Lacybourne Manor (Ghosts and Reincarnation #3)(136)

He swore under his breath.

By the time he left that evening Mandy reported, in an extremely harassed way, she’d taken more calls that day than she usually took in a month.

He decided he’d better give her a raise in the morning or he’d be hiring a new secretary and that was a headache he didn’t need at the present time.

And anyway, he liked Mandy.

The three women he was currently accommodating were saved from his wrath that evening by the addition of a fourth. Sibyl had brought her elderly friend Meg over for dinner.

Meg was still in a wheelchair but recovered enough to get out and about. Sibyl, blatantly ignoring his orders, arranged it so Rick, her bodyguard, who lived in Weston (close to Meg), would stay for dinner and afterward take Meg home.

Meg was a lovely older lady with a kindly face and clearly a close relationship with Sibyl.

Rick was two inches shorter than Sibyl but twice her body weight in pure muscle. He had short-cropped, blond hair and an expression that looked like it would fell a tree if he just glanced at it with mild irritation. Rick also had no intention of having a nice, friendly supper with his employer and pointedly picked up his filled plate and cutlery and carried it out of the room when dinner was served.

Colin decided he liked Rick.

Later that evening, he managed to snare his mother when they were following Meg and the others out to the car. He fully intended to tell her how he felt about her behaviour with the tourists the day before.

“About yesterday –” he began.

“I know!” Phoebe beamed with happy excitement. “It was in the papers. Did you see it?”

“Yes,” he ground out.

“You should have seen her. She was an absolute darling to all those people. The National Trust volunteers were all gushing about her. She even talked to some Spanish tourists in Spanish,” she said this last as if it was feat parallel to solving the puzzle of the meaning of life.

His mother put her hand on his arm and her eyes were aglow. “Colin, I’m just so pleased for you, my darling, Sibyl is a delight!” Then she rushed away to say good-bye to Meg leaving Colin unable and strangely unwilling to remonstrate her about that day’s papers.

When Colin arrived at Rick’s car, Sibyl and Rick were having a low-voiced argument.

“You have to watch what I do,” she hissed.

“I can put an old lady in a car,” Rick muttered, clearly aggrieved.

“You can’t manhandle her; you have to do it carefully. Just watch what I do.”

Rick gave Colin a long-suffering look and Colin wondered how Rick would look on his third day with Sibyl.

Colin watched as Sibyl positioned Meg’s wheelchair between the car and the door and then he surged forward and clipped, “Hold on…” when she reached in to take on the older woman’s considerable weight.

With astounding agility, she grabbed onto a belt at the woman’s waist, hauled her up, pivoted with her and then, with control, softly settled her into the car. She did it all as if Meg weighed no more than a feather.

Colin halted and stared incredulously as Mags said beside him, “She’s done this before, you know.”

Colin found himself thinking the wonders of Sibyl never ceased.

And also hoping they never would.

After she’d said her good-byes and closed the door she turned to Rick, “Do I need to go with you?”

“No!” Rick snapped and stomped to the driver’s side.

Mags and Phoebe went into the house while Sibyl waved the car out of sight. She turned to him, grabbed his arm in both of her hands and leaned into him, her head pressed to his shoulder. They walked together that way into the house and Colin wished he could enjoy her casual affection rather than worrying that a tranquilliser gun, or worse, was trained on one of them.

The minute he closed and locked the door and turned to go into the Great Hall, she slid her arms around his neck, pressed her soft body against his and gave him a quick, sweet kiss.

When her lips moved away, she smiled up at him and he felt his gut clench when he saw her face was awash with an extraordinary light and he realised that she was happy.

Blindingly, beautifully, glamorously, unbelievably happy.

Moved by this in a profound way that was nearly raw, his hand went to the side of her neck and he positioned his thumb under her chin to keep her radiant face tilted to his.

“You’re in a rare mood tonight,” he commented lightly in an effort to hide how her happiness affected him.

If it was possible, her smile brightened.

“She’s going to be all right, Colin. You saw her! She’s nearly back to the same old Meg.” Her arms tightened with delight around his neck.

He could do nothing but smile back.

In the middle of the night, with Sibyl’s na**d body pressed heavily against his side as she slept, his own sleep eluded him.

His thoughts were about finding a way to make Sibyl that happy always. He wanted her constantly radiating happiness, peace, warmth and affection and never again worried.

Never.

And what Colin wanted, Colin found a way to get. The problem was, he was beginning to be impatient.

On Wednesday, Colin learned that Tamara Adams had disappeared and no one had seen her for weeks. She had not taken Colin’s breaking things with her very well and had said as much to family and friends, rather vociferously, according to Fitzwilliam’s phoned-in report. Then she told people she was going on holiday but didn’t return. Everyone, reportedly, was concerned.