“Great!” Persis’s smile broadened, becoming more natural. Lucy sensed Gabriel relax slightly.

“Have you got the parking ticket?” he asked Persis, as though the conversation with Lucy no longer interested him. “We gotta go.”

“Sorry,” Persis mouthed at Lucy as her brother dragged her away.

“It was totally weird,” Lucy said to Cleo and Sam later, as they sat on Cleo’s tiny balcony looking out over the rooftops and eating a delicious chickpea salad that Sam had put together. “It was as though they were glad—relieved, even—that I hadn’t been to see the exhibition. And then there’s the whole issue of Persis pretending to be Charlie MacIntyre’s assistant rather than his girlfriend. What was that about? And why didn’t she tell Finn she’d been with Charlie to Chastleton? I’m sure he didn’t know about Charlie’s trip there or he would have been to collect the book.”

“You could always ask Persis to explain herself,” Cleo said. “There could be a perfectly natural explanation. Maybe she wanted to big herself up in front of the staff at Chastleton rather than admit she was just along for the ride? And perhaps she didn’t tell Finn because she just forgot.”

“On the other hand—” Sam took a drink of the chilled ginger beer Lucy had bought in the Chastleton shop as a thank-you present “—if people don’t mention something it’s usually because they don’t want you to know.” She smiled at Lucy. “You can tell I used to be in the police, can’t you.”

“You have such a suspicious mind,” Cleo grumbled, nevertheless casting her a girlfriend an adoring glance. “The trouble is, you’re usually right.”

“Of course I am.” Sam looked smug. “I know human nature. My bet is that Persis didn’t want anyone to know she’d been to Chastleton with Charlie, or what was discussed whilst they were there. And if she and Gabriel didn’t want you to see the exhibition, Lucy, then there must be something in it they don’t want you to know about.”

“Wow.” Lucy stared at her. “Do you really think so?”

Sam shrugged, reaching over to pass Lucy the salad bowl for a second helping. “I’m only guessing. Time may tell whether or not I’m right. Which reminds me, whilst poor Cleo was slaving over the accounts today I had a bit of time to research Catherine Catesby. There isn’t much about her, is there?”

Lucy looked suspiciously at her sister. “Did you tell Sam that Catherine is haunting me?”

“Hmm... Maybe.” Cleo avoided her gaze. “You know we tell each other everything.”

“I’m open-minded about these things,” Sam said with a smile. “If you think you’re haunted, Lucy, I’m not going to tell you otherwise. But I can tell you that there’s pitifully little information available on Catherine Catesby. She’s yet another woman from history who appears to have left very little footprint.”

“No wonder she wants to be heard then,” Cleo said. “Fed up with centuries of being ignored.”

“What I did find, though,” Sam continued, “are reports of her ghost, which is why I’m open-minded about your experience. Apparently Catherine has been seen before.”