“I thought for sure you’d be dead when we got back,” he said.
I grabbed at his arm, my fingernails scraping at his skin. Still, he held fast. Spots appeared in my vision again. I couldn’t take a breath and was beginning to become faint. To reserve it, I stopped fighting, watching him and waiting for the right time to strike.
“How did you figure it out?” he asked.
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t afford to lose the air.
“Oh well,” he shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll just have to kill you by hand. I’ll blame…Mr. Potter. Or an intruder. I’ll figure it out.”
He released my windpipe, and I gasped at the sudden rush of air. He slammed me back against the wall, one arm pressing against my breastbone. Something sharp pressed into my stomach.
“Do you know what happens if I stab you here?” he whispered to me. “That’s your stomach. One stab, and your stomach acid leaks into your body, killing you and your little bastard.”
“Why?” I begged him. “Why are you doing this to me?”
“Jasper doesn’t deserve all of this,” he said, the knife still pressing into my skin. “He doesn’t deserve his title. Killing you is the easiest way for me to get it.”
“You would kill me just to become duke?”
“Men have killed for less,” he said. He grinned, showing off sharp teeth. He pressed the knife a little deeper, and I could feel blood trickling down my stomach and soaking into my nightdress. “Now, are you ready to die?”
Chapter Twenty–Four
I opened my mouth to scream. By the time anyone came to my aid, it would be too late, but there would be no mistaking who my attacker was. I took a deep breath, ready to shriek as loudly as my damaged windpipe would allow, when I heard the sound of a door open from down the hall.
Seth pressed against me, moving his arm from against my chest to around my shoulders.
“I’m just so glad you’re feeling better,” he said loudly for the benefit of whoever was listening. He kept the knife pressed into my side, though, and I could feel drops of blood drip down my stomach.
“Seth.”
It was Jasper. I breathed a sigh of relief. Seth stepped back, but the knife didn’t move.
“I need to go over a few things with you,” Jasper said. He didn’t seem aware that Seth had overheard us earlier, and so his air was casually calm so that Seth wouldn’t run. Panic rose in my chest. I had no way to warn him, and Seth had a knife. Danger would be walking right toward my husband, locked in a room with him, and there was nothing I could do about it.
“Of course,” Seth said, flashing a wide grin at his brother. He turned back to me.
“I’ll get you for this,” he snarled to me. He pulled the knife out of my skin and immediately my hands flew to my wound, trying to staunch the flow of blood.
I watched Seth and Jasper disappear through the library doors. Once they were out of sight, I ran to the kitchen to find something so I could bandage myself up. The kitchen was empty, the servants having already retired to bed, and I frantically searched the cupboards until I found a stash of first aid supplies. I lifted up my nightdress to assess the damage.
The wound was relatively shallow. It certainly wasn’t life–threatening, but it was bleeding heavily. I was lucky though; I wasn’t going to need stitches. Thank goodness. I had a feeling that although I had stitched up the cook without a second thought, sewing myself up would be another story. I rinsed a rag in cool water and pressed it against the cut while I cut a length of gauze. I patched myself up and pulled my gown back down, thankful no one had seen me. I was still shaken, and I didn’t want to have to explain what had happened. I’d have a look at it later, in private, and assess if I needed to disinfect it.
I lifted my arms over my head, checking to be sure that the bandage was secure. When it didn’t shift, I took care to replace everything I had moved. I took the bloody rag with me. I didn’t want anyone finding it. I’d figure out what to do with it. Maybe I could throw it into the woods or something.
It hurt a little when I walked, particularly if I turned my torso at all. I’d have to be careful not to move too much, lest the scab on the cut break open. Then I really would run the risk of it getting infected.
I started back down the hallway. As I neared the library I could hear voices drifting out, and I realized that the door wasn’t shut all the way. If I stood off to the side I could see Seth and catch a glimpse of Jasper’s shadow. I paused. Really, I should let Jasper and Seth converse in private…but I was curious what Jasper would say to Seth, and how Seth would try to defend himself.
“I think the prince is right,” Jasper said. “A charity ball would be a fantastic way to earn money for some of the shelters in Weylyn. I also think a tax break for companies hiring new, inexperienced workers would help with some of the homelessness in Ervine.”
Seth waved his hand, bored. “Whatever you say. You’re the duke.”
I frowned. Why was Jasper talking business instead of confronting Seth about the attempt on my life?
“Yes, about that,” said Jasper. “You’ve always wanted to be duke.”
“Of course I have,” Seth said. “I’ve always wanted the title. That’s no secret.”
“I used to think there weren’t very many secrets between us. Now I’m not so sure.”
Seth paused. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“I think you do.”
Seth was quiet, but he didn’t look embarrassed or ashamed. He straightened his back and crossed his arms.
Jasper’s stare was cold. “You tried to poison my wife.”
“I did no such thing!”
“Seth,” Jasper said, and his voice sounded tired. “We’re past lying. You gave a root to Daisy and told her to make tea out of it for Christine. A root that made her very, very sick.”
Seth put his hand on his chest. “I had no idea that was the cause of Christine’s sickness. I thought the root would help with her pregnancy nausea. I didn’t know it was poisonous.”
“You’re a bloody liar!” Jasper howled. “That root came from the same flowers you gave Christine!”
“I thought those were just wildflowers.”
“Stop it! Stop lying! You know as well as I do that those were monkshood, wolfbane, and you know as well as I do what wolfbane can do.”
Seth fell quiet again. The silence between them was agonizing, but I couldn’t see what was going on. The only thing in my line of sight was Seth’s defiant posture, arms crossed and head held high.
Finally, Jasper spoke.
“Did you poison mother and father, too?”
My jaw dropped open.
“Jasper, I don’t know what you’re—”
“Stop. Lying.” This time his voice was little more than a whisper, but it was firm and seething with anger. “You killed them. You tried to kill me. You’re the reason we all got so sick, only we survived.”
Seth said nothing.
“You drank just enough to make you sick, and then once mother and father passed, you stopped. And I stopped drinking the tea once I started throwing it up. I’m guessing that wasn’t part of your plan, was it?”
Seth still said nothing.
“How could you?” Jasper roared. “They were our parents! They loved and cared for us.”
“No, they loved you!” Seth growled.
“Oh, don’t play that. They loved you just as much. You were just upset because you wanted my position, and they wouldn’t give it to you.” I saw Jasper’s shadow shake his head. “How could you?”
“The only thing I regret about it is that you didn’t die,” Seth hissed. “And you act like I’m the only one with secrets. Have you even told Christine? Does she know that you only married her so that you could have a baby before you turn thirty and keep your title?”
I froze. I couldn’t have heard him right. He couldn’t possibly be telling the truth.
“She doesn’t need to know,” Jasper said.
> I covered my mouth with my hands and collapsed to the floor. Sobs racked my body, and I tried my hardest to suppress them. I couldn’t let them know that I was here.
Seth’s words sunk in. My marriage was a sham. Sure, it was legal in the eyes of the law, but Jasper had never really loved me. The only reason we had slept together was to ensure that I would become pregnant, and the only reason he looked after me was so that he could protect his child. He didn’t care about me at all. Everything I had been through in the last few months had all been so that he could preserve his bloodline. What would happen once the baby was born? Would he drop the act? Would I be turned out of the house?
Tears poured down my face onto my nightdress, soaking the collar. I didn’t care. It didn’t matter anymore. How could I have been such a fool?
I should have known. None of the other girls would have fallen for this. That was why he chose me, because I was naive and so desperate for salvation that I would have agreed to anything if it saved me. Stupid girl. I should have known.
“Perhaps I’ll tell her,” Seth said.
“Don’t you dare. She doesn’t need any more stress. She could lose the baby.”
Of course. All he cared about was the baby. I put my hand to my belly. My bump had started to show while I was sick, a little bump in the middle of my usually emaciated waistline. I had kept my hands on it, waiting to feel the first kicks, the first real sign of life.
I wanted to kick myself. I had spent all of this time believing that I was living this rags–to–riches fairytale, that somehow this rich, handsome, powerful duke had fallen in love with a street girl like me. Instead, he had taken advantage of me, and I had let him without a second guess. Even when I thought I was happy I had allowed myself to fantasize, daydreaming of the perfect name, spending hours drawing up plans for the perfect nursery, imagining how perfect our life would be with our new baby. I had imagined our little family at the seaside, or strolling through the beautiful buildings of London. I had allowed myself to believe that someone like me could have a perfect life.
“You know that’s just all the more reason for me to tell her.”
“You stay away from Christine and the baby,” Jasper snarled.
People like me didn’t get a perfect life. People like me lived on the streets, doing whatever they could to get by. People like me worked their entire lives and died in squalor, just like my father.
Jasper should have chosen someone like Hattie or Lillian or Stella. A girl so enamored with aristocracy and so spoiled she wouldn’t have cared if she was just being used to produce offspring. She would have been happy living in a lie of a marriage as long as she got to be a duchess and had the world at her fingertips.
Not me. I was going to hold onto whatever dignity I had left. I was going to ruin Jasper’s plan. Seth could take the title; I didn’t care. In fact, it might even make me happy. Jasper would suffer, his reputation would be ruined, and I would have some semblance of revenge.
I could kill myself, but that seemed dramatic. Besides, if I was dead, what was to stop Jasper from doing this to another poor girl? He’d just marry again, get another girl pregnant, and no one would be the wiser. Sure, it would be in poor taste to marry so soon after his wife’s death, but he was a duke and no one would dare say anything to him.
No, I’d run away. Pack my bags and disappear. Despite my marriage being fake in almost every sense, I was still a duchess. People would look for me. They might think I was abducted and send out search parties. That could take months, years even. They wouldn’t let him remarry until all options were exhausted. If he needed an heir by thirty, he’d be out of luck.
Things wouldn’t be easy for me. I’d have to get as far away as possible before word got out that I was missing. I’d leave the country if I could, settling in Ireland or Scotland, too far away for anyone to know who I was. I’d say my husband died while I was pregnant. I’d probably have to take factory work somewhere, working long shifts. I had no idea how I was going to find childcare while I worked, but I’d figure that out later. More than likely I would be back to eating bread and water for meals, but I had lived that way for years and I could revert back if I had to.
I wiped away my tears and stood up. I was resolute. I was not going to let my husband use me this way, and I wasn’t going to let my child be raised by a monster. I had some money left over from our trip into town. That would get me far enough if I took a train and didn’t eat much. I’d have to walk until I could get a ride to a train station, but I couldn’t go to Weylyn. People knew me there. There had to be a town in the opposite direction, on the other side of the woods. If I moved quickly, perhaps I could get there by morning.
“I’ve called the council here,” Jasper said. “We’re taking you to the elders tomorrow. They’ll decide what to do with you.”
That made me pause. Elders? Shouldn’t he be sending for the police?
“Like hell you will,” Seth said. “I’m not going without a fight.”
“I don’t want to fight you, but I will if I have to.”
I watched as Seth bent over. He opened his mouth. At first, it looked like he was gagging, but I heard a clattering sound, like rain on a tin roof. I moved closer to the door, trying to get a better view. I knew I should get a move on, start toward a town, but I was curious. It was so odd.
When I finally saw what was happening, I wanted to vomit. Seth’s teeth were falling out, dropping onto the hardwood floor of the library. I recoiled in horror, my head spinning. What on earth was happening?
The show wasn’t done. Jasper stepped backward as Seth arched his back. Sharp talons burst from his fingertips, long and thin in the candlelight. He bent forward again, his limbs at unnatural angles. He let out a loud snarl, a growl, an anguished howl. His back started to elongate and his face started to transform. His body was growing hair everywhere at an alarming rate. He writhed and twitched, looking possessed as his entire form changed.
His nose and mouth were now a snout, and he was bent on all fours. His clothes had torn and hung over his frame in tatters, pieces fluttering to the floor as he continued to change, his shadow growing larger and longer. He was now covered in a thick black fur, no skin visible anywhere. He growled again, this time a lower, angrier growl. His ears were pointed on the side of his head, and his nose and mouth were now a long snout. Sharp white teeth glinted in the light, having grown in where his teeth had fallen before. Saliva dripped from his muzzle, and black eyes glinted from behind black fur. His hands and feet had been replaced by paws with claws, looking sharp enough to carve flesh from bone.
Where Seth once stood was now a gaunt, tall wolf, reared back on his hind legs, snarling at Jasper. Jasper stepped back, and I saw his shadow bend over, teeth clinking to the floor. He arched his back, transforming.
I couldn’t hold it in anymore.
I screamed.
Chapter Twenty–Five
I didn’t know if they heard my scream, but there was no way I was going to stick around to find out. Adrenaline pulsing through my body, I fled down the hallway and up the stairs, tripping, catching myself, unable to find my balance. I was panting heavily when I got to my room, my mind whirling as I tried to find something to use to pack up my clothes. I couldn’t use my luggage from our trip to the seaside; it would be too cumbersome to drag through the forest, and it held memories I would rather forget. I found a burlap bag in the bottom of my wardrobe, although I couldn’t remember what I had used it for. That was good; it wouldn’t make me sad to look at. It was probably from some of the things that Annabelle bought me, and for the briefest of moments, I paused. Out of everything, I would be sad leaving her behind.
Did she know about Seth and Jasper? Was she in on this, or was she innocent? I would probably never know.
I shoved clothes into the bag, not really looking at what I was grabbing; dresses, shoes, undergarments, it all went into the bag. I laced up boots on my feet, since there was no way I could wear anything less through the
forest, and wrapped myself in a wool coat. I took one last glance around my room, but nothing here was truly mine, had ever been mine. The exception was my mother’s copy of Jane Eyre, and I buried it in the bag with my clothes. Before I left I thought about taking my ring off of my finger, but if I wanted to keep the mystery of my disappearance alive, I couldn’t imply that I had left to spite my husband.
I took the back staircase down to the kitchen, and was glad to see it was still empty. I had no idea how much food I would need, so I grabbed whatever seemed heartiest and whatever would fit. I took a loaf of bread and block of cheese, and wrapped some leftover chicken in paper. I stuffed it all into my bag, as much as I could, before I filled up a bottle with water.
I hoped this would be enough to get me at least to the next town. If it could last longer that would be even better; I needed to keep my money for as long as I could. I had no idea what or where I would find home, or what kind of life I would have when I got there. On impulse, I grabbed a chef’s knife off the counter. It was more than big enough for cutting through the bread and the cheese, but I didn’t know what I was going to find in the woods. I slid the knife into the bag, burying it in my clothes so there was no risk of it puncturing the bag. The last thing I took was a lantern and a small book of matches. I could discard it when I finally made it to town.
I looked both ways in the hallway to make sure that no one was going to see me sneak out. The hallway was empty, and I made a mad dash to the back of the house, through the doors, across the balcony, and down the stairs. The moon was almost full, shining brightly down and illuminating the garden. It was a relief. I wouldn’t have to use a match just yet.
I raced across the courtyard and into the forest. I had no idea where I was going, but if I kept going straight I’d reach a town eventually. Weylyn was in the opposite direction, so I had to be heading…west? I was fine with that.
The Wolf's Wife (The Wolf's Peak Saga Book 1) Page 20
