Ghostly Proposal Page 3

  Delilah laughed. “Don’t worry. It’s only Archibald.”

  I raised my head and saw Delilah hold her arm out. A small, scarlet parakeet flapped around the room.

  “That’s your ghost.” Rose shook her head. “If you’re going to be this jumpy, this is not the place for you.” She left the room after giving me another cold glare.

  Archibald circled the room before settling on Delilah’s outstretched arm. His beady black eyes shot to me. He didn’t look all that happy with what he saw.

  “I thought you didn’t have pets?”

  “He’s not a pet. He’s family.” Delilah stroked a finger down his tummy. “I’ve had him since he was tiny. He’s very tame if you’d like to stroke him.”

  I inched forward in my seat. Archibald squawked and flapped his wings. “Maybe another time. He needs to get used to me.”

  “He can be funny around strangers,” said Delilah. “Archibald is protective of me. He’s got the heart of a Golden Eagle inside this tiny tummy. You’ll fall in love with him once you get to know him. Everybody does. You’ll often find him on his perch in the hallway. He likes to sit there and watch the world go by.”

  He was a beautiful bird, with brilliant colored feathers and a ring of blue around each eye.

  Delilah continued to play with Archibald. “Don’t mind my sister,” she said quietly. “She’s run things around here for a long time. She’s only worried you will take over.”

  “I’m just here to assist. Hopefully, she’ll find me useful when she gets to know me.”

  “I’m sure she will,” said Delilah. “My sister is the only family I’ve got left, so we rely on each other. Our parents died years ago, so it’s been the two of us for a long time. There’s Fred as well, but he’s not around much. His work keeps him busy.”

  Glancing around the room at all the ghost animals, I could see Delilah wasn’t really alone. “Are there any ghosts in the house at the moment?”

  Delilah nodded. “There are seventeen in here.”

  My eyebrows shot up. She could also see the ghost animals. “They don’t frighten you?”

  “There’s nothing to be scared of,” said Delilah. “The forms they return in are friendly. I think they do it deliberately, so it’s not too shocking. No moaning ghosts rattling chains around here.”

  Their form? I was puzzled by her response, but at least she’d proven she was legitimate. I’d be interested to learn more about her abilities and how she interacted with the ghosts.

  “I’d better let you unpack,” said Delilah. “Rose is better at the business side of things. She can explain everything tomorrow. Your room is at the top of the stairs, second door on the right. You’ve got your own private bathroom next door.”

  “Thanks. That sounds perfect.”

  “We’ll have dinner together this evening and get to know each other better. And you’ll get to meet Fred. I know he’s interested in meeting you.”

  I kept a close eye on Archibald as I left the room; his beady eye hadn’t stopped staring at me. Flipper was close by my side. I grabbed my cases and hurried up the stairs. I found my bedroom, placed my cases down, and gently shut the door behind me.

  Flipper investigated the floral-patterned bedroom before finding a spot on the carpet he liked the look of and settled down.

  His head lifted almost straight away. Two ghost cats and a dog drifted through the door and into the bedroom.

  He watched them intently as they drifted around before settling next to him.

  “It looks like you will have company while we’re here,” I said. I hoped they didn’t upset him too much. His previous encounter with a ghost dog on board a yacht had resulted in several episodes of projectile vomiting. I’d keep a close eye on him. If the worst happened, I could always take him back to stay with Zach and Jessie.

  Flipper glanced at the ghost animals before settling his head on his paws. He didn’t appear fazed by his new companions.

  I unzipped my case and opened the lid. “Are you here for a reason? Or do you just like hanging out in this house?” I asked the ghost animals.

  They all looked at me with interest. The dog wagged his tail.

  “I don’t mind you being here, but try not to make the room too cold. It doesn’t make for a fun sleeping experience.”

  As I put away my clothes and unpacked my toiletries, two more ghost animals joined us, this time, giant lop-eared rabbits.

  I settled on the floor next to Flipper and stroked his head. “I hope they don’t all need our help; otherwise, we will be very busy.”

  Flipper rested his head on my leg and stared up at me. “Don’t be so glum. At least there aren’t any human ghosts for us to worry about. We can handle a few ghost animals. Let’s just hope I can handle Rose.”

  Chapter 3

  Helen picked up her phone on the first ring. “I was worried about you. Why haven’t you called before now?”

  I grinned as I sat on the edge of the bed. “I’ve been busy getting to know my new boss and unpacking.”

  “What’s the place like?”

  “It’s... interesting.”

  “Do you like it?”

  “The house is nice enough. There’s a lovely garden. I think Delilah is the real deal. She can see ghosts.”

  “She told you that?”

  “She picked out seventeen ghost animals sitting in the room with us.”

  “Wait a second, ghost animals? So, no human ghosts?”

  “Not that I’ve seen,” I said. “I don’t mind the ghost animals. They just seem to like hanging out in the house. I don’t think they want anything.”

  “Maybe they’re drawn by Delilah’s energy,” said Helen. “They might sense she can see them and want company.”

  “It could be that,” I said.

  “What about the work?”

  “I think, to start with, it’s going to be pretty grim. Rose, Delilah’s sister, has plans for me to sort out the archive. She’s not keen on me being here.”

  “You’ll win her round,” said Helen. “And if you don’t, you can always come home. You don’t have to stay there.”

  “I will give this place a try,” I said. “It could be interesting. Since Delilah knows all about ghosts, perhaps she can give me a few pointers.”

  “You’re not going to reveal your own abilities, are you?”

  “Definitely not,” I said. “Well, at least not to begin with. I want to see how Delilah handles the ghosts. Maybe she can actually talk to them, unlike me. I’ll take it slowly. I don’t want them to think I’m strange.”

  “If it all goes wrong, there’s a place for you here.”

  That was the second time Helen had asked me to go home. “You’re keen on getting me back. Is anything wrong?”

  “No. Well, I’m not sure. Gunner has been acting shifty.”

  “What’s he doing?”

  “He keeps disappearing on me,” said Helen.

  “Maybe he needs some guy time,” I said. “You know, he needs to watch a football match or drink too much beer and talk about politics like he knows what it’s all about.”

  “No, he goes on his own,” said Helen. “I’m worried.”

  “He’s crazy about you,” I said. “You’ve got nothing to be worried about.”

  “I am quite clingy,” said Helen. “Gunner could be feeling trapped. We went from dating to living together quickly. Maybe he’s regretting it.”

  “How could he regret living with you?” I said. “You cook him amazing meals and are always cleaning and tidying.”

  “I’m wondering if I should stop doing those things,” said Helen. “He could see me more as a housewife than a hot girlfriend.”

  “Can’t you be both those things?”

  “I want him to find me attractive,” said Helen.

  “How could he not?” I said. “You’re gorgeous.”

  “I know that,” said Helen, “but I don’t want Gunner to lose sight of that and think of me as a domestic drudge
.”

  “It could be his work,” I said. “He’s often out at strange hours.”

  “Maybe I’m overreacting,” said Helen. “I was thinking about following him one day to see where he goes.”

  “Definitely don’t do that,” I said. “You have to trust him. Have you asked him if there’s anything wrong?”

  “A couple of times,” said Helen. “He shrugs it off. He says everything is fine, and he thinks I’m great.”

  “You have to take his word for that,” I said.

  “You didn’t think there was anything weird going on with him when you were here?”

  “No, not a thing.”

  “And Zach has mentioned nothing to you about Gunner?”

  “Nothing.” I was beginning to worry. What if there was a problem between them? I’d been so wrapped up in my own issues with Amelia and Zach that I’d missed my best friend was having concerns about her own relationship.

  Helen let out a sigh. “Maybe I’m being silly.”

  I turned my head as I heard a knock on the door. It opened, and Delilah poked her head around the side. “I wanted to let you know dinner is ready.”

  I put my hand over the phone mouthpiece. “Thanks. I’ll be right down.”

  Delilah nodded and vanished back into the corridor.

  “I’m sure everything is fine with Gunner. Try talking to him again. Don’t do anything extreme like following him. He’s a police officer. He’ll spot you straight away.”

  “I’ll give it another shot, see if I can get some sense out of him. Maybe if I do an extra special batch of cookies, it might tempt him to talk. He always relaxes when he has a belly full of food.”

  “Speaking of which, I’d better go. I’m having dinner with the family tonight.”

  “I hope it’s something tasty,” said Helen. “If it’s horrible, tell them to employ me as a cook. I’ll work for minimum wage, so long as we can work together again.”

  I laughed. “No, you won’t. Let me know if you’re still worried about Gunner. I can always talk to Zach about it, see if he is hiding anything.”

  “Thanks. But he’s my boyfriend. I’d better deal with him.”

  We said goodbye, and I hurried down the stairs into the dining room, Flipper by my side. The ghost animals had stayed behind in the bedroom.

  Sitting at the dining room table was a thin, pale man, dressed in a pale-gray suit. Standing behind his chair was an angry, dark-haired female ghost.

  I dragged my attention away from the ghost. “Hello, I’m guessing I’m in the right place for dinner.”

  The man raised his gaze and a small smile spread across his face. “Ah! You must be Miss Shadow.” He pushed his chair back and stood.

  “That’s right,” I said as I approached him. “You must be Mr. Merrygold?”

  “Please, call me Fred.” He extended a slim hand, which I shook. His skin was cool to the touch. “It’s nice to meet you.” His voice had a warbling quality to it as if he was about to break out into song at any second. “Take a seat. My dear wife will be in with dinner in a moment.”

  “Does she do all the cooking?” I sat in the seat Fred gestured to.

  “Some of it.” Fred settled in his own seat. “Rose helps. The food is always excellent.”

  He was so thin, it looked as if he didn’t eat much at all. “I’ll look forward to it.”

  “How are you finding the place?” Fred arched a white eyebrow at me. “Not too strange for you?”

  “Not so far,” I said, “but it’s early days.”

  “I must admit, when I met my dear wife and she told me of her ability, I was skeptical.”

  “What convinced you she could speak to the dead?”

  “My great aunt came through to her,” said Fred. “Everything Delilah told me made perfect sense. And she is so popular. People travel miles to have a sitting with her and hear from lost loved ones. She gives comfort in a time of great need.”

  The dining room door opened. Rose stalked through, carrying a tray of green beans and potatoes. She set them out in the middle of the table before sitting in a seat. She nodded at me as she flapped her napkin onto her lap.

  Delilah walked in a few seconds later. She also carried a tray. There were four plates of salmon on it. “Lorna, I hope you like fish.”

  “Yes, that will be lovely.”

  Delilah set the plates in front of us before sitting in her own seat.

  The dark-haired ghost who’d been hovering behind Fred moved to stand behind Delilah. Her hands were crossed over her chest, and her angry gaze settled on the back of Delilah’s head.

  I discreetly studied Delilah to see if she’d noticed the ghost move as everyone helped themselves to vegetables.

  “Is your bedroom acceptable?” asked Delilah. “It has a lovely view of the garden. You’ll be able to see it better in the morning.”

  “It’s great.” So far, Delilah seemed unaware of the ghost hovering right behind her.

  “And everything else is... satisfactory?”

  “Everything is just fine.”

  Rose tutted. “What my sister means is have you been scared off by the ghosts?”

  “Oh! No, they’re not a problem.”

  “They leave visitors alone,” said Delilah. “Let me know if you feel any cold spots or feel anything touch you. They can be playful. I’m sure they don’t mean any harm by it. You can hardly mind them being around since most of them are so cute.”

  I paused as I cut up a potato. “The ghosts are cute?”

  “I think so,” said Delilah. “You being an animal lover, I’m sure you’ll like them.”

  I looked down at Flipper. He was staring at the table, an ever-hopeful glint in his eye that some food might fall off and land in his mouth.

  “My great aunt came back as an owl,” said Fred.

  The potato slid off my fork. “She did?”

  “They take all different forms,” said Delilah. “The most common ones are cats and dogs. But I’ve had birds, badgers, even a snake on one occasion.”

  “I’m confused,” I said. “The ghosts you see are animals?”

  “No. Delilah believes that, when people die, they return in animal form,” said Rose.

  I snapped my mouth shut. “I’ve never heard of that before. Is that... normal?”

  “Completely normal,” said Delilah. “I don’t know for certain the reason they do it. Perhaps they consider it a less threatening form. I’d much rather be confronted with a dozen cute kitties than a dozen old men.”

  “I guess that does make sense.” My gaze went to the ghost hovering behind her. “You never see a ghost in human form?”

  “Not once,” said Delilah. “They come to me in their animal form. We communicate with each other, and I pass on any messages to their loved ones.”

  The ghost drifting behind Delilah’s chair locked gazes with me. We stared at each other for a few seconds before she moved to my right side. Flipper stood to attention, at last, distracted from the food on the table.

  I watched Delilah. She didn’t even glance at the ghost. If she could see her, she wasn’t commenting on it. “Are there any ghosts in here with us?”

  Delilah looked around the room. “No, there are none in here. They like the sitting room and my parlor. You’ll always find one or two in there. They seem happy to float about. Some of them engage with clients when they visit, but on the whole, I think they’re simply drawn here because of all the positive energy.”

  “It must get crowded.” I was convinced Delilah couldn’t see this ghost.

  “I like it,” said Delilah. “It shows me this is a haven for those who need time to adjust to their new life. Besides, they come and go. And the ghosts don’t take up any actual space, so you can have hundreds in here, and I wouldn’t mind.”

  I shuddered. I would mind being surrounded by so many ghosts, even if they were ghost cats and dogs. The angry-faced ghost moved closer. I felt an icy-cold prod on my shoulder.

  I sho
t her a glance, letting her know I could see her.

  Her eyes widened. She prodded me again.

  There was nothing I could do to stop her. If nobody else could see her, I couldn’t start asking who she was.

  After giving me another hard poke, the ghost spun away, clearly angry that I was ignoring her.

  I focused on my dinner, trying to ignore the fact the room was getting cold.

  Delilah set down her knife and fork and looked around the room. “I spoke too soon. It feels like we have a presence with us.”

  Maybe I’d been wrong, and she could see this ghost.

  “Tell the ghost to go away,” said Rose. “I don’t want my dinner getting cold.”

  “Quite right.” Fred poked his barely touched piece of fish before setting down his fork.

  The ghost kept spinning around the table. She glared at me every time she made a pass.

  “Does it normally get cold when a ghost appears?” I asked.

  “Most of the time,” said Delilah. “You’ll get used to it. We all wear layers in this house. You need extra layers when there’s a ghost around.”

  The ghost grabbed the end of the table and shook it violently.

  I saw Delilah jump. She pushed back her chair and looked under the table. “There’s no one there. I thought perhaps some sneaky ghost had snuck under the table.”

  “The ghosts know our office hours,” said Rose, not pausing as she devoured her pile of green beans. “Tell them to come back tomorrow.”

  I could see the confusion on Delilah’s face. She really couldn’t see this ghost.

  “Yes, I’ll do that.” Delilah stood up straight. “Please stop bothering us. Come back tomorrow. I will be happy to help you then.”

  The ghost slowed and hovered in front of Delilah. She waved her hands in front of her face.

  “That’s better.” Delilah sat back down. “It must have been a naughty spirit having fun with us, maybe trying to scare the new girl.” She smiled at me.

  As hard as she tried to hide her concern, Delilah’s hand shook as she picked up her cutlery. She knew something was wrong. She couldn’t see this ghost, but the ghost could see her and wasn’t happy.

  The ghost rattled the table a few more times before shooting me an evil glare and vanishing through the wall. The temperature in the room instantly rose.