“James!” a young woman exclaimed, her blue-gray eyes alight with recognition.
“Surely this cannot be my young cousin, Evie,” James smiled.
“Indeed,” she smiled back, as she brushed aside a blond curl that escaped those pinned in place behind her head. “I am delighted to see you once again after all these years, and to make the acquaintance of your wife.”
Evie turned a curious glance in said wife’s direction, and Katharine smiled. Evie’s eyebrows knit faintly, then joy flooded her face.
“So you recognize me at last,” Katherine laughed, as the two women hugged. “Though I do say, you are difficult enough to recognize yourself. The years since Cynthia’s wedding have wrought a great many changes.”
“So they have,” Evie agreed. “How delighted I am to find that you are now my cousin, as well as my friend. Truly, nothing could delight me more. Or surprise me! I do regret having lost touch, all those years ago.”
“We shall see that it does not happen again,” Katharine assured her.
Another step, heavier than Evie’s, sounded on the walk behind them. James turned, and glanced over his shoulder.
“If you please, sir,” said the first footman. “I’ve been sent to inform you, sporting clays is about to begin on the north lawn.”
“Very well. I shall be along shortly,” James replied. The footman acknowledged his response with a nod, and retreated back the way he came. James turned to Katharine and Evie, but particularly Katharine. “I best be getting on, but I shall see you again, before long.”
“Of course,” Katharine said reassuringly. “Do, enjoy yourself. In the meantime, Evie and I shall have the chance to catch up.”
James kissed his wife’s cheek, and followed after the footman. Katharine watched him go for a moment, then she and Evie settled on two of the nearby benches, facing one another.
“Are you feeling quite alright?” Katharine suddenly recalled. “We did miss seeing you at dinner, last night.”
“Indeed, I am quite well,” Evie assured, though she blushed slightly. “It was nothing, really.”
“You do not appear as though it were,” Katharine remarked. “Neither do you have the pallor of one so recently taken ill.”
Evie unsuccessfully attempted to wave away any significance Katharine cared to assign to the deepening color in her cheeks. She as quickly gave up, and leaned closer as she lowered her voice.
“I was struck with such a dreadful case of nerves, as I could not overcome,” she admitted.
“And of what, pray, were you so troubled?” Katharine asked.
“My fiancé was to be at dinner, you see,” Evie confided. “We are to be married soon. Next week, in fact.”
“This man then, gave you such cause for alarm?” Katharine asked with concern.
“Not directly,” Evie was quick to deny. “We have yet to meet, and the thought of it, in front of all those present, well it quite overwhelmed me.”
Katharine relaxed, but only slightly.
“What do you know of this fiancé, of yours?”
“I know that he is a gentleman, and very handsome,” Evie’s eyes glowed softly. She opened the locket that hung from the chain around her neck, then held it so Katharine could see the photo it contained.
“He is handsome, as you say,” she acknowledged. “Has there been any communication between you?”
“We have exchanged a number of letters,” Evie answered, but Katharine appeared puzzled.
“It is this, that prompted you to accept his proposal?”
Now Evie was the one left puzzled.
“Why, no,” she replied. “It is not we who were left to decide, but our parents. They feel it is a good match.”
Katharine raised an eyebrow, but otherwise kept her disapproval to herself. Evie, however, sensed it, and felt compelled to offer a defense.
“The Carlisles are a fine family,” she declared. “Douglas’ father is a baronet, you know. He is a gentleman as I said, and I am fortunate to have a mother and father who are so particular in ensuring my future, and that of our family. He is quite handsome, and we have written, and I am quite in love with him, already.”
“If you are truly satisfied, I am happiness itself, where you are concerned,” Katharine assured her. A bit of the worry left Evie’s eyes, and she relaxed somewhat.
“I understand that where you are from, this is no longer how it is done,” Evie commented.
Not if one was fortunate, Katharine thought grimly, or else rescued from it. Evie continued, blissfully unaware.
“It will seem odd to you, of course, and peculiar, but I am in love with him already, as I said, and have been for ever so long.”
“Yet you are meeting only just now,” Katharine stated.
“I am only now nineteen, and Grandmother Bannerman is very firm that to marry any sooner, is not to be done. As Douglas is older than I, it seemed best not to meet while I was still a child, and he a young man.”
“That could indeed cause complications,” Katharine suppressed a smile.
“Strange as it may seem, the thought of being left to make such a momentous decision for myself, quite overwhelms me,” Evie confided.
“I am happy for you, in the same measure as you are yourself,” Katharine assured her. “It is a wonderful thing to have parents deserving of so great a responsibility, themselves.”
“How is your dear mother?” Evie suddenly asked. “In my excitement at seeing you, I quite forgot to ask.”
A shadow crossed Katharine’s face, and compassion flooded Evie’s.
“I am terribly sorry,” she said softly, as she squeezed Katharine’s hand in sympathy.
“It’s been a number of years since she passed,” Katharine said with difficulty. “I am thankful for the time we had. My brother is well, I am sure you will be glad to know. His wife also, and their two children.”
“I am indeed glad,” Evie smiled. “How wonderful, to have a brother. Do you see one another often?”
“Not as often as we shall,” Katharine answered cryptically.
A faint chime carried to them across the garden.
“Do, come and join me,” Evie suggested as she stood, and Katharine followed suit. “We shall do the rest of our catching up just as well, over tea.”
“Even better, I should say,” Katharine agreed, and the two women returned to the manor.
Chapter 9
I opened my eyes to darkness, but not the kind left behind when truth is unlocked. This was softer, and accompanied by the comforting scent of Miles’ aftershave, and the beat of his heart against my cheek. Much as I wanted to tell him what I witnessed, it could wait until he woke on his own.
I did wonder when that might be, how long we’d been asleep already, and what time it was. I carefully reached over Miles to feel underneath the pillow beside him, and felt a faint vibration. Call, or text, I wondered, as I paused. There was no repeat vibration, so I slid my phone out, and glanced at the screen.
What are these boxes doing under my bed? my sister’s text read.
I registered the time with surprise. It was seven o’ clock in the evening! We napped for a whopping four hours, not that we didn’t need it, and not that hunger wouldn’t have prevented it, if we didn’t take matters into Trixie’s own paws and return home for lunch, first. I felt a flash of indignation at the Carlisles, to whom our visit seemed little more than an afterthought. We were here at their invitation, for goodness’ sake. They sought us out, not the other way around.
Well? I know you read my message. What are these boxes doing under my bed?
I considered that briefly.
If they’re like other boxes, then nothing, I replied, and smiled as I imagined my sister rolling her eyes in response. What are you doing home? It’s only eleven where you are.
Ha ha, and it’s early dismissal. Why are these boxes doing nothing under my bed?
Where’s Mom? I wanted to know.
Downstairs. Why are these boxes doing nothing
under my bed?
Hold on, I replied. I was tired of messaging one-handed, and carefully tried to ease out of bed. Miles stirred, and I winced.
“You’re not planning on wandering off, I hope?” he teased sleepily.
“Only as far as the bathroom,” I assured him. “It’s my sister. She got home early, and found the boxes.”
“Hurry back,” Miles said. He relinquished his hold, and I collected my robe from the foot of the bed, slipped past the curtains, and quietly crossed the floor. My phone was already vibrating in my hand, which didn’t surprise me a whole lot.
“Not much for patience, are you,” I remarked quietly.
“Why are these boxes under my bed?” Doreen demanded to know. “They weren’t there last night, and Mom didn’t say anything about it when she picked me up, or after we got home.”
I slapped my hand to my forehead as I imagined Mom’s reaction, should my sister bother to ask. Ug!
“We need your help,” I said, as I belted my robe, and searched the floor for my slippers. It was chilly, as well as dark. The only light was that of the moon, which flowed through the open curtains of the room’s three windows.
“With what?” my sister was instantly on the alert.
“I’ve been having some strange experiences since we arrived, kind of like visions of the past,” I explained. “Miles never knew it, but his younger brother brought his wife here, when they went to Europe on their honeymoon.”
“Seriously?” Doreen sounded intrigued. “And you’re what, seeing it happen?”
“Right, when I dream, mostly.”
“Why, though? Did somebody die, and you’re supposed to do something about it?”
“We have no idea, and neither does Trixie. We’re on our own, this time.”
“So you think maybe there’s some clue to explain it, in these boxes,” Doreen deduced.
“Exactly,” I replied. “There’s a lot more than those two, so we gave the rest to our friends.”
“How?” she asked bluntly. “You’re in England.”
“No, we’re on the Isle of Camden. It’s not actually part of the UK,” I corrected.
“Fine, you’re in Europe, and anyway, we have an alarm.”
“It’d take more than that to stop the canine transporter,” I said.
“Wait—what?” Doreen exclaimed. “Trixie brought these here?”
“She also brought us, but only long enough to stash the boxes.”
“Oh my goodness! Do you suppose Lacey can do that, too?” she asked in excitement.
“I have absolutely no idea,” I sighed. I really, really hoped not!
“I really, really hope so!” Doreen said with enthusiasm. “There’s a diary in here.”
“Great, maybe there’s something in it that’ll make sense of why I’m picking up on this historical broadcast,” I said. I heard Miles roll over, so I stepped inside the bathroom. I hoped my voice wouldn’t echo, and disturb him. Although, if he did wake fully, now would be a great time to hitch a ride back to the Lodge. Elizabeth’s was serving lunch.
“So what’s it like there?” Doreen asked.
“I’ll send you a picture,” I said, rather than share how disjointed and unprepared the Carlisles seemed to be for our visit.
“Why bother? Ask Trixie to pick me up, and I can see for myself.”
“I’m sending a picture,” I retorted quietly, and glanced over my shoulder. I closed the door halfway, then felt for the pull cord, and switched on the light. “The sinks have two faucets here, and they call the second floor, the first.”
“What do they call the first?” she wondered.
“That would be the ground floor,” I replied. I tried sitting on the edge of the tiny tub, and almost fell in.
“Why? Unless the ground is the floor. What’s the deal with having two faucets?” Doreen questioned.
“The hot water tank could have rats stewing in it,” I replied. “Or maybe it’s the cold, I don’t remember.”
“Eew!” my sister exclaimed in disgust. “Why?”
“I don’t know, they fall in the tank in the attic, or something like that,” I answered. I managed to balance on the edge of the tub, and my legs promptly threatened to fall asleep.
“How do you brush your teeth?” she asked in horror.
“We brought bottled water back with us,” I replied. “I’d be severely dehydrated, otherwise. Trixie is an absolute lifesaver.”
“Yeah, no kidding. So what happened in these historical visions, anyway? I hope it’s better than American history, with Mr. Welsh.”
“It probably is, not that I know from experience what American history with Mr. Welsh is like,” I said, as I opened the opposite door. Light flowed out of the bathroom, and into the bedroom formerly known as Miles’, lighting a section of the floor beside the wardrobe, and dimly touching the door into the hall. The wardrobe itself blocked the light from reaching the pull cord in the center of the room, but it would be easy enough to find. It wasn’t as though the room was much bigger than a postage stamp.
“Take my word for it, it’s horrible,” my sister groaned, and I heard the squeak of springs bouncing. It sounded as though she fell backwards on her mattress. “There’s no name written in the front of the diary.”
“There’ll be names written in it,” I pointed out. “Chances are, it either belonged to Katharine, or Miles’ mother.”
“There’s a lot about James… it’s Katharine’s,” my sister said with certainty.
“Excellent,” I said, as I stepped around the wardrobe, and felt above my head for the cord. I tilted my phone to shed some light on the subject, and it glinted off the eyes of the man standing there in the dark.
Alarm shot through me and my heart raced as he lunged forward, and I screamed.
“Miles!” I managed to cry out, before the guy slammed into me with his shoulder, and I hit the wardrobe with a sickening thud. I saw stars as I crumpled to the floor, and fought to pull in air. I heard my sister’s panicked voice in the distance, and two sets of footsteps, one running away, and the other rapidly coming closer.
“Anika!” Miles said anxiously, as the light switched on, and he dropped to his knees beside me.
“The hall, go!” I gasped urgently, as I pressed my hand to the back of my head, and struggled to sit up. “He’s getting away!”
Miles was at the door in an instant. He looked swiftly from one side to the other, then joined me again. His hazel eyes were grim.
“I wasn’t wandering,” I felt the need to explain. “I was going to sit in the chair to talk to my sister, so I wouldn’t disturb you.”
His gaze softened, and he felt the back of my head, as he checked my eyes.
“It’s not you I’m upset with,” he clarified. “Are you alright? What happened?”
“There was a guy standing right there, in the dark. He smashed me into the wardrobe, then took off.”
Miles’ eyes flashed with anger.
“Did you get a good look at him? But first, are you alright?”
“I think so,” I said cautiously, as I took stock. “My head hurts where I hit the wardrobe, and my back, and my ribs kind of hurt. But I’m okay.”
He studied me for a moment.
“Did you hear silence in response to that, or a tone?”
“Silence,” I replied. “I really am okay, other than what I said.”
Miles sighed in relief.
“I really do love your ability,” he said, as he kissed my forehead, then collected my phone from the floor. “Your sister’s okay, Doreen. You know as much as I do, maybe more. Just realize she’s okay, and give us time to figure this out. And don’t worry your Mom. Yes, I promise we’ll call you back within the hour.”
Miles ended the call, then handed me my phone.
“Come on,” he said, as he picked me up, and stood. “Let’s get you back to our room.”
“Okay, but give me a second to say goodbye to this one,” I replied. “I have a fe
eling it’ll be locked in a force field, after this.”
Miles’ laugh was slight, but at least he did laugh.
“Yes, it will. Now tell me absolutely everything you remember,” he said, as he carried me through the bathroom, to our room. The bed curtains swept aside and he left me there, adjusted the radiator, then sat beside me.
“My sister found the box, and texted me. I got tired of messaging back and forth, and got up so we could talk without disturbing you. I tried sitting on the side of the tub and nearly fell in, then my legs started to fall asleep.”
“Okay, so you thought you’d sit in the chair. I’m not upset with you, and you know that’s the truth,” Miles assured me. “So tell me what happened.”
“I tilted my phone, I thought it would give me enough light so I could find the pull cord. That’s when I realized someone was there, his eyes shone in the light, but not in a supernatural kind of way. He was shorter than Jenny, but not by much. His clothes looked dark, but so was the room. I called you right away, he slammed into me with his shoulder, and took off.”
“Would you recognize him, if you saw him again?” Miles asked.
“It was too dark, and happened so fast. Did he get away?”
“His reaction time would have to rival mine, to make it to either end of the corridor before I got there. I heard no footsteps, not that my heart wasn’t pounding in my ears, but if he was running, I think I would have. Chances are, he ducked into one of the other rooms, and is hiding there. He won’t make it out of the corridor, anyway. Unless he goes out a window, he’s trapped.”
“Unless there’s a secret passage,” I felt compelled to say.
“Are you still feeling alright?” Miles asked.
“I’ve been better, but I’ve also been worse. I’m ready to search, whenever you are,” I said, but Miles shook his head.
“No. It’s about time our host was informed,” he said grimly, as he felt under the pillows for his phone, and selected a contact.
“Edmund,” he said shortly. “This is Miles. My wife was just assaulted, here in our suite. Perhaps you would be so kind as to contact local law enforcement.”
Wow. His tone was pointed enough to pierce steel. I couldn’t tell what Sir Edmund said in response, but he sounded alarmed.
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