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‘But you happy to stretchourgoodwill,’ Hanna said, shaking her head.
‘I think it’s a great suggestion, Calvin.’ Geraldine stroked a sleeping Suki, who was curled up by her feet. ‘We can’t afford to keep them waiting any longer. You have my vote.’
‘Mine, too.’ Natalie’s agreement was followed by more murmuring and the raising of hands.
Hanna continued to scowl.
Calvin glanced over at Kate and she gave him a discreet thumbs up. It was a small gesture, but he was grateful nonetheless.
‘That’s settled then,’ he said, forcing a smile, and praying for the day when this would be someone else’s responsibility. ‘That leaves us with about three grand, which is where you come in. The options, as I see it, are as follows. We could use the money to buy in external services, such as a locum nurse to cover a few shifts each week until the new year, when hopefully more funds will become available. Or we use the money to carry out maintenance repairs on the windows in the bedrooms, which keep banging open when it’s windy.’
‘Oh, that’s not the wind,’ Rowan said, adjusting his burgundy cravat. ‘That’s Ursula getting restless.’ He looked up at the ceiling and wagged his finger. ‘Naughty, Ursula.’
Kate’s eyes drifted upwards, clearly perplexed as to why Rowan was talking to the ceiling. ‘Er… who’s Ursula?’ she said, looking around the room.
‘Ursula is the resident ghost,’ Rowan said, turning to Kate. ‘She’s rather a minx. I’ve told her to pack it in on numerous occasions, but she does like to cause a stir. Only the other day she emptied the contents of my wardrobe and left all my waistcoats scattered across the floor, the brazen hussy.’
Esme reached across and patted his hand. ‘That wasn’t Ursula. That was your dementia.’
‘I do not have dementia,’ he said, haughtily. ‘How very dare you.’
‘Well, it’s more plausible than a ghost emptying your wardrobe,’ Esme said, looking both regal and festive in her emerald green dress and matching gold scarf.
‘It’s not just me she interacts with,’ he said, pointing at Kate. ‘Poor Kate was nearly tipped off the stepladders the other day when Ursula took umbrage at having a younger attractive female in the house. You can’t tell me Kate is suffering from dementia.’
Kate flushed bright pink when everyone turned to look at her.
Calvin offered her a feeble smile, his attempt at an apology.
Esme placed her cup in its saucer. ‘No, but Kate is suffering from extreme exhaustion, and regularly skips meals. So nearly falling off a ladder is hardly a shocking occurrence.’
‘Excuse me, but I am sitting here,’ an embarrassed-looking Kate said, clearly uncomfortable at having her mental wellbeing openly discussed.
Calvin could empathise; he wouldn’t like that either.
He tried to bring things back on track. ‘Regardless of whether the place is haunted,’ he said, trying not to publicly accuse Rowan of being a fantasist, ‘a number of windows are broken and need fixing.’
Lucky Larry raised his hand. ‘If it was up to me, I’d be in favour of getting in help for Natalie and Hanna. The poor gals never get a break, and we’d be lost without them.’
Natalie mouthed, ‘Thank you,’ at Larry.
Hanna blew him a kiss. ‘You family,’ she said, fiercely. ‘We not abandon you.’
Calvin might have been touched at seeing a softer side to the formidable nurse, if she hadn’t then turned and glowered at him. He was just grateful she wasn’t grumpy with the residents. She saved that side of her for him. And Alex, who’d also unwittingly been cast as a villain. Poor bloke.
‘Is everyone in favour of hiring a locum nurse?’ Calvin counted the hands that shot in the air. It was unanimous, supported by Deshad, who was watching the meeting via video link from upstairs. ‘Great. I’ll get on to that today.’
‘Is there any news about what’s happening with the care home, long term?’ Geraldine asked, looking at the others. ‘I think we’re all keen to know what the future holds.’
Calvin took another sip of water, delaying answering so he could formulate a careful response. He needed to tread carefully, as he didn’t want to upset anyone any sooner than he had to. ‘Kate is making good progress with valuing the assets, and she’s hoping to make the probate application before the end of the year. That’s right, isn’t it, Kate?’
He hoped she wouldn’t object to being drawn into the conversation, but he needed an ally, and he knew she wouldn’t throw him under the bus. How he knew this, he wasn’t sure. It wasn’t like he really knew her, but for some reason he trusted that she wouldn’t shaft him by revealing the truth… namely, that he had every intention of selling up.
She stood up so everyone could see her. Her hair was fixed in a ponytail and her long hooded cardigan made her look like Little Red Riding Hood. Her attempts to remain invisible by tuckingherself into the corner of the room had failed. Mostly because of him. He hoped she wouldn’t hold that against him.
‘I’m halfway through dealing with the ledgers,’ she said, addressing the group nervously. ‘So the list of assets is coming along nicely. We have a valuer from a local auction house visiting this afternoon, and he’s going to catalogue the artwork and period furniture.’
‘You’re not planning on selling everything, are you?’ An outraged Rowan turned to Calvin. ‘Darling boy, you simply can’t. Those pieces are part of the character of the house, they’ve been in the family for several centuries. Ursula would go berserk. She’s one step away from turning into a poltergeist as it is, this could tip her over the edge.’
