Page 76 of Love At First Fright
“Do you think she’ll have found my note?”
“Yes.”
Rosemary waved the final match and stood back to admire her handiwork. The chapel no longer carried the same gothic gloom. The moss and ivy, lit by the candles, were like emeralds nestled in the walls, and the ghostly magic that clung to Juliet painted her in almost angelic light.
“What if she doesn’t come? This was a mistake, Rosemary. She won’t come and she’ll hate me forever.”
“Just give it time, she’s not late yet.”
“What if she doesn’t want me back? After all of this, I don’t think I can go on if she doesn’t know how much I love her.”
Rosemary heard a sharp inhale of breath behind her. Cecilia was standing in the doorway, looking for all the world like abride on her wedding day.
“You love me?”
A grin lit up Juliet’s face, and for a second, Rosemary thought she could glimpse the kind of woman Juliet had been in life. “Ruinously so, my darling,” she said, crying, rushing into Cecilia’s arms.
“Will you have me,” Juliet asked, “for however long we have? For whatever comes next?”
“Yes, yes, finally! You foolish woman.” Cecilia pulled Juliet to her. The ghosts embraced, first with tentative kisses, but when Juliet tugged Cecilia’s lips fervently to hers, the kiss became more heated. Rosemary, momentarily struck dumb from witnessing the entire thing, came to her senses and slipped away.
Waiting outside, as if he’d been tagging along with Cecilia for company, was Hank. She bent down, feeling his feather-light fur under her palm.
“Good boy. I think we helped, didn’t we?” she said to him. “No more falling chandeliers.” But it was more than that, Rosemary knew. All her life she’d been able to see ghosts, but never, never had she been able to help one. She hadn’t realised until now how powerless she’d felt, watching so many of them stuck in cycles that kept them here.
“If I throw you a stick, will you run after it?”
Hank tilted his head at her, ears flopping.
“Who are you talking to?”
Ellis was standing in front of her, and Hank ran up to him, jumping and excited.
“What are you doing here?”
“I saw you traipsing into the woods with a bag full of candles like an hour ago, I just wanted to check if you were okay.”
“Damn, I thought I was being subtle.” Rosemary smiled, but didn’t feel it reach her eyes. Now that she was in themoment, she wasn’t ready. What if their relationship was too fragile for this? What if the hagstone didn’t work and he thought she was insane?
“I was putting the candles up in the ruins,” she said.
“Okay. What for?” Ellis walked over, pulling her into his arms as if it was second nature.
“You’re going to think I’m crazy.”
Ellis smiled. “Try me.”
Rosemary looked down at Hank, the way his tail had now partially faded to nothing. It was now or never.
“I can see ghosts.”
“Ghosts.” He paused for a long time. “And the candles?”
“It’s a long story, but I had to help these two Regency ghosts make up, they were the ones causing all the accidents on set. The candles were part of a, um, grand gesture.”
Ellis shook his head as if he was trying to wake himself.
“Ghosts.”
