Lucky Stars (Ghosts and Reincarnation #5)(75)

“Why on earth not?” Gram queried.

“Cast your mind back to this afternoon, Mom, when Jack put us both in our place,” Mom demanded. “In case you didn’t get it from that, not to mention about half a dozen other examples I could give you, Jack’s a wee bit protective of Belle. If he learns what Calvin did to her, he’ll go ballistic. He might even spontaneously combust!”

Belle winced at the idea of Jack spontaneously combusting however she had to admit, the very idea of Jack finding out about Calvin made her heart hurt.

Not only his reaction to this knowledge but what he might think of Belle knowing she’d made the choice of Calvin in the first place and let his abuse carry on for as long as it did.

He’d think she was an idiot and worse, a coward for not putting an end to it the minute it started.

“That may be so, Rachel, but it’s clear things are moving full steam ahead with Jack and Belle and he’s got the right to know,” Gram returned.

“Okay, I agree, just not now. We need to wait until after Belle releases the ghost children,” Mom replied.

“What?” Belle asked.

At the same time, Gram asked, “Why?”

Mom turned to Belle and declared, “Obviously, you have to release those children.”

Belle felt her lungs expand and it wasn’t a good feeling.

“Yes, that is obvious but I don’t understand why Jack needs to be kept in the dark about Calvin for her to do it,” Gram retorted before Belle had the chance to speak.

“First, if Jack knows Belle’s history, he’s going to cotton onto the fact that he shares Joshua Bennett’s characteristics just as Belle shares Brenna’s both of them exactly. Once he understands this, do you think Jack, for one instant, would allow Belle to lift even a finger to help those children?” Mom asked.

This was, unfortunately, true.

Who knew what Belle had to do to release Myrtle and Lewis?

It might be dangerous.

Jack would never agree to her doing anything dangerous.

He wouldn’t even let her take a walk on a rain slick coastal path, something she’d done hundreds of times. It was England. It was Cornwall. Rain slick coastal paths were the norm and Belle walked a lot.

“Hmm,” Gram muttered, which was her way of agreeing without actually having to agree.

Mom pressed her advantage and looked at Belle. “You can’t tell him.”

“I think,” Belle said softly. “That something is happening between Jack and me.”

Mom grinned and teased, “You think?”

Belle shook her head but went on to say, “Yes, Mom, I do. I also think it might not be a good idea to keep Jack in the dark about anything. He won’t like it.”

“Hmm,” Gram muttered again, this time more firmly non-stating her agreement.

“Not mentioning it is the same as lying to him. I kept the pregnancy from him and he wasn’t happy about it,” Belle reminded them.

“You can say that again,” Gram mumbled.

Rachel, however, was not deterred. “I saw those children today and, okay, they freaked me out. But once I knew their story, I thought about what I saw. The little girl gave me a wave and the boy was grinning at me. They seem sweet but it’s too sad for words that they’re stuck here. Something has to be done and we all know Jack will never agree to you doing it.”

This, too, was true.

“Let me think about it,” Belle suggested. “Maybe there’ll be a time when I can explain things to Jack and get him involved. Maybe I can talk him around. Maybe he’ll feel better about it if he has some control over the situation.”

“What if that time doesn’t come?” Gram asked.

Belle licked her lips and thought about the children she saw in the window.

Then she thought about the fact that they likely spent years in the castle with their still alive father. Watching him with his new family. Watching him grow old. Watching his new children thrive under his love and care. Then watching him die.

Then they were stuck here and alone with only themselves for company (and a few mortal friends along the way).

Belle looked at her Gram then her Mom. “If that time doesn’t come then we go it alone.”

Gram looked uncharacteristically uncertain.

Mom smiled.

“That’s decided then, we’ll get started,” Mom announced and Belle felt a feeling of foreboding.

She had no idea how to get started but she knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that her mother had a great number of ideas.

She also knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jack wouldn’t like a single one of them.

“We need to go back to Calvin,” Gram said and both Belle and her mother looked at her.

“Why?” Mom asked, her tone sharp, something which happened quite frequently during the rare times anyone mentioned her ex-husband’s name.

Gram’s eyes went to Belle. “You’ve been getting a lot of media coverage. Now you and Jack are getting a lot. Soon, people are going to understand this is not only serious, there’s a baby on the way. They’re going to go nuts. Calvin has had to have seen this but even if by some miracle he hasn’t, he will.”

Belle rolled to her back and pressed her fingers into her forehead.

Belle had been trying, and succeeding, in not thinking about this very thing.