“If all else fails, we can follow the Duke and see where he takes the painter, but that’s not my favorite idea.”
“Yeah, if he catches us, we’re dead meat.”
“Oh, good point. I was thinking if we follow him, we can’t steal it back then anyway. We’d have to wait until everyone left it alone or hope he doesn’t move it before we can get to it. But, yeah, that’s another good point. I doubt he’ll be thrilled to see us given what happened five years ago.”
Damien nodded as he stuffed his pockets with breakfast pastries. “Okay, we’re set and I got enough for all day!”
“Let’s hope we don’t need it.”
“Perhaps we should swing past Ben Abbott’s place first and see if he’s still there, too. He didn’t say when he would finish the painting, but we should try to keep tabs on him too.”
“Agreed. There isn’t enough of us to keep tabs on everyone.”
“You’re right. And splitting up is NOT an option.”
“No way! No splitting up. That’s when people get killed in the horror movies, when they split up,” Damien said, shaking his head.
“Will you stop talking about us getting killed? It’s giving me the creeps!” Michael admonished him.
The two set out through the front door, heading toward Benjamin’s cottage. They approached, hiding in their usual spot. Even from this distance they could see Gray, Alexander and Benjamin standing in the living room. They appeared to be having a spirited discussion. They had ascertained Benjamin’s location. He was not working on the painting.
They moved on, keeping to the woods until they were clear of the cottage. Their path to the VanWoodsens’ home passed Duke Northcott’s. As they passed the home, Damien shuddered, reminded of the disturbing night they spent there last night.
They continued on toward the seaside home. They approached it, keeping hidden until they could assess the property. All appeared quiet in the house. Michael motioned to Damien, signaling they should approach the house and determine if anyone was home.
They advanced toward the house, peering in windows. They saw no one. The house looked deserted. After doing their canvassing, they agreed to enter and take a quick look around for the painting.
Michael tried the door, finding it unlocked. They entered the main hallway, this time agreeing that Michael would take the main floor and Damien would take the second floor. They conducted a brief but thorough search but found nothing.
They gathered in the hall after searching their respective floors. “Only one level left,” Michael said.
“Yeah, don’t remind me,” Damien said, realizing he was referring to the basement.
“I hope we have better luck than last night,” Michael said.
“Me too. Let’s get this over with.”
They opened the door to the basement. It was dark despite the sunshine outside. “Must be windowless,” Michael said.
“Lucky us,” Damien said. He grabbed a candle from the nearby kitchen and lit it. They descended the stairs in the dim light, peering into the darkness.
Chapter 26
Celine held her breath, pressed into the darkest corner of the basement. With bated breath, she waited as two figures descended the stairs. Squinting into the darkness, she waited to see their faces. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Celine held in a gasp. Even in the dim candlelight, she recognized Michael and Damien.
Celine took a step toward them, prepared to show herself when noise sounded overhead. Michael swore, extinguishing the flame on the candle. In the darkness, they scurried across the room, out of the staircase’s view.
The noise continued overhead. Voices carried through the floor, announcing the VanWoodsens’ arrival. Celine overheard Damien whisper, “Are you kidding me?” She smiled to herself at his comment. While the situation was not laughable, his reaction almost made her giggle.
“Seems we have a real knack for getting stuck in basements,” Michael whispered back.
Celine considered his statement, determining to follow up on it later. An unintelligible conversation ensued overhead. Celine strained to make words out, but they were too far from her to understand what they were saying.
After a time, the noise quieted. Celine assumed Celeste was resting as was often her routine following lunch. Teddy was likely doing work in his study. Despite the quietness, sneaking out was impossible without the danger of being caught.
They were trapped, waiting until the coast was clear before they could leave the house. A few moments after silence enveloped the house, Celine overheard Damien whispering. “It’s quiet. Do you suppose we can make it out of here?”
“I sure hope so, I don’t want to be stuck in another basement for hours.”
She noted the sound of shuffling feet from across the room. Celine’s eyes grew wide. They would be caught. That would spell certain disaster for them if Celeste summoned Marcus to deal with them. She must stop them from making the grave error in judgement.
Celine moved toward them from her corner. They stopped as they heard her feet scuffing against the floor and her dress dragging. “Is someone there?” Damien whispered into the darkness.
“It’s me, Celine,” Celine answered in a whisper.
“Celine?!” Damien said in an excited whisper.
Celine formed a fireball, leaving it floating above her hand to light the room. “Oh, thank goodness it’s you!” Damien said, rushing to her. “What are you doing here?”
“The same thing you two are, I suspect.”
“Searching for the painting?”
“Yes. It’s imperative that I find it.”
“Yes,” Michael chimed in, “we know how important the painting is.”
“Never more so than now.”
“Why?” Michael asked.
“Gray’s mother, Elizabeth, is sick.”
“Sorry to hear that, but what’s that got to do with the painting?” Michael asked.
“She’s not sick from any normal illness. She’s sick from…” Celine’s voice trailed off as she searched for the right words.
“From something the Duke is doing to her.” Damien finished for her.
“Yes,” Celine answered, surprised he realized the extent of the situation.
“Well,” Michael stated, “the painting isn’t here. And we need to find it. So, let’s get out of here and find it.”
“No, no,” Celine said, holding out her free hand, “we cannot leave now.”
“Why?” Michael asked.
“They’re still here. Celeste is laying down after lunch, possibly in the sitting room, and Teddy will be in his study. We will be caught!”
“Ohhhh,” Damien said, “good thing you stopped us!”
“Yes. We must wait until they are out of the house,” Celine said.
“Great,” Michael said, throwing his hands in the air. “Stuck again.”
“Again,” Celine said. “What do you mean again?”
“We were looking for the painting yesterday. We were stuck last night, it’s why we missed dinner. We were there for hours.”
“Where?” Celine asked.
“Marcus Northcott’s,” Michael answered.
Shock shone on Celine’s face. “Marcus’? You should never have gone there! If he would have caught you…”
“Yeah, we know,” Damien said.
“We have no desire to see him either, which is why we were stuck in that basement for hours. We waited until he went to sleep.”
“You shouldn’t have been so reckless,” Celine lectured. “You should have informed me of where you were going. At least I could find you or search for you if something were to happen.”
“We did find out that the painting isn’t complete,” Damien said.
“It isn’t?” Celine asked.
“No,” Michael said, “Abbott visited the Duke last night. Said he was too sick to work.”
“He was drunk,” Damien added.
“Right. Northcott was not pleased at all. H
e said he wanted him available to work on it today.”
“Benjamin asked him where the painting was so he could work on it anytime, but the Duke wouldn’t tell him. He said he’d take him to it to work on it when he was ready,” Damien finished.
“I see,” Celine said, pacing a few steps away. She returned to them. “This information is very helpful. Thank you. I’ll take it from here once we are free.”
“No, you will not,” Michael said. “We’ll work together until that painting is safe and back where it belongs.”
“I cannot in good conscience let you become any further involved,” Celine argued.
“We cannot in good conscience let you do this alone,” Damien said.
“I’m not alone, I have Gray and Alexander.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Michael said, “we’re right in this with you until it’s settled. And you can’t talk us out of it.”
“Stubborn,” Celine said.
“Same as you,” Damien said, grinning.
“Well, no one is going anywhere at the moment,” Celine stated, extinguishing her fireball. “We’re stuck here until the house is clear.”
“I hope they go out for dinner,” Damien said, as they settled against the far wall to wait.
The group waited for over an hour before footsteps sounded overhead. A voice spoke near the front of the house. There was a brief conversation before footsteps led to the front door. The door opened and closed, and silence fell over the house again.
“It sounds as though Teddy may have gone out for a bit before dinner,” Celine whispered.
“Yes, but Celeste is still in the house,” Damien mentioned.
“Yes, but with Teddy out of his office, you could sneak out through his office window.”
“What about you?” Damien asked.
“I’ll create a distraction, visit with my sister.”
“No way, either we all go or none of us goes,” Michael joined.
“No,” Celine said. “We do it my way. You two out the window, I visit with Celeste then meet you outside.”
“We could wait,” Damien pointed out.
“We may be waiting until dinner or later. This is the best plan,” Celine argued.
“She has a point,” Damien said to Michael. “I don’t want to be trapped here for hours. And I only have so many scones!”
“You and your stomach,” Michael said, “but you have a point. I’m loathe to be here for hours too. Okay, Celine, I guess we go with your plan.”
“Good,” Celine said. “Follow me to the top of the stairs. Wait there until you overhear me speaking with Celeste. When you do, hurry across the hall to Teddy’s office. Climb out the window and run to the woods. Wait there for me, I’ll come to you as soon as I’ve finished with her.”
“Okay,” Damien said. They rose to their feet. Celine lit the room with a tiny fireball carried in her hand. They crept up the stairs, pausing at the top.
Celine extinguished the fireball and peeked into the hall. “It’s clear,” she whispered. “Here I go!”
“Celine,” Damien said, grabbing her elbow. “Be careful.”
She nodded to him and slipped through the door into the hallway, leaving it ajar a few inches. She snuck down the hall to the front door. When she reached it, she opened and closed it, slamming it for good measure. She stalked down the hall toward the sitting room as though she had just arrived at the house.
“Teddy, is that you?” Celeste’s voice called.
“No, it is not,” Celine answered, entering the sitting room.
“Now’s our chance,” Damien whispered to Michael. They pushed the door open further and slipped out and across the hall. They entered Teddy’s office, finding it empty. Rushing to the window, they slid it open and climbed out one after the other.
When they were outside, Michael reached up, pulling the window down to leave no trace. Afterwards, they rushed toward the cover of the woods and waited for Celine.
Chapter 27
Surprise showed on Celeste’s face. “Celine! Oh, sister dear!” Celeste said, crossing the room to embrace her. Celine did not return the hug. “How lovely to see you. I hope you are here to discuss making amends with Marcus, dear. Then we can put all this ugliness behind us and move forward.”
Celine sighed. “No, Celeste. I am not here to discuss anything of the sort. I am a married woman with no intentions of leaving my husband for Marcus.”
“Oh, Celine. You must stop this foolishness. That marriage is a not real. Now please, let’s discuss this as adults.”
“I will not discuss this with you, Celeste. I am here for one reason and one reason only.”
“Which is?” Celeste asked, frustration building in her voice.
“My portrait.”
“Portrait?” Celeste questioned.
“Yes. Benjamin Abbott has been commissioned to paint my portrait.”
“What of it?” Celeste asked.
“Don’t play coy with me, Celeste. You comprehend what I speak of and why I am here.”
“I’m sorry, sister, I do not.”
“The portrait has gone missing. Missing just after Marcus arrived in town. He has it. I want to know where it is.”
“I’ve no idea,” Celeste said, whirling to face her.
“Really? Don’t you? Perhaps Teddy is aware.”
“I doubt it.”
“I don’t. You’re thick as thieves…”
“I’ll stop you right there, Celine,” Celeste said, cutting her off. “I will not be accused of anything in my own home nor my husband’s character impugned. If you cannot discuss a reconciliation with Marcus, then I shall ask you to leave.”
“Fine, Celeste. I shall leave, having been reminded whose side my sister is undoubtedly on.”
Celine turned and exited the room. Celeste called after her. “Your side, Celine. I am on no one’s side but yours! That is why you should reconsider!”
Celine walked through the front door, slamming it behind her in answer to Celeste’s final statements. She shook her head as she descended the porch steps. Despite being a ruse for her friends to escape, the conversation was still infuriating. She reached the path leading from the house and hurried away from the house and toward the woods.
“Michael! Damien!” she called in a hushed tone as she approached the trees.
“Over here,” Damien’s voice answered her. She followed the sound, meeting Michael and Damien a few feet away. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” Celine assured him. “I received no information from Celeste regarding the painting. I am not surprised.”
“The important thing is you are safe,” Damien said.
“We should return to the house. Gray will be concerned as to my whereabouts,” Celine said.
“We should split up then. We need to follow Marcus and try to find this painting. We can’t miss any chances to find it,” Michael said.
“I understand your apprehension, but you need to eat and rest,” Celine said. “We can explain the information to Gray and Alexander. Between the five of us we should be able to find the painting.”
“I’m not comfortable with this,” Michael began.
“Neither am I, but on the other hand, I am starving,” Damien admitted.
Celine reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved the scones, tossing them into the open area. “Leave these scones for the birds and come eat a real meal. Afterwards we will discuss a plan for finding the painting. Surely now Gray will believe you are on our side.”
“Okay,” Michael agreed. “But only because I’m uneasy following the Duke myself.”
The trio set off through the woods to the main house. They walked through the main entrance into the foyer. Celine removed her cloak as Gray came down the stairs.
“Celine, where have you been? I was worried,” he said.
“Out, searching for my painting,” Celine answered. “I assume you learned nothing from Mr. Abbott?”
“No, no, we
didn’t. He had no answers, kept insisting the painting wasn’t finished but was safe. Said he only moved it to keep it from prying eyes.”
“My apologies for returning late but we were unexpectedly detained,” Celine answered.
“We? You two were with her?” he asked Michael and Damien.
“Yes,” Michael answered.
“Yes, they were,” Celine added. “They have been searching for the painting also. That’s the reason they were detained last night. They were searching in Marcus’ house. They were trapped in the basement for hours when Marcus returned without warning.”
Gray shook his head. “I don’t care where they were. I don’t want to argue. Mother is worse.”
“Oh, no!” Celine exclaimed. “Are there new symptoms?”
“Yes. She’s having spells of nonsensical talk. She’s too unsteady to even stand at this point.”
“I’ll see her at once,” Celine said. “I’ll do what I can to calm her.”
Alexander entered the house, joining the group. “Good evening, everyone. Gray, how is Aunt Elizabeth?”
“Worse,” Gray answered. “Celine is going to her now.”
“The news is not much better in town, I’m afraid,” Alexander said. “There have been unexplained animal deaths on several of the farms.”
“That’s only the beginning,” Celine said. “Wherever he goes, darkness and chaos follow. Please excuse me while I check on Mrs. Buckley. Michael, Damien, I will meet you outside your room before dinner.”
Celine disappeared up the stairs along with Michael and Damien, leaving Gray and Alexander to continue their discussion about the widespread effects of the Duke’s presence. Celine parted ways with the men at the top of the stairs, going to Elizabeth’s suite.
With a quiet knock, she slid the door open, peeking inside. Amos sat at Elizabeth’s bedside, holding her hands. “Excuse me, Mr. Buckley,” she said just above a whisper.
“Mina, my dear, come in. Elizabeth is resting,” he said.
Celine entered the room, closing the door behind her. Amos stood, allowing Celine to take his seat on the bed next to Elizabeth. As Celine sat, Elizabeth’s eyes opened. She smiled at Celine. “Oh, look at me abed while the lady of the house tends to me,” she said with a strange accent. “I should be tending to you Duchess Northcott.”
Stolen Portrait Stolen Soul: A Shadow Slayers Story (Shadow Slayers Stories Book 2) Page 24
