Ghostly Manners

by K. E. O'Connor

  I disentangled our fingers, feeling as if I’d been caught doing something I shouldn’t. “Does that mean you’re too tired to make dinner? The catering company hasn’t brought any food in for us.”

  “They don’t get here until late on a Wednesday,” said Zach. “Don’t worry; there will be food for you.”

  “I still have enough energy to make us a simple meal.” Helen's eyes had a wicked glint in them. “Zach, will you be joining us?”

  “Although I’d love to, I have some work to do in the garden.” Zach stood and walked over to the back door. “Perhaps I can catch you later for a cup of tea?”

  “That would be lovely.” Helen gave Zach a smile. “I’m sure Lorna will be free. I will definitely be busy, though.”

  I smiled at Zach and shook my head at Helen’s blatant matchmaking effort. “I might be about later.”

  “Well, then I shall drop by.” Zach left the kitchen, and I looked at Helen, waiting for the questions to begin.

  Helen sat in Zach’s vacated seat. “You were holding hands! Did he hold your hand first or did you grab his?”

  “You make me sound so desperate.”

  “Answer the question.”

  “He held my hand first.” I felt my cheeks warm.

  “He loves you!”

  “No, I don’t think it’s that,” I said. “He’s interested in the ghost thing.”

  “He loves you because you see ghosts?”

  “Stop with the whole love business. He’s interested in them; that’s all.”

  “Interested in you, more like.” Helen’s eyes widened. “Are you two secretly dating and you haven’t told me?”

  “No! It was more of a friendly handholding than anything else,” I said. “We were talking about my ghost abilities. He seems to believe me.”

  “Why wouldn’t he?” asked Helen. “He’s had the evidence right in front of him that ghosts exist. Beatrice even kissed him. What additional proof does he need?”

  “A full-bodied apparition, maybe some ghost ectoplasm,” I said. “If I didn’t see them, I’d be just as sceptical such things exist.”

  “But I can’t see them, and I believe you,” said Helen. “I know ghosts are real.”

  “That’s different. We’ve played with ghosts since we were children. To you, they’re normal.”

  “I wouldn’t say normal, but I’m used to having them around,” said Helen. “So, Zach is a believer in spirits. That makes him perfect for you.”

  I shook my head. “He reckons he’s experienced some strange things. Sensed he's being watched, that sort of thing.”

  “I knew he was sensitive to ghosts,” said Helen with a triumphant smile. “Do you like him?”

  “He's a nice guy.” I wasn’t willing to admit that just seeing Zach made my pulse quicken. “But getting involved with another member of staff is risky. It won’t be approved of by Lady Galbraith.”

  “You’re not going to marry the guy.” Helen grinned at me. “Or perhaps you are. Perhaps this is the start of a real relationship.”

  “All my relationships are real,” I said.

  “You know what I mean,” said Helen. “He could be the one. You could have found someone who believes in your crazy ability to see ghosts and supports it. And he’s used to working in large estates. He understands your ability, he understands the work you do, and I know he likes Flipper. He’s the ideal man.”

  “It sounds as if you want to date him more than I do,” I said.

  “As lovely as Zach is, you know my tastes run to the upper-class of our great nation. One day, I will find myself a true British gentleman, who will whisk me off my feet, take me aboard his mega yacht, and sail me around the world, lavishing me with gifts and treating me like a princess.”

  “You mean to say you’re going to leave me for some posh bloke with a boat? Who’s going to be around to cook my meals and sew my hemlines?”

  “Don’t be silly,” said Helen. “I’d take you with us. You, Flipper, and Zach would be welcome on the mega yacht. There will be at least fifty bedrooms on board. We could lose each other for days; not that I’d ever want to lose you.”

  “And would you still cook my dinners?”

  “We’d have our own personal chef who would see to all of your culinary needs,” said Helen.

  “Well, until that day arrives, how about you start making something tasty for us now?”

  “You’re such a slave driver,” said Helen. “You’d make a good stand-in for Lady Galbraith.”

  I did not like that comparison. “I would not.”

  A door slammed, and the sound of raised voices could be heard drifting along the hallway.

  “Sounds like an argument.” Helen looked towards the kitchen door.

  “It's two male voices,” I said, my hunger vanishing as I strained to hear what was being said.

  “Might be trouble.” Helen stood up and looked at me. “We should make sure everything is okay.”

  “My thoughts exactly. Let’s go find out what's happening.”

  Chapter 16

  I scurried along the hallway, Helen and Flipper beside me, as we attempted to locate where the raised voices were coming from. We didn’t have far to walk, before stopping outside Lord Galbraith’s study.

  “You’re not getting any more from me until you can prove yourself.”

  “That’s Lord Galbraith,” I whispered to Helen.

  Footsteps stamped towards the door, and we both stepped back.

  “Quick, get behind these curtains in case they come out and find us listening,” said Helen. We dashed to the floor length heavy brocaded curtains in the window opposite the study, and I shuffled Flipper between my legs so he could fit in.

  “But I have this brilliant investment idea.”

  “And that’s Douglas,” whispered Helen. “Sounds like they’re arguing about money.”

  I pressed my fingers to my lips and focused on the argument.

  “I have invested significant sums in three previous business ideas of yours,” said Lord Galbraith. “Each one an unmitigated failure. There has to be an end to your unfounded ambitions. You need to think through what you do. There will be no more money until you can do so.”

  “But this one is going to return an enormous investment. We will win with this venture,” said Douglas.

  “And that is your problem; businesses aren’t about winning. They are about making shrewd, long-term, sensible decisions. You cannot expect to invest a million pounds and get a return of two million the next day. Business does not work that way.”

  “This is a new chain of casinos,” said Douglas, his tone petulant. “A guaranteed money maker. The house always wins.”

  “I can guarantee you this; if you are the house, you will lose. I do not have an infinite supply of money. You have your inheritance from Beatrice. You should use it to secure your future.”

  “I only received a small inheritance from Beatrice. She divided the rest between immediate family members,” said Douglas. “You received more than me. I know you’re good for more money.”

  “It’s not about whether I am good for the money or not,” said Lord Galbraith. “The fact is, I no longer trust your decisions when it comes to investments. Get yourself educated, write a business plan, and convince me you are a safe pair of hands. Until you do that, there will be no more money.”

  “You were happy to give money to that pointless sister of yours,” said Douglas. “Plus you’ll have more available now. She’s been gone several years. You must have some spare money in an account that was intended for her.”

  “What I choose to do with my own money is my decision and nobody else’s.” Lord Galbraith’s tone was icy. “Simply because my poor sister is no longer with us, does not mean you are entitled to anything else. You live with us rent free, you eat our food, you drink far too much of my expensive wine, and you are constantly coming to me for handouts. This has to stop.”

  “You’re probably spending all of your
money on that bit of skirt you’ve got hanging around you,” said Douglas.

  Helen and I both gasped at the same time. It would seem we were not the only ones who knew of Lord Galbraith’s indiscretion with Tilly.

  “I do not know what you’re talking about,” said Lord Galbraith, his voice so low I could barely hear him.

  “I’ve seen you together,” said Douglas. “As have other people. You’re not as clever as you think you are. You wouldn’t like news of your extramarital relationship getting back to Penelope. I imagine she wouldn’t be too pleased to know her loving husband is cheating on her. Could lead to a messy and expensive divorce. Then you wouldn’t have any money to refuse me.”

  “Be careful, Douglas,” growled Lord Galbraith.

  “I’m family,” said Douglas, his tone wheedling. “You should be helping me.”

  “I am trying to help you, by making sure you know how to look after yourself, and not constantly expecting others to support you.”

  “You will give me more money,” said Douglas. “Or I’ll go right to Penelope and tell her everything.”

  “He wouldn’t dare,” whispered Helen. “If Lady Galbraith finds out about her husband’s affair and does divorce him, Douglas would be out on his ear.”

  The sound of somebody clearing their throat in the hallway made me freeze. Flipper whined and shuffled closer to me.

  “You can both come out from behind the curtains.” It was Lady Galbraith.

  I wished I could become invisible. She was going to be furious. I stepped out from behind the curtain, Flipper glued to my leg. Helen followed a second later, her gaze on the carpet.

  “We were just—”

  Lady Galbraith cut me off. “Listening to a private family discussion.”

  I didn’t know what to say. We’d been caught red-handed.

  “We are sorry, Lady Galbraith,” said Helen. “We heard arguing and came to investigate. We wanted to make sure no one was being hurt.”

  “Then decided to stay and listen,” said Lady Galbraith.

  I exchanged a sorrowful look with Helen, and we hung our heads.

  Lady Galbraith crossed her arms over her birdlike chest. “Did you find the conversation to your amusement?”

  “Oh, no. Not for a second,” I said. “And we didn’t mean to pry into family business.”

  Lady Galbraith took several deep breaths. “What you have overheard is private and must not leave this house, ever.”

  “We won’t breathe a word,” I said.

  “By rights, I should have you both sacked for what you have done,” said Lady Galbraith. “But Helen is an effective seamstress, and you have previously shown me you can be discreet, Miss Shadow. Therefore, if neither of you say anything about what you have heard, we can let the matter drop. Do you understand me?”

  We both nodded.

  “You are dismissed,” said Lady Galbraith. “And remember, not a word to anybody.”

  I walked away as swiftly as possible with Helen and Flipper, desperate to break into a run and get away from Lady Galbraith and her chilling glare.

  As we headed up the stairs, Helen clutched hold of my hand. “That was close. I thought she was going to get rid of us.”

  “She still might,” I said. “But it goes to show she already knew about Lord Galbraith having a mistress.”

  “Which proves what?” asked Helen, as we hurried into my bedroom and I shut the door behind us.

  “Which proves that, even if Beatrice informed Lady Galbraith of her husband’s infidelity, it would have been meaningless. If she already knew about it, then she has no motive to kill Beatrice.”

  “I’ve just had a horrible thought.” Helen's hands went to her mouth. “What if Beatrice revealed the affair to Lady Galbraith and she killed her to keep the secret safe. Now she knows another family member is aware of the affair. That means Douglas’s life could be at risk.”

  “You think Lady Galbraith is the killer?” I had ruled her off the suspect list.

  “Why not? I felt like I was going to freeze to death on the spot when she was telling us off. And it’s a good motive. She wants this high-class charade of a marriage to be seen as perfect. If the affair came out, she may have no choice but to divorce Lord Galbraith, and she’d have to leave this place. She does seem fond of the manor house. And I bet she wouldn’t be able to afford a place like this on her own.”

  “It seems a bit extreme to kill for a house,” I said.

  “I don’t know. I might be willing to do people serious harm if it meant I could live in a fabulous house, with an overflowing wardrobe and servants on hand,” said Helen.

  “No you wouldn’t,” I said. “But you think Lady Galbraith might try to kill Douglas to keep the affair hushed up?”

  “Even though Douglas is a creep, we need to keep an eye on him. If Lady Galbraith is the killer, then he will be her next target. I don’t enjoy saving creeps, but I also wouldn’t want his death on my conscience.”

  I closed my eyes, feeling a headache begin. It looked like we were now not only ghost hunters, but also guardians of the creeps in this messed up household.

  Chapter 17

  “Are we all set?” I looked at Zach and Helen as we stood in the kitchen.

  After our encounter with Lady Galbraith and the unsettling discovery she may be the killer and now after Douglas, we had roped Zach into helping keep an eye on him and make sure nothing untoward happened.

  He had been as incredulous as I was that Lady Galbraith could be Beatrice’s killer, but after discussing it with him, he’d agreed to assist. Helen and Zach took the first two shifts during the day, and now it was my turn.

  “Nothing to report from my surveillance of Douglas,” said Helen. “I was able to watch his room all morning as I looked after Lady Galbraith. He didn’t stir from his bed.”

  “I saw him leave the house at about three o’clock,” said Zach. “I made sure nobody followed him. And Lady Galbraith has been inside all day. So she couldn’t have been tailing him with any nefarious deeds in mind.”

  “She could hire someone to get rid of him,” said Helen. “She has the money to hire a hitman to take him out.”

  “That would look a little suspicious,” I said. “I see Lady Galbraith being more of a poisoner than a hirer of assassins.”

  “The upper-class do enjoy a good poisoning,” said Zach.

  “It’s a possibility, though,” said Helen. “Maybe we should tail Douglas when he leaves the house as well.”

  “We don’t have enough people to do that,” I said. “And we can’t abandon our posts on the off chance Douglas gets snuffed out down some dark alley. He will have to look after himself when he leaves the house, but we’ll do what we can for him here. Talking of which, I don’t want to leave him on his own for long. Don't want Lady Galbraith to get her killer claws into him.”

  “Be careful.” Zach gave my arm a squeeze. “And don’t let Lady Galbraith spot you watching. From what you’ve told me, if she does, you’ll be out of a job.”

  He didn’t need to remind me of that. I’d encountered Lady Galbraith twice today, and on each occasion, she’d shot me the evilest of stares. I needed to lay low until she’d forgotten what I had done.

  I left the kitchen and strode along the corridor with Flipper. The family had eaten dinner, and Lady Galbraith retired to her reading room. Lord Galbraith had already left the house for the evening, leaving Douglas on his own with a bottle of wine in the games room.

  I walked past the games room a couple of times, doing a circuit of the downstairs of the house, but it felt as if I was leaving him on his own for too long. Someone could sneak in and do away with him in the time it took me to walk the ground floor. I decided to stay close by, and after grabbing some half-hemmed skirts from my wardrobe, I sat in the corridor in a hard-backed velvet chair, pretending to sew.

  Flipper lay on the floor next to me, his head on his paws, gaze intent on the door of the games room, as if he realised where we sho
uld be focusing our attention.

  An hour passed, and I was stiff, bored, and in need of the bathroom.

  I was wondering if I dared leave Douglas alone for a few minutes, when the games room door was flung open and Douglas stumbled out. For a second, I thought he’d been injured, but then I realised he was just rotten drunk.

  As he stabilised himself, his bleary eyes fixed on me and a slimy smile spread across his face. “Are you waiting for me?”

  “No, the light is better in the corridor. I was doing some sewing.”

  “Isn’t that the work of your little friend?” He walked towards me, ignoring the growl of warning coming from Flipper. “She can darn your socks for you.”

  “She could, but Helen is busy with her ladyship. I don’t like to disturb her.”

  “Of course you don’t.” Douglas stood in the light I was using to pretend to sew. “Are you sure you weren’t waiting for me? I know you ladies like to play at being demure and discreet. I don’t go for any of that nonsense, myself. Say what you want and go get it. That’s my motto, and it always works for me.”

  It hadn’t worked when he’d been trying to extract more money from Lord Galbraith. “No, I wasn’t waiting for you.”

  “I was going to get some more booze. Why don’t you join me in the games room for an evening tipple of something fruity?”

  Although the thought of being alone in a room with Douglas made me feel queasy, it would give me the perfect opportunity to watch over him and make sure he was safe. “I could have one drink.”

  “Excellent. Get on in there, girl, and I’ll bring some drinks through.” He staggered away along the hallway, leaning against one wall to keep upright.

  After a second of hesitation, I gathered up my sewing and walked into the room. The wallpaper was a deep red, with gold velvet embellishments. There was a sturdy looking, dark wooden desk, a full-sized pool table, several games consoles tucked to one side by a vast flat screen TV, and a miniature golf course laid around the edge of the room. The carpet was dark green, most likely to mimic grass.