by M. J. Haag
“There is much we need to do now that the time is here.” She paced the length of the room, her mind racing. “Your sisters and I will need to gather more power but not here. It’s too dangerous with the searches,” she said absently. “We’ll need to go to the homes. A little from each person as we exchange pleasantries. No more deaths to frighten the King into action. That phase is past us now.” She looked at me and smiled again. “Our time is finally here.”
“Yes, Mama,” I said smiling in return although I had no idea what she was talking about.
“Will you be all right here on your own? While we’re in town, I will look for new maids. It wouldn’t do to be without help for long.”
“I’ll be fine. And don’t rush selecting the maids. Heather and Catherine were adequate, but if we’re to entertain in the same sphere as the King, we’ll need help that’s more elevated.”
Maeve paused her pacing to stare at me.
“Precisely. I had worried over what type of daughter you would be to me. Defiant? Bold? Meek? Loyal? What you are is so much more than a convenient key.” She walked to me and hugged me.
“Thank you, Mama,” I said, hugging her in return while imagining taking the bread knife and stabbing it into her back.
Cecilia and Porcia entered just then.
Maeve pulled away from me with a knowing smile on her lips and pressed a kiss to my cheek.
“We will return by dinner.”
Cecilia glared at me before following her mother out the door. I waited there with the knife gripped tightly in my hand until I heard the carriage leave. As soon as the sound faded, I dropped the knife and checked the window. I was alone. Finally.
Picking up the poker, I went to the entry and gave the mirror a few experimental jabs and hits. Like Maeve’s efforts with the rod, the poker did nothing. Scowling, I returned it to its place then went out to the shed. Every tool within the confines of that building failed to make even a mark on the mirror.
I looked around the kitchen but saw nothing useful. Why couldn’t something bash the mirror as easily as I’d bashed Kaven’s head? I grinned at the thought, not because it hurt him but because of his continued presence in my life despite all of the things I’d done to him. Kaven was much like the mirror.
Defeated for the moment, I left the house to put away all of the tools, then made my way to my mother’s grave. I no longer needed a cloak for the walk as spring had finally obtained its hold over the land from winter’s heavy hand. Breathing in the freshness, I wandered the trees until I spotted the clearing again. Birds sang out in welcome, their melodies echoing loudly in the branches. I watched the trees as I sat, waiting. It didn’t take long for me to spot Kaven. When I did, I couldn’t help my small smile or the heat that burst in my middle when he smiled in return.
“I was ready to knock on your door,” he said. Although I knew his words were a tease, they struck fear in me.
“Never do that,” I said. “Promise me.”
“Are you ashamed of my lowly position?” he asked sincerely, no hurt in his tone.
“You’re sitting. Hardly a low position. You could get much lower.”
His eyes widened slightly, and his face flushed. I frowned, unsure how my teasing had offended him.
“I only meant—”
He placed a finger over my mouth.
“No, let me keep the image I have. It’s a nice one.”
My frown deepened, and he chuckled.
“You confuse me, too,” he said. “An enticing combination of charm, innocence, and…something more.”
“More?”
His gaze dipped to my lips, and I felt my face flush at his meaning.
“You aren’t interested in that,” I said.
“Untrue. I asked for your patience.”
I snorted.
“It’s irony that women have the reputation for not knowing their minds when you’re the one being unclear.”
He gave me a wry smile.
“I cannot argue your sentiment. But I want you to know I’m very interested in you as a woman, Eloise. However, I’m unable to act on it because of my current obligations.”
I frowned at him, growing serious.
“What exactly are you asking me to be patient for? Your obligations to serve the Royal family to end? You’ve waited here alone for weeks now. Summer is nearly upon us. Are you saying that you’re about to leave your service to the Crown after all that time? We both know you won’t. If it were an option for you, you would have left long ago.”
“Maybe there was something else keeping me here.”
I looked away from him, studying the blossoms on the tree as reality set in. I could not encourage his interest. Yet, I couldn’t do what was necessary to push him away. I liked Kaven, and I hoped that one day, when I clawed my way free of the tangled web of disaster that clung to my life, Kaven would still be there. Waiting for me.
“You have my patience if you give me yours,” I said softly.
When I looked up, our gazes collided.
“You have enchanted me like no other.”
My eyes widened.
“Don’t say that. Never say that.”
He nodded slowly in acknowledgement, his gaze never leaving mine. Slowly, he leaned forward.
“Forgive me, Eloise,” he said.
I nodded slightly, barely breathing. He smiled, a soft knowing curve of his lips, just before his mouth settled over mine. The touch was light but sent my heart racing. He moved, imprinting upon me the texture of his skin. I inhaled his scent and lifted my hands to his chest.
He pulled away abruptly, placing distance between us and dislodging my touch but not leaving. We stared at one another.
“A first kiss for you, I believe,” he said.
“Yes. Unless we count the one where you bloodied my lip.”
He chuckled softly and touched my cheek gently.
“I’m relieved to see you recovered. I had truly worried. If not for…” He sighed. “Believe that I wanted to call on you.”
“I believe you. But, please don’t call on me. Not until I’m ready. There’s so much in my life that I’m trying to survive.”
I looked at my mother’s grave again, astonished that I’d said so much without the spell choking me.
“I understand,” he said. “You need time to grieve. I’ll wait.”
I said nothing to attempt to correct him. Instead, we sat in silence for several long minutes, and my mind drifted to my current dilemma. How did one break a magic mirror?
“What breaks iron?” I asked abruptly.
“Iron? What iron do you need to break?”
“None, actually. I was only curious.”
“A strong blow might break it, depending on its thickness.”
“What if one isn’t strong? Is there a clever way to break it?”
He thought for a moment. “Changing from extreme heat to extreme cold could fracture it perhaps.”
I grinned and stood.
“Why do I get the feeling you’re off to break some iron?”
Chapter Sixteen
I heaved again, sweating profusely from the heat and from my effort to drag the mirror through the kitchen door. The memory of Kaven and Kellen, and what was at stake, spurred me to keep going. The door shut behind me and I paused, leaning the mirror against a support to wipe the sweat from my brow.
The fireplace here was the only one large enough for the mirror. Having stoked the fire as soon as I’d returned, the flames already licked their way up the chimney. I hoped Kaven’s idea worked and imagined what I would do once the mirror was broken.
Kellen would be safely beyond Maeve’s reach. As much as I wanted to race away and rescue my sister, she would need to wait. Too many lives were at risk to selfishly run from what was happening here. I needed to stay and learn what Maeve planned to do. She needed to be stopped. Thus, my need for Rose’s spell of protection. Once I broke the mirror, Maeve’s anger would be immeasurable.
Pulling the mirror once more, I worked it over to the fireplace and stood it on its end against the stone. The skin on my hands reddened being so close, and I wondered how I could manage to get the piece into the flames.
In the end, I positioned the stool before the hearth and set the mirror on it, pushing the cursed object close enough that one end was in the flames while the other end was on the stool. It would make it easier to accomplish what I next needed to achieve, which was removing the mirror.
Hurrying to the cold storage, I wrapped a chunk of last winter’s ice in a heavy cloth. My arms strained to lift the huge block, and I briefly considered taking one of smaller size. But I needed the weight and the cold if this was to work.
Once it was in my arms, I held it to my chest and stumbled up the stairs, tripping several times on my skirts. Only a quick lean against the wall saved me from toppling down and likely killing myself.
I was panting heavily when I reached the kitchen. However, the mirror’s glass was glowing an angry red, giving me hope. I set the ice on the block and unwrapped it. There was no bite of cold to pierce my hands. The block only felt hard and smooth when I touched it directly. However, when I removed my hand from it, I could feel its chill.
Leaving the ice, I went to the mirror. Instead of turning it like I’d planned, I reached my hand toward the flame. My skin warmed to the point of discomfort, and then I felt nothing. I touched a dancing flame. My flesh didn’t burn or blacken. I remained unharmed.
Relieved at the proof of Rose’s spell, I pulled the mirror directly from the flames and dropped it to the floor. Hurrying to the ice, I hefted it into my arms.
“Please work,” I whispered just before I dropped the block on the glass.
The crash was deafening when the two met. The ice shattered into a thousand sharp shards that flew everywhere. Several hit me but didn’t leave a mark. Beneath the crush of ice, the mirror’s surface remained perfectly unblemished. I stared in horror for several long moments.
“No!”
I picked up the poker and beat the mirror with a rage comparable to Maeve’s own.
That was when the door opened.
In my rage, I hadn’t heard the carriage pull into the yard. But, I heard Maeve’s angry shout a moment before I flew backward, hit by an invisible fist of air, and crashed into the table and bench. It didn’t hurt, but it was disorienting. Lifting myself up slowly, I looked at Maeve, fear clawing at me.
Kellen.
“How dare you,” Maeve said with a frightening cold calm. “I was ready to give you everything. You would have had a kingdom at your fingertips, and this is how you repay me? You try to take from me what is mine?”
“Only as you took from me, Mama,” I said, standing, determined not to show what I felt.
Her lips pulled back in a silent snarl, and she bent to pick up the poker I’d dropped.
“I will take far more,” she said advancing. She struck out, hitting me across the face. The blow moved me. But it didn’t hurt.
I reached up to touch my cheek and check for blood as Maeve’s gaze narrowed. She hit my hand, bending my fingers. Nothing gave way or broke.
“Who did this to you?” she demanded.
“I would tell you, Mama, but I’ve been cursed. I cannot speak of it.”
She screeched and grabbed me by the arm, dragging me to the fire.
“You will speak.”
She pushed me hard. I stumbled over the stool and fell into the hearth. Flames flared over my skirts, consuming the material. I felt nothing. I stood and shook out my skirt, trying to extinguish the blaze. My efforts only made the flames climb higher, devouring my clothes.
Ignoring it, I looked up at Maeve.
“I cannot speak, and I cannot be physically harmed.”
Underneath Maeve’s bodice, a light began to glow.
“Very well. As you are so keen on layering more spells upon your person, I will add another. Eloise Cartwright, you are bound to this estate by birth, by name, and by King’s decree. And thus your freedom is bound to me.”
I laughed, relieved.
“Do you truly believe I want to leave my home? You are mistaken. It’s you who needs to leave. You have brought nothing but pain and misery to this home and this kingdom. But to what purpose? Is it truly for the Crown of Drisdall to sit upon your head? Why would you want a paltry command when you have such a formidable power already? Towdown was brought low with a single spell.”
“You want to know why? Because I refuse to accept I have lost.”
Disbelief robbed me of words. Had I been wrong? Was this about repeating an already failed attempt to wed into the Royal family?
She looked at Cecilia and Porcia.
“Your sister’s dress is ruined. Perhaps you can help her.”
Cecilia’s hand closed over my arm in an unyielding grip.
“With pleasure, Mama.” She viciously ripped what remained of the gown from my body, leaving me nude. I lifted my free arm to cover my breasts and attempted to jerk my other arm free.
“Do you think this makes me cower?” I asked, looking at Maeve. “Tremble with fear? This is nothing more than what’s already been done to me.”
“You’re right.”
“Porcia, fetch Hugh.”
“He can’t hurt me.”
“Not physically, but there are so many more ways to be hurt, my child.” She smiled and stepped closer, sweeping her hand over my cheek in a loving caress that reminded me far too much of Kaven.
“And I am far from done with hurting you.”
She patted my cheek gently then looked at Cecilia. Something cold clamped around my wrist, and I looked down at the shackle in dismay.
“Help me with the mirror,” Maeve said.
She and Cecilia righted it and leaned it against the butcher block. I saw myself smudged with soot and ash.
Maeve called to the mirror, asking to speak with Grimm. I hardened myself for what was to come. I’d known it was a risk to attempt to break the mirror and cursed myself for losing my temper and not hearing her return. I frowned, realizing Maeve’s return had been too opportune.
“You knew,” I said suddenly, recalling how she’d known the mirror was close before it had even arrived.
She glanced back at me, away from the emerging image of Grimm.
“Knew what?”
“That I was attempting to destroy it.”
“Of course. From your first blow. However, it took time to finish our business and return home.”
She smiled and faced Grimm.
“It’s time to bring my daughter home by any means necessary, Grimm.”
He nodded to her.
“But I prefer alive,” she said.
My heart began to race as I imagined the threat coming for Kellen. I hoped the little men who had defended her previously would continue to do so even against a greater number.
The door to the kitchen opened, and Hugh stepped in, followed by Porcia.
“There you are,” Maeve said with a purr. She moved to Hugh’s side and slid her hand over the front of his trousers.
“Do you know why I spared him?” she asked, looking at me even as a bulge formed under her exploring hand.
“Not only is he young and virile, he is very well endowed. A delicious combination. It’s been wrong of me to keep him to myself.” She turned to Hugh. “There’s no need to be gentle with her. She can’t feel any pain. I wonder what she will feel as you hold her down and thrust into her in every way possible.” She turned, a slow smile blooming on her face.
Terror engulfed me. I yanked at the chain, forgetting my worry over modesty as I desperately attempted to slip my hand free.
“Come, my darlings,” she said. “This is unsuitable for the eyes of proper young ladies.”
Cecilia cast a nasty grin at me. “Pain or not, your screams will echo in this pathetic excuse for a home, dear sister.”
Porcia looked at me, her expression unreadable. “Try to learn this time.”
Maeve smiled at her and gave her a motherly pat, which earned Porcia a scowl from Cecilia as they left through the dining room door. In the silence, I heard the rustle of cloth and looked at Hugh.
He tugged his shirt from his trousers, his gaze on my breasts. Covering them with my hands did nothing to snuff the single-minded intent reflected in his eyes.
“Don’t do this,” I said. “She has you under her spell. This isn’t you. You would never hurt me.”
He paused, and his gaze lifted to mine. A green light flickered in the depths of his eyes.
“Stop me,” he whispered. In that brief moment, I heard the torment in Hugh’s voice and saw it in his anguished expression. Then it vanished, and the sick pleasure returned as he reached down to rub himself.
“You’ll like this,” he said. He tugged his trousers open and moved closer to me. “Have you seen a cock before?”
I swallowed hard and backed up a step, the links of chain clanking with the movement.
“I would prefer never to see one,” I said.
I sacrificed the arm covering my breasts to fumble behind me for anything that might help. Hugh reached forward, running a finger through the valley of my breasts. I shivered against the unwanted touch as my hand closed around something.
My eyes began to water when his palm covered one breast, and I eased my other hand from the apex of my legs.
“I’ve never had a virgin,” he said softly.
My grip tightened on the metal, and I trembled with anguish as his fingers gently touched the hair between my legs.
“I’m begging you, Hugh. Don’t make me do this.”
This man had been with my family for more than half my life. As a child, I’d looked up to him, seeing him more as an older brother or young uncle than random hired help. He’d teased Kellen and me and watched over us. He’d nurtured our curiosity of the woods when Father was away and Mother too ill to leave the house. He taught me how to track the signs animals left behind.
Most importantly, he’d taught me to respect life.
Tears streaming down my cheeks, I shifted the poker in my hand.
“Forgive me,” I whispered before thrusting it into his right eye. He screamed loudly and fumbled backward, grasping the iron rod. He pulled it out with another cry, and I gagged at the gore still stuck to the end.
