by L C Kincaide
~*~
“Emma!” Rachel hollered into the empty apartment knowing it was no use even before she stepped inside. Where could she be? What was so important that would take her away from the man she loved? Her eyes swept the living room and came to rest on something she hadn’t seen in a long while. Amidst the clutter on the desk was the old tape recorder among the papers.
Her mouth went dry remembering the messages it had once played, but the cassette was lying beside it. Curious, she pressed the button, and the lid popped open to reveal another cassette tape dated only days ago. So, she had gone to see Mabel after all and said nothing! Rachel rewound the tape and braced herself for what she was about to hear.
~*~
The shifting form terrified her as it coalesced before her eyes still drifting above the marble. How long should she wait? Her question was answered when new filaments sprouted from the main body and reached toward her.
“No!” She cried out in alarm, the panic in her voice filling the central hall. Mabel said she had to wait for him/it to make contact with the floor before she could act, but she never mentioned it would try to get to her before then.
She tried to dodge it by moving along the perimeter, not daring to back too far away. Its desire to enter her dimension and her body was palpable, and she fought her rising nausea. The shape writhed and what appeared to be its arms searched the air for her. She ducked and darted around the circle waiting, waiting and hoping it wouldn’t take much longer. Her energy was waning.
~*~
“She’s gone to the manor!” Rachel uttered breathless when she called Adam.
“The manor? Whatever for?”
“It’s a long story we don’t have time to get into right now. Do you know the way there?”
“I think so.”
Rachel gave him directions which he scribbled down just in case.
“If you have any problems, call me.” She didn’t want to tell him that his car may not start, and that maybe they were powerless to do anything but let the events run their course. He had to try.
“Right then. I’ll ring you when we’re back.”
“Be careful.”
~*~
She had expected this thing to appear as Mason Everdon had looked in life; a handsome, if not a darkly brooding man, but his essence was far from that; a glowing writhing, twisted thing with vile tentacles of mist reaching for her. That is what he’d been reduced to and was now determined to capture her son expecting her to raise him as his mother with the express purpose of living another life in the manor with Amelia. Emma shuddered to think who would bring his beloved spouse back.
Her imagination unbound, she mused further on what could befall them after that. If Mason and Amelia were to make their return then why not Victoria through John or Carrie? It would never be over, the doomed trio replaying their history over and over until the end of days.
No, this could not happen! Enough of her family had suffered already. The Everdon ancestors came to mind; Margaret who had spent her remaining years tormented with remorse, George Langstone who was killed when he tried to extricate himself from the annual absurdity, and his own brother who nearly died in the same fashion just months ago. And who knows how many others? Were they here watching as silent witnesses? She could not tell, but if they were could they help her?
The form undulated in its confines threatening her sanity. Maybe she should have waited and not come alone being as tired as she was from the night before. Really, Emma, do you never look before you leap? Elinor’s words came to haunt her. Poor mum, just another victim of the thing she was here to banish.
A coil darted from the center just missing her. That was too close! She swallowed hard and focused on the floor every muscle tensed and waiting ready for the moment.
~*~
He drove like a madman reminding himself to stay on the proper side of the road while he adjusted to driving from what to him was the passenger seat. What had motivated her to go out there on her own when he would have been more than willing to accompany her?
Rachel hadn’t said why she had gone, but the urgency in her voice left little doubt he had to reach her sooner rather than later. Emma had mentioned more than once the building could be full of hidden dangers of this world, but mainly from the other. Nothing had prepared him for what she had lived with and even now he struggled to come to terms with the paranormal aspects. His experiences dealt with tangible, explainable things, but if this was going to be a part of his life, he’d need to get used to it because for better or for worse, with Emma is where he wanted to be.
~*~
The skylight flashed in a searing light, and Emma had to avert her eyes to avoid being blinded by its intensity. Below, the writhing form swirled in what she sensed was frustration and probably anger too at not being able to claim her child. Come on, touch down already make contact with the damned floor! Emma was ready to cry with her own exasperation; she had not expected this to become a lengthy battle of wills.
Her mind turned to Adam and tears sprang to her eyes. No, don’t get weak now, it’s what it wants! She blinked the tears away and saw her chance as the swirling mass brushed the marble. It was enough, and she tossed the pocket watch hoping her aim was true and held her breath as it clattered into the ring. Sliding along the smooth surface, it came to a rest.
A flash of white exploded from the center, the force of the shockwave pushing her back. A raging howl followed that shook the hall as the thing convulsed in the center. Emma watched mesmerized expecting the candles’ flames to snuff out and be left in only the eerie light, but oddly, they flared brightly growing stronger. The column of mist moved up and could go no further, trapped where it was. The manor seemed to vibrate with fury as it tried to return whence it came, and Emma wondered if the whole building would collapse around her before this was over.
In a desperate attempt, the mass hurtled upward toward the skylight, and in another blinding flash shattered it. The diaphanous form broke apart and for a moment Emma saw Mason Everdon’s likeness reflected among thousands of fragments of glass that showered down tinkling on the marble floor. She turned away and cowered against the pillar as the last of the candle flames snuffed out.
CHAPTER 27
~*~
Adam was sure the rental vehicle became airborne once or twice as he sped over the stone corbel bridge, but he dared not slow. From as far away as Fairmont, he saw a bright flash, and his grip tightened on the steering wheel. He no longer required an explanation of what such a phenomenon represented — his indoctrination into the Everdon clan was complete. Pebbles ricocheted off the car’s undercarriage as he raced on the gravel and came to a skidding halt behind Emma’s car. Rushing across the drive, he took both steps in one lunge and pushed against the door to a dim, acrid smelling interior.
He didn’t see her at first, his senses overcome for the moment by the broken glass scattered beneath a gaping hole in the high ceiling. His architect’s mind foretold immense weather-related damage.
“Emma?” He called into the void as his vision adjusted to the darkness. Though he tried, he could not imagine what had transpired in the hall. The shocking difference of his home and this bleak manor had never appeared more clear. His eyes narrowed in the gloom as he searched for her and his pulse quickened when he spotted her curled up against a pillar just beyond a crumpled carpet. “Emma…” He whispered as he crouched beside her and scooped her close to him.
Someone was here helping her outside, and she gulped the fresh air and coughed.
“Are you hurt?” The voice asked, and she looked up to see her beloved’s smokey blue eyes filled with concern.
“Adam!” She clung to him. How did he know where to find her?
“Emma, why didn’t you tell me you were coming out here?”
“It’s over. It
’s finally over.” She glanced around in the bleak light. Whether morning or afternoon, it was impossible to tell. Something crashed inside the manor and she winced. “Take me home. I want to go home.”
He settled her into the car and before he had her seatbelt secure, she was asleep.
~*~
“Are you back? Is she all right?” Rachel could scarcely breathe for the past several hours.
“I found her in the hall amidst broken glass. The skylight is destroyed, but Emma’s unhurt. She’s sleeping.”
She let out a long sigh. “Thank God.”
“Can someone please tell me what is happening? What she was doing out there alone?”
“Adam I wish I could, but it isn’t my place, I’m sorry. She’ll tell you everything. I can only say Mason Everdon was trying to exert his control over her and she went to put an end to it. From what you said, she was successful.”
“I hope you’re right. What I witnessed today was… how shall I say… disconcerting.”
“Thank you, Adam. I… we are both so grateful you are there for her.”
“No thanks are necessary. There is no place I’d rather be.”
Emma rose slowly from a dreamless state. Warm under a blanket, she was lying in bed in peaceful silence. With a start, she remembered her last moments in the manor and her hand moved over her abdomen feeling for the gentle swell. Thank God! She was all right. They both were.
“Emma?” Adam leaned closer to her.
She opened her eyes. “Adam.” She smiled. “How did you know to find me there?”
“Rachel called when she couldn’t reach you. She was worried. I was too.”
“Did she tell you…” For a moment she feared her secret was out.
He shook his head. “She said only that you had unfinished business with Mason.”
She let out a sigh of relief. “I did and I think it’s finished.”
“That’s what you said when I found you.”
“I’m sorry I worried you. I had to go out there.”
“If I wasn’t here, would you still have gone?”
She nodded. “I had to.”
He scooped her into his arms.
“Dear God, Emma! Sometimes you are more stubborn than is good for you!”
She pressed against him. “I know.”
“Promise me you’ll never do anything like that again.”
“I promise.”
He released her and looked closely for bruises and scrapes.
“The skylight is destroyed. It came raining down into the hall and on you.”
“Is that all?”
“I didn’t stay long enough to see.”
“Just as well.” She ran a cautious hand through her hair. “My hair stinks and I need a shower. Then we can have breakfast.”
He grinned. “It’s closer to dinnertime, but yes, I think a spot of tea will help.”
“Ah yes.” Emma pecked his cheek and slid from beneath the covers, still in her sweatshirt and panties. “Your special, mysterious tea.”
“I see you found it.” She kissed him when she came into the kitchen. “Mum had this place renovated because she hated the smell of food after the meal.”
”I suppose it makes sense. The big houses all had the kitchens stowed at a fair distance, often an entire floor below.”
“Seems too far to go for a snack. I feel like having breakfast. What about you, what are you going to eat?”
“Breakfast sounds fine. I’m still on London time.”
“Oh. Right. Did you sleep at all?”
“Some. How are you?”
“Much better.”
“First, we should have tea.” He waited expectantly.
“Do you want me to make it?”
“Yes. It isn’t difficult. I’ll set the water to boil and you do the rest.
Emma opened the cupboard and took down the tin using a spoon’s handle to pry off the lid.
She peered at the leaves and sniffed. It smelled like ordinary tea leaves.
“How much do I use?”
“Two heaping tablespoons should be fine.” He said.
She gave him a wary look. “That sounds like a lot.”
He shrugged. “This is a special blend. The stronger, the better.”
“Okay, if you say so.”
“Trust me. We Brits know our tea.”
She scooped out a tablespoonful and emptied it into the pot, then another.
Adam frowned and peered into it. “I think it needs one more.”
“Are you sure? Won’t it be too strong?”
“Trust me.”
She sank the spoon inside and dropped the tea and a shiny object clattered against the ceramic side.
“Oh! Something is in there.” She fished with the spoon expecting to pull out a prize sometimes found in kids’ cereals, though she hadn’t expected one in tea. Then again, maybe that was commonplace in England. Once out of the pot, she realized that this wasn’t a cheap trinket at all, but a far more valuable gold ring with an emerald cut amethyst.
Her hand trembled and she would have dropped it if Adam hadn’t taken it from the spoon.
“It was my mother’s engagement ring. Before that, it belonged to Margaret.”
Emma stared at him. “What? How…”
“Montgomery Everdon was a bit of a gambler and so was my great-grandfather, Maurice. He won it in a game of cards.”
“But what was it doing in the tea? Won’t your mother miss it?”
Adam laughed his throaty laugh. “Emma, it’s been waiting for you, for today.” He took the spoon from her and held her hands.
“After I left you, I went to visit with mum, remember? That’s when I told her I’ve met the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and she gave me the ring she had been keeping specifically for that occasion. It finally felt right to have it.”
“Oh. Way back then? But you never said anything. Not even in New York.”
“I waited until I was sure I could actually be with you. It didn’t seem fair for me to ask you for a commitment when I could not yet be with you.”
Emma blinked at him. “And now you can?”
“I can. I’ve been working tirelessly to secure a commission here for a restoration project. It’s not directly in the city, but close enough. It will take at least two years until completion.”
Emma’s head swam with what he was telling her. She had not expected this, and she wanted to shout yes, but…
“So, Miss Emma, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Words stuck in her throat. She had to tell him everything, about the baby and how he came to be and the reason that took her to the manor. Fear again stirred deep inside, but there was no other way. She had run out of time.
“Adam, there’s something you need to know.”
The kettle shrieked, and she jumped and turned off the stove.
“Goodness, it can’t be that bad.”
“I hope you don’t think so. Should I pour?”
“Wait, let me take some of this out. It’s too much.” He scooped out most of the tea and poured the water. “Let’s have a seat.”
Emma couldn’t sit still and paced the floor. “Do you remember when we were at the manor in the summer and the storm came up and the car wouldn’t start?”
“Vividly. Our clothes were soaked, and we had to huddle in a room overnight.”
She sat beside him readying him for the shocker. “I dreamt that night about you and me… us…” She bit her lip.
He watched her with a confused expression. “I did in fact have a dream about us. You seemed to have no recollection of anything having transpired, so I said nothing to not embarrass you.
I must admit it was the most vivid and erotic dream I’d ever experienced…”
“Adam, it wasn’t a dream.”
“Are you saying we…”
Emma nodded. “The storm and the car not starting were no accident, and neither was the dream, rather our being together. He, Mason manipulated everything for a specific purpose.”
“He what? I don’t understand.”
Emma swallowed hard, fortifying herself to continue. “Adam, I’m pregnant. It happened that night.”
Adam stared at her in disbelief and she held her breath. Her fingers ached from twisting them while waiting for him to respond. His astonished eyes moved to her middle to gaze at her shapeless sweatshirt.
“You mean…”
“I only recently found out. I’ll understand if you don’t want to…” Her eyes welled with tears.
“Of all the surprises I’ve sprung on you, you’ve out-surprised me. I’m utterly gobsmacked!” He reached for her. “May I?”
She took his hand and placed it on her belly.
“I can’t believe it! I mean, I do, but…”
“I didn’t want you to find out over the phone.”
“No, of course not.”
“So, how upset are you?”
“Upset? Why on earth would you think I’d be upset?” He was smiling at her, his hands cradling her face. “Emma, this is fantastic news! You just told me I’m going to be a father. How could I be anything less than over the moon ecstatic? But you still haven’t answered my question. Are we going to be a family?”
Emma nodded vigorously. “Yes!”
