Page 27 of Once Upon a Midnight Dreary
“Did you follow me?”
“Yes.”He didn’t bother to hide it.“The roads are not always safe.And…” He hesitated.“You seemed troubled this morning.I thought perhaps some company wouldn’t be unwelcome.”
She blinked.That almost sounded like concern.His reticence in the kitchen flashed through her mind.Though his demeanor had not changed, there was something else there.He looked pale, his features lined with fatigue.As if the walk to the village had taxed him to near exhaustion.Sweat beaded along his forehead and dampened his short sideburns.
“Well, I can manage a short walk and a post without being spirited away,” she teased, more lighthearted than she felt.
He didn’t return the smile.
She turned toward the post.He fell in step beside her, his hands still firmly tucked behind his back.They crossed the square together.She was acutely aware of his height next to her as well as the sidelong glances they garnered from villagers.He reached the door to the post first, pushing it open.A chime sounded, announcing their arrival.Gabriel stood aside to allow her to enter first.There were no other patrons.Only a young man not much older than her behind the counter sorting packages.
He greeted them with a smile and bright eyes as she approached.“Mornin’, miss.Posting a letter?”
“Two, actually,” she said.“One to the Crown Hollow Tribune and another to my aunt in the city, if you please.”
He accepted them with a nod, glancing between her and Gabriel.“Haven’t seen you round here before.Are you new to the area?”
“I’ve recently come to live at Ravenfell Manor,” she said brightly.
The boy’s smile faltered.“That crumbling old place?”
Gabriel stiffened beside her.
“Yes,” Victoria said.“It belonged to my parents.I hope to restore it.”
The boy scratched the back of his neck as he shifted his stance, discomfort creasing his features.“Wouldn’t be my choice of places to live.”
Her brows drew together.Gabriel remained ramrod straight beside her.“Why is that?”
“Well…you know what they say about it.”
“No, I don’t,” she said, her heart thumping in her chest.“What do they say?”
“Just that it’s haunted by the lady who died there.They say her spirit never left.”He leaned in a little, voice hushed.“Some folks say she still wanders the west wing, wailing at night for a child lost.”
A sharp breath escaped her before she could stop it.A child wailing.A woman wandering the halls.The west wing.Cold chills danced up her spine.She refused to look at Gabriel and instead kept her eyes on the boy behind the counter.
“That’s enough,” Gabriel said suddenly, his voice like steel.
The boy blinked and stepped back.“Sorry, sir.I meant no offense.”
“The lady has business to attend to.She doesn’t need to hear ghost stories.”
“O’course.”He stamped the letters with precision, his features falling.“I’ll get this off straightaway.”
“See that you do.”Gabriel placed a firm hand on her elbow.“Miss Ravenwood?”
She gave a nod of thanks to the young man and allowed Gabriel to guide her outside.The sunlight no longer warmed her quite the same way.They crossed the square in silence, his hand eventually falling away as they passed the fountain.The cheerful voices and clatter of morning business faded into the background, replaced by the echo of that boy’s words.
All the effort she’d put into dismissing her fears evaporated like breath on a cold windowpane.She could no longer explain away what the boy had said as simple village gossip.Not after everything she’d seen.Not after the voice in the dark.
A woman, crying for her child.A mirror that shouldn’t have been there.A crushed lilac.
She refused to cut a glance to Gabriel.To look at him and confirm her suspicions.Not that he would confirm anything.He kept his emotions in check every moment.
Except when he snapped at the boy.For that one moment, his perfectly polished exterior cracked.And in that crack, she caught something raw.Grief or, perhaps, fear.She couldn’t be sure.But she knew one thing.
Gabriel Allward was hiding more than dusty ledgers and silent hallways.
