Bridget dug her heels into the rug. “What? What the hell are you doing?”
“I’m going to find out what that was!”
“No, no you’re not, you are going to bed,” Bridget told me.
“You don’t want to figure out what that was?”
“Not particularly!”
I gave her a look. “You don’t have to come with me, but I’m going with or without you.”
“It’s probably nothing!” she said. “Mr. Henstridge or something!”
“In that case, I’ll be back in bed in no time, and there’s no harm in investigating.”
Bridget squared her jaw, looking at me for a moment before she sighed. “Ugh! Fine. I’ll come with you. But let’s make it quick. I’m tired.”
“Yes, I bet you are,” I said as we continued down the hallway. Though her face was obscured in the dark, I had no doubt she was rolling her eyes.
We made it to the top of the staircase. In the entry, the only lights were two sconces at the foot of the stairs, so most of the room was in shadow. We walked slowly, the lantern out in front of us so we wouldn’t trip. We kept as quiet as possible, stepping lightly, hardly breathing as we descended, keeping our ears open for any more strange noises.
“No one else is awake!” Bridget hissed as we reached the landing. I walked in a circle, holding the lantern out, hoping to catch sight of whoever it was that had made the noise.
“It’s probably a cat or something,” she continued. “This is silly. Let’s go to bed.”
A cat might explain the scream I heard, and the thumping noise, but I hadn’t seen a cat in the day we had been here. I peeked my head around corners, trying to peer through the darkness that my lantern couldn’t penetrate. My eyes began playing tricks on me, messing with the shadows so it was difficult for my vision to adjust. I stepped back into the entry.
I heard the sound again, like something heavy being lifted and dropped. The noise echoed through the entry, making it difficult to tell where it was coming from. I glanced over at Bridget. Her body was rigid, completely still.
“Bridget?”
She put her finger to her lips, her eyes roaming around the room as she waited for another episode of the noise. We must have stood there for several minutes, agonizing as we listened for a sound that was probably, but not definitely, nothing.
Bam!
The noise rang out in the entry, echoing off the walls, ringing up to the ceiling. Bridget shrieked, and I probably jumped almost three feet in the air. My heart was racing so loudly I swore Bridget could hear it, and my pulse thrummed through my veins.
Bam!
It sounded again, the whole room banging it back at us. I stepped back, my hand finding Bridget’s and squeezing hard.
“I don’t think that’s a cat,” I whispered to her. She shook her head.
Bam!
“It’s coming from the front door,” she hissed at me, and both of us took several steps backward, the lantern still clutched in my free hand.
“What if we went to the windows, tried to see out?” I asked.
“No,” she said slamming her arm against me. “Don’t you dare go toward the front of the house!”
“Well, what are we going to do?” I asked, as we stayed huddled together in the center of the room.
“Nothing. We’re not going to do anything,” Bridget said. “We are going back upstairs, we are going to climb into bed, and we are going to go to sleep and pretend this never happened.”
“We are absolutely not going to do that!” I said. “We need to find out what’s out there!”
“It’s nothing!” she said. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
Bam!
“Come on, my lady,” she said, “let’s get you upstairs.”
“You don’t want to know?”
“No! I don’t!”
“Whatever it is, it’s clearly not dangerous, or they would have broken into the house already,” I said.
“My lady, please. Let’s get you upstairs.”
She pulled at my hand, trying to lead me up the stairs.
“I won’t be able to sleep until I know what’s going on!” I protested. My heart was racing, adrenaline pumping through my body.
“At least let me get one of the men!” Bridget said.
“No, wait,” I said, putting my hand out. “I think it’s stopped.”
We waited, still, our breathing shallow and quiet, unmoving. It seemed an eternity, waiting for another scream or thump or bang. I was sure I was about to pass out, sure that my heart was going to beat out of my chest. Finally, several minutes had passed, and we began to relax.
“All right,” I said. I was trying to sound confident, but my voice was shaking. “I think it’s over.”
“Great,” Bridget said, “can we go to bed now?”
“Hold on.”
I broke away from her and went to the heavy double doors. I slid the many deadbolts open as Bridget came up behind me. I pulled the doors open.
“Oh God,” I murmured.
Bridget took one look and screamed.
On the stoop in front of the door was a dead, disemboweled deer.
Chapter Eighteen
“I don’t suppose there’s any chance that the deer was attacked and then wandered up here to die?” I asked as I looked down at the carnage.
“Virtually none,” Conor said from behind me. Nearly the entire house woke up with all the commotion, the exceptions being Daniel, who was still fast asleep in his crib, and Mrs. Henstridge, whose husband claimed she had taken a sleeping draught so strong that “even the devil couldn’t wake her.” We were all gathered in the entryway, the door still open, cold air blowing through.
“This is bad,” I sighed.
“It’s certainly not good.”
“I don’t know what to do,” I admitted, turning to him.
He paused. “Give me a moment.”
He pulled Bridget aside and into one of the hallways. I shut the door, not caring to look at the dead deer any longer or to get frostbite on my extremities. I sank down into one of the chairs, tired. Why wouldn’t anyone let me get any sleep?
From my new vantage point, I saw Conor and Bridget, and they appeared to be arguing. Bridget was gesturing wildly, her eyes wide, while Conor was trying to soothe her, although his motions were tense. It was odd. Really, what could they be arguing about? Me, I suppose. They were both here to take care of me, but I had been the one who insisted we investigate the strange noise, so I hoped he wasn’t yelling at her about that. Bridget seemed to give in to whatever it was they were fighting over. Her body relaxed and she threw up her hands in surrender. Finally, the two of them had reached an agreement and came back into the entry.
“Christine, Bridget is going to take you up to your room, and she’ll stay with you in case something else happens,” he said.
“All right,” I said, sensing he had more to say.
“Adam and I are going to canvass the grounds.”
“You’re going to leave us here alone?” I asked.
“You’ll be fine, you’ve got Bridget.”
I looked at Bridget. “As much as I appreciate your assistance, I’m not sure what you’re going to be able to do if Seth shows up.”
Bridget put her arm around me, not so subtly leading me toward the stairs. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“I don’t like this,” I said.
“I promise, you’ll be all right. My guess is after that stunt, whoever placed the deer there is far away for the night,” Conor said.
“We all know who put the deer there!” I exclaimed. “How did he find me, anyway?”
“That I don’t know.”
“And you want to take Adam out with you? Isn’t that painful for you?” I asked Adam.
“Well, yes,” he admitted, “but—”
“But nothing. We’re all staying here,” I said. “We are locking the doors and we are staying in this house and you two are going to prote
ct us and Adam will go only if absolutely necessary.”
Both men and Bridget looked like they were about to argue, but I put my hand up. “No. That’s an order.”
“Fine,” Conor said after a moment. “On two conditions.”
I folded my arms over my belly. “Yes?”
“Bridget stays with you tonight.”
I rolled my eyes. “I hardly think that’s necessary.”
He held my gaze. “Bridget sleeps in your room tonight, and if anything else happens, you let Adam and me investigate.”
They weren’t perfect conditions, but I supposed that part of being diplomatic was negotiating.
“All right,” I said, stepping forward with my hand outstretched. He shook it. “Now, let’s go to bed.”
We tried to proceed through the next day as normal. I slept very little that night, and as a result slept in late. I had tea with the girls in the drawing room where Annabelle alternated between sewing a sampler and trying to prevent Daniel from grabbing at her needles. We kept the topics lighthearted, still conversing about Annabelle’s new baby and Hazel’s wedding, but in the back of my mind, the incident still dwelled. I plastered on a wooden smile, but terror and dread had sunk to the bottom of my stomach, making me feel sick and causing me to lose my appetite.
I missed Jasper.
I was used to missing Jasper; with his frequent trips to London, our time together was always precious. I particularly missed him now, as I was so close to my due date and huddled here, terrified. Jasper would know what to do in this situation. Perhaps I didn’t always agree with his methods, but he always knew how to keep me safe and protect me, and I needed to feel protected. I needed to feel safe. I was away from home and weeks away from having a baby.
The next few nights were very quiet. I was still restless. The little sleep I got was plagued by nightmares, but after a few nights of no mischief or terror, I was finally able to breathe. I woke up one day, about a week after we arrived, feeling almost invigorated. I wanted to clean or organize something. I rearranged my wardrobe so all the dresses were in rainbow order, then stacked the books on my side table by the author’s last name. I wanted to be busy. I had spent so many days wandering listlessly around the castle that I needed a task to fill my thoughts. Reading wouldn’t do. I needed to be active and productive. I sat at a table in the drawing room and outlined all my plans for Lowell’s birth, and then created a calendar of all the events we had going on the next year. It wasn’t quite the same as being home and being able to reorganize the nursery, but it was something that made me feel accomplished.
I went to bed that night with a warm, fuzzy feeling in my chest.
I was startled awake by howling and snarling outside my window.
My heart was racing. I nearly fell out of bed. It wasn’t the full moon, and it wouldn’t be for another week or so, at least, if I remembered right. That meant there was someone out there purposely in wolf form. Slowly, I climbed out of bed and stepped over to the window, looking out at the snow–covered ground. It was dark, clouds covering the bit of moonlight, and my eyes strained themselves searching for the source of the noise. I didn’t see anything, but it was only moments later that I heard the noise again, angry and bitter and piercing. My eyes darted to the dark woods, and that’s when I saw it.
Standing at the very edge of the tree line, a black wolf, eyes glinting in the faint light, teeth dripping with saliva. I’m not sure if I was too far for him to see me, but it sure felt like he was staring right at me.
I stumbled back from the window as my door opened. I whirled around to see Bridget rush in.
“My lady,” she cried.
“He’s out there,” I said, and I realized my entire body and my voice were shaking. “Seth is there.”
The men raced into the room in short order.
“You saw him?” Conor asked. “You’re sure?”
“Positive,” I said. “He was at the edge of the forest.”
Conor turned to Adam. “Come on. Let’s go.”
“You can’t be serious!” I cried out. “You can’t leave me here!”
“We’re not going to leave you here,” Conor said. “We’ll be back, but first we’re going to find Seth.”
“I’m a sitting duck!”
“Stay with Bridget,” Conor said.
“Like bloody hell I will!” I yelled. “What’s she going to do if Seth breaks in? Draw him a bath?”
“Now, that’s rude,” Bridget said.
I turned to her. “I’m sorry. You know that I’m not angry at you, please forgive me.” I turned to Conor. “But you, I am angry at you. You can’t leave me!”
“Our number one priority is to capture Seth,” he said.
“No, your number one priority is to keep me and this baby safe!”
“And I can’t do that with Seth still around,” he said. “Jasper would want it this way, trust me. Come on, Adam.”
I didn’t even have time to protest before he shut the door. Exasperated, I fell into one of the chairs. “I don’t believe it,” I said.
“I promise, ma’am, you’ll be safe with me,” Bridget said.
I simply looked at her. “What are you going to do? Are you something mythological? Are you a Valkyrie or something?”
Bridget chuckled. “I picked up a few things living on the streets, that’s all.”
I sighed. “Fine, I suppose I don’t get much say in this anyway.”
I heard a noise outside my door and nearly fell out of my chair with nerves. Bridget gave me a hand signal indicating I should stay seated and went to open the door.
Hazel and Annabelle practically fell into the room.
“What on earth is going on?” Annabelle asked.
“Seth found us,” I muttered. “The men went out to look for him.”
“They did what?” she asked.
“I know,” I groaned.
Annabelle sat down on the loveseat, Daniel lolling sleepily on her shoulder. “We heard the commotion, but that’s not what I was expecting.”
“Of course it’s Seth,” I muttered. “Every bad thing that’s happened in my life has been because of Seth.”
“Now, that’s an exaggeration,” Annabelle said. “Only the bad things from the last six months or so are because of Seth.”
“Thank you, that’s quite helpful.” I rolled my eyes.
“But the men left?” Annabelle asked nervously.
“Yes. Bridget is supposed to save us.”
“Only if necessary,” Bridget said. I buried my head in my hands.
“Mark my words, when I see Jasper, he will hear about this.”
“My lady, why don’t you get some sleep?” Bridget asked me. “When you wake up, I’m sure they’ll be back.”
“You think I’ll be able to sleep?” I asked, looking up at her.
“What if we stayed?” Hazel asked, glancing at Annabelle. “Until the men return. Would that help?”
“It certainly wouldn’t hurt,” I admitted.
“Well, then,” Annabelle said, laying Daniel down on the loveseat, “let’s play a game.”
“As long as it’s not charades.”
“No, actually, I was thinking—”
I never heard the second half of her sentence, because an angry howl pierced the air. I jumped, my eyes wide. Daniel yawned and rolled over.
Hazel fiddled nervously with the skirt of her nightdress. “It’s probably just—”
She was cut off by another howl, this one joined by a chorus of voices. As the sound echoed in the open sky, it became impossible to tell if there were two or twenty.
“Oh my God,” I said, my hands clutching the arms of the chair so hard my knuckles were turning white. “I’m going to die here. I’m going to die in this stupid castle in the middle of nowhere and I’m never going to have this baby and I’m never going to get a chance to tell Jasper I love him—”
Annabelle jumped off the loveseat and came and sat on the floor next to my chair.
“Christine, breathe. In, out, yes. That’s a good girl.”
I tried to do as she said, taking deep breaths that I held for a few seconds before releasing them.
“Do you know why Jasper chose this place to send us?” she asked. I shook my head. “This is one of the most reinforced castles in the country. It is extraordinarily difficult to break into. The doors are almost impossible to open from the outside. And see that stained glass?”
I nodded again.
“There’s a reason the windows are so small. Even if they break the glass out, they still aren’t getting in. I promise, Christine, you’re safe here. No one is going to get you and no one is going to hurt you.”
Bang!
I screamed as the sound filled the room. It was almost the same as the thump we had heard the night the deer was dropped off, but it was louder, more aggressive and violent.
I began to hyperventilate.
“Christine, no. Christine, look at me,” Annabelle said, turning my head so I faced her. “They aren’t getting in. Do you hear me? They aren’t getting in.”
Bang! Bang!
“They must be throwing themselves against the door,” Bridget muttered.
“You said the doors were impossible to get through!” I cried out to Annabelle.
“They are, they are,” she said, trying to soothe me. “They aren’t going to make it through.”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The noise thundered through the house from the doors downstairs. I didn’t care how reinforced they were, I couldn’t imagine they’d stay that way much longer. Surely it was only a matter of time before the wood cracked or the hinges gave way.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Annabelle was beginning to look nervous, her eyes shifting between me and the bedroom door. She moved back to the loveseat and scooped Daniel up, holding him tightly. Hazel, for her part, sat petrified in her chair. The only one not seated was Bridget. She was taking her job as my protector very seriously, standing at attention, listening for the sounds of a breaking door and footsteps on the stairs.
There were so many things I hadn’t had a chance to say to Jasper. I wanted to tell him that I forgave him for all of his secrets. I wanted to tell him that I was happy to be his wife and that I was happy to be giving him a son. I wanted to tell him that there needn’t be any secrets between us, that even if he turned out to be a 104–year–old vampire from America I would still love him. All I wanted was to be home and in his arms, with him stroking my hair the way he did when he was deep in thought, but still attempting to connect with me. I wanted him, and I wanted my happy life with my new little family. I did not want to be here.
The Wolf's Bait (The Wolf's Peak Saga Book 2) Page 14
