The Ghosts of Ravencrest (The Ravencrest Saga Book 1)

by Tamara Thorne

  She nodded, wondering just what he meant. Does he want to kiss me again? Or are we going to pretend it never happened?

  “Go ahead and watch the children, won’t you? And make sure they’re wearing sunscreen.” His voice was all business.

  “Of course.” Her heart sank.

  Eric flashed another smile. “Are you sure your ankle is okay?”

  “It hurts, but it looks worse than it is.”

  “I can carry you back to the house if you like. One of the maids can see to the kids.”

  The thought of Eric Manning carrying her was tempting, but she was a lousy liar. “I’m fine, really.”

  “Very well, then. Shall we?” He nodded at the doors.

  When they reached the exit, he pulled one door open and held it for her.

  She passed, her cheeks burning with … With what? Excitement? Rejection? Shame? She couldn’t be sure.

  “We’ll do our laps in the outdoor pool tomorrow.”

  These words reignited Belinda’s hopes. At least he isn’t going to avoid me. Beyond that, she had no idea what he was thinking.

  Revelations

  “Cordelia outdid herself,” Grant said as he and Riley examined the Greek statues Belinda had seen in flagrante delicto from her bedroom window. He bent and picked up crumbles of granite at the edges of Demeter’s feet. There were similar masses of crumbled stone around the others as well, but their feet were perfect and untouched. Only their bases looked rough and damaged, if ever so slightly.

  Riley had been kneeling, examining the grass around the statues. “There are bits of granite everywhere.” He stood and pointed to an area of lawn ten feet away. “And over there - the grass looks like someone has crushed it with heavy machinery.”

  “Or stone feet,” Grant said.

  Riley, his face solemn, nodded. “Do you think she’s powerful enough to do this?”

  “I didn’t, but I don’t think she expected this to happen, either. It’s really put her tail in a twist.”

  Riley smiled. “Good. Do you have any theories?”

  “I’m still researching. We’ve seen her attempt this glamour before and I think that’s all she was doing the other night. No doubt trying to give Belinda nightmares.”

  Riley nodded. “She really has something against her.”

  “She has had, since she entered this house,” Grant said. “It baffled me at first.”

  “Eric obviously finds Belinda attractive and Cordelia is as jealous as Zeus and Hera combined.”

  Grant laughed. “You’re right, but there’s more, and I think Cordelia picked up on it very quickly.”

  “What?”

  “Belinda has the Sight.” He paused. “And she looks very much like Alice Manning. Have you noticed?”

  “I have. You must admit, though, that both are simply attractive young women with lots of dark hair and a certain innocence of feature.”

  “True, but if you look closely, their faces share similar bone structure.”

  “Belinda’s nose is-”

  “What about my nose, Riley?”

  Both men turned as Belinda Moorland joined them.

  “We didn’t hear you, dearheart,” Grant said with a smile. “How did you manage to sneak up on us? Magic?”

  “My ears were burning.” Belinda laughed. “But what about my nose?” She turned concerned eyes on Riley. “Seriously? Why are you out here discussing my nose?”

  “Your nose is just like Alice Manning’s. Have you noticed?” Riley came close and bent, studying her face, a grin on his own.

  “I haven’t, but thank you, she’s very beautiful.”

  “Belinda?” Grant asked. “You’ve turned pale. What’s wrong?”

  “Oh, just about everything.” She paused. “I mean, nothing, but I’m very confused.”

  “About your nose?” Riley asked.

  “No, I don’t know.” She looked at the statues. “Are you trying to figure out what happened?”

  “Yes. I suggest you don’t wander the grounds at night for the time being.”

  “Why?”

  “They got loose of their bases, love, and they did have a bit of a party.”

  Belinda stared at Riley. “You’re joking.”

  “He’s not joking,” Grant affirmed. “Promise me you won’t leave the house at night.”

  “Oh, I won’t.” She gestured at the statues. “Even without what I saw last night, I wouldn’t come out here after dark. Too many weird things happen.”

  “Oh?” Grant asked. “Such as?”

  “I’ve seen someone digging in the gardens a couple of times.” She paused. “You must have a gardener who’s really a morning person. He comes out before dawn.”

  Grant and Riley exchanged glances, then Riley spoke. “I’ll look into that.”

  “Belinda, you have something else on your mind,” Grant said. “What is it?”

  “I, uh, think it’s one of those things we should discuss on hallowed ground - or in town.”

  Grant consulted his watch. “It’s lunch time. Are the children waiting on you?”

  “No. They’ve left for an overnight at a friend’s. A birthday party.”

  “Then, Riley, I think I need to take this young lady out for a bacon cheeseburger.”

  “You kids have fun.” Riley grinned.

  “Care to join us?” Grant asked.

  “Not today. I have a lot of work to do on the farm - starting with remounting Old Peckerhead - he’s not on his pole.”

  Belinda’s eyes widened. “You don’t think he-”

  “Went looking for a lady scarecrow?” Riley grinned.

  She nodded.

  “Nah, Peckerhead just falls down now and again. Drinks too much, you know.”

  “Okay …”

  “He loves his corn liquor.” Riley’s eyes twinkled.

  “Indeed.” Grant smiled. “Meet me in twenty minutes. I’ll pick you up at the front door.”

  “I really appreciate it, Grant.” Belinda said.

  “Nonsense. My pleasure.” He turned to Riley. “Would you like me to bring something back for you?”

  “How about half a dozen of those cheeseburgers?”

  “With bacon?”

  “Of course.”

  Belinda stared. “Six? I could barely finish one!”

  “Riley’s appetite belies his trim figure,” Grant said. “It’s actually quite astonishing.”

  Riley grinned, pulled a baseball cap out of his back pocket and slung it low over his eyes. “I’m off to see to Old Peckerhead. Later.” He started trotting away as if untouched by the heat of the July day.

  “I’ll see you in a few minutes, Belinda.”

  “Great.”

  Grant waited, watching her walk toward Ravencrest’s kitchen door. She paused near the persimmon tree, shading her eyes with her hand and looking toward the garden they called the farm. He looked, and Riley was nowhere in sight. “Damn it, Riley,” he muttered.

  ***

  Belinda froze. In one moment, Riley was there. The next, he was gone. It wasn’t possible. From the corner of her eye, she saw Grant. He was looking right at her, and even from this distance, she could see the strained expression on his face, the worry in his eyes. His weak smile gave her a chill. She nodded, trying to appear casual, then turned and headed toward the manor. I know what I saw. He couldn’t have disappeared that fast. Impossible. As she walked, she felt Grant’s eyes on her back. Suddenly, she wasn’t so sure the friendly butler and his husband were everything they seemed to be.

  No one here is what they appear. She entered Ravencrest feeling disoriented, and unsafe. And more like Alice in Wonderland than ever.

  ***

  Belinda’s silence during the trip down to Devilswood worried Grant, but he waited to question her until they were seated in Luncheon Town and their food was on the way. “Belinda, what’s wrong?”

  She stared at her hands. “Riley disappeared before my eyes.”

  “Riley’s good
at that. In his youth he worked as a magician and he still likes to pull some of his old magic tricks.” He smiled. “Just don’t let him talk you into letting him saw you in half.”

  Belinda didn’t smile. “It’s just that … the statues, the ghosts, the pool this morning ... And then he vanishes and, well, I guess that was just one too many weird things for me.”

  She wouldn’t meet his eyes and Grant knew his credibility had been tarnished. “There are a lot of things you don’t understand, Belinda. Things I can’t really tell you.”

  She searched his face. “Why?”

  Grant shrugged. “Some of the stories just aren’t mine to tell.”

  “Is he a ghost, too?”

  Grant cocked his head. “What?”

  “Riley. Is he a ghost?”

  He laughed. “No, dearheart. Nothing like that. I assure you, Riley is very much alive. More alive than most of us.”

  She watched him and he could see the doubt in her eyes.

  “I can trust you, can’t I?”

  Grant drew his brows down and placed his hand over hers. “Of course, you can.”

  “If I thought I couldn’t trust you, I’d go mad, Grant.” She brought her green eyes up to his. “You can understand that, can’t you?”

  “You can trust me, Belinda. You can, I promise.” He patted her hand. “I just can’t tell you some things. At least not yet. Do you understand?”

  “No, not really. But I’m willing to wait a little longer if you promise to tell me everything eventually.”

  “It’s a deal. Now, what happened at the pool this morning?”

  She was silent a long moment. “The diving board. Someone dove off of it, and this time, I saw the board move.”

  “Are you certain?”

  She nodded. “Why is that so surprising?”

  “I’ve just never seen that happen. I’ve heard the board and the splashes. And the scream, for that matter, but I’ve never seen any movement.”

  “Well, it did. And there was something else.”

  “Go on.”

  She wrung her hands together and stared at them. “Something grabbed me. Something cold and bony. Like a hand. It grabbed my ankle, then dragged me underwater.”

  Grant gasped.

  “Eric was there,” she continued. “He pulled me up, but before he got there, I felt something else. It was as if someone grabbed my shoulders and was trying to pull me to the surface. To save me. The hands were ice cold.” She glanced at him. “I think it was Isobel.”

  Grant was stunned. “I’ve seen a lot of things in my years at Ravencrest, but this is very serious indeed.”

  Belinda nodded.

  “Did Eric hear the-”

  “No. He was underwater. He didn’t see or hear anything.” Her face crumpled. “I feel like I’m losing my mind, Grant.” Tears filled her eyes.

  “You’re not. I assure you.” He handed her a napkin. “The skeletal hand you felt. You’re sure of it?”

  “Absolutely.” Her eyes blazed, if only for an instant. “Someone - something - was trying to drown me.” She lifted her pant leg and showed him. There were four bluish-purple bruises, like fingers, encircling her ankle.

  Grant’s eyes widened. “That looks pretty serious. Are you all right?”

  Belinda lowered her pant leg. “I’m fine. I’m just confused.”

  “I’ve heard stories of that hand, but they date back to the 1930s.”

  “The hand? What is it?”

  “Something tragic, Belinda, but I’ll have to do research to tell you more. You’d best stay out of that pool for now. Everyone must. I’ll speak to Eric about it.”

  “He’s already locked the building.”

  “Good.”

  Belinda dabbed away a tear. “Do you think Isobel was trying to help me?”

  “Undoubtedly. She was a dear, wonderful woman, and you should trust your instincts. They’re very good. She’d like you.”

  “What do these ghosts - or whatever they are - want with me? I don’t understand.”

  “I’m not sure, but you do have the Sight and, may I add, your gift is the most powerful I’ve seen. I think it might be wise, if you agree, for me to begin teaching you about psychic self defense.”

  “Yes. I agree.” She sat back as the waitress delivered bacon cheeseburgers and huge mounds of fries.

  “I’d like to place an order to go,” Grant said. “Six bacon cheeseburgers.”

  The waitress jotted it on her pad. “You’ve got it.”

  Belinda stared at him with wide eyes. “Riley was serious? I thought that was a joke.”

  “That man never jokes about food.”

  “Okay ...” Looking uncertain, Belinda tried a fry.

  “Eat up,” Grant said, passing the ketchup. “Junk food gives you strength.”

  Her smile was timid, but her appetite wasn’t. They ate in silence a few minutes.

  “Now tell me the rest, Belinda.”

  She finished the last of her burger and picked up a ketchup-stained fry. “I had another dream last night.”

  “And by dream, do you mean visitation?”

  She nodded.

  “Thomas?”

  “He was there, too.”

  “Who else?”

  “Alice. She showed me what happened.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She and Thomas were in love but she chose Edward to marry. While he was away, she and Thomas went on a picnic together.”

  Grant leaned forward, the remains of his lunch forgotten. “An assignation?”

  Belinda hesitated. “No. Alice wasn’t going to accept but her mother-in-law urged them to go.”

  “Johanna?”

  “Yes.” She spoke matter of factly.

  The poor girl had had so much thrust upon her in the last few days that he was amazed she was able to handle it all. “Go on.”

  “Prudence and Parnell were conceived under an oak tree by a stream. They were Thomas’. Alice never told him, but he always suspected. And now, of course, he knows.”

  “Belinda, this is wonderful information. Thank you for telling me.” The waitress came, refilled their coffees and dropped off the check and a bulging white bag of burgers.

  Belinda waited until she was gone. “They want my help. They said it’s my destiny. That I have the power and am chosen. Do you have any idea what they were talking about?”

  He wasn’t sure of the answer. “You do have the Sight, which means they can communicate with you. You’re probably the first friendly person they’ve encountered with the gift in all these years.”

  “‘Friendly?’”

  He nodded. “I’d imagine the witch is able to see them, but she certainly isn’t friendly.”

  “Cordelia Heller.”

  He nodded. He wished he’d thought before he’d spoke - he didn’t want to talk about Cordelia if he could avoid it, not now. Belinda didn’t need more to contend with; she had to be nearing the end of her tether. “Yesterday, you said Thomas told you he wanted you to rescue Prudence. That’s the help they’re asking for, correct?”

  Belinda nodded.

  “What do they want you to do?”

  “They want me to bring her out of the east wing. They said they can’t go in and she can’t come out on her own. They need me to bring her.”

  That was the answer he’d feared. “I see.”

  “I don’t see,” Belinda said. “Why can’t she come out?”

  “They’re telling you the truth. It’s complicated. There are wards set.”

  “You mentioned wards before, but I can’t recall what you said.”

  “Well, you might think of them as force fields. They repel certain things and beings. There are wards set to keep Prudence in and other spirits out.” He paused. “She’s dangerous to the witch as very few things are.”

  “Because of her innocence.”

  “Yes. Her purity makes her rather impervious to evil.” He studied her, a new thought dawning. “Bel
inda, I think part of your power is your own purity.”

  “Purity? I’m not pure.”

  Grant smiled and touched her hand. “Belinda, you exude purity and innocence. You don’t have to be a child or a virgin to have purity. It’s your soul that’s pure.”

  Belinda blushed furiously and he realized she really was a virgin. Thomas and Alice were correct - it was truly her destiny. His stomach knotted with the knowledge.

  “You said you have some abilities with these things,” Belinda began. “You’re a Knight of the Mandrake.”

  “I am, indeed, and I do have knowledge. In fact, I’ve set wards of my own, just as my predecessors have, to keep the three sisters from leaving the east wing. We wouldn’t want that to happen. They’re powerful enough to be seen by most anyone, with or without the Sight.”

  Belinda looked annoyed, but hopeful. “But can you break the wards keeping Prudence in? Or keeping her parents out?”

  “I’ve tried, but the witch’s wards have always been very potent and I’ve had no luck breaking them.” He paused. “You must understand that Cordelia renews those wards regularly. I caught her at it the other day.”

  “Can’t you get her fired?”

  He laughed without humor. “It wouldn’t help. She’d find another way in. Remember, we’re here talking because she might ‘tune’ into us at Ravencrest.”

  “What about the cemetery? You said-”

  “Yes, that’s probably safe, but I need to test it to be sure - and it’s lunch time. I’d rather eat than sit in the heat at the boneyard.” He smiled. “Wouldn’t you?”

  She ignored his attempt at levity. “I’m going in.”

  “Into the east wing?” His gut twisted again.

  “I have to.” Her voice held a firmness he’d never heard before.

  “You don’t have to, Belinda.”

  “It’s my destiny.”

  The strength in her eyes and the set of her jaw surprised him. There was more to this young woman than he’d suspected. Much more. “Very well. When?”

  “Tonight. While the kids are away. It’s time.”

  “You’re sure? You know you will probably encounter the bleeding nuns.”