“But I am so bored here. This is the most exciting thing that has happened in this town for a long time and you do not even seem to care!”
“I do not care because it is pointless. There is no way such a creature could exist so something is amiss, and I will not entertain the delusion,” he said stubbornly. It led to another argument where Amelia accused him of being so arrogant that he knew the entire nature of the world, and Tom shot back with some harsh words of his own. The night ended with them lost in the throes of anger, which added an intensity to their sexual activities, increasing the pleasure gained tenfold.
Yet while Tom was adamant that this creature could not exist Amelia was sure there was some truth to it, and began to send the staff into town with the task of finding out more information. She discovered that more people had been going missing and the police were actively searching for the perpetrator but the only descriptions were of a supernatural creature. And then it happened. One night Tom returned with a haunted look on his face. He immediately closed the door and locked it, then dragged Amelia into a room and locked that door again. He paced along the floor, muttering to himself. His hair was unkempt, as were his clothes, and his skin was sallow and pale.
“What's the matter?” Amelia demanded, and had to repeat the question for Tom to snap out of his trance. He walked up to her and she could see that his eyes were filled with terror.
“It took my parents,” Tom said, trembling. Amelia's jaw dropped and she tried to calm her husband.
“How do you know? Did you see it?”
Tom shook his head. “I went to visit them and the house had been ransacked. I spoke to the neighbors and they said that late the previous night there had been a disturbance. I was such a fool. I should have listened to them. Why didn't I listen?!” he said, beating his fists against the wall. Amelia moved towards him and placed a hand on his back.
“Do not blame yourself, I know it is easy to do so but you are not responsible for this. I felt the same for a long time after Edward died, always telling myself that I should have done more, that I should have-”
“Oh will you shut up about him!” he said, turning to her with anger, his eyes red and raw from the tears that had built up within them, “Edward has been dead for a year and I am sick to death of hearing about him. Am I not enough for you? Is this flesh and blood not enough, or would you rather be married to a ghost?”
He spoke in a vicious tone and Amelia was taken aback by the harshness of his words. Tom was trembling and had evidently been shaken by the events, and it had caused his suppressed emotions to come to the surface. His expression immediately softened and he reached out to Amelia, but she backed away from him, recoiling in horror. She ran through the house, away from him, even after he chased after her, trying in vain to apologize.
“I didn't mean it,” he cried, but his words echoed through the house as the sound of Amelia's footsteps faded from his ears, and he knew that chasing after her would have done no good.
Amelia was filled with violent emotions. The outburst from Tom made her question the foundations her new marriage were based upon. She was well aware that she hadn't been the perfect wife but she thought that Tom had understood the position she was in, and to throw it back in her face like that was hurtful. Tears stung her eyes as she sprinted through the empty hallways until she finally collapsed, heaving her breaths as she fell against the wall. A wide window loomed in front of her, with the wan moon taunting her from above. Her life had been so perfect until Edward had been taken away from her.
“I did not ask for this. I did not want this!” she shrieked, but the moon remained resolute in its silence. Amelia wept fretfully. Her entire body trembled for she had seen a side of Tom that she had never seen before, and never wanted to see again. It made her long for her marriage with Edward and she felt a fraud for giving up on their love. She felt guilty for sharing her bed and body with another man, and all the accusations of her peers came back with force. She was too old for him, he was only after her money, she was only after companionship...in that moment it all seemed true and the guilt was overwhelming. If only she could have turned back time and escaped that hell it would have all been fine...but she was stuck in a prison of love, unable to fully let go of Edward, which prevented her from completely embracing Tom. Amelia was caught in a fluctuating chasm between the past and the future. Neither offered her peace or serenity, and she could not live in one without losing the other, and she wanted to hold onto both. She cried out loudly and lamented her fate, fearing that she was destined to be alone, and only pity would accompany her aching heart, until she heard another noise, one that abruptly silenced her tears.
Amelia was in the bowels of the house and the sound of staggering footsteps could be heard, as though somebody was dragging themselves against the wall. She knew it wasn’t Tom for it was in the opposite direction. The flow of her tears was stemmed as her breath caught in her throat, frightened as tales of the monster ran through her mind. Could it have made its way to their house? Amelia was vulnerable and scared, frozen in place. The unsettling sound of haggard breathing came closer and closer and time seemed to stand still. Amelia knew that she had no way to escape, and part of her had a morbid curiosity to gaze upon the monster. Perhaps it would even be best if she sacrificed herself, at least then Tom would be able to live a happy life and she could be with Edward again, free from the pain of her misery. But as her inexorable destiny approached the most primal part of her soul ignited, the part that drove humanity to survival, the instinct that propelled the human race to the top of the food chain and she was determined not to die. The monster was close now, she could almost taste its breath in the air, and she grabbed the nearest weapon, clutching an iron bar in her hand, ready to face death standing, rather than on her knees.
Shadows and silhouettes poured in through the window. Amelia peered through the cloak of darkness in the beyond where the beast lay, attempting to control her shuddering body. A groan echoed through the hallway, an unholy sound borne from the depths of hell. Amelia's knuckles were white as the beast approached, but when the figure emerged from the darkness the iron rod dropped to the floor with a loud clang. Amelia's eyes widened and her jaw dropped as her husband approached her, reaching out desperately with his hand. His body was lean and gaunt, and his mouth lolled open inhumanly, but it was the man she loved, there was no mistaking that. Amelia rushed up to him and gathered him in her arms.
“Oh Edward,” she said, “How is it that you've come back to me?”
Chapter 6
Edward could barely speak and Amelia rocked him in his arms as she would a child. Tumultuous emotions ran through her mind. If anyone had told her that Edward was still alive she would never have believed them, but now he was in her arms and there was no denying that it was him. He had the same mop of hair, the old blue eyes, and the familiar scent, although it was buried beneath the smell of the earth. He mumbled and muttered unintelligible things but Amelia held him close to her, simply happy at the fact that he had come back. However, after a few moments of this she looked back at where she had come from and wondered how she would ever tell Tom, or if she even would. She managed to lift Edward up and carried him into a room, far away from where the sleeping chambers were. She pushed Edward down onto a bed and fetched him some clothes, water, and food, making sure to avoid any questions. When she returned, Edward was shivering. She quickly wrapped him up in a blanket and held the glass of water to his lips, which seemed to calm him. He settled into bed and closed his eyes. Amelia stayed by his side for a while, stroking and caressing him, afraid to leave because she feared that if she did so he would disappear again.
But now she was thrust into a new state of confusion, caught between loyalty for the love of her life and duty to her current husband. When she returned to her bedchamber she ignored Tom, and he took this as a response to their earlier fight, but she was filled with guilty because as they lay next to each other she knew that he had no idea her ex-husb
and was under the same roof as him.
She awoke the following morning far earlier than Tom, and prepared Edward some breakfast. When she went to his room he stirred at her presence, and when he awoke his face was filled with joy. He grasped her hand tightly and pressed it to his cheek.
“Oh my love. I thought I would never see your face again,” he said, and kissed her hand desperately. Amelia was overwhelmed at the show of affection and to experience the sensations of her husband's touch once more was strange, for she had spent so much time trying to get used to the idea that she would never see him again. And while part of her urged her soul to throw herself at him and give in to the happiness she could not forget that she was married to another. But Edward was already looking much healthier than he had been the previous night and there were so many questions on Amelia's mind that it took a strong resistance not to let them all come tumbling out in a flood of words.
“How is this possible Edward? I was told you were dead, buried under a collapse,” she asked.
Edward inhaled deeply and then pushed himself up. He yawned and scratched the top of his chest. “It's a long story. I don't know how I survived really. Even I thought that I was dead. I couldn't see anything around me. It was all pitch black. I cried out for help but nobody was there, and it took a long time for me to free myself. I had to dislodge the rocks around me, always afraid that one wrong move would crush me. Then, when I finally managed to emerge on land I found myself utterly alone. I did not know if the people with me had left or been killed, but I looked out to the horizon and saw only the empty sea in all directions. I built a fire to keep warm, hoping that the light or the smoke would attract a passing ship but I knew it was a forlorn hope since it had taken me years to find my way to that island. All I could think about was coming back to you, so I scavenged around the island and found enough material to build a raft. It was not entirely seaworthy but it was the best I could do, and I prayed for the current to take me home.
Eventually, after an arduous journey, I crashed into land, a land that I did not know. I did not speak the language and the locals were savages. I had to use my wits to survive and make my way through the dangerous terrain back to some kind of recognizable civilization. I managed to barter what little money I had left on me for a map and traveled through the country until I found myself in Europe. From there it was a matter of proving my family name, which was no easy task, until I made my way back to England and was able to make use of my family's reputation. From there I booked transport back to America, and back to you.”
It was a marvelous story and Amelia was impressed and aroused by the lengths Edward had gone to in order to survive. She collapsed on his chest and sobbed through sheer relief that he was with her. His hand rested on her head and he played with her hair. It was all too familiar and the old feelings of their marriage came back strongly. But what she did not see was a certain look in his eyes. She was so glad to have him back and so eager to believe his story that Amelia did not see that he was holding something back from her, keeping a terrible secret.
“And what of you my love, tell me of your life and the hardships you have endured.”
“Edward, it's been horrible. To have the news of your death and no body to mourn...I blamed myself as well. I should have been more adamant in keeping you here. It was all my fault for letting you go.”
“Calm yourself. I was entirely my fault for not listening to you in the first place. I shouldn't have gone searching the world for these treasures when I had the most precious one right beside me.” He cupped Amelia's chin in between his thumb and forefinger, and Amelia began to tremble. She gazed at him with liquid eyes and felt an irresistible pull towards him, and they soon found themselves sharing a passionate kiss, which was only broken by the overpowering guilty swelling through Amelia's body, making her gut twist with agony. She pulled away, and Edward looked puzzled.
“What's wrong?”
“I can't do this,” she replied, “it's not right.”
“What's not right? I've traveled so far to be back here with you. What on earth could possess you to pull away from me?” he asked, grabbing her shoulders, looking at her intently but Amelia would not meet his gaze.
“I took a new husband. I'm sorry Edward but I thought you were dead and I had to move on...I couldn't bear to be in this house alone and Tom was so kind and considerate that I couldn't refuse. I'm so, so sorry. I should have waited, should never have given up on you,” she said, on the verge of tears again. Edward pulled her close into him and reassured her.
“I don't blame you at all. You thought I was dead. What else could I expect you to do? I am only glad that you have been safe and happy during my absence. But we need to talk about this. I have nowhere else to be in the world Amelia, I belong with you. We are soul mates. Do you still believe that?” Amelia found herself nodding. “Good, then you must tell Tom that I am back. This is still my house. And you are still my wife.”
Amelia knew that he was right but how could she tell such a thing? The two of them remained together for the morning, enjoying being with each other again, until Amelia had to pull herself away in order to see Tom. She walked through the long hallways until she found him in the study. When she walked in he rushed to her and gathered her in his arms, showering her with kisses and affection and apologies. Amelia pulled herself away and stepped back from him.
“Amelia, I have apologized profusely for my behavior last night. I was shaken by seeing that monster. I know that was no excuse but there is no need to treat me so coldly.”
“He's back,” Amelia said, blurting out the words because she knew there was no other way to soften the blow.
“Who?”
“Edward. He came back last night. He came back to me.”
“That's impossible.”
“I found it hard to believe too, but he's here.”
“In this house?” Tom said. Amelia nodded, finding it difficult to read the expression on his face. “Are you sure it is him?”
“Tom, I was married to the man. Of course it's him.”
“Well, he cannot stay here.”
“What do you mean? This is his home?”
“He was dead. He has no home anymore.”
“He is in no position to move. He is too weak, has been through too much. He needs to rest.”
“Then he can stay until he is well enough, then he can go and enjoy his new life. Do you know the scandal it would bring for him to be here?”
“As if you have not courted enough scandal already,” Edward said, walking into the room. Tom and Amelia looked shocked to see him for they had not expected him. Tom bristled with tension and took an immediately aggressive stance. “I am here to claim my rightful place in my home, alongside my wife.” At this he slid his arm around Amelia's waist, and Amelia did not move. Tom's fists clenched by his side and it was clear that he did not take too kindly to Edward's return.
“If it wasn't for the monster I would have no qualms about throwing you out into the wild. I am legally married to Amelia and you have no claim here,” he said.
“Monster?” Edward asked. Amelia quickly told him about the strange happenings in the town and Edward pursed his lips. Tensions were high among the three of them but they agreed that Edward could stay in the house while they discussed a solution, for they all agreed that it was wise to not let the people in the town know that Edward had returned, for that would only lead to idle gossip and it was something that they all wanted to avoid. But from the very first moment it caused problems as it was clear that Amelia preferred time with Edward, and Edward was so smug about it that it riled up Tom to the point where he was apoplectic with rage. Even when Amelia returned to him, they ended up arguing and Tom did nothing to nurture her affections. After one particularly heated argument Tom was sitting in bed holding his head in his hands.
“I'm going to lose you to him, aren't I?” he said despondently.
“Think of it as freedom. Now you get to live your life
the way you wanted it. You can be with someone younger, raise a family. You don't have to be tied to me,” Amelia said sympathetically.
“Is that what you think of me? Is that how you think I treat this marriage? I love you Amelia, why have you always had difficulty in believing that? Perhaps it is simply because you have never loved me, not in the same way as you love Edward, anyway,” and Amelia had to concede that it was true.
“I am sorry Tom. I never expected him to come back but it is as though I have been given a second chance, and I would be a fool not to take it,” she said. Tom knew there would be no arguing with her, and although bitterness weighed down his soul he understood why she made that decision, and all that was left was for him to return to town in the middle of a crisis, and try to forge a new life for himself. It was not easy though for he had become used to the luxuries of living in the mansion, and returning to the city, especially in the middle of the attacks by the monster, was not something he especially desired. In fact, the more he thought about it the more he became scared, until he eventually declared to Edward and Amelia that he would not leave unless he was given a sizable sum of money.
Game of Throbs Complete Series (Books 1-3) Page 93
