Wanted: Ghost-Busting Bride

  Muttering under his breath, Spencer bent to pick up their discarded shields. He loomed over her, holding the shields above their heads to protect them against a Desdemona strike.

  “The hidden mechanism to open the trap door has to be on this bench somewhere, and I am going to find it.”

  “Indeed.”

  “Care to help?”

  “I’d rather protect you, if you don’t mind.”

  Using her fingers she quickly examined the entire wood surface. Nothing. Squatting, she peered under the bench, shining the flashlight at the underside from one end to the other. “I found it.”

  Spencer knelt, expression tight with concern. “There’s a red haze outside the chapel window. We need to go.”

  “Give me one minute.” Kailyn stretched out on the floor and slithered into position. With both hands she pushed the center of the dinner-plate-sized rose.

  Nothing happened.

  Reluctant to give up, she grasped both sides of the rose carving and tugged with all her might.

  Still nothing.

  Another angry burst of thunder shook the building.

  “Move.” Spencer scooted under the pew, pushed her aside and, bracing against the seat, twisted the rose to the left.

  Above the increasing din of Desdemona’s anger, Kailyn heard the unmistakable groan of ancient gears. “That’s it! Keep turning.”

  She scrambled over to the rising trap door. It stopped ten inches above the floor. Flopping on her stomach, she peeked underneath. A green dot of light danced on stone steps leading downward. Four rusty braces prevented her from following Lady Anne.

  “Hurry, Spencer. Help me release these supports.”

  The chapel doors rattled while the two of them struggled to free the last latch. They gave one gigantic pull, and the partition sprung off the brackets. Exhaling, she pushed while Spencer pulled. Slowly the panel opened.

  Jumping to her feet, she grabbed the flashlight. “Let’s go.”

  Together they rushed down the stairs, the air growing colder and mustier with each step. When an old wooden door blocked their path, she impatiently waited for Spencer to coax the heavy oak wide enough for them to slither through.

  Shining the light in front of her, she whispered, “Oh my God. We’ve found it.”

  Spencer pulled her against his side and swung the beam of his flashlight in a wide arc. Glad for his warmth, she snuggled close as she strained to identify the dark shadows. Every square inch of the huge cavern was filled with trunks, crates, barrels and draped furniture. Who would have guessed the Ryne treasure would fill a warehouse?

  Another boom of thunder echoed above them. Spencer planted a kiss on her head and tugged her toward the door. “You’re amazing. Now, let’s get out of here.”

  She took the steps two at a time, while he managed to close the oak door guarding the treasure. As she waited for him to race up the stairs after her, she could almost taste danger in the air.

  The instant he stepped out, she grabbed one side of the trap door and motioned for him to take the other. Together they wrestled the rose pattern back into place.

  A red glow oozed through the stained glass window and slithered across the floor toward them. They might have found Ryne’s treasure, but the discovery hadn’t slowed Desdemona. Now it was too late to devise a plan. The nasty ghost was itching for a fight.

  “On three, run.” Spencer picked up their awkward shields as they dashed to the chapel door. Side by side they plowed into the fog, trays over their heads and spray bottles tucked in their belts.

  Every step was punctuated with thunderclaps and sizzles of red lightning. Kailyn had a flash of insight—running while holding metal lightning rods over their heads might be the biggest mistake they’d ever made. A bolt of heat singed her knuckles. Gritting her teeth she pounded on toward the open library doors.

  Twenty feet from safety, a falling branch knocked Spencer off his feet. Darts of red energy rained down on him.

  “Spencer!” Whirling, Kailyn squatted beside him, holding her tray over his exposed chest. As she batted at the angry bolts of red, he scrambled to his knees and added his silver barricade to hers. Slowly, they crept backward for what seemed an eternity, emptying their squirt bottles as they retreated.

  Finally her foot hit the sill of the library door.

  “Get inside now,” she hissed.

  “Not without you.”

  Before she could argue, a blast of red lightning hit their trays so hard it tossed both of them through the doorway. They landed all the way across the empty library.

  Abruptly the thunder and red flashes of energy stopped.

  Recovering, she jumped away from the library wall and shook a finger at Spencer. “You were so wrong. My standing by your side doesn’t protect you.”

  “But it did, my dear.”

  “We’d both be fried like our cell phones if Allison hadn’t suggested these ridiculous-looking shields,” she seethed. “You will follow my safety rules from now on.”

  He sighed, “I’ll do my best.”

  Chapter 25

  He wasn’t there. On a muttered curse, Kailyn slammed Spencer’s office door shut. So where was he?

  Hands balled into fists, she stalked down the corridor and swept into the dining room where Chadwick busily cleared away the breakfast dishes. She’d thought Spencer had agreed to follow her rules last week when they fought against Desdemona.

  “Have you seen Spencer?”

  “I believe his lordship is in the main study.”

  With a polite nod, she spun on her heel and stomped down the hallway then, not bothering to knock, barged into Spencer’s man cave. “How dare you leave your room without telling me.”

  He looked up from the papers on his desk. There was a long, brittle silence. “I have work to do, but since you’ve interrupted, we need to discuss important matters.”

  Her blood boiled at his stoic attitude toward the danger. “Yes we do. The first is why you left the secure area without taking precautions.”

  “You’re riled up over trifles.” He sighed. “Both ghosts have been quiet for four days. Our lovemaking has sent them into a dormant state to wait for the next earl. Now, please sit down, so we can discuss other matters.”

  Why couldn’t the deluded man listen to her concerns? With Lady Anne missing, all hope of saving Spencer fell to her. She wanted to scream.

  “Desdemona isn’t pacified. She’s building up her strength for the next attack.” Kailyn paced back and forth in front of Spencer’s desk. “Both ghosts are still at war.”

  “We’ve combined the sword and the brooch and made a full commitment to each other,” Spencer answered with quiet assurance. “That has ended their rivalry.”

  Kailyn exhaled sharply. “Are you crazy? Desdemona’s spying on us. The thermal detectors are only showing one ghost and, since Lady Anne is missing, that has to be Desdemona. Please try to carry some ghost-busting gel with you.”

  Spencer nodded. “If it will calm your fears.”

  “We can’t assume we’ve beaten Desdemona when Lady Anne is the one we can’t detect.” She tried again to pound the message into his over-confident brain. “Do you know where I can find your ancestor?”

  Seeing that he was again focused on the papers spread on the mahogany desk, she paused. Poor man was obviously swamped with the estate and his architectural firm’s business. He didn’t want to think about the ghostly war.

  But she didn’t have that luxury. His life depended on her exterminating Desdemona, and she hadn’t found a way to do the job. Failure wasn’t an option. She loved Spencer. He had to live.

  “The ghost will appear whenever she’s ready.” He looked up at her. “I need some information about how many wedding guests you think will come from America.”

  Stunned, she couldn’t believe her ears. “Have you forgotten how close the red lightning bolts came to searing you?” Her breath still caught in her throat any time she thought about their escape from the
chapel.

  “Of course not.”

  “Then why aren’t you concerned about Lady Anne’s absence? The one power strong enough to help me end the danger remains maddeningly missing.”

  Leaning across his desk, she slapped the palm of hand down in the middle of the paper on his desk. “Tell me you know where Lady Anne is.”

  Her tactic worked. Spencer frowned up at her. “Hiding. However, the only sure way to end the feud is to make our wedding plans.”

  “Don’t you think it’s too early to plan the wedding? We haven’t defeated Desdemona yet.”

  He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples. “I have every confidence that by the end of the week your creative mind will have come up with a solution for Desdemona. But, since it takes almost a month for the reading of banns in the Church of England, wedding plans can’t wait. I intend to marry you four weeks from Saturday.”

  The floor under her feet swayed, and she quickly sank down into a large, leather chair in front of his desk. “What’s the hurry?”

  Before she blinked once, Spencer had rounded the desk and pulled her into his arms. “You and I already made a vow to each other. The official ceremony is the surest way to set to rest your worries about the danger.”

  His mouth swooped down on hers and, within seconds, the heat, the strength and the promise of his passion swept her away into a whirlwind of fiery pleasure. She pulled back to catch her breath, no longer able to find any valid argument against his proposal of a speedy wedding.

  She shook her head to clear out the mush his kiss produced and immediately came to a frightening conclusion. Their “speedy wedding” still left four weeks for Desdemona to attack him.

  At a noise from the hallway, Spencer glanced at the door. “We’ll continue this later. Right now, I need to talk to Aunt Sophie about the wedding preparations.”

  Her head spun with the fact that she was going to be married in four weeks.

  Narrowing her gaze, she stared at her overworked fiancé. “I’m going to drive to the ruins. It’s the one place left to look for Lady Anne. I’ll return by dinner.”

  That statement got his attention.

  Spencer rose and leaned over the desk. “I forbid you to go. I don’t have the time or inclination to prepare for a trip at this moment.”

  “It’s not a trip. It’s less than a ten-minute drive.” She stiffened. “If you want a speedy wedding, I need to find Lady Anne.”

  Despite her best effort, she couldn’t keep the worry from her voice. “Your safety depends on my talking to your elusive ancestor. How do you suggest I corner her? I’ve rubbed the emerald ring. I’ve tried to call her in the picture gallery. I’ve even tramped around the garden.”

  “You checked the dungeon?”

  She nodded. “And every room where I’ve seen the green glow. She’s nowhere. Only the shimmer around her picture gives me hope Desdemona hasn’t wiped her out. The ruins are the last place left to search.”

  “Go work on notifying your family and friends about the wedding. That’s our top priority. The bloody ghost will appear when she wants to.”

  He so totally didn’t understand. She was only trying to protect him. Anger ignited in her.

  “Don’t ever give me a command again,” she stated coolly. “I’m going to be your wife, not your employee. Promise to stay here and keep this squirt bottle with you.” She handed him the small ghostbusting weapon she’d been carrying then—not waiting for his response—rushed out the door. “I’m leaving for the ruins. I’ll notify my family and friends about the wedding when I get back.”

  Spencer tossed down the papers in his hand and rose. Apparently, he’d been wrong to think allowing her to rig thermal detectors in the earl’s apartments would keep her from fretting about the danger. He sighed. Why couldn’t she believe their lovemaking protected them?

  With Desdemona still on the loose, they needed to be together. He didn’t want her fighting the ghost alone. It looked like he’d be escorting her to the ruins.

  Leaving the study, he jogged down a shortcut through the west wing. Thank goodness his little spitfire didn’t know all the ins and outs of the castle yet.

  Perhaps he hadn’t truly understood Kailyn’s worries, despite the fact he’d listened to her. She’d given him a perfect opportunity to prove he loved her, and he’d failed. He hadn’t consulted her on the marriage date, nor had he followed her advice to take precautions against Desdemona, even though he knew they weren’t necessary.

  Reaching the garage, he leaned against the lorry and waited for her arrival. Maybe he could make it up to her.

  If she was surprised to see him, she covered it well.

  “What are you doing here?” She walked by him and snatched open the door of her rental car.

  “I’ll take you to the ruins in the lorry. Your rental won’t survive the road.” He tried to make the words sound like an invitation but feared they came out more like a command.

  She whirled to face him. “Are you crazy? I can’t protect you out there.”

  “You want to go to the ruins, and we need to be together.” He forced his voice to remain level and non-challenging. “I can’t let you go alone.”

  Kailyn marched up to him and poked him in the chest. “No way.”

  “If you insist on this blind folly, I’m coming with you.”

  “It’s not blind folly,” she said heatedly. “The longer Lady Anne is absent, the more likely that Desdemona has eliminated her somehow. I have to find Lady Anne. We need to know if she can still help us.”

  Sauntering over to the rental, he scooped up her backpack from the passenger seat. “You’re overreacting. Lady Anne is more powerful than Desdemona. I can’t see her being defeated by the evil ghost.” He opened the passenger door of his dilapidated lorry.

  “Didn’t Desdemona murder Lady Anne?” Kailyn asked with annoyance. “I wouldn’t underestimate Desdemona if I were you.”

  She chose that moment to jerk her backpack out of his hand. “Since you’re so stubborn, we just won’t go.”

  She turned and strode back toward the west wing.

  He broke into a run to catch her. Bloody hell. She took flight when angered, but he had longer legs and the determination to catch her. As she passed the stone bench in the garden, he closed the distance enough to seize her shoulder.

  A split second later, a resounding boom rent the air. Before Spencer could look around to identify the source, a blast of heat shoved him into Kailyn. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around her and tucked her underneath him as he dove onto the grass for cover. They landed face down with the stone bench and arbor between them and the flying debris.

  The lorry had blown up inside the garage.

  When things had settled, his little spitfire rolled out from under him, sat up and twisted around to view his back and shoulders. Light, deft fingers brushed ashes off his shirt, as she carefully examined the rips and tears on his sleeves.

  “Are you all right?”

  He glanced down, flexed his fingers, gingerly moved his arms and rolled his shoulders. No pain. “Hardly a scratch. Nothing to worry about, really.”

  She ripped open his left sleeve to reveal an angry scrape along his forearm.

  “Not worry?” Her voice rose an octave. “It’s past time to worry. Desdemona tried to blow us up again.”

  “But you didn’t get in the lorry. You ran away, and we were saved.”

  “Call Chadwick. I’ll take care of Desdemona.” After giving him a push, Kailyn jumped up and raced back to the burning garage.

  “No wait . . .” His words failed to prevent her from grabbing the fire extinguisher at the entrance. Didn’t the fool woman understand the explosive nature of petrol?

  “Chadwick!” He yelled at the top of his lungs and charged after his willful fiancée. What he saw in the garage stopped him cold.

  Kailyn shot the foam at the ceiling, allowing it to blanket the smoldering vehicle. Bubbling red lumpish blobs flowed out fr
om underneath the sizzling lorry. She’d been right after all.

  Grabbing another fire extinguisher, he skirted the oozing foam, to attack the fire from the opposite side. By the time the Chadwicks, Aunt Sophie and Nell arrived—all armed with fire extinguishers—the blaze was under control. A greasy reddish stain on the floor surrounded the blackened lorry.

  He abandoned his fire-fighting duties. Snatching Kailyn’s hand, he towed her back to his room. Once there, he slammed the door shut and pulled her into his arms.

  “You saved us again. I’m sorry I didn’t listen.”

  “Then maybe you’ll listen to me now,” Kailyn said quietly. “This attack doesn’t make any sense.”

  “How so?” He gazed into her worried eyes, wishing he had the power to end this war he’d forced her to fight.

  “Desdemona could have killed us any time during our argument. Why didn’t she? It’s almost like she’s toying with us.” She sighed and sank down on the bed. “We haven’t seen Lady Anne since she guided us to the treasure. She didn’t intervene during our battle back at the chapel or this explosion. Doesn’t that worry you?”

  Unable to lie, he simply nodded. If Lady Anne was gone, nothing stood between them and Desdemona. Kailyn and he would have to find a solution on their own.

  Chapter 26

  “You sure you’re ready for this?” Kailyn glanced over at Spencer.

  After two days of planning she still wasn’t convinced this would work. But they’d insisted everyone in the household leave the castle. This was her only chance to fight Desdemona without endangering innocent bystanders. She wished he’d let her wrap him in aluminum foil. Should she insist? It might save his hide.

  Oblivious to her wild ideas to protect him, Spencer ran his finger down the computer screen.

  “Your tools, Allison’s ghost-hunting paraphernalia, one first aid kit, the Ryne sword, a bow and silver arrows, the dozen mobile phones Nell purchased . . . “, Spencer read aloud. “Slime, graveyard dirt, a vacuum cleaner and a trash can painted metallic silver. Our weapons are set.” He finished the checklist of their provisions with a fatalistic shrug. “We might as well go for it.”