Page 36 of The Lost Future of Pepperharrow

The two girls exchanged a glance.

‘What was that for?’ Thaniel asked them.

The old lady sighed. ‘They think the spirits disapprove of this place. Foreigners on their ancestral ground and so forth. That is, naturally, a load of shit,’ she added, more at them than him, and blackly. ‘We’ve had foreigners in and out since I was your age and only ghosts since November.’

‘Can we call an exorcist?’ he asked.

They all looked surprised.

‘Expensive,’ said the old lady.

‘If you know someone who can do it, I’ll put it under cleaning. The legation can cover it.’

There was a long quiet.

‘Unless there’s … something else?’

More quiet. The girls looked uncomfortable.

Vaulker banged on the door. ‘Really, this is unacceptable. It’s half-past nine and not even the first sign of breakfast. There are fourteen hungry people here. Mrs Nakano, even toast would be greatly appreciated, if you wouldn’t mind?’

‘I never know what he’s saying,’ the old lady said, devastatingly unworried. ‘But I suppose we’d better get going. Can you tell him it would be easier to cook rice? He always wants bread.’

Thaniel relayed it.

Vaulker only looked annoyed. ‘No. Pardon me if I don’t want to go entirely native. Do you have flour? Water? Yes? Marvellous.’

The girls must have understood, because they got up at once and picked up flour packets. Both of them hesitated before they sprayed a handful each over the worktop.

‘Sorry about your wife,’ Thaniel said to Nakano, and then bowed to the old lady. Vaulker, he noticed, rolled his eyes. ‘Thank you, ma’am.’

‘Yes, yes, you can come back,’ she said, mostly into her cigarette. ‘Good manners make up wonderfully for being ugly, don’t they, girls?’

‘Mum!’

Thaniel laughed.

Vaulker tapped his fingertips on the door to make him hurry up.

Thaniel pulled the door to behind him and backed Vaulker down the little stairs more forcefully than he needed to.

‘They need a raise,’ he said.

‘A raise, why?’

‘Because you’re not the easiest person to get on with, and I think they’re talking about ghosts as a polite excuse to get out of here and work at one of the other legations. I think someone saw something once and the rest latched onto it. I’m bringing in an exorcist, so they won’t be able to use that particular excuse anymore, but they’ll probably find another one if you don’t give them a reason to stay.’

‘How dare you!’

‘See? You’re prickly,’ said Thaniel.

‘You’re insubordinate!’

‘I’m doing my job,’ Thaniel said.

Vaulker sighed. ‘How much is an exorcist going to cost?’

‘I don’t know, but if it solves the problem for a bit then it’s worth it.’