Haunted: A Lockwood & Co Story

Chapter Nine: Miss Fiona Wintergarden

Lockwood's eyes snapped open, his heart racing as he gasped for breath. Sweat clung to his forehead as he sat up in bed, disoriented and trembling from the nightmare that had just jolted him awake. But as he turned his head and saw Charlotte peacefully asleep beside him, her gentle breathing and serene expression brought him immediate comfort. The fear melted away as he reached out to touch her cheek, reassured by her presence, knowing that she was safe and by his side. She mumbled in her sleep and leaned closer to him. He smiled, feeling the warmth of her body against his, and closed his eyes, trying to forget the nightmare. He relished the feeling of contentment and safety, knowing that nothing could harm her while he was there to protect her.

Over the past year, Lockwood had noticed things. She was too quiet, when she was super tired, or too loud, when she got excited about things. She took things seriously, or not seriously at all. She was too sensitive, or too cold-hearted. She hated with every fibre of her being, or loved with every piece of her heart. There was no in between for her. It was either all or nothing. She wanted everything but settled for nothing.

There's a Japanese saying, that his parents would always tell him: koi no yokan. It doesn't mean love at first sight. It's closer to love at second sight. It's the feeling of when you meet someone that you're going to fall in love with them. Maybe you don't love them right away, but it's inevitable that you will.

Lockwood ran his fingers through the girls hair as she slept. He was in love with her.

He knew that much was true. Love was the feeling swelling, hopeful feeling in his chest every time he saw her. Love was the way he forgot everything when he was with her. Love was the catch in his breath when she did her weird eye thing at him. Love was the way that he could be himself around her. Knowing that he didn't need to be perfect or worry about what she was thinking, because she accepted him. And all of that?

Love scared the hell out of him. Because he knew, that winter night snuggled up to the girl, that he would not live with out her. He would rather die than lose her.

»»————-　　————-««

At precisely ten o'clock the following morning, the client arrived. She was a Miss Fiona Wintergarden, a tall, willowy, somewhat desiccated lady in her early fifties. Her hair, cut short and sensibly, was approaching rain-cloud gray. She wore a cream twin-set and long black skirt, and a pair of small golden spectacles on the crest of her angular nose. She sat parched on the lip of the sofa with her knees tight together, thin hands folded in her lap. Her spine was ramrod straight, her bony shoulders forced back against the fabric of her cardigan like the stumps of dragon wings. If she'd had a bust it would have certainly have been thrust forward; as it was, the effect was aggressively demure.

The employees of Lockwood & Co. positioned themselves around her. Lockwood reclined in the two seater couch, Charlotte was sitting next to Lockwood, and he had one arm around her back. George took his usual chair to the left of them. Their newest member, Ms Holly Munro, sat slightly back from the rest of them, legs neatly crossed, with a notebook and pen held ready on her knee. She would take notes on the meeting. 12 months before, when Charlotte had just joined the company, she'd had a similar role. But she'd never thought to sit so close behind Lockwood that she could lean forward and speak quietly in his ear, or, by virtue of her proximity to the leader, tactically becoming the second most important person in the room.

There were thick slabs of carrot cake on the table, beside the obligatory tea. This, Charlotte thought, was a miscalculation on George's part. New company etiquette dictated that they couldn't eat cake unless the client did, and Miss Wintergarden didn't seem a carrot-cake type of person. And indeed she ignored the plate when it was offered her, and only sipped once at her cup before setting it aside.