The Haunting of Lady Sophie

by Marly Mathews

  Reaching for her, he put his arms around her, pulling her in close.

  “You don’t understand Rupert,” she said, attempting to push away from him. “I must away to our family Isle so I can save Sylvie!”

  He slackened his grip on her, and looked at her quizzically. “Oh, sweet Sophie, Sylvie is dead.”

  “No, she isn’t, blast you! I saw her today in Harding’s House. I saw her and she asked for my help.” Giving up her struggle against him, she gripped him tightly. “Please, Rupert. If you have ever loved me. If you ever respected my magical practices, or the bond that Sylvie and I once shared you will trust me—you will place your faith in me, and you will do what is right!”

  “Ever loved you?” he said hoarsely. “I have always loved you, Sophie! I could never stop loving you, you are my only reason for living. You are my reason for being! I will do whatever you ask of me! Please believe me, sweetheart. Whatever you wish for is my command. I think this means we shall be taking a trip to the Isle of Dragonwyck, so you—no, we can rescue Sylvie.” With that, he activated his formidable magic, and whisked them away from London to the place of her heart’s desire.

  *****

  Pamela sat next to Lord Huntingdon who had arrived for supper. He sat talking to her in his most charming manner, and she had managed to get away with saying little, for he was quite capable of entertaining both of them. He was such a sweet man—such a fascinating man. Oh, how she wished she could meet his sort in the circles she frequented!

  She never expected to feel such a bond between them forging even as he spoke. It was as if she had found the other piece of her soul. Some said that love at first sight existed, and now she believed it. If only she didn’t look like Lady Sophie. Would he even care for her in her own native form?

  Most said she looked like her Gypsy grandmother, and she had been a beauty. She felt so nervous, she kept worrying that someone would see through Sophie’s enchantment.

  Lady Alexandra kept eyeing her, as did the duchess, and she kept thinking that their magical ruse would be discovered. Lady Charlotte was still too angry at Sophie to be of much bother to her and Miss Simone was, as always, too tied up in herself, while Lady Amelia was airily talking to a Lord Templeton.

  Pamela didn’t know him but she wondered if he too was part of the magical set because Amelia seemed far too enamoured of him for him not to be. Sophie mentioned once that Amelia wanted to land herself a magical suitor, and so for that reason she believed Lord Templeton to be a wizard or a warlock.

  She didn’t know the difference between the two, and wasn’t certain if she ever wanted to find out.

  She could only pray that Lady Sophie had made it safely to the family Isle. She hated to play this kind of a trick on the family. Hated it with a bloody passion, for she adored the duchess and loved all of the girls save for the persnickety Simone.

  “You have a very healthy glow to you tonight, Lady Sophie. I like to see that beautiful look in your eyes. I think, had I not already been in love with you that I would be in love with you now. You are a creature of such delicate beauty.”

  She nodded her head demurely, and prayed that he would take that for her answer, because she was not entirely comfortable with attempting to mimic Sophie’s voice and accent.

  She could only keep this going for so long!

  Oh how she wished the time would fly by faster and she could retreat to her tiny bedchamber in the servants quarters.

  When he quickly touched her hand, she started in her seat and gasped, earning a look from both Sophie’s mother, and Alexandra.

  So that no one could hear him, he leaned in close and whispered, “I want a witch like you, Lady Sophie. I want you to give my Papa a message, and most of all, I want to marry you. I know that Lord Redding is vying for your hand, but I will treat you so much better than that egotistical prig ever could. Please accept me, and make me the happiest man on Earth.”

  She kept her gaze away from meeting his. She couldn’t do this, she had to get away—and then again, she was sorely tempted to accept his proposal. It would feel so divine, and he wouldn’t actually want to marry her once she wasn’t playing Sophie anymore anyway.

  “What if I told you,” she paused, her voice almost undone with emotion, “what if I told you that I wanted to, but that we couldn’t make preparations until I announce it to my parents?”

  “I can obtain a special licence for us,” he murmured.

  “No, we can’t do this…we mustn’t do this…” she murmured breathlessly, her chest tightening.

  “Meet me at midnight tonight, and I shall see what that blasted Dragonwyck Ruby says we should do. I shall tell the duke that I require the opportunity to be judged by it, and he will let me into the house. I recall your Papa telling me about it when Charlotte had her heart set on me. I could never have Charlotte. She just isn’t the woman for me. I wouldn’t believe in all of this magical nonsense, if my dear Mama didn’t fondly remember her grandmother who was a witch from the Scottish Highlands.”

  Pamela’s heart continued racing. She was thankful that Simone spoke so loudly that it drowned out all other conversation including Lord Huntingdon’s. Oh, how this tortured her! She could never in a million years, dream of having a suitor like Lord Huntingdon, and here he was dangling that prospect in front of her. She had to keep saying to herself that he wasn’t attracted to her. He was attracted to Lady Sophie.

  But oh, wouldn’t it be nice if he were attracted to her. She could live a life of luxury. Not that waiting on Lady Sophie was hard, but she wanted a place of her own. She wanted a man who loved her, and most of all, she wanted at least a chance of having children.

  She felt like there was something better for her than what she could find in her own class, and yet she knew that fairy tales didn’t come true for the likes of her.

  She continued listening to Lord Huntingdon chatting away while she dreamt of a better life for herself.

  *****

  Constance FitzCharles watched her eldest daughter carefully. Everything about Sophie seemed different somehow.

  Outwardly, she looked the same, but inwardly, she was not the same person. Her emerald green eyes did not have the same effervescent sparkle to them. Fortunately, their guests arrived, and left in a timely manner, thanks to her using her magic to make them want to leave before was customary.

  She knew that Lord Huntingdon had asked her husband for permission to return at midnight in order to gain the Ruby’s judgement. She could only pray that it would not choose Charlotte, as she didn’t think that Lord Huntingdon suited Charlotte at all.

  The parlour was empty, save for the family. They all sat listening to the music on their gramophone while a comforting fire crackled in the fireplace warding off the dampness in the air.

  Simone kept eyeing Sophie hatefully, while her other daughters were too busy discussing the play they were set to perform the following weekend.

  Simone always coveted whatever Sophie had, and now that Redding had made his intentions clear, Simone was in a quarrelsome mood.

  Constance knew she shouldn’t be waiting for her to blow like the angry volcano she was, but recent experiences with Simone had set her senses on guard whenever Simone was denied something she wanted.

  Casting a shrewd glance over at her husband who sat calmly in front of the fire reading his evening newspaper, she tried to reason out why he continued to indulge his bastard child.

  She was past worrying about Simone crying her lungs out like a demented banshee. She just wanted some peace in her life, and most of all, in her family.

  “That necklace was supposed to be mine!” Simone suddenly cried, finally breaking the uneasy silence. Sophie sat without even reacting to what Simone had said, which only seemed to infuriate Simone more. “Are you suddenly deaf and dumb, Sophie? I said that necklace was supposed to be mine! I saw it at the jewelers and everyone knew I wanted it, and yet you miraculously got it for your birthday. Just because emeralds are your birthstone
and they match your eyes, doesn’t mean you have to be the only girl in the house who gets to wear them!”

  Sophie’s colouring had changed dramatically, and as she was getting paler instead of redder, Constance knew something was amiss. Standing up, she moved over to Sophie and realized what was wrong at the same moment that Simone decided to act out on her anger.

  Simone lunged at Sophie, knocking her on her side, as her hands went for Sophie’s neck, screaming, “Give it to me!” the entire time.

  “Stop that at once, Simone!” Constance shrieked, moving forward to pull her off of Sophie.

  Sophie still hadn’t uttered a word. Showing how insanely stupid Simone was. It was all about what Simone could get out of life. She only cared for jewels, and other materialistic things. She never actually paid enough attention to anyone else, or she would have known she wasn’t currently attacking Sophie.

  Her Sophie had always held her own with Simone, and that made Constance immensely proud. This girl pretending to be Sophie didn’t have the steely backbone Sophie possessed, and then she finally saw past the enchantment, and understood why no action had been taken against Simone.

  Simone finally succeeded in almost getting what she wanted, she yanked the necklace off of Sophie’s neck. Her short moment of triumph ended, as the necklace broke and emerald beads went flying everywhere, as they clattered onto the floor, while others landed on the cushions of the sofa.

  Simone started to cry uncontrollably like the spoiled little chit she was. Constance looked at Pamela, her mind focused on only one thing, “Pamela, where in the world is my daughter?”

  Pamela looked up sheepishly at Constance, and then dropped her eyes to the Persian rug that covered the hardwood floor. “I’m sorry, my lady. She told me I had to do this for her so she could flee the...”

  “Coop,” Constance supplied for her. It didn’t surprise her that another one of her children wanted to escape their increasingly insane family, and having Redding pursue her relentlessly, didn’t help much.

  “Where has she gone, Pamela?” she asked tiredly.

  Pamela was shaking. “It was her idea. She wanted to away to the family Isle before anyone could stop her. She thinks she can bring back Lady Sylvie.”

  At this shocking but not unwelcome announcement, Constance went weak kneed. She fell onto the sofa and sat flabbergasted.

  “Why would she think she can bring back Sylvie?” she asked softly.

  Constance’s heart hoped beyond hope that Pamela would give her the answers she needed. If there was a way to bring Sylvie back from the land of the dead, didn’t Sophie think she would be on board to do whatever was necessary?

  “She said that Sylvie reached through the veils that separated them at Lord Harding’s House, and she asked her to help her. She told me that Lady Sylvie isn’t presenting the way that an ordinary spirit comes across to her, Your Grace. For that reason alone, she believes she is caught between planes…between the plane of Earth and that of Carn Brea.”

  “Then we shall do all in our power to help her in her quest. Robert, did you hear that?” she asked, as the clocks chimed to herald the witching hour.

  Simone still sobbed loudly, as she searched for the emerald beads.

  Robert finally took control of his senses. “Get up from the floor, you silly girl. You look a right proper mess. You will go to your bedchamber, and you will behave yourself!”

  Simone was struck dumb by the firm tone of Robert’s voice. Even Constance was a teeny bit shocked by the firmness of it.

  “We have a visitor coming, and we shan’t look like a bunch of lunatics, so away with you, you little pest.” Simone stared at him, her mouth agape. “You heard me, Simone. You need to learn how to mind your manners. You will obey me and go to your bedchamber at once!”

  “I…but…Uncle…I…” she said between sniffs.

  “Stop stuttering, Simone. Go now before I get really cross with you.”

  With a whimper, Simone looked around her to see if she had any supporters. Finding no one that would speak up for her, she left the room, wailing the whole time. Constance smiled with satisfaction. Robert rarely put Simone in her place and when he did, she relished every moment of it.

  “Oh, Robert, do get rid of Lord Huntingdon. I don’t have the patience to deal with him tonight.”

  “Lord Huntingdon is coming?” Charlotte finally looked like she was paying attention.

  “He isn’t meant for you, dearest heart,” Robert said, soothingly. “No, Charlotte, you will be matched with a man who deserves your big heart. As for Huntingdon, I daresay he won’t be matched with any of my daughters, but then, you already hoped for that didn’t you, Pamela?”

  Constance looked over at Pamela. The girl was sweet and had served them faithfully for a number of years.

  “I don’t know what I hoped for, Your Grace. I only wanted to get through the night without being discovered and here I am…I have been caught.”

  “Oh, Pamela, you haven’t been caught. We are not mad at you,” Constance said. “You did this under the influence of Sophie, and we all understand how Sophie jumps headfirst into trouble without thinking her plans through. If you did it because she believes she can bring back Sylvie, then, I have no issue with it.

  “I only want to away to Castle Rayne as soon as possible, and your Lord Huntingdon coming is actually a wrench in our plans. I want us all to get some sleep before we embark on our journey come the morrow.”

  “I am sorry, Your Grace.”

  “Robert, let him in as soon as he arrives, and present him with the Ruby. I don’t really want him knowing where we keep it, dearest. Once it has shown him that Pamela is his intended, as you say, Robert, then we can all go to bed and be ready to travel come the morning.”

  “Yes, my dear,” Robert said, walking to the parlour door.

  The door was opened by Brian, one of their footmen, and he left the room.

  “What shall I do about the emeralds? Should I continue searching for them?” Pamela asked nervously.

  “No, you will follow the duke and wait while he presents the Ruby to Lord Huntingdon. It not only divines love matches within the family but it will also divine love matches for those that are loyal to our family—and since you are a loyal family retainer it will work its magic for you, Pamela. Go and have your happily ever after. I only pray that all of my daughters shall be just as lucky.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sophie couldn’t breathe. She was still pressed tightly against Rupert’s chest, even though they had magically materialized on the family Isle. The salty sea air tickled her nose, and the rushing sound of the waves crashing against the shore put her soul at ease.

  Pulling away from Rupert, she stared up in wonder at her family’s castle. No matter how many times she saw it, it still sent a thrill through her that she figured would never go away.

  Her brothers had to be inside sleeping, while the skeleton staff they kept in the castle were probably also fast asleep. She didn’t know if her Aunt Audrey and Aunt Kinsley would be in residence, as they liked to travel around quite a bit at this time of the year.

  Moonlight haloed the greyish blue stone of the castle making it look as if it glowed with an unearthly light.

  The magic imbued in the castle was probably creating the glow, as it recognized another member of the Rayne family returning to their ancestral seat of power.

  The grass beneath their feet was moist with early morning dew, and it was unusually cold.

  She scanned her eyes across the vast lawn, thinking back to when they used to play Croquet, Lawn Tennis and Badminton while their mama, papa and aunts watched from a distance.

  Simone would grumble about having to do something that might make her perspire, while Sylvie would laugh gaily at her, and Charlotte would smile in her serene way. Amelia and Alexandra would be up for the fun, while Trevelyan and Arthur would tease them all about the outfits they wore.

  They had spent many a happy day here, and sh
e wished that she could somehow conjure those blissful days back into being.

  “Lost in your thoughts, Sophie?” Rupert’s soft voice wrenched her back to the present.

  “She loved this Isle. She loved this castle. She loved everything about it, and I can’t believe that for three years, she has been languishing in a hellish limbo. You must promise me that you will do all in your power to set to right what you set wrong in the first place!”

  He stared down into her haunting green eyes. “I would promise you anything. To say that I regret what I did would be an understatement, Sophie. I punished us both by robbing you of your memories, and poor Sylvie got sucked into it as well. I swear to you, Sophie, that I never dreamt she was still alive. I believed she had perished in the explosion that rocked the Isle.”

  “I believe you,” she said, looking deeply into his bright green eyes. “I wish you hadn’t done what you did—but Sylvie was never one to dwell on things that should have been, or hold a grudge, so I shall follow her lead, and I will grant you my forgiveness, Rupert. I love you, and holding hatred in my heart toward you would not only punish you, it would punish me as well.”

  She heard her brothers talking to each other in their bombastic way. “I tell you, Arthur, some mischief is afoot, and I would like to be a part of it.”

  She smiled as she heard Trevelyan. It was true. He should have been named Puck or Loki, as he certainly did enjoy a good bit of mischief.

  Unfortunately, he didn’t know that they weren’t up to any sort of tomfoolery. If they did know the real reason behind her return, they would want to help as well.

  “Oh, well, aye, they could be up to some mischief, but it doesn’t look like we are going to be up to any, Trevelyan,” Arthur said, eyeing them suspiciously. “What would Mama think to see the two of you out here together with no proper chaperones? Why you could get the gossipmongers tongues a wagging with this kind of impropriety.”