Wanted: Ghost-Busting Bride

by Donna Helmedag

  Lady Sedgewick tapped her on the arm. “It’s time we mingled, dear. You’ll need to know these women for the future. I’ll introduce you.”

  Other than knowing their names for picking Thursday’s teams, Kailyn thought, none of them had a place in her future. Ghosts or no ghosts, she’d be back in Dallas next Monday morning job-hunting again. She wasn’t going to marry Markham unless she was certain he loved her. So far, she wasn’t convinced.

  She trudged along behind his aunt. Every time Lady Sedgewick stopped at a cluster of women, they oohed and aahed over the emerald ring Kailyn wore. After five minutes, her face muscles ached from smiling. When would this pointless small-talk end? She couldn’t remember any of the names, and she couldn’t care less.

  Finally, Markham and his sister strolled back into the room, saving Kailyn from strangling the next idiot who asked her if she knew any cowboys in Dallas.

  The blasted man headed straight for her. Reaching her side, he announced to the crowd, “Dinner has been delayed long enough. Please follow us into the dining room.” Then he snagged her by the elbow and secured her to his side.

  “Wait a minute.” She planted her feet. “Don’t you think someone else should have the seat of honor next to you?”

  “No. I’m not giving Desdemona any more openings.” He tugged her forward.

  Glancing over her shoulder, she caught Allison’s amused glance. “You’re not off the hook, my friend. You and Emily can fill in the other seats around my abductor.”

  The sea of women around her parted. Allison and Emily had no choice but to follow her.

  Surrounded by her new-found friends, Kailyn felt safe. It was time to launch her unsuitability campaign. She wasn’t going to be a countess, and the sooner Markham understood that, the better. She was far too direct to play nicely with social snobs.

  One tiny taste of the soup was all the inspiration she needed.

  Putting down her spoon, she said quietly, “Markham, you really do need to cut a hallway through your office. It would shorten the walk from the kitchen to the dining room. This soup is cold.”

  Markham, Allison, Emily and Nell burst out laughing.

  “This is vichyssoise,” he whispered. “It’s supposed to be cold.” Winking at her, he spoke louder, “I’ll give up my office if you design me a better one.”

  “That’s easy. Anything would improve the outdated cave you work in.” Kailyn pulled a scrap of paper out of her silly feathered purse. She drew a square, marked a door, a window and several electrical outlets. With a grin, she shoved it toward the incorrigible tease. “Here. I’ve made major improvements. You now have five electrical sockets. No more need for the tangle of wires I saw stuffed under your desk.”

  “Marvelous.” Across the table Nell clapped her hands. Then she pointed to the dining room’s torn wallpaper, the faded but ornate ceiling and finally the hodgepodge dinner service. “I’m so glad Kailyn is in charge of the renovations. I’ve been waiting for years to find an ally to help me update this moss-grown heirloom.”

  “Under my supervision of course.” The dark look Markham shot his sister egged Kailyn on.

  What a perfect opening. She’d show him how much trouble she’d be if he married her. “First I’d update the Internet access. Then I’d place wrought-iron railings on the tower stairs. Those stone staircases are a menace.” She glowered at Markham. “Especially when a certain earl requires his guests to wear neck-breaking costumes.”

  Markham squeezed her hand. “A brilliant idea. Maybe it’s safe to leave the renovations in your hands.”

  Crap. She was being too practical. He wasn’t the tiniest bit upset. Worse, the other women weren’t any help. She had hoped Nell would argue against any change.

  On to a more outrageous suggestion. “Oh, I’m just getting started. Does the castle have any secret passages or hidden rooms, or do I create them?”

  “Unfortunately not.” Nell pulled a long face. “When we were kids, my mother had us hunt for the treasures that disappeared during the Second World War. There’s not one nook or cranny we didn’t explore.”

  Kailyn held her breath. How would Markham respond?

  “What a most extraordinary coincidence.” Markham chuckled, eyes twinkling in delight. “An old castle ought to have secret places for children to discover.” He leaned closer to Kailyn. “When we draw up plans, we must make sure we include hidden passageways to amuse our children.”

  Oh hell. She’d dug her grave deeper. “Speaking of children, maybe we should turn the picture gallery into a bowling alley. We could add a swimming pool to the garden. What about a hockey rink in the ballroom?”

  Nell bounced in her seat, while Markham nodded thoughtfully. “Sports facilities for our children would be good. There is enough unused space in the dungeon and the attic storage areas.”

  “Fabulous. You two will convert this mausoleum into a family home.” Nell cheered, and the other guests joined in.

  Rats. What did she propose next? Tear down the walls and build a modern high-rise? Just the thought of demolishing this historic structure churned her stomach. She couldn’t even pretend that would be a good plan.

  Besides, it was so fun to bait Markham. Throw out crazy notions and watch him juggle ideas. His enthusiasm was infectious. Scary thoughts filled her head. She could marry him, present him with a son and race through the castle with their children.

  Yikes. Two days in his company and she was falling for this fairy tale. Why else would she have rushed to his side the moment she saw Ginnette touch his hand? She frowned at the damn ring she couldn’t remove. Did it possess the same type of power Desdemona’s ruby ring wielded to manipulate Ginnette and Markham?

  The last forty-eight hours had been doozies. She’d fought off Helena’s attack, fallen into the scoundrel’s arms for a smoldering kiss in the dungeon then rescued him from a vicious ghost, and now she was playing his hostess at the dinner. There were only three possibilities for her insanity—Markham’s sex appeal had short-circuited her brain, Lady Anne controlled her with the ring, or she’d genuinely fallen in love.

  None of the choices appealed to her.

  Thankfully Lady Sedgewick rose. “Ladies, please gather in the parlor.”

  As Kailyn stood, Markham caught her hand and pulled her down to whisper in her ear, “Walk with me through the castle. My aunt will entertain the others.”

  The self-preservation part of her brain trumped the flutter of desire swirling through her. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “I have a theory about Ginnette’s actions for you to analyze.” He glanced around the now-empty dining room. “And I’d prefer to discuss the matter away from the other guests.”

  The last thing she needed was another private moment with the Earl of Ryne. Too bad they couldn’t pop around the corner to the local Starbucks. “Why can’t we sit here and talk?”

  “We must come to an agreement.”

  Judging by his clipped tone, this was going to be a serious discussion.

  “About what?” She sank back into her seat and studied Markham’s grave expression. The man simply had no idea how sexy he was.

  “We need a plan to control the ghosts.”

  Now he was talking her language. She sat up straight. “Have you ever thought of exterminating them?”

  “You can’t kill a ghost. Besides, they’ve not been a problem in my lifetime until this week.”

  “Sure you can get rid of a ghost. Haven’t you seen Ghost Busters or The Exorcist?”

  “That’s a bit far-fetched. However, I’m ecstatic about your newfound belief in ghosts.”

  She opened her mouth to protest then shut it again. The events of the last twenty-four hours had destroyed all her ties to reality. If she zapped the ghosts, she’d get her sanity and her life back.

  “I believe ghosts should be eradicated,” she stated tartly. “If you don’t like my ghostbusting ideas, let’s look on your computer to find more scientific methods of exter
mination.”

  “It’s worth a shot.” Markham pulled back her chair. “By the way, I want to thank you for rescuing me from Ginnette. Why did you decide to do that?”

  “I saw the red glow spread from the ruby ring to your hand when Ginnette touched you. Why didn’t you pull away?”

  “I couldn’t. My whole body went numb.” His expression turned stony. “I wanted to refute Ginnette’s claim, but the words coming out of my mouth were Desdemona’s. That’s why we need a plan of attack against her.”

  Strolling beside him, Kailyn struggled to ignore how rakish he looked. How his green eyes sparkled as brightly as the emerald on her finger. How the waves in his dark silky hair invited her to sweep her fingers through them. How broad his shoulders looked in the fitted jacket. How well he filled out the snug breeches . . . Heavens, she’d better focus on the ghosts, or she’d end up luring him into the closest dark room.

  In his office, she waited while he connected to the Internet, then moved him aside to grab the keyboard. It took only two minutes to find the sites she needed. “See here.”

  She pointed at the screen and wished she hadn’t. When he nuzzled her neck and nibbled on her ear, it took all her effort to tamp down her desire to jump him. “We can use a vacuum cleaner, magnets, cell phones and slime. Apparently ghosts don’t like silver, mirrors or graveyard dirt. Plenty of ammunition to get rid of the pesky critters.”

  His hands rested lightly on her shoulders. The web pages they studied swam before her eyes.

  “Granted, we have most of those materials at Ryne. I’m not sure about the slime spray, but I believe your devious brain will think of something. How do you propose we summon Desdemona?”

  Surprised, she glanced up at him. “I thought you knew how to do that.”

  “Lady Anne did come, once, when I asked her to appear. I suppose I can try it again. Maybe she’ll know how to make her enemy materialize.”

  “Where would be the best place to set up our attack?”

  “The picture gallery. It’s empty, and Lady Anne stays there.” His grim expression left no doubt he wasn’t optimistic about the success of their operation. “My aunt will keep the other women in the parlor for at least another two hours. I believe she had charades planned.”

  “I’ll go back to my room and change clothes while you gather the stuff. We’ll meet in the gallery in fifteen minutes.”

  Spencer hesitantly tore apart the vacuum cleaner, then dropped a magnet inside a silver jar and fitted the entire contraption inside the dust chamber. This was a huge mistake. They were going to make the ghosts angry.

  No one could eliminate them. Once provoked, the warring spirits would double their assaults. Even a simpleton could see the two ghosts hated each other. He had to admit capturing Desdemona was a wise move, as long as they didn’t harm Lady Anne and lose her protection.

  At the sound of footsteps, he glanced over his shoulder. Although quite fetching, the little engineer, draped in duct tape, scissors and a cardboard box, didn’t look dressed for battle with ghosts.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  She nodded. “I’d rather face the vicious demons now than sit back and let them control me.”

  “Take this.” He handed her Nell’s mobile phone. Since Lady Anne had effectively disposed of Kailyn’s, he didn’t figure the device would stop Desdemona for long. “If Desdemona attacks us, we might be able to scatter her energy long enough for us to escape.”

  “Good idea.” Immediately she flipped open the phone. “What’s your number? If we have them preset, we’ll only have to punch one button to activate them.”

  Once the mobiles were ready, Spencer stepped up to the portrait. He certainly hoped Kailyn was right about the wisdom of going on the attack. “Before I call Lady Anne, I think you need to know the ground rules. We need her on our side to survive. Don’t offend her.”

  “I think she’s just as dangerous as Desdemona.” Holding up her hand so he could see the ring, Kailyn glared at him. “She prevented me from leaving the castle, and she glued this ring onto my finger to control me.”

  “If Lady Anne controlled you, we’d be married by now. Take my word for it. She’s on our side, protecting us.”

  “I’d rather have my freedom than all this protection.”

  “And have Desdemona bash your head in with a rock?”

  A chuckle escaped as he watched her intelligence overcome her defiance.

  Her hands dropped to her sides. “All right, you win. Lady Anne is off my list for now.”

  Spencer stood facing the portrait and said in his most commanding tone, “Lady Anne, as the Earl of Ryne, I order you to show yourself.”

  In a flash of green lightning, the ghost’s petite form stepped out of the portrait. The bright green glow forced him to take a step back.

  “Thy summons announces thy engagement?”

  Her goodwill wouldn’t last long once he made his request. “No. We wish to establish contact with Desdemona. Can you summon her?”

  In a blinding burst of green, Lady Anne turned into the ferocious tyrant he’d seen two days earlier. “Why dost thou wish to converse with that evil witch?”

  “You told me we had to defeat her to save Ryne. We are ready to confront her now.”

  “Very well.” Lady Anne looked over at Kailyn. “Prepare thy weapons.”

  Oh God, Spencer thought, a vacuum cleaner against a malicious ghost. No earl in the history of Ryne entered battle this poorly prepared. Was he mad? Unequivocally, yes.

  Thunder rumbled through the chamber, and a red whirlwind swept into view. As it streaked in front of Kailyn, she flipped on the vacuum cleaner and pointed the hose at the reddish cyclone.

  His breath caught as Kailyn slurped Desdemona into the machine. Snatching the silver lid, he opened the dustbin and snapped the top on the canister. It had worked!

  Kailyn shut off the vacuum, grabbed the duct tape and wrapped layer after layer around the canister. “We did it.”

  Raising her hand in a high five, she slapped his palm.

  He glanced at Lady Anne, still hovering in front of her portrait. One look at her quizzical expression dampened his elation. The ghost didn’t expect their strategy to eliminate Desdemona. “Get the box, and let’s bury her in the graveyard before she recovers.”

  Kailyn shoved the silver jar into the cardboard box and taped it shut. But when she bent down to pick it up, he nudged her out of the way. This was his fight. If the bloody ghost exploded out of the silver container, he’d take the blow. He raced toward the garden with Kailyn on his heels.

  Halfway down the stairs the box started to shake and rumble. Desdemona’s anger and hatred seeped into his arms, freezing them to the box. His steps began to slow.

  “Red is not your color. Give me that.” Kailyn yanked the package from his hands and tossed it back up the stairs so they could escape. “Turn on your cell phone and aim for the box.”

  He barely heard her over Desdemona’s angry roar. He tossed his phone, gripped Kailyn’s hand and tore toward the kitchen. Whether both mobiles hit their target, he never knew.

  “Get as many thick sticky items as you can from the pantry,” he gasped as they charged through the door.

  Kailyn flew across the room while he rummaged through the refrigerator. She raced back, arms overflowing with syrup, cooking oil, marshmallow cream, peanut butter, molasses and honey. He dumped butter, eggs, ice cream and the leftover vichyssoise in the largest vat the kitchen contained. As the door blew open, Kailyn added her glop to the mix and shoved the large container of slime at him.

  “Under here.” She pulled him below the height of the tabletop as the swirling dervish slowed in front of them.

  “Don’t you dare show your face,” she yelled at Spencer. “Desdemona will possess you. Let me slime her.”

  “I can resist her power and help you throw slime.”

  However, the words had barely left his mouth when raging fury ripped through him. In horror
, he watched his hand grab a large carving knife from the counter. Summoning all his willpower, he concentrated on dropping the weapon.

  But no matter how hard he strained to open his fingers, the red glow clasped his hand in a death grip and swung the blade at Kailyn. Throwing his body sideways to prevent the knife from striking her, he tumbled to the floor.

  At the sound of his crash, Kailyn spun in his direction, hefted the vat and poured the dreadfully sticky brew on him. She didn’t miss an inch of him from his head to his toes. As the goo slid off, the anger lessened and the red glow diminished.

  Desdemona’s power slithered onto the floor in the puddle surrounding him, but he still couldn’t shake the rage. Standing upright in the middle of the mess, he focused on a stack of neatly folded dishtowels under the sink.

  “Grab those rags,” he bellowed, then managed to add through gritted teeth, “Wipe this slime up, get it in the trash bin, seal it and bury it.”

  The nearer Kailyn came, the more fury swirled within him.

  “There’s still a red tinge on your tee shirt. Your clothes will have to go in the trash as well.” She tossed him a towel, staying well out of his grasp and denying the ghostly power controlling him the one thing it wanted most—contact with his savior.

  Chapter 12

  How did she rescue Markham this time? The ghost wasn’t dead, just divided into small clumps of boiling muck. By the look of his thunderous expression, he was still filled with Desdemona’s anger.

  Jerkily, he bent down and picked up the butcher knife that had fallen at his feet.

  Her heart stopped. She glanced at the iron skillet hanging over her head. As much as she hated to conk the man, she wasn’t going to let Desdemona stab her.

  She needed help.

  Since Lady Anne had prevented Helena from bashing her brains out with a boulder, maybe the ghost would come to her rescue again. Why wasn’t she here, anyway? Markham claimed she was on their side.