Spirit [New Crescent 2] (BookStrand Publishing Romance)

by Mary Lou George

  “I’m so sorry, Constance.” She could think of nothing else to say.

  “It was my own fault. My father disapproved of the match and wouldn’t speak to me after the wedding. My mother cried whenever she saw me. I came to understand that my father blamed himself. Instead of telling me what he knew of Vincent Bennett, he sought to protect me from his depravity and held his tongue. He could not have known I would be so headstrong as to elope with the man.”

  “It sounds like your parents loved you very much.”

  Constance nodded. “They did. And because of that, I couldn’t go to them when I learned the truth about my husband, because I knew it would only cause them more pain. I suffered in silence. I was a Guardian. I had a great power.” She took a deep breath. “Vincent Bennett came to me our first night here in this house. I welcomed him when he came to my bedchamber, but he didn’t want that. He wanted my tears and my resistance. He hurt me. That night, I slept in sheets soaked with my own blood.”

  Reggie moved toward Constance as if to hug her. Realizing she could not comfort the woman, Reggie froze and said, “Oh my God, Constance.”

  When the ghostly woman looked at Reggie, there were tears on her cheeks. Ghosts could cry. They could feel pain, and it sounded in her voice when she spoke again.

  “He was so cruel. You see, as a Guardian, my power was sweet. My virginity was like ambrosia to a man like him. He took so much from me that night.”

  Listening to her sorrow, Reggie felt utterly helpless. She longed to soothe her but knew she couldn’t. No one could. Finally, she said, “Constance, is there anything I can do for you?”

  The face Constance turned to her showed signs of tears but held great determination.

  “Yes, Regina Stanton, you must destroy Vincent Bennett or die.”

  Chapter 21

  “She said what?” Chase was incredulous.

  “She said I would die,” Reggie said with a forced laugh. “Believe me, I wish I’d heard her wrong, but the look on her face pretty much convinced me that I heard her perfectly well.”

  “Get your rain coat. We’re going to see Ernestine. She has to be able to tell us more, give us some direction.”

  Reggie peered outside. It was still raining. With a long, suffering sigh, she said, “Okay. Give me a sec.” She walked out of the kitchen to fetch her raincoat.

  Chase drove while Reggie shivered in the seat next to him. He’d turned on the heat, but it hadn’t seeped into her damp limbs yet. He looked over at Reggie helplessly.

  “I should have warmed the car up before you got in. Sorry.”

  She shook her head. “No, it’s not that. I think I’m nervous about what Ernestine is going to tell us.”

  Chase grabbed her hand and placed it on his thigh. He covered her hand with his. He said, “Ernestine loves you, Reggie. She’ll do whatever is best for you. For us both.”

  “I know you’re right, but she can be pretty cryptic and I’m not sure I’m up for that right now.”

  Chase said, “Leave Ernestine up to me.” She was happy to do so.

  * * * *

  They caught Ernestine as she was heading in to dinner. They smiled in greeting, and she said, “You can take me out for dinner. It’s fish tonight. You’d think living in New England they’d know how to cook fish.”

  Chase and Reggie exchanged glances. They let Aunt Ernestine pick the restaurant. Molly’s Famous Barbeque was busy but Ernestine was well known and much admired, so they got a booth without too much fuss.

  They each ordered, and when the waitress walked away, Ernestine said, “So you know a little bit about Constance’s marriage.” She shook her head. “Such a tragic tale, unusual for this town. Guardians are supposed to see to it that such horrors never happen in New Crescent. It is supposed to be a sanctuary.”

  Reggie said, “But Constance was a Guardian herself. How could she have let that happen to her?”

  Ernestine frowned. “Haven’t you been listening to her? She was young, cocky, and foolish. Surely she’s come to understand that much in all these years.”

  “Yes, she has. I was just wondering if there was another reason,” Reggie said.

  “Oh, there are other reasons, but we rarely understand them. Things happened as they were meant to happen. Constance McCann Bennett was not meant to be happy…to have children or to live a long life. She knew it, too.”

  “What do you mean? Are you saying that Constance knew her fate all along?” Chase asked.

  “Constance had precognition. She could see into the possible futures each act would yield. She knew it had to happen the way it did in order to get you two where you are right now.” She laughed at Reggie and Chase’s astounded faces. “Such a thing surprises you?”

  “You’re kidding, right?” Reggie said. “Of course it surprises me. I’m not a Guardian. I have no special abilities. I was passed over. That was bad enough, but to have to take on an evil such as Vincent on my own is…well…” She shrugged. “Not fair!”

  Ernestine gave her a sharp look. “What makes you think you face him alone? Have I not told you never to go into that library without Chase? You are not alone, and don’t belittle yourself, young lady. You have special abilities. You’ve just been too blind to see them.”

  She stopped talking when the waitress brought out their food. Ernestine waited until she left before continuing. “Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You have so much, yet still, you obsess over what you don’t have. It isn’t that you’ve been denied the things you’ve wanted most of all. It’s that you don’t appreciate the things you have.” She slapped the bottom of the ketchup bottle. A dollop of red dropped reluctantly on her French fries, and Reggie couldn’t help but think of blood.

  Noting Reggie’s expression, Ernestine said, “Knock it off.”

  “Hold on, here, Aunt Ernestine,” Chase said. “Reggie has been shouldering this burden with amazing fortitude.”

  Ernestine narrowed her eyes at him. “And you. You, too, need to appreciate all that you’ve got and stop living in the past. If you want it, state your intent and go for it. You’re heading in the right direction. Quit pussyfooting around, man!”

  Aunt Ernestine lowered her voice and said with urgency, “Constance is right, Reggie. You must rid the town of Vincent Bennett and his evil. You have what is necessary to defeat him. It’s all just a matter of timing now. I’m sorry that’s all I can say at this time.”

  The old woman refused to talk about it again for the entire meal, despite Chase’s persistence. Instead, she brought up a different but related subject.

  “The people of New Crescent are gearing up for Halloween. They do tend to act a little strangely around this time of year. Horace from the hardware store swears he saw a vampire in his neighbor’s house. Mrs. Frickett, your old grade-school math teacher is encouraging him, saying that this town has always had vampires. She claims she was bitten by one back in the eighties.” Ernestine smiled knowingly, “We all know Jasper Cambert gave her a hickey the night his wife kicked him out for drinking all the elderberry wine. As if any self-respecting vampire would go near Alma Frickett…”

  Reggie shared a smile with Chase. Then she sobered and asked, “Have you heard anything about the school? Is that strange flu still infecting kids?”

  Ernestine sighed. “No, there hasn’t been a case since you clamped down on young Lex Luthor and his minions. There have been reports of bullying though, first time ever. Travis has had to break up a couple of fights at Kally’s Roadhouse, too.”

  She shook her head. The muted light in the restaurant turned her white hair to quicksilver. She swallowed.. “It’s no coincidence that Vincent Bennett is getting stronger just as Halloween approaches. At this time of the year, the veil between our worlds thins. Vincent Bennett has failed with you two. He’s had to cast his net a little farther from home. These fights and disagreements are just little incidents, but he feeds on them nonetheless.”

  Chase said, “It’s all coming to a head isn’t
it?”

  Ernestine raised her eyebrows and ate a french fry in silence. He looked at Reggie.

  “We’re running out of time,” Reggie said.

  After dinner, they dropped Ernestine back home and as she turned to leave them, she said, “Look inside yourself, Reggie. You never know what you’ll find there.” As she walked past Chase, she grabbed his hand and squeezed, pulling him down so she could kiss his cheek. When she did, she whispered, “Don’t give up. You’ve already won. All you have to do is see it.”

  The trip back to Bennett House took them past the elementary school. Reggie looked at it with nostalgia. Ernestine had been right. She’d had a happy childhood. She and her friends never had to deal with the kind of problems Todd and his friends did. In the darkness of her car, she exchanged a smile with Chase. It seemed he too was reliving fond memories.

  Their expressions changed to alarm when they heard breaking glass. Chase slammed on the brakes and made a sharp right turn into the school’s parking lot. He started to tell Reggie to stay in the car, but she’d already jumped out. The rain had stopped, leaving huge puddles on the football field, and it occurred to Reggie that she’d get soaked running through it. She wished she’d worn jeans instead of beige wool–cashmere slacks.

  Reggie and Chase ran toward the sound of laughter behind the school. The boys must have heard them because all four of them took off in different directions. Reggie raced after the one she thought looked like Aidan. She had to slow her pace when she hit the soaked football field because she lost her footing and slid in the mud. The kid had the same problem. He lost his footing and fell into a deep puddle. Reggie was convinced she’d catch him once he was down, but he was agile and jumped to his feet almost immediately. He made for the darkened forest. She knew she’d never find him in there, but she had to try.

  The dense growth of trees blocked all light. She opened and closed her eyes trying to adjust to the thick blackness. Eyes open or closed, it made no difference. She was as good as blind. She could see nothing, but she could hear noises. Unsure of the direction the sounds came from, Reggie stopped dead. Damn it, the kid had the eyes of a cat on a carrot diet. The sounds of his footsteps faded in the distance, and Reggie tried to figure out which way he went. Finally giving up, she turned around and carefully retraced her steps. It wasn’t easy, and she prayed to God that for once her sense of direction was reliable. She heard Chase calling her name and gingerly headed toward him.

  Chase was empty-handed as well. The boys had too big a head start, at least that’s the story Reggie and Chase agreed upon. They walked back to the school. Reggie was covered in mud. Chase had chosen to follow a kid who had darted toward Main Street so he was wet but not muddy.

  Together, they inspected the damage. Three windows were broken, and obscene phrases and drawings were spray painted on the wall. Reggie looked at Chase with sadness.

  “How do we get that off the walls?” Reggie pointed at one of the most explicit drawings. “Young children shouldn’t see such things.”

  Chase shook his head and dialed Travis’s number with his cell phone. They waited for the sheriff. Reggie was glad she’d already had dinner.

  * * * *

  The next day, the sun shone so brightly it dried up the puddles left behind by the rain. Bennett House was quiet. Work on the renovations was still on hold. It was too dangerous. Reggie marveled that she and Chase were the only ones who could remain at the house with Vincent active. Constance protected them. Reggie was sure of that. She could feel her otherworldly presence the last time they’d ventured into the library. Ernestine had advised her to go with her gut. Reggie put a hand on her belly and said, “Okay. Go with my gut.”

  She looked down at her hand and, in an impatient tone, said, “Well, gut…say something!” Her stomach lurched, and she felt sick. “Not what I had in mind.”

  Taking a seat on the living room couch, Reggie took deep steadying breaths, waiting for the feeling to subside. So much for her gut, she thought. Maybe Ernestine and Constance were wrong. Was it possible? She’d never known Ernestine to be wrong about anything significant in her whole life. The old lady sucked at trivia, but she was an oracle when it came to the big stuff.

  Gillian. She’d ask Gillian for advice. Maybe she’d be able to help. She stood up and called for Pru.

  The inside of her car was still muddy from the night before. Reggie grimaced and wondered what that was going to cost her. She had to see to that soon. She’d been so occupied with Bennett House that she’d neglected everything else. When was the last time she’d seen her parents? Sam was home from the hospital, and she hadn’t even visited him. Reggie reminded herself that there was life beyond Bennett House and that she’d have to live it. She pulled into Gillian’s driveway.

  Hank greeted Pru with enthusiasm and Gillian smiled at Reggie in welcome.

  “Hey there, what’s up?” She frowned at the look on Reggie’s face.

  “I think I need some girlfriend time. Do you mind if I hang out here with you for a while?” Reggie asked.

  “You know you don’t have to ask. Did you want to talk about something in particular?”

  Reggie nodded. “Yeah, I do, but do you mind if we just hang for a bit? I think I need to forget about Bennett House and the Big Bad for a couple of hours.”

  Gillian smiled gently at her friend. “I’m all yours. Travis is working on the haunted house. Sam’s there too, but I’m sure he’s just there to make sarcastic comments because with that leg, he’s pretty useless. Chase is expected as well. So I guess we are all taking a break from the Big Bad today.”

  It was a relaxing day. Reggie and Gillian never ran out of things to say to each other. They laughed a lot, often at Travis’s expense. Nothing beats a woman friend, Reggie thought. Even the most sensitive man could never replace a girlfriend. She understood that and every day she felt gratitude for her friendship with Gillian.

  Reggie said, “So I guess Travis hasn’t got it right yet, huh?”

  Gillian laughed. She knew exactly what Reggie was referring to. The whole town knew that Travis and Gillian would be married. It was just a matter of time. It all rested with Travis. Gillian had insisted he get it right. He had to ask her properly in order to get the answer he sought. So far he’d failed miserably. The town had a pool going. Everyone was making bets on when Travis would finally get what he wanted. Reggie had yet to get in on the action. She hoped to get inside information before putting her money down.

  Gillian giggled. “So far, he’s put a ring in my soup. I almost broke a tooth. He tied a string around my finger while I was sleeping and waited for me to wake up and pull it, and I don’t know what he’d planned.” She nodded at Reggie, “Lame, I know but worse…he’d tied it so tight the string left a red mark on my finger. Sky writing? He tried that too, but the guy he hired got my name wrong, and Travis ended up asking Gilligan to marry him. Do you have any idea how many people in New Crescent know the Gilligan’s Island song?”

  She paused and waited for Reggie to stop laughing before continuing. “He put a ring in a bubble gum machine and had to take Cindy Wilton for ice cream every day for a week before she’d give it back. She thought it was pretty. He’s written me the most hilarious poetry. Who taught him how to spell? Jethro Beaudine?” Both women cracked up and started to imagine even more hilarious ways Travis could bungle the simple act of asking the woman he loves to marry him.

  “I swear, there’s a genius to his incompetence,” Gillian said.

  “He’s made it performance art.” Reggie giggled. “He really is the best, though, isn’t he? You gotta admire his persistence.”

  Gillian nodded. “So, feel like talking now?”

  Chapter 23

  Reggie told Gillian all that Constance had said about her life with Vincent Bennett.

  Horrified, Gillian said, “Oh my God, that poor woman. What an evil man.”

  “Yeah, and Chase and I are expected to defeat him. Constance even said my life depended on
it.”

  Gillian frowned, “Really? She shouldn’t have said that.”

  Reggie paused and looked at her friend with suspicion. “What should she have said, Gillian? What do you know?”

  “Last summer, Ernestine told Travis that if he didn’t stop the rapist, he would not survive it. Pretty dramatic huh? But true. Failure would have destroyed Travis. In a way, he would have died, I guess. Could that be what Constance meant?”

  Reggie shook her head, “No way. She meant that it was a matter of life and death. And you know? I believe her. I’ve felt the evil in that room. If it’s ever unleashed Gill, there’s no telling what damage it would wreak”

  Gillian nodded and the expression on her face was serious. “You could be right. Ernestine’s been teaching me about what being a Guardian entails. I wasn’t born here, so it’s all so new to me.” She shrugged humbly and said, “According to her, there are towns like New Crescent all over the world, places that act as a buffer between the supernatural world and the natural world. These towns attract people with special abilities, people like me.” Gillian put her hand on her heart and said, “We feel at home here the moment we cross the town boundaries. But Guardians have a special mission. We are women who accept responsibility for the town’s safety. We guide the people of our town and help them to make good decisions so that we can stand firm against the forces that would destroy all that is natural and good.”

  As a card carrying member of the Old Families and an expert on New Crescent and it’s position in the scheme of things, Reggie already understood all that Gillian was saying. But the passion in Gillian’s voice was so compelling she sat silently and listened to her friend’s tirade.