A note to all my lovely readers:

If you would love to read my recent novels retelling the original story of The Ghost and Mrs Muir then please go to Amazon (US) and look under Books for Lucie and the Captain and Lucie of Greystone Cottage by Katherine Lange.

They can be downloaded to any device with the Kindle app. You do not need a Kindle to read them.

Thank you for your attention, please enjoy!

Chapter Forty-Two

Keeping A Demon At Bay

After a tense moment of silence, her husband materialised again in front of the fireplace, looking anything but pleased with the developments of the last few minutes. "I am here, my dear."

"Ah, there you are, indeed," Madame Tibaldi confirmed needlessly, beaming at him. "I must say you went to a great deal of trouble to conceal yourself in the land of the living. You're a very stubborn and determined spirit. And I'm very pleased to finally make your belated acquaintance."

"I cannot say the pleasure is also mine," Daniel snapped, crossing to stand beside Carolyn on the couch. "I will not allow you to upset my wife with your fraudulent ghost-calling and chicanery!"

"Ah, but I did finally succeed in summoning you, didn't I?" Madame Tibaldi faced his displeasure with a satisfied smile, dropping her usual vapid demeanour for a more serious one. "And I must say that painting over there does not do you justice. It doesn't bring out the glorious colour of your beautiful eyes or your most handsome face. Oh, yes, a woman in every port, indeed."

"Enough of your inane prattle, Madam!" Daniel snapped. "What is it that you want with us? Be quick about it!"

"Of course, of course…" The medium held up her hands in a compliant gesture. "My spirit followers from among your crew insisted I turn off for Schooner Bay this afternoon because they desired me to bring you both a dire warning."

"What sort of warning?" Carolyn asked, reaching to take her husband's hand. A movement the medium noted with a knowing glance.

"A warning not to meddle where you're not welcome," Madame Tibaldi looked enquiringly at them both. "It seems you two have made some plans to publish the good Captain's memoirs of his swashbuckling times at sea. Stories of his victories over certain discontented entities who seek to do you harm. They wish for the past to remain buried to save their blushes."

Carolyn gasped, tightening her grip on Daniel's hand. "But we only discussed that last night. It's an idea we agreed to explore. Only my family are aware of their existence and they have been pushing to see them published. Who else could possibly know about them in that short time and why would they care?"

"Everything is known instantly in the world of the spirits, my love," Daniel replied, bending to kiss the back of her hand. "There is no time, it flows endlessly onwards. A day or a month can pass in what is no more than the blink of an eye in the human world."

Madame Tibaldi regarded him with favour. "Yes, time there means nothing at all. But I can see there is more to you than I was expecting, my dear Captain. Quite a lot more."

She watched them both with deepening curiosity. "To gain such substance and the ability to touch your love, I must wonder at what you've had to sacrifice. Has it all been worth it?"

"Of course," Daniel replied, straightening defensively. "I would do it again without needing to ask the consequences. Lucifer's boon has given me everything I never expected to possess."

"Ah, there speaks true love…" Madame Tibaldi clasped her hands in ecstasy.

She smiled at Carolyn. "You are a very lucky woman, my dear. Not many find this kind of unwavering dedication. You're going to need it if you go any further with your plans. You're stirring up the past to no good effect. Be careful in all that you do from now on."

She shook her head. "You are being watched. I felt an unseen presence when I first drove up to the house. And a malevolent one at that."

"Now you're starting to frighten me," Carolyn replied, keeping hold of her husband's hand. "What shall we do?"

"I'm truly sorry for that, my dear," the medium apologised. "But this is a grave situation. A certain demon I believe you know, is well aware of your plans to publish the work and he's not happy."

"Blasted Turner!" Daniel ground out in a furious tone. "His neck I will cheerfully wring if he dares to come this way again!"

The medium grimaced. "He bides his time and nurses his grudge like a miser. Now you have provoked his ire and he rises from his usual haunts to make himself known to you once more. He has something to prove to his master. I believe it was his presence I sensed when I drove up here today."

"I'm sure he's already here." Carolyn frowned. "Something or someone touched my cheek not an hour ago when I was in the garden. I smelled sulphur. Then Madame Tibaldi drove up and it was gone. I thought I'd imagined it."

Madame Tibaldi nodded. "Oh, that'll be him all right. He ever was a sneaky, devious devil. My Maharaja swore to command the demon be boiled in oil if he ever found him anywhere near him or his family again. Turner was forced to scurry away with his tail tucked between his legs."

"Being boiled in oil is a fate too good for the likes of that scoundrel." Daniel looked around the room. "Then we must be on our guard. The demon is a blowhard and a buffoon, but he can be dangerous if provoked."

Carolyn released a troubled sigh. "Then we'd better not provoke him. What if we abandon our plans altogether? Your journals are not worth our peace of mind and safety."

"No, we will not give Turner the satisfaction of thinking he's won," Daniel replied, looking out into the garden. "Giving in to him will only embolden his inflated opinion of himself. But he will wish to make sure of our intentions."

"Yes…" Madam Tibaldi nodded. "He'll be looking to see that he's not exposed for the coward that he is. He's also jealous of what you have now. My spirits tell me he's been boasting that he still has the right to command your immortal soul. But it seems he's had a falling out with his master over your fate and must take something worthy back to him in compensation."

"Then he's also dangerously deluded." Daniel crossed his arms over his chest. "He would not take our word for it that we will abandon our plans. He would seek to remove every trace of my journals and those of Lucius, as well. That we cannot allow because we still need them for our research and we do not bow to the whims of a base demon."

Madame Tibaldi sighed. "I'm truly sorry to bring this to your door at this delicate time in your lives, my dears. But my spirits demanded I warn you of the imminent danger. Your becoming a father was never a part of the deal you made with Turner."

She waved a hand. "You've upset the delicate balance and he's eager to redress that by every means at his disposal. He's desperate to convince his master that you broke the agreement you made with him."

She shrugged. "But, for some unknown reason, the devil has washed his hands of the whole affair. Turner is acting alone which makes him even more dangerous."

She frowned at Daniel. "You wouldn't happen to know the reason why Lucifer has withdrawn his support for Turner's devious plans?"

"You did right by us. I can thank you for that, Madam," Daniel acknowledged, carefully avoiding her question. "You have done us an immense favour."

"One that wipes out our little disagreement over my séance?" Madame Tibaldi asked with an amused smile. "After all, Figg was a sea captain and I did summon him."

"The coward was a damnably dangerous captain who had no business going to sea," Daniel countered.

"Yes, well, you would know. Anyway, I have done what I came to do…" Madame Tibaldi rose to her feet. "My spirits and I can do no more for you. So I will bid you a good afternoon and be on my way. Boston awaits me breathlessly. I must not disappoint my many fans."

"You are a good and kindly woman." Carolyn got to her feet and kissed the medium's soft cheek with affection. "If a little misguided at times."

"Oh, that's just my way, dear," Madame Tibaldi twinkled at her, waving an airily dismissive hand. "Now you do as your good husband commands you and all will be well. I'm sure of it. Turner cannot be allowed to triumph and I'm sure the good captain has a trick or two up his sleeve."

Carolyn shook her head. "This is the twentieth century, Olivia. Not the nineteenth. We have an understanding. We're a team. My husband doesn't tell me what to do or think."

"Oh, my dear…" Madame Tibaldi shook her head as she wagged an admonishing finger. "You may take to yourself a man from the nineteenth century. But can you ever, truly remove that century from the man? Now there is the question, my dears."

Daniel grimaced his discontent as he stood aside to indicate the doors. "I'll see you out," he said with a warning look. "We wouldn't wish to keep you from your ardent fans in Boston." Seeing her compliance, he opened the doors and stood waiting for the medium to leave.

"See what I mean?" Madame Tibaldi chuckled, as she walked past him. "So masterful and commanding. But so handsome and dashing. I'm very glad I'm a woman who can appreciate the finer things in life."

She stopped to lay a hand on Daniel's forearm, testing the firmness of his muscles with curious fingers. "And I must say I've never seen another living man who can compare to you, my fine laddie. Not one that I can recall in this lifetime. Or even in my last incarnation and I enjoyed a right royal time with that one."

She sighed regretfully. "I would hate to see everything you've worked so hard to achieve potentially taken away because of a jealous demon. You must proceed with caution and care. Send him running back to his ghastly master with his tail on fire."

"I'll never allow things to come to such a head." Daniel pointedly removed his arm from her grasp, looking beyond her to see the frowning worry on his wife's face. "Turner will be taught his place once and for all."

"I do hope so," the medium replied as she walked toward the front door. "For all your sakes. After all, you two have shared together, you deserve to know a true and abiding peace."

The children appeared in the kitchen doorway, both looking startled to see their step-father in the company of the medium he so heartily detested. Seeing their worried confusion, Daniel nodded his head and shrugged. "We've settled our differences."

"Oh, okay then. Groovy. But are you going already, Madame Tibaldi?" Jonathan asked disappointedly. "You haven't read my latest bumps yet."

"And you said last time that you'd show us some new card tricks." Candy held up a pack of cards.

"Oh, my sweet lovelies…" the medium gushed, reassuming her slightly vapid air as she hurried to embrace both of them. "I will do all I promised on my next visit. If your parents are agreeable to my having a return engagement."

"We will agree that there will be no more séances held in this house, then you may return," Daniel replied severely, raising a warning finger. "With sufficient notice."

"Thank you, Olivia," Carolyn acknowledged. "We truly are grateful for your timely warning."

"My spirits say thank you for listening to an old woman's ramblings," the medium murmured, patting Carolyn's cheek as Daniel opened the front door for her to leave the house.

They accompanied the medium down the front path and waited for her to get into her car. With a wave and a toot of her horn, she drove off in a cloud of dust.

Carolyn dropped her arm from waving goodbye and turned to her husband. "If she's right about Turner, then what can we do?"

Daniel sighed as he embraced her. "Turner may decide that retreat is the better option now that we've been warned of his intentions. He never was one for direct confrontation if he doesn't hold the upper hand and is very sure of his ground. He need not concern you, my dear."

"But why did this have to happen at all?" Carolyn laid her cheek against his chest. "After all we've endured. After all, we've done to make our new world safe for us to be together."

"Yes, we've already endured a great deal…" Daniel kissed the top of her head. "But, I know, in the deepest part of who I am, that whatever happens now, my love, we will endure. We must."

Carolyn pulled back to look up at him worriedly. "What can you do about Turner?"

"I have an idea that may just work. First I'll need to call a conference of my closest spirits." Daniel slid his hands down her arms to twine his fingers through hers. "Remember we're not alone in this fight. Hades itself will freeze over before I allow any blasted demon to harm a single hair on your head. 'I am the Master of my fate. I am the Captain of my soul…' he quoted the last two lines of his favourite poem softly as they turned back toward the house, walking hand in hand.

※※※※※

"I did try to warn you…" Lucius paced the floor of the wheelhouse restlessly. "Turner bears a grudge and he looks for new ways to hurt you. It's fortunate you've been forewarned by the spirits attached to that old medium, but it doesn't eliminate the threat."

The hour was late and the house was asleep. Daniel had left his wife's side and sent out a summons to his co-conspirators for their meeting. It was in all their interests to put a permanent stop to Turner's plans.

"I couldn't agree more." Admiral Kearns stroked the line of his walrus moustache thoughtfully. "As we did for your wedding, the first thing we need to do is throw up a spirit screen so no unwanted entity can intrude into the house. Even to the demon's blasted eyes, everything will look as it should do."

"Consider it done." Lucius waved one hand even as he sighed brusquely. "From what I heard last night, Turner's become deeply jealous of your latest good fortune. Word of your impending fatherhood has spread in the spirit world. It's got him all in a lather."

He puffed on the cigar in his hand, sending smoke rings toward the ceiling. "He's been saying to anyone who'll listen that such an unlooked-for event was not in your agreement. The rumours are that he'd sought to change his master's mind about you and finally take your immortal soul as payment for the transgression of daring to love a human woman. But his pleas have gone unanswered and now he's been cast out and is acting alone."

"I will never give up my immortal soul to the likes of him!" Daniel stated harshly, running the feather of his quill pen through his fingers. "It was his master's boon that changed me in ways I have yet to understand. At times I feel more human than spirit. If there's any fault, then it lies with Lucifer himself for not truly understanding the scope of his gift of life."

The admiral took a turn around the floor, waving his cigar for emphasis. "Which still does nothing about Turner. His master has abandoned him and the demon's plans for you will never change as long as there's breath in his body. We've all battled him and managed to beat his worthless hide."

He shrugged his distaste for such an unworthy opponent. "He hates us and nurses his anger, allowing it to fester and grow. It's starting to derange his mind and that makes him even more dangerous. He has something to prove or he'll have no home nor hearth to go back to."

"As long as there's breath in his body…" Daniel repeated slowly, his frowning gaze rising to meet those of the others. "What if we could find a sure way to put a stop to his breath, permanently?"

Lucius frowned. "You would certainly gain his undivided attention by such a threat," he replied slowly. "The demon values his own hide above all else, even your eternal soul. What do you have in mind? Or shouldn't I ask?"

"I've been thinking about that ever since Tibaldi left. There is the demon knife of Arjen," Daniel told him, getting slowly to his feet. "It was forged to be used for just such a purpose. It's the only logical solution since the knife has already proved its value in past encounters through the millennia."

"But no one's seen or heard of that knife for over a thousand years," Lucius protested. "Even if it still exists, what makes you think you can find it now? There's no time to be wasted on fruitless hunts for mythical things. We need a more solid plan of action."

"It's the only choice we have if we're to put a permanent stop to Turner's desire to hurt me and mine." Daniel poured three glasses of Madeira and handed them out. "That I will never allow."

"A pretty tangle and no mistake," the admiral complained. "If you'd known what was to come, my boy, would you have accepted the blasted devil's boon?"

"In a heartbeat," Daniel replied swiftly. "I have everything I could ever wish for and more. We've come too far and made too many sacrifices to give up now."

He turned to Lucius. "And you're wrong about the whereabouts of the demon knife. It's closer than you think."

He held his glass of Madeira up to the candlelight, studying its ruby glow through the delicate crystal vessel. "I never did tell either of you the story of the debt owed to me by Lucifer. And why he was so quick to grant me the boon when I asked for it."

"No, you didn't," Lucius complained in an injured tone. "It's not as if I'm your best friend and we've always shared everything. Including a pretty damsel or two in our earlier times together."

"It's not a long story," Daniel continued, turning the glass between his fingers. "But one I could never commit to paper." He shook his head, pursing his lips.

Unable to bear the lengthening silence, Lucius and the admiral leaned forward eagerly. "Well, go on," they urged in unison, both frowning at him.

Lucius drew deeply on his cigar. "After all this time, it'd better be a blasted good story."

Daniel frowned at him thoughtfully. "That female witch doctor we encountered on Madagascar. Her men weren't chasing me that day for my eyes and loins alone. There was a far greater prize in my possession. One she badly wanted to be returned because she had need of its magic powers."

"I always knew there was more to that story than you were telling!" Lucius exclaimed rings of furiously puffed smoke wreathing his head.

He turned to his father-in-law. "Didn't I say there was more?"

"Rightly so, my lad. Rightly so," Kearns acknowledged, clenching the stub of his cigar between his teeth. "We've both been hoodwinked."

He fixed Daniel with a harsh glare. "Well, spit it out, my boy. What is the more of the story?"

Daniel shrugged his unconcern at their outrage. "It was the deal I made with the devil. I'd discovered something in that witch woman's hut that Lucifer wanted badly. I sensed his stirring the very moment my hand chanced to fall upon an unexpected prize as I made good my escape from the hag's clutches."

He smiled grimly. "But I wasn't about to surrender it, not without a fight. I felt his flaming breath scorching the back of my neck all the way back to the ship."

Lucius nodded his understanding. "So it was more than just that howling bunch of blood-thirsty savage warriors propelling you across that stony shore that afternoon? The very devil himself was chasing you."

Daniel nodded. "For what I carried, tucked beneath my belt. That night, I forced the devil to make a pact with me. I would secretly dispose of the knife and not tell of its whereabouts to a single living soul. In return, he would owe me a debt."

He shrugged. "He agreed with deep reluctance, seeing he had no choice. There was nothing he could offer in trade that I wanted, then."

Lucius nodded as he stubbed out his cigar. "And because you had the demon knife in your possession that night it prevented him from smiting you where you stood. You had a lucky escape, my friend. You should have told me."

"I would not risk your life by the knowing of it. I alone carried the secret until I could use it to my advantage. But now, I can tell the story since we all inhabit the world of spirits and my vow was bonded only to the living."

"But what about the knife, my boy?" Kearns asked. "What became of it? You could have the use of it now and no mistake."

Daniel took a long sip of his wine before answering. "I carried it across the ocean and between the pillars of Hercules. In secret, I passed it into the possession of the Bey of Tunis. He had a great need for it to ward off the evil that had invaded his city that summer. He ordered me to sail away because he feared for my safety. Years later, when I last saw the old man, he was far too canny to ever admit to the knife's continued existence. But I sensed he still had it about him somewhere in case he needed its magic again."

"Then we must toast to the success of your urgent quest to secure the return of the knife, my boy." The admiral raised his glass. "Lucius will stay here and keep the spirit screen in place for as long as it's needed to protect you all. Once you have secured the knife, may damnation take Turner's blasted eternal soul."

"May damnation take his blasted eternal soul…" his two companions replied together, raising their own glasses.

※※※※※

The full moon rose slowly from the ocean, shining bright and clear. It illuminated Gull Cottage and all around with an unearthly light that concealed more than it revealed to any observers.

To the casual eye of anyone passing along Bay Road, the house appeared quiet and dark, almost untenanted, so well was Lucius's elaborate spirit screen working to repel all unwanted intruders. Even to Turner's fulminating eye, as he stood on the headland well beyond the cottage, it looked as if no one was home.

But the demon wasn't fooled. He could sense something was going on down there, but he couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was that had raised the fine hairs on the back of his neck. He'd watched the deluded old medium come and go, cursing her interference which he'd been powerless to prevent.

The stupid woman might be a hare-brained, scatter-mouth, but she was too well protected by her spirit attendants for Turner to risk attacking her directly. She'd succeeded in ripping away his element of surprise and alerted his sworn enemy to his arrival.

As the demon lurked and waited for any opening, he could feel a growing animosity toward himself, bristling from the walls of the house. He was aware it was not going to be an easy conquest.

But, after months of fruitlessly arguing his case with his irascible boss, he was fast running out of options. He'd made rash promises he had to keep. He was now suffering from a very bad headache and an even deeper sense of ill usage. If he failed in his self-appointed mission this time, then he was likely to be doomed to wander in eternity as a failed demon without any powers or a home.

"They're planning something down there and I won't stand for it!" He shook his fist at the uncaring, white face of the moon. "I know they'll try and cheat me out of what's always been rightfully mine and I won't let them get away with it!"

He kicked out in disgust at a nearby stone before vanishing into the darkness. All that remained was a new patch of withered grass and the fetid stink of sulphur.

※※※※※