Like Anna, she wouldn't go down without a fight. She'd lived her life on the defensive. This one time she refused to give up control. He'd been stalking her, following her, scaring her for too long. Tonight he would taste her temper. Not only had he entered the house without invitation, she'd specifically told him to stay away.
She cursed the exhaustion that dragged at her, causing her to feel as if she were moving through honey. She kept one eye on the wild man as she pulled her pocketknife from under the seat cushion. She flicked it open, then hid it in the folds of her nightgown
"Is this the room? The one where that Anna woman bought the farm?” John finally broke the long, tense silence, his voice tight.
He took one step, then another until he'd come halfway across the room. Ariel took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Her strength crumbling, she was almost ready to do whatever insanity this crazy man ordered.
No, she refused to give in to such weakness.
She made the rules this time. She would escort him from her room and into Josiah's more than capable hands. After he was gone, she would return here to rest and wait for the Major. But first, she had to get past John. She had to lead him out of her room.
That's when she saw his knife. It was a long hunting knife with a jagged blade and thick leather handle. The blade glinted as wildly as his eyes in the dim flickering candlelight.
Ariel shuddered. He was truly insane, stark raving crazy because she'd left him behind and moved on with her life. No doubt he expected her to beg him to take her back. She could tell from his expression that he would kill her, if necessary, in order to keep her under his control.
"What do you want? If you hurt me, others will come for you. They'll hunt you down and put you in jail." She kept her tone hushed, gentle as she continued rocking, her knife hidden, yet secure in her left hand.
"I want you. I've always wanted you. I don't like it when my girls don't do as I tell them. You must be punished for running away. You were the one. The one I could have loved forever." He stopped moving, confused by her calm, her hushed tones.
She should be frightened, panicking, screaming at him. That would turn him on. Then he could carry out the rest of his plan. Instead, she just sat there calmly rocking. Not responding as she should. She’d grown too independent. He’d have to teach her.
Once he'd taught Ariel fear and obedience, he would knock over a couple of candles on his way out. He always did like fires blazing high and women crying and begging.
Just like his grandfather, he'd been told, as well as most of the other men in the Robards family. The whole clan was fruity, some more than others.
"So, you gotta man around here? That black man downstairs, maybe? Or is there another one who works only in your bedroom?" He taunted her. She had to lose the control she appeared to be fighting hard to maintain.
"No man, just a good job for a little old lady who needed help keeping up with her house. Go back to Asheville, John. I don't want you here. Leave now, before the storm gets any worse."
"Nah, I think I'll hang around awhile. I kinda like it here. Maybe I'll talk you into entertaining me." He took another step closer to the rocking chair. His knife glinted brighter as he raised it.
It was time to do more than punish her. It was time to kill her and torch the house. Past time for this house to be destroyed. After he'd heard about her job, he'd done some research. He’d talked to folks in the neighborhood who'd been happy to tell him about the house, the stories, the creepiness of it all. He could tell that she was somehow linked to this house. She looked like she belonged. Which wasn't a good thing.
Ariel watched as a change washed over John. He lost the sharp edged expression of a crazed demon. Instead he appeared like a little boy who was scared of the dark.
But the change only lasted for two heartbeats. Then his eyes glazed over, with what Ariel could only assume was the soul eating anger that poisoned him and ate at his sanity.
Ariel wanted to run, but she was cornered. By the walls, rocking chair, bed, and John with his wicked knife. Instead of trying to bolt, she stood up, which startled him, causing him to retreat a step.
She kept her left hand hidden in the skirt of her nightgown, the knife safely concealed. She wished she'd put on her robe, but it had been so hot. Besides she hadn't planned on seeing anyone. Only now did she realize the fine material was sticking to her body, her sweat turning it transparent against her skin.
She reached up, to pull the gown away from her chest. John stopped her with a single slashing motion of the knife. She lowered her hands, taking the last half-step backward so she was up against the window, wishing she could open the window and escape. But the windows would not open.
She was preparing herself to pull her arm forward then slam her elbow against the glass, hoping to break it, when her eyes were drawn over John's shoulder. The door to her room swung open. The movement was slow and silent, as if this new intruder wanted to make certain no one would try to gut him as he entered.
The Major stayed in the shadows, not sure what was going on in the dimly lit bedroom. He continued to ease the door open, praying it didn't give his presence away with a loud squeal. Another moment and he had the door open far enough to slip inside.
Ariel, his Ariel, looked so much like Anna in that gown. She stood tall and proud in the corner of the room, her skin as pale as the sheer gown she wore. She met his gaze with one in the gray area between panic and disbelief. He smiled, just an upturning of the corners of his mouth, hoping to reassure her.
He would succeed in saving her as he had failed to save Anna. This time he would protect his woman.
His attention shifted to the intruder. The man was dressed in strange clothes, all in black. He appeared tense, jumpy. Based on the assumption the man was probably crazy as a loon, the Major planned his actions. He would have to stay calm and collected. His life and the life of his lady were dependent on him staying in control.
If this man attacked him, he might not be able to keep the upper hand. He was taller and broader, but lunatics were far stronger than normal witted men; especially when provoked. He would do everything he could to save Ariel. From the back, this man looked like Anna's assailant, Jarrod Palmer reincarnated.
"So, what you gonna do? You comin' away from that window so we can talk? Or do I come after you? I gotta get you out of this place. You've lost your mind, dressing up in some dead broad's clothes. Come away from the window," John commanded in a whining, yet feral tone. He waved his knife, so she cautiously inched away from the window, attempting to keep as much distance as possible between them.
Her eyes never left him. She was afraid to look past him toward the Major for fear of giving his presence away. As John moved forward, the Major inched forward as well. Moving slowly, he took advantage of John's ignorance.
Ariel racked her brain for the right words to warn the Major of his opponent's weapon. "Sure, John, we can leave. Anything you say. Just don't hurt me with that knife." The Major took another step toward John, grabbing his neck in a stranglehold with one arm and the arm holding the knife in the other. John screeched in terror, madness, and fear.
John twisted, pushing the Major through the doorway into the hall. He lunged, his arm raised to plunge the knife into the other man's heart. The Major stooped, his shoulder catching John in the midsection. Straightening, suddenly, he threw the madman over the waist high railing of the staircase.
The scream and thud that followed brought Ariel out of her terror induced stupor. Like any normal, warm-blooded female when faced with such intense, emotional insanity, she fainted.
Mamie emerged from the library and met Josiah at the foot of the staircase just as John came flying over the railing. He landed on his back and slid down the stairs.
Mamie looked at her man, loving his patience and understanding of her special gifts. "Carry this piece of trash out to the back corner behind the shed and let him die there. I'll be out later to deal with the body." Lifting her s
kirts, she stepped over John and continued up the stairs.
It had been a whole lot of years since the last time she'd climbed these stairs. It had been too painful to come up here without Miss Anna to fuss at. She was pleased to see little had changed in all that time.
In Ariel's bedroom, Mamie laid her hands on the Major's shoulders and examined him for damage. He was out of breath but otherwise unharmed. Once she was certain he was all right, she turned to Ariel.
"Put her on the bed, suh," she directed. The Major immediately jumped to do her bidding.
In a moment, Ariel was laid out on the bed. Her gown was carefully pulled down to cover as much of her legs as it could. Her arms were bent with her hands resting demurely over her stomach stacked one on top of the other.
"Thank ya, suh. Now get out." Mamie turned to the man who was inches taller than she was and pushed him out of the bedroom.
"But, Mamie..."
"No, suh. You ain't s'posed to be in a proper lady's bedroom. I know you've been up here afore, but it ain't right. She'll come downstairs jes’ as soon as I can connect up Ariel's body with Anna's spirit."
With that Mamie closed the door in his face and turned to her task. "Miz Anna, you gotsta get in this here girl's body. At least for a time. You gotsta tell that man face to face. I ain't doin’ yo’ dirty work for you."
"I know, Mamie, but only until daybreak. I can’t trade her life for mine." The voice was soft and sweet as a song winging through the trees outside a church, just like the woman it belonged to. “She’s the one he loves now, even if she does seem a bit more pigheaded than I am.”
"Yes, Miz Anna."
It only took a moment for Mamie to light the candles and begin her work. Ariel lay unconscious, unaware of all that was happening.
A smoky white cloud gathered, swirling above the bed before circling to enter the still form. With a deep breath, Anna opened her eyes, looking out through human orbs for the first time in a hundred and sixty years.
She felt weak, but there were things to be done before she could go to her eternal peace. She had to explain her change of heart to the man waiting downstairs.
"Help me up, Mamie," she whispered, pushing herself to a sitting position.
"Child, you should rest a spell. You're too weak to be waltzing around like this," Mamie argued.
"There's no time. I must speak with Seth. I have to explain. Only when he understands, will we both be able to move forward," Anna spoke softly, feeling stronger with each breath she took.
It felt wonderful to go without the corset she'd been forced to wear from the time she'd developed bosoms. That was one female contraption she hadn’t missed as she flowed around the room without a body.
She took a moment to catch her breath, then stood. Mamie was at her side when she overbalanced and almost fell on her face. "Now, child, you just hang on to yer ole Mamie. We'll git you downstairs."
"Oh, Mamie, am I doing the right thing?" Anna asked as they slowly crossed the bedroom.
"Do it feel right in yer heart?"
"To love someone enough to give up lifetimes for them is a powerful love. But I've seen the changes going on outside these walls. I’ll never fit in, even with Ariel’s knowledge to help me. I can't steal this body away from my own kin like this. Borrowing her body for a few hours is one thing, but to keep it forever, no. I don't deserve it. This girl has her own life to live."
Mamie didn't answer. Miz Anna always had thought less of herself than everyone else had. She was a timid thing, never willing or able to stand on her own. That's why her love of the Major frightened her so. It was change and change had always been difficult for Anna. Of course she was terrified of all that would take place around the house in the next few hours.
Once they reached the foyer, Mamie guided Anna to the living room. She stepped back as soon as the Major reached them. "I'll fix some tea." She turned toward the kitchen. She'd also add the last bottle of the Major's favorite whiskey to the tray. She had a feeling he might need it before the night was over.
"Anna, oh my sweet Anna," he murmured, holding one hand and cupping the other around her jaw. "Though you are so very much alike, you are also very different. It is wonderful to finally be able to touch you again."
"Seth, we must talk."
14
Though Anna wanted to memorize him; his face, his smile, his eyes, she couldn't look at him. It hurt too much.
She loved Seth but didn't love him enough. How could she tell this man who'd loved her enough to give up his life, his future to be with her, that she couldn't do the same for him? She couldn't live here, in this time. She wasn't strong enough or brave enough to face this new life they would have together in this new time.
She leaned against him when he wrapped one arm around her protectively and guided her to the sofa. He didn't question her or push for answers.
He was the most patient man she'd ever met. He held his tongue, not demanding she tell him anything. She studied the hands knotted in her lap. They were nice hands, her hands, yet not hers. These fingers had long nails painted an attractive burgundy color. Very attractive, but something she would never do. Her nails had always been short and scrubbed clean with nary a speck of dirt beneath them.
Finally, Seth had obviously had enough. "You wanted to talk?" He laid his hand over her clenched fingers.
His touch was so warm, so gentle. She bit her lip to keep from crying out the anguish in her heart. "I can't do it," she whispered, still not looking at him.
She focused on the carpet. Her father had brought that beautiful carpet back from New York, the spring before... It had been made by the same company who'd woven carpets for the White House.
"Can't do what, darlin'?"
"I was meant to die that night. I'm not meant to live in this time. I can't just move into this body and take over. This child, Ariel, she’s kin. She deserves the right to her own life. She shouldn't have to give up her future so I can finish my past."
"But what about us?"
"You will love living in this time. You were always so curious about inventions, about the future. In Ariel, you will have a guide to this time, someone to help you live here in this place that frightens me so."
"How do you know that? You've not been outside to see what it's like." He tried to remain patient but felt the need to argue with her.
He loved Anna. He'd waited one hundred and sixty years to reclaim her. Now she sat here, telling him she didn't want him.
"I've seen the world beyond outside the windows of my room. I've seen the changes going on out there. This house is no longer in the middle of the country as my father built it. We're in the middle of town. A town that might as well be in China it's so different from everything I know and am comfortable with." Anna's mind was clearly made up.
"But..." Seth couldn't come up with a suitable argument. After all, she might actually know of what she spoke. He certainly hadn't been outside the house recently.
She'd been a silent witness to the changes that had taken place beyond the four walls of this house. He'd spent most of his time in the library that looked out onto the enclosed area behind the house. He could, after watching for over 54,750 days, describe every move, every pause and motion Josiah, Etta, and Mamie made during their day. But beyond what Miss Josephine and Mamie had shared with him, he knew nothing of what went on outside the house.
Truth be told, he couldn't wait to go out, experience the world, learn about all the things he'd missed. Anna was terrified by the same things that he was looking forward to.
Pushing to his feet, he paced, hoping she wouldn't see his pain. "When will you be leaving?" He asked the question as if she were simply climbing aboard the next stagecoach, headed for Raleigh or Richmond instead of leaving him for all eternity.
"Dawn. I want to spend this one last night with you," she returned.
"You'll leave and I'll be left behind with this Ariel person?" Seth asked, blinking back his tears.
"I've alr
eady given her cause to love you. She will look kindly upon you. She can teach you a thousand things I would never even try. She's from this time. She can help you."
"But she won't be you!"
"Don't be angry with me. We only have this one night and it will drift away all too quickly."
She was right. They would only have this one night together. She hadn't asked him to give up life in his time and follow her to this one. Neither he nor Mamie had ever thought it would take this long for them to be together again. So this night, he would be pleasant, cheerful and understanding. He'd also try his best to change her mind. After all, she was a woman and everyone knew women were prone to be changeable. Hopefully by dawn she would decide to stay with him.
They talked of their love and the past as if it had taken place only yesterday. They talked of the plans they'd had for their life together and of the house they'd wanted to build. All the things young people in love spoke of in 1842. It didn't matter to them that beyond the windows it was the beginning of the twenty-first century. They could have spent their last hours in bed together, sharing physical pleasure instead of just their memories, but that wasn't how it was done in their time.
Finally, their talking drifted from paragraphs to sentences to murmured words. Mamie returned just as the first blood red streaks lightened the eastern sky.
"It's time. Come to the library," she said solemnly.
Seth and Anna stood but paused. If they didn't go to the library would the magic hold and keep them together? They looked at each other, fell together, and kissed with an intense passion that had grown over the decades. He clutched her with the hunger of a man who was losing the only woman he'd loved. Finally, he released her and took a single step back.
Anna turned and took a step toward the doorway, but her knees gave out. Before she collapsed to the floor he swept her into his arms. Her face was next to his, her lips, so moist and pink and tender, within reach.
Magic and Shadows: A Collection of YA Fantasy and Paranormal Romances Page 124
