“No,” Nettie said with a happiness that rivaled the loud purring of the cat. “She glows with goodness. The last time we saw that glow was when our Forbes was taken into heaven by his Maggie.” Nettie tipped her head to one side and set the cat on the ledge of the window. “I wonder if she is an angel sent to help our Ross?”
Leopold flipped his tail, licked the window, and purred louder.
“I believe Leopold likes her,” Edgar said.
“Stay away from her whenever she is on the stairs.” Nettie shook a finger at the cat, then returned to watching the scene below. “Since she is from Scotland, she might not be overset if we were to appear to her, you know. Quite the superstitious lot, those Scots. Believe in second sight and all that.”
“Nettie,” Edgar said in a warning tone. “No.”
“No, what?”
“No, we will not reveal ourselves. We are going to leave well enough alone and hope Ross handles things properly.”
“Like he did with Lady Lotilda?” Nettie rolled her eyes.
“Nettie—please.”
“I will not cause another accident.”
“We did not intend to cause any of the other accidents,” Edgar reminded her. “Who would have thought being a helpful ghost was so difficult?” He affectionately tapped the end of Nettie’s nose. “We must stay out of this. He has yet to beget an heir. If we foul this, it could very well be the end of the Ramthwaite line, and then we would never rest in peace.”
Nettie huffed a resigned sigh. “Fine. I will do my best to remain as innocuous as the air in the room. No one will ever know I exist. I promise.”
*
“Mr. Edgar? MissNettie?” Even though Ross knew it more proper to address the ghostly duo asBannerlyandMrs. Bannerly, he still called them by their Christian names, as he had done as a child when unable to pronounce their surnames properly.
He quietly closed the attic door behind him and crept deeper into the dark, dusty room that had served as his sanctuary when he was a lad. He lifted the candlestick higher, sweeping its golden glow back and forth while the floorboards creaked and groaned their welcome with his every step. “Miss Nettie—I saw you and Leopold in the window when I arrived. Show yourselves, please.” Even though the ghosts had confessed to doing more harm than good over the years, he still loved them. They had been his loyal companions, showing him the care and devotion he starved for until he developed the hardened view of life it took to survive as the next Duke of Ramthwaite. “Mr. Edgar. Show some respect, sir. I merely wish to have a word.”
The old butler shimmered into view—not a frightening apparition but a grayish, wispy version of his former self. Or so Ross assumed. Edgar and Nettie had died the night his fatherwas born. Floating closer, Edgar bowed. “Welcome home, Your Grace. It is good to have you back.” Somewhat transparent, he cast a glance behind him. “Come on, Nettie. His Grace wishes to have a word. We must not be rude.”
Ross shivered as Nettie appeared. Not because she was ghastly, but because the temperature of the room noticeably dropped whenever both ghosts made themselves visible. His breath clouded in the frigid air, and it made him smile at the memory of playing chilling games of hide-and-seek in the attic with them when he was a child.
“Your Grace.” Nettie curtsied, then set the cat down.
Ghostly Leopold meowed a greeting, then sauntered over and rubbed back and forth around Ross’s ankles.
“Hello, old boy.” Ross didn’t bother to pet the cat, knowing his hand would pass right through the feline. He looked up and smiled at Nettie. “Well? What do you think of her?”
Nettie shimmered with a brighter glow, a sure sign she was pleased. “Her Grace is lovely. I do hope she likes it here.”
“That is what brings me to you.” Ross didn’t wish to hurt their feelings, but it was imperative they behave. He strongly suspected they were the reason his late wife had developed such a fear of shadows that she nearly set the manor house on fire by lighting so many candles and oil lamps in every room. “I beg you—please do not appear to her or do anything else to make your existence known to Lady Harmony.” He swallowed hard, struggling to find the words. “She is special, and I do not wish her frightened.”
Nettie’s usually subtle glow increased to a blinding white cloud of brightness. “You have found your dove.”
“My dove?”
“Doves mate for life, Your Grace,” Edgar said. “There is a peacefulness around you that was not there before. It appears Her Grace is the balm your soul has needed.”
Ross breathed easier, hopefulness filling his heart. “So, you will help me, then? Behave yourselves?” He tipped a nod at the cat. “And control Leopold?”
“It goes without saying, Your Grace,” Nettie said with a happy bounce that sent her nearly to the attic’s ceiling.
“We shall do whatever you require,” Edgar agreed with a formal bow. “And Leopold shall be on his best behavior. I will personally see to it.”
“Thank you, both. I know you will not fail me.”
*
