Dying Forever (Waking Forever Book 3)

by Heather McVea

  Grabbing her wrist, Hope spun Bryce around and pulled the woman to her. “Don’t call me miss and don’t apologize for wanting - this.” She roughly pressed Bryce’s hand to her breast.

  In a rare unguarded moment, Bryce initiated a kiss. Her lips brushing lightly across Hope’s, her tongue teasing the woman. A knock on the bedroom door drove both women away from each other and Bryce quickly stepped toward the door. Hope turned her attention toward the otherwise forgotten breakfast tray.

  “Come in.” Her voice was calm, Bryce was amazed at how easily she slipped back into her mistress role.

  Mrs. Bradley entered the room, a disapproving look on her face as she eyed Bryce. “Forgive the intrusion, ma’am , but if you aren’t needing her any longer, Miss Whelan has chores to attend to.”

  Without looking back, Hope popped a dried apricot in her mouth and nodded. “That’s fine.”

  Bryce turned and followed Mrs. Bradley out of the room. Once down the hall, the stout woman turned to Bryce. “I don’t know what about delivering a breakfast tray takes fifteen minutes, but whatever it is, stop.”

  A surge of blood rushed to Bryce’s neck and face as she felt a wave of fear and embarrassment wash over her. Luckily, Mrs. Bradley had already turned and was walking toward the back stairway, so she didn’t witness the mortification.

  Leaning against the wall, Bryce’s heart pounded in her ears. She knows. Sweat formed on her forehead and she lifted her head, taking several deep breaths before she trusted herself to walk without fainting.

  “Miss Whelan? Are you okay?” Thaddeus Atherson was standing near the front stairway, looking curiously at Bryce.

  “Yes. Yes, sir.” Bryce wiped at her forehead and turned to walk toward the back stairway.

  “Wait.” The man closed the space between them in several long strides. He was over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and the same light brown eyes as his sister. “You don’t seem well. Should I get someone?”

  Bryce shook her head. “That’s very kind, sir, but I’m fine.”

  Before she could leave, the man grabbed her forearm and stepped to within inches of Bryce. “Perhaps you need to lie down? My room is right here.” He nodded toward his bedroom door.

  Bryce’s earlier humiliation was replaced with fear. She had noticed Thaddeus looking at her from time to time, but hadn’t imagined this. “No thank you, sir. Mrs. Bradley would have my hide.”

  Stepping back, Bryce looked at the man’s hand still wrapped around her arm. Just before he released her, he squeezed her arm to the point of pain and Bryce winced. “Some other time perhaps.” Backing down the hall, a broad smile spread across his lips. “You take care of yourself, Miss Whelan.”

  Wanting nothing more than to run down the hall, Bryce forced a polite smile, and then slowly walked toward the stairs, her heart pounding as tears streamed down her face.

  ***

  It was the middle of July. The frigidness of the winter and the chill of spring had long since passed, and the Atherson farm was teeming with activity as the last crop of cherries were being harvested.

  James Atherson had been hosting the area’s largest harvest celebration for the past five seasons, and this year would be no different. Mrs. Bradley was preparing the house staff for the upcoming gala and every servant was enlisted to decorate the large estate in a variety of floral and pine garlands accented with opulent blue and red cotton ribbons.

  Bryce was walking up the main path toward the house when she spotted Aeden placing a series of brass lanterns along an adjacent walkway. Glancing toward the house and calculating she had another five minutes before Mrs. Bradley came looking for her, the woman trotted toward her brother.

  “Can you believe all this?” Bryce smiled as she greeted Aeden.

  Rising from his knees, the man wiped at the sweat on his brow and, shielding his eyes against the midday sun, chuckled. “I spent the better part of last week gathering all the pine, berries, and branches for the garland. At one point I thought the foreman was going to ask me to arrange it.”

  Bryce smiled. “I’m sure you could have worked it out.”

  Taking the handles of the two wheel wooden cart that still had five lanterns sitting on it, Aeden pushed it further down the walkway. “To be clear, I didn’t want to work it out. I would have preferred the work in the fields to feeling like a Miss Molly with all those flowers and ribbons.”

  Bryce frowned. “Miss Molly?”

  Aeden pulled another lantern from the cart. “Yeah, you know - boys that like boys.”

  Bryce’s cheeks flushed with color. She had never heard anyone speak of such a thing, much less her brother. “Oh. I didn’t know.” Her heart was racing and she swallowed several times to rid herself of the lump that was suddenly forming in her throat.

  “Well, why would you?” Aeden moved further down the walkway.

  “Why do you know about that?” Bryce feigned interest in the cart’s faded and warn wooden handle, picking at it with her nail. She didn’t have the courage to make eye contact with her brother.

  Shaking his head, Aeden sighed. “I live in a room with ten other men. You’re bound to run into one every once in a while.” Lifting the cart again, the four remaining lanterns clattered. “His name is Abner, and he’s got his comeuppance more than once.”

  “But you haven’t hit him, have you?” Bryce needed her brother to be understanding, even if that understanding was once removed from her and toward a practical stranger.

  “Nah, I just steer clear of him.” Aeden turned his full attention to his sister. “Why are you asking me about this?”

  Bryce focused so her tone would be as casual as possible, less it betray the turmoil swirling inside her. “Like I said, I hadn’t heard that word before.” Looking over her shoulder at the house, she was suddenly grateful for the threat of Mrs. Bradley coming after her. “I have to go, or I’ll get it.”

  Aeden cocked his head to the side and studied his sister for a second. “Well go on, then.”

  Without a word, Bryce turned and hurried toward the house. Entering the coolness of the front parlor, she felt a thin hand grab her wrist and pull her toward the cloak room. She was being inundated with a series of urgent kisses and caresses, each sending shots of heat to her stomach.

  “Where have you been?” Hope’s voice was strained as she sucked on Bryce’s earlobe.

  Barely able to catch her breath, Bryce managed a response. “The party. Mrs. Bradley has us all working from -”

  Her response was cut short when Hope crushed her mouth to Bryce’s. Her hand found the redhead’s firm breast and palmed it roughly through her blouse. Hissing at the raw arousal coursing through her, it was all Bryce could do to stay on her feet.

  “Come to my chambers tonight, after you pull the drapes.” Hope panted the words against Bryce’s neck.

  “I can’t.” Bryce whispered. “My mother and I leave the house together.”

  Taking Bryce’s lower lip between her teeth, the brunette bit down gently, a soft moan escaping Bryce. “Find a way.”

  As suddenly as she was there, Hope was gone. Leaving Bryce near collapse with want and wondering how she could fulfill Hope's, and her, desires.

  ***

  Bryce had never left her room after lights out and the stillness of the late night air sent a shiver down her spine. She had managed to slip back into her clothes, while listening carefully to her mother’s quiet snores to ensure the woman was asleep. Now, in near darkness, she hurried toward the Atherson house, and Hope.

  Slowly pulling the iron door latch on the servant’s entrance up, Bryce carefully pushed the wooden door open just enough to allow her to enter the house. Once inside, she waited several seconds for her eyes to adjust. Without the ambient light of the quarter moon, the house was pitch black.

  Feeling her way along the stucco wall, Bryce found the banister of the back stairway and began her ascent, careful to skip the fourth step up as she remembered it creaked loudly when any sort of
weight was put on it.

  A single candle sat perched in a brass wall sconce, dimly illuminating the hallway. Coming to Hope’s door, Bryce scratched on the hard wood with the tip of her finger, holding her breath with both fear and anticipation.

  After nearly a minute, the door opened, a faint light spilling out into the hallway. Without a word, Hope took Bryce by the hand, pulling her into to room and into her arms.

  “You came. It was getting late and I thought you -”

  Determined not to waste a second of their time together with conversation, Bryce kissed Hope. Her tongue moved into the warmth of the woman’s mouth, eliciting a quiet gasp from the brunette. Turning, the two women walked back toward Hope’s bed and collapsed onto the soft down mattress.

  In only her sleeping shift, the warmth of Hope’s skin burned Bryce’s hands as she greedily ran them up and down the woman’s body. Hope tugged at Bryce’s skirts, trying to liberate her from the layers of clothing.

  “I want you.” Hope gasped, her mouth sucking and biting at Bryce’s neck.

  The pleasure coursing through Bryce’s body was suddenly replaced with a sharp pain at the back of her neck as if her head had been placed in a large metal vise. Pulled off of Hope, Bryce found herself being flung across the room, her bones jarred by the impact with the floor.

  “What the hell is this?!” Thaddeus Atherson’s imposing frame towered over Bryce. Managing to get herself to her knees, she looked pleadingly at Hope, who was still sitting on the bed, her eyes darting nervously from Bryce to her brother.

  The man’s hands were like claws at his sides, his face a deep red as he seethed with anger. “Answer me!” He swung, the back of his right hand striking Bryce along her jaw, setting a ringing off in her ears.

  Bryce scrambled backwards on her hands and heels until the stone hearth of the fireplace pushed into her shoulders. “Please, I-”

  “She forced her way in, Thad. I didn’t know what it was about until she had me trapped.” Hope was standing next to her brother, her arm hooked through his as she looked accusedly at the cowering woman on the floor.

  Bryce’s eyes filled with tears as the shock of Hope’s assertion stabbed at her. “Hope, why?”

  Wrenching his arm away from his sister’s, Thaddeus shoved the woman to the side. “Spare me your excuses, sister. This isn’t the first time you’ve indulged in these perversions!”

  Hope grabbed for her brother’s hand. “Please, Thad, I’m innocent this time.”

  Bryce’s mind was racing at the revelation Hope had been with other women. Her heart ached to know she clearly cared more for the woman than was returned. These thoughts became distant echoes as Thaddeus grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her across the room toward the bed.

  “You’d do best to leave, sister, while I correct this Irish slut.” The man’s massive hand came down on top of Bryce’s head and, grabbing a handful of her hair, pulled her to her feet.

  Reaching for his hand, Bryce dug her nails into the man’s wrist. A split second later, Thaddeus punched Bryce squarely in the stomach. The room began to spin as the woman was pushed onto the bed, a series of dry heaves racking her body.

  “Stop this!” Hope’s voice seemed a thousand miles away as a heavy weight settled over Bryce. Her skirts were pushed up to her waist and rough hands scratched and clutched at her bare legs.

  A low thud came from the back of the man’s head and his weight was suddenly gone. Rolling to her side, Bryce gasped for breath. Struggling to focus, she saw Hope standing with her back to the fireplace, a black iron poker in her hand.

  With what sounded like a growl, Thaddeus charged his sister, his girth obscuring Bryce’s view of the woman. After several seconds, the man stumbled toward the door rubbing the back of his head.

  Bryce slid from the bed onto the floor, her legs limp and lifeless. Desperate to escape, she clutched the mahogany bed post and pulled herself up. She couldn’t process what she was seeing. Hope’s sagging body lay in front of the fireplace, her head at an awkward angle against the stone hearth, a trickle of blood coming from her left ear.

  Bryce’s emotions skittered and tumbled. Her stomach curdled with grief and shock at seeing the woman she loved lifeless. Her mind snapped at her heart to remember Hope’s coldness and the cunning in her voice as she denied Bryce meant anything to her. The all too brief happiness Bryce had known with the beautiful woman was poisoned by her betrayal.

  “Father!” Thaddeus’ voice filled the house. “Father! Come quickly! A servant has murdered Hope!”

  Bryce’s eyes shot from Hope’s motionless body to the bellowing man. He meant to blame her for this, and there was little she could do to stop him. She would end up in the gallows.

  With little thought to the consequences, Bryce grabbed the fireplace poker from next to Hope and with all her strength she ran toward Thaddeus, striking him on the back of the head.

  Crying out in pain and shock, the man stumbled into the hallway. Bryce seized the opportunity and bolted past him. In a full run, she didn’t recall how she navigated the stairway, but she was now sprinting through the field toward the men’s dormitory. She had to find her brother.

  Nearly collapsing against the side of the wooden shack that housed the men, Bryce’s lungs burned from the nearly quarter mile sprint. Looking back toward the house, she could see light coming from nearly every window as the house was coming alive with the news of Hope’s death.

  Pushing propriety aside, Bryce flung open the thin wood door of the dormitory and walked quickly down the narrow walkway lined with sleeping men. The smell of pungent sweat and musk tickled her nostrils and panic washed over her as the image of Thaddeus on top of her flashed across her mind.

  “Bryce?” A groggy Aeden was getting out of his narrow cot. The grumblings of the other men filling the small room.

  “Aeden! I didn’t - but he’s said I -” Her eyes burned with tears.

  Taking her by the shoulders, Aeden guided her toward the door and back out into the night air. “Breathe. Just breathe. What’s happened?”

  Bryce felt like she was drowning; no matter how much air she took in, she couldn’t catch her breath. Starting to feel lightheaded, she was grateful when Aeden managed to get her over to a small wooden bench and sit her down.

  Squatting in front of her on his haunches, her brother was bare chested with a thin, off-white pair of knee-length underwear on. Gently wiping at Bryce’s tear streaked face, Aeden’s voice was low and soothing. “Relax. What’s this about?”

  Bryce didn’t have the strength to lie, and she couldn’t image her brother’s reaction being any worse than what she had just been through. “Hope and I were sweethearts, but mister - Thaddeus - found us together, and he’s killed her in a rage and blamed me.”

  Aeden’s mouth hung open in shock. Standing up, he looked down at Bryce and then towards the house. “When did this happen?”

  Standing, Bryce reached for her brother’s hand and was overjoyed that he didn’t pull away from her. “Just now. I have to run.”

  Aeden nodded. “We need to get you out of here. Hurry. Once they realize you’re not in your room, they’ll head this way.” He turned and held his hand up in front of him. “Wait here. You shouldn’t be traipsing through a men’s room.”

  Ringing her hands together, Bryce waited along the side of the dormitory as Aeden had instructed. After a few minutes, her brother emerged, fully dressed with a small cloth sack in his hand. “Let’s get to the stable.”

  Without a word, the two siblings ran through the darkness. Opening one of the stalls, Aeden led a chestnut mare toward the tack room and buckled a halter around her head. Handing Bryce the cloth bag, he easily mounted the horse and reached for Bryce. “Come on.”

  Grabbing her brother’s hand, Bryce leapt up and with Aeden’s help, was secured behind him on the horse. “Where are we going?” She wrapped her arms around his waist.

  “Don’t worry about that now, just hang on!” A series of lunges
and Aeden was guiding the horse out of the barn and away from the Atherson house.

  After nearly an hour, and with her back and arm muscles aching from clinging to both the horse and her brother, Bryce was relieved when Aeden slowed the mare to a walk. Guiding the horse off the road, the man dismounted and helped Bryce down.

  Her legs were shaking from both fear and fatigue, and she was having trouble staying upright. “Can I sit?”

  Shaking his head, Aeden took the cloth bag from his sister. “No. There isn’t time. There are some provisions and two schillings in the bag.”

  Bryce’s brow arched. “Where did you get two schillings?”

  “This isn’t the time.” Aeden handed the mare’s reins to Bryce and seeing the confused look on her face, rolled his eyes. “I might have gambled a bit here and there.”

  Hardly in a position to take the moral high road, Bryce didn’t say anything as her brother helped her back onto the horse. “Now, you just follow this road for another hour and you’ll be in Boston.” He rested his hand on Bryce’s knee. “You should be able to sell the horse and find a place to stay in one of the boarding houses. I’ll come find you when things blow over.”

  Even in the pale moonlight, Bryce could see the tears in her brother’s eyes. “What if things don’t blow over?”

  Looking up at his sister, a woman he had known his entire life, Aeden wanted nothing more than to protect her from the world, not send her unattended and alone into its clutches. “I’ll find you no matter what.” Stepping back from the horse, Aeden and Bryce looked at each other, knowing how much they meant to each other.

  “I love you.” Bryce couldn’t remember the last time she had said this to her brother. The business of their days and the unhappiness with their circumstances had always been hanging over them, never leaving time for sentimental moments. Now, with their separation imminent and her death a real possibility, she wished she had told him every day how much he meant to her.

  A smile spread across Aeden’s lips as he squeezed Bryce’s knee. “I love you, too. Now, get out of here.” He slapped the mare’s rear flank, sending Bryce running into the night and an uncertain future.