The Victorian Gothic Collection: Volumes 1-3

by Bowlin, Chasity

  She was tempted to turn the hot water on again and soak for a bit longer, but she’d never have time to be adequately turned out for dinner if she did so. Leaning back against the roll-edged rim of the cast iron tub, Adelaide closed her eyes. Five more minutes, she thought, and then she would get out and begin the arduous process of dressing for a dinner she had no desire to attend.

  The air shifted about her, almost as if a door or a window had been opened, and yet she’d heard no one enter. A shiver raced over her as the temperature seemed to drop, quickly and intensely. More than the temperature change, it was the overwhelming sensation of no longer being alone that made her heart race and her fingers tremble as she gripped the edge of the tub. Warily, she opened her eyes. She could see her breath misting before her. The room had grown that cold. The feeling of dread that filled her was an all too familiar one. But they were not at Cysgod Lys. It, whatever it truly was, could not have followed them there. Surely?

  As if in answer to her question, she felt something brush her leg beneath the soapy water. It was followed immediately by a burning pain across her shoulder as she was pressed down into the tub by an unbearable weight and pressure. Then she was dragged under the water, pulled down by some unseen force.

  Adelaide struggled, gripping the edge of the tub and fighting her way back up. She screamed as loud as she could praying Dyllis would hear her, before once more being pulled down into the water. She held her breath, but her lungs burned from the effort. Whatever held there, had a bruising grip. It tightened about her with such force that she thought her bones might simply snap.

  Kicking, clawing, she fought to drag herself above the water, but it was useless. Whatever held her did so with far more strength than she possessed. The last vestiges of air were escaping her as she struggled. She could feel herself weakening. But then a pair of strong hands grasped her, pulling her up. It got her out of the water long enough to take a deep gulping breath, she saw Eldren’s face and the fear that blazed in his eyes. Then she was sucked under once more.

  The struggle seemed to go on forever, but with enough oxygen feeding her brain, Adelaide realized she couldn’t drown in a tub that wouldn’t hold water. She kicked out with her foot, sliding it beneath the small chain that connected the stopper to the taps and pulled it free. Slowly, the water began to recede, draining out and with it, whatever force had taken hold in that small room receded with it.

  She lay there, curled on her side in the bottom of that tub, her body bruised, battered and not even caring for her nakedness. The relief at having simply survived superseded everything else, at least for the moment. Her breath still came in labored gasps when Eldren draped her robe over her and lifted her from the tub, carrying her into the connecting bedchamber.

  Adelaide lay on the bed, completely still, the shock of it all having robbed her of even the barest ability to communicate. It felt as if she would never be safe again, as if death and darkness and danger surrounded her at every turn.

  Eldren broke the silence, his voice strained with fear and what sounded suspiciously like guilt. Because he had brought her into the madness of his family and the curse that haunted them. “What happened, Adelaide? What the devil happened in there?”

  “I think it’s the house,” she whispered. “It doesn’t want me to leave and this was my punishment. We won’t be going to London, Eldren. I won’t survive it.”

  It sounded like utter madness to even utter such a thing. But he’d seen her in there, he’d seen her struggling to get out of that tub and he himself had been unable to free her from it. They both bore the marks from that struggle.

  He settled on the chair beside the bed. “We’ll return tomorrow morning.”

  Adelaide nodded. “I need to dress for dinner.”

  “I’ll send word to the Elam’s that you’ve taken ill—.”

  “No. It’s too late for that. Just send for Dyllis so that we can attempt to camouflage as much of the damage as possible,” she insisted. “I find that, while I was not looking forward to dinner earlier, the idea of having more people to surround myself with now is strangely appealing. There is such a thing as safety in numbers.”

  He rose and crossed the room to the small bell pull. It would signal the front desk and they would in turn have Dyllis fetched. It was not exactly an efficient system. But Adelaide was grateful that he was remaining with her until the maid arrived at least. While his back was turned, she struggled to don the robe properly and had just managed to get it pulled completely around her when he turned back.

  “Do you need my help?”

  “No,” she said. “I can manage.” While she was still shaken from the events that had transpired, an awareness of everything else that had occurred was now seizing her. He’d seen her entirely without clothes. No one, not even her maid, had seen her in such a state. Modest by nature, Adelaide had always made it a point to at least have her chemise on before Dyllis came to assist her. Her face flamed at the thought of what she must have looked like, but she took solace in the fact that both of them had been so focused on her survival against whatever unseen force had attacked her that the unexpected intimacy might remain unremarked by either of them.

  Uncomfortably aware of his presence, but still too frightened to be alone, Adelaide simply remained in silence. Her arms folded about herself for warmth, her hair a tangled mess about her, and the weight of his steady stare a reminder of all the things that were between them and all those that never would.

  * * *

  Eldren watched her, noting each shiver and tremor. She looked impossibly small and frail, lost in the vastness of her bed. But he could not and would not think of her as childlike. Despite the gravity of their situation, despite all that had transpired for which he still could not fathom an explanation, he was only a man. And any man presented with such a perfect and completely naked female form would look upon it, commit the details of it to memory and likely revisit the memory frequently. Or perhaps he simply wished to rationalize his depravity by assuming others would have done the same.

  Regardless, the image of her would be forever emblazoned upon his mind and would likely haunt him as surely as whatever forces at Cysgod Lys were haunting them now. It was as if Adelaide’s presence had somehow revitalized or reinvigorated the power and essence of that evil. Feeding it, he thought. With her youth, with her beauty. Her innocence. By taking her as his wife and bringing her into his home, he had sealed her fate. Whatever it was had attached itself to her in a way that she could not possibly be free of it, barring death.

  “Forgive me,” he said.

  “Why?” she replied softly, but she did not meet his gaze and the blush that stained her cheeks told him why.

  “This power, this darkness has only ever effected the family before… Had I known that there was any connection to you and the property I would never have brought you there. I should not have risked it regardless. I fear that we have somehow made this entity, or whatever it is, more powerful than ever. And I cannot fathom what might happen now when we return home. But remaining here or in London is clearly impossible… While we are here, write to this Lord Mortimer of your father’s acquaintance. Beg his assistance. Have him bring every mystic and medium from every corner of the earth if need be. I would have you free of this curse, Adelaide. I would never have burdened you with this had I known.”

  “I will write to him and I will beg his assistance… but this is not your fault, Eldren. What man could ever understand the workings of such darkness? There was no way to predict that this might happen.”

  But there was, he thought. As a boy, his mother had tried to leave often. She’d flee into the night, leaving her children behind. But no more than a day later would return, battered, bruised and defeated. He’d assumed it was his father who had sent for her to be dragged back. Now he wasn’t so certain. Perhaps she hadn’t been running from her brute of a husband as much as from the dark forces that controlled their home.

  The outer door to their
suite opened and then there was a soft knock on the bed chamber door. He bade them enter and Dyllis stepped inside carrying a freshly pressed dinner gown. She looked at Adelaide and gasped. “My lady! Whatever has happened?”

  “I fell trying to get out of the tub,” Adelaide lied smoothly. “Luckily his lordship was in the next room and heard the commotion or I likely would have drowned.”

  The maid appeared genuinely distressed. “Oh, my lady. I wish you’d have called me. I could have been here to attend you and it never would have happened!”

  “It’s alright, Dyllis. I’m quite fine,” Adelaide insisted.

  “I’ll be next door,” Eldren interjected. “If anything untoward happens, if you begin to feel… unwell, then you must call for me immediately. Say that you will, Adelaide.”

  “If I feel unwell, I will most assuredly let you know,” she answered.

  Eldren turned and left, pausing in the sitting room that separated their bedchambers. There was a small cart near the secretary holding a selection of spirits. If ever he’d needed such fortifications in his life, that was certainly the moment. With hands that shook, he poured a measure of Scotch into one of the glasses and drank it down quickly, ignoring the burn that followed. Finally, with that bit of liquid courage on board, he retreated to his own chamber to change his clothes as they were wet through.

  As he removed his shirt, he noticed the claw marks on his arm. And yet, Adelaide had never let go of the sides of the tub. She’d held so fiercely to the rolled rim of the cast iron monstrosity that her knuckles had turned nearly as white as it. Three long, angry scratches stretched nearly from elbow to wrist with a little blood welling slightly from each one. More than that, small blisters had began to form about them. Not just scratched. Burned. The water had been nearly ice cold and the room itself had been freezing.

  Cursing himself, his lineage and the home that was an albatross about his neck, Eldren shed the rest of his clothing and donned a fresh suit for dinner. Somehow, he would find a way to keep her safe. Whatever was required.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Adelaide felt the weight of Dyllis’ suspicions. As she’d dressed for dinner, the maid had stared askance at every mark on her body. Scratches, bruises and scrapes all sustained during the fight for her very life which had taken place in the bathing chamber of their suite had prompted ugly thoughts within the serving girl. But it wasn’t her desire to salvage Eldren’s name and reputation that prompted her to speak, it was the fact that she felt so terribly alone.

  “Dyllis, I need something from you,” Adelaide said.

  “Whatever it is, miss—my lady—you may have it,” the maid replied earnestly.

  “I need to tell you things not as my maid or as my employee… I need a friend, Dyllis, much more than I need a maid right now and I need that friend to be you!” Adelaide implored.

  “I am your friend, my lady. I’ll do whatever you need me to,” the girl answered, near tears herself.

  “I know you think Eldren did these things to me, but he didn’t. I need you to believe what I’m about to tell you, no matter how preposterous it may sound. Can you do that?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I can.”

  Adelaide took a deep steadying breath. “There is something dark at Cysgod Lys, something evil. And I know you are aware of it. You’re frightened of it. I’ve seen that… but it isn’t restricted to that house, Dyllis. Whatever it is, it is attached to the family, attached to anyone who bears the Llewellyn name or possesses a drop of the Llewellyn blood. I know that because it attacked me here. It tried to kill me and if Eldren hadn’t heard me screaming for help, I can’t bear to think what might have happened.”

  The maid’s eyes widened with both shock and fear. “There’s stories, my lady… always have been stories about the house and the family. Until I come to work there, I thought that’s all they were. Stories. But I’ve seen things there in the house. Shadows where there shouldn’t be none. Voices in rooms I knew were empty. And it always feels like eyes on my back, someone or something lurking in the corners and watching everything and everyone.”

  Adelaide took the maid’s hands in her own. “That’s it precisely. I’ve only been in that house for a manner of days, Dyllis, and I’ve experienced all that and more. These scratches,” she said, pointing toward her ribs, “They appeared earlier. I was still wearing my corset and chemise and I can’t fathom how my skin was hurt without there being any damage to the fabric of either garment! But when I was bathing, something grabbed me Dyllis. It grabbed me and pulled me under the water and held me there! Have you ever heard of this happening to anyone else in the family?”

  The other girl looked away. “Not that exactly… but when I first come to work there, his lordship’s mother’s maid was still there. She told stories about awful things what happened to her. I always thought it was just that, miss-my lady. Just talk.”

  Adelaide’s heart was pounding. Could it be? Was the fate that Eldren’s mother suffered her destiny as well? “Is this maid still there?”

  “No, m’lady. She died two years back. But cook was there then and Mr. Tromley. I don’t know what they would talk about it or not, but it can’t hurt to ask them.”

  “Ask them what?”

  Adelaide gasped as Dyllis shrieked to bring down the rafters. Neither of them had heard the door open or heard Eldren enter. “You frightened me half to death!”

  “I think we’ve both had more than enough of that for one day. Don’t you? Am I wrong in thinking you were discussing my mother with one of the servants?”

  “Dyllis, you may go. I’ll ring for you if I need you later,” Adelaide said. She wouldn’t have the girl berated for an offense that was entirely of her own making.

  “No, Dyllis. I’d prefer if you stayed for the moment. Under the circumstances, if there is information that you have that might help us to better understand whatever it is that is happening than I should be privy to it as well,” he said. His voice was firm but not harsh. He didn’t appear angry and yet Adelaide was almost certain that he was.

  “I weren’t saying nothing bad, my lord. Only that when I first come to work at Cysgod Lys, the Dowager’s maid was still there. One of the other servants made the comment that she didn’t understand why your mother just didn’t leave the house before all the bad things happened… before she went mad. And her maid said what she tried. But every time she did something drove her back. I don’t know if it’s the same thing what happened here today or not… but I think it bears finding out if her ladyship’s maid ever told of such things to those servants you’d trust to know. I won’t say nothing to anyone. I promise that, my lord.”

  He stood there quietly for a moment, then gave a nod. “Thank you, Dyllis, for your loyalty and your discretion. We’ll ring for you if Lady Montkeith needs you later.”

  The maid bobbed a curtsy and all but flew from the room. Adelaide sighed. “You’re angry.”

  “No. I thought I might be, but the truth of the matter is that I don’t understand any of what’s happening here… and if anyone, even your lady’s maid, possesses information that might be helpful I won’t have it kept from us. I’d reached the same conclusion myself earlier. I recall my mother’s attempts to leave my father. When she returned battered and bruised, I thought it had been him. Clearly I was wrong.” He stopped then, drawing in a deep breath as he crossed to the window and looked out. “There are too many secrets at Cysgod Lys. There always have been, and I’m just as guilty of propagating that as my ancestors were. Enough of that for now, though. Are you ready for dinner? We can still beg off if you like.”

  “No,” Adelaide insisted. “We need to be out of these rooms. Near others. In full view of witnesses as much as possible until we can return to the house. Even saying such things makes me feel silly, but I think it’s true.”

  “As do I,” he agreed, and held out his arm to her. “In that case, let me introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Elam… they are eccentric, to be sure. But fine people noneth
eless.”

  * * *

  When Adelaide placed her hand on his arm, he fought the urge to cover that delicate hand with his own. They did need to spend as much time as possible with others, in full view, but it was not only for protection against whatever dark forces now moved against them. It was to help him keep his word to himself and not give in to the temptation that even now whispered in his mind. She was his wife. The laws of both man and the church permitted him to know her in the most intimate of ways. More difficult to ignore still, he didn’t think Adelaide herself was opposed to the idea. Quite to the contrary. That in and of itself was temptation enough.

  Stepping out into the corridor with her on his arm, they strolled toward the lift and the attendant there in his smart uniform nodded his head and opened the wrought iron cage for them to enter. Once they reached the lower floor and crossed the luxuriously appointed lobby to the gaslit restaurant, the Elams were waiting for them.

  Adelaide recognized her immediately. Not only did she know her, but the lovely Mrs. Elam had been a dear friend of her mother’s. A wealth of emotion swamped her when she saw that familiar face.

  “Oh, my sweet Adelaide!” Lottie Elam cried out. “I couldn’t believe it when Silas told me you were to marry Lord Montkeith! Why, I haven’t seen you since you were a small girl!”

  Adelaide hugged the other woman tightly. “Oh, Aunt Lottie! I had no idea you’d married again.”

  The woman frowned. “You never got my letters? I wrote you, my dear. After your mother’s death and then after your father remarried?”

  Adelaide frowned. “I received one letter after you left for England, but nothing since! I couldn’t believe that you never wrote when Mama passed away. Now, of course, I have a much better picture of precisely what occurred. I’m afraid Muriel would not have been pleased for me to have a connection to my mother. Even her portraits were banished from the house. I managed to save one by concealing it in my wardrobe.”