Chasing Ghosts by Madalyn Morgan (best fantasy books to read .txt) 📕

you must go to bed.’ Aimée pouted and Nancy copied her. ‘You, Miss,’ Frank said, to his adopted daughter, ‘take your cousin upstairs and,’ he looked from Nancy to Aimée, ‘both of you get ready for bed. I’ll be up in ten minutes to put out the light.’

As she kissed her mother good night, Aimée whispered, ‘Will Father Christmas have been to me too, when I wake up in the morning?’

‘Of course he will, darling. Why would you think he might not come to you?’

‘Well…’ Claire could see her daughter’s mind racing to give her a satisfactory reason for asking. ‘I thought he might not know I was here.’

Claire pushed Aimée’s hair off her face and kissed her. ‘Father Christmas knows where all the good boys and girls are.’

As Aimée and Nancy left the office, Aimée said, ‘That was close.’

‘What was?’ Nancy asked.

‘I almost let slip that I know there isn’t a Father Christmas. Mum hasn’t had time to do any shopping since we’ve been home from Canada. I didn’t think she’d bought me anything and I was going to say it was all right.’

After dinner, Frank checked on the children and then took over on reception, so Bess could spend time with her sister. Claire made three cups of coffee, put hers and Bess’s on the low table in front of the fire, and took Frank’s out to reception. When she returned to the office, Bess brought her up to date with everything that had happened at Foxden during the three months Claire had been in Canada. Nancy’s adoption had gone through without a hitch, Nancy was happy and settled, and she and Frank loved being parents. Bess got up and crossed the room. Picking up the coffee and milk she went back to Claire. ‘Now,’ she said, refilling their cups, ‘How was Canada?’

‘So much has happened, Bess. Some of it was lovely, but the psychiatrist Mitch saw and the treatment he underwent.’ Tears fell from Claire’s eyes. She shook her head unable to speak.

Bess took hold of her sister’s hand. ‘Take your time, darling,’ she said. When Claire had recovered, Bess said, ‘From your letters, you got on well with Mitch’s parents.’

‘Yes. From the moment we arrived, they couldn’t have been nicer or done more for us, and they adored Aimée.’

‘So, what has happened? Where’s Mitch? When you telephoned a couple of days ago, Mitch was with you, wasn’t he?’

‘No. Lord, where do I start?  The day we were due to fly back to England, Mitch said he had to do something important and he would see us at the airport. And that was the last I saw or heard of him. I have no idea where he is. When the plane was ready to leave, an airport official said, if Captain Mitchell wasn’t here within the next five minutes Aimée and I would have to leave without him.

‘At first, I thought he’d had an accident. Then the official told me the Canadian Air Force had sent a message through to say Mitch had gone AWOL and the plane was leaving without him. I didn’t believe them. It made more sense that Mitch had been delayed by someone or something when he went to do whatever it was that was so important, which is why we went to the airport on our own. I wasn’t too worried on the plane home. I felt sure he would catch a later flight. But when we landed I was told Mitch’s commander at the base wanted to see me. I was given no choice. I took Aimée to Mitch’s grandmother’s house and went to the base. Commander Landry questioned me for hours. I didn’t know anything so I couldn’t tell him anything.

‘I was driven home eventually. Mitch didn’t telephone, or send a telegram, which would at least have stopped me from worrying.’

‘How is Aimée taking it?’

‘She’s upset, naturally, but she doesn’t know he’s missing. I told her that her father had to stay in Canada for a little while longer to have more treatment. I think she accepted that, but she misses him and keeps asking when he’s coming home. She didn’t want to come up here in case he came back and we weren’t there. She drew him a picture of the hotel and wrote him a letter telling him we’d come up to Foxden for Christmas. His grandmother, Esther, thinks he’ll be back. She said he was bound to go to her house when he gets home and when he does she’ll tell him to come up here straight away.’

‘And you, Claire? What do you think?’ Bess asked.

‘I think he has been having an affair. I think he either went back to break it off, in which case he will be home after Christmas, or he has left us for another woman and is staying with her in Canada. Esther says I should go back to Canada and find him.’

‘And will you?’

‘I don’t know. I’ll think about it over Christmas. If I do decide to go to Canada, would you and Frank look after Aimée? It’s a lot to ask--’

‘Of course, we will.’

There was a tap on the door and Frank poked his head into the office. ‘The night porter is here. I’m going up.’

‘We’re coming too,’ Bess said.

Claire’s room in the old servant’s quarters felt familiar and comfortable. She tiptoed in, sat on the double bed that she usually shared with Mitch, and watched Aimée as she slept. Her eyes moved beneath their lids. Careful not to wake her Claire quickly undressed, washed and cleaned her teeth, and climbed into bed. She switched off the light on the bedside table and pulled up the bedspread.

With one arm protectively draped over her daughter, Claire lay and listened to her calm, rhythmic, breathing. She closed her eyes but was unable to sleep. She laid