The next day it was raining. A warm, soft rain that fell with a gentle patter on the roof of the little shelter. Suzan and another gardener, Lucy, had been tending to the vegetables when they felt the first drizzle land on their heads, and they took to the little wooden shelter nestled in the corner. It had a conical roof and a low wooden bench against the only wall at the back, a spiral of bricks making the floor beneath their feet. Lucy fished out her phone and checked the weather app. The rain was going to last.

"I'm going to head back to the staff room for a while until this stops, you coming with?"

"No thanks Lucy. I think I'll stay here."

Lucy gave her an odd look before saying "Suit yourself." She held her jacket over her head and dashed outside, making a little scream as she inevitably got wet, leaving the walled garden empty. Apart from Suzan.

She leant back against the wood, listening to the calming droplets and finally letting herself think about the day before. She was still reeling from it. As small as it was, when she stepped into her new house that night she had crept around every corner, fearful she might come across another spectre. Thankfully she hadn't. The scariest thing to happen that night was an ominous tapping coming from one of the upstairs rooms. Sneaking in on her tiptoes, knees bent and brandishing a rolling pin, she discovered it was a crow pecking away on the window. Knocking her fist against the glass, she soon scared it away.

She pulled out her phone and messaged Ezra.

'You free?'

'Yeah no tours till 2, where r u'

'Im hiding in the veg patch'

'Find you in a min'

She sat there and waited. She needed to talk to someone. Not knowing how many people she had seen today that were actually real, Ezra felt reliable. Solid for sure. He seemed to be the only one who really believed she might actually be seeing ghosts. Just when she thought she was no longer mad, she might be worse than she could have imagined.

It wasn't long before she saw Ezra jogging through the open gate, umbrella in hand. He sat down next to her with a thump, folding the wet umbrella and lying it on the floor between them.

"So, how are you today?" he asked. Despite the umbrella, the rain had still caught his carefully styled curly hair, although it evidently hadn't dampened his cheerfulness.

She took a deep breath, "I think I believe you. About seeing ghosts."

"Well, a flying candle is hard evidence to deny."

She tried to suppress a smile, "He knocked it over with his hat."

"It still scared the life out of me." He chuckled.

"I don't know what to do Ezra."

He leant back against the wooden boards and folded his arms. "Well, I know what I would do."

"And what's that?" she leaned forward intently.

"I'd find them and talk to them. Make friends of course! How often do you get to hear their actual stories?"

Suzan looked out towards the rain, "I suppose..."

"Unless they look really scary. I didn't think of that. Did Matt look handsome or terrifying?"

"He looked human." She said, finding herself light hearted. Ezra seemed to bring a certain kind of positivity to every situation.

"Handsome then. I've seen a picture of him. Yes, it was in black and white but boy, was he good lookin'."

Suzan laughed properly this time. "Ezra, he's dead."

"And?"

She gave a sigh, "Well, If we're going on a ghost hunt I suppose we had better find Basil. I imagine he hangs out in the most haunted parts of the garden."

"He does like his solitude, that man. I'll send him a text."

And so they sat and chatted for about 10 minutes, discussing what they might find. The more they talked, the more Suzan felt excited rather than scared by this new development. And If they didn't exist, she figured that she would be no worse off than before. It was starting to feel less like an illness and more like a gift.

Basil strolled into the garden, oblivious of the rain that, instead of easing off was starting to pelt down harder. He soon spotted them under the shelter and crunched over the gravel towards them.

"I still don't believe this whole ghost thing." He called out.

"Yesterday wasn't evidence enough for you?" Suzan replied.

"It could have been a strong gust of wind that knocked the candle over. Draughts aren't unknown in old buildings."

"Believe it or not, we are all going on a ghost hunt." Ezra said, "And we need you to show us the most haunted parts of the garden."

"The garden isn't haunted, neither is the house."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it-"

"Then I guess we will just have to walk around until we find one." Suzan said quickly.

Despite Basil's protests that ghosts did not exist, the three of them were soon walking along a gravel path that led towards the rose garden, all trying to squeeze themselves under Ezra's colourful umbrella. The house loomed at them from a distance, its yellow stones dull through the grey weather, but no less impressive.

The rose garden looked more beautiful to Suzan in the rain than it did the last time she saw it. There were not a great many roses left at this time of year, but they ranged a great many colours. And they were not the only pretty thing. The lady in the lilac gown was sitting upon a white bench. She looked up in surprise when they approached.

"Well?" asked Ezra, "Anyone here?"

Suzan nodded, a sudden feeling of uncertainty shivering down her spine. Slowly, she left the shelter of the umbrella and stepped closer to the bench. The lady rose from her seat. She smiled.

"You are the girl Matt and Rodger told us about."

Suzan nodded again, "Yes." She knew she must look like a deer in headlights, and tried to control her façade. She swallowed.

"Who is it this time?" Ezra asked eagerly.

"Sorry, um....what's your name?" Suzan looked at the lady, half in awe and half in fear that she might suddenly turn into a vengeful creature. Suzan prayed that she would remain pleasant.

"My name is Gabrielle Du Shadow. You are...?"

Suzan spoke to Ezra, ""She says she's Gabrielle Du Shadow." Facing the lady again, she said "I'm Suzan Lumpton."

"Well, pleasure to meet you Miss Lumpton. There are people approaching us now. It would do your employment no good to see you speaking to air." Her lips lifted in a delicate smile. "I would love to talk to you more though. If you can, you can join us in the house tonight."

"Er, thanks." Suzan said, but Gabrielle Du Shadow had already walked off, through the prickly rose bushes and out of sight.

"She's gone" she said.

"That was an exciting conversation." Basil said sarcastically.

Ezra ignored him, "What did she say?"

Suzan looked back through the rain, hardly believing she had spoken to her at all.

"She said people were coming, but that she'd like to speak to me again. She said I could join them in the house tonight."

"Wow. Gabrielle herself wants to speak to you. That, Suzie, is cool." Ezra said, offering her safety beneath the umbrella again.

"Being invited to a house at night sounds dangerous." Basil said.

"How much harm can a ghost do?" Ezra asked doubtfully. "She's a ghost."

Basil looked about to speak, a concerned expression on his face when they heard footsteps crunching towards them. It was the house manager and Crystal, along with two other men. One in a smart black suit, his bald head being protected from the downpour by the other who held up a plain, black umbrella. They entered the rose garden. Crystal, it seemed, was giving them a private tour. She stopped when she saw the three employees. The man in the black suit turned to stare at them. For a moment, all that could be heard was the rain. The water thrashed down upon them with a renewed energy, noisy on the umbrellas that stood like two islands opposing each other in a dying ocean of roses.

Basil quickly raised his hand in greeting, "Bye" he said and hurriedly pushed Ezra and Suzan down the path.

They could hear conversation start again behind them. Once they were out of earshot, the three of them turned to look back.

"Who was that?" Suzan asked.

"Haven't you heard?" Ezra said, "That's Mr Snotem. He's looking to buy the house."