Introduction
The Roxanne’s Ghost
Ben, the male lead
My main man in Roxanne’s Ghost is Dr. Benjamin Arnold, a completely fictitious person. He is a veterinary surgeon, a widower, and father to a little girl called Amber.
Ben looks a bit like this, only with bright green eyes. A typical outdoorsy man, he is nicely suntanned and athletically built. To top it all, he has something about wearing a shirt and is just about always barefoot.
(Can anyone tell me who he is?)
Setting
Roxanne’s Ghost is set in modern day South Africa, just outside a tiny village named Wellington in the Western Cape region. It is about an hour’s drive from Cape Town itself, in the heart of the winelands.
This picturesque little town nestles at the foot of the majestic Hottentots Holland Mountains and is surrounded by vineyards. Weltevreden is the name of the farm where Ben lives. It used to be a winery in the past, but for reasons unknown, the vineyards are gone in Ben’s time. It is situated off the Ceres road, about 5km outside the town.
Ben’s Wobblies
As the main man, Ben is the ultimate reluctant lover. He is a bit confused about his feelings. Considering himself strictly a one-woman man, and he still thinks of himself as a married man – although he made peace with his wife’s death -he is not ready for a new relationship yet.
The Conflict Souring His Life
His in-laws. You see, his wife died tragically in a car accident, leaving him alone with his four-year-old autistic daughter. His housekeeper, Ethel, took care of the little one since her birth, but she is now too old to mind a young child with problems, therefore Ben needs a nanny.
He dislikes his sisters-in-law intensely because they seem to have a plan for him now that his wife is out of the picture, but Ben dug his heels in and will not allow them to arrange his future for him. Their plan seems to revolve around him marrying again – one of them, no less
Enters Jess
This is where Jessica James comes in. She is a highly qualified young woman, sent for an interview with Ben for the nanny position. AlthoughBen made it plain that ‘only older applicants’ will be considered, she never the less arrives at Weltevreden on – wait for it – Friday the 13th.
Jess is immediately aware of undercurrents in Ben’s house, which half scares her to death. She tries to hide her fear
Ben put his attraction to her eloquently in words. ‘Jessica, before you came, my life was in order. Now I will never be happy again, wanting what I can’t have.’ And this is at the heart of his problem. He should have insisted on an older woman.
The problem with the sisters
But the problem becomes clear shortly after Jess got to Weltevreden. Roxanne’s identical twin sister, Millicent, arrives for the first anniversary of Roxanne’s death. The other two sisters follow in the morning. And they are not happy with Jessica being there at all. Fancying themselves at some sort of dark witches, they put all sorts of spokes in Ben’s wheels. Even though he tries to throw them out, they just won’t budge. And they have a bad influence on Amber.
Ben asks them what their purpose is for being at Weltevreden. They claim that Roxanne isn’t dead at all, that they will find her and bring her home. Millicent even has a psychic in tow to make sure Roxanne doesn’t slip through their fingers
How is Ben going To Fix His – And His Daughter’s – Life?
Ben accepts that he has to move past the pain of losing his wife, but he isn’t in the market for a new relationship. Not yet, anyway. He wants to be left in peace, with no one pressuring him into what he isn’t ready for. A sexy young nanny like Jess, will be too much of a temptation, therefore he can’t employ her – he is only a man. His only condition is that his sisters-in-law are not part of his new life. If the only way to avoid them is to move away from Weltevreden, then so be it. He can set up practice anywhere.
Related article: A remote setting to bring out the creeps
https://www.ghostly.co.za/a-remote-setting-to-bring-out-the-creeps/
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