Chapter 44

Saturday, February 8, 1936

Wickenham

 

Bao had wanted to go with Grandmother to visit the king’s castle last night. But Grandmother had told her that she had enough to worry about on this trip, without having to keep an eye on a little girl ghost. Bao had frowned and pouted, but Grandmother, as usual, wasn’t moved by such antics.

As everyone drove off in the big black automobile, Bao had watched from an upstairs window, feeling forlorn. Professor DeNimes had stayed home too, but he was busy all evening down in the library, going through more of Percy’s papers. And Evvie had said he wasn’t in the mood to play—he was still feeling melancholy after seeing his mother and brother.

So the night had dragged on more slowly than usual. Bao had plenty of time to imagine all the fun Grandmother and Johnny and Nina and Mel were having at Castle Henry. The king would serve them tea and cakes, like he had the time Bao met him. And probably they would play wonderful games.

Finally it was morning. Bao sat on the front entrance staircase, chin on hands, staring out at Wickenham’s magnificent landscape. She figured that sooner or later, Grandmother’s auto would appear on the driveway.

But instead, she saw two wraiths floating up the curving road to the front entrance. And when they got closer, Bao could see that they weren’t locals. She knew most of the area’s ghosts by now.

These were strangers. A young girl and some kind of ancient soldier. A very odd pair, indeed.

Then Bao remembered. Johnny and Nina had sent two ghosts from the north, bearing news of the possible attack. An old warrior and a little girl with blonde hair. This must be them. But why were they so late?

“Welcome to Wickenham,” Bao said, as the two wraiths floated up to the entrance. “I’m Bao. You must be Johnny and Nina’s friends.”

The warrior, who wore a feathered helmet and a kind of leather skirt, thumped his fist up to his chest and back out. Bao didn’t know how to respond to that.

“I am Centurion Quintus,” the warrior said. “This girl is Petunia Budd. And we are indeed comrades of Johnny Graphic and Nina Bain, with whom we lately campaigned in the north. We’ve come to report on events since they left us.”

“We’re late because we got lost in the fog,” the girl Petunia said with an exaggerated frown. “Did Johnny and Nina get here safe?”

Bao told the new arrivals everything that had happened since Johnny and Nina had reappeared. Then she showed the two specters into the great house and asked them to stay in the sitting room off the entrance hall. She warned them that it could be a long wait until everyone returned from the king’s house. But they didn’t seem to mind. Ghosts, of course, were used to waiting.

For some reason, the pretty little blonde ghost eyed Bao as if she were some strange, peculiar object. Bao sniffed at her and left the sitting room, thinking, I bet she doesn’t have an important job like I do.

A few hours later, an old automobile pulled up at the front entrance of Wickenham. Four living people piled out of it, along with one boy ghost. This time the butler Gilligan and the professor joined Bao to greet the visitors.

A black-haired boy with a swagger in his step was the first to speak up. Bao wasn’t sure she liked him. He acted very important.

“How do? I’m Marko Herne. This is my Uncle Ezra Herne, my new mate Basil Hastings, and my associate Iris Budd.”

Bao noticed that the pretty redheaded girl had her arm in a cast. And she had the loveliest violet eyes—though one of them had a bruise around it. Bao wondered if the girl had been in a fistfight with a zombie.

“The wraith is Raj Gupta, an ace secret ghost agent,” Marko continued. “We’ve come to see Johnny Graphic and Nina Bain. And I believe a couple of our ghost friends should have gotten here by now.”

“They have, sir,” said Gilligan in his ever-even tone. “They are waiting for Master Graphic, Miss Bain, Miss Graphic, and Dame Honoria in the sitting room. Would you please follow me?”

As soon as he entered the entrance hall, with all its paintings and sculptures, Marko whistled. “These are some fancy digs, aren’t they?”

Iris looked all around as well, agog at the sight of Grandmother’s house. But Basil didn’t seem too impressed. The ghost boy came next, followed by Uncle Ezra. Bao remembered the man. He had flown Johnny and Nina back home on that strange flying machine.

Gilligan brought them all into the sitting room, where they joined Quintus and Petunia. The instant they made eye contact, the living girl and the ghost girl rushed at each other and embraced. Iris showered kisses on Petunia’s blonde head. “I was so worried about you,” she exclaimed. “But you’re okay. You’re okay!”

“I missed you lots, sweetie,” Petunia replied, hugging Iris for all she was worth. Then she turned and looked at Bao. “This is my little sister,” she explained.

Bao watched, happy for the girls, but kind of jealous, too. She wished her little sister was still around. It had been centuries, but she missed her very much.

When the sisterly reunion trailed off, Gilligan promised the living guests and the professor some refreshments and food.

“Excuse me,” said Uncle Ezra, “but do you have a telephone I can use?”

Gilligan nodded. “Please come this way, sir.”

 

* * *

 

Because Bao hadn’t heard many details about Johnny and Nina’s adventures up north, she stayed with the professor and the guests, standing silently in the corner of the sitting room. No one seemed even to be aware of her.

The first account came from the boy ghost called Raj. He explained how he had flown away from some place called Bilbury Hall to a town called Higgsmarket. He had spent many hours searching for someone to tell about the zombie camp at Bilbury. And finally he did. At first this person wouldn’t believe him.

“The bloke was in the Special Ghost Service and he thought I was just some kind of dead street waif,” Raj said with a scowl. “But when I mentioned Johnny and Nina and Marko here, he had to pay me some attention. Took me to an officer who sent ghost spies back to Bilbury to check out my story. Well, they ended up sending in hundreds of army and SGS forces to take back the hall. I went with them, and it was a heck of a fight. No sign of that scoundrel Percy Rathbone and his bird, Pamela Whatsername. And they were able to save all the children who hadn’t escaped. No one was hurt. Just a few scratches, bumps, and bruises.”

That’s when the food and drink arrived, as well as a friend of Uncle Ezra’s, a woman called Bess Tippett. Bao remembered her, as well, from when Johnny and Nina arrived in the flying machine just the day before. They had landed on her grass airstrip.

“How did you find Iris?” Petunia asked, while everyone was eating. Marko repeated her question to Uncle Ez, who could not hear the girl.

“After I got back from flying Johnny and Nina south in ol’ Thumper,” the aviator explained, “myself and Marko and Basil got in the auto and headed toward Bilbury. We knew it wasn’t entirely safe, but we had to locate Iris. At a roadblock, an army bloke told us about a refugee center that had just taken in a bunch of kids. And that’s where we found her.” He winked at Iris. “Didn’t we, luv?”

“Did indeed, Uncle Ez,” Iris affirmed. “Carson and Leith and I were never so happy as when we saw those soldiers. They loaded us on lorries and took us to the camp. It warms my heart to think that all those kids are heading home now. No more zombie nightmares for them.”

After being mostly silent, Professor DeNimes spoke up. “I say, Centurion, I should so like to know a little about your history. Which legion did you serve in? What campaigns did you fight in?”

Quintus’s expression brightened, and he floated over and sat next to the professor. He began to tell him about all the action he’d seen in “the glorious old Ninth.”

Which was incredibly boring, as far as Bao was concerned. She went over and stood behind the children, who were talking about much more interesting things.

“When I’m done here,” said Basil, who couldn’t see Bao standing next to him, “I’m heading home to Royalton for a rendezvous with the parents and sibs. We managed to get a phone call through to them during the drive down here.”

Iris beamed at him. “Well, I expect Lord Hurley of Evansham will be delighted to have his youngest son safely back at home.”

Bao’s eyes widened. That was Evvie’s other name. She summoned her courage and spoke up.

“Lord Hurley’s here at Wickenham.”

Marko, Iris, Petunia, and Raj looked at her quizzically.

“What do you mean, Lord Hurley’s here?” asked Marko.

That got Basil’s attention.

“He’s here,” Bao insisted. “He’s a ghost. He’s my best friend.”

Marko told Basil what Bao had said.

Basil seemed dubious. “Ask her how she knows him.”

Marko did just that. And Bao briefly told how she had met Evvie and how they were nearly blown up together. Which Marko, in turn, related to Basil.

The St. Egbert’s School student looked quite astonished. “Well, I’m flabbergasted. That’s got to be my dad’s big brother. The chap who drowned in the Roobuco River. And he’s here? Ask her, the ghost, to please go fetch him. I’ve dreamt about meeting Uncle Edward ever since I was little.”

Bao went and found Evvie and brought him to the sitting room. A smashingly good introduction was made between uncle and nephew—with the help of Marko and Iris.

“Uncle Edward” told how he had recently visited the family home in Royalton, but was unable to make contact.

“Well,” said Basil, “we’ll just have to arrange a proper reunion, won’t we, Uncle? Grandmother will be over the moon to talk to you again. So will Father.”

Basil and his dead uncle chatted for hours, until their “translators,” Marko and Iris, went hoarse.