Allegra Fairweather_ Paranormal Investigator - Janni Nell [33]
Reluctantly Sir Alastair picked up his little bell and rang for Phillips. The butler led me out of the drawing room and down a long hall. The bathroom was at the end.
After telling Phillips I could find my own way back, I shut the door and used the facilities. When that was out of the way, I opened the window and surveyed the backyard. Okay, it wasn’t really a backyard. It was the kind of park-like grounds you’d expect to see in a stately home.
A paved patio led to a grand sweep of mown grass dotted with majestic trees. The beds of annuals were past their best but the water from the stone fountain was tinkling merrily, apparently unconcerned about the character of its owner.
I was preparing to close the window when I saw a woman emerging from the tangled wilderness that bordered the mown grass. Her face was as pale as the last time I had seen her, but despite that Lady Justina didn’t look sick. She moved like the healthy young woman she undoubtedly was.
As she crossed the grass, her long hair rippled in the breeze. By the time she had reached the patio, her hair was being whipped around her by a ferocious wind. Grey clouds clustered overhead and I saw the first drops of rain splashing into the fountain.
Lady Justina hurried inside. I left the bathroom hoping to bump into her on my way back to the drawing room. I did bump into someone but it wasn’t Lady Justina. It was Phillips, waiting to escort me back to the others.
What? Didn’t Sir Alastair trust me?
As I entered the drawing room, thunder rumbled outside. A volley of raindrops hit the windows.
Casper said, “I have bad news, Allegra. I’m afraid we won’t be able to return to Furness until the storm lifts. Sir Alastair has kindly invited us to dinner.”
How had Casper managed that?
I tried to look disappointed. “That’s too bad. Douglas was expecting us for dinner.”
“Perhaps,” said Sir Alastair, “I could have someone drive you home.”
“In the Rolls Royce?” asked Casper.
“Would you prefer the Jaguar?”
Casper seemed shocked. “With that hail?”
On cue, pebble-sized hail pelted the window.
Sir Alastair paled at the prospect of hail damage to his cars. “I’m afraid you’ll have to stay to dinner,” he said, “unless you’d prefer to walk home.”
“It wouldn’t be safe with the lightning,” said Casper. Lightning flashed on cue.
I gave Casper a hard look. Was he responsible for the sudden bad weather? Hmm.
Sir Alastair said, “Please excuse me. I’ll have to speak to François about dinner.”
French chef? Nice.
When Sir Alastair had disappeared, I gestured at the storm outside and asked Casper, “Are you responsible for that?”
He didn’t give me a direct answer but his eyes twinkled mischievously. “I thought you wanted to stay here overnight.”
“We’ve only been invited to dinner,” I reminded him.
“But if the storm lasts… And these storms usually do last all night.”
“What do you mean by these storms? The ones you create?”
He shrugged but his smile told me all I needed to know.
“I thought you weren’t allowed to help me.”
He was innocence personified. “I’m not helping you. I’m helping the environment. It looked as though it needed rain.”
Yeah, right. “Casper, the Powers-That-Be won’t be happy you’ve helped me.”
“There’s help and then there’s help. I’m allowed a little leeway.”
“Okay. In that spirit, what did you learn from Sir Alastair? You seemed to be getting on quite well with him while I was in the bathroom.”
“We had a few things in common,” said Casper cagily.
“Like?”
“Sorry,” said Casper. “I can’t tell you. That would be giving the kind of help I’m not allowed to give.”
“Are you making this up as you go along?” First he couldn’t help me, then he could. “Let me get this straight. You can help me in some ways but not others?”
“That’s right. The rules governing guardian angels are very specific.”
“Can I see those rules?”
“Not unless you become a guardian angel.”
“I’d have to die to do that, right?”
Casper nodded.
“I think I’ll pass.” But I wasn’t going to let him get off that easily. “Can you tell me, specifically, in what