by Jenni James
“Too highborn to make a difference, I reckon. No offense to you, Miss Beauley.”
“You are likely correct, Jenny,” Bella said. “My mother was not a peer, but unusual in her rank for overseeing so much of her children.”
“Were you very close to her?” Jenny asked and leaned in close.
“I was,” Bella answered softly. “Not a day goes by that I do not miss her.”
“And the rest of your family?” Maria copied Jenny’s movements. “I’m sure they are missing you.”
Bella smiled. “I do not know. My sisters might not wish me back yet—I was quite the taskmaster for them. I do miss them, and my father and brother,” she said.
Speaking of them pained her. She knew, though, that the heartache would lessen in time. Additionally, Leo would probably let her check on them often.
The clock chimed the half hour. “Here, I’ll take her,” Jenny said. “I’ll have a footman carry her up all those stairs. You enjoy your afternoon.”
Bella smiled her thanks and contained a twinge of sadness as her arms were emptied of Rosie. The poor girl was so desperate for love and happiness, and now that Bella had known the love of a child, how could she let her go? All in all, she was pleased with Rosie’s progress for the day. She would be happier still if she could find a way to withdraw Celia’s hold on her.
Bella rushed to the front hall, where Leo paced. “Miss Beauley,” he said coldly while extending her outerwear.
“I am sorry, Your Grace. Lady Rosalyn wanted to hear a story before her nap and then fell asleep.”
“Hmph,” was all he said, but he did offer his arm.
She declined. If he could not keep a civil tongue, he did not need to imitate other civil behaviors. She loathed a fickle attitude. They walked the path in silence until they reached the lake.
“We’re close now.”
Bella led Leo up the incline to the cave entrance, and then he lit the lamp. “Wait here.”
“I’m going with you.” She stepped behind him.
He let out something like a growl, and Bella rolled her eyes. She had seen too gentle of a side of him now to be intimidated by his foul mood. She did not like it, but neither did she take it too seriously.
They walked forward, side by side. As the cave grew darker, Bella stumbled over a rock, and Leo caught her around the waist. He still did not speak, but he held her hand in his. Bella looked away to hide her blush, although it was likely too dark to see. After several more feet, Leo halted and held out the lantern.
“There,” he said and pointed. “Does it seem darker over there?”
“Yes,” she answered.
“I think there might be a recess.”
“I followed the water, so I would not have noticed it yesterday.”
“Come,” Leo said, tugging on her hand.
Crossing the stream, they walked on until they reached a crooked stone wall. Leo ran his hands along it while Bella held the lamp. Finally, he found an engraving. Bringing the light in close revealed the Sundridge seal, and below it, a small grip to pull.
“Stand back,” he ordered.
“I still worry…”
“I said back!”
The sharpness in his tone caused her to jump backwards. He cast a look over his shoulder to see that she obeyed, and his shoulders slumped.
“Forgive me,” he whispered. “I’m a beast, as I’ve said before. You deserve better. I just ... I don’t know if I can protect you from what’s inside.”
Bella took a tentative step forward. He lashed out due to fear. Quite understandable, really. “I am not asking you to protect me, but to let me be a companion.”
Leo shook his head. “It is my curse, and she was my wife. I will not allow her to harm you.”
“But she seems to have no interest in me.”
Leo hung his head and took a deep breath. Then he released the grip and walked to Bella’s side. “Together?” he asked.
She still would rather have gone alone than to risk him, but she appreciated the compromise. “Together,” she said.
In unison, they returned to the grip, and Leo pulled on it. A thud reverberated through the ground and then a part of the wall gave way, revealing a lair. It was full of herbs, bottles of potions, and books Bella assumed contained spells. She pulled one off a shelf. “In the seventh year of the reign of James I and VI …”
“My ancestors were not Catholics. They were witches!”
“Perhaps,” Bella said, and Leo shuddered. He looked pale and barely breathed. “Are you well, Leo?”
“My father acted as though the family legacy was without spot or blemish! He beat me for every action and yet ... this,” he waved his hand around the room, “is what my family is made of!”
“You may still be proud of your family,” Bella cried. “If there is bad, then there must be good. Perhaps it was not the magic that corrupted Celia, but rather that she corrupted the powers.”
“Perhaps.” Leo’s dubious look did not change.
“What’s this?” She pointed to another crest.
“I see no grips.” Leo pressed on it, and the bookcase swung open. “It was not the library we saw! Should we follow?”
“Together,” Bella agreed.
The passageway grew narrow and seemed to continue forever. At last, it widened to another room with stairs. Following them, they reached a dead end. They looked for another symbol or crest.
“Here!” Bella said when she found it. Pressing on it opened to a large sitting room covered in sheets to protect the furniture from dust.
“Celia’s drawing room,” Leo said through gritted teeth.
“We should go the other way,” Bella said. “I want to retrieve the books.”
Leo nodded and remained silent during the return to the lair. Gathering up the books in a satchel she had brought, she followed Leo back to the cave. “Something worries you?”
“I had thought Celia would defend her secrets better.”
Leo pulled on the grip’s handles once through the exit. Another loud thud shut the door, and they resumed their trek. After a few steps, their feet touched the water.
“Leo.” Bella attempted to keep panic from her voice. “I do not recall the water being this close to the secret entrance before.”
“We should run,” he said, grabbing her hand. They sprinted through water that grew ever higher. Previously, the water had been only ankle deep, but now it came to Bella’s knees and continued to rise. She held the bag above her head. The awkwardness slowed her progression.
“What are you doing?” Leo shouted over the sound of pouring water.
“I am keeping the books dry!”
“Hang the books!”
“No, they may have the answer on how to end the curse.”
“There is no ending the curse, Bella. Here, give them to me. You run as fast as you can!”
Reluctantly, she gave the bag to Leo and slogged through the water. By the time she reached the exit, it came to her chest, and she swam to shore. The once-quiet stream had become a rushing river. It seemed impossible to save the books. Even worse, Leo ought to have been right behind her. At the rate the water rose, it would very well be above his head by now, and yet Bella did not see him. Just when she resolved to leap into the water and find him, she saw a flash of color.
Leo swam with one arm and held the books on his head with the other.
“What are you doing?” she shouted to him.
“Saving your blasted books!”
Bella could not be certain, but she imagined that he smiled. “Hang the books!”
Still, he pressed on and made his way to shore. “Madam,” he said when he got near enough. Bella took the satchel and plopped it on the ground. Leo climbed to land, breathing hard.
“I can’t believe you did that!”
Leo smiled slightly. “All was well until I slipped on a rock. I think it was a fool’s errand, but I decided you must be right. Whether I like it or not, whether good or b
ad, this is part of my family’s legacy and worth saving. It should not be locked away in secret, but instead, put on display with the other family books. I know you could not bear to see a book destroyed.”
“How do you know me so well?” Bella marveled.
Leo shrugged his shoulders. Then he looked into her eyes, and his deep, intent gaze held her captive. She shivered.
“You’re cold,” he said.
Taking off his coat, which did little in the way of warming as it was soaking wet, he draped it over her. She shrank beneath the massive piece of fabric. Even more astonishing was the way his linen shirt clung to his skin. If it weren’t for his waistcoat, she could have clearly made out the muscles of his torso, the way she saw his well-defined arms.
“Come,” he said and nudged her along with a hand at the small of her back while he carried the dry satchel in the other.
* * *
Leo looked at Bella as she played the pianoforte after dinner. They were both tired from the events of the day. He wondered if the day had given him more gray hair. Seeing Bella in danger, again, and because of him, again, would have taken years off his life if he wasn’t already doomed to die.
As he had expected, the reply from his heir arrived by express that afternoon. The gentleman was a few years older than Leo and had just inherited a barony. Leo had no doubt his heir remained unwed because the man knew his status as a potential duke. If Leo acknowledged him as his heir, Lord Morgan would be more desirable on the marriage mart. Morgan requested to bring his widowed sister along. Leo suspected a plan to match make, but believed Bella could use female companionship, so he agreed. The brother and sister would be arriving the following day, as they only lived thirty miles away.
Leo applauded as Bella finished the piece. “Very beautiful. You will make a superb hostess when the guests come.”
Bella flushed and leafed through more music. Leo began to understand it was her way of hiding nervousness. “When shall they arrive?”
“Lord Morgan replied to my letter by express. He and his sister will reach the castle by dinnertime tomorrow.”
“So soon?” Leo thought Bella whispered, and he entirely agreed with the sentiment.
“Surely it is best for Rosie to meet him as soon as possible. I’m hopeful for her progress. Today’s lesson seemed to go better.”
Leo had watched through the mirror periodically during the course of the day. The scene at lunch particularly touched him. He had seldom seen Rosie so childlike and vulnerable. When Rosie was an infant, he was too prejudiced against her and healing from wounds of the fire to pay her any attention. By the time she could walk and talk, she acted out every time they met. Seeing her curled up on Bella’s lap affected him all the more. Bella and Rosie deserved to be happy, and that meant a life without him.
“Thank you,” Bella said. “It did. I think keeping her stimulated and occupied helped.” She looked down at her hands, a sign of hesitation. “I began looking through one of the magic books.”
“I am unsurprised,” Leo said before sipping coffee.
Bella smiled. “There are enchantments of protection we could try.”
Fear seized Leo’s heart. Celia had found magic, and it was terrible. “How can you be certain anything in that chamber was good?”
Flexing her fingers over the pianoforte, Bella chewed her lip. “Not all of the books were for adults.”
“There were primers for children?” Leo could scarcely allow the idea to form.
“Why not? If the children knew their parents were magical practitioners, they might as well learn the rules early.”
Leo snorted and folded his arms on his chest.
“The primers clearly indicated that magic should be used for good, to protect the innocent, not for revenge, not for cruelty or punishment. Celia corrupted the magic she learned.”
“You will not teach Rosie,” Leo said harshly.
Bella drew back. “I had not thought about it! I only wished to explain that the information in the books was intended for good.”
“Books can have intent?”
“Of course! Some tell of faraway places or lives to make one forget about their current situation. Some tell of glorious battles meant to inspire patriotism. Some tell lessons of morality, and so on.”
Leo nodded. Explained that way, it made sense. “These enchantments?”
“They only work in small areas. Perhaps we could designate one room and attempt it there. Rosie might have lessons there and be free of Celia. And …” Bella glanced at her fingers again.
“If you have an idea, I will listen.”
“What if Celia’s curse is similar? What if it only works in small areas, like the nursery and her chambers? Have you ever had anything happen in the general rooms of the house?”
“No…” Leo considered. For years, he had been too angry at his circumstances to consider the logic of such exclusions.
“It’s possible that Rosie might even be able to be in the same room as you without a reaction,” she suggested.
Uncertain what to say to that possibility, Leo remained silent.
“You could cease watching her in the mirror and really see her. I know how much you care for her.”
Did he? For most of his life, he had sealed away his emotions. Bella knocked them down almost instantly, but Rosie had a much more complicated history and relationship with him. He had thought that he acted out of moral correctness rather than any genuine feeling. The image of Rosie seated on Bella’s lap and hugging her entered Leo’s mind.
“That would be nice. Very nice,” Leo said, and most astonishing of all, he truly meant it.
Chapter Seven
Bella, Mrs. Potter, and Maria gathered in the south drawing room. They sprinkled a mixture of salt and rose water around the door, windows, and pianoforte, but nowhere else.
“Do you really think it will work, ma’am?” Maria asked Mrs. Potter.
“It is worth a try, isn’t it?”
Maria frowned. “Unless it stirs her up something awful.”
“There, that’s the last of it for this room,” Bella said. “Now the book said to say the blessing three times while we join hands.”
The ladies formed a circle and repeated the strange words written on the yellowing page of a spell book. If they expected whooshing winds and loud banging from a discontent ghost, they were disappointed.
“How do we know if it worked?” Maria asked.
“I will retrieve Lady Rosalyn. We should go about our business as usual, but stay close.”
Bella went upstairs and found Rosie playing nicely with Jenny. “Lady Rosalyn, shall we try another music lesson?”
“Yes!” The girl raced to the door.
“Manners! Ladies do not run and gallop like horses.”
Rosie laughed, but obliged. Arriving in the drawing room, Bella watched her charge closely. “Join me on the piano bench.”
Rosie hesitated just before she reached the trail of salt.
“Come along,” Bella said and patted the space beside her. “When we finish, Cook has the strawberry biscuits you like.”
Rosie smiled and rushed forward, eagerly climbing up on the bench. “Put your finger here.” Bella pointed to middle C on the keyboard.
Rosie obeyed and applied herself diligently for several minutes before her eyes wandered to the large windows. “Focus, Lady Rosalyn. A few more minutes, and then we may take a break for the biscuits.”
“Miss Beauley,” Rosie whined, “I’m tired.” She leaped down from the bench. “Can I look outside?”
Bella frowned. “You must make a choice. You can misbehave and be sent to the nursery, or come back and finish your lessons. If you show me you can listen, we can open the windows and enjoy the breeze while we eat our biscuits.”
“Mother wants me to come to the window.” Rosie chewed her bottom lip.
“What do you want to do?”
“Won’t I be a bad girl if I do not listen to my mother?”
Bella took Rosie’s hand and gave an affectionate pat. “I think you’re a good girl no matter what, but there are consequences for bad choices.”
“What kinds of consequences?”
“No biscuits, for one. You will also not earn my trust.”
Rosie looked back and forth between the window and the bench several times before taking a step toward the bench. Then she stopped, and Bella could see that the child was trembling.
“Lady Rosalyn, is something wrong?”
“She is very angry,” Rosie whispered.
“Are you scared?”
Rosie nodded.
“Come here.” Bella held out her hands. “She cannot hurt us here. We put a protective enchantment around the pianoforte.” As she said the words, Bella prayed they were true.
Rosie reached for Bella and climbed onto the bench. The temperature in the room dropped by several degrees.
“She is angry that the windows will not open for her,” Rosie said.
Bella smiled triumphantly. It was working! “I had noticed she likes to play with them.”
A pillow from the sofa suddenly floated from its resting place. Then it soared through the air toward a window. Bella held her breath. Would it reach the window, or would the enchantment protect it?
The pillow fell to the ground before reaching the window, as though it met an invisible wall. Next, a vase followed its path. The loud clatter of it crashing on the ground caused Rosie to jump. Bella put her arms around her and pulled her close. “You are safe. She cannot hurt you.”
Tears rolled down Rosie’s cheeks. “Do you promise?”
“Yes, little one. His Grace and I and everyone in the castle cares for you. We wish you to be free of your mother.”
“But doesn’t she love me?”
The confusion and hurt in Rosie’s face broke Bella’s heart. She wiped her student’s tears away as things continued to crash around the room. “Your mother was not well. Has no one told you?”
Bella suddenly realized that no one had told Rosie that mothers do not generally haunt their children. Rosie shook her head as confirmation. Bella squeezed Rosie’s hand and told her, “My mother died a few years ago. I miss her very much.”