Lucky Stars (44 page)

Rachel eyed the Audi and remarked, “I love Yasmin’s car. She let me drive it the other day.” Belle switched off the ignition and looked at her mother as she continued, “Maybe you should ask Jack to buy you one of those.”

Belle stared at Rachel in disgusted shock then she hissed, “Mom, I can’t believe you just said that.”

Her mother’s eyebrows went up. “What? He’s stinking rich. He lives in a castle, for goodness sakes and you’re carrying his child. The least he could do is
buy
you a cute car.”

“He’s already housing me, feeding me
and
you
and
Gram,
by the way.
Not to mention, he’s paying for Dirk,” Belle reminded her.

“So?” her Mom replied.

“So, I think that’s enough, don’t you?”

“No,” Rachel returned. “Like I said, he’s stinking rich and you’re carrying his child which,
by the way,
” she mimicked the same tone Belle had used on her, “he seems delighted about.” She turned to her door, muttering, “Tomorrow, I’ll have a word.”

Belle hastily exited her side and shouted after her mother, “Don’t you dare ask Jack to buy me a car!”

“Oh! Brilliant!” Yasmin called from the steps. “What kind of car are you going to get?”

Belle closed her eyes.

“One
like
yours,” Rachel called back.

Belle opened her eyes and glared at her mother.

“Brilliant!” Yasmin
repeated,
her happy gaze on Belle. “We can be car twins.” Belle was trying to wrap her mind around the concept of “car twins” while she walked forward and witnessed Yasmin’s face falling. “Though, Jack’s a Jag man. He’s always owned Jaguars.” Then her expression brightened. “If he gets you one of those, you should get green. I love green Jags. British racing green. Lush.”

Belle walked up the steps announcing, “Jack is not buying me a car. My car is perfectly fine.”

“No… it… is… not,” Yasmin decreed, sliding her arm through Belle’s elbow and walking her through the open door. “You’re a national treasure, a
stylish
national treasure. Your boyfriend is hot and he’s rich and he’s famous
and
you’re having his baby. This all means you need a
great
car.”

Yasmin, Belle decided instantly, not only liked to spend her trust fund money, she liked to spend
any
money, no matter
whose
it was.

“Can we stop talking about the car?” Belle asked when they hit the entry and Rachel, with effort, pushed the heavy door closed behind them.

“Oh yes!” Yasmin whispered with excitement. “Let’s talk about The McPherson.” Yasmin’s gaze moved to Rachel and it was dancing. “He’s here and he’s
hilarious
. I came out to tell you. Wait until you meet him.”

She linked her other arm through Rachel’s elbow and propelled them all to the library.

Belle liked the library almost as much as she liked the drawing room, the morning room and Jack’s study. It was also lined with books and somehow managed to be both austere and welcoming. It was austere because it too was huge with a massive fireplace. But the musty scent, the many books (which everyone knew equalled “
relax
and stay awhile”), the worn leather couches and comfortable armchairs with ottomans made it welcoming.

Yasmin let them go so they could walk into the library single file and Belle halted at what she saw.

A big man with lots of white, dishevelled hair and ruddy, pink cheeks was standing, arms crossed on his chest, legs planted wide, wearing full Scottish gear.

That was
full Scottish gear –
kilt, hose, sporran, garter flashes, knife in his sock,
ghillie
brogues,
top
-to-toe Scottish gear.

Belle had been to Scotland, she’d seen men casually wearing kilts but this was something else.

But it wasn’t just him.

The woman with him was gorgeous with a mess of rich, dark brown hair which Belle could see only because there was a lot of it. Mostly the crown of her head was covered as it was wrapped tightly in a big scarf that had moons and stars printed on it and long, ragged edges that tangled in her hair. She also had long, thin scarves, three of them that Belle could count, their ends dangling and tangled with a variety of long and short silver necklaces around her neck. She also had silver bangles on both wrists, silver earrings at her ears and silver rings on all her fingers. She was wearing a belt made out of big silver disks threaded through the belt loops of her jeans not to mention another scarf wrapped lower on her hips.

She wore so much
silver,
it made her mother’s copious silver, self-ornamentation seem tame.

Belle stared at them, stunned.

They looked
exactly
like two, crazy “Ghost Helpers” would look.

If Jack met these two, he’d have a fit.

Then he’d eject them.

Then he’d demand that Belle give up her quest to send Myrtle and Lewis to heaven.

“Holy heck,” she whispered.

“Aren’t they
great?
” Yasmin asked.

“Holy heck,” Belle repeated.

“I
love
your scarves!” Rachel shouted, moving forward and greeting them both.

Belle hung back.

Gram and Joy were also there and as Belle continued to stand frozen to the spot, her mind consumed with all the ways Jack would lose his mind when he met Cassandra McNabb and The McPherson, Gram spoke.

“My granddaughter is a little shy.”

The McPherson regarded Belle a moment, his eyes narrowed.

Then his face cleared and he
grinned
a crooked, mad grin.

“Get over here, lass!” he boomed. “Let The McPherson get a good look at you.”

“Um…” Belle muttered.

“Come on, come on…” he urged, moving toward her and Belle wanted to retreat, she
really, really
did but she thought it might appear rude.

The McPherson got close and put a big, gentle hand between her shoulder blades and propelled her forward all the while looking down at her.

“I’m Angus McPherson of The
McPhersons
, at your service,” he announced.

“I’m Belle Abbot,” she whispered timidly.

He stopped her close to the huddle of women that had formed in front of the fireplace.

When he spoke again, he was no longer booming. It was quiet and as gentle as the hand he’d put at her back.

“I know, lass. Know you, know what you did.
Never met a hero.
Been one, a number of times, never met one.
Least, not a wee slip of girl like you.”

She’d tilted her head to watch him speak and as he did, she pulled in a breath.

“No, lass,” his voice was still quiet when he talked on, “we won’t talk about it. I know it makes you uncomfortable.”

She didn’t know how he knew that unless Cassandra, the clairvoyant white witch soaked up her vibes somehow and told him but Belle didn’t say anything. She just nodded.

“Now!”
Angus McPherson was back to booming. “Let’s get this ghost business sorted!”

“I’m Cassandra,” the witch came forward, a smile on her face, her hand extended.

“Belle,” Belle replied and took her hand.

When Belle’s fingers closed around Cassandra’s, through her hand she felt Cassandra’s body jerk. Then the woman went still, her smile died and her eyes grew hazy.

Belle grew concerned when she didn’t come out of her sudden, weird trance and Belle’s hand gripped Cassandra’s more firmly as she lost her shyness and moved closer.

“Are you all right?” Belle asked but Cassandra didn’t answer. She just kept staring at nothing, vacant, looking lost.

Angus got close and whispered, “Cass?”

“What’s happening?”
Joy asked, her tone concerned.

“Cassandra,” Belle called when Cassandra still didn’t focus. She got closer, her hand squeezing and Cassandra’s hand squeezed back, so hard it caused pain.
“Cassandra!”
Belle called again, sharply. Now she was worried. “Are you okay?”

“Cass!” Angus bellowed, putting a meaty hand on Cassandra’s shoulder and shaking her.

All of a sudden Cassandra’s eyes widened and she yanked her hand from Belle’s like Belle’s hand burned.

Then she stared at Belle, her eyes full of something Belle couldn’t read but whatever it was, it made Belle’s worry intensify.

Significantly.

“Bloody hell, mate,” Cassandra whispered.

“What?” Belle asked in a breathy voice.

Cassandra opened her mouth, her eyes dropped to Belle’s stomach then she closed it. Her gaze swung to Angus and Belle could tell she was trying to communicate something but Belle didn’t know what.

“Is something wrong?” Lila was now close and watching Cassandra.

“Nothing, just that, I think there’s a complication,” Cassandra answered, backing up and away from Belle.

Angus, however, stayed close.

“What complication?” Yasmin asked. She, as well as Belle’s Mom and Joy had also closed ranks.

“I can’t say for certain, right now. I need to…” she stopped abruptly, her head jerked then her face went pale.

Belle felt the blood run from her own face and she glanced at her Mom when Rachel snapped, “What is it now?”

Cassandra came back into the room swiftly and announced, “I need to stay here.
In the castle.
So does Angus.”

Belle felt Angus grow still beside her but it was Joy who spoke. “Why? Is something –?”

Cassandra cut her off, “I need to do some readings.”

“What kind of readings?” Joy asked hesitantly.

Cassandra started moving toward the door. “I’ll explain later. I need to get set up now.” She stopped at the door, turned and asked suddenly and bizarrely, “Do you have a cat?”

Joy shook her head but said, “We have dogs. German Shepherds, two of them.”

Cassandra wrinkled her nose in disgust and dropped her eyes to the floor mumbling, “Dogs.
Bloody useless.”
Her gaze went to The McPherson and she declared, “Angus, we need to chat.”

Angus ambled to the door saying, “You got it, lass.”

Lila followed them determinedly insisting, “Wait just one damned minute.”

Both Cassandra and Angus halted their exit and looked at Belle’s grandmother.

“What, exactly, is going on?” Lila demanded to know.

As Belle, with her mother on one side, Jack’s mother on her other side and Yasmin close, stared at the three at the door, Cassandra’s gaze levelled on Gram.

“I can’t be certain and I don’t want to alarm you but I think there aren’t two ghosts in this house.”

“There are,” Joy blurted. “I’ve been seeing them for forty years!”

“I saw them too!” Rachel added. “And so did Belle.”

Cassandra shook her head but stated, “There aren’t two ghosts.” Her gaze took in everyone in the room. “I think there might be
three
.”

Joy gasped.

Lila’s head whipped around to look at Belle.

“Bloody hell,” Yasmin whispered.

“Oh
lordy
,” Rachel breathed.

Belle talked around her heart which was lodged squarely in her throat.

“
Three?
” she asked.

Cassandra’s eyes settled on Belle. “I don’t know, mate. I’m sensing something.” She turned her gaze to Lila. “Let me do some readings. I’ll let you know the minute I know.”

“How long will that take?” Lila enquired.

“I don’t know. It could take an hour. It could take five days. He might not want to be sensed, might go into hiding,” Cassandra answered.

“He?”
Joy asked.

“He,” Cassandra replied and then took in a breath. On her exhale, she tried to calm them all. “There’s nothing to panic about, not yet anyway. Just let me get to work.”

“Go!
Work!”
Rachel demanded sharply.

Cassandra gave Angus a look, Angus nodded and they both left the room.

Everyone in the room was silent.

Then Joy’s body jerked and she rushed forward, muttering, “I need to get some rooms ready.” Then she left the room.

At her words, Belle’s terror intensified and she looked at her mother.

“Mom –”

Rachel took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
“Nothing to worry about,
honeypot
.
We’ve got the Ghost Helpers on the case. Everything will be fine.”

Belle turned to her mother. “
That’s
what I’m worried about. They’re going to be
staying
here.”

“I think that’s good,” Yasmin put in. “A timesaver. They don’t have to drive to work. They can just get up, have breakfast and then,” she clapped her hands, “get right to it.”

Belle looked at Yasmin and asked, “Did you
see
them?”