Page 77 of Ghost

Ellen took the glass.“I am sure it will be fine, Mason.”

He placed the cookies on a small box that he’d been using as a coffee table.“Sorry for the lack of furniture.I’ve not had a lot of time to think about getting any, and to be honest, I’ve not really had the money to even think about it.”

Ellen took a sip of the lemonade.“This is actually quite pleasant, and shortbread cookies are one of my favorites.”She picked one up and took a nibble, then nodded appreciatively.“Quite nice.Now, Francis was holding off on telling us why he wanted to see us this morning until you had returned.”Ellen turned to Francis expectantly.

Francis held up a finger, silently asking for a second.He placed his hands behind his back, clasped together.He paced a few times before speaking.“It was always my intention to make Hobonny a profitable plantation once again.”He stopped and looked at everyone.“I had an idea of how to make that happen, especially when rice was no longer a viable option.It seems that perhaps I was ahead of my time with the idea I had.Now, it seems that perhaps, what I had in mind was not as crazy an idea as I had once thought.”

Mr.Trudeau took a step forward.“I would very much like to hear your idea.That place has been a financial drain on our family for years.”

Ellen rolled her eyes at her husband.“That may very well be true, but at least now it is paying for itself.”

“I would personally like to thank you, cousin, for keeping the family home within the family,” Francis said, as he moved closer to her.“However,” he looked towards Mr.Trudeau, “I think with an investment, it could once again be profitable, if not make you very wealthy.”

Mr.Trudeau scowled, one eye almost closed.“Go on.I would like to hear this idea.”

Ellen once again frowned at her husband.“Gerald, we do not need any more money.We are quite financially secure.”

“Piffle,” he replied, then motioned for Francis to continue.

Francis began pacing once again, his hands behind his back.“Long ago, when I was a young man, the one thing that my father told me about his mother was her love of oysters and the fresh seafood that was so readily available at Hobonny.”He stopped and looked at Ellen for a moment.

“Just get on with it,” Gerald said.

Francis glanced at him.“It was my intention to remove all the fill soil that my grandfather put into the marsh and try to grow oysters and other mollusks.The biggest issue then was how to get them to market before they spoiled.”He stopped for a moment.“Now with the advancement of refrigeration,” he looked at Mason to make sure he was speaking correctly, and Mason nodded, “and the availability of multiple types of transportation, I think it is now a viable business venture.”

Mason looked at Ellen, who was smiling broadly.“I do not think that anyone has ever thought of that idea for Hobonny.”She looked at her husband, who was standing only a few feet away from Francis, his mouth slightly open.

“I was told that the oysters just off the coast, which Hobonny borders, were some of the best in the world,” Francis stated.

“This is true,” Gerald said, scratching his chin.“And when they are in season, the prices are astronomical.”He looked at Ellen.“I do think that may actually work.”

Ellen lightly slapped her hands down onto her thighs.“I think that is a brilliant idea!”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Later that morning, after much discussion, Ellen and Gerald left, and no sooner had they departed than the phone man showed up to install the new phone.Mason was thrilled when he opened the door for the man.He was less thrilled when Francis kept popping in and out behind the man, trying to get a reaction from Mason.