should rest a little longer. Perhaps it’s the strain of the travel.”
“I will not be coddled, Wesley,” she snapped. “I tire of being treated as if I’m fragile, as I most certainly am not.”
“You have conversations with a man who has been dead for years. That is not normal behavior.” And if she continued to do so at Hollybrook Park, others would begin to think her mad instead of simply eccentric.
In an instant, he nearly jumped at a crash behind him and turned to find the fern his grandmother had admired earlier on the ground. Dirt and broken porcelain spread across the once pristine wooden floor.
“There must be a breeze,” he muttered and focused back on his grandmother.
“What breeze?” she snorted. “The curtains didn’t even flutter and the doors are open to the veranda.”
“I’m certain there is a reasonable explanation,” he dismissed. “Perhaps the pot had been set too close to the edge.”
“Oh, Wesley,” she sighed. “Open your eyes. There is so much more than you bother to see. Better yet, open your mind to possibilities.”
“Next thing you’ll be telling me is that ghosts exist.” He snorted and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Of course they do, dear.” Then she gestured to the fern surrounded by shards of pottery and dirt.
She had finally lost her grip on reality and he wasn’t certain if he should take her from Hollybrook Park now or hope nobody else noticed.
“You and Miss Miranda can ponder the possibilities but don’t expect me to participate in illogical suppositions,” he finally responded before he turned on his heel and marched from the room.
First talking to the dead, suddenly demanding he marry, and now believing in ghosts. Did she think she could see Captain Vail? If so, she’d sunk deeper than he realized.
“Care for a brandy?” Somerton asked as Wesley exited the parlor.
His friend was standing in an open doorway a little further down the corridor. “Weren’t you just on the veranda?”
“There are other ways into the manor without going through the parlor.” He held up a glass. “Care to partake?”
“Yes,” Wesley grumbled and hoped that Lynwood had enough in stock to help him keep his sanity for the next sennight.
Chapter 7
Miranda stood just within the doors leading to the veranda listening to Epworth argue with his grandmother. A moment later, Princess, her sister-in-law’s black cat darted from outside before she began to weave between Uncle Jonathan’s ankles. He knelt and scratched the feline behind the ears to which she arched as if she could feel the hand of the ghost. Uncle Jonathan then leaned forward and whispered to the creature before it rushed forward and jumped, knocking the fern from the table before disappearing behind the settee. Though it wasn’t a ghost that had knocked the plant over as Her Grace suggested, Miranda knew without a doubt that her uncle had encouraged Princess to do so.
“You and Miss Miranda can ponder the possibilities but don’t expect me to participate in illogical suppositions,” Epworth announced before he stormed from the room.
“His mind is as closed as ever, Jonathan,” Her Grace said with a sigh once her grandson had left the parlor.
“If visiting Castle Keyvnor for a sennight didn’t change his mind, it is unlikely anything will,” her uncle chuckled.
“I just don’t know what to do about that boy,” Her Grace complained. “At one time his mind was filled with wonder and adventure. He couldn’t wait to be out in the world, to explore, learn and discover.” Her face brightened. “Do you know that at one time he insisted that when he was older, he was going to sail the entirety of the Celtic Sea until he found Atargatis.”
Miranda pulled back so that she was not seen. Atargatis was the island kingdom of King Merrik. Not that anyone had ever seen or met either. The island was named for the Goddess of the Moon, Feminine Powers and Water. She had fallen in love with a mortal and when she’d accidentally caused his death, she was so overcome with guilt that she attempted to drown herself. The waters turned her into a mermaid, which is why Endellion, the Sea God of Cornwall formed and named the island after her. He too had fallen in love with a mortal and the two had a son, King Merrik. He ruled the Kingdom of Atargatis and was as at home on land as he was in the sea, and where he’d live until he found true love. It is said that King Merrik