Page 2 of My Inherited House Might be Haunted

“Your aunt was so excited when they contacted her for filming. I did the legal paperwork for it. We even played extras a few times. Such fun. I do hope it can be a movie set again.”

“I somehow think it’ll happen.” I mean, the house was too perfect for it.

She had a packet of information on the coffee table, along with a ring of several rather bulky keys. Gesturing there, she urged me to sit.

“As I said, just sign a few papers and the house is yours. Also, here are the keys and stipend information.”

“I’m sorry, the what?” Stipend?

“Miss Fairchild was aware the house needed some work,” Cressida explained brightly. “And she was a rather wealthy woman. So she left money in a trust, with a stipend given to you every month. The trust is set up in such a way that if there’s any major repairs, you can submit a bill to my office and the necessary funds will be dispersed.”

For a full three seconds, I stared at her, honestly feeling like I might be sleepwalking. Because how else did I get lucky enough to have a huge house with a stipend handed to me for just existing? It was so typical of my aunt to look out for me like this. I’d still rather have her over the money, but I couldn’t refuse this last gift she was leaving with me, either. She’d clearly gone through a lot of trouble to make sure I had every advantage. The best way to repay that gift was to use it.

I was also not stupid enough to look a gift horse in the mouth. “That’s really reassuring.”

“I’m sure. My card is in the paperwork, so just call me if there’s questions or an issue.” She leaned in a little, her expression almost maternal for a moment. “This is your house. Don’t let anyone run you out of it.”

“I’ve gone from living in a five hundred square foot apartment to a five thousand square foot house. Plus, this is my aunt’s final gift to me. Trust me, I’ll fight tooth and nail to stay here.”

“Good! That’s the right attitude. Oh, and that’s”—she tapped a sticky note on the first page of the paperwork—“the combination for the safe in the library. I understand it contains some very important keepsakes that your aunt wanted you and your mother to have.”

I looked to the wooden pocket doors in question, which were closed.

Oh, and the doors had an umbrella stand full of swords just outside of them. Because where else would you keep your sword collection, am I right?

“Thanks. That’s great to know.”

I bent and signed, watched her stamp her notary seal and also sign, and apparently that was it. I was now a house owner. I had a feeling it would take a while to sink in.

“Well, do you have any other questions for me?”

“I’m sure I’ll think of several once I start settling in.”

“I’m sure you will.” With that graceful smile, she stood, shaking my hand again. “Just reach out, as I said. And good luck with the house!”

“Thanks so much.”

I escorted her to the door, then closed it behind her. Whew. This whole situation still felt unreal to me, but yay! House!

Right there in the carpeted foyer, I did a happy house dance. The dance slowed when I remembered I was supposed to move in with my aunt. Dammit, I hated time. Time and old age had robbed me of her and I’d be mad about that for years, no doubt.

All right, first thing—explore. I wanted to really get to know the layout of the house, pick a bedroom, all of that. Oh, maybe I should put all the paperwork in the safe first, as that seemed a smart move. I didn’t know who all had keys to this house in the past, so it might be a smart move to change out locks, too. I wondered if there was a locksmith I could call, and if it would be covered under “house repairs”? Damn, Cressida had been gone a whole thirty seconds and I already had a question for her.

I whipped my phone out of my back pocket to text her and heard, very distinctly, a floorboard creak behind me.

Whipping around, I looked frantically for the source.

No one.

Just an empty hallway full of a lot of family portraits.

Putting a hand to my chest, I muttered to myself, “Old house, remember? There’s going to be creaks.”

The floorboard in front of me creaked again.

“See?” I reassured myself. “Just old house creaks. Not like the house is haunted.”

Now. Time to explore and really figure this old house out.

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