Page 17 of The Book of Unwritten Stories

KrisTina arched an eyebrow. ‘Oh dear. I hope your meeting goes well. Clara stormed in earlier in a whirlwind as usual, looking very solemn.’ She turned to Dora. ‘Nice to meet you, Dora, you look just like your aunts.’

Dora liked that compliment because her aunts were the most beautiful women she knew. ‘Thank you.’

‘Make sure Sephy brings you for dinner or maybe breakfast in Nathaniel’s. We serve the best breakfast in town.’

Dora turned to Sephy. ‘Why have we not been before?’

Sephy clapped her hands and laughed. ‘My bad, dear, I will rectify that tomorrow. Lovely to see you, KrisTina, give London a squeeze from me.’

Sephy led Dora to the stunning gold elevators, between the two elevator doors was a beautiful gold letter box. The doors of one elevator opened and they stepped aside to let out a couple with two Golden Retrievers.

Once they were inside and alone, Dora whispered, ‘I feel sick.’

‘Honey, don’t be getting yourself all worked up. Have you got your black tourmaline in your pocket and the tiger’s eye I gave you?’

Dora nodded.

‘Good, then we’ll be fine because mine are stuffed down my bra, so we are well protected.’

‘I thought you said it was nothing to worry about?’

Sephy shrugged. ‘Technically it shouldn’t be, but you can never have too much protection, dear.’

The doors opened on the sixth floor and Sephy exited first. ‘You know this floor is supposed to be haunted, but I stayed on the fifth floor once and let me tell you that was definitely haunted.’

‘How?’

‘I don’t know how, but as I lay in bed, I felt someone gently stroking my back and turned around expecting it to be my then lover. He was in the bathroom, showering and nowhere near to me.’

Dora stared at her with wide eyes. ‘Were you not scared?’

‘No, it was a gentle soul. I think they were trying to tell me something that I was foolish not to listen to.’

‘What could a ghost possibly tell you by stroking your back?’

‘That the guy in the shower was a lying, double crossing cheat who had a wife back home and three kids.’

Dora laughed. ‘Sephy.’

Sephy shrugged. ‘Not my finest moment, but you know I would never have gone there if he’d been honest with me in the first place. Boy I’ve had some losers in my years, but he was the worst of them. I’ve steered clear of men ever since.’

She was striding down the corridor towards a door in the middle. Dora hurried to keep up with her. Pausing outside she reached out for Dora’s hand and squeezed it gently. Then knocked three times and twisted the brass door knob, to step inside. Dora sucked in a deep breath and followed.

FOURTEEN

SALEM VILLAGE, 1676

Seraphina and Lenora were standing at the gate when Lucine came back home, their arms folded across their chests, lips set in straight lines. John had kept his promise and been a perfect gentleman, escorting her back to the homestead. He tipped his hat and took a bow at both of them. ‘Good afternoon, ladies, I hope it finds you well.’

Lenora met Seraphina’s eye with a look of astonishment upon her face. She walked towards the gate. ‘It finds us very well which is more than can be said for the pair of you. Where have you been and alone too?’

‘Walking in the woods. We picked some mayflowers for you, Seraphina.’

‘And pray tell me where they may be?’

Lucine let out a small gasp, her hand covered her mouth. ‘I left them by the pond.’

‘I shall go find them; I have nothing else to do with my time.’ John smiled at them.