by Wendy Vella
“My family has never been there either, and I'm sure they will wish to also take their time. The twins are very thorough.”
“Twins?” Toby said.
Dev spent the remainder of the journey telling the boy about his siblings. Lilly, he noticed, feigned indifference, yet he knew she was taking in every word. He liked children; they were open and honest, for the most, unless they were trying to get him to do something.
Further conversation ceased as the carriage pulled to a stop. Dev climbed down with Toby behind him and then he turned to help Lilly.
“Thank you, my lord.”
“It was my pleasure, Miss Braithwaite.”
She ignored the mocking tone of his voice and followed Toby down the street.
Chapter Fourteen
Dr. Engle’s House of Ghoulish Horrors was housed in a narrow alley below the ground. A large black sign with bloodred writing indicated they had arrived at their destination. However, if Lilly had not been sure she was at the correct location, Lord Sinclair's scowling family all standing outside awaiting him would have been a clear indication.
“You're late, Dev!”
This cry came from the young boy standing beside Essex and Cambridge Sinclair, as they approached.
Lilly watched, surprised, as Lord Sinclair reached his family and bent to hug the three children. Whatever he said into their ears had them laughing in seconds.
She felt suddenly off-balance again, as she was when he removed her glove. Men like him were not supposed to be this way. They were aloof and left the raising of siblings and children to nannies and mothers. He wasn't meant to appear human in her eyes.
Yet hadn't she seen him with Sam, and just now in the carriage with Toby, and of course with Bee and Mrs. Davey? She needed to hate this man, yet was sure the softening in her heart suggested the opposite. Not a good idea, Lilly, she reminded herself.
“How lovely to see you, Miss Braithwaite, and in my brother’s carriage.”
“And you, Mr. Sinclair,” Lilly said, looking at the younger brother, who was a smaller version of Devon.
“Cambridge, please,” he said, bowing.
“Your brother came to my assistance when I... ah....”
“Became lost,” Lord Sinclair said, turning with his little sisters’ hands in his. “These are my sisters, Miss Braithwaite, Dorset and Somerset, and my youngest brother, Warwickshire.”
The girls curtseyed and the boy bowed, although his eyes were fixed on the entrance of Dr. Engle’s House of Ghoulish Horrors.
“How lovely to meet you, and I would be honored if you would call me Lilliana, as Miss Braithwaite seems such a mouthful, don't you think.”
She heard Devon Sinclair snort, and knew it was because she had told him he must address her correctly.
“And this is Toby,” Lilly said, taking the boy's hand and pulling him forward. His reluctance was obvious and she knew how he felt. She was never very good around strangers, and he had never known children who were raised differently from him.
“Are you going inside too?”
“We are,” Lilly told Warwick when he questioned Toby.
“Can I walk with you, because they giggle and shriek and hold on to me when they're scared,” Warwick said, his face a picture of disgust as he nodded toward his sisters, who were now poking their tongues out at him.
“Suppose,” Toby said, shrugging.
“This is a nice surprise,” Essex Sinclair said, slipping her arm through Lilly's. “Another woman to even up the numbers.” She laughed, making light of what to Lilly felt like a very awkward situation. What must they think of her, arriving in their brother's carriage?
“That combination of roses and cinnamon you wear, Miss Braithwaite, is really rather stunning on the senses.”
Lilly looked at Cambridge Sinclair in surprise. How had he known what her special blend of fragrance was from where he stood, several feet away? Was her scent too strong? Perhaps she should wear less in future?
“I have a good sense of smell,” he added, as if reading her thoughts.
“Can we go in now, pleeeeease?”
“Yes, Warwick, however whining like a girl is not very attractive in men.”
“And yet if my memory serves me correctly,” Essie said to Cambridge, “Mother always said no one whined quite like you.”
Even Lilly snuffled behind her hand as Cambridge lunged at his sister, who in turned skipped from his reach with a giggle.
She had never been around family who actually seemed to enjoy each other's company. It was quite a revelation.
Lilly felt Lord Sinclair's large, warm hand on the small of her back, but while she stiffened, she said nothing. His family was nearby, and she had no wish to draw attention to herself.
They walked down the steps and into the small foyer of Dr. Engle’s House of Ghoulish Horrors. She then watched Lord Sinclair move to the front of the small party and pull some money from his pocket.
“I can pay for Toby and myself, Lord Sinclair,” Lilly said as he held up eight fingers.
“You could, but as I have already done so that would be a shame.”
“Oh but—”
“You get used to that.”
“Get used to what?” Lilly questioned Essex as they followed her siblings through the door the proprietor had indicated.
“Him taking control. Unfortunately, he has had to do it for so long we just stand back now and let him.”
“I don't have to let him,” Lilly muttered, following the others into the room and immediately coming to an abrupt halt as the door behind them slammed shut, and she was surrounded by darkness.
“Can I walk with Warwick, Lilly? I know you're scared of the dark, so if you say no that's all right too.”
Lilly could feel her cheeks heat as Toby whispered these words loudly as he moved to her side. She hoped no one else had overheard him, as she had no wish to give Devonshire any more ammunition to use against her.
“Of course, I'll be fine,” she said, patting his head. In seconds he was gone and she was surrounded by black and Sinclairs, and she wasn't sure which terrified her more.
Dev, unlike the others, could see what was happening before it happened. His night vision allowed him to move freely in the dark. Cam had the twins in hand, and Warwick seemed comfortable with Toby. Essie, he noted, had fallen in behind the boys in case she was needed, which left Lilly to him. He loved his family, but never more so when they were looking after him, and there was little doubt both Ess and Cam had deliberately left them together.
The room was not overly wide but it was long, and he could see wisps of mist before them. The walls were dotted with small indentations in which stood figures, some real, others fake. Large cobwebs draped the ceiling and drips of something that looked like blood fell into pools on the floor. He supposed if you didn't have his vision and were scared of the dark, like Lilly apparently was, it could be intimidating. There were pockets of red light strategically placed to add atmosphere, but only enough to lead the way.
“We have to walk through there, Lilly; the door behind us is now locked. Remember what the man told us when we entered,” Dev said, taking her arm to guide her forward. She hadn't made a move to follow the others.
“O-of course.”
She took a step forward and then another, but she looked a bit like a drunkard, listing from side to side. Dev kept pace with her, trying to see her eyes; however, her head was lowered and he had a suspicion she was closing them every few feet.
“You really are terrified of the dark.”
“No, of course not. Adults are not afraid of the dark.”
“Where is that rule written?”
“It just is.” He could tell she wanted to snap, but her words didn't have the strength behind them.
“Is this another weakness of the beautiful Miss Braithwaite?”
“No—yes, I... I— Dear God, what was that noise? The children, I must get to them.”
“Cam and Essie have th
em, and they are at present laughing and shrieking in delight at their adventure. You, however, are pale and sweaty and about to pass out from lack of air if you do not slow your breathing down.”
“Don't be absurd, I never faint.”
That put the poker back in her spine.
“How very well-bred of you,” Dev taunted.
“’Tis ill-mannered to rag at s-someone when they are not at their best, Lord Sinclair.”
“I am duly chastened,” Dev said, leading Lilly forward as the children called for them to follow.
Her body was rigid, the arm he held clenched tight.
“It's funny what scares us. I can't stand to see my siblings bleed. Unmans me completely, and I usually end up on the floor.”
“Really?”
Her eyes were going from left to right with speed, waiting to see what horrors awaited her next.
“Yes, it is a weakness, and gives my family no end of enjoyment at my expense, but there is little I can do to change it. Seeing the blood of anyone I care for unsettles me.” He remembered how he’d felt seeing the blood on Lilly's chin that night she had saved the boy, and prayed fervently he never saw any on her again in his lifetime.
Dev saw the man lift the ax and get ready to lunge at them, but knew Lilly had not. Placing an arm around her waist, he drew her to his side.
“My lord, unhand— Argh!”
Dev was sure he had just ruptured an eardrum, but it was worth it. Lilly was now buried against his chest. Her heart was beating a rapid tattoo and she was clutching his coat in her fists. He was a cad for taking advantage of her fears. Bad person that he was, watching her come unraveled was as enjoyable as her touching his face. When her defensives lowered, Lilly was extremely hard to resist.
“Lilly, it's all right.”
“I... I hate the dark and I hate to be scared and I want to l-leave now.”
The words were muffled in his chest. She sounded young and vulnerable at that moment, and he wondered at the experience that had given her this fear. One day she would tell him, along with everything else he wanted to know about this infuriating woman.
“And so we shall, but first we have to find the way out.”
Taking a deep breath, she pushed out of his arms and looked up at him.
“You're enjoying this.”
“Having a beautiful woman terrified in my arms? Never.” Dev laughed as she huffed.
“I will concede to being scared witless, my lord, and I will also concede that I need your assistance to navigate the remaining corridors of this hideous place, yet once we are outside, I will again dislike you intensely.”
“Fair enough, forewarned is forearmed. However, I must point out that you don't dislike me at all,” Dev said, intercepting her hand as it sought his sleeve and twining their fingers together. She struggled for several seconds, but he won the battle as a cobweb brushed her face and she swallowed a shriek.
“No, I do.”
“Of course you don’t. We have visited a Watch House together. I am the first person you have touched and enjoyed. Then there is the small matter of me saving you several times.”
“About me touching you,” she said. “Please forget that incident, as I was not myself.”
“Of course you were.'' He brushed her words aside.
“You are an arrogant and conceited man,” she said, moving closer to his side as another axe-wielding man appeared before him.
“Conceited no, arrogant upon occasion,” Dev conceded. “But do you honestly believe I could get away with being arrogant around my family? My sisters alone constantly humiliate and belittle me. It is a wonder I have any pride left at all.”
“And you would have them no other way,” she said softly.
Dev sighed. “How is it that on such short acquaintance you can see through me?”
A fountain of blood erupted from a man's chest and she screamed.
“Bloody bothering hell!”
Dev laughed as she shrieked out the words.
“Well, well, well, not quite as well-mannered as you portray yourself to be, Miss Braithwaite?”
“Go to hell.”
Dev was still laughing as they came to a stop behind their party, who were inspecting a cabinet of what seemed to be bloodied body parts. Everyone was talking at once as they pointed and stared; not one of them sounded frightened, he noted.
“How is it that none of them appear even the slightest bit afraid?”
“Well, I can't speak for Toby,” Dev said. “But my three have been exposed to darkness and terror by their elder siblings since they were old enough to walk. We used to play hide-and-seek in the dark, and often jumped out at them at any given time. It certainly toughened them up.”
“You all love each other very much, don't you?”
The words were quietly spoken, yet Dev heard the longing, and at that moment he would have told her what was inside his heart had he thought she was ready to hear the words. Because everyone deserved to be loved, but he believed Lilly had not experienced the emotion for some time, and that upset him a great deal.
“Dev!”
Lilly hated how she felt when Lord Sinclair released her hand and reached for one of the twins as she launched herself at him. She didn't want to like this man or need him, but it seemed she was in grave danger of both. When he had held her, suddenly the fear had receded, as if in some way he had taken it from her, which of course was ridiculous. She watched him hug the little girl tight as she sobbed into his shoulder.
“W-Warwick said I was a ninny for shrieking.”
“Lilly and I never heard you shriek, Somer, and he has called you worse names than that, sweetheart. So what else is upsetting you?”
He was so comfortable in his role of guardian with the girl, his gestures natural as he listened to her tale of woe.
“Yes, but he embarrassed me in front of T-Toby.”
“Ah, it all becomes clearer now,” he said, kissing one of his sister's damp cheeks before lowering her to her feet.
“You tell Warwick that if he says anything further you will tell Toby about his Dougie. Don't say it out loud, Somer, but make sure he knows you will if necessary, and that will be deterrent enough.”
“Why can't I say it out loud, Dev? He deserves it.”
Lilly loved watching children. They were just what they appeared. No front, back, or side for that matter. If they were sad, it showed. Of course, the children she knew were different from these Sinclairs. They had learned early not to show emotion, because no one cared.
She watched the smile the little girl gave her big brother before she ran off, happy once again. If only life were that simple, Lilly thought. She hoped the Sinclairs understood how lucky they were to have each other, but most especially to have the man who loved them all so much.
“That seems a very weighty sigh, Miss Braithwaite. Care to share your troubles?”
“No, I have no need to share anything with you.”
His chuckle made her shiver, thankful for the dark so he could not see the longing she felt was written all over her face.
“May I enquire as to the origins of the Dougie?”
“A small dog made of sticks that Eden made for him when he was three. He has never been parted from it and it sits beside his bed every night. We had Eden make four of them in case he lost the original.”
“And did he?”
“No, surprisingly he never lost it, and takes better care of it than his teeth.”
Lilly was surprised into a giggle.
“You should do that more. Your dimples are lovely.”
“Not many people go about laughing, Lord Sinclair.”
“No, but many do laugh regularly. I don't believe I have ever seen you do so.”
She felt his eyes on her face, but thankfully knew he could not read her expression.
“As we have only been acquainted for a short time, I don't believe you can accurately make such a statement.”
“I have watched you,
even if we have not conversed.”
The breath suddenly lodged in her chest at his words; luckily she did not have to reply, as Toby spoke.
“Next is the murder house, Lilly.”
She could tell he was still wary of the Sinclair family, but for all that the boy was enjoying himself. His face had relaxed and he was happy to walk beside Warwick.
“Will the fun never stop,” she whispered.
“Sarcasm, Lilly. I am seeing many sides of you in your moment of weakness.”
“I am not now, nor am I ever, weak,” she muttered, clutching his hand once more, because quite frankly the prospect of walking into a dark room called the murder house without being anchored to someone was terrifying. It could have been any hand, she reassured herself. “I am merely unsettled. It shall pass.”
“It is supposed to be the most horrible and gruesome room in all of London, filled with obscene objects, like blood, body parts—”
“You will not scare me with talk of blood and other revolting things, my lord. Unlike you, my weakness is only the dark,” Lilly said, wishing she could leave his side and stalk after the children, yet knowing she would then be alone.
“I knew at the time it was folly to tell you about my little issue with blood. However I was fairly certain given your terrified state you would forget. A major miscalculation on my part, I fear.”
“A momentary weakness that I shall gladly use against you at the first opportunity, my lord.”
“Devon, for pity’s sake, Lilly. You have wept piteously upon my chest, groped my face, and yet I am still Lord Sinclair.”
“I most certainly did not grope your face!” Lilly said indignantly and followed it up with a shriek as they entered a room cloaked in darkness.
“Something touched my ankle.”
“Oh, that it had been me,” he sighed.
“Scoundrel!”
“You wound me.”
She heard the deep rumble in his chest.
“Men are extremely unpleasant creatures,” Lilly said softly, not wanting to alert whoever was lurking in the shadows to their presence.
“Not all men,” he whispered in her ear, his breath against her skin making her shudder.
