Lucky Stars (66 page)

She took one look at his beautiful, desolate face and nodded.

Then she moved swiftly to the door.

“Gorgeous.”

She stopped at the door and turned at Miles’s call. His eyes were wet with tears and she felt her stomach clutch.

“Like Jack said,
Miles,
don’t. It’ll all be all right,” Belle whispered.

“I –” he started but Belle cut him off.

“Get help, Miles and it’ll all be all right.”

He looked away, lifted a hand to the back of his neck and she saw him squeeze before he dropped it, again caught her eyes and nodded.

Belle nodded back.

Then her eyes swept through the occupants of the room and ended their journey resting on Jack.

She gave him a trembling smile then she opened the door and ducked through, closing it behind her.

* * * * *

The wind was high, there were clouds hiding the moon so the cliff path was dark before them. The dogs, usually happy to wander away and roam afield during their evening walks with Jack and Belle, sensed the mood and stayed close.

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.”

Belle stopped breathing.

Jack did not. He kept talking.

“So, as you can see, I’ll have no chance in the future to be bored, not, poppet, that you would
ever,
” his arms gave her a fierce squeeze, “bore me because you won’t. I can only imagine what Lila and Rachel have in their heads about their only grandchild and child’s wedding, not to mention my mother. And then we might,
might
have a brief respite before I hope to God we fill that house with children. Then, we’ll have decades of God knows what before we retire on an island, perhaps in Greece. By that time we’ll be old and decrepit but, my guess is, you’ll still be beautiful and definitely you’ll be well-dressed.”

After his spectacular, amazing and beautiful speech, Belle blurted, “I love you, James Bennett,” and his face dipped even closer.

“I know, Belle Abbot,” he whispered.

“And, in future, when you ask me to marry you as in officially, just for your information, the answer is yes,” she told him.

“Good to know,” he muttered, his lips a breath from hers.

“And thank you,” she whispered and she felt his eyes look deep into hers through the dark.

“For what, poppet?”

“For being all that’s you.”

Belle barely finished the word “you” before her mouth was taken in a deep kiss while two strong arms closed tight around her. She returned the kiss, her arms closing tight around Jack’s shoulders.

And after Jack broke their kiss, he turned them toward home.

Their walk with the dogs was done.

And they walked back to The Point a lot faster.

Chapter Twenty-Two

The Omen

Jack

Jack walked into the austere room.
A room in the old servants quarters that hadn’t been used in decades.
A room that had nothing but a table draped in scarves, cluttered with vials, scales, jars and bottles and holding burning incense and candles, more candles burned in all the corners and last, there was a bed on which his brother was tied with rope.

And when Jack walked into the room and took all this in, his throat closed.

He swallowed against it, locked eyes with Miles and strode directly to the bed.

“You don’t have to do this,” he told him quietly.

“I do,” Miles returned firmly.

“Miles –”

“Jack, we’ve discussed this.
Repeatedly.
I need him
out,
” Miles gritted then his eyes shot to Cassandra who had moved to stand on the other side of the bed.

If it was possible, which Jack wouldn’t have thought it would be until he witnessed it, she was wearing
more
scarves and
more
silver. Apparently, Wiccan ceremonial regalia included significantly over-accessorising.

“The time is nigh,” she said softly.

Jack’s eyes sliced back to his brother. “Give it more time. You’ve said you’ve felt more yourself. You’ve lost no time. Give it until the next waning of the moon. We’ll do it then if you’re so fucking determined to do this.”

“No,” Miles stated curtly.

“Miles, you could end up not you,” Jack reminded him, his voice harsh with concern.

“And how’s it been, Jack, living with me being me?” Miles returned.

Jack closed his eyes and only opened them when Miles spoke again.

“I must do this and you know it.”

Jack pulled in a sharp breath before he nodded. There was nothing more he could do. He’d talked himself sick, so had Joy as had Yasmin and, even once, Belle.

Miles was determined.

With nothing for it, he took a step away from the bed.

“You know the plan, mate?” Lachlan, who’d moved in silently beside Jack, asked and Jack jerked his chin up.

In the weeks between Miles’s realisation that he was possessed by the spirit of a murderer and his understanding of all that was happening at The Point, Miles had had an idea. An idea unfortunately or, perhaps, if it worked, fortunately he shared with Cassandra and Angus. An idea they thought was brilliant but, as usual with this group, Jack was not entirely sure.

The plan was, once they tore the spirit of Caleb Caldwell free of Miles Bennett, they were going to capture it and tether it to this world for long enough to interrogate it before they dispelled it forever.

The entirety of the quartet assured him that Caldwell would not break free of these tethers to wreak havoc on his home and loved ones. Or,
more
havoc than he already had.

Nevertheless, Jack was taking no chances. This meant everyone, including his dogs, was somewhere else. Joy and Lila were at Yasmin’s. Belle, Rachel, Jenson and the dogs were at Belle’s cottage.

“Is everyone ready?” Cassandra asked.

“Aye, Cass,” Angus answered, moving to the foot of the bed.

“Aye,” Lachlan stated, putting a hand to Jack’s back and they moved closer to the side.