The Haunting of Highdown Hall (39 page)
Not where we’re going,
answered John, sweeping her off her feet.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“Mr Kierney?” Ruby waited until she was downstairs in the Grand Hall before phoning her client. “It’s Ruby. I think I can safely say you’ll encounter no more spiritual upheaval at Highdown Hall.”
“She’s gone? Cynthia? You’ve rid me of her?”
And the other one,
thought Ruby, but held her tongue. The less Mr Kierney knew the better.
“Cynthia has passed successfully; the house is yours now and yours alone.”
“At last,” there was a sigh of relief. “You’d better be right though. If I go back... if there’s any more nonsense, you and your company, you’ll regret it.”
“There’ll be no more nonsense,” Ruby replied wearily.
“We’ll see,” was his less than generous response.
“Happy Christmas, Mr Kierney,” Ruby offered after a moment.
“To you too,” he muttered before ending the call.
She turned to the rest of the team, standing waiting for her, all except Jed who was languishing at Cash’s feet, and tried to keep the sarcasm out of her voice as she declared, “Another satisfied customer.”
“Bastard!” said Ness, surprising them all with the venom in her voice.
“Well it’s true,” Ness continued, obviously feeling the need to defend herself against their raised eyebrows and opened mouths. “I bet he didn’t even say thank you.”
“He didn’t,” admitted Ruby. “But we didn’t do it for him, not really. We did it for Cynthia and, as it turned out, for Jack.”
With Ness still looking disgruntled, Theo piped up, “Come on, it’s Christmas Eve, a time to rejoice or so they say. And I don’t know about you lot, but I’ve got a date with a rather large glass of sweet sherry – and a mince pie with brandy butter too, I should think.”
Her words spurring the others into action, they shuffled their way towards the entrance and out into the night – the stars twinkling merrily in the sky – as if they too were somehow rejoicing. Before closing the door on Highdown Hall, for good this time she hoped, Ruby couldn’t resist taking one last lingering look. Tunes were playing, people were laughing – the party was in full swing and this time,
everyone
appeared to be having a good time.
***
Outside on the gravel pathway, the conversation turned to their plans for Christmas.
“I’m off to my mum’s,” said Corinna, grimacing.
“And why is that so bad, young lady?” quizzed Theo.
“Because all my brothers are going too and, I don’t know, when we’re all under the same roof as Mum and Dad, we start regressing, behaving like children again. The bickering starts almost straightway.”
“Sounds comforting,” suggested Theo.
“I suppose,” conceded Corinna, before breaking into a wide and excited smile.
“What about you, Ness?” said Ruby, hoping she wasn’t spending it on her own again like last year, She was pleasantly surprised when a smile lit up Ness’s face too.
“Ness?” probed Ruby, intrigued.
“I’m, er, I’m going to spend it at a friend’s,” she replied, somewhat enigmatically.
“A friend?” butted in Theo. “Of the male persuasion you mean?”
“Yes, I do mean,” replied Ness, reddening.
Incredibly for Theo, she refrained from teasing her further, the benevolence of the season rubbing off on her perhaps? Instead, they all wished each other a very happy Christmas and exchanged hugs and kisses. Ruby and Cash waited whilst the other three climbed back into Ness’s car and then waved at them as they sped off.
“Just the three of us again,” said Cash, turning to look at Ruby.
“Yep, you, me and a dog named Jed.”
“I think in the song it’s ‘Me and You and A Dog Named Boo’ – a far more appropriate name for a ghost dog in my opinion. But I’ll settle for Jed. I just wish I could see him.”
“You can smell him,” Ruby offered.
“It’s not quite the same thing.”
“So, what are you doing for Christmas?” asked Ruby, as they walked back to his car.
“Spending it with Mum and Presley,” he replied, opening the passenger door for her. “My aunt and uncle are coming down too, from London. The usual houseful. What are you doing?”
“Going back to Hastings,” replied Ruby, climbing in and buckling up.
“I thought so. I’ll drive you there in the morning.”
“Oh no, you don’t have to...” she started.
“I’ll be at yours, so it’s not a hardship. After breakfast, we’ll hop in the car and, if you want, I’ll come and get you in the evening, or whenever it is you want to come back.”
“You’ll be at mine?” she said, taken aback.
“Yes, well, that’s where we’re going now, isn’t it?”
“We are?”
Starting the engine, he turned to her and said, “To finish off what we started on Saturday. You’ve no objections, have you?”
“No,” she spluttered, “none at all. In fact, the quicker we get there the better.”
“My thoughts exactly,” said Cash, switching into gear.
“How fast can you go in this thing?”
“Faster than a speeding bullet, just watch me.”
As he sped off, Ruby sat happily back in her seat. In the wing mirror she could see Highdown Hall retreating, getting smaller and smaller. It looked silent and lonely – lonely being a very good thing in this instance. Quickly they reached the spot where Cynthia’s brother had died. Ruby wondered if residual feelings still lingered – if they did, they were faint, no shudder coursed through her. Turning her attention to the view in the car’s headlamps, excitement was the only emotion that registered. Not just at the thought of having Cash to herself in roughly forty-five minutes time, but the thrilling realisation that she’d finished another successful year in business and also had the prospect of a very promising one to come. She had never felt so happy. She had never felt so proud. She was fulfilling her purpose in life, being who she was born to be. She was Ruby Davis, Psychic Crusader, Believer in Light and Love. With no reason to believe otherwise. Yet.
THE END
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