Lucky Stars (Ghosts and Reincarnation #5)(126)
Author: Kristen Ashley

Jack held Belle’s hand and Belle walked close beside him. So close their arms brushed as they moved and Jack held a torch to the path in front of them as they strode through the dark night.

“Talk to me,” she whispered.

An hour after Belle left the room, Jack had come into the drawing room to guide Joy to Miles.

Five minutes after that, he came back to ask Belle to get her coat so they could walk the dogs.

Now they were on the path and it was Jack who had lapsed into a heavy silence.

“He’s volunteered for the ceremony.”

The words were harsh with concern and disquiet, as they should be.

Belle was instantly concerned and disquieted too. So much so, she stopped dead on the path.

Jack stopped with her, turned and looked down at her.

“I’ve advised against it,” he went on. “He won’t hear of it. He wants Caldwell out of him.”

“So he believes that Caldwell is in him?”

“He admitted he’s felt not himself often in his life. In fact, since he could remember. He also shared he often was driven to behaviour that, later, he didn’t understand but couldn’t control. He never understood it. It even, at times, frightened him. He thought it was an unhealthy compulsion. Now he believes it’s Caldwell. Because of this, it didn’t take a lot of convincing.”

“So he should take the potion. The potion works,” Belle replied. “Cassandra promised.”

“Yes, love, and he’s already taken it as a preventative measure in the short run. But he’s adamant. He wants Cassandra to perform the ceremony.”

She moved into him, putting her hand light on his chest even as her other hand still in his squeezed tight.

She leaned in and whispered, “Let me talk to him.”

“You won’t sway him,” Jack stated.

“Let me try,” Belle pushed.

“My love, he’s wracked with guilt. He killed our child. He could have killed you. He’s come to understand that and he can’t live with it. Not like this. He’s determined to pay a penance.”

“He has to take that potion the rest of his life, Jack. That’s penance enough.”

“I’ve shared this with him. He disagrees.”

“So let me share it with him.”

“Belle,” Jack whispered, letting her hand go but lifting his to cup her jaw as he dipped his face close to hers, “put yourself in his shoes. He pushed you down the stairs and took away our child. He didn’t do it but he did. This knowledge is new and it’s destroying him. I understand why he wants this. This…” he hesitated, clearly searching for a word before finding one, “thing inside him has controlled him, it has made him lose time where he has no idea what he’s done, it’s beleaguering his dreams and it caused him to commit a despicable act. He wants it gone. And I don’t like it but, my love, I also don’t blame him.”

Belle hated to admit it but this made sense.

She leaned deeper into him and tried something else. “Okay then, when is this going to happen? Perhaps, given time, he can come to terms with it. He can see the potion is working. We can show him we’re good with him and maybe he’ll change his mind.”

“Fortunately, he has no choice but to wait. The moon is waxing. Cassandra said it must wane before she can perform the ceremony.”

Such was her relief, Belle relaxed all her weight into him and his arm stole around her as she did.

“Well, at least that’s something.”

“Indeed,” Jack muttered his agreement.

Belle got up on her toes to kiss his jaw then she moved away, Jack caught her hand again, trained the torch to the path and they resumed their walk.

After several long moments of walking in silence, Belle remarked, “I should tell Lewis what happened. It may make him feel better about the bad man.”

“Not necessary. After we were done speaking with Miles, Lorna and Lachlan left to call to him in order to share that information.”

“Oh,” Belle whispered then asked, “Does Joy know all that’s happened and going to happen?”

“By the time we get back, she will. Miles, Angus and Cassandra are telling her.”

“Oh,” she repeated on a whisper, her worried thoughts turning to Joy and her reaction to all this and Jack’s hand gave hers a squeeze.

They walked on for some time in silence.

Belle broke it, saying, “The bright side is, that’s one thing down.”

Through a low, soft chuckle Jack replied, “Yes, poppet, it’s one thing down.”

“Now we just have to free Myrtle and Lewis.”

“Right,” Jack’s voice was still trembling with humour, “that’s all we have to do.”

“Someone will think of something,” Belle declared with more hope than certainty.

“I bloody hope so,” Jack muttered, the humour gone from his voice.

They walked on in silence, the beam of the torch bouncing on the path in front of them, the dogs loping and circling the pair as they moved through the night.

Finally, Belle called, “Jack?”

“Yes, love.”

“What are we going to do when there’s no more drama?”

“Bloody enjoy it,” he muttered but she stopped, tugging on his hand as she did so therefore he did too.

When he turned into her again, she looked up at him and asked, “Do you think it’ll be boring?”

“Are you asking if I think life will be boring or if I’ll become bored of you?”

When did he come to know her so well?

She didn’t ask this out loud. She didn’t have the chance.

This was because Jack ordered, “Wrap your arms around me, Belle.”

She did as she was told and his arms returned the gesture.

She watched his shadowed face get close and only when it was an inch away did he speak.

“I thought we agreed you had me wrapped around your finger.”

“Jack –”

“Belle, after a still remains to be seen clairvoyant white witch, a mad Scotsman and his twin niece and nephew who have supernatural gifts dispatch the spirit that is controlling my brother. And after we figure out whatever bloody thing we need to figure out to send two child ghosts who have apparently been haunting my ancestral home for over two hundred years to some other plane though we have no idea what that plane is nor how to do it nor did I even believe any of this existed mere weeks ago. And after your father, mother and grandmother drift to their next location where they can amuse and frustrate new people who are both lucky and unfortunate enough to be their next victims. And after I hopefully convince Yasmin not to break her husband’s heart but also not her own… again. Then we can concentrate on three things. First, getting married. Second, being married. And, finally, third, creating a family.”