“The Asatru? They are worshippers of–”
“No. The ghosts in your house. They must have been someone.”
“Former residents. The Woman in the Window was the wife of a shipowner in the nearby town. He was a man of tremendous and notable mediocrity, as I understand, one who offered her financial security but little else.” Athena smirked at her page. “The Woman in the Window stood at that window every evening to look for a signal from her paramour, who would wait in the woods. When she saw it, she would go have a more exciting evening than she did at home. My theory is, the apparition lingers because it was a place and an action tinged with great emotion. She charged that spot with her energies as you would charge a balloon by rubbing it against your hair.”
“So the woman is emotional static electricity raising our hairs.”
“Approximately.”
“What about the Girl in the Corner?”
“An honest-to-goodness ghost. My research says her parents betrothed her to a local boy. When she found out, she stood in the corner and wept. I assume she was not happy about the match.”
“Have you ever tried to help her move on? Pass into the light, or whatever?” Hanna leaned forward.
Athena placed her finger between the pages and closed her book over it. “I’ve attempted to communicate with her before. With all of them. It was part of my motivation for buying this property. The real estate agent was very honest about the house’s nature. I wanted to see if I could help them pass on.”
“Why haven’t you, then?”
“Cellar Dweller. Until I can figure out how to deal with it, the spirits remain terrified and agitated. Spirits, I think, linger for a reason. They have emotions they cannot resolve, or situations they did not finish before they left. Not all of them, I’m sure, but it seems the place to start. If I cannot tell what will resolve the situation, I can hardly then fix it.” Athena shook her head.
Hanna sighed. “That makes sense. I just feel bad for them. Especially with Cellar Dweller pestering them.”
“I do, too,” Athena said softly. “Perhaps someday. I would be very glad to lose that revenue stream in the name of bringing spirits peace.”
You want people to think you’re cold and disaffected, but you don’t fool me.Hanna dropped the topic again in favor of the job search site on her laptop.
Nanny work would get her out of Athena’s hair the fastest, since it often provided living accommodations on top of pay. It was also where Hanna had the bulk of her work experience, through sheer happenstance. One babysitting gig turned into a live-in situation when she needed to get out of the house, which turned into a full-blown position at an agency and the very best of references.
Which then turned into a black hole of lost time as one rich asshole ruined all those years of experience. Every nanny position listed on the sites she perused required positive references available upon request.
And they will request them, oh, yes, they will. Request them, then march me straight out the door. I’m going to have to change fields. Maybe I could go back to school. Going into an abyss of debt so I can make money to pay it back sounds fantastic. Wonder if I can finally get loans now. I paid off that last school screw-up. God, I hope falling into the nanny job wasn’t the big break in my life. That would be just my luck. But we make our own luck, right? Maybe I could stay with Athena while I did online school, trade housecleaning services for a place to live.
A loud scream split the quiet night. Frantic shouts followed it, devoid of the bravado she’d heard from the college boys earlier.
Hanna almost dropped her laptop as she jumped. “OhmyGodwhatthehell.”
Athena glanced up at the clock on the wall. “Bit early for Father to be awake. The locks on the cellar are sound. I suspect they just discovered the Girl in the Corner. This ought to be a riot at about one in the morning.”
Nope. I can’t stay with Athena.Hanna kept scrolling down the webpage. References required, send references, must have agency support, references required…
Governess wanted for live-in position in English countryside. Must be able to pass background and drug screenings. Personal references a bonus. No experience necessary, will train. Pay begins at $100,000/year in United States currency. Generous performance bonuses available. In-person interview required. All travel expenses paid. Apply by email at…
Hanna read the advertisement three times. “Athena? Is this weird, or is it just me?”
After Hanna read it aloud, Athena pursed her lips. “Definitely weird. Very nearly ‘sex trafficking’ weird. However, that email address is familiar.”
“Familiar?”
Athena tossed her book aside and picked up a laptop instead. “Yes. Familiar. That company was in the financial news outlets recently. Multi-billion-dollar company, diverse holdings and operations. It first made the news several years ago when the CEO’s grandson began a more progressive technical branch and took over as first CTO, then CIO.”
“You keep up with corporate news?”
“I keep up with what my clients pay me to write about. Anyway, our CTO-turned-CIO, Gregory Pierce, is now CEO, completing his tour through corporate alphabet salad. His grandfather passed away and bequeathed the company to the grandson. Business news sites are abuzz with speculation about new directions for the company, Pierce’s ability to guide a company of this size forward, his personal life, the usual.” She turned the laptop around.
Hanna glanced over the page displayed. The picture did nothing to flatter a new business leader. It was, in fact, difficult to make out more than the man’s dark hair and darker suit, and the general sense of a strong build. Above him blared the headline,“HEIR TO RUSSELL HOLDINGS HAS LARGE SHOES TO FILL IN THE WAKE OF HENRY RUSSELL DEATH.”
“You think that guy needs a governess?” Hanna asked.