They emerged back on Earth, and they all tumbled to the ground, as the portal started to shrink in size and then it collapsed entirely.
“Sylvie, you are frozen,” she muttered, her own teeth chattering.
“I guess it is from being in that dark realm. I have been cold for so long that I’ve sort of become numb to it,” Sylvie admitted. “I could see you all, but only you could see me, Sophie, once I was strong enough to reach out to you. Thank God we share such a strong bond.”
Sophie threw her arms around Sylvie, and held her close. It was real. She actually had her twin back in her arms. Her heart rejoiced, and broke at the same time. Rupert couldn’t be gone! She wouldn’t believe it until she had touched him, and could feel that life no longer throbbed within him.
Arthur and Trevelyan took off their dressing gowns, and put them on hers and Sylvie’s shoulders. She scrambled toward Rupert and took his lifeless hand in her own.
“No!” she whispered. Leaning forward, she brushed her lips against his, as if the act of love could somehow awaken him from his death sleep. She sat and pulled him into her lap. “No, this can’t be! We have come so far, only to be kept apart. It isn’t fair! Why do I always keep losing you?”
Stroking his dark hair, she prayed for him to open his eyes and stare at her with his big bright green eyes. Oh, how she would give anything to hear him use his cheeky tongue on her again.
“He can’t be dead,” she whispered, pain wracking her entire body. “I won’t accept it. I won’t say goodbye to him!”
Her family stood around her, and the spirits that remained, gathered close.
“Leave me be, sweetheart.” She looked up at the sound of Rupert’s voice, and settled her gaze on his spirit form. He glowed brightly, just like all of the spirits who had recently left their bodies did.
“No,” she screamed, hot tears running down her face.
She didn’t even bother to brush them away. There was no point. Devastation threatened to tear her apart. She would mourn him for the rest of her life!
Crackling noises erupted around them, as her family arrived via magical transportation.
“I told you that the train was taking too bloody long,” her mother’s voice sounded strained to its limit.
“Yes, my dear,” her father said patiently. “You were quite right.”
“Sylvie!” her mother’s tone changed considerably, as she took in the sight of her second born daughter. “Sylvie, I can’t believe it! You are a sight for my sore eyes, my sweet baby girl!”
The family raced toward them, and their mother was the first one to embrace Sylvie while the others waited their turn.
Alexandra stood gaping at Rupert’s ghost, she had turned as white as a sheet, and her entire body trembled.
“Sophie…Sophie, I think she can see me,” Rupert said incredulously.
By the way that the rest of her family looked at all of the ghosts she could tell that they, too, could see what only Sophie had once been able to see.
“What is everyone gawking at?” Simone asked, utterly perplexed. “I only see one woman that looks remarkably like Sophie and Sylvie.”
Well, almost her entire family could see them. It seemed to have skipped Simone, and Sophie didn’t know if that was a blessing or a curse for the rest of them.
“Why does he have a golden thread attaching him to his body?” Alexandra asked.
“I see no thread,” their father said. “Does anyone else see this thread?”
Charlotte, Amelia and her brothers all shook their heads.
“Only Alexandra has the talent to see the lifeline and know whether or not that person can be brought back to life. Should she bring someone back that doesn’t have their spirit nearby and a glowing lifeline, she will have practiced the dark arts, for that person would become a zombie,” Princess Sophie explained. “Sweet Alexandra, listen well, your talent is immense for you can give life—or take it away. For any of the dark arts users out there that mess with life and death, you can set it right. Remember that skill, my dear, for you shall have need of it in the coming months. You shall need to find your inner strength, and embrace your destiny.
“You, dear Sophie, have released the talents that were lying latent within all of your sisters and your brothers, and only time will reveal what all of them are. For now, Alexandra’s has come through the strongest, for she is a child of life and death. The only one of you to come back from death.”
Constance sighed, telling Sophie that everyone could see Princess Sophie. “She stopped breathing for exactly one minute when she was a newborn. Robert was able to get her breathing again—but that was the worst moment of my life until we lost Sylvie.”
Alexandra, for her part, looked completely out of sorts. “I don’t want this gift,” she whispered. “Take it back, Sophie. Please. You can have it. I want no part of it. I am not strong enough for it!”
“I do not think that is the way it works, dear heart,” their father said. “You are the right person to have such a grand gift, Alexandra. Your gentle soul will always steer you right. With great power comes great responsibility, and you, my dear, won’t be corrupted by that power.”
“The MIA will want you now that you have such a talent,” Rupert said.
“Be quiet, Rupert, you are not making things any better, you are only making things worse for poor Alexandra. Alexandra, please, if you would use your gift to bring my silly bugger back to life, I would be in your debt for the rest of our lives,” Sophie said softly.
“As would I,” Rupert said.
Lord Templeton cleared his throat. “Might I ask what the ruddy hell is going on here? I only see Lord Redding lying quite dead on the grass, and a lady that looks like she fell from heaven. She looks a lot like you and your twin, Sophie.”
“It is MIA business, Lord Templeton. You mustn’t worry about it,” Sophie muttered, hoping to placate the confused warlock with her skimpy explanation.
“How do I do it? How do I bring back Sophie’s beloved?” Alexandra asked softly.
“You must place your left hand over his heart, and will him back to life. That is it, my dear,” Princess Sophie said. “You can do it.”
“I don’t want to muck it up,” Alexandra said, fear dancing in her eyes that resembled green tourmalines.
“You shan’t,” Princess Sophie said. “You were chosen for this path. You have what it takes residing deep inside of you.”
Inhaling deeply, Alexandra dropped to her knees, as Sophie moved out of the way. Placing her hand over Rupert’s heart, she closed her eyes, and intoned a prayer.
Light surrounded them all, as Sophie watched Rupert’s mortal wound heal, and witnessed his spirit being sucked back into his body.
His body convulsed when his spirit entered it, and his eyes snapped open, as he drew in his first shattering breath.
Alexandra jumped away and allowed Sophie and Rupert to have their happy reunion. Her legs gave way beneath her and everyone cried out in concern for her.
“I don’t know what is wrong with me,” she murmured tiredly.
Lord Templeton shot forward, and helped Alexandra to her feet.
“That was a miracle! I have never seen such a wondrous thing in all of my years. You are more than a healer. I tip my hat to you, Lady Alexandra.”
“I feel quite weakened,” Alexandra admitted, slumping against Lord Templeton.
“You will get stronger with time, my dear. Just don’t ever attempt to bring more than one person back at a time. Or else you will make yourself quite sick,” Princess Sophie advised. “My aunt had your gift, and she became a formidable force for good in her day. No dark arts user could stand against her.” Amelia ran to Alexandra’s side, and accompanied her and Lord Templeton back into the castle where Alexandra could rest.
“It does my soul a world of good to see that my legacy is finally safe. I wish I could stay but I wasn’t given much time on Earth. I must depart now, my lovelies. All of the hell I went through was
worth it now that I see how my family here on Earth has flourished. I wish you all a world of happiness and may you all find the love you are looking for and deserve. Be happy, my darlings,” she whispered, as she started to fade away.
“Wait, Grandmother. What about Seraphina?” Lloyd asked. “Has she been taken? Will I ever see her again?”
“She was a soul protector in life, and now in death, she is also meant for greatness. You will see her once again, Lloyd. But for now, until you are ready to move on, you shall be without your precious Aunt. The Rayne Family will have to learn how to go on without their resident Guardian.”
Lloyd looked crestfallen. Sophie felt for them. They had always been the dynamic duo, and Lloyd without Seraphina was a strange thought indeed.
“She won’t stay away from you for long, Uncle Lloyd. You know how much she loves you,” Sophie said, hoping to give him comfort, while she struggled with her own grief.
Dear Seraphina.
Lloyd’s lower lip trembled. The stalwart man looked like a little boy standing before her. She had always believed that he was stronger in spirit than Seraphina and now, now she knew the truth. He had needed Seraphina…he was all bark and no bite. She was the glue that held him together.
Seraphina had mothered them all. She had given them love and comfort when they had needed it most—and she had protected them from the things that went bump in the night.
Whatever would they do without her? What would she do without her?
Lloyd was so heartbroken, he looked as if he was going to start wailing and a wailing ghost was not a pretty sight to behold!
“As long as she is safe, I can wait to see her again. It is just that she has always been there for me. I don’t know how I will continue on without her. I loved her so much.”
“You will soldier through it. You are no longer chained to this plane of existence, as Sophie broke that curse. When the time is right for you to move on, you will know,” Princess Sophie said. Chimes tinkled around them. “I must depart now, my dears. The powers that be, are getting quite restless for my return. Live your life free of worry, knowing that you have been charmed by the Dragonwyck Legacy.”
“Will our family ever discover a way back to Carn Brea?” Sylvie asked.
“The potential is within all of you to open that portal. I wouldn’t rush on it though, the Realm of my birth isn’t exactly as peaceful as this one.”
Sophie didn’t care about Carn Brea. The only thing that mattered to her in her life was Rupert, Sylvie and the rest of her family. Everything else was irrelevant.
With a nod to each of them, Princess Sophie raised her hand in a final farewell, and disappeared in a blinding sheen of light.
“I suppose we are going to have to alter some memories so people won’t wonder where Sylvie came from,” Rupert said ruefully. “People can’t just come back from the dead.”
“You did, sweetheart,” Sophie said softly.
“You know what I mean,” Rupert grumbled.
“That is fine, darling. You have people for that, don’t you?” she murmured. He laughed at her sarcastic remark, and brought her in close for a kiss.
When they were about to kiss, he murmured, “Let’s get married tomorrow.”
“Better late than never,” she murmured, brushing her lips against his. He wrapped his arms around her, and deepened the kiss.
“Yeah, this…this I didn’t miss,” Sylvie said, scrunching her face up in distaste.
Sophie broke away from him, looked over at Sylvie and stuck her tongue out at her. Everything was perfect. Her life was perfect, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
She laughed when Trevelyan’s boisterous voice broke the silence. “By the way, Simone, we had to break all of the mirrors, sorry about that.”
Simone’s wail echoed across the Isle accompanied by the sounds of her brothers laughing.
*****
Sophie and Rupert were wed in an intimate ceremony in their family chapel on Dragonwyck Isle. She wore a white silk wedding dress with princess lace applique and carried her favourite flowers—violets.
The family had adapted remarkably well to their newfound gifts, and Fate had mocked Simone by granting her the gift of empathy. She now spent a lot of time alone in her bedchamber sobbing her eyes out.
Arthur and Trevelyan had the hardest time getting used to seeing spirits. They hadn’t yet mastered the ability to tell the difference between the living and the dead, and they had attempted to flirt with a few female ghosts to the ghosts’ delight and their despair.
Sophie worried the most about Alexandra, for her powerful gift had come with a fury and her sensitive nature was having a difficult time with it.
Charlotte, Amelia and her brothers had yet to discover their hidden gifts, and she hoped they wouldn’t have to grapple with something that could rip their lives apart, the way that Alexandra and Simone’s unique abilities had.
Sylvie, for her part, was just trying to get back into the swing of things. She had been cut off from the living world for such a long time that isolating herself on the Isle was the only way for her to keep her sanity.
Sophie knew that after a time Alexandra would be able to join the rest of the living again after she learned how to enjoy life once again.
“Must we go to this ball tonight?” Rupert asked, nuzzling at her ear. She shivered as his hot breath licked her skin.
“We put off our honeymoon for this, Rupert. I told you, Mama promised Aunt Louisa that we would be there. She is after all my godmother, and she has always shown me love, despite my eccentricities.”
“Now most of your family is enjoying your eccentricities.”
She snorted. “We shouldn’t make fun. They are having a difficult time of it.”
“I only feel for those who supported you when you were dealing with your ability to see the dead. I have absolutely no sympathy for Simone.”
They both inhaled sharply when Reggie’s ghost popped his head through their bedchamber wall. It was a bloody good thing they were dressed!
“I…ah, Sophie, you look a picture. You make a beautiful fairy princess. I hate to disturb you two newlyweds, but I shan’t be around much longer, and I wanted to express my deep gratitude to you both before I move on. I thank you for going to my wife, son and daughters and telling them that I would always watch over them.”
“I am sorry I took so long to do it,” Sophie confessed.
“They were delighted with your visit earlier today. I guess you shall visit them more frequently now that Beau and Pamela have wed. I thought I wouldn’t like having a maid for a daughter-in-law, but she and Beau are perfectly suited.”
“Pamela has a kind heart and a good soul, Lord Huntingdon. She will enrich your family considerably.”
“I suppose,” he murmured. “The gossip surrounding their union will take a while to die down. I would have preferred your sister become his wife, but what can you do?” he sighed. “I suppose I must get with the times.”
“I am happy that you’re resolved to live with it, in a manner of speaking,” she giggled.
Lord Huntingdon smiled broadly. “You are a cheeky lass, and you are better with this simpleton than without. Now, my dear, I also think you and your family should be warned. I don’t know if your Uncle Lloyd will have sensed it, but something dark is descending on the city of London. It could just destroy it.”
Sophie sighed. “I am sure you are over embellishing the situation, Lord Huntingdon.”
“I never blow things out of proportion. I wanted you both to have a heads up. I don’t want you and your sisters and brothers to be caught off guard. If anyone can protect London and the British Empire from the supernatural threat that is growing, it is you and your family.”
“The MIA will be on top of things,” Rupert said.
“I doubt that, boy. You have idiots running the Supernatural Threat Assessment Department. They should have retired years ago. They don’t think that anything could possibly threa
ten their happy little city. They are wrong.”
Worry invaded Sophie’s heart. She chewed her lip. Without Seraphina, how would she possibly cope?
She, alone, would have been able to tell her if there were a threat coming—and if something dangerous were on its way, why hadn’t Princess Sophie warned them of it?
She was going to brush his warning off. She had no other choice. Happiness was what she wanted to surround herself with.
“Your sister Alexandra will be tested in the coming days.”
“Please keep Alexandra out of it,” she said, her voice strained. “She is having a hard enough time right now. Her world has been turned upside down, and inside out. She is finding it difficult to cope with it all.”
“I know…but she is the only one amongst you that can vanquish the darkness that is coming. I only hope she is up for the task. She has always put me in the mind of—well…”
“Don’t say it…” Sophie warned.
“She’s a timid little creature. She is such a sensitive soul. That is all I am going to say. She’s a bit scared of her own shadow, isn’t she? And if she doesn’t toughen up—if she doesn’t change with the powerful winds that are blowing our way, she will be destroyed.”
“Thank you, Lord Huntingdon. Alexandra will be just fine. I can assure you of that much. She has the rest of us to lean on.”
“That’s jolly good! Glad to hear it. Well, I guess I have some difficult decisions that need making. I still haven’t decided if I should go into the light.”
“I think you should, sir. You have nothing to fear,” Rupert said.
“That is where you are wrong, lad. I am afraid of leaving my darling wife. I promised her that I would never leave her—and I know our vows said till death do us part—but I can’t seem to embrace that bit of it. I can’t stop myself from watching over them.”
“Do whatever will bring you a measure of peace, Lord Huntingdon,” Sophie advised.
He smiled at Sophie. “I think I shall do just that. And if I’m still about when the darkness hits the city, I shall be there for Alexandra. Right now, I do believe I shall go to the Duchess of Devonshire’s Fancy Dress Ball and see what kind of mischief I can stir up there.”
The Haunting of Lady Sophie Page 21
