“We were doing some repairs. Not remodeling, but restoration. We’d put it off for long enough as it was. It had to be done.”
“You seem to speak as if you knew changes might upset the spirits in the house,” Fel says. She must be picking up on the same things I am.
She nods her head. “I’m a native. I know the stories, and I’m not stupid enough to disregard them.”
“How has the activity changed?” I ask.
“We hear clanks and bangs, seeing dark silhouettes, and the feeling in the building has changed. There are cold spots distinctively different from the temperature in the rest of the building. It’s progressing rapidly, and I’m afraid of what may happen if I wait.”
“Do you know the history of your building?” Fel asks.
“Just rumors.”
“The first thing you need to do is block out a few days for us to come and do what we need to do. We’ll need full run of the B&B, and privacy.”
“I’ll make it happen. I’ll say we’re having plumbing issues, and rebook them.”
“We’ll need a week to do some research on your establishment. Which will give you time to settle things on your end,” I say.
She removes her scarf and nods. “I need to know this will be kept confidential.”
“Ma’am, believe me when I say, we know how to keep a secret,” Fel says.
She smiles. “Yes, I suppose you do.”
We make arrangements, block out Wednesday through Saturday of next week, and finish up just in time to head to the Blanchards.
“I won’t lie, I feel horribly underdressed,” I admit as I take in my black dress with white polka dots and my black cat slip-ons.
“I know. I feel the same way. It’s because we’ve never been over there unless it was for a formal occasion. Even the kids kept to themselves for the most part.”
Images of the perfect posture possessing, impeccably dressed, and perfectly mannered Blanchard children come to mind. Ranging from tow-headed to dark haired, the six siblings have always had an arrogance and old-worldly bearing that set them apart. Pembroke, Hyperion, and Sykes were five years older, and always too serious and mature to play with the rest of us. When I left they were all tall and lanky with what we call witch eyes. Eyes light shades of blue and green so pretty they seemed unreal.
Sawyer and Sage were more approachable, but still stiff and reserved. Their intelligence was scary high. They were creating their own spells when we were fumbling to control the elements. What they didn’t come by naturally, they made up for with knowledge and practice. They may have been twins, but they couldn’t be more different.
“Do they all still live in the family home?” I ask.
“Yep.
You know they’re traditionalists. They won’t leave the house until they marry. If then. To be fair, their house is so massive they probably rarely run into one another.”
“True enough.” We turn out the lights, locking the door behind us as we head out to the car.
Fel whistles. “Someone got an upgrade.”
“More like someone used up my gas last night and didn’t replace it.” I hit the alarm on the Jaguar.
“Sharing houses. Sharing cars. You two are starting to look like a married couple.”
“As soon as this problem is taken care of I’m back in my home full time, believe me.”
“Uh huh.” Felicites grins.
“Shut up. You’re my favorite cousin, so I’d really hate to have to kill you. But I’ll do it if necessary.”
“Your warm words fill my heart with happiness.”
I scowl as we slip into the car. Everyone is getting way too comfortable with my comings and goings at Cristobal’s. Including me.