Nine Steps to Sara (37 page)

“Trapped?” Sara blinked.  “You didn’t say anything about trapped.  I thought you were going to help her move on, you know, go into the light, that kind of stuff.”

Mirella fixed her with a smirk, no doubt amused by Sara’s naiveté.  “Romani magic is to bind evil, not set it free.”

“But I didn’t want her to be trapped for all eternity; she can’t help it if she went insane.”

“Then you should have called a priest.  Look, you wanted the job done, and I’ve done it.  Do you want me to release her?” Mirella held the bloodstone pendant high and Sara felt a flare of panic.

“No!  Just… no,” Sara finished weakly.  There wasn’t a happy ending to it any way she looked at it, but maybe they could move on with their lives now. 

“Fine,” Mirella set the pendant down on the altar carefully, scooping up the bowl and knife to slip into her bag.  “I’ll take that drink now, and then we can see to my payment.”

“Go up to the house, I’ll see you’re taken care of,” Will replied distractedly before turning to Sara.  “Are you alright to walk?”

“Yes, I’m fine, just a little woozy.  What about the pendant?”

“I’ll take care of it.  You go on up to bed, I’ll take care of everything.”

“No, don’t be silly, I’m fine.  I’ll
pay
Mirella while you’re busy out here and meet you inside.”  To prove her point, Sara rose to her feet,
pushing
past the feeling of oddness that persisted.  It wasn’t that she was dizzy anymore, not exactly… but she did feel strange, almost as though the pressure in her head was wrong, her senses a little off.  Yawning, her ears popped and the sounds of the night returned with startling clarity and she chalked it up to that. 

Leaving Will to bury the pendant, Sara trudged up to the house where Mirella was holed up in the study, already wearing her street clothes, working on a tumbler full of brandy while Mrs. Poole watched her like a hawk. 

“No, I don’t need any tea or anything else, Mrs. Poole,” Sara delivered the pre-emptive strike before she could ask.  “We’ll be done in here soon, so you can go ahead and go to bed, it’s late.”

“I only wanted to see that you’re alright.  And did… everything go as planned?”

“You don’t have to tiptoe through
around it a
nymore, Mirella took care of it.  Gemma won’t be bothering us anymore.”  They were really free. 

So why did she feel like weeping?

“I see.  I’ll bid you good night then, my Lady.”  With a final bob, she left, and Sara headed straight for the sideboard, pouring herself a jot of scotch.  For medicinal purposes, she told herself. 

Sara nearly choked on her drink when Mirella told her the amount she was charging for the night, but she reminded herself that it was a rare gift, and money wasn’t hard to come by.  Who was she to depr
ive the gypsy of her livelihood?
  Drafting a check from the household account (because really, it was a household expense), Sara handed it over, only to have Mirella pocket it within seconds, as if she was afraid it would snatched away. 

“If you’d like to spend the night you’re more than welcome to.  We’ve got plenty of room,” Sara offered, stifling another yawn.

“No, if it’s all the same to you I’ll take off,” Mirella slung the bag over her shoulder, but hesitated at the door.  “Look, it’s none of my business, but there’s something else going on around here.”

“What do you mean, another ghost?”  Sara tried to wrap her head around it, but her brain
moved
sluggishly thanks to the scotch and the late hour. 

“I don’t know, but there’s some serious juice in this place.  I’d rather not go poking into it while I’m wiped though, so you’re on your own for now.”

“Swell,” Sara frowned, not liking the sound of that one bit. 

“Hey, if you have any more problems, have your man give me a call.  I’m expensive, but I’m the best,” she flashed a quick grin and then she was gone. 

Sara remembered very little of the rest of the night.  Vaguely she recalled Will
escorting
her up to bed, tucking her in before withdrawing to his own room with a chaste kiss goodnight.  No longer plagued by disturbing dreams or strange sounds in the night, Sara slept like the dead, waking mid morning to find the house bustling with activity as though everything was normal.

That’s when it occurred to her; everything
was
normal. 

Without the threat of ghostly interference and the constant worry over Jack’s safety, she could concentrate on other things
,
and the renovations took up most of her day.  Jack for his part followed Will around like a puppy whenever possible and Will’s father when
Will
was engaged in something too dangerous. 

Despite the thinly disguised disapproval from Mrs. Poole, Sara started on a project of her own, stripping the wal
lpaper in the parlor.  It was a
messy prospect, but Sara was as happy as a
clam
to get her hands dirty.  In no rush, she tackled a new section each day as time allowed, and it was there that Jack found her, a few days after the full moon.  Oddly subdued, he folded himself into a sheet covered chair to watch her work.

“What’s the matter, kiddo.  Cat got your tongue?” Sara asked when he hadn’t moved or spoken after several minutes.

“I’m bored.  Nobody has any time to hang out with all the renovation going on, and… there’s no one around to talk to.”

“I’m here, what do you want to talk about?”

“I dunno,” he shrugged morosely.

“You know, I’ve been thinking.  What do you think about taking some summer classes in
Dorcester
?”

“Yeah?” he perked up a little and Sara smiled as she turned back to the wall to keep scraping. 

“Sure, why not?  It’ll keep you busy until school starts, and you can meet some of the nearby kids.  Would you like that?”

“What kind of classes?”

“Anything you want.  Art classes, literature, sports, science… we’ll have to see what they offer.”

“Okay, maybe.”

“Just maybe?”  After the initial burst of interest, his response was underwhelming. 

“It’s just… lonely around here.  Even if I meet some kids, they won’t live around here and I won’t have anyone to play with.”

“What do you mean?  I’ll play checkers with you anytime you want.”

“Yeah, but you’re busy with the plans for the house, and with Will…”

“I’m never too busy for you, sweetheart.  You know that, right?”

“I guess,” he shrugged. 

Unable to shake the feeling that something else was bugging him, she set down the scraper and wiped her hands off on her jeans.  “Is there something else bothering you?”

“She’s gone.”

He meant Gemma.
  “You miss talking to her?”

“She used to tell me stories and play games.  She was there whenever I wanted to play.”

“I think maybe her time here was past,” Sara replied, treading carefully.  “She had something to do, and she did it.  Maybe she thought you didn’t need protecting anymore?”

“Yeah, maybe,” he considered for a few moments.  “Do you think she went to a better place?”

A pang went through her at the thought of Gemma; bound to the pendant and trapped in the Earth for all eternity, but it was for the best.  “I think she’s exactly where she needs to be.”

“How’s my two favorite people in all the world?”  Will called out, slipping his head inside the door.  “Hey now, slackers the pair of you are.  I thought I’d find you both hard at work.”

“Just taking a little well needed break,” Sara replied, a smile spreading as it usually did when he came into view. 

“Oh, I suppose that means you’re too tuckered out to be of use then?” he patted Jack on the shoulder lightly before taking a seat on the cloth covered coffee table. 

“Me?  You have something for me to do?”

“My Da says he can’t possibly plan the maze without the expert opinion of his assistant.  What do you say?”

“Really?” Jack brightened, instantly losing the slump to his shoulders. 

“Hand to God,” Will grinned at the transformation.

“Can I go, Mom?”

“Of course, just be careful out there.”

“I will, see you later!”  Tearing off at a fast clip, the little boy careened through the door, nearly missing the wall in his haste to get out to the back yard. 

“Thanks for that,” Sara offered Will a heartfelt smile.  “I think he’s been feeling a little lonely since you know who disappeared.”

“I thought as much.  And how are you settling in?  Sleeping better at night?”

“Much better, thanks.”

“Pity,” Will gave a long, pent up sigh.

“You’d rather I was tossing and turning all night?” Sara smacked him in the abs playfully and he caught hold of her hand to press a kiss to the palm.

“I’d rather you felt the need for me to stay by your side all night again.”

“Who says I don’t?” she replied, breath hitching as his lips dragged over the sensitive skin of her wrist.

“Is that an invitation?”

Something kept her from saying yes, and Sara started to worry he wouldn’t be patient with her forever.  But wanting and doing were two very different things, especially when she had Jack to worry about.  Sure, he seemed to like Will, but she had to be very careful of her choices.  “I think I need to catch my breath a little first.”  Sara tugged her hand free, offering a faint smile as she turned to pour herself a glass of cold lemonade she’d been saving for a break.  “Would you like some lemonade?”

“I’ll take whatever you’re ready to give,” Will met her gaze earnestly, fingers brushing against hers as he took the glass.   

Flushing
at the brief contact, she poured herself another glass, taking a long sip before she sat back down again.  “How’s the work
going
out there?  It amazes me how you can keep track of so many things at once.”

Will went along with the change of topic seamlessly.  “The gazebo is coming along brilliantly; we should have it up by the end of the week.”

“You’ve done a fantastic job, Will, it really is your calling.  Have you thought about going back to school to finish out your degree?”

“You want me to leave?” he blinked, and Sara rushed to explain, not wanting him to think she was giving him the brush off.

“No, of course not, but you have to admit, your father is going strong, he doesn’t need you to take care of him anymore.” 

“He might not need me to fetch and carry for him, but he does need my help with the project.”

“We can always hire on another project manager for him though.  Why not get back to your own dreams?”

“Then you do think I should leave,” Will said carefully, a furrow appearing on his brow.

She hadn’t really thought it through when she first mentioned it, the last thing she wanted to do was send him away.  At the same time, she didn’t want to hold him back for selfish reasons.  “I think you should do what makes you happy.  It’s not all that far away, we’d still see each other.”  And maybe it would be good for them to have a little distance; they’d grown so close so fast, it made her head spin.

“You’re not trying to give me the
old heave ho
then?”

“Of course not,” Sara sat next to him again.  “I couldn’t have made it through these past weeks without you, but it doesn’t mean I expect you to hang around here playing gardener forever, you know.”

“Maybe I like playing gardener, if it means coming home to you at night.”

God
,
he was
so
sweet…
  “Maybe if you’re in London, that’ll give me an excuse to visit it more?  Joanie said I should think about getting a townhouse there.  Hey, if I do, then you could stay there and keep an eye on it for me.”  Even better; it would make the transition less difficult for him financially and she was happy to do it.