Page 19 of Once Upon a Midnight Dreary
He recognized the familiar looping script of a woman long dead.He knew all too well what was written within those pages.He dropped the books to the floor, closed and locked the cabinet.Snatching up the books, he staggered to his feet.
If her name was scrawled there on the page, then there must be more to it.More he had yet to see or read.Did he dare?
He was certain he had to know.Hiding them in the root cellar would not do.He needed to read them so to prepare for what may come.Because, above all, he needed to protect Victoria.
You cannot stop it.No matter what you do.
Ignoring the taunt, Gabriel tucked the books under his arm and turned to go, when he heard a creak outside the door.He halted, his heart ramming hard in chest as he waited.
Victoria appeared in the open doorway.
As if her name in the book conjured her.
He couldn’t let her see this.He couldn’t let anyone see this.Her name burned behind his eyes like a brand and he didn’t know what it meant.Not yet.
Her eyes were wide and round as her gaze fixed on the bundle under his arms.
“Oh,” she said on a breath.“I thought I heard someone in here.Are those the ledgers?”
Gabriel forced a smile.“Old estate records.I ran across them while I was gathering the books for you.They’re from decades ago, long before your parents’ time.Most are riddled with mold and rot.I thought it best to move them somewhere drier before they completely fall apart.”
She shifted, her gaze flickering from his face to the bundle under his arms.“May I see them?”
He chucked lightly.Too lightly.“Truly, there’s nothing of interest.Inventory lists.Grain tallies.Ledgers from before Ravenfell was even Ravenfell.I promise, the more relevant books are in far better condition.”
He hustled by her, leaving her standing in the doorway.With his heart in his throat, he managed to escape the study and further scrutiny by the lovely Victoria Ravenwood.Once he stashed these books, he’d return to grab the legitimate ones and meet her and her uncle in the parlor for tea.
A simple plan.And it would take all his calm to pull it off.
Chapter 7
VictoriawatchedGabrielrushfrom the room as though something chased him.It was truly odd.But she pushed it out of her mind as she entered the room.No candles burned.Nor was there the telltale sign they had just been snuffed.He was in here in the dark?Why?
Again, odd.
But then, the caretaker was odd.Well, more like cold and aloof.She wasn’t sure why she ended up at the study.She was restless after the garden walk and unable to stay in her room.
With her hands clasped behind her back, she perused the room.The bookshelves were lined with old books that smelled like dust, time, and forgotten things.The desk was cluttered with yellowed papers that appeared to be from another age.A quick glance down the parchment on top revealed an invitation to a ball decades ago.
Lifting the creased parchment, she searched for an address, but there was none.She wondered if this was something her parents were invited to and, clearly, did not attend.The date was right before the time they left Ravenfell.
Replacing it, she continued her tour of the room.Here, like the other rooms, there were no personal effects.No decorations.Nothing to indicate someone lived here and collected things.
Unbidden, a memory surfaced of being in this room when it was more cheerful, the fireplace was lit with a warm fire, and her mother was curled on one of the chairs with a book in her hand.Her father sat at the desk muttering about the state of the world.While she, Victoria, sat on the floor by the fire playing with her favorite doll in a blue gingham dress with a faded cloth face.
Something in the room shifted.A hint of lilacs and smoke tugged her mind backward until, as a child, she was once again sitting before the hearth.
The girl with blonde, glossy curls took a seat across from her, her legs crossed as she peered at her with wide blue eyes.Her face was pale, her eyes hollow with dark slashes under them.But Victoria was happy to have a playmate.
“Hello,” she said to the girl.“What’s your name?”
“Lily.What’s yours?”
“I’m Victoria.Victoria Marie Ravenwood.I have three names.Do you?”
“No.”
Victoria patted the hair of her doll, then cradled it against her chest while the other girl, Lily, looked on.
