Penmort Castle (Ghosts and Reincarnation #1)(151)

“She’s not sending you over the f**king parapet.”

“No, she’s not. You won’t let her,” Abby told him and finished on a whisper, “Neither will Ben.”

“Goddamn it Abby,” he gritted through his teeth and she felt a thrill of renewed fear mingled with elation because she knew he was relenting. She didn’t think she wanted him to at the same time she was glad that he was.

“We don’t have much time,” Abby urged on a tug of his hand, like she knew what she was talking about, which she did not.

He sucked air in through his nose, looked to the side then his eyes came back and locked on hers.

He walked up the steps.

Abby let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding.

Swiftly Cash guided her, hand still gripping hers, to the parapet. Zee raced along with them.

The whole time Abby did everything she could not to think about Ben on the staircase and what that meant.

Had he not gone on to the next plane like the rest of her family?

Had he been hanging about their house for the last four years, watching her mope around for three of them, then alone with the new owners for the last one?

How did he get to the castle?

Did Cassandra do this?

Did Jenny and Mrs. Truman know about this?

What did Cash think of seeing Ben?

What did Ben think of seeing Cash?

(Clearly, Abby failed at not thinking about Ben.)

They walked quickly up flight after flight of stone stairs, each one edging the side of the square parapet until Cash pushed up a wooden door in the ceiling. Zee darted forward and Cash led her through. When he had Abby on the roof, the cold air biting into her skin and through the thin satin of her dress, he shut the door.

“Cash,” Abby whispered.

Cash’s eyes sliced to her.

“Later,” he returned sharply.

“We have to –” Abby started.

Cash cut her off. “We have to keep you alive. That’s the primary focus. We’ll deal with the rest of it later.”

Abby started to move closer, saying “Cash –”

He opened his mouth to interrupt when they heard his name, his real name, Conner, said in a musical voice that shimmered through the air around them.

Cash and Abby turned toward the side of the parapet that faced the tor.

Yet another ghost was hovering there only a few inches off the ground. This one was a woman, older, pretty, dainty. She reminded Abby of Nicola but she had several years on her and a sadness about her that hadn’t yet fully blossomed in Nicola and, hopefully, with tonight’s events, never would.

“Gran?” Cash asked, his voice sounding stunned.

“Conner,” she replied on a charming smile that wiped all sadness from her expression.

“Holy crap. You’re Lorna,” Abby thought these words were in her head but when Lorna’s eyes came to her she realised she’d breathed them out loud.

“And you’re Abby.” Her smile deepened and her gaze moved back to her grandson. “The Beaumaris men always had good taste.”

“Wow,” Abby whispered, delighted at the compliment even in their highly unusual, very scary circumstances.

“Gran, what’s happening?” Cash clearly wasn’t feeling into family reunions of the spirit world. He had an objective, he was focused on that objective and even his grandmother’s phantasmic return from the grave wasn’t going to divert him from that objective.

Before Lorna could answer, they heard Mrs. Truman shriek from far away, “What are you doing up there!”

Abby moved to the edge but only caught a glimpse of Mrs. Truman, Jenny, Kieran and the rest of them standing in the courtyard outside, everyone illuminated by the blazing lights that customarily lit the castle. Abby saw all of them were looking up at the tower before Cash yanked Abby away.

“Don’t go near the edge,” he warned, his voice sounding a wee bit irritable.

“Cash Fraser!” Mrs. Truman shouted. “You get Abigail off that parapet this instant!”

“Who’s that?” Lorna asked and Abby jumped when she saw Cash’s ghostly grandmother floating at her side close to the edge looking down at the assemblage.

“Who’s that?” Mrs. Truman screeched, obviously catching sight of Lorna.

“That’s my friend,” Abby told Lorna then shouted as loud as she could, “It’s okay Mrs. Truman! Everything’s under control! This is Cash’s grandma!” Lorna turned amused eyes to Abby and Abby continued in a normal voice. “Um, sorry for shouting.”

Cash’s arm still around her ribcage, grew tighter. She didn’t know if this was amusement or something else. She reckoned it was something else so she decided not to look at him. She was already freaked out enough.

“That’s quite all right,” Lorna said on another sweet smile.

“Well!” Mrs. Truman shrieked. “She should know better! Cash’s Nan! You get Abigail and Cash off that parapet! Right now!” When no one immediately acquiesced to her demand, she finished on a bellow. “Don’t make me come up there!”

Cash let Abby go, leaned over the edge and yelled, “Kieran, I don’t care if you have to stake her to the turf, do not let her come up here.”

“You got it, gov,” Kieran shouted back.