The Sphere Chronicles: A Holding Kate Series Book (8 page)

“Still, I find it strange that Euphemia hasn’t seen her skulking around.”

“Maybe we scared her off last night.”

“She didn’t seem frightened to me.” Donnie sipped from the tiny teacup. “Shy, maybe.”

Mel finished her cookie, wiped her mouth with her linen napkin, then stood. “I’m going to get dressed.”

Donnie set his cup down next to hers, pecked her on the cheek, and said, “I’m just gonna go walk around the pool.”

Mel wrinkled her brow and pressed her lips forward. “You’re going to look for footprints, aren’t you?”

“You know me so well.”

Mel shook her head and let herself into the suite. Donnie jogged down the curved marble steps and over to the pool area. The ground remained moist from a heavy rain the day before. The woman had walked into the hedge where the dirt was soft. Even without rain there would be footprints.

He scanned the areas that he saw her pass through. No footprints. Nothing.
Nient
e.

Baffled, he searched the paths around the pool. When nothing turned up, he lowered himself into a chair and stroked his morning stubble, deep in thought. Roberto found him a few moments later when he came to clean the pool.

“
Buongiorno
!”

“Good morning,” Donnie replied. “Roberto, do you know of a young woman who wears a long gray dress, an apron, and a ruffled cap over her bun? She has access to the grounds.”

Roberto froze and slowly turned to face Donnie. Fear sketched his features. He finally spoke in a low and rushed tone as he turned back to the job of cleaning the pool. “Leave it alone.
Segreti
.”

“
Segreti
? Secrets?” Donnie’s brows shot up. “Does that mean secrets?”

Roberto shook his head and waved Donnie away. “
Segreti
,
non mi parlano di queste cose
.
Lei ci ascolterà
.” He glanced around furtively. “
No
,
il silenzio
.”

Donnie had no idea what he said, but it didn’t sound like he invited further conversation. Donnie was pretty sure Roberto just told him to shut up. He didn’t look happy about it either. Donnie shoved his hands in his pockets and strode back to the house muttering, “That wasn’t weird or anything.”

Thunder rolled across the sky rattling the weeping windows. Mel stood at the French doors staring into the gloom.

“Morning.” Donnie pecked her on the cheek before heading to the shower.

“There goes our trip to the Tuscan mineral baths,” Mel moaned. “I really wanted to see them.”

“Maybe tomorrow,” Donnie called from the bathroom. “Looks like it’s going to be hide-n-seek in the mansion today.”

Mel chortled. Donnie always found a bright side. He put on a great show of being cantankerous, but he had always been an optimist at heart, the very opposite of their last name.

The morning found them in the study, pawing through books and searching for relief from the rainy day doldrums.

“We need board games.” Donnie knelt in front of a breakfront, rifling through drawers.

“I’ll check in here.” Mel swung open the doors to a bank of shelving.

“Look at these!” Donnie lifted an armful of photo albums from the drawer and spread them on the coffee table.

Mel sat down beside him, and they fingered through scrapbooks of sepia-stained photos. They recognized the architecture of the manor. Generations of servants lined in front of it, just as they had the first day Mel and Donnie had arrived.

“It must be a tradition to welcome guests this way.” Mel flipped a page.

“Look.” Donnie shoved his photo album in front of her. “There.”

Mel took the scrapbook from him. “They’re wearing uniforms like our Gray Maiden.”

“Look at the one on the end.”

Mel focused her attention and gasped. “It can’t be!” She turned an astonished face to Donnie. “She’s what? A ghost?”

Donnie shrugged. “Must be. That photo is dated 1893. Two hundred years ago.”

Mel shivered. “Have we been seeing a ghost, Donnie?”

“Probably.”

“How can you be so calm about this?”

“Seriously? After everything we’ve seen, don’t you think there is a scientific principle yet to be discovered, to explain a quantum shift that would allow for the possibility of a ghost?”

Mel snorted. “Sure, go ahead and take all the mystery out of it.” She tapped the back of his head, as she passed behind him toward the call chain.

She yanked the cord. Within seconds, Euphemia appeared in the doorway.

“Euphemia, can you tell us anything about these photo albums?”

“
Che partita
, I haven’t seen these in years.” Euphemia lowered herself onto the settee beside Donnie and drew one of the albums into her lap.

“These are manor servants through the years, yeah?” Mel settled onto the armrest beside her.

“
Si
!
le nostre famiglie
.”

“You are descendants of these servants? Family?”

“
Si
, families pass along the profession to their children. Let’s see.
Si
, this is my grandmother many greats ago.” She pointed to a beefy woman in the center of the line.

“You recognize her?”

“No, I recognize her position and her necklace.” She pulled a chain out of her bodice and held it up for Mel to see. “It is the same.” She pointed to the necklace worn by the woman in the picture.

“Who is this Gray Maiden?” Donnie pointed to the woman at the end of the line.

“I do not know her name, though we would have a record of it. But her position indicates she is related to Roberto’s line.”

“So groundskeepers stand at the end.”

“No, no. Roberto’s family always has been
ciambellani
…chamber keepers. He became groundskeeper only recently when Chester passed away.” She crossed herself. “We rarely have guests, so Roberto requested to fill the position since Chester had no
bambini
. Roberto preferred the outdoors to
stare in casa…
er inside. His daughter has taken over the role of chambermaid. You’ve met her, Amelia.”

“Yes, we have.”

“She wears the bracelet that you see on this girl’s wrist.”

“Euphemia, I am going to ask you a question that may seem odd.” Mel cleared her throat. “Do you believe in ghosts?”

“
Scusi
?”

“Ghosts, apparitions, spirits?”

“
Non lo so
!” Euphemia clutched her bodice. “I-I don’t know! I have never considered such a thing!”

“This is the woman we’ve been seeing around the manor. Same uniform, same bracelet, same person.” Donnie spoke in a slow and soft voice as he tapped the photograph.

Euphemia stared at the photo, then turned her eyes to Mel. Mel nodded.

Euphemia broke into a wide grin. “You are
scherzoso
, p-pranking to me?
Si
? You are bored with the dripping day, and you are playing a game, no?”

“No.” Donnie rubbed his palms together, and Mel slipped her thumbnail between her teeth.

“You have seen this woman other than the first day?”

“Yes, several times.”

“
Ho mal di testa
!
No
,
è
proibito
,
per niente
!
Che macello
!” Euphemia jumped up and began pacing. “
Cos’è questa cosa
?” She stopped in front of the photo album and fingered the image of the Gray Maiden.

“
Che Le è succèsso
?” she whispered with a stricken expression.

“Euphemia, we don’t know what you are saying.” Mel raised her palms to her sides in a hopeless gesture.

“
Mi dispiace
, er, I mean, I’m sorry.” She smoothed her apron and adjusted her posture. “This is an old manor with a very bloody history. I should not be surprised to hear of inhabitants that have lingered. I have just never had any experience with, er, g-ghosts.”

She bowed slightly. “Allow me to take my leave of you. I must speak with Roberto on how to proceed.” She bowed again and stalked through the arched doorway.

“Well, that went well,” Donnie said dryly. Mel stared at the door Euphemia had hurried through.

The chopper landed behind the servants’ quarters, and Mel and Donnie hunkered down and ran toward the villa.

“Athens, Greece was my favorite excursion so far. The Parthenon was a lot bigger than I thought it would be,” Donnie announced when they were far enough from the chopper to carry on a conversation. “Those columns were massive.”

“I thought it would be gold. I wasn’t expecting it to be white.”

“Why?”

“Mom and Dad took Karen, Scottie, and me to the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee one time. It was a golden granite color. I just thought the real one would be, too.”

“I didn’t know there was a replica in the states.” Donnie held the door open as Mel passed into the villa. They stopped inside the foyer to allow their eyes to adjust.

“Yep, but it’s not in ruins. It’s supposed to be the way it was back in the day. There is even a huge statue of Athena.”

“Now that you’ve seen the real thing, how does it compare?”

“There is no comparison, really. The ruins that we saw today filled me with a sense of insignificance. We are just tiny specks on a timeline that reaches into infinity. The one in Nashville gave me a sense of awe at the potential of mankind. Something so massive built with pulleys and levers. Very different experiences.”

“I’m tired. Let’s go rest before dinner.” Donnie touched the small of Mel’s back and guided her to the staircase.

As they ascended, Mel scanned the rooms. “Where is everyone?” She paused at the top of the stairs and cocked her head. “Euphemia usually greets us or the servants do.”

Donnie shrugged, and they continued down the corridor. He threw open the door to their suite. Mel gasped and skidded to a halt. Donnie stepped into the room and planted his hands on his hips. Mel pressed against his back and peered around his shoulder.

The servants stood in a circle around a table. They jerked astonished faces toward Donnie and Mel. Littered with clusters of black candles and one enormous book, the Queen Anne table hosted a scene out of a horror flick. A stooped woman dressed in layers of shawls peeked from beneath a russet turban. Euphemia, beside her, quickly recovered from her surprise.

“
Mi caro
! We did not expect you for several hours.
Noi
pardon.” She waved her hands at the service staff, and they ducked from the room.