Page 18 of Leafpoint Lighthouse

“I’ll be back. We want that land!” Keith called. “Everyone has a price!”

“Not me!” I muttered and disappeared up the stairs to my bedroom.

“He’s gone.” Mrs Penrose smiled as I poked my head around the corner of the dining room.

“Thank God. I hate individuals like him. They think they can buy anyone.”

“Keating’s not wrong. Most people have a price,” Mrs Penrose stated, taking a seat. On the table were a casserole pot and crusty cobs.

“Not me. Leafpoint is my haven, my chance to start over. I’ve no intention of selling,” I murmured, sitting down. Dinner smelt good.

“That fool will return with a higher offer.”

“Of course he will. Like all arrogant men, he thinks he can bully me. But he can’t. I’m not the pushover he believes I am, and that means he’s underestimated me.”

“What if he goes to see Thea?”

“Thea won’t sell either,” I replied with a smirk. I didn’t bother saying Thea couldn’t; there was no point in embarrassing her. The lighthouses belonged to The Trust—not to us personally. We couldn’t sell them. Mrs Penrose cocked her head before nodding and serving up the casserole. Like most of her cooking, it was rich and filling. Mrs Penrose cooked with love.

“How are the renovations?” she asked.

“The two upper bedrooms are complete; just waiting for their mattresses. Benny is going to start mine tomorrow; I had asked him to do mine first. However, Benny pointed out that it was best to work from top to bottom. The boys have finished the kitchen. Tom and Dean have done an excellent job. They’ll be starting the office next. I’ll be heading out to buy the items required for the kitchen whilst they do the office. Leafpoint has been scrubbed from top to bottom. There’re so many original features there; it’s amazing.”

“You sound like you’ve fallen in love,” Mrs Penrose noted.

“Yes, I have. Leafpoint is just what I needed.”

“Good. I’m happy for you,” Mrs Penrose said, and then turned the conversation towards local gossip.

William

The night was calm, but I smelt the snow in the air. A blizzard was coming this way. It would land in a couple of days. I stared out over the sea; the wind blew lightly tonight, but as always, it was stronger this high up. Lyra was making me doubt myself. I couldn’t let her do that. I had to stay strong despite her pain because if he escaped me, then Penhaven wouldn’t be safe.

That was unacceptable. My life had been given so that the town could thrive and keep him imprisoned. Ever since the night I’d died, we’d been trapped in this limbo together. But Ajax had warned me times were changing. Across the world, evil was making a stand, and we had to beat it back down. Ajax had gifted me the ability to become solid, but had not explained why. Hell, the man hadn’t even stated how he’d seen me.

Most of Penhaven believed Leafpoint was haunted. Even though I couldn’t manifest, being translucent terrified people more, which let me chase intruders away. I’d helped Leafpoint gain a reputation as haunted, and I played into the stories they’d told about it.

Was I proud of doing so? Not at all. Had I saved the town? Yes, and that’s what counted.

I was never destined for greatness. Although my parents were successful, I worked too. My clothes might be of better quality than most, but I remained working class. Hunger wasn’t something I’d ever been acquainted with, thanks to my father. My mother was a talented seamstress, and the local nobility often used her services. Why this burden had fallen on my shoulders was anyone’s guess.

Charles Jasper trusted me and three others to be unbribable, and we had been. While not friends, and we certainly didn’t move in the same circle, Charles had chosen us. Even today, I was clueless why. George Damerell literally tried everything to make me turn off the lantern, but had failed.

I had a feeling that decision would have repercussions, and it had. My death was shrouded in mystery, but I knew I truly didn’t die easily. Annoyed as hell, I’d chased every subsequent lighthouse keeper away. I had been unimpressed and furious. It had confused me that the lantern wouldn’t work, no matter what was tried.

Even after all these years, I didn’t have answers to the puzzles that remained. But I did understand that there was a presence attached to Leafpoint and me, and I couldn’t let it escape. I was so certain of that.

A reckoning was coming, and it was unwelcome. Change was coming, whether I liked it or not.

Lyra

Two days later, I grinned as my bed was taken to my room. I had paid the bill at the hotel and hugged Mrs Penrose before scurrying away. The white goods were being delivered this morning, and I had packages everywhere which needed unboxing and putting away. My favourite internet shopping site had loved me, placing order after order for the last forty-eight hours. Benny found it amusing as vans full of parcels turned up. After another unpleasant buying experience in town, I’d just gone online to order.

Luckily, the white goods store had people who’d fit the washing machine and range oven. The fridge, freezer, and tumble dryer were simply plug-ins. Benny had placed a fitted bench under the stairs, and a new dining table was pushed up against it with four chairs surrounding the open sides.

The smaller bedrooms were now complete, with rugs down, pictures, the beds made, and small bedside tables and lamps. They looked amazing, so different from their previous condition.

Walking back downstairs to the kitchen, I grinned as I peered into my bedroom once more. The walls had been painted apple white, and Benny had built wardrobes that curved with the wall, along with a chest of drawers. The bed was a white four-poster, which would dominate the room. Tom and Dean were putting it up for me. I had a few rugs to cover the newly varnished wooden floor, two bedside tables and a couple of lamps.