"Don't you have a séance to conduct?"
"Not today."
He stood with one foot on the highest step, the other one step down, dripping wet. He was utterly, thoroughly, breathtakingly handsome.
"I won't come with you," he said. "If that's all right."
"Of course." My heart sank at the notion of going to visit his parents without him but I wouldn't beg him to join me. It would be a very difficult situation for him and it was unfair of me to press him.
"I'll come back at two and tell you some things that will help make them believe you, but..." He shook his head and droplets sprayed off his black hair.
"It won't be enough?" I ventured.
"Probably not."
He disappeared and I stood there a moment, hoping he would reappear but not really expecting him to. Then with a sigh, I retrieved my key from my reticule and opened the door.
***
Jacob had been right. Celia was mad at me. Not even the violets softened her. After she scolded me for being "wet through to the bone" she made me change into dry clothes then sat me down in front of the fireplace while she heaped more coal onto it. Lucy brought in a bowl of steaming soup and I sipped while my bones thawed and my hair dried.
To distract Celia, I asked her about her visit to the Wiggams' house. "Is Mr. Wiggam still there or has he left his wife in peace?"
"He's still there," she said, dusting off her hands. "And still haunting her."
"In what way?"
"He throws objects around the room sometimes, particularly when she has guests, and hides things so she can't find them. Important things like money or her corsets."
"Corsets! That is cruel." But rather ingenious. I couldn't imagine a large woman like Mrs. Wiggam wanting to go out without wearing a corset.
"And he likes to keep her awake at night by knocking on the wall or thumping the floor."
"Oh dear. I probably should try and talk to him again."
"I think that would be a good idea, Em." She lifted a strand of my hair and sighed. I couldn't blame her for her disappointment. It would take some time to remove all the tangles and fix it into a half-decent style. "What were you thinking walking around in the rain like that?"
"I had to get home somehow."
She dropped my hair. "You could have hired a carriage."
"We were only around the corner."
"We?"
"Jacob and I. He escorted me home." She grunted. "A ghost is not a suitable escort." I sipped soup off my spoon and said nothing.