The Ghosts of Ravencrest (The Ravencrest Saga Book 1) (26 page)

“I … I heard you. But, uh, I didn’t see you.”

“No? You didn’t?” He sounded relieved. “So … you heard me singing?”

“Singing?” she repeated, in a frantic tap dance. “Um, I thought I heard a radio. I thought Riley walked by outside or something. Or maybe Grant. It sounded like Dean Martin.”

Eric’s hearty laugh echoed through the building. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“I was underwater. I’ve been practicing holding my breath. It’s, uh, a yoga thing. It’s very good for you.”
Yoga? Just. Stop. Talking.  

Eying her, Eric smiled. “If you say so.”
 

Belinda wasn’t sure, but thought he moved a little closer.

“Is this your first time?”

“Um, excuse me?”

“Your first time? In the pool?”

“Oh. Yes.”  She couldn’t think straight. “Yes, my first. I couldn’t sleep and I thought I wouldn’t disturb anyone if I came this early on a weekend.”

“You can come whenever you like, Belinda.” He moved a foot closer.

As he bobbed, her eyes took in the expanse of his shoulders, the cut of muscle under the smooth skin. Butterflies took frantic flight in her belly. “I can?” Her throat went dry.

“Of course. This is your home, too.”  He was now barely three feet from her.

She didn’t mean to let the giggle escape.

“You seem rather excited,” Eric said. He moved closer, then glanced down and pulled up short. He edged back a foot.

He doesn’t want me to see it.
She bit back another giggle. “I guess I’m a little nervous,” she told him. “I heard some noises before, but it must have been you.”

“Noises?”
 

“Yes, it had to have been you ... on the diving board.”  She hadn’t seen him there, but he didn’t know that. It seemed like a good icebreaker.

“What exactly did you hear?”

“Well, I thought I heard bare feet come out of the dressing room, but that’s just nonsense. I must’ve let my imagination run wild.”

“Perhaps, he said. “What about the diving board?”
 

She nodded, embarrassed. “I thought I heard-”

Suddenly, as she stared at Eric, she heard it again, the spring of the diving board followed by a big splash. “Did someone just dive in?” she asked.

His eyes lifted toward the board then returned to her. “Not exactly,” he said in a hollow tone.

“What do you mean?”

A shrill scream rent the air in a million echoes; Belinda yelped and lunged toward Eric. She hid her head against his shoulder and only when his arms tightened around her did she realize he was holding her.
 

“Shh. It’s all right.” His voice held a tremble. He was frightened, too.
 

“What was that?”

He looked around. “Well,” he said. “We … we do have peacocks on the grounds. I’ll bet one of them got in and is wandering around in the dressing rooms or behind them in the racquetball court. It’s, uh, happened before. Their calls often sound like screams, you know.”
 

Belinda realized her fingers were digging into his back and eased off without quite letting go. “Do you really think so?” Her heart tried to beat out of her chest, but his words reassured her. All at once, she remembered his nakedness and her sense of safety was quickly crushed by embarrassment. She was relieved they were in shadow because she was sure she’d turned twenty different shades of red.
 

“Yes. That is … Yes, I’m quite sure.”  He stared into her eyes, his face so close, his full lips inches from hers. “I-” He cleared his throat and edged away slightly when their thighs made brief contact. “That is to say, I do believe you’ve met our diving board ghost.”
 

“What?” With reluctance, she moved out of his arms. “A ghost?”

“A very nice one. I hear her quite often.”

“Her?”

“Isobel. My wife. She had an accident on the diving board. She was an expert diver, and loved to come down here in the morning and practice somersaults and all sorts of fancy dives. One morning ...”

“She drowned?”

His eyes were the gray of thunderheads. “Isobel broke her neck.”

“Oh, Eric. I’m so sorry.”

He averted his gaze. “We didn’t know for hours. I came to get her for brunch - and she was at the bottom of the pool.”  He swallowed, looked determined. “It was a sad day for all of us.” He looked up at the board. “Ever since, now and then, I hear what you just heard. It makes me feel like she’s saying hello.”

“That’s lovely. Have the kids heard it? The diving board, I mean?” Her mind was still on the scream.

“Not that I know of, but they prefer the outdoor pool. And I’m sure there must be a good explanation for that sound.” He pushed hair off his forehead. “I’m coming off like a loon, talking about ghosts like this.”

“No, you aren’t. Ravencrest is full of ghosts.”

“Who told you that?”

“No one,” she lied.
 

“Have you seen any?”

“I just mean the mansion feels like it’s full of your ancestors. Probably because of all those family portraits.”  Belinda paused. “I’m very sorry about your wife.”

“She would have liked you.” His eyes were as deep and fathomless as the pool.

“Thank you,” she said, remembering his nakedness. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve been in here so long I feel like a prune.”

“Of course. You go ahead. I have a breakfast meeting this morning, but I’ll see you for lunch?”

“Certainly.”

“Perhaps we might have Niko pack a picnic and we’ll take the children out by the duck pond. Unless you have other plans?”

“That sounds lovely.” Belinda put both hands on the pool lip and pushed herself out of the water. “I’ll see you at noon.”

“It’s a date,” he said, watching her. “And if you’d like to join me for an early morning swim tomorrow, meet me here at six-thirty.”

“I’d like that.” As she walked away, she could feel his approving gaze. She opened the door and glanced back. He waved. She returned it and walked out into the dawn.
 

Rats

“Dr. Akin still hasn’t returned, I’m afraid,” said the receptionist on the other end of the line. “We don’t know where he is and frankly, we’re a little worried.”

“How peculiar.” A heavy feeling settled in the pit of Belinda’s stomach.

“Would you like to speak to Dr. Johnson?”

Belinda almost said no then changed her mind. “Yes, actually, I would. Thank you.”

After several minutes on hold, Dr. Johnson picked up. “Miss Moorland, how can I help you?”

“I consulted Dr. Akin about some sleeping problems, and since he … well …”

“We’re all very concerned about his disappearance.”

“Yes, I hope he’s back soon.” Belinda hesitated. “Anyway, he was going to prescribe something for my nightmares and insomnia. He had an emergency, and later, Mrs. Heller gave me some pills in an unmarked bottle.” When he didn’t respond, she added, “She said you prescribed them?”

He cleared his throat. “I … uh, yes. However, I’m going to call in a new prescription for you; something I think will suit you better.”

She was sure Dr. Johnson hadn’t prescribed anything and was covering for Heller. Belinda was glad she’d heeded Grant’s warning, and wondered what pills Heller had given her. “That would be wonderful,” she said.

“I’ll call the scrip into the pharmacy right now, Miss Moorland, and I apologize for the confusion.”

“It’s not a problem, Dr. Johnson. And I do hope Dr. Akin returns safely.”

“I do, too.” There was something in the man’s voice - something edgy. He sounded afraid.

“I’ll pick it up this afternoon, Doctor.”

***

At the bottom of the stairs Eric Manning, Grant Phister, Mrs. Heller, and a man in gray coveralls stood chatting. As Belinda descended, Eric stopped speaking and followed her with his eyes. Her heart beat faster and her cheeks warmed. She blew out a breath.
Get a hold of yourself.
Their gazes touched.

Although his smile was quick and uncertain, he spoke with confidence. “Miss Moorland, I’m afraid I’ve had a change of plans. We’ll have to postpone our picnic with the children until tomorrow.”

Mrs. Heller’s eyes blazed as they moved from Eric to Belinda, who felt a perverse satisfaction at the other woman’s disapproval.

“It won’t be a problem, Mr. Manning. I’m available anytime.” She shot a quick glance at Heller, who appeared hard-pressed to restrain her irritation.

“Grant,” said Belinda. “May I see you privately for a moment when you have time?”

“Of course.” He looked from Eric to the man in coveralls. “You’ll excuse me?”

Eric nodded and told the man to start laying rat traps in the attic.

Grant followed Belinda into the sitting room, closing the door behind them.
 

“Sorry to pull you away,” said Belinda. “But I didn’t want to speak to you in front of Mrs. Heller.”  It was her first time in this room and she glanced around. It was warm and inviting, done in shades of forest green and cream, nothing like Cordelia Heller’s black and white nightmare.

Grant gave her a warm smile.

“You said something when I started working here about there being a car I could use? I need to go to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription and well, to be honest, I really don’t enjoy Mr. Hardwicke’s company.”

“I can’t say I blame you. He’s a rather slimy fellow, isn’t he?”

“Yes,” she said, grateful the butler was in agreement.

“There is a car you could take, or if you’d rather, we could go in my car. I believe we have some things to discuss?”

“That would be wonderful, Grant.”

“When would you like to leave?”

“I’m ready when you are.”

He smiled and held his arm out to her. “Very well. Allow me to take you to lunch in town?”

“That would be lovely.”
 

Cordelia Snoops

After Eric Manning finished instructing the rat man, Cordelia Heller made her way upstairs. The look Manning and the new governess had exchanged disturbed her.
Could they
possibly
be more obvious!?
It was unprofessional, plain and simple. The Manning men all had a weakness for women who looked like Belinda.
And Alice.

She turned the knob, pleased Belinda hadn’t locked her door. After glancing down the hall, Cordelia entered and examined the room, disgusted at the site of an interior lock. But at least the governess wasn’t a slob. She moved into the bathroom, expecting to find used towels on the floor, but it, too, was spotless. She was disappointed. She checked the drawers and found some brushes, makeup, and perfume. Under the sink were feminine hygiene products, and behind the mirror were pill bottles, all over-the-counter pain relievers and vitamins except for the prescription bottle Cordelia had given her. She unscrewed the lid and looked inside. It was impossible to tell if any were missing, but she was almost certain the little bitch wasn’t taking them. If so, she wouldn’t have looked so chipper this morning; the pills were prescription tranquilizers she’d tucked away in the dungeon and were far more powerful than anything Doctors Akin or Johnson would have prescribed. She replaced the bottle, made sure everything looked the same as when she’d entered, and returned to the bedroom.

Cordelia looked through the drawers of the nightstands on either side of the bed; in one, she found several pairs of bikini panties. She examined them and found no stains or odors, but was intrigued nonetheless. These were the kind of panties sluts wore; she slipped a pair into her pocket.

She found nothing else of interest until she reached the bottom drawer. Beneath a folded nightgown and pair of pajamas, she pulled out what appeared to be three dildos, small, medium, and large. No doubt, the little slut thought of Eric Manning while she used them.
What a whore.

Suddenly, something chimed, and Cordelia thrust the dildos back into place, nearly jumping out of her skin before she realized it was the bitch’s phone. Cordelia looked around, didn’t see it, then it chimed again and she followed the sound to the cell; it had fallen on the floor and was hidden by the dust ruffle. She picked it up and read the screen. Belinda had new text messages from someone named Randi Tucker.
That’s it,
the text read.
Your mother and I are tired of being ignored. Since U won’t answer us, I’m coming over 2night! I will be there at 8.

Cordelia scrolled through the other texts, and after reading a few, she realized the Tucker girl was Belinda’s former roommate … and a damned persistent pain in the ass. Belinda’s mother was going to be a problem as well; she sent almost as many texts as the roommate. Cordelia set the phone down, anger burning in her stomach, though she had to admit a certain admiration for the governess’ ability to blow off such annoying, whiny people.

She’d tried to tell Mr. Manning he couldn’t hire people off the streets, but he hadn’t listened. She could have guessed this would happen. It was bad enough working with trash, but Cordelia would be damned if they were going to bring their friends and family over to spy on the manor. She couldn’t allow just anyone to come traipsing through her house.
 

Then she had an idea that made her smile. “Yes,” she said to the empty room. “I don’t think this Randi creature will be a problem at all.”
 

As she set the cell phone on the nightstand she heard a scuffling noise come from the wall. “Hello?” she said, “I hear you.”

The scuffling stopped and she heard labored breathing.

“Lost, are you?”

A scratching noise came from behind the vent.

Cordelia laughed. “Now you know what happens when you disobey my orders, little man.”
 

***

It’s her. It’s her. It’s her.
Hate filled him at the sound of her voice, at the stink of her perfume. And now she was in Belinda’s room.
Who’s Belinda?  
For an instant he couldn’t remember, then he recalled her face, her eyes, her smile. “Belinda,” he muttered. He loved her.

But he had to get away from the woman in Belinda’s room before she hurt him again. He crawled painfully from the vent, heading toward the access to the first floor.