With an annoyed little huff, Tessa winked to focus her Sense. She spun slowly in place, scanning the room. There were no spirits or transparent gray ribbons. There were no lingering ripples that could point her toward a spirit or person who could command from afar. She was alone, which both relieved and annoyed her.
“Nothing special in here,” Tessa muttered to herself, turning slowly, letting her Sense stretch to the corners of the room.
“I beg to differ,” came a voice from behind the chaise.
Tessa froze. That was the rub with having the Sense. She could tell when
there were ghosts in the vicinity, but heaven help her if she came upon a living person. She blinked thrice to release the concentration of her Sense and focus instead on that voice, that melodious voice that sent a small thrill down her neck.
Jasper popped his head over the back of the chaise, combing fingers through his tousled hair. “Good morning. Have you discovered how to rid me of my ghost?”
Tessa jumped, all senses screaming. She froze, half-crouched with her palms splayed open to ward away a spirit, eyes locked on Jasper’s. He seemed both startled and rather impressed by her quick reflexes. She cleared her throat and
corrected her posture, smoothing her overskirt. “Have you been there all
this time?” She took in his rumpled clothing. “Did you sleep in here?”
Jasper shrugged, his expression rueful as he draped his arm over the chaise
back. “Well, I arrived unannounced. I could hardly expect to have a room prepared for me. I tried to go home, but the dame simply wouldn’t hear of it. And then your uncle said it would be best for me to remain close, and I could hardly argue against that.” He chuckled. “It’s much easier not having to pretend Eloise exists while here. It’s been a struggle, keeping this from my mother. She’s already worried about me.”
Tessa dipped her head, not knowing what to say.
“So, have you exorcised her?” Jasper craned his neck, both to stretch it and to look for his ghostly companion. “I fell asleep soundly, I’m glad to say.”
“She didn’t disturb your dreams?”
Jasper shook his head, hiding a yawn and holding her amethyst in his other hand. “This must have worked.”
“Of course it did. Didn’t I say it would?”
“It did wonders.”
“It certainly did. Your fiancée visited us instead, giving Miss Trentwood a nasty headache and me a fright besides.”
Jasper’s brows rose. “She’s not my fiancée. And did she, now? Well, we knew Miss Carterprice for being a jealous one in her day.” He tossed the amethyst in his hand. Tessa stiffened, fighting the urge to grab it from him in case he dropped it. “So should I keep this with me, and Eloise will go away? What should I pay you?”
“It’s not for sale,” Tessa said, stepping forward with her hand out.
“But it works,” Jasper said, holding on to the gem.
“It’s not for sale, and besides, it only works for a few days before the effects wear off. And then your ghostly friend will return, peeved beyond belief, so it would be best if you gave it back.” Tessa held her hand out. She wasn’t about to let Jasper Steele keep her mother’s gem. She knew she shouldn’t have given it to him.
His eyes narrowed, and he studied her warring expressions. She strove to seem annoyed yet uninterested, merely bored that he wanted to purchase something she had no interest in selling. “This means something to you.” He looked at it, studying the chips in the corners of the raw stone. “This is ancient, isn’t it? Your mother’s?”
Tessa stepped back, blinking. He remembered her; he remembered everything; she was sure of it. And he was still playing his games. She watched warily as Jasper took her hand and placed the gem in her palm. The movement was gentle, as one might approach a skittish horse, and she refused to acknowledge the trill of delightful unease that ran down her back when his fingers brushed hers.
Her breath caught as he smiled down at her. She stood a little taller, straightening her shoulders and wiping her unclaimed hand down the peplum hem of her bodice. What nonsense. Tessa knew she was hardly an object of attraction, not for a flirt like Jasper. She wore her everyday gray, a sturdy thing of stiff fabric meant for traveling, but with the right tucks and flounces to disguise the room for the quick movements sometimes required when dealing with ghosts. No one in their right mind thought this dress was attractive.
“Your hair,” Jasper said, shifting the topic and the ground beneath her. “I’ve not seen anything like it. It’s . . . wonderfully sculptural.”
Tessa choked. She had thought he was assessing her professional presence, not her personal. Had someone else said such a thing, she would have categorized them as ignorant and not worth her attention. But the gentle awe in Jasper’s
voice made Tessa’s cheeks warm with unexpected pleasure. It was no small feat to do her hair. Its tiny curls disliked the summer heat and humidity, causing her to braid it tightly and then pull those braids high off her neck. She left a bit of fringe at her forehead, as was the fashion, but again, the curls hugged her temples and often stood upright in this weather.
“I assure you, my hair is not where I keep my secrets about ghosts,” was all she could think to say.
“You have an interesting relationship with these Hartwells,” Jasper said, changing the subject yet again. He brushed his clothing to smooth the wrinkles. “No one speaks to Dame Hartwell the way you do. You’re the medium-in-residence?”
“As of this week, yes.”
He nodded, as if this made sense. “And what are you looking for in here? It couldn’t have been me.”
Tessa frowned. “No . . . I’m seeking the reason Dame Hartwell hired me.”
Jasper waited, smiling. It was thoroughly disarming. Tessa threw up her
hands in a minute semblance of defeat. “Alright then, Dame Hartwell lured me here with one of her silly séances, but it turned out not to be silly at all. I know Madam Sylvia to be a charlatan. Yet, a week ago, a very strong, rather malevolent spirit possessed her from afar.” Her brows drew together as she turned to the chaise where everything had happened. “And then three spirits attacked me, and I heard my mother’s voice. It was all a bit unsettling. Dame Hartwell hired me on the spot
after I exorcised them.”
“That sounds awful,” Jasper said, his eyes wide. “How on earth did you exorcise them?”
“I have a special cane enabling me to do so, but it is very draining to use. It’s for emergencies.”
“Fascinating.”
Jasper touched the amethyst, which still lay in her palm. When he looked at her again, his expression had softened. “When did the spirits reveal themselves to you? Mary only began seeing ghosts after her father’s ghost finally rested.”
Tessa tilted her head. Interesting how he referred to her as Mary, rather than Miss Trentwood. And that he knew details about her ability to see the spirits. She swallowed the sudden sour note of jealousy sitting at the tip of her tongue. “I’ve
always seen the spirits,” she replied. “But it happens far more often with my parents’ death. I believe they shielded me when they lived.”
“Do they haunt you now?” Jasper looked around the room, waiting for someone to jump out of the corners.
“Does who haunt—my parents? No, what a rude thing to ask!”
Jasper blinked. “My apologies.”
Tessa moved to the window, looking out to the calm courtyard below. The
neighboring house shared the courtyard, but if she remembered correctly, the elderly woman living there only came out for a bit of sun a couple times a week.
“Does your uncle see the ghosts too?” Jasper said, trying again.
“No, I inherited this from my mother.”
Jasper nodded. “She was rather exotic.”
Tessa’s jaw tightened. “Only as exotic as my father was in her home country.”
Jasper raised his hands. “I meant no offense. She had a wonderful singing voice, if I remember.”
Tessa turned from the window at that comment. “You knew my mother?”
At this, Jasper colored. “I believe my mother hired your mother for a couple of séances. And so, we come back to my original question. Do you know how to help me beyond a single night’s sleep?”
It was now Tessa’s turn to study Jasper, and while she looked him over, he also
stood taller, puffing his chest ever so slightly, pulling his shoulders back. He was a rumpled mess, and she rather liked him for it. It was clear last night that Jasper wished to be seen as rather a dandy, so she enjoyed seeing him mussed up. She preferred this genuine openness and concern.
“Not yet,” she admitted. “I haven’t yet had my morning coffee.”
Jasper smiled. “Well, by all means, let’s get you some coffee.”
