Charlie carefully probed the water. The boy nodded and climbed into the tub.
“Do you want the battleship?” Ben asked. Charlie had a toy warship that they sometimes played with in the tub. The crew had had to deal with an astonishing assortment of problems. Torpedoes, sharks, icebergs, even bears. The captain was resourceful, and his men were brave, but the ship still sank several times an outing. It’d been a while since they’d played with it.
Charlie shrugged.
Ben squeezed shampoo into his hand and kneaded it into his son’s hair. His hair was getting thicker every day, and it was in need of a cut.
“So Father Caleb’s really nice,” Ben told him as he worked up a lather. “And you’ll like the school, too. It’s on a mountain, just like we are, and they have lots of fields to play on.”
“Is it in the forest?”
“Part of it is.”
“Is there a lake?”
“Not that I saw, but there’s a fountain. Close your eyes now.” Ben dunked a cup into the bathwater and poured it over Charlie’s head. “Scrub your feet with this.” Ben handed him the soap. They used to play games with the bar of soap. Ben would pretend to fumble it and see how far he could send it flying when it slipped through his hands, but there was none of that anymore. “He’s just coming up to meet you. It’s not a test or anything.” The water was starting to look dirty now, a ring forming at the upper reach of the waterline.
“What kinds of animals are in the forest?” Charlie asked him. This was familiar territory, something Charlie used to like to hear about when he was in bed, before the lights went out.
“Lots of animals. Too many to name. There are moles and voles and groundhogs under the fields, rabbits in the grass, and opossums in the trees. There are snakes and frogs and salamanders and newts around the lake; you can find them in the shallows between the stalks of cattails. There are deer in the woods, and—”
“How big are the bears?” Charlie asked.
“We have black bears up here. Not as big as the grizzlies they have out west, but they can weigh a hundred pounds more than me.” Ben spread out his hand and held it in front of Charlie. “They have long hooked claws as sharp as razors.”
“What animals walk around like we do?” Charlie asked him.
“Like we do?” Ben pulled a towel off the rack. “A bear can stand on two legs, but I don’t think they go around walking like that.”
“They’re taller than you and have black fur?”
Ben pulled Charlie out of the water and wrapped the towel around him.
“There’s nothing like that out there,” he told him. Ben rubbed Charlie’s head with the towel, sending droplets of water flying. The boy’s eyes glanced past Ben’s head. Ben followed his gaze but saw nothing.
“I was just wondering.”
“Father Caleb’s here.” Caroline’s head popped around the bathroom door. “Do you want me to take over?”
Because Caroline had worked long hours and Ben had worked from home, he’d always been the parent to make sure Charlie got to school on time and did his homework. He’d been the one who met with teachers on back-to-school night and the one the PTA called when they were looking for volunteers. He’d been the one who was called when something went wrong. There was no reason for this arrangement to continue now that they’d moved up here, but it had.
“Come down when you’re ready, okay, buddy?” Ben tousled Charlie’s damp hair on the way out of the room.
When he got to the kitchen, Ben found the old priest nodding at whatever Ted was saying to him.
“Don’t believe anything he says, Father,” Ben told him.
“I was telling him that I think you’re nuts for living in this enormous place,” Ted said.
“Oh, well, that may be true.” Ben shook the priest’s hand.
“I have to say that this is beautiful,” Father Caleb said, gesturing to the kitchen. “So modern and lovely. I’m impressed and surprised.”
“Well, prepare yourself to be less surprised by the rest of house. May I show you around?”
“I don’t want to pressure you into a tour; I know you haven’t been here that long.”
“Charlie’s not quite ready; it’ll probably just be a couple minutes.” Ben stepped into the hallway. He turned around on his way through the door. “Hey, Ted, feel free to load and run the dishwasher.”
Ted, his mouth full again with French toast, gave Ben a salute.
“Younger brother?” Father Caleb asked when they stepped into the first room.
“Only by a year, though you’d think it was more, wouldn’t you?” Ben said. “We’re thinking about putting a bar in here. The light’s stunning at sunset. A great view for cocktail hour.”
Father Caleb walked to one of the middle windows and peered through its runny glass to the world outside.
“Do you believe in ghosts, Mr. Tierney?” the priest asked him.
Ben took a moment to make sure he’d heard him right. “I don’t.”
“Good,” Father Caleb said. “Because, from what I understand, the Swanns were teetotalers. And the last thing you need is ten generations of them haunting you.”
“Teetotalers.” Ben shook his head. “How did they survive the winters?”
“It’s a beautiful room,” Father Caleb said. “Amazing ceilings.”
“So you know something about the Swanns?” Ben asked. “I don’t know much myself.”
“The Crofts has a lot of history. I’m surprised that no one told you about it. Not even the realtor?”
“I’m not sure the guy handling the sale had even seen the place before I called him about it. I’d love to hear whatever you can tell me,” Ben said.
“Well, I’m not originally from around here, and the folks in Swannhaven mostly keep to themselves—”
“I’ve noticed,” Ben said.
“—but this place has always fascinated me. Did you know that a member of the Swann family lived here for nearly three hundred years, until just two winters ago?”