“How do you…” Fenella began, but her aunt faded away before she could even finish the question. When Shelly rang the doorbell a minute later, Fenella was still annoyed with Mona.
“That was delicious,” Shelly said a short while later, pushing her empty plate away from her. “I ate far too much, of course, but I can’t seem to resist pizza or garlic bread.”
“Me, either,” Fenella sighed. “I’ll have to walk the promenade twice tomorrow.”
“But now you have to find something to wear for tonight. I just love going through Mona’s things. I never seem to see the same dress twice, even though we must have seen everything by now, mustn’t we?”
“I don’t know. It does seem as if more clothes are in there every time I open the door,” Fenella admitted. That was just one more thing about Mona and the apartment that Fenella couldn’t explain.
Shelly began to flip through the dresses, sighing over nearly every one of them. Eventually she stopped. “This one,” she said, pulling out a dress that Fenella was certain she’d never seen before. The top was a soft blue, but the color darkened very gradually as it moved down the bodice. By the time it reached the waist, it was a dark blue that got darker and darker all the way to the floor.
“It’s gorgeous,” Fenella said grudgingly. This had to be the dress that Mona had mentioned. Fenella had been hoping she wouldn’t like it. “I wonder if it will fit.”
Of course, it fit perfectly, showcasing Fenella’s curves while making her appear more slender than she felt, especially after eating half of the pizza and more than half of the garlic bread. Mona always had matching shoes and handbags for everything in her wardrobe. It only took Fenella a moment to find them both.
“Perfect. Donald will love it,” Shelly told her. “Do you want to leave Katie with me tonight, in case Donald stays over?”
Fenella felt herself turning fuchsia as she shook her head. “He isn’t staying over,” she said firmly.
“Do you want to leave Katie with me anyway, in case it’s a late night?” Shelly asked. “Smokey would love the company, I’m sure.”
Fenella was about to shake her head again, but before she did so, Katie dashed into the room. Shelly picked her up and gave her a cuddle. “Do you want to stay with Aunty Shelly tonight?” she cooed at Katie. “You and Smokey could play together all night and then snuggle up with me at bedtime.”
“Mmerrooww,” Katie said happily.
“There, you see? Katie wants to stay with me tonight,” Shelly said.
Fenella laughed. “It seems more like you want Katie to stay with you tonight than the other way around.”
“Either way, it will be fun for me and Smokey. Gordon is tied up at work, so we can curl up and watch telly, just the girls.”
“If you’re sure you want her, you may have her, but not because Donald will be staying here.”
Shelly had some errands to run, so Fenella pretended to work on her book for a few hours. When she’d first moved to the island, Fenella had been excited to think that she could finally write the book she’d always wanted to write. Unfortunately, actually putting words to the pages of the fictionalized autobiography of Anne Boleyn that she’d always planned was proving harder than she’d expected. One of the reasons why she was looking forward to talking to her lawyer, Doncan Quayle, was so that she could find out exactly how much money she had. If it was enough to support her for the rest of her life, maybe she wouldn’t bother writing the book after all.
When it was nearly time to get ready for her evening out, she headed next door with Katie.
“Here you are,” she said when Shelly opened the door. She handed the cat to Shelly. “One rambunctious kitten who will make your life miserable.”
Shelly laughed. “I love having her, and she definitely doesn’t make my life miserable.”
Fenella followed Shelly into the apartment and the pair watched as Katie and Smokey, a somewhat older and more refined animal, chased each other in circles for several minutes. When Smokey stopped and curled up for a nap, Katie jumped into Shelly’s lap.
“I suppose that means I should go,” Fenella laughed. “I’ll let myself out.”
Shelly picked up Katie and followed Fenella to the door. “I’ll bring her over around midday tomorrow,” she said. “That way you can sleep late if you want to.”
“Midday is noon, right?” Fenella checked.
Shelly laughed. “It is, yes.”
As Fenella reached for the doorknob, someone knocked on the door.
Shelly shrugged. “I’m not expecting anyone. I hope they aren’t selling something.”
Fenella was surprised to see the grey-haired man in the expensive suit standing at Shelly’s door. He glanced at her and then looked over at Shelly.
“You must be Michelle,” he said. “Although John told me that everyone always calls you Shelly. I’m Lance Thomas. I’m sure John’s mentioned me. I can’t wait to see him again.”
Shelly stared at the man and then slowly shook her head as the color drained from her face.
2
Fenella took Shelly’s arm. “Are you okay?” she asked.
The man in the doorway frowned. “I’m sorry. Have I upset you in some way? I certainly didn’t intend to do that. I should have rung John and told him that I was coming across. I had a job tracking you down as it was, but I never imagined that you’d move house. John always told me he loved that house.”
As even more color drained from Shelly’s face, Fenella only just stopped herself from slamming the door in the man’s face. “Enough,” she said harshly. “I don’t think this is a good time for a visit.”
“No, it’s fine,” Shelly said softly. “I was just surprised, that’s all. I thought that all of John’s friends knew.”
“Knew? Knew what?” the stranger demanded.
“John passed away, well, just about a year ago now. I’m doing my best to not think about the anniversary of his death, actually, which is just a few weeks from now,” Shelly said.
Fenella put her arm around her friend. “We’ll spend the day together,” she promised. “With the cats and wine and chocolate.”
“And ice cream,” Shelly added, giving Fenella a small smile.
“John’s dead?” Lance repeated slowly. “I can’t believe I wasn’t notified.”
“It was in the local paper,” Shelly said. “And I rang everyone in John’s address book. His office let all of his work colleagues know.”
“How did you know John?” Fenella asked.
“We were friends many, many years ago now,” Lance said with a sigh. “I’m afraid we’d rather lost touch recently, however. I never thought I would want to move back to the island and I was, well, careless about my friendships here. I was stupid enough to think that I had all the time in the world to amend that, of course.”
Shelly nodded. “I’m sorry that I had to break the news to you.”
Lance shook his head. “It is I who is sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have turned up here unannounced as I have. I certainly didn’t mean to upset you in this way. I am incredibly sorry, actually.”
“It’s fine,” Shelly told him.
“But it isn’t fine at all,” Lance said. “I was so looking forward to seeing John and meeting you that I never even gave any thought to how rude I was being, just showing up on your doorstep. I was even proud of myself for tracking you down once I’d learned that you weren’t still at the old address I had for John. I should have realized, when I saw the directory listing in just your name, that, well, things had changed, but I haven’t been on the island in twenty years or more and I couldn’t resist the idea of surprising my old friend.”
“I’m sure he would have been happy to see you,” Shelly said. “John loved surprises.”
“Really?” Lance laughed. “When we were younger, he never seemed that fond of them, but maybe he changed as he grew older.”
Shelly nodded slowly. “When did you say you knew him?”
“We grew up near one another in Douglas,” Lance explained. “And we suffered through school together. We talked about going to the same university as well, but in the end we went in different directions.”
“And you moved off the island?” Fenella asked.
“Really, I never came back after university. I went to Oxford and found that I liked it there very much. I ran a series of successful businesses there until recently.”
“And now you’re back on the island for a visit?” was Fenella’s next question.
“Oh, no, I’m not visiting. I’ve moved back, right into this building, actually. I’d have preferred a flat on the highest floor, but for now I’ve taken what was available, which is on the third floor,” Lance replied.
Fenella exchanged glances with Shelly. There was something she didn’t like about Lance, but that may have been mostly because he’d unsettled Shelly so much.
“Look at the time,” Shelly gasped. “You have to get ready for your party,” she told Fenella.
Fenella glanced at her watch and then frowned. She had less than an hour to grab a shower, get dressed, and do her hair and makeup. There wasn’t any way she could skimp on anything, either, not for an event with Donald.
“I should get out of your way, then,” Lance said. “But I do hope that I’ll get to see you again,” he told Shelly.
“Um, maybe,” she replied, looking desperately at Fenella.
“I don’t mean to be pushy or anything,” Lance replied quickly. “But when you and John were first married, he used to send me letters all about you. I’ve heard so many stories about you that I feel as if I already know you. Maybe we could have lunch together one day this week?”
“Maybe,” Shelly said. “Let me give you my number. You can ring me.”
She turned and walked over to the nearby table and found a pen and some paper. Fenella never stopped watching Lance as he stood in the corridor. He seemed amused by her scrutiny.
“Here,” Shelly said a moment later, handing Lance a slip of paper. “That’s the number for my flat. I have an answering machine if I’m not in.”
“Excellent. I’ll ring you as soon as I get settled in my new flat. I’d love to buy you lunch, anywhere you’d like. Your friend is welcome to join us as well,” he said, nodding toward Fenella.
“That would be nice,” Shelly said.
Fenella and Shelly both watched as Lance turned and walked back down the corridor. Once he’d boarded the elevator and the doors had shut, Fenella pulled Shelly into a hug. Smokey and Katie both came rushing out as Fenella pushed the door shut and Shelly began to sob.
“I’m sorry,” Shelly said after a few minutes. “I don’t even know why I’m crying. This is stupid.”
“You’re crying because you’ve had a shock. It’s perfectly understandable.”
“But you have to go and get ready for your party,” Shelly said. “You don’t have time to deal with me being overly emotional.”
“I have plenty of time,” Fenella lied. “I’m not leaving you when you’re this upset, anyway.”
“I’m not quite ready to be alone,” Shelly admitted. “Let’s go over to your flat. You can get ready while we talk about Lance Thomas.”
Fenella nodded. She picked up Katie while Shelly grabbed Smokey, and the little group made their way next door.
After racing through a shower, Fenella did her hair and makeup at the vanity in her bedroom. Shelly sat on the bed, stroking the cats, who both clearly sensed how upset she was.
“I assume you’ve never met Mr. Thomas before,” Fenella began as she combed her hair.
“Never met him, never heard his name, didn’t even know he existed,” Shelly replied.
“Then he and John couldn’t have been very good friends, could they?”
Shelly shrugged. “I suppose they could have been friends in childhood and then drifted apart, the way that Lance claimed. I was surprised when he said that John used to write to him, though. I don’t remember John ever sending letters to anyone.”
“So maybe Lance is lying,” Fenella suggested.
“I was suspicious, but he was right. John hated surprises. I threw that in to see what he’d say, and he got it absolutely correct.”
“Maybe you should ask him if you can see some of the letters that he claims to have received over the years.”
“I’m not sure I could handle that, not right now, not with the anniversary of John’s death so close,” Shelly said in a low voice.
Fenella put her eyeshadow brush down and crossed to the bed. She put her arm around Shelly. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I can’t imagine how difficult this must be.”
“It’s just so strange. If you’d asked me an hour ago, before Lance Thomas knocked on my door, I’d have told you that I was dealing well with John’s death. The anniversary worries me, but otherwise, I’ve been feeling as if I’ve come a long way in the past year. But now I don’t know what to think. I feel all topsy-turvy and mixed-up.”
“So when he rings, don’t answer the phone,” Fenella suggested.
“I’d feel better if he didn’t live in the same building,” Shelly said quietly.
Fenella nodded. “I don’t think we can get him kicked out simply because he knew your husband, but I’m willing to try if you think it would help.”
Shelly chuckled. “That’s very kind of you, but no. I don’t want to do anything to upset him. I still think there’s something odd about him, but I also think he might be telling the truth. John was a friendly person. At his funeral I met dozens upon dozens of people I’d never met before and they all had wonderful stories about John. Lance may be exactly who he claims to be.”
“Does that mean you want to see him again?”
“I don’t know what it means,” Shelly sighed. “I don’t think I’m going to decide anything tonight, anyway.”
Fenella nodded. She got back up from the bed and crossed back to her vanity. “What can I do with my hair?” she asked, frowning at the untidy mess she’d made of her highlighted brown hair when she’d come out of the shower. “It’s overdue for a cut.”
“Put it all up with the clip in the left side drawer,” Mona’s voice floated across the room. “But whatever is wrong with Shelly?”
Fenella glanced around the room and then spotted Mona in the corner. Her aunt was staring at Shelly with a worried look on her face. There was no way she could explain the situation to Mona though, as Shelly couldn’t see or hear Mona’s presence.
It only took Fenella a moment to find the clip that Mona was talking about. She twisted her hair onto the top of her head and slid the clip into place.
“That looks fabulous,” Shelly told her with a small smile.
“It will never stay up all night,” Fenella frowned. “But it does look nice.”
“It will stay up all night,” Mona said. “Or at least until Donald takes the clip out.”
“Donald isn’t...” Fenella began. She blushed bright red when she realized that she’d answered Mona.
“Donald isn’t what?” Shelly asked.
“Donald isn’t here yet,” Fenella said a bit desperately. “I thought I was going to be late, but Donald isn’t even here yet.”
“As you are still in your dressing gown, that’s probably a good thing,” Shelly laughed.
Fenella glanced down at the comfortable robe she was wearing. While Mona’s dresses were beautiful and easy to wear, they weren’t nearly as comfortable as it was. Still, she needed to get dressed. The last thing she wanted was for Donald to turn up before she was fully clothed.
A few minutes later, she was ready. She slipped into her shoes as the doorbell buzzed.
“You look stunning,” Donald said as he stepped into the apartment and pulled her into an embrace. “Maybe we should skip the party and stay home,” he whispered in her ear before he began kissing her neck.
“Hello, Donald,” Shelly said brightly from the bedroom doorway.
Donald picked up his head
and smiled at Shelly. “I didn’t realize you were here,” he said, releasing Fenella. “How are you this evening?”
“Mostly fine,” Shelly told him.”
“Only mostly? I hope there’s nothing seriously wrong?”
“Not really,” Shelly replied. “It’s just been an odd day.”
Donald frowned. “Are you sure? I’ve been looking forward to seeing Fenella for days, but if you need her, I can go to the party on my own.”
Shelly shook her head. “That’s very kind of you, but no. You two go and have fun. I’m going to curl up with two cats, an old movie, and a bag of microwave popcorn.”
Fenella let her friend out, giving her the best hug she could while Shelly was holding the cats. “I’ll come over before noon for Katie,” she promised.
“Is she okay?” Donald asked after Fenella had shut the door behind her friend. “She looked upset.”
“She is upset. She had a visitor tonight who was looking for her husband. He didn’t know that John had passed away.”
“Oh, dear, how difficult for her. When I first lost my wife, I was always surprised by how much such things upset me. You get yourself into a routine that works and you feel as if you’re doing fine, and then something shakes up your routine a little bit and you find yourself grieving all over again.”
“I can’t even imagine,” Fenella said.
“I really will understand if you’d rather be with Shelly tonight,” he said, pulling her back into his arms. “But she’s probably happier on her own, anyway. And I’ve missed you.”
Donald’s kiss reminded Fenella of just how much chemistry there was between them. For a few moments she forgot about Shelly and Lance and even Daniel as she got lost in the man’s arms. A loud coughing noise pulled her back to reality. She took a step backwards, breaking the spell.
“Ahem,” Mona said. “Sorry about that.”
Fenella wasn’t sure if she was angry with her aunt or grateful to her. There was no doubt in her mind that Donald had intended that kiss as a prelude to something. She took another step away from him and then glanced at the clock. “We should probably get going. We don’t want to be late.”
An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Collection - DEF Page 50