Page 22 of A Ghost of a Chance

“There is something else I wish I could do,” Osanne said.

“Anything.”

“I wish I could learn what happened to my brother.”

Rafe’s footsteps paused briefly. “The story the old man told was about you, wasn’t it?”

“It was.”

“What happened?”

“My parents always hosted the annual All Hallows’ Eve ball, a tradition the new occupants have carried on. Hours before I fell to my death, my parents charged me to keep watch over my brother, Henry. They suspected that he would try to sneak out to make a little mischief with his friends. My task was to ensure that he fulfilled his duty to dance every set—especially with the wallflowers. He considered that a terrible chore.”

“Indeed?” Rafe said. “I cannot recall dancing with girls to be a chore.”

She imagined a younger Rafe dancing and charming girls of every age. Had he had much time to dance during the war?

Instead, she said, “As a lad of fifteen, Henry had not yet developed an interest in girls—especially not wallflowers.”

“Ah. What happened?”

“When my friends arrived, I forgot to watch Henry. It wasn’t until quite late that I realized he had left. How long he had been gone, I could not guess. So, I went in search of him.”

Rafe took slow, measured steps as he remained by her side.

“It was an especially dark night and I had neglected to take a lantern. I searched, calling and calling him, to no avail. I became so cold that I could barely feel my feet, but I dared not return home without him.”

Next to her, Rafe held his breath.

“I remember falling. Then a sharp pain.”

Rafe let out a shaking breath. How difficult this must be for him to hear. “That’s when you...died.” He uttered that last word in a whisper.

“Suddenly, I was no longer cold or in pain. A bright shaft of light opened up near me and I felt a current pulling me toward it. But I was afraid, so I turned away. The next thing I knew, it was All Hallows’ Eve the following year, and I was in a graveyard with all these strange, partially transparent people. And no one living could see or hear me. My home was empty of people, and all the furniture was covered. Dust lay over everything.”

“They must have left out of grief over losing you.”

Bitterly, she said, “Or perhaps they were so angry with me for losing Henry. I fear something dire happened to him that night and they were so grief-stricken, that they could not bear to live here any longer.”

“Surely, they grieved for you, Osanne. How could they not?”

Guilt gnawed away at her. “Perhaps. They were loving parents. But I failed them. Henry was their only son.” If only she knew of a surety that he had come to no harm.

“Did you ever discover what happened to Henry?”

“No. It is my deepest desire to learn of his fate. Not knowing is torturous.”

He held out a hand. “I will make inquiries. Someone must know what happened to him and to your parents.”

“I would be very grateful to you.” If she could have hugged him, she would have. If only she could! A few more lines of her composition formed in her mind, a sweeter, brighter tone than the previous movement.

“Why did you fear the light you saw after you fell?”

“I felt it pulling me, like a river’s current. Yet, I could see nothing inside the light. I feared if I let it take me that I would find nothingness—that I would cease to exist at all. I have seen other spirits go into it but the moment they reach the edge, they vanish.”

He nodded slowly. “I suppose that would frighten anyone.”

When they reached Ravenswood Manor, music and voices grew louder coming from the drawing room. Rafe walked with the relaxed confidence of an invited guest as he and Osanne headed through the same side door and straight for the music room.