The Haunting of Lady Sophie

by Marly Mathews

  “The powers of that Ruby will be your downfall if you do not marry Redding. To act like a foolish spoiled child is not like you, Sophie. As for Lord Huntingdon pursuing you, you may cast him out of your mind. He is not the man for you, and should he set foot in this house, I will make that quite clear to him.”

  Her uncle looked like he was disappointed in her and even though Lloyd could be a royal pain, she always knew that she was his favourite niece by far.

  Having him look at her the way he was now made her feel like she was two inches tall. “I would give anything to have my love back, and to live the life we should have shared together. I will not watch you forsake the future you could share with the Marquess.”

  “I won’t marry a man that loves my cousin.” Her voice small and steady, filled with confidence. Lloyd fell silent and even Seraphina did not have another chirpy retort.

  “For the love of God, I do not love Simone! How many times must I state that?” Redding asked angrily.

  Uncomfortable silence filled the room, and she was about to turn and open the door when the butler did it for her.

  “Why do you always want to insist upon my love for Simone?” Redding asked angrily. “She is a capricious little thing. Life with her would be miserable!”

  She almost believed him by his sincere tone. Too bad, he wasn’t just trying to cover his tracks so that she would help him solve his problems with the ghosts.

  “Lady Sophie, your mother needs to speak to you immediately.” He cast a stern glare at Redding, the only thing he could do considering his position in the household.

  “If you would be so kind as to step aside,” she said, her voice curt and clipped. Redding stared at her far too long before gracefully stepping out of her way.

  “I meant what I said, I won’t be leaving this house without you, Sophie.”

  Tingles swept up her spine, causing her to inadvertently shiver. If he had seen her do that he would think that his charms were working on her and the thing that scared the hell out of her was that he had almost penetrated her thick set of emotional armor.

  She stepped outside of the room, and made for the breakfast room. Her mother sat calmly sipping her tea, as Sophie walked into the room, she met her gaze.

  “It would seem, Sophie that you have far too many people vying for your attention today. I have just received a terribly urgent missive from Lady Harding requesting your presence at Harding House this afternoon. I took the liberty of answering the missive and told her that you would not miss it.”

  “Mama, you know what she wants and the last time I was there she said she never wanted to see me again, and that if I spoke of what her husband had relayed to me from beyond the grave that she would ruin us.”

  Her mother laughed, and rolled her eyes. “As if that idle threat should have intimidated you, dearest. I thought I had raised you better than that. No one throws threats at the FitzCharleses. Least of all, a woman like Lady Harding. Her threats were all made of pure air. By the way, she knows what would happen to her if she should do anything to besmirch the honour of my family. We came to a rather beneficial understanding years ago. Besides, if you take Lord Redding with you, she will not dare say, nor do anything to offend him.”

  Queasiness rolled through her gut. She placed her hand against her stomach, and tried to think of a way to get out of her mother’s carefully thought out plans.

  “I don’t want to go back there. Isn’t it bad enough that she put me through that much distress the first time?”

  “Distress? Come now, Sophie. You are tougher than that. With the way that everyone gossips about your abilities to talk to the dead, I imagine you have grown a rather thick skin. In fact, you’ve probably erected quite the set of armor. Just humour me on this—I have never asked anything of you socially. When I should have been holding grand coming out balls for you, I did not because I know you do not like all of that fuss and bother.”

  Her mother never held balls for her because she knew how everyone else would react. They wouldn’t come to her parties when eighty percent of the ton thought she had gone straight to Bedlam!

  “I will go,” she said, her voice filled with resignation. “But I really do not see why he has to accompany me.”

  “If you don’t see that now, you will see it soon enough. Give him a chance, you know full well what the Ruby foretells, and your father rather likes Redding. Don’t dash his hopes now. He thought he would have at least have one tolerable son-in-law. There is no telling what kind of matches your sisters will make—not to mention poor Simone. As for the matches your brothers will make—I shudder to think!”

  Biting her lip to keep herself from starting a verbal sparring match with her mother she nodded her head. “He can come with me, but he had better not get in my way.”

  “He shall stay out of your way when it comes to the ghosts. Right now that poor man is trying to figure out how to get his head around dealing with them. Trust in the fact that he won’t pull a typical male control hand with you. He truly is a good man, Sophie. One of the best the ton has to offer.”

  Inwardly, she wanted to run back up to the sanctuary of her bedchamber and never come out. She wanted to go up there and imagine a way of escaping what the Ruby divined for her and even though she wanted that with all of her being—she also knew she would never get it.

  Her heart no longer belonged to her. Soon, the enchantment would take hold and Rupert would own it and with that he would own her body and soul as well.

  “Well you needn’t look as if you’re going to your execution. Goodness, your face is so long I wouldn’t be surprised if your chin touched the floor.”

  Sophie fought the urge to chuckle, and instead decided to press the Redding factor more with her mother. She knew she was pushing her luck but she didn’t give a tinker’s fart.

  Sophie sank into the chair next to her mother, and placed her hands in her lap. “How much else does he know about what our family can do?”

  “He knows everything, and why shouldn’t he? His family rides in the same circles as we do. They are not likely to be astonished by any of our charmed ways. His mother and father will be delighted with his prospected match. You are a strong witch, Sophie, and your blood will enhance the magical might of the Percy-Lennoxes. This is a beneficial match for both sides concerned. Lord Redding, his father and mother, all hold revered placements within government, so do not be surprised by anything that might happen because of your association with him.” Her mother stared at her serenely.

  “That’s what this is about, isn’t it? You seem far too happy with the results of the Ruby’s divination. You wanted the houses of Percy-Lennox and FitzCharles to be united in holy matrimony because it will elevate your position within the Magical Intelligence Agency.”

  “Not my position,” her mother spoke softly. “I worry about your Papa. He has enemies that would see him fall from his lofty perch, and I will do anything to ensure that doesn’t happen. So yes, your marriage to Redding will give us the extra support we need from a family that is very influential in this realm.”

  There was a reason the Breakfast Room was empty of servants and family. “Fine,” she said softly. “I won’t keep rebelling against this match. I shall do whatever I have to do to make Rupert think I have changed my attitude toward it.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t go soft on him yet. A man likes a challenge. He likes the chase. Let him pursue you. Give him a bit of a reward when you think it is right, and then put an obstacle in his path. Keep him on his toes, and have him guessing at your next move—that should make your short courtship very entertaining for him and it will give you a taste of the power you have over that man. You will also need this.” Her mother snapped her fingers, and a velvet pouch appeared in her hand.

  “Mama, I am not about to bewitch anyone while I am at Lady Harding’s house.”

  “I am not asking you to work your hocus pocus on the non-magic kind living there. I am merely giving you something that will p
lease Lady Harding greatly. Her husband was not talented like we are, but her parents were, and even though the gift apparently missed her, she will keep our secret when it comes to being an enchanted family. However, her servants are another matter entirely.

  “Her missive was sent with a footman she could trust to be discreet, and in it she relayed her worries that she would lose hold of her power over her staff and they would quit despite the generous wages she promised them in effort to buy their silence. I am afraid you will have to sprinkle them with this, or else, a catastrophe could befall us all.”

  Sophie’s mind swirled with worry. “I shall do whatever I have to do to make sure they don’t breathe a word of this to the general public. There are too many out there with witch hunter blood in them just waiting for prey.”

  “Indeed,” her mother’s eyes hardened. “Now then, you should be going.”

  “I didn’t think we had to go until this afternoon, it is only eleven am.”

  “The sooner the better in this instance, Sophie, things are quite tense over there. You should take the fastest route possible.” Her mother gave her an encouraging smile, “Fair winds, my dear.”

  “Mama, I don’t know if using that kind of magic in public…”

  “You know how to camouflage your entrance. Use the Unicorn Room to leave Rayne House. Good luck, Sophie. ”

  Silently, she walked to the door, only to be met with the smiling visage of Redding. How long he had managed to go unnoticed, she did not know, and she really didn’t care at this point. She had a loathsome task ahead of her, she had to face Lady Harding once more, and this time, she had to take this wretched man with her.

  “I say, do you think you should go out in this willowy wisp of an outfit? You look rather vulnerable in it. Do not misunderstand me. I think you look absolutely ravishing but…”

  “Why do you always seem to speak as if you know me inside and out?” She gave him a pointed glare. The heat in her gaze did something to light a fire inside of him. Now the hungry gaze he gave her reduced her insides to jelly, and her knees almost gave way beneath her.

  They could never make it as husband and wife. One minute, they were trading barbs and the next, she felt like allowing him to kiss her from head to toe. Scorching hot images swept over her, of their intertwined bodies, and she had to sit down in a hall chair to comport herself.

  “Paying a visit to Lady Harding can’t be that horrible of a thought,” he remarked.

  She grimaced and stood up. “We don’t have time to waste. For that reason, I do not have the luxury of changing out of what I am wearing. I am sorry it seems too fragile for you.”

  Her voice was snappish, and why shouldn’t it be? He always concentrated his efforts in rubbing her the wrong way.

  He fell into step beside her, as she hurried toward the town house’s Alchemy Laboratory, which, they called the Unicorn Room.

  Many believed her father to be an eccentric scientist, who cloistered himself away in this laboratory for days on end, when in truth, her father usually wasn’t even in the country. He traveled from country to country keeping peace between the various magical communities.

  “I think you’re going the wrong way, darling. We should be going out through the front door, not taking up research in your father’s lab.”

  She cast him a dismissive glance, and stopped at the hidden door to the door. A statue of a unicorn stood in front of the hidden doorway. Walking forward, she gently tapped the unicorn’s horn, and the secret entrance swept open, revealing the way into her father’s domain.

  This was where members of the family retreated when they had to do open acts of magic. The staff was forbidden to enter this room, and only a few knew that it even existed.

  “In case you didn’t hear, the situation at Lady Harding’s has become extreme. So, Mama wishes for me to take an alternate route to horse and carriage.”

  Icy calm pervaded the air, and caused her to shiver. She glanced his way, “Would you please move your arse and get in here before one of our maids or footmen walks by and gets an eyeful?”

  “We can’t do this.” His voice had an edge of steel to it, and her back got up just listening to it.

  “I dare you to say that again,” she challenged him.

  “We can’t just pop in and out, whenever the fancy strikes us during the day. Those that don’t have magic will wonder what is going on. We have had some very perilous situations arise out of witches like you who use their magic in a reckless manner!”

  She snorted. She bet that he used his magic this way whenever the fancy struck him. He just didn’t want her using her magic like this because he most likely believed he should be in control, using his abilities. She had met many wizards and warlocks who believed that witches were the weaker ones, and that they should have their power usage monitored.

  “My lord, I am, nor will I ever be a reckless sort. We shall simply travel through time and space with our magic so that we will arrive at Lady Harding’s in an expedited manner. I shall send in a beautiful thick white fog so no one will be the wiser. They shall naturally think we were out on a stroll and decided to call on Lady Harding. That reminds me.” She snapped her fingers and was instantly dressed in a walking costume.

  “You said you didn’t have time to change your outfit,” he remarked.

  “Well, I didn’t have time to call on Pamela to help me with it. This is much easier.”

  “I am quite certain you had the time to go back up to your bedchamber and do that the good old-fashioned way.”

  “You would be wrong,” she said crisply, walking over to the full-length mirrors her father and mother kept in the laboratory for such occasions. “And you will need your hat, gloves and walking stick…” she pointed her right hand toward him.

  “Don’t even think about it,” he barked rather loudly. “I can call for them myself, as I have mastered the art just as well as you have.”

  He cut himself short, before he could tag on the words, if not better.

  “Well I thought that since you were grumbling about it that you couldn’t do it,” she said, smiling softly, as she twirled her parasol.

  He tilted her head at her. “Touché,” he murmured.

  Moving toward her, he touched her gloved hand, lightly. Even through the material, electricity sparked between them. Her breath caught in her throat. He looked as if he wanted to confess something to her and was about to do so when he suddenly clamped his lips together and flattened them into an unreadable line.

  “If you would rather stay here, I can travel to Lady Harding’s house on my own.”

  “Lady Harding has quite the past, Sophie. Before we go on this adventure, you must understand that there are many layers to Lady Harding, and some of the things you will discover about her might offend your delicate sensibilities.” He cleared his throat, “Her past is quite colourful.”

  “If you are referring to the many liaisons she has had with men, you needn’t fret, Redding, I already know. Her dead husband spewed it all out the last time I was at her townhouse. She has a rather insatiable appetite, and while he was away tending to his rubber plantation in South America, she was using his house here in London, and his house in the Country to hold parties that didn’t have anything to do with playing cards or dancing, but rather involved games of sinful delights.

  “He told me she was no better than a high class whore, the only difference being prostitutes are paid and the people invited to her parties didn’t pay for the pleasure they found. They went there for the sheer fun of it. He said they even held raunchy orgies, with her being the first sacrifice…” Now, he looked even more pensive than he had before. “Regardless, he shouldn’t have such a bone to pick with her. Those that attend her parties are more than willing to be ravished,” he cleared his throat, his face reddening. “Lady Harding was having her own fun while he kept his numerous women in South America. Everyone believed he kept one there, when in fact, the truth was much darker. It had been rumored t
hat his mistress was a native beauty.

  “However, one of my friends from my Club ventured to Brazil and discovered that he had not one mistress, but several of the young natives as his women that he used and abused. He kept them as literal sex slaves. They were miserable and my friend called Lord Harding out to a duel, a duel he did not survive, Sophie.” His voice became deeper as the seriousness of the subject set in. “This ghost while he might seem harmless to you, could be capable of a good deal of mischief—or even worse—evil.”

  “Well, then, I guess we shall get a healthy dose of Mischief in Mayfair, won’t we, Redding?”

  Seeds of doubt were planted within her. She could only pray that this was not a complicated ruse intended to bait her into doing the one thing she could not bring herself to do not in a million years.

  “Call me Rupert, I beg of you,” he said softly.

  She didn’t know if she could bring herself to use his Christian name. Rather than get into a confrontation over it, she decided to evade him.

  With a quick snap of her fingers, she disappeared in a plume of violet light. She could only pray that he would follow her. She had gotten used to having him around—and that was the first stage of the Ruby’s power working on her.

  Soon she wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about him, and the third stage would be her downfall. When she entered that period, she would be begging him to ruin her, and take her to the heights of passion that Lady Harding’s party guests had experienced.

  She sighed. She didn’t know if she should dread that stage—or long for it with great anticipation.

  Chapter Ten

  Sophie materialized on the steps of Lady Harding’s Georgian townhouse. From a faraway place, she heard Sylvie’s voice calling to her again. Using her parasol, to support her, she tried to regulate her rapid breathing. She couldn’t deal with this much longer—hearing Sylvie calling to her and not being able to help her was going to be her undoing!