Page 55 of The Haunted Hotel

I reach down without thinking and take his hand again. His eyes widen in surprise and then a shy blush steals over his pretty cheeks. I feel his fingers entwine with mine and, lifting my phone with my other hand to light the way, I lead him into the passageway.

There’s a slight slope downwards, then rough stone walls cocooning us in and a thick, rough-hewn wooden floor beneath our feet. It’s freezing, but I know we won’t be down here long. Hurrying along the narrow corridor, we reach a set of steps at the other end and climb them. At the top of them is a wall with an old metal catch above a matching metal handle, the kind you might find on a garden gate. I flick it up confidently andpress the handle down. The wall splits and a doorway appears, suddenly flooding the passage with bright light.

We both blink until our eyes adjust, then step through into the room beyond and find Aggie in front of us with her arms folding across her chest.

“So this is how you always managed to sneak into the kitchen to steal cookies,” Aggie says loudly as she stares at me. “I always wondered about that.”

“Oh, it opens out into the kitchen!” Ellis exclaims in delight, turning to look as the concealed doorway closes behind us. It’s covered by the same tiles as the rest of the kitchen wall and once it closes, it’s almost completely undetectable… unless you know where to look.

The small Scottish cook stares at me a moment longer, and just when I begin to wonder if she’s planning on chopping me into tiny pieces with the meat cleaver she’s so fond of, she reaches up and grabs an old-fashioned tin from the shelf. She lifts the lid and holds the container out to me so I can see the contents.

“Go on,” she says. “You’ve gone to all this trouble, might as well claim your reward.”

I reach into the tin, wondering if this is a trap of some sort. Instead, I retrieve a large golden brown perfectly baked cookie with what looks like toffee or fudge chunks in it. I can smell the delicious scent before I’ve even raised it to my lips.

Taking a generous bite, I begin to chew as it melts over my tongue. Sugar and sweet, gooey goodness, and with every taste comes a flood of memories. I look down at the cookie in my hand and swallow.

“I remember these,” I whisper, my gaze sweeping back up to Aggie’s face. “I remember you.”

Her stern mouth tilts up at the corner. “Welcome home, Morgan,” she mutters in her rhotic accent. “Now, get out of mykitchen before I chase the pair of you out with my broom,” she snaps.

Ellis laughs delightedly, snatches a cookie from the tin, and grabs my hand like we’re Bonnie and Clyde. The next thing I know, we’re running towards the door. We crash into the dining room, weaving our way through the empty, pristinely set tables, and don’t stop until we’re through the doorway and landing in the small vestibule on the other side.

He turns to face me, his merry blue eyes bright and his cheeks flushed pink. There’s a spider web in his hair and a smear of dirt on his cheek. My jacket, which is two sizes too big, practically swamps him as he clutches his stolen cookie in one hand.

He studies my face intently, and it’s only then that I realise I’m laughing, my mouth stretched in an unfamiliar but wide smile.

“You look so much lighter when you smile,” he says, and I’m so enchanted by him.

He drops my hand and I mourn the loss of his palm against mine, but he reaches up and runs his fingers through my hair.

“Cobwebs,” he whispers as I step closer.

Still holding onto my half-eaten cookie with one hand, I reach for him with my other and entwine my fingers with his again. He looks shyly pleased and my heart beats faster. I’m beginning to think he’s right.

There is something about this hotel that’s magical.

“I want to see it all,” I say impulsively. “Show me everything.”

16

Ipeer around the corner so I can watch Ellis wander down the corridor, a slight skip in his step. He’s wearing a bathrobe and a pair of pink flip-flops and carries a towel and a loofah. I know exactly where he’s heading. It’s what he always does on a Friday night to relax.

After spending all day with my great-great-nephew, Ellis joined him for dinner again, but just when I thought we were making progress, they then parted ways at the dining-room door with an awkward goodbye.

For heaven’s sake,honestly. If we leave the courting up to them, they’ll still be circling each other when they’re fifty. We need to up our game.

He heads into room 416, which is never locked, probably because Ellis uses it so often. Well, that and the fact there are never really any guests here anymore and certainly not on this floor. I watch as he heads inside and closes the door behind him.

“He’s coming!” Roger rushes around the corner. “Hurry up!”

Cracking my knuckles, I summon all my psychic energy and push it into my fingertips. They tingle as I reach up towards the number 6 and slowly, painstakingly twist it upside down so it now reads 9. Rubbing my hands together gleefully, I turn toRoger, who peeks around the corner of the corridor towards the staircase one more time, then gives me a thumbs-up and hurries towards me.

“He’s coming, he’s coming!” Roger chants, giggling wickedly, and we duck down behind a large potted palm. Not that it really conceals the pair of us, but it adds a little more excitement. After all, being dead for decades can get a little dull.

We continue to watch as Morgan wanders down the corridor. Not paying attention, he types something out on one of those blasted phone thingies.

“He’s going to miss it,” I hiss to Roger.