by Daisy Banks
“Good, I want to show you something I found last night when I was going through the stills I’ve been sent so far. It’s weird, and I think you should see it.” He opened the lid of his iPad. “Take a look at this.”
“Is he doing what I think he’s doing?”
Richard gave a small nod. “I think so. Crazy, hey?”
“Disgusting. Was it one of the crew?”
“No, not as far as I can recall. I didn’t see anyone in a fedora yesterday.”
“Who took the shot?”
“One of the photographers working in the grounds with a long lens. He took a rash of pictures. He was trying to get some good background images of the lake and the woods. Along with them he also got this.” Richard closed the image down. “When security arrives we need to have words with them.”
She nodded. “Yes. How awful. I daren’t tell Magnus some stranger in the grounds peed up the pagoda wall like a stray hound.”
Richard nodded. “I agree. Mr. Johansson would not be pleased.”
“You bet your life. I can’t believe this, I really can’t. I’d best go get my clipboard and notes for the day. I need to calm down a bit so when I see the security guys I can control the anger so it bites them, not me. We pay that security firm a small fortune, but their staff don’t stop something like this happening.”
“Before you go, Sian, I have to tell you, the really weird thing is I think I know the physique. Something about the angular shape of the shoulders, the size of him, he looks familiar.”
“Who do you think it is?”
“Well, it might seem crazy, especially with him being in the rest home after the accident, but I’d lay a fifty pound bet that’s a picture of Franklyn.”
Her stomach dropped. A lump formed in her throat. “Let me look at the photo again.” She yanked the iPad from Richard and opened the image. “Oh, my god. I think you’re right.”
Chapter 15
“I want everyone checked this morning. Understood?” Sian eyed both the security guards. “The evidence is incontrovertible. Yesterday, one of our photographers got a picture of someone not on the list. A stranger made it past you both. You know I expect better. I’ll not have my people left to the mercy of stalkers or other assorted odd-bods. You can think yourself lucky I don’t report you so you forfeit the fee for this assignment. Any more shoddy messing about, and I will do just that. Am I making myself clear?”
The larger of the two no longer met her gaze but answered. “Yes, totally.”
“Good. You both have a comprehensive register with every person who should be here on it, from the girl in the chow van to the members of the band. I want to see you’ve checked everyone today. If you discover anyone who isn’t on the list, I need to know immediately so I can decide whether we call the police or not.”
“Yes, Ms. Armstrong.”
She sucked in a deep breath as she handed over another two copies of the list she’d made. “In case you’ve mislaid the originals. I’ll meet with you both at eight-thirty when you will have the results I need. Thank you, gentlemen.”
They both turned and left the room without a murmur.
“Sian, you’re awesome when someone riles you,” Richard said.
She shook her head. “Richard, that is a cliché of the worst possible kind. Let’s get this morning underway. Please keep things tight to the schedule for me. I want the house cleared no later than two, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am. I suggest we keep the information about yesterday between us. I don’t think this pair will volunteer they dropped a bollock. It’s maybe best no one else knows. You know how edgy the band can be. Do you have time for a coffee?”
“No, I’ll be prowling the place until I’m certain they’ve done their job. You’ve got my phone number. Any problems at all, call me.” Taking her phone from her pocket, she strode out of the drawing room.
The crew had arrived in the courtyard, along with the security pair. Several stood in line to get coffee from the food truck. She gave the security guards a curt nod as they stood ticking people off the list.
Farther on, out on the terrace, the choreographer stood chatting with one of the continuity girls. Nothing untoward there.
She headed into the ballroom. The sound engineers and two photographers, all of whom she knew by sight, were at work with their kit. Still a sense of unease rattled her, along with the desire to send Franklyn the kind of text he’d never forget.
She should tell Magnus. He had the right to know. But something had worried him earlier, and she didn’t want to make things worse. He couldn’t possibly know about this already.
Franklyn could stew waiting for her reply.
The shriek of an electric guitar wailed down the corridor from the open doors of the ballroom. Recording of the three final tracks off the album had begun. She glanced to her wristwatch. They were doing well with the timing.
Not wanting to disturb the filming in the ballroom, Sian made her way back to the drawing room before going out onto the terrace to walk the short way around to the other courtyard at the back by the rose garden. One of the security guards stood at the end of the terrace. Much better than yesterday, at least they weren’t wandering around in a pair. She glanced across to the lake and the pagoda.
A fresh sense of disgust hit her. Filthy yob!
She’d not forget the image Richard had showed her, not for a long time.
A man in a set of old-fashioned green overalls, carrying a steaming bucket and a broom, headed toward the path down to the lake. That was Monty. She’d best let security know he belonged on the estate. The photographers, too, just in case they need a few extra shots.
Oh, my God. Magnus knew! He must have contacted Monty to clean up. That’s what had upset Magnus so much this morning. He knew Franklyn had been here and what he’d done. Oh, why hadn’t he said?
She called the guard from her phone. “It’s okay. I know the old boy down by the lake. He’s one of Mr. Johansson’s people.” She could hardly call Monty a servant. “He’s been sent down there by Mr. Johansson.”
“We’ve checked everyone, Ms. Armstrong, everyone is accounted for,” the guard said.
“Excellent. By my estimation, the crew will be ready to leave by one, the band before then. I want them all checked out as they leave the grounds. You call me when the kit and props are loaded onto the wagon because I want to personally see everyone is off-site.”
“Yes, Ms. Armstrong.”
In the meantime, she’d inspect the rooms used yesterday for even a nick in the paintwork, and try to work out a way to explain to Magnus what had happened. Only once she’d done that, would she contact Franklyn.
The haunting first chords of her favorite song from the Timeless album met her as she entered the long corridor to go along to the music room. For some crazy reason, tears stung her eyes. The strength of love to last eons, to right all manner of wrongs, and most of all, to protect the one you cared for.
She nodded at the last sobbing note of the guitar. The certainty grew. She’d give anything to protect Magnus from his fears, as well as the nuisance Franklyn made of himself.
All she had to do was hold it together and be strong. Somehow she would do it.
* * * *
Sian waved the last lorry off at two-twenty-five precisely. She clutched the disc Richard had given her. All her memories of the morning and yesterday were ready to watch. Richard had proved his worth today. He’d even seen that the bins provided for the crew were taken away before he left. She slid the disc in her back pocket. Perhaps she and Magnus might look at it later this evening. Closing the door behind her, she hurried upstairs to the library. He must have heard the equipment loaded into the trucks, so he would know the shoot had finished.
They’d so much to talk about. Her hope to keep Franklyn’s appearance here a secret had dissolved as soon as she real
ized Magnus had asked Monty to clean up the pagoda. She paused at the top of the stairs where she undid the clip keeping her hair back. She ran her fingers through the long strands, then rubbed at the back of her neck to ease the tension. She took a deep breath and opened the door into the library.
Magnus sat at the computer. He turned to her as she stepped into the room. “All complete?”
She nodded. “Yes. It was an epic shoot. They did so well. I’ve got a copy of it from Richard.”
He stood from his chair and greeted her with a hug. “You are obviously satisfied with the event.”
“Yes, I am. Though, there were a few issues.” She held his dark gaze. “You know of the most important one.”
“I do?”
She could pretend she knew nothing about Franklyn’s visit and disgusting behavior, but a lie would do neither of them any good. She curled her arms around his neck with a sigh. “Yes. We need to talk about it.”
He twirled one finger through a curl. “I see,” he said. “Yes, we must talk, but I suggest we have lunch before we do.”
“If you want to, that’s fine. I’ll go make us some sandwiches. Do you want to eat up here or down in the kitchen?”
“We’ll eat in the den. We can come back up here after. Sandwiches are perfect. Shall I come and assist?”
She laughed. “No. Why don’t you call or e-mail Cook and Mrs. Tyson to tell them they can return tomorrow? Coffee, and cheese and pickle?” She pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“Sumptuous. I’ll telephone the ladies.”
She left him and made her way to the kitchen, full of concerns about their forthcoming discussion. There had to be more to it than merely Franklyn’s visit but she couldn’t think of anything else.
Events of the last couple of months played through her thoughts. Ever since Franklyn’s accident, Magnus had seemed more concerned about her boss than she’d thought he would be. His explanation the night that Franklyn had first appeared in her dream, that it was a one-off occasion, had proved wrong. The experiences had happened several times, the dreams almost as deep as those she shared with Magnus, though each grew more horrific than the last. She needed to tell him.
But he would be so hurt to think Franklyn could threaten her in such a way. She made the sandwiches and coffee, and carried it all up to the den. Magnus had left the door open for her. She found him bent, lighting a fresh stack of kindling beneath a fat log.
“Here we are,” she said setting the tray down. “Would you like coffee?”
“Thank you, yes. This will be ablaze in ten minutes.”
When flames licked greedily around one of the logs, he came over to her, and she handed him his mug. They sat together, and for some time, ate in silence. Staring into the fire, she wondered again at his choice of rooms for their discussion.
This room had always been a place where they’d relaxed, but this wouldn’t be a comfortable chat. She placed her empty plate and mug back on the tray, then stretched to iron out the kinks in her shoulders, before rejoining him on the sofa.
“Are you too tired to talk now?” he asked.
“No, I don’t want to put this off. I’ll tell you what happened yesterday, even though I know you know some of it.”
Magnus walked across to set his plate and cup on the tray, then turned back to her with sorrowful eyes. “Tell me.”
“I found out this morning, from a picture one of the photographers took, Franklyn came here. He was on the grounds yesterday.”
He nodded. “Yes, when I ran this morning, I discovered he’d been here.”
“I’d guessed you knew before I did. Tell me how?”
He reached for her hand, urged her to sit closer as he settled beside her, and slid an arm around her when she did. “You understand sometimes I can sense things?”
“Yes.”
“When I ran this morning, I smelled his presence. I knew he’d been here.”
“Smelled him?”
“Yes. He’d left a little message for me.”
“He peed up the wall of the pagoda! I saw the picture of him doing it.”
“You are correct. That’s why I asked a favor from Monty.”
“I saw him going down there with a bucket and a brush.”
Magnus smiled. “Yes, I’ve no doubt Monty’s been very thorough. I told him I thought a fox had got in there.”
“You were right in one way. Though a weasel is more apt to describe Franklyn.” She wound her arms around him, inhaling the fragrance of his cologne. “I’m so sorry he managed to get on site when I was in charge. I can’t tell you how upset I was when Richard showed me the picture.”
He squeezed her so tight she gave a squeak. “You mustn’t be frightened of Franklyn. I will make sure he never comes anywhere near you.”
Why should he say that? She peered into his dark eyes. “I refuse to be frightened of Franklyn.”
“Then, I have to say, I think, at present, you should be careful of him.”
The bleak tone shook her. “Why?”
Chapter 16
The trust in her eyes raked over him as if his hopes and dreams were coals already alight in a burner. Today might see the end of any chance of keeping her love. The urge to hold his thoughts to himself tempted him, but he couldn’t shirk his guilt in this cruel circumstance. She needed to know.
A log in the hearth hissed.
“Please, Magnus, tell me why you think I should be afraid of Franklyn.”
He cupped her chin with his palm, tilted her head, and kissed her. An offering of peace he didn’t feel, an oath of all he held so dear and was about to risk for the sake of a vile wretch who should have died. Gently, he released her before he moved back on the sofa. “I have made a grave mistake.”
Sian’s eyes widened, the pupils dilating to dark wells in which he could drown. She shook her head. “No, we’re not a mistake. Everything I do is to show you how much I care about you. I try so hard. You are my world.”
“Ah, I didn’t mean us. We aren’t a mistake. I meant something else. I fear you’ll be angry when I tell you. I swear I didn’t intend for this to happen. As ever, unexpected consequences can be the most savage to endure.”
“What’s happened?”
The moment returned and raised his blood. How helpless he’d found himself while she shook in pain, wept in his embrace on her return from the accidental meeting with Gorsewell.
She’d bled as he had treated her hands, had cried when he dug out chunks of gravel buried in the fleshy parts of her palms. Each little whimper as he’d yanked at her damaged skin ripped at his heart. Franklyn had caused her suffering. “I want you to think back to how you felt when Gorsewell assaulted you.”
“Yes. I was very frightened that day.”
“You came back here, injured, so afraid, and I ached for your pain because I hadn’t been there to help you when you needed me most.”
She shook her head. “You weren’t to blame for anything. You couldn’t have known Franklyn would flip, or that I’d meet him on the hard shoulder in his new Porsche. It wasn’t your fault he had the opportunity to shove me around.”
“As you said yourself, he could have killed you.” He held her gaze again, allowed a little of the savage fury he’d experienced to rise. “I wanted to kill him, Sian.”
“You did?”
“Ah, if only you knew. The entire time I fed you brandy while we took the gravel from your hands, I raged inside. When at last you slept…” He swallowed deeply, and her eyes widened.
“No,” she whispered.
Understanding crept into the surprised expression. She guessed, or had read his thought, and somehow that made the rest of the telling easier. He sighed, recalling the moment his fury set him free, and welcomed another level of her trust. She would understand.
“For the first time in my life, I
changed at will. Like an adult might.”
“Like an adult?”
“Yes. For”—he raised her hand and kissed her palm—“many, many years I’ve lived in the state of omega. I willingly gave up any notion of a pack such as my father would have had me create. I thought living, or should I say existing, alone was the most honorable alternative I had. I avoided the change I might make, except when the moon robbed me of control. With the knowledge of how Franklyn had harmed you, hurt you, I discovered my fury gave me a new kind of power. I reached maturity that night.”
“You grew up?”
Offering her a small smile, he nodded. “You could put it in such a way. The experience stunned me once it was over.”
“What happened?”
“While you slept, I tracked Franklyn. In the wolf-form, I found his home.”
She clutched his hand. “You.” She gave a small gulp. “You tried to…”
He closed his eyes in an effort to avoid seeing her disgust. This beautiful woman he adored, all he ever seemed to do was cause her anguish. How much could she bear before she did the one thing she could to save herself? Surely, after tonight or tonight itself, she’d abandon him, leave, and his existence would become meaningless. She took her hand from his and left him bereft. Her lightest fingertip caress on his upper lip made him flinch.
A gloss of tears shone in her eyes when he opened his.
“You tried to kill him.”
“Yes, I did. Somehow you called me from him before I’d…” He had not been able to resist her command. He’d heard her soothing voice, and the wolf, bound to her, too, had returned. As dawn lightened the sky, exhausted by the run, but triumphant in his vengeance, he’d again changed at will.
His moment of elation was lost as he looked into her tear-filled eyes. “Forgive me?”
He slid from alongside her. Sank onto his knees on the floor, knelt in front of where she sat on the sofa. “I beg you, please, say you forgive me.”
She clutched her face with her long slender fingers and shook her head. “I didn’t know. I didn’t guess it was you who hurt Franklyn like that.” She sniffed, swiped at her eyes. “God…”
