you’re not very good at it, are you? I guess it just doesn’t come naturally to you.’
‘Oh, I don’t know. In the years we’ve known each other I can remember a dozen times when I’ve wanted to thump you.’
‘But you never did. Admirable self-control.’
‘Self-control, nothing. I was just scared of how hard you’d thump me back.’
‘You do me an injustice. I’m a nurse.’
‘But a nurse would know exactly where to thump to reduce me to a shivering wreck.’
‘Don’t tempt me.’
‘Yes, ma’am. No, ma’am. Whatever you say, ma’am,’ he said, saluting vigorously. ‘Why are you laughing?’
‘I was thinking suppose that policeman came upon us again just now.’
‘The one who thought I was attacking you?’
‘Yes. Imagine how confused he’d be.’
He joined in her laughter before saying, ‘I’d have to explain to him that Freya the goddess has all sorts of secret knowledge and skills that she keeps to herself, and that the rest of us had better be very careful. Including him.’
Freya regarded him fondly, relieved and happy that their old, jokey relationship was coming back.
‘So, do you still want me to tell you the name of the ghost whose appearance has transformed my life?’ she asked.
‘I’d kind of like to know.’
‘You’ll never believe it.’
A sudden dread struck him. ‘Oh, no! Tell me it isn’t Dan. Freya, you couldn’t—’
‘No, of course I couldn’t. It’s not Dan. It’s Cassie.’
He stared, astonished into silence. ‘What—what did you say?’
‘I said Cassie.’ Freya regarded him with her head on one side, enjoying his look of stunned bafflement.
‘Cassie? You mean Marcel’s wife? I don’t understand. How can—?’
‘Before I left London Cassie called to tell me something that will make a world of difference to me. Did you know that Amos was so set on me marrying one of you that he actually gave me a large sum of money?’
‘I heard a rumour, but I wasn’t sure. I suppose he was hoping that one of us would marry you to get our hands on it. How did he think that would make you feel?’
‘Does he worry about how people feel as long as they do what he wants?’ she asked ironically. ‘The odd thing is that he’s not an unkind man. He does care about people’s feelings—in his own way. But his way is to assume that they’ll only be happy if they do what he plans for them.’
‘Yes, I know. He’s always been like that. So now you’ll be a prosperous woman in your own right. You should go out and live the high life on the money. That would teach him.’
‘Yes, I could do that now—because I’m beginning to get it back.’
‘Get it back? What happened to it?’
‘Marcel was having money problems at the time, and Amos thought it might make him turn to me. Instead I loaned it to Cassie, so that she could buy into Marcel’s property in Paris and then confront him on equal terms. It helped clear the air between them and they ended up married. Amos was livid.’
Jackson gave a crack of laughter. ‘He gave you that money so that you would marry Marcel and you actually used it to help Marcel marry Cassie? I’ve heard of courage, but that beats all. Dad must be pretty annoyed with you, and yet he still wants you in the family.’
‘I think he puts it down to a woman’s foolishness. He reckons that if I’m his daughter-in-law he can instruct me in better ways.’ She chuckled. ‘Or perhaps he thinks if he can make me your wife that’ll be a way of punishing me. He’s probably thinking, Then she’ll find out what a monster Jackson really is. That’ll teach her.’
‘Then he’s miscalculated,’ Jackson said cheerfully. ‘You already know what a monster I am.’
‘I’ll bet there’s a lot still to find out.’
‘I’ll leave you guessing about that.’
‘Anyway, are you saying you didn’t know about me lending the money to Cassie? Amos never told anyone?’
‘Tell people that you made a fool of him? Can you imagine him doing that?’
‘No, you’re right. But there’s more. It was a good investment. The hotel’s doing well and Cassie has now started repaying me with interest.’
He stared. ‘So she’s the ghost?’ he whispered, scarcely able to speak.
‘Yes, I hadn’t expected to get anything back so soon, but some of the money has gone into my bank already and there’s more on the way. I’m going to be a rich woman.’
He pulled himself together.
‘Aha! So now you’re letting me know that if I need a rich wife you’re available?’
‘Letting you know that I don’t need a husband, and that one word out of place will make me take terrible revenge.’
He grinned. ‘Nice to get that clear. Except that I already knew.’
‘Well, we’ve always agreed that we drive each other mad.’
‘And as long as it’s mutual what does it matter? Have another drink.’
He spoke lightly to hide the storm inside. So she hadn’t found another man. Just a simple misunderstanding, but it had disturbed him to an extent he didn’t want to think about. The implications were too troublesome.
He drained his glass, trying to summon up the courage to say what was on his mind. At last he managed it. ‘As you said, not all ghosts are evil. But some of them are. One that still haunts me, and always will, is knowing that I did you harm.’
‘Jackson, stop it. We talked about this the other morning in the hotel garden. I told you that there was nothing to forgive and we agreed to put it behind us as though it had never happened.’
‘But it did happen. Nothing can make it unhappen. The effect will be with you all your life. And now I’m going to say something that will make you hate me again. I’m glad you didn’t marry Dan. I’m not glad of the way it happened, but it’s best that you didn’t marry him. You wouldn’t have been happy. There—now you can call me all the names you like.’
As he spoke he gave her a quizzical look.
‘I think I may pass that chance up,’ she said. ‘I know it wasn’t your fault that Dan backed off. He was just looking for an excuse and he seized it. That wasn’t what I minded most—’
