An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Collection - DEF

by Diana Xarissa

  “I’ll try yours,” Neil said. “It looks wonderful.”

  Fenella pretended she hadn’t heard the man, staring into Donald’s eyes as she sipped her soft drink. “We should do this more often,” she told him.

  “Yes, we should,” he agreed. “Either on the island or elsewhere. I’m going to Paris next month. You should come with me.”

  “Paris sounds wonderful,” Fenella replied.

  Donald looked surprised, but then grinned at her. “Paris will be wonderful, if you come with me.”

  “Don’t mind us,” Neil said loudly. “We’re just sitting here watching your lovely romance unfold. Donald, how many women have you taken to Paris before?”

  Donald flushed. “I can’t see what business that is of yours,” he said.

  “I’m just trying to hasten the inevitable,” Neil laughed.

  “How’s Laura?” Donald asked.

  Neil laughed again. “As far as I know, she’s fine. We haven’t seen each other since the party the other evening and have no plans to see each other again. We were never more than friends, really.”

  “Really?” Donald asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “She may tell you otherwise, but I have no control over whatever assumptions she may have made,” Neil said airily. “I certainly never made her any promises.”

  Fenella exchanged glances with Donald. He smiled at her. “We should have left as soon as they arrived,” he told her.

  “And missed out on all this fun?” she replied.

  He chuckled. “This is why I’m crazy about you,” he said.

  “Does anyone want to see the pudding menu?” the waiter asked as he began to clear away the empty plates.

  “Fenella?” Donald asked.

  She was tempted, but she’d had quite enough of Neil and the others. Going home had more appeal than even the most tempting of desserts. She shook her head.

  “Just the bill, please,” Donald told the man.

  “Add them to my bill,” Neil said loudly. “I’m happy to buy my former business associate and his friend dinner.”

  “Thank you, but that’s not necessary,” Donald replied.

  “I know, but I insist,” Neil told him.

  The waiter looked at Donald. “Mr. Donaldson?” he said hesitantly.

  Donald shrugged. “If Neil wants to pay for my dinner, I shouldn’t object,” he said. “We’ll just be on our way, then.” He got to his feet and then held out a hand to Fenella. As she stood up, Neil did the same.

  “It was good to see you again,” he told Donald, offering his hand. After the pair had shaken hands, Neil turned to Fenella. “And it was wonderful to see you again,” he said, pulling Fenella into a hug.

  She stiffened as Neil’s arms went around her. After an awkward minute, where Neil pulled her tightly to him, Donald cleared his throat.

  “That’s quite enough,” he said firmly.

  Neil laughed and then ran a hand down Fenella’s back before releasing her. “I do hope to see you again soon,” he told her.

  Not if I see you first, she thought as she took Donald’s hand again and walked with him out of the restaurant. They were back in Donald’s car before anyone spoke.

  “That wasn’t quite the romantic evening I was hoping for,” Donald said.

  “We should have left when they arrived. I was just too curious to hear what they’d have to say about Lance to leave,” Fenella told him.

  “I hope you learned something interesting, then.”

  “I don’t know what I learned. I will have to think it all over once I get home.” And talk about it with Mona, she thought.

  “But we were talking about Paris. It will take me a few weeks to clear my schedule, but we could be in Paris in early October. What do you think?”

  “I think it would be wonderful, but I’m not sure about taking our relationship to that level,” Fenella said honestly.

  Donald nodded. “You may not believe me, but I’m worried about that as well. You aren’t the sort of woman that I usually spend my time with. I can’t play games with you and buy your affection with expensive trinkets. After Brandy, I swore I’d never let myself fall in love again. And here I am, falling for a woman who isn’t at all what I thought I was looking for, and I’ll be honest with you, it scares me.”

  Fenella stared at the man. He didn’t seem the type to be scared by anything. Almost immediately she began to wonder if he was telling her the truth.

  He glanced over at her and then turned his attention back to the road. “I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t believe me. I’m well aware of the reputation that I have on the island.”

  “It’s just hard for me to imagine you being afraid of anything.”

  Donald nodded. “And actually, I’m afraid of a great many things, mostly to do with the health and safety of my children. After I lost Claire, they became my priority. Even now, if the phone rings in the middle of the night, my first thought is always with them. I hate that Phoebe is in New York and too far away for me to see regularly, and I hate that my son is in London but is too busy with his own life to even take my calls.”

  “I’m told children never appreciate their parents until they have children of their own,” Fenella said.

  Donald shrugged. “I’m happy that they both have their own lives, and I think I did a good job bringing them up after their mother died. I don’t suppose I’ll ever stop worrying about them, though.”

  “I can’t imagine.”

  “Lately, though, I’ve been worrying a great deal about you, too,” Donald told her. “And I’m not sure that that’s a good thing. I suspect you’re more interested in Daniel Robinson than you are in me and I feel as if I should stop seeing you before I get my heart broken again.”

  Fenella took a deep breath and tried to work out how best to reply. “I like Daniel a lot,” she said eventually. “But I like you a lot, too. I’ve really only ever been in a couple of serious relationships. I’m enjoying having the freedom to see different people, and I’m learning a lot about myself and what I’m looking for in a relationship along the way.”

  Donald pulled his car up to the curb in front of Fenella’s building and stopped the engine. He turned and looked at her. “I’ve never told a woman I didn’t want to see her again because I wanted to get more serious and she wasn’t looking for a commitment,” he sighed. “It’s always been the other way around. But here I am, telling you that I want to make our relationship exclusive, knowing that that isn’t what you’re looking for at the moment.”

  “I’m sorry,” Fenella said softly. “But I’m not ready for any sort of commitment, not yet.”

  “And you probably won’t be while Daniel Robinson is in the picture,” Donald sighed.

  Fenella shook her head. “This isn’t about Daniel. I’d tell him the same thing if he asked me to get more serious. I was with Jack for over ten years. I’m enjoying having my freedom right now. I’m not ready to have to think about someone else before I do anything again, not yet, anyway.”

  “I’m only a phone call away if you change your mind,” Donald told her. “And I can’t promise I won’t keep asking you out, either. I don’t know that I’m strong enough to resist you.”

  Fenella laughed. “You’ll forget all about me by the weekend,” she predicted. “Some beautiful blonde who is half your age will stroll past you and you’ll be smitten.”

  Donald chuckled. “I’d like to think I’m not that shallow, but there’s a part of me that’s hoping you’re right. Otherwise, I shall have to sit back and watch you fall further in love with Daniel.”

  “Daniel and I aren’t even speaking at the moment,” Fenella blurted out. “He got angry with me for finding another dead body.”

  Donald stared at her for a minute. “I wish I’d known that before I started this conversation,” he said. “Can we start over?”

  Fenella laughed. “I’m too tired to talk any more tonight. Why don’t you call me when you know what you want?”


  She opened her door and climbed out of the car, not giving Donald a chance to reply. He started to follow her, but a car pulled up behind him and began to honk. Fenella knew he’d have to move the car, so she waved Donald away. He shrugged, then waved and drove slowly down the promenade.

  “At least you’re happy to see me,” Fenella said to Katie as she walked into her apartment a few minutes later.

  “Merrooowwww,” Katie replied.

  “You had your dinner,” Fenella reminded her. “But I suppose a treat couldn’t hurt.”

  “You spoil her,” Mona said.

  “Yes, I do, because I love her and she’s always here for me,” Fenella replied, blinking hard as unwelcome tears threatened.

  “You’re upset. Did you and Donald argue?” Mona asked.

  “Not really. He doesn’t want to see me anymore because I’m not ready to make any commitment to him,” Fenella replied, trying to sound offhand.

  Mona laughed. “Did he actually say that? In those exact words?”

  “I don’t remember his exact words, but it was something like that.”

  “I hope you don’t believe him.”

  “I don’t know what to believe,” Fenella sighed. “Daniel is upset because I found another dead body. Donald seems to want to get more serious than I’m ready for and Peter, well, I don’t even know what’s going on with him, but it isn’t anything good. When I first got here, I had three men all vying for my attention. Now all I have is a ghost and a kitten to listen to my troubles.”

  “Katie and I are far more reliable than any man,” Mona told her. “But you needn’t worry about your suitors. They’ll all be back chasing after you again before you know it. And then you’ll complain about that.”

  Fenella chuckled. “You’re right. I don’t really want three men chasing after me. I really want just one perfect man who understands me and loves me and spoils me and, I don’t know, wants to make me happy.”

  “And any one of the three men you mentioned could be that man. Peter is still in love with his first wife, of course, but you could persuade him otherwise if you were willing to put a bit of work in. He’s too shy around women to do the chasing, though. You’d have to do more of that.”

  “Maybe he and his first wife will reunite.”

  “They probably will, given enough time,” Mona agreed. “Donald could be exactly what you need. He’d definitely spoil you, and in spite of everything I know about him, I’m almost ready to believe that he’d be faithful to you, if you insisted on it.”

  “Of course I would insist on it.”

  “And then there’s Daniel,” Mona said.

  “Yeah, who seems to think I’m going out of my way to find dead people. He’s probably involved with some other woman anyway,” Fenella sighed.

  “So you have to decide if you want to fight for him or just let her win.”

  “I can’t fight for him. I’m here and she’s there, where he is.”

  “You could fight for him if you really wanted to.”

  “I’m not going to start texting him or calling him just to get between him and her,” Fenella said. “You don’t think he thinks I got caught up in another murder case just to get his attention, do you?” she asked as the thought crossed her mind.

  “I would hope you aren’t that desperate to talk to the man,” Mona said.

  “I’m not. And this is all too much to think about. I’m going to bed,” Fenella announced.

  By the time she was ready for bed, Katie was already in place. Fenella pounded her pillow into shape and then switched off the light. Her mind was racing and she quickly fell into a restless sleep.

  “Will you marry me?” Donald asked, holding out a huge diamond ring.

  “Will you marry me?” Daniel asked, showing her a much more modest ring.

  “No, marry me,” Peter said. “I didn’t know I was meant to bring a ring, but I can go and get one tomorrow.”

  “You can’t possibly be thinking of marrying any of them,” Jack said. “You and I are still madly in love.”

  “Fenella? I’ve decided to come back to you,” Chuck said. “I never stopped loving you, you know. I’m sure now, with your support, that I’ll be able to finish my doctorate and get a teaching job. I know you’ve missed me. I’ve missed you.”

  “But she’s mine now,” Donald said, pushing Chuck to the ground.

  “No, she’s mine,” Peter argued, trying to pull Fenella toward him.

  “She was mine first and she’ll always be mine,” Chuck laughed as he stood back up and grabbed Fenella’s hand.

  “Daniel? Are you coming?” a woman’s voice shouted from somewhere.

  Daniel frowned at Fenella. “I need to go,” he said in an apologetic tone. “Ring me if anyone ends up dead.”

  Fenella shook her head. “I don’t want anyone else to die,” she shouted, tears streaming down her face.

  “Don’t cry,” Chuck said. He leaned over and began to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

  “Stop that,” Fenella said, trying to push him away.

  “Meerroow,” Katie said.

  Fenella opened her eyes. Katie was standing on her chest, one paw in the air. “Were you wiping my tears away?” she asked the kitten.

  “Mmmmmeeerreeww,” Katie replied.

  It was nearly six, and Fenella was too shaken up by the dream to try to go back to sleep. Instead, she gave Katie an early breakfast and then started her day.

  11

  Fenella was nervous about her meeting with Doncan, but she knew it was long overdue. When she was escorted into his office, he greeted her with a smile.

  “I should have insisted that we do this some months ago,” he said as she sat down in the comfortable chair in front of his desk. “I wanted to give you time to get settled in before we talked, but I shouldn’t have left it for this long.”

  “I kept meaning to call you, but, well, life kept getting in the way,” Fenella replied. “I wasn’t too worried, as my bank balance always remained quite healthy.”

  Doncan laughed. “You shouldn’t have any worries about your bank balance. I was deliberately vague when you first arrived, as I didn’t want to overwhelm you, but you’ve inherited a considerable estate from your aunt.”

  “How considerable?” Fenella couldn’t help but ask.

  “Well, there’s Mona’s flat at Promenade View for a start.”

  When he told her what the apartment was worth, Fenella could only stare at him. “But that’s crazy,” she said after a minute. “It’s not even that large.”

  “It’s the largest flat in the building and it’s been done to the highest specifications. I’m giving the value it is insured for, but it may well be worth more if you decided to sell it. I suspect there are a few people on the island who might want to buy it simply because of its connection with Mona.”

  Fenella nodded. “I can almost believe that.”

  “Are you interested in selling?”

  “No, not even a little bit,” Fenella said firmly.

  “Mona’s car is also probably worth more than what it is insured for,” he continued. When he told her the amount, Fenella gasped.

  “I can’t imagine I’ll ever be brave enough to drive it, if it’s worth that much,” she exclaimed.

  “That’s why you have insurance,” he told her. “So that you can drive it.”

  Fenella nodded, but she still wasn’t convinced.

  “Obviously the contents of the flat have some considerable value as well,” Doncan continued. “Nearly all of the furnishings are antiques, for a start. Then there’s Mona’s wardrobe. She had all of her clothes custom-made for her and I’m sure her dresses are worth a considerable amount.”

  “And I’ve just been wearing them,” Fenella said.

  Doncan laughed. “That’s probably for the best. It isn’t as if you’ll ever need the money.”

  “I won’t?”

  “There are plenty of other things for you to sell if you need money. I have a l
ist for you of the various properties that Mona owned.” He handed Fenella a neatly typed sheet.

  She read down the list of addresses. “Are they houses?” she asked.

  “A few of them are houses, some are commercial properties, others are empty plots of land. Let’s just say Mona had diverse interests.”

  “There are a lot here.”

  “There are twenty-five on the list. While I’ve not given you individual prices, I’ve noted an approximate value for the collection at the bottom of the page.”

  Fenella looked at the number and then blinked several times. “Are there meant to be that many zeroes?” she asked in a low voice.

  “There are,” Doncan assured her.

  She sat back in her chair, feeling stunned. “But that’s a fortune.”

  “As I said, Mona left a considerable estate.”

  “What am I meant to do with all of the money?”

  “What do you want to do with all of the money? You can travel, buy yourself fabulous things, donate the lot to charity, or get your kitten a solid-gold litter tray. The money is yours and the only limit is your imagination.”

  “I don’t have to write a book,” Fenella sighed, feeling mixed emotions. While she’d initially been excited about the idea for her book, she’d found it hard to sustain that excitement. Knowing that she was never going to need to generate any income from the title took all of the pressure off of her. That was both a good and a bad thing, really. Anne Boleyn’s fictional autobiography was probably never going to get written, at least not by Fenella.

  “Mona had two safe deposit boxes,” Doncan continued. “I have the keys here. Just let me know when you want to visit them.”

  “What’s in them?”

  “I believe they mostly contain jewelry, but I’m not certain. Mona was very cautious with her more expensive pieces. Obviously, your flat has its own safe, but Mona felt better keeping the most valuable items elsewhere.”

  “I see. I don’t think I want to do that today.”

  “That’s fine. Just ring and let my secretary know when you do want to have a look. One is here in Douglas and the other is in Peel. We may have to make two separate trips, but I’m sure we can work something out when you’re ready.”