattered.’ A self-satisfied glow seemed to pass across John’s face.
Frustrated, she shook her head. ‘Doesn’t matter who they are or where they’re from, does it – men’s egos are all the same.’
‘But Kelly, you must allow me a modicum of liberty. It has been over a century since a woman of any kind has shown me even a grain of encouragement. Surely that warrants some allowance?’
She scrubbed her face. If he weren’t so damn polite she’d want to throttle him. Again she could only marvel at how well he played his part.
‘I have some questions to ask.’
‘Certainly. I will answer as I can.’
‘Truthfully?’ she raised her left brow ever so slightly.
‘Of course, Madam.’ He lifted his chin as if affronted. ‘A man’s word is his bond.’
‘Okay—’
‘ Okay, okay ,’ he mimicked in obvious frustration, ‘… you often say this, as do your friends, but the word is unfamiliar to me. What do you mean by it?’
Surprised, Kelly had to think a moment. It never entered her head that he might not recognise colloquialisms that have now become a part of everyday language.
‘It kind of means … “all right” or “so be it” … or maybe “understood”.’
He cocked his head to the side as if seriously attempting to digest her explanation and suddenly she realised that at some point she had begun to believe him again.
‘Damn!’ she berated herself. How gullible am I?
‘Madam! Such profanity is unbecoming in a lady – even if one is a divorcee.’
‘What the heck has that got to do with anything?’
His expression sobered.
‘Perhaps such behavior is acceptable in your world, but in polite society a lady would never demean herself by speaking thus. A little latitude is sometimes reserved for worldly ladies who have been long married or widowed, but never would such a word pass a lady’s lips in mixed company – nor a gentleman’s for that matter.’
‘Good thing we’re not in your world, then,’ she muttered under her breath.
The blue of his eyes hardened, but he didn’t comment.
‘ Okay ,’ he said the word loudly for obvious effect, ‘you wished to ask questions?’
‘Yes I did.’ Kelly studied the information on her
Similar Books
