Page 41 of Love At First Fright
I’m not good at that sort of stuff, we need Immy for that.
You summoned me?Immy replied instantaneously.
Feel like driving to the countryside to help me mediate a fight with some ghosts?Rosemary replied. She sent along thefor good measure.
I WISH. But the twins are with Eric’s parents tonight and he’s taking me out on a date. And by date I mean we are going to stay in bed all night and use our newly purchased Fluffinator 3000.
Do I want to ask what that is?
She’ll tell us anyway,Dina texted back.
It’s the most powerful couples vibrator on the market.
Well, I’m happy for you both,Rosemary said.
Good luck with your ghosts! If in doubt, do what I would do,Immy said.
What’s that?
Matchmake them.
Rosemary was about to reply that she didn’t think that was a good idea, when Cecilia and Juliet came bursting through a doorway on the mezzanine landing. It was funny, in a morbid sort of way, watching them weave in and out of the ghost actors.
But this was their worst screaming match yet. Rosemary saw the actors moving out of the way, even though they didn’t know what they were scurrying from. The living had enough of a sixth sense to know what wasn’t good for them.
“You lied to me! After all this time!” Juliet screamed at Cecilia, who looked as if she’d been slapped. If it was possible, the room darkened, as the winter sunlight that had been dappling the tiles fled behind cloud. Rosemary could see her breath, and she felt the prickling of something at the back of her neck. Like all the anger and frustration from the ghosts had seeped into the living world. A sharp, bitter feeling entered her core and Rosemary felt as if they were on the precipice of something. She felt it before she heard it. A gentle snap. A soft sound of ripping.
“Vincent, Lance, move!” Rosemary shouted. Everything happened too fast. Vincent saw it first, and pushed Lance backwards onto the stairs, ducking out of the way himself. The grand chandelier, the crown of Hallowvale’s entrance hall, shattered onto the tiles not far from Rosemary’s feet.
Glass and tile exploded, and Rosemary swivelled away,reaching an arm up to protect her face. In the seconds after, no one spoke. All Rosemary could hear was the blood pumping in her ears and the sound of broken glass ringing as it settled on the floor.
“Is everyone alright?” Vincent shouted, getting his bearings faster than anyone else. Rosemary heard some muttered curses, but thankfully no one seemed to require medical attention.
“Definitely haunted,” she heard one crewmember mutter as she made her way over to Lance, sitting on the stairs where Vincent had pushed him out of the way.
“Are you alright?”
“Never been better.” He grinned, but allowed Rosemary to help him back to standing. “Thanks for saving my life, darling.”
“Don’t be dramatic.” Rosemary laughed.
“I’m an actor, that’s all I do.”
—
Once the chandelier had beencleared away and Rosemary was sure everyone was uninjured, she left the entryway in search of Juliet or Cecilia. Thishadto stop. Their arguing wasn’t just ruining the mood, it was turning into poltergeist activity that was a danger to everyone working at Hallowvale. And Rosemary was the only person who could do something about it.
She wandered through the rooms of Hallowvale, following a gut instinct. It got colder and colder the nearer she was, as if she were playing a reversed game of hot or cold. She finally found Juliet in a small morning room in the west wing of the house. At first the ghost didn’t notice her come in, and Rosemary took a moment to look around the room.
There were two deep armchairs by the fireplace, anold-fashioned pianoforte, and bookshelves that lined one wall. Framed watercolours of the manor hung on the wall, but there was one picture that drew Rosemary’s eye. It was undoubtedly Juliet, sitting in this very same room with its blue damask wallpaper, reading a book. The painter had given Juliet a soft expression of contemplation, one so different to the anguish she displayed now. There was a single letter,C,written in pencil at the bottom right of the watercolour.
“Is privacy a foreign concept to you?” Juliet sniffed, finally noticing Rosemary’s presence.
“Are you serious? You’re the one who’s making a fuss and disrupting everyone. Do you realise you could have killed someone with your little poltergeist stunt? Do you even care?”
“Hmph. You’re very forwards.” Rosemary felt that even though Juliet was sitting and she was standing, the ghost was looking down her nose at her.
“Yes, well, welcome to the twenty-first century.”
