Maude Berthiaume here with the first installment of “Greetings from Mt. Geneva”. If you don’t know me, I’m an old spinster living in Berthiaume Manor, which overlooks the lovely village of Mt. Geneva. Since I live in that great big house all alone, I have nothing better to do than to flit around town and poke my nose into everyone else’s business. I can roam about undetected and no one is the wiser because, well — I’m a ghost! (More on that later.)

Let me tell you a little bit about Mt. Geneva. It used to be just our lonely manor on the hill, and the Barnavelt House down the road, and perhaps a farm or two in the valley that my family owned. As soon as I died, leaving no heirs, the land in the valley was divided and sold to a bunch of city folks. I mourned the loss of our dear, peaceful woodlands and meadows, but let me tell you, talking to squirrels gets old. Things are much more exciting around here with some new faces to spy on.

One of the families I’ve been watching lately has been the Dobbins family, which began with just one Dobbins, a young woman by the name of Joely. Isn’t she charming?

Joely came to Mt. Geneva, as many do, in search of a new life. Her two desires were to start a family and begin a career in medicine. She bought a modest house in the valley and had visitors the very first day! One of them was Nick, who already had a reputation in Mt. Geneva as somewhat of a Casanova, a heartbreaker, a cad, you name it. Joely had no idea, however, and struck up a friendship with him almost immediately. Poor, unsuspecting Joely!

I wish I could have warned her about him, but I would have scared her to death, being a ghost and all. The living don’t quite like the sight of us. But anyway, there was nothing I could do except let Joely go about her life. She seemed to spend most of her time studying…

…and going to work…

…but she couldn’t get Nick off of her mind. She invited him over several times, and he accepted eagerly, as young Don Juans are wont to do. Little did he know that he would become quite smitten.

It’s rather sweet, isn’t it? Town Lothario tamed by love! For awhile, anyway.

(to be continued…)