Page 38 of The Secret of the Three Fates
“Do not mistake my understanding human nature for kindness. They are vastly different things.” He hesitated. “We must be cautious here and trust no one but each other in this—and the sooner we solve this mystery the sooner we can leave this wretched place and go home.”
We.
Ruan’s words had a strange finality to them—wecould go home—and I found I liked that idea a great deal. Not separately, but together. A small part of me wanted that more than anything else—someone to trust, to rely upon. I’d been alone long enough that I had forgotten what that must be like.
“Good night, Ruan.”
And without a word he left me to another restless night.
CHAPTERSIXTEENA Spot of Golf
“KEEPyour voice down!”
I startled awake, rubbing my eyes, trapped in that liminal space between dream and reality.
“I’ll do what I bloody well please, Owen. As you’ve always done,” the second voice said.
Not a dream then. Blinking in the dim morning light, I looked around my room half expecting to find the arguing pair standing at the foot of my bed—but there was no one there. Which meant the voices were coming from the hall or Mr. Owen’s room. My money was on the latter.
The voices grew quiet again as I padded my way to the door, placing my ear to the wood.
“I will not allow it. Do you hear me?” Mr. Owen said.
The other speaker was quieter, his voice unfamiliar. A male with a deep Scottish burr—which fortunately limited the number of people it could have been. “You shouldn’t have come back here…” There was muffled silence as I strained to hear more. “… her blood will be on your head.”
Whose blood?
There was a rattling of something from beyond the door as I pressed myself tighter against the panel, desperate to hear more.
“And you’ll kill me too? Because you don’t agree with my methods.”
“I’ll kill you because you deserve it, you great big bastard. Now get out and leave her alone! She’s mine to care for.” Mr. Owen growled.
“As you cared for Mariah? We all know what happened there, brother.” There was slight scuffling from the other side, followed by the slamming of a door loud enough I winced.
I pushed open the door between our rooms. “Is everything all right?”
“Ruby…” My name came out almost a sigh as he looked me over from head to toe. “You should be asleep.”
“I heard a crash.” He was holding a dinner knife in his hand, knuckles white.
“It was nothing, go back to sleep, my lamb.” His voice was tender, but his jaw remained tight.
I took a step backward and nodded, not at all sure what to make of what I’d witnessed.
“I heard voices…”
A flicker of guilt crossed his face. “Nothing for you to worry about. I have it in hand. You will be safe here. I promise you that.”
My gaze dropped to the knife in his hand. “Are youcertainyou’re all right?”
“Go back to bed,” he repeated. There was a steel edge in his voice that I knew better than to question, so I returned to my room.
Despite what he said, something was terribly wrong.
As I wasn’t going to be getting any more sleep this morning, I had better get started finding out what thatsomethingwas. I dressed myself in a rather fetching hunter-green drop-waistdress and started for Ruan’s room to tell him what I’d overheard this morning and to see if he could make any more sense of it than I.
Just as I approached his door, I spotted the White Witch standing in the threshold between his room and the hall. Her unnerving amber eyes fixed upon me. “He is gone, Morvoren.”
