“It’s not.”
“Even if the culprit is human, he or she is using details from the legend of Bloody Thom to try to frighten you. Have you heard the verse about him and his curse?”
“As I am not a child, I do not listen to nursery rhymes.”
“Well, you should. Because this one is unfolding before us.”
Taking a breath, she recited,
“Beware, beware the rattling chain
The flapping robes stained red and bold
Beware the moans and wails of pain
For ’tis Bloody Thom they do herald.
He brings death to all who cross his path
Be they creatures with feathers, fur, or skin
Green will wither and die until his wrath
Is quenched by a true reckoning.
He plays a mournful ballad of blame
Shaking the manor with his ire
His cry for justice is like a flame
That scorches all with unholy fire.”
“Don’t you see?” she concluded breathlessly. “The robes and chains, the murdered creatures with feathers, the mournful ballad. It is all happening like the poem says.”
“A bit of verse doesn’t prove that the ghost is real.”
“I realize that,” she said patiently. “But the events predicted by the poem are happening, which means the moreweknow about the supposed curse, the more we can anticipate what our adversary—be they spectral or human—might do next.”
After a moment, Ethan said grudgingly, “That is sound logic.”
“You needn’t sound so surprised.”
“I am not surprised. I’m impressed.”
“Really?”
“Yes. You presented a rational case to justify finding out more about a ghost.”
“The truth is…” She exhaled. “Ihavefelt a…a presence in the manor.”
“That is just your imagination, pet.”
“No, it’s more than that.” She tried to piece together what she’d been sensing. “When I first arrived, I felt like I had been here before. Like the manor was…was almost waiting for me to return.”
“Perhaps the house knew how desperately it needed a housekeeper.”
“Very amusing.” She wrinkled her nose at his smirking visage. “I am just trying to explain why I cannot discredit the possibility of a supernatural cause. Are you afraid to discover that I am correct, and you are wrong?”
