The Ravenswynd Series - Boxed Set

by Sharon Ricklin Jones

  “First tell me what it is, please.” I couldn’t help but wish he had offered me a red liquid.

  “Oh, sorry. It is also known as a blood-orange; some people describe it as a cross between a pomelo and a tangerine, but it is actually just a mutation of a sweet orange. Take a bite. You will like it.” He held his hand up higher. I bent down and nibbled off a bit. It was sweet and tasty, just like an orange.

  Emrys then gave me a wide grin and announced, “Look, I had our flight attendant squeeze some into a glass for you. A glass of fresh Sanguinello - blood orange juice. Just for you.” He looked extremely proud of himself. I had all I could do to not roll my eyes in disbelief at his almost child-like antics; it was as though he attempted to get brownie points since he couldn’t even wait for me before he devoured his breakfast. He wasn’t acting like his normal self at all.

  I sat down next to him, and he handed me the short glass of crimson liquid. I assumed the juice would be equally as sweet and tasty as the small bite he had given me. I looked into the liquid and swirled it around, noticing the glass felt warmer than I had expected. “What the...”

  “Shh.” He held up his hand to silence me. “Just enjoy your Sanguinello orange juice, my dear.” He spoke an octave above his normal voice, and for one brief moment I thought he had lost his mind. He was usually so reserved - and suddenly he was loud and just one short step below obnoxious, almost as though he wanted those around us to hear him. I shook my head and crinkled my brows wondering what happened to my normally subdued husband.

  I raised the glass to my mouth and peered at him over the rim, and finally it dawned on me. I recognized the familiar bouquet I had been craving, and as I drank the warm, thick nectar, it flowed down my throat like cool water on a hot day, like breast milk to a hungry baby. All at once I felt refreshed, renewed, and thankful. Emrys kept a watchful eye on me as I drank and I gave him a grateful smile. I didn’t even bother to ask, knowing he’d explain in time. I had to assume that one of the flight attendants were in his employ. Somehow, he had connections everywhere. His nod was almost undetectable, but his eyes spoke volumes. He did this just for me; I noticed he drank regular orange juice. I finished my beverage and wiped my mouth with a napkin.

  “Thank you, my sweet husband,” I said, giving him another grin.

  “You are so very welcome, my sweet beautiful wife.” Finally back to normal, his velvety and subdued voice was a pleasant melody in my ears.

  * * *

  We were picked up promptly at Heathrow within moments of gathering our luggage. The size of my measly overnight bag reminded me instantly of how lightly I had traveled all across the Atlantic. All I had with me was what I’d brought on my honeymoon, and I was now wearing my favorite white cashmere sweater and black dress slacks, the last outfit - not already worn twice. More than anything, I hoped Lindy had succeeded in boxing all of our possessions and that they’d be shipped in a reasonable time frame.

  Emrys noticed my concern and patted my hand as we sat close together in the limo. “Do not fret my dear wife. Remember the plan was for our sisters to visit Providence while we continued our most splendid trip to Prince Edward Island. I would not doubt that your things have arrived and are already unpacked by now.”

  He reminded me of his excellent staff at Ravenswynd, and how he had already hired a girl to be my personal assistant. I smiled at him wryly as I remembered the conversation. His insistence at calling this new girl my mistress had met with so much opposition from me that he finally caved in and agreed to call her my “assistant,” if for no other reason than to appease me. I could live with that. I just could not imagine giving anyone such an arcane title. To me, mistress meant quite the opposite of someone who would ever be of any help to me.

  The English countryside was every bit as beautiful as I had always envisioned. The rolling hills were filled with an array of autumn colors, although through the haze of the tinted windows and light misty rain, my vision was somewhat blurred. When we reached a thick wooded area, turned into a gated private drive, and then over a stone bridge that traversed a body of water, I knew we had entered the Ravenswynd estate. The winding roadway seemed to go on forever, and finally we came closer to the high walls I recognized from my vision. And then there it was.

  The archway that had endured for centuries with the ever-watchful Raven perched on the very top. I was quite sure that my sudden gasp was unexpected and a bit loud, though I was also quite sure Emrys understood my emotion. This view brought with it not only memories he had shared with me during my quickening, but reminded me that some of my visions, if they came to pass, would take place here. Out past the archway, beyond the fountain stood the exact building I had tried to imagine many times: my new home. It was tall and massive, exactly as Emrys had described.

  After the limo driver opened the door, Emrys appeared holding an umbrella over my head. I lingered silently, glancing up at the huge doorway, the soft patter of rain all around us the only sound. As the reality began to set in and my breathing returned to normal, I realized Emrys was guiding me toward the steps and the ancient, ornately carved wooden door. Just as we took our last step it flew open, and I heard the familiar voice of my twin.

  “They’re here! They’re here! Lizzy!” Melinda called out.

  Before I was able to say a word, she had run out into the rain and into my arms. Giant droplets made polka dots on her black dress; the familiar scent of jasmine wafted over me, her black hair wound all around my arms as I held her tightly - patting and rubbing her back, and she began to laugh and cry at the same time.

  “Lizzy, I missed you so much! I’m so glad you’re finally here. Oh-my-God, it’s the longest we’ve ever been apart. I was so worried about you!”

  I kissed her damp cheek and looked into her sapphire eyes. “Lindy, I missed you too. But why on earth were you worried?”

  As we stepped into the gigantic foyer, I began to look around, only half-listening to her explanation. She began to say something about dreams and premonitions, but I was distracted; I could hardly believe the elegance of this home. My eyes took in so much in so short a time: polished marble floor, massive doors of deep mahogany, plush drapery, beautiful paintings, and a wide sweeping stairway. Before she was able to explain further, we were surrounded by a myriad of faces, some new and some familiar, and Fiona appeared with a warm embrace, dressed in a pale green dress, with Rufus at her side.

  Larkin and Amrita came down the stairs smiling broadly. Introductions were made, though I was sure that all the new names would evade me within moments. There was Matthew, Barbara Lee, Gertie, Steven, and Sally.

  I then met my personal assistant: Kelsey. She was a short, thick-looking girl, who had wavy, brown hair, touched with natural golden highlights, and warm brown eyes. My first impression was that she seemed very shy; all she managed to say in a quiet whisper was a quick, “Hello, ma’am.” Her smile said she was happy to meet me, but there was something sad in her eyes. I couldn’t help but wonder what her secret was, and, somehow, I knew she needed me as much as Emrys thought I needed her. Before I had a chance to speak to her, she retrieved my bag and trudged heavily up the stairs and out of sight.

  It was getting easier to decipher who the Ravens were and who was human. And it amazed me that only a short time ago I would have been so completely clueless. I counted a total of four humans. There was one woman whom I knew without introductions as soon as she joined us and opened her mouth: Priscilla, the cook.

  “Welcome home, Emrys. My, oh my, and so this is our newest addition, Elizabeth!” She took my hand into her pudgy warm hand and shook it gently, patting it softly with her other hand. Her friendly hazel eyes glowed above her pink cheeks as she went on, “Have the two of y’ eaten yet, my dear?” Not waiting for an answer, she waved her arms to get everyone’s attention. “Come on, folks, dinner is ready!” She turned back to Emrys and added, “Oh, and tis so good having everyone to home again!”

  She scurried away down a hallway, stil
l mumbling in her thick English accent. It was then that I realized who she reminded me of - minus the sadness. Both of the women had the same brown hair, both were short and stout, and, even though Kelsey had brown eyes, they were the exactly the same shape as her mother’s. I looked to Emrys for confirmation, and he smiled and nodded to me that, yes, Priscilla was Kelsey’s mother. I couldn’t help but wonder why they both worked for the family. After all, Emrys had mentioned that Priscilla had been around for a long time. It seemed strange that they could be so completely opposite; one so full of life, and one so quiet and sad - quite pitiful actually. And, since it was obvious they were both Ravens, their working here made no sense to me.

  We all made our way into the gigantic dining room. I had never seen a table this large in my life. It seemed to be twenty feet long. Emrys sat at the head of the table, and I sat to his right. Lindy and Gavin sat to my right, and Fiona and Rufus across from us. I looked down toward the far end of the table and saw Amrita and Larkin chatting with Latimer and Constance who, on closer inspection, appeared to be a couple as well. I wasn’t surprised to see our old friend, Random Steve, sitting next to a very beautiful blonde woman who I guessed had left enough of an impression on him that he chose to check out this way of life as well. I detected that he was still very much human, more so from his scent than anything visual. I racked my brain trying to recall the blonde’s name as I picked up my glass and took a sip of red wine.

  Emrys leaned closer and whispered, “That is Barbara Lee. I am sure you saw her at the gathering; she was dressed as Pocahontas.”

  I nodded and remembered being impressed with Random Steve’s sudden boldness. After I had given him the brush off, he went directly to Pocahontas. But I needed to remember to call him Steve. It would be quite embarrassing to let myself slip and call him Random, the name that seemed to have stuck ever since Fiona first mentioned him.

  I glanced over at Fiona. She was even more beautiful than I remembered her last. Her brilliant red hair was as curly as ever, bright and shiny, and her emerald eyes were fixed on Rufus as she lovingly brushed his cheek with the back of her hand. Rufus smiled at her and before she removed her hand, he turned his head to the side and kissed it.

  I turned my focus to Emrys then. It became evident that he had been watching me intently as I scanned the room looking from person to person, taking it all in. His smile told me he understood how overwhelmed I felt. A soft touch on my right arm made me turn toward my sister. Her look said she understood as well. Resting her head on my shoulder, her black hair fell forward partly covering her face.

  “We have a lot of catching up to do, Sis,” she said softly. Her tone told me she didn’t necessarily want to share everything with anyone else, just me. I reached over and stroked her silky hair.

  “Yes, we do,” I whispered. I really wanted to hear about her most recent worries about me. And I was curious about her situation with Gavin. I glanced past her directly into his misty gray eyes and realized he’d been watching me too. If not for the fact that it was impossible to blush, I would have turned fifty shades of red. For a brief moment, I even wondered if he could read my mind. After all, I couldn’t help but be curious about their sleeping arrangements. I remembered too well the feelings just after being turned. Not giving in to what seemed to be the most natural next step was nearly impossible. No wonder they warned us ahead of time. Lindy lifted her head up and smiled at me. She knew exactly what I was thinking; although I didn’t think her new gift had anything to do with mind reading.

  “I had a dream that someone wanted to attack you, to hurt you or rape you,” she said in a whisper. I could see it was hard for her to say these words. Her face was all askew as she went on. “I couldn’t make out his face, but I felt his wrath. It was so real that I almost called you on your honeymoon.” She looked at me with a fearful intensity. Her obvious dread gave me chills, and Emrys reached over and touched my left hand.

  “Well, as you can see, I’m fine.” I never had the chance to tell her what had happened with Rohan before we left, and as far as I knew, no one else besides Emrys knew the whole story.

  “Have you had many dreams since you’ve transitioned?”

  “A few. I dreamed about Ravenswynd before we got here. It’s exactly as I imagined it would be. Oh, I also had a dream that you went horseback riding, and you lost control of your horse.”

  I laughed aloud and said, “Well, actually, that did happen. It was quite a scare, but Emrys rescued me.” I leaned closer to Lindy and whispered, “Remind me to tell you more about Rohan. This isn’t the right time or place to talk about him.”

  Melinda’s expression turned blank as she nodded. Beyond her bobbing head I caught the look on Gavin’s face. It was obvious he had heard Rohan’s name and his eyes narrowed as he glanced at Emrys. It seemed at that moment, the two of them had a silent understanding take place. Neither said a word, but the feeling was palpable.

  As Priscilla appeared carrying a huge platter of beef tenderloin into the room all the quiet chatter eased up; until everyone started commenting on the fantastic aroma following her entrance. She sat the platter down near Emrys and after serving him first, she passed out portions to everyone. Kelsey brought in a pomegranate salad and garlic mashed potatoes which were promptly passed around, and then the two of them joined with us in the feast. I noticed as we all ate that Kelsey barely looked up from her plate, and I became even more determined to get to the bottom of this girl’s problem.

  All-total, there were seventeen of us at the table, and I assumed there were a few more around somewhere. It would take some time to get to know all the faces and names, personalities and situations, but that was one thing I had in abundance: time.

  After dinner Priscilla, Kelsey and Constance began to clear the table. When I stood to help, both Melinda and Emrys stopped me. Emrys just shook his head as Melinda explained, “I tried that last week and found we aren’t allowed in the kitchen. Priscilla will eat you alive if you try. The only reason she lets Constance help out, is because of her age. She won’t disrespect her. Connie is older you see. And Pricilla makes her daughter, Kelsey, help with everything. The Ravens took them in when they had nowhere else to go.” Melinda stopped talking when the trio reentered the room. As they gathered up the rest of the plates and food, Lindy smiled at me, dabbing her mouth with a napkin. After they left the room she finished her story in a whisper, saying, “They were both near death with the typhoid fever when Emrys’ mother found them near the stone bridge. Phoebe talked Ambrose into taking them in and turning them to save their lives. Priscilla and Phoebe became close friends, and when Phoebe was sent away Priscilla promised her she would look after her family. I guess Kelsey was just stuck in the middle of her mother’s promise. She doesn’t seem very happy with her life.”

  I figured that was only a part of Kelsey’s story. There just had to be more. “Who told you all this?” I asked quietly, keeping an eye on the swinging door to the kitchen.

  “Gavin, of course.” She turned to him, placing a hand on his, and he gave her a sweet smile. His hair was unbelievably white in this light. I had forgotten how bright it was. The last time I saw him had been in dim candle light.

  Emrys stood, motioning to Gavin, Rufus, and Larkin, and with a raised eyebrow, said, “Cigars in the smoking lounge?”

  It became obvious that this was everyone’s cue to go about their business as the four men went to discuss family affairs. I understood how Rufus and Larkin were part of the Bertrand family, but had no clue how Gavin fit in. Emrys kissed me lightly on the lips and told me he’d meet me within an hour. I didn’t know where the smoking lounge was, much less any other rooms besides the dining room and the foyer. I looked helplessly to my sister. She knew immediately what I needed. Rising from her chair, she took my hand and guided me out into the hallway. Off to the side, I saw Fiona waiting there with a jubilant smile across her face.

  “Oh, Lizzy, we need to catch up as soon as you get settled. You are going to ab
solutely love it here. I have to meet Barbara Lee now. We have plans for the evening, but I’m sure you and Lindy want to be alone for a bit anyway.” She kissed my cheek and was off in a flutter of green chiffon, a lemon grass and lavender scent trailing behind her.

  Melinda showed me to the closest bathroom. If this room was an indication of the size of all the rooms here, I was destined to get lost at least a dozen times before getting used to the place. The bathroom had an actual lounge area in it, with plush couches, tables, lamps, sinks and two private toilets. I peeked into both cubicles just to see; they were identical. Lindy waited patiently on one of the red couches as I washed my hands. She then guided me through a maze of rooms, hallways, and doorways, stopping only for a moment to show me the smoking lounge. We peeked in, and through the lovely scent of cigars and pipe tobacco and a fog of smoke, we saw our men sitting quietly and talking. My heart warmed at the sight of Emrys as he blew out a fragrant plume. His black flowing hair glistened in the soft lamp light. His dark shirt blended in with the sable leather chair, making his face stand out bright and beautiful. He glanced our way and smiled. I knew he heard my thoughts as Lindy pulled me back and showed me the rear door to the patio.

  The patio! It was exactly as I remembered it from my vision. A very large table with an umbrella and matching red chairs sat out in the middle of a half-moon area of brick and stone. Out beyond the patio was a grassy area surrounded by beautiful trees, shrubs, sectioned off areas of rhododendrons and azaleas, and farther out a large pond with a fountain in the center and black swans floating about. We stepped away from the doorway and ducked under the big umbrella. The rain had stopped for the most part, but the trees continued to drip here and there. Luckily, the chairs were still dry and we sat together, protected from the remaining drizzle.

  “So, what’s all this crap with Rohan, and what happened to you?” Lindy got right to the point.

  “Remember the ugly clown at the gathering? The one you danced with?” I shivered at the thought and made a disgusted face. “He was the same guy that accosted you outside near the pond, remember? That - was Rohan.”