Page 144 of Ever After

“And yet no one mentioned it on the tour.”

“You did a tour?”

I nod. “You can only spend so much time between the sheets on a honeymoon.”

“Is that true?”

“Nope. Not in my opinion.”

He chuckles and leans in confidingly. “I never showed it to anyone.”

“Why? It would have maybe brought more visitors to the hall.”

He frowns. “No. It’s private. We spend most of our lives in the public eye and it’s sometimes rather tiring. I liked that he got to keep his secrets. I found it as a teenager under a loose floorboard in the library and read it.” He strokes the worn cover. “It made me sad, actually. The smuggler disappeared and Lysander never knew what happened to him. I always wished they’d found each other again.”

“Maybe they did,” I say softly.

His head shoots up and our gazes hold. “Really?”

I nod and he seems to take a deeper meaning from the gesture, because he relaxes and says, “Thank you.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“You’ve done something. The atmosphere at the hall is very different today. Lighter and less sad.” He cocks his head. “I ran references when you rented the cottage.”

“People usually do.”

“Ah, but not everyone has a well-connected friend in York. I mentioned your name and got a very interesting response.”

I stiffen. “Yes?”

“Yes, Tarquin was very verbose.”

“Of course it was him.”

He smiles. “He was at school with my cousin and so spent a lot of time at Dowran Hall. He’s always been… quirky.”

“I bet. He’s also got a mouth bigger than the Mersey Tunnel and less traffic restrictions.”

He studies me. “You are an interesting man, Mr Billings. And seemingly the person who can explain something to me.”

“I don’t know about that,” I reply uneasily.

He opens the diary. “I was at my desk this morning when this book fell off the shelf in the library. I retrieved it and put it on my desk and a few minutes later, it opened by itself and the pages began to turn.”

“A breeze maybe.”

“Maybe. However, a breeze doesn’t explain what happened next. The pages turned until it reached a blank page. I leaned over and watched as writing appeared.”

“You what?”

He offers me the book, open at a page near the end. “It’s a good job that I’m accustomed to ghosts because otherwise I might have needed immediate medical attention.”

I take the book automatically and look down. My breath stutters when I read the words.

Under today’s date is written, On this day in history I, Lysander, the Sixth Lord of St Claire, do decree that the property known as Smuggler’s Rest be given for the term of their lifetimes to Levi Black and Blue Billings. I wish them to have a more pleasant experience of Porthkrogour than they have so far. On their deaths, the property shall return to the possession of the St Claire estate.

“What the fuck?” I breathe.