Page 26 of Once Upon a Midnight Dreary
He sagged against the sink, that tightness in his chest refusing to leave.There was no way to get rid of Victoria.Her determination to stay was written all over her face when she stood in the kitchen and announced her intention to hire more staff.He offered to take the letters for one reason only—to destroy them.He didn’t have the heart to tell her no one would answer her advertisements, but she would find out soon enough.The rumors Ravenfell manor was cursed or haunted had swirled through the village for years.
But then, they weren’t mere rumors, were they?
The manorwascursed and haunted.And only now that the new mistress was in residence did the shadows stir once again.
Which reminded him about the ledgers.Thinking of them once again, he flung down the dishtowel and headed out of the kitchen.He paused in the foyer, listening for any signs of life within the manor.Victoria was likely in the study writing her letters.If so, she would be there for a while.
Which would give him time to look at the ledgers undisturbed.He hurried up the stairs to his room at the far end of the hall in the east wing.He did his best to avoid the west wing whenever possible.Too many memories.Too much sadness.
And when Victoria forced him to open the door to the child’s room, his heart cleaved in two.
At his room, he shoved open the door and closed it with a click.He’d hidden the ledgers under the dusty bed.Kneeling, he pulled them out, then sat back on his heels and stared down at the books.
Apprehension swept through him as he reached for the top one, his hand shaking.When he flipped it open, he halted.There was Victoria’s name written in the blood-colored ink.
But below was a new line scrawled there.
Do not love her or she will take my place.
He slammed the book closed and shoved it back under the bed.He scrambled back to his feet and stumbled backward until his back smacked the closed bedroom door.
The warning was clear.The danger was present.And he was certain Lenore would make good on her threat.
Chapter 10
WhenVictoriafinishedherletters, she folded them and sealed them with wax.She decided to walk down to the village to post it to the Crown Hollow Tribune in the hopes of getting more response from interested parties, rather than solicit the local village.The second letter was to her aunt giving her an update on life in the estate, though she suspected her uncle would share that information upon his return.
Still, she felt it necessary to write the letter to let Aunt Eloise know all was well and not to worry about her.She kept the tone light and positive.She did not mention any of the strange happenings in the manor because she, herself, was not certain they had actually happened.
After she retrieved her hat and gloves, she headed out of the manor and down the gravel drive, the morning sun lifting her spirits.She had convinced herself the things she’d seen and experienced inside the old estate was nothing more than her imagination or perhaps the residue of a bad dream.
Her experience in the child’s room never happened.Not really.Not if she didn’t let it.It was merely her overactive imagination.Yes, she felt isolated at Ravenfell with the caretaker skulking the halls.But she was not going to let that squash her determination to remain.
The village was bustling.The market square hosted a large bubbling fountain.A young girl with pale blonde hair begged her mother for a copper.Her mother relented, handing over the coin.When she did, the girl’s eyes lit with joy.She clutched it in her fist, holding it tight as she closed her eyes and whispered something, then tossed the coin in the fountain.
“Do you think my wish will come true, Mama?”the girl asked.
Her mother grinned.“Only if you keep it a secret.Come on.Papa is waiting for us.”
She took the girl’s hand, and they hurried away, melting within the throngs.Smiling, Victoria stepped up to the fountain and peered into the shimmering water glistening in the morning light.Coins of all shapes and sizes rested on the colorful tile.Every coin represented a wish or hope.
Inspired, she dug into her reticule for a copper.She closed her eyes, the coin between her thumb and forefinger, and whispered a wish she dared not speak aloud.When she opened her eyes, the splash in the fountain was louder than it should have been.Or maybe it only sounded that way because, for a heartbeat, the world had gone still.
A shadow fell across the stone.She hadn’t heard anyone approach.
“What did you wish for?”
The voice was low.Male.Familiar.She turned slowly to see Gabriel standing there.Her heart fluttered, startled by his sudden appearance.
Gabriel stood a few feet away, his hands tucked behind his back.His dark coat stood out in the early morning sunshine, the top button was the only one done as though he’d put it on in haste.His shoes—normally polished—were coated in a fine sheen of road dust.The light breeze tousled his hair, making a few strands flutter on the top.And it occurred to her, then, he wore no hat.
She also noticed, for the first time, the cut features of his face.His chiseled jaw clenched tight as he gazed at her with his onyx eyes.His fine-boned cheeks.He was…handsome and yet there was an underlying sense of melancholy about him.
“You startled me,” she said, trying to quell her racing heart.
But, she thought, it was not racing merely because he startled her.
“Forgive me.I didn’t intend to.”His expression remained unreadable, his voice lower.Different.Gentle.
