Page 142 of Ever After

“This is amazing,” I breathe.

“It’s a remarkable piece of history and so well maintained. You could give it to a museum and let people come and see it.”

“Oh my god,” I whisper ecstatically. “This is going to look amazing with my ghost tour costume. Wait until Hugh sees it. He’ll vomit with jealousy.”

He laughs and draws me to him. “Don’t ever change.”

“I don’t think you always say that.”

“Yes, I do.”

“You certainly don’t if I forget the laundry.”

“How can you overlook laundry?”

“It’s a gift.”

“Certainly one of yours.” He sighs. “You know we spent a lot of time on this honeymoon wishing we were on our own, and now I miss them.”

I nudge him. “Me too, but I have to say that at least we can now have wild sex without a grumpy smuggler ghost perving over us.”

“And this is our life,” he says mock-mournfully.

I put the sword down, patting it affectionally, and then draw him close. “You signed on the dotted line. You’re stuck with me forever.”

He chuckles. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way, Blue Billings.”

EPILOGUE

BLUE

The sun is hot on my face as I sit on the patio. The storm passed over in the early hours of the morning and it’s like it put the world in a washing machine before it left. All the colours are so bright. The sea has calmed and is now a sparkling clear turquoise.

I adjust my position, listening to the birdsong. A rustle in the bushes nearby makes my eyes fly open but I relax when I see the little rabbit I saw when we first got here. Was that only a few days ago?

“Hello, little one,” I say out loud. “Just passing through?”

It gives me a searching look, and then with a flick of a tail, it’s gone, bounding back into the undergrowth.

Then the garden gate creaks. Footsteps sound and I blink when Lord St Claire appears around the corner of the cottage.

“Good morning,” I say warily.

Does he know something? Has he somehow linked the massive hole in his sculpture garden to us? My mouth twitches. Maybe Laura the tour guide has alerted him to Levi’s potential criminal impulses.

I relax as he smiles cheerily. “Hello. Sorry to bother you on your honeymoon.”

“Not at all.” I wave at the empty chair nearby. “Have a seat?”

He settles down, looking around with interest. “Is Levi here?”

I shake my head. “He nipped into the village to get some milk.” And cakes, I add silently. He’d better come back with cake.

“Ah.” He looks up at the cottage. “I’ve always loved this place.”

“It does have a certain atmosphere,” I say, biting my lip to hide my smile.

“Very true. It probably accounts for the fact that no one wants to stay here. It’s haunted.”