Secret Reflection (15 page)

‘Really?’ Kelly immediately felt her eyes begin to well. Over two years ago, Tom and Nancy had visited her in New York after undergoing their third unsuccessful round of IVF attempts. She remembered how completely impotent she’d felt, not knowing how to comfort her friend after the doctor said the chance of them ever having their own children was less than two percent.

‘How—? I thought—?’

‘I know! We thought so, too. But a specialist here in London wanted to try a modified IVF technique. I admit I was terrified … if this didn’t work I knew that we’d never … but it doesn’t matter now, does it? You’re going to be an aunt!’

Kelly hugged them both close, the wave of emotion so strong and uplifting that she found it difficult to breathe. After all the depressing events of the past year, this had to be the best thing … suddenly she began to sob and she didn’t care.

‘God, I’m so happy for you guys,’ she blubbered. The release of pent-up emotion was so cleansing, so liberating, that by the time they were back inside drinking the obligatory cup of tea, she felt totally spent.

‘Hello?’ Kelly croaked, somewhat disoriented after being woken from an afternoon nap by her mobile phone.

‘Ms Reid?’

‘That’s me,’ she replied as she pushed her other hand through her tousled hair. She glanced up at the mirror and started when she saw her now familiar phantom standing within the garish frame. She blushed at the memory of her heated dreams of the night before and turned away to concentrate on the voice on her phone.

‘Ah, Ms Reid, this is Edgar from Hollingworth Security. I have the test results on the hand mirror you sent us. As far as we can tell without damaging the item, it contains nothing but silver paint, ivory, embroidered velvet, cotton wadding and glass.’

Kelly’s brow puckered. ‘That’s all?’

‘I’m afraid so, Ms Reid. We did a backscatter xray plus sonic and magnetic imaging tests. The split velvet inlay at the back allowed us some measure of internal view and we could find no evidence for any sort of wiring or electrical equipment.’ The man’s voice slowed a little before asking, ‘What exactly were you looking for, Ms Reid? If you could provide more specific details we could make a more qualified judgement.’

Kelly had deliberately given very sketchy reasons for wanting the mirror tested. She knew when the technicians had swept the place earlier that they thought she was some kind of nutcase. If she’d told them she saw a ghost’s face in the mirror, she was certain they’d be telling the local constables or someone equally official who’d cart her off in case she became a menace to the community.

‘That’s okay, Edgar. It was nothing really. Please have the item couriered back to me, along with your account. And thank you.’

She switched off the phone and stared back at the mirror. He’d disappeared again. He hadn’t shown his face since he’d frightened Richard the day before and she’d wondered
whether the actor had taken his weekend break and wouldn’t resume his work for a day or two.

Going to the computer she called up her browser and Googled a list of local document authenticators. The third name down the list was Barnsley, which surprised her. She had thought him just a lay historian, but according to the website listing for the National Historical Society, he was one of the foremost authenticators in the country. With a grin she again picked up her mobile phone.

‘Mr Barnsley, please,’ she said when the woman at the other end answered. ‘Kelly Reid – I met with Mr Barnsley several days ago.’

A moment later the older gentleman came on the line.

‘Ms Reid? How pleasant to hear from you so soon. How may I help you?’

‘Well …’ Kelly explained briefly and made an appointment to call at Barnsley’s the next day. Just as she was folding down her laptop she heard a familiar ‘
Ahem
’ from the direction of the mirror.

As she stood and moved to stand directly before him she felt the heat stinging her cheeks. After last night’s dream, it embarrassed her just to look at him.

‘What have you done with my mother’s looking-glass?’ he demanded with arms crossed and chin raised imperiously.

‘What do you mean?’

‘You have taken it off the estate. Why?’

‘How do you know it’s gone?’

‘I tried to view you through it and found myself suspended in absolute darkness. Complete emptiness. The last time I experienced such a sensation was when the viscount’s father had sold the contents of the main guest bedroom – the room Elizabeth occupied before she—’ he paused and swallowed. ‘The dressing table held a large cheval mirror that I frequented whenever the room was occupied. Once a mirror is removed beyond the old estate boundary … I cannot see through it.’

Kelly considered how to respond. Telling him nothing would get her nowhere but how much could she afford to reveal? She glanced across at the carefully folded letter upon the small writing table and decided to start there.

‘I sent the mirror to be repaired,’ she stated as a beginning. ‘I dropped it and part of the backing came away. It will be returned tomorrow or the next day.’

He nodded slightly, though he watched her like he didn’t quite trust her to tell him the truth.

‘Tell me, John, do you know of a gentleman named William Plunkett?’

He scowled. ‘Madam, William Plunkett was no gentleman.’

Kelly’s eyebrows rose slightly. ‘Oh?’

‘Well you might say “Oh”,’ he said as he thrust his fists onto his hips, every inch the indignant male. ‘For some years Plunkett made his living as my cousin’s valet but he was shown, in reality, to be a trickster and a thief. He escorted Elizabeth to Stanthorpe in Edward’s absence. I remember she disliked the man intensely and asked that I order him
from the house once she arrived though she refused to tell me why. He was an uncouth fellow so I suspect his behavior on the journey somehow offended her. As I recall, after … after Elizabeth’s death … Plunkett aided Edward in his plan to imprison me.

‘Why do you ask about Plunkett?’

‘When I dropped the hand mirror, I found something in the back – a note from Plunkett.’

John’s eyes shot up, a look of fear passed briefly across his face before he masked it. ‘What did the note say?’

Kelly moved to the writing table and retrieved the note before facing him. She’d read the thing so many times she could almost recite the words by heart, but she deliberately took her time unfolding it, all the while watching John’s reactions from the corner of her eye. Tension radiated from him.

With one eye on John, she read Plunkett’s missive slowly. He showed no discernible reaction. When she finished she looked him full in the face but he didn’t speak.

‘So – is it true?’

‘Is what true?’

‘Did you send all the servants away? Did you make sure you were completely alone?’ she shook the letter before him. ‘The most logical inference I can take from this is that you were having an affair with your cousin’s wife.’

He closed his eyes, threw back his head and made an anguished sound deep in his throat. For a long moment she thought he wasn’t going to answer her. But when he again looked at her, his face had filled with a bitter disgust. ‘I loved Elizabeth like a sister. There was never ANY impropriety between Elizabeth and me!’

With that, he vanished.

Kelly sighed.
So much for that idea
.

It is always said that pregnant women glow but to Kelly’s mind Nancy appeared positively beatific. She was sure that if she looked closely she’d be able to see a halo of light surrounding her friend. Nancy sat across the room and swirled the ice cubes in her orange juice so they gave a rhythmic clink, while she rubbed her still flat belly and grinned as if she’d just won the lottery. And in effect she had. She and Tom had been to hell and back in their attempt to have children, and now that dream was about to come true. Well … in about seven months’ time.

‘Have you thought about names?’ Kelly asked, encouraging her friend’s euphoria.

‘No, not really. For a boy, I’ve always been a bit partial to John … ‘

Kelly’s eyes widened. ‘John? Why on earth John?’

Nancy turned a perplexed gaze on Kelly. ‘Why not? It’s a strong name … and sounds good alongside Wentworth. But then again …’ she tilted her head to the side, gazing at nothing, with a dreamy expression on her face, ‘I’ve always liked Daniel, too. And then there’s Ryan …’

Kelly began to laugh when she realised that there was no special significance to Nancy’s first suggestion of John. Her suspicious mind had been, as usual, working overtime.

‘It’s this house, you know,’ Nancy declared dreamily. ‘I said to Tom on the very first day that this place felt magical. If Tom’s brother wasn’t already named Rick, I might even consider calling the baby Richard in honour of the place.’

Tom bustled into the room balancing a platter of crackers, fruit and a variety of cheeses in one hand and a gigantic bottle of champagne in the other. Kelly jumped up to relieve him of the platter.

‘Sorry, luv,’ he said to his wife with a broad grin, ‘Kel and I will have to do the celebrating,’ he waved the champagne in the air as he shook his head sadly, ‘no alcohol for expectant mothers.’

Nancy pretended to pout but Kelly could tell she didn’t give a damn for champagne or anything else.

‘So,’ Tom said as he handed Kelly the flutes and proceeded to pop the cork from the champagne bottle, ‘have you had any thoughts about our ghost, Kel?’ He poured two glasses, handed one to Kelly, then went to cuddle up beside his wife.

Nancy turned in the chair to allow him room. ‘Yes, Kel, you haven’t mentioned a thing so far. Has he made his presence felt?’

Kelly sighed deeply. Now would be the time to come clean. Surely Tom and Nancy would give up the charade with a baby part of the mix. She studied their faces in turn, searching for any sign that they already knew what she was about to tell them but for the life of her all she found was innocent expectation.

‘Well – I have heard a few things …’ she began, still watching them intently.

Nancy nudged Tom with her elbow. ‘I told you I heard voices in there,’ she turned to Kelly and edged forward in her chair, a look of muted excitement crossing her face. ‘You were talking to the ghost, weren’t you – I thought so. What has he told you?’

Kelly stood and walked toward the window, not wishing to see the eagerness in her friends’ eyes. ‘I still don’t believe it isn’t a hoax,’ she stated firmly as she turned back. ‘The bill for the technical inspections is likely to be expensive, but I needed to make sure that it wasn’t done with trickery.’

Again she scrutinised their faces but still there was no hint of complicity. She wished she could be sure! Having friends she could trust would make her investigations much easier, and God knew she would relish the help. She looked away and drew a deep breath. Decision time.

‘Okay. I don’t know a great deal at this stage …’ she glanced up sharply, ‘but the technicians swept very thoroughly and have assured me that there are no projections of any kind in that room. I guess I must believe their report, unless they are on someone’s payroll – and I can’t see how that is possible since I called them in from London on the recommendation of a friend of mine in the States.

‘That said … I’m not yet willing to concede your ghost isn’t a fraud. Richard has conveniently been around several times when the ghost has appeared – something I find a little too coincidental for comfort.’

‘So you’ve actually seen the ghost?’ Nancy asked, her expression incredulous. ‘Ooh – I’d love to see him. Can you get him to appear for us too?’

Shaking her head, Kelly sighed. ‘If what he says is to be believed, he can only be seen by the person who occupies his bedroom.’

‘Darn. What does he look like – is he like that ghost in that old movie … the
Canterville Ghost
? That movie always made me cry.’

Kelly shook her head. ‘Nothing like Charles Laughton … or Patrick Stewart, for that matter. No … he looks a little like a pirate … black trousers, flowing white shirt, longish dark hair, arrogant expression.’

A slow grin lifted the corners of Nancy’s lips. ‘In other words, our ghost is sexy as hell!’

Tom coughed, trying to hide his laughter.

‘Sexy?’ Kelly shrugged in an attempt to appear nonchalant though she could feel her cheeks warming. ‘I haven’t noticed. Interestingly, he claims he isn’t a ghost at all. He says he was cast into a kind of netherworld by some sort of sorcery.

‘Right now, I am concentrating my investigations on trying to substantiate his story. It’s early days yet—’

A rapid tap on the door brought her up short; she didn’t want to share the story with anyone else at this stage. She turned toward the door and frowned when Richard appeared almost as if on cue.

‘Sorry for the interruption, Martin said you were all in here.’ He eased into the room and, noting the champagne bottle, raised his brows in question. ‘Are we celebrating something?’

Tom stood and straightened to his full height before strutting across the room like a proud rooster. He held out his hand, inviting Richard to shake it. ‘You can be the first to know,’ he glanced sheepishly across at Kelly before continuing, ‘Kel knows, but she’s family.’

Kelly raised her glass in his direction and smiled her appreciation.

‘What – you’ve seen the ghost?’

Nancy shot her husband a warning look.

‘Nothing like that, my man. Nancy and I are expecting our first child.’

Richard began to shake Tom’s hand vigorously. ‘That is pleasant news! Pleasant news indeed. Will this affect the opening date of the hotel?’

Tom filled another flute and handed it to Richard.

‘I don’t see why,’ Nancy scoffed. ‘I’m healthy as a horse and we can get the staff to do the physical work. Most of our people will be back from their training next week. Plus we have employed a couple of experienced staff from Abingdon. They start work in the morning.’

Richard nodded. ‘Yes, Deanna told me you interviewed both her and Sally the evening before last.’

Kelly’s eyes shot up. She’d caught Deanna in her room a couple of nights ago!

‘Yes,’ Nancy said. ‘The girls asked for late interviews because they had to close up at the bakery. They didn’t get away until after eight.’