God, he f**king loved her. All she had to do was tip her head to the side and it hit him like a bullet.
That was how much he loved Belle Abbot.
“No,” he answered and concern moved over her face so he finished, “But I will be when you come here.”
The concern fled, her face grew soft and she moved directly to him, close, fitting herself right to his front, her arms sliding around his middle inside his dinner jacket and as she did this his closed around her.
She tipped her head back and looked direct in his eyes.
“Okay, I’m here,” she said softly. “Now are you okay?”
“Absolutely.”
She smiled her sweet, small smile, the tips of her beautiful lips tilting up and she pressed closer.
“You know what I love?” she asked.
“What do you love?” Jack asked back.
“That Joy is doing this, celebrating us and it’s just family and close friends. That she’s happy with that. That you’re happy with that. And that tonight I can wear a pretty dress and enjoy myself with the man I love who I’m going to marry with people who are important to me close and I don’t have to mingle.”
Jack grinned down at her, tightened his arms and dipped his head close. “If you like, our wedding can be the same.”
Her brows drew together. “Are you sure?”
“I’d marry you in a Registry Office with only my family, your family and Yasmin there. I don’t care.”
She grinned back and agreed, “Then let’s do that.”
That was when Jack’s brows drew together. “You don’t want a big cake, a big dress, a big bouquet and a big day?”
“I didn’t say I didn’t want a big cake, a big dress and a big bouquet and even if it was just you and me it would still be a big day.” She got up on her toes and finished on a whisper, “The biggest, best day ever, Jack Bennett.”
Oh yes, he loved Belle Abbot.
“Excellent,” he replied. “We’ll do it next month.”
With this he was awarded one of her lovely startled giggles but she said through it, “Fine by me.”
“I’ll get Olive on it,” Jack remarked.
“Perfect,” Belle whispered.
Yes, it would be perfect.
Unable to stop himself and not trying, he dipped his head even closer in order to kiss her.
Immediately, his Belle kissed him back. And Jack enjoyed it so much he decided to take his time and keep doing it.
So he did.
Therefore, when he finally stopped kissing his very soon-to-be wife and guided her to the drawing room, neither Jack Bennett nor Belle Abbot gave another thought to missing dogs or mobile phones.
They were both thinking more pleasant thoughts, such as their recent kisses and their bright future.
* * * * *
Lewis and Myrtle
“Lewis, Lewis, Lewis!” Myrtle cried, her ghostly body darting to her brother who, as usual during a storm, was floating at the window in the eastern turret, looking out and being moody.
“I told you,” he said to the storm, “I don’t want to go to the party, Myrtle. You go. Belle said she wants us there so go. But I’m going to stay here.”
“Lewis, no! It isn’t about the party,” Myrtle exclaimed and something in her tone made her brother turn his eyes to her. “Something’s, wrong, Lewis. I feel it. We have to tell Belle.”
“We can’t tell Belle, Myrtle. Tonight she and Jack are celebrating their engagement. She’ll be with him probably all night,” Lewis reminded her. “And, by the way, if you go to the party, you can’t let Jack see you. You have to be invisible unless he isn’t looking.”
She grabbed his vaporous hand and tugged. “All right, I’ll be invisible if Jack’s around but we have to go. We have to find someone. We have tell someone that something is not right.”
She watched her brother’s eyes narrow on her before he asked quietly, “What do you feel, Myrtie Mine?”
“I don’t know,” she shook her head, “I don’t know. I just know it’s bad.”
Lewis studied his sister for only one second before he nodded.
“Right, then let’s tell Angus.”
Myrtle’s phantom shoulders drooped with relief.
“Thank you, Lewis,” Myrtle whispered and, holding hands, they floated swiftly to the stairwell and down but suddenly and inexplicably, something happened. It was as if their ghost forms hit a wall and they couldn’t move.
“What on –?” Lewis muttered, looking down to his feet that strangely felt like they had bounds tied to his ankles and he saw the strange markings on the floor.
“Lewis!” Myrtle shrieked, his head snapped up and his eyes focused on the shadowy figure in the shadowed stairwell. “Oh no, Lewis! It’s her!”
Her eyes were on them. They were gleaming through the dark with a preternatural light.
And she was smiling.
The children watched as she lifted her finger to her lips then she dropped her hand, leaned forward and touched the markings on the landing.
“That witch didn’t think to protect you,” she whispered through her manic smile.
Then she straightened, whirled and dashed away.
* * * * *
Cassandra and Yasmin
“I’m so sorry we’re running late,” Yasmin said words to the windscreen that were meant for Cassandra who was sitting to her left in the passenger seat of her Audi. “I know it’s just family but it is formal and I couldn’t decide what to wear. This is a hazard when you have three closets full of clothes.”
“I’m sorry too, mate,” Cassandra replied quietly, her eyes riveted to the road, her hand clenched around her mobile which she’d tried and failed, several times, to use to phone Jack, Belle, Joy, The Point, Rachel, Lila, Jensen and Angus. “But we’ll get there.”
Before Cassandra left, Jack never believed she was clairvoyant.
Now, if he’d bloody answer his bloody phone, he’d find out she was.
And if he’d bloody answer his bloody, bloody phone, she could maybe save Belle’s life.
And, bonus, free the children.
“You need to hurry, Yasmin,” Cassandra said, still talking quietly.
She had not shared the vision she’d had while getting ready for the party at Yasmin’s house. She didn’t want to alarm Yasmin because the woman could be dramatic but mostly because she was driving.
“I know,” Yasmin agreed. “But we’re starting with drinks so we’ll just miss a martini or two.”