‘Hope we’re not intruding?’ Harmony said, smiling pleasantly at everyone.
‘Not at all,’ Walter said, bowing his head. ‘It is an honour to have you here, Mistress Hill. And you, too, er…’
‘Yes, howdoesone address a Roman centurion?’ Aubrey pondered.
Quintus Severus didn’t reply. He stood by the door, as if guarding the room. His hand rested on the pommel of his sword, while his large, dark eyes scanned the area, ever watchful for threats.
Harmony laughed. ‘Just call him Quintus,’ she said lightly, taking a seat at a table. ‘And don’t look so scared. He doesn’t bite.’ She winked in quite a mischievous fashion at the impassive Roman. ‘Not unless I want him to, anyway.’
Quintus Severus didn’t so much as blink as all eyes turned to stare at him in amazement.
‘Bloody hell. Really?’ Ronnie murmured.
‘Never!’ said Polly.
‘Doeseveryoneget Easter eggs except me?’ Brooke muttered.
Danny gave her a bewildered look. What planet was she on today?
‘This is wonderful,’ Peter said. ‘We have a full contingent of ghosts. Well, almost.’
Harmony glanced around. ‘Who’s missing?’
‘The Reverend Silas Alexander,’ said Isaac heavily. ‘Surprise, surprise.’
‘I did ask him,’ Aubrey admitted, ‘but he said he couldn’t think of anything worse than listening to us caterwauling, and hadn’t he suffered enough when he was alive, listening to the dreadful dirge his congregation used to produce?’
‘Always looking on the bright side of afterlife, isn’t he?’ Millie said.
‘Never mind.’ Harmony shrugged. ‘There are enough of us anyway. So, how far have we got? Anyone come up with a good suggestion yet?’ When no one answered, she frowned. ‘That good, huh?’
‘Forgive me,’ Walter said. ‘I rather think you have surprised us all. You rarely attend meetings with the rest of us, and we didn’t think?—’
‘I guessed that when my invitation went missing in the post,’ Harmony said wryly. ‘It’s okay,’ she added, throwing up her hands as they all started to apologise, ‘I’m here now. I don’t blame you for not inviting me. I’m not exactly sociable, am I? Thing is, Callie’s been okay with me, ya know? And Brodie’s one of the good guys, so… Anyway, luckily for me Quintus here knows everything that’s going on in this village, and he reports back to me, so here I am. So, like I said, anyone had any suggestions?’
‘Well…’ Walter said hesitantly.
Harmony pulled a face. ‘Not a poem, Walter. No offence, honey, but it would be more of a surprise gift if youdidn’tquote poetry at them.’
‘A gift for us all,’ murmured Ronnie.
‘It’s all very well saying what wedon’twant to give them,’ Isaac said, ‘but no one seems to have any bright ideas about wecangive them.’
‘Why don’t we play them a Beatles song?’ Millie suggested hopefully. ‘Ooh, they’ve written some fab tunes. I could ask Lucy to bring a record player to the party and they could play “Love Me Do”?’
‘I don’t think so,’ said Percy with a grimace.
‘I hardly think that’s appropriate,’ Walter protested.
‘What’s a Beatles?’ asked Robert, puzzled.
‘What’s a record player?’ asked John.
‘Hey, the kid might have a point.’
There was silence at that last comment, as Harmony got to her feet and paced up and down, deep in thought.
‘Ya know, it could work.’
