Page 128 of Ghost

“I don’t know how you do that.”Mason said, barely above a whisper.

“I can tell you.”Ellen slipped her arm around his.“I learned from a very young age that if you look long enough and hard enough you can tell what people are thinking.Not like mind-reading or anything such as that, but you’ll know.”

“Just by studying them?”

“Yes.Observe how they act.How they treat others.Their eyes often give them away.”

“What did LD Three do to give himself away?”Mason turned to look at Ellen.

Ellen waved her hand as if shooing a fly away.“Men are easy to read.He had that hunting look in his eyes, which were on you all evening.It took a bit of strong-arming of Francis to keep him from losing control.I am pretty sure that the two of us were not the only ones that noticed, either.”

“Oh, hell.”Mason ran his hand over his head, wishing he hadn’t cut his hair.

“Don’t worry.”Ellen gave a little chuckle.“I have no doubt that he’ll be around...a lot.”

“What did Francis say?”

“Don’t you worry about that.He didn’t like it and if he were alive, he probably would have challenged the poor lad to a duel.”

Mason stopped and looked horrified at Ellen.“You’re not serious.”

“Of course, I am.That is how these types of things were handled back in the day.They would either apologize or shoot at one another.It was very flattering, to be honest.”

“Did that happen to you?”Mason asked, his eyebrows almost meeting his hairline.

“Yes, but only once.”Ellen sighed contently.“It had fallen out of fashion for the most part, but I heard many stories of when it happened to others.My mother, for instance, told me that she had four men duel over her.She made sure to tell me that none of them died, fortunately, and only three were wounded.”

“I...I’d hate to think that anyone died over me.”

“As I said, it was a different time.”She looked at Mason.“It was a time in which Francis lived.He is not of this time, Mason.”

Mason swallowed hard.“I know.”

“He knows that also.”Ellen took Mason’s hands in hers.They were warm but not hot, and cool, but not cold.It was somewhat odd.“Treat each other with kindness tonight.”

Mason could only nod.He was afraid that he would lose it completely and starting sobbing again.

“Why don’t you go to bed?”Ellen patted his left hand.“You’ve had a very long and emotional day.Remember that you are overly stimulated right now, okay?Remember that.”

Mason nodded again.“What about the rest of these people?”

“I will take care of that,” Ellen smiled.“I’ll tell Patty that the party is over, and tomorrow is a big day.”

“What about...all this mess?”Mason swung his arm around the back courtyard where tables and chairs still stood, along with some discarded plates and glasses in the grass.

“That has been dealt with.The only thing you have to do is wake up and do what you normally do in the mornings.”She looked away.“Martin will be here around ten in the morning.”

“I thought they weren’t coming until the afternoon?”

Ellen smiled gently.“I felt it might be better to move things along.”

* * * * *

Mason went into his bathroom and brushed his teeth before going to bed.He was approaching his bed when Francis slowly appeared.They stood and looked at each other for a moment.

“Do you not wish to sleep in my bed, Mason?”

Mason shut his eyes for a moment, then looked up at Francis.“Yes, I do.I want to sleep with you there.I...just wasn’t thinking, Francis.I’m pretty exhausted.The last few days have pretty much drained me.”