Secret Reflection Read Online Free PDF Page A

lemon, vanilla and a tangy spice he didn’t quite recognise, to swirl around him in taunting waves that stirred memories best left in the past.
    With a last look at Kelly’s sleeping form, he took himself off to check that the rest of the house remained quiet, and that Ditchley had indeed retired to the old coach house where he belonged.

2
    Day One
    The clock chimed for the twelfth time.
    ‘Kelly.’
    ‘Go away,’ she murmured.
    ‘Kelly. It is time to wake.’
    Lightning flashed, flaring brightly. Eyes still closed, she groped about until her hand came upon another pillow. She dragged it over her head as the thunder rattled the small square panes of the window. ‘Go away,’ she murmured again as she hugged the pillow tighter.
    He chuckled softly.
    ‘Kelly. You must awaken.’
    She groaned as her head slowly emerged from its warm haven, her dark hair all tangled and her pale face almost aglow in the dim light.
    ‘What time is it?’ Her head dropped back onto the pillow and she sighed.
    ‘Midnight,’ he whispered.
    Her head rose and she peered into the darkness as if totally disoriented. ‘Fr–Frank?’
    ‘No – not Frank.’
    For a few seconds she just lay there, then something must have registered in her mind because she shot upright and clutched the pillow to herself as if it could somehow shield her from danger.
    ‘Wh– who’s there?’ she asked in a tiny voice as she stretched one arm toward the small lamp on the table beside the bed. ‘Who’s there?’
    ‘Do not be frightened,’ he said in his most reassuring tone. ‘My name is John.’
    Following his voice she glanced into the mirror. The instant she saw him her eyes widened and a frenzied scream burst from her throat. She flung herself off the side of the bed and scrambled across the floor to take refuge beside the cello.
    Cursing his own eagerness, he stepped out of her direct view.
    Less than a minute later, the door slammed open, rattling everything like another peal of thunder.
    ‘Kel?’ Tom rushed into the room and switched on the main lights.
    Nancy followed a split second later. ‘There,’ she pointed to the niche where the cello sat.
    ‘Kelly – what happened?’
    Stupendous , John thought, now there will be two hysterical women!
    Tom helped her to stand. ‘What happened, Kel?’
    Still white-faced, Kelly’s eyes scanned the room. ‘I thought … I …’
    Lightning flashed, then the whole room began to shake as the accompanying thunder rolled through the manor. Her hands shook as she gripped Tom’s arm. She stared into the mirror for several seconds then began to laugh. ‘God, it’s just a storm! I feel like such an idiot.’
    Breaking away from Tom’s supportive hold she sat on the side of the bed and scrubbed her face with her hands. ‘I must have been dreaming. The shadows … the lightning – I thought I heard Fra— someone calling me … but it’s just the storm.’
    From his hiding place, John saw the glance that the couple exchanged. He was willing to wager that they thought their ghost had made an entrance already.
    Little did they know .
    When Nancy sat beside her and took her hand, Kelly gazed up with a wry smile. ‘I’m okay, Nance – really. All that talk about ghosts must have had me dreaming. Go back to bed, guys. I’ll be fine.’
    ‘You don’t look fine, and since when have you slept in your clothes?’
    Kelly peered down at herself and furrowed her brow. ‘I lay down – just for a little while. Must’ve fallen asleep. C’mon,’ she said as she took both friends by the arm and started shepherding them to the door, ‘I’m fine – truly. I’m sorry I frightened you. Go back to bed.’
    The concern remained etched on Nancy’s face. ‘Would you like a glass of scotch to help you get back to sleep?’
    ‘Hell, no! That’s the last thing I need. I got into the habit of having a little too much of that stuff when Frank and I split – even before. Pathetic, really,’ she scowled and looked