Chasing Shadows

by Ashley Townsend

Sarah’s head snapped up to meet her friend’s troubled gaze. “What are you talking about?”

  A heavy sigh left Edith’s lips. “When Lord Lisandro requested that you have this room, he also demanded that you be made a lady in the eye of society. You are no longer a servant—you are free.”

  Sarah gaped at her in bafflement, shaking her head. “But he just met me. He can’t make me a lady! Can he? Can’t you take me back to my other room?”

  “He has great influence, and I cannot disobey a direct order,” she answered softly, looking distressed. Sarah had never seen the sturdy woman so close to tears. “Oh, Sarah, you must forgive me! I should never have left the two of you un-chaperoned, but I never imagined that he would be so possessive after only knowing you for so short a time.”

  Sarah felt her body shaking in both fear and anger, all directed at Damien. “Edith,” she said firmly, relieved when her voice didn’t betray her inner turmoil, “whatever ideas he thinks he has for me have nothing to do with you. You’ve been nothing but kind to me ever since I got here.” Her grip tightened. “And he can drop dead if he thinks he’s going to touch me; he’s got a whole other thing coming to him if that’s what he has in mind.”

  The shocked look on Edith’s face melted into an amused smile, though the anxiety still clung to the corners of her eyes. “I believe he should have though twice before inviting you to live so close. I don’t believe he will sleep peacefully with you nearby.”

  Sarah shot her a half-hearted grin. “You know it! He’d better sleep with one eye open and not run into me in any dark alleys, or I’ll go all ninja on him.” She received a chuckle, and Sarah squared her shoulders, willing determination into her every fiber. “I can take care of myself. And, hey, maybe he just took pity on me and I’m his charity case for the week while I’m his nurse. I’ll be back working by your side within a few days once he gets better.”

  Edith’s smile became strained. “Perhaps.” She didn’t sound convinced. She squeezed Sarah’s hands before releasing them and walking backward toward the door. “I must go now, but I’ll stay close by. If you need anything, my lady, just send for me.” Sarah nodded, and the door closed behind her friend, the sound echoing one final note against the stone walls.

  The room suddenly felt very empty and cold in Edith’s absence, and she picked up the rose and clutched it to her chest, the only other living thing in the room besides her. In the silence, the overwhelming jumble of emotions Sarah had been battling washed over her in earnest. In an instant, she was made aware of the implications of this beautiful room—this gift and the man across the hall who expected something in return. But maybe she was reading everything wrong.

  She was dully aware that she would be getting out of her duties for a while, but that also meant she would no longer have Edith’s constant company. And the previous excitement she had felt over discovering her new living quarters had quickly faded to a gnawing terror, and without Edith’s calming presence to distract her, Sarah remembered anew Will’s betrayal.

  Alone, frightened, and more confused than ever, Sarah threw herself face-first onto the bed, clutching the rose like a lifeline when she could no longer keep the tears at bay.

  —

  Will went back to his work, venting his frustration upon the cooling piece of iron with the weighty hammer. He could feel wary eyes on the back of his neck and knew Robert was watching him as he warped the rod until it was unrecognizable. He glared at the wrecked piece of metal, and, glancing up, directed his steady gaze at his hired hand. “Don’t you have a task to do?”

  Robert’s look was full of pity. He didn’t move. “Pardon me for meddling, Taylor, but—”

  “Then don’t,” Will said, more exasperated than angry as he swiped a wrist over his sweating brow.

  “—I was thinking,” the blond man went on as though he hadn’t heard, “you should go after her, if you’re so torn up about it.”

  Will stopped his work, laying the hammer aside. Leaning his hip against the workbench, he folded his arms and gave the other man a blank stare. Robert was an excellent worker, but he certainly expressed his opinions a little too freely for someone in the employ of a lowly blacksmith. “What caused you to think I am upset?” Will ground out crossly.

  “Doesn’t take a genius to see what I did when she came in.” Robert flashed his pearly white teeth. “She wasn’t bad to look at, if you don’t mind me saying.” Would it matter if he had minded?

  Noting Will’s stony expression, Robert’s tone gentled when he spoke. “You’re in love with her, but something obviously went terribly wrong in the five minutes I was out. Want to talk about it?”

  Will’s folded arms rose and fell as his chest expanded with a heavy breath. “I seem to be cursed when it comes to relationships.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because I’ve damned every last one that comes my way,” he exploded, vexed beyond control. “Either by what I say and do, or by what I don’t.”

  Robert grinned lazily. “I guess it’s a good thing that this is strictly a business relationship, otherwise I might have to worry about anvils dropping from the sky.”

  Will’s laugh sounded more like a huff, though the sudden release felt good.

  “Not that I have much experience with women,” Robert continued, “but I know enough to tell you that you should go after her before she gets too far.”

  Will was already shaking his head before he finished. “No, she wants to be alone. I need to give her time.”

  “Wrong move.” At Will’s skeptical glance, Robert held up his hands before he completely dismissed his advice. “Like I said, I know I’m no expert, but it’s my understanding that when a woman runs away, she expects you to follow.”

  “Like a test?”

  “Of your undying love, I guess.” He shrugged. “It makes sense, in a way. Think of it like the way you might train a horse.” At Will’s quirked brow, Robert hurriedly continued. “I’m not comparing them to animals, just using an analogy you’ll understand. But you spend time training a wild mare—or stallion, in her case—trying to get it to trust you, but you can’t tell how strong the bond is until you walk away. If the animal follows, you know.”

  “I suppose I’m the wild stallion.” Will let that sink in and realized it wasn’t too far off. He drew his gaze from a bale of hay in the corner and gave Robert an appreciative glance. “I had never thought of it like that,” he admitted reluctantly.

  Robert grinned. “Well, my mother raised me never to think of women in terms of livestock, but I thought it might get your attention.”

  Nodding, Will headed for the door, throwing on his cloak, a man with a purpose. He knew she would be too far-gone to be found among the traders and consumers milling about, but his gaze still wandered the street as he moved outside. When his eyes locked on Jade’s dark ones, nearly black from this distance, he stopped in his tracks, anger immediately rising to the surface. Their friendship had ended years ago, but how could she have betrayed him in such a way?

  She smiled coyly at him, and his spine stiffened. Jade turned away and moved through the crowd with her chin high. Men glanced at her as she passed, while others, presumably customers, avoided her gaze at all cost, some even cutting a wide birth around her. Jade cocked her head slightly, and though he could not catch her expression, Will assumed that she either smiled or blew a kiss to a man close by, judging by the way the woman walking beside him slapped his arm and then hurriedly pulled him along.

  A good head taller than most of the townsfolk about, Will easily kept track of Jade’s slender form as she sashayed down the Dark District, her unrestrained hair swaying back and forth as she moved, drawing most of the male eyes present when they thought no one was looking. Jade did like to cause a stir wherever she went.

  Will ducked down her street, resisting the desire to look about him and see if anyone noticed his path. Jade was already out of sight—safely behind closed doors, no doubt—and Will hastened down t
he typically deserted street with purposeful strides. What was he expecting? An apology? He doubted he could get a woman as stubborn and prideful as Jade to get on her knees, though he was loathe to admit that he would never ask her to do such a thing, tempting as that might be.

  Clenching his fist, he pounded on the door with a single hard rap, which took more self-control than it should have. Jade could have beaten him down the road by no more than a minute, but he waited longer than that on her stoop with no sound from within.

  Vexed, he ground his teeth and barked in a loud voice, “Jade, open up! I want my money back!” She loved to be the center of attention, but he knew she hated when people made a stir outside her door: Unhappy customers were bad for business.

  As expected, Jade ripped the door open before he got out the last word. Though he could see in her eyes that she was frazzled, she pasted on the fake smile that she used to practice on him. His blood boiled at the seductive gleam in her eyes, but it was anger, not desire, that caused his body to heat. Her jealousy had ruined one of the few relationships that meant anything to him.

  “Oh, William! What a delectable surprise.” The innuendo was like a barb—intended, he was sure. “And to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

  “You know why I’m here.” Will had to force his jaw to unclench to get the words out.

  “Ah, of course. Would you care to come in?” Jade asked, dark eyes filled with enticement. She leaned against the doorframe in a practiced move meant to allure. “We would be far more comfortable inside while we discuss your . . . predicament?”

  Will took a step back. The action was an obvious decline to her proposal—he wasn’t fooled in the least or even tempted to accept her offer. Her open invitation would certainly be difficult for many men to refuse, but Will was wise enough to know that she offered temporary pleasure that would only take a piece of him, not give anything of worth. Besides, there was only one woman he could ever want now. Anyone else would just be a poor imitation.

  “Why did you tell Sarah that we had been together?” he demanded. Not that it would mend the wrong done, but something in him was itching for a good fight after months of being cooped up.

  Some of Jade’s composure was slipping, and she rolled her eyes, a piece of the spunky girl he once knew revealing itself. “I can’t fathom why it was an issue—”

  “Why?” He hadn’t meant to shout, but he was at his wit’s end and wanted a straight answer from her. For once.

  Jade didn’t even flinch, perhaps because she was used to men speaking loudly at her. “I was making things simple for everyone.” Will opened his mouth to tell her that she had complicated things for everyone, but she surprised him by asking, “Did you deny it?” At his hesitation, her look became knowing.

  He blinked. “Well, no, I—”

  “You see? I simply saved her the pain of discovery before she became too attached.” Jade’s eyes darkened and flashed, though her voice remained even. “I allowed her to see the simple fact that all men are the same: prideful, disloyal, and believe that a woman’s only purpose is to gratify their whims.” She cocked her head, her professional side regaining control as she grinned at him, toying. “Now she knows how incapable of love your sex truly is.” She sighed dramatically. “A pity, considering the two of you made a handsome couple, though her skin is a little dark,” she threw in, almost as an afterthought. She examined her nails as though they were far more interesting than this conversation.

  Will glared at her. How had they ever been friends? “You ruined everything, you know. She was the one, and you may have destroyed whatever was holding us together.” He invaded her personal space, his face close to hers. Some of her triumph faded, and her throat worked in a swallow, though her face showed almost nothing.

  Lowering his voice to a low, taunting growl, he asked, “Does it make you feel good to know that you may have run off the only woman besides my own mother that I’ve ever cared for?” He intentionally excluded her. It was a low blow, and he knew it in the way she flinched at his words. But he was too wound-up to stop. “Will you sleep better at night knowing that I will lie alone for the rest of my days? If you can’t have me, then no one can, is that it?”

  “She doesn’t deserve you,” Jade whispered, voice wavering. He had hoped to intimidate her, but he felt no triumph in it as he glimpsed in her face the child he had once known. She placed her hand over his heart. Her fingers seemed to have a mind of their own as they slid up and around his neck, trying to pull him closer. Her eyes gleamed possessively once more, desperation apparent in their fathomless depths. “I was doing what’s best for you. For us—”

  He’d had enough.

  Growling in frustration, Will whipped around, breaking her hold, and jogged down the steps. He was halfway down the block before he heard her quietly latch the door. How could she still be clinging to that fantasy, or was it all a pride issue? She had always needed to win at everything.

  He swore under his breath when he realized how much time he had lost in such a worthless conversation. Jade had probably planned on them meeting in the square, and like the fool he was, he had played right into her hands.

  Well, his own pride could go to Hades. Robert was right: He needed to fix this and go after Sarah before it was too late.

  ~Chapter 16~

  A soft knock sounded on her bedroom door only a few minutes into her pity party. Sarah jerked her head off of the soft burgundy bedspread, heart hammering in her chest in anticipation and dread as she waited to see if the noise had come from one of the other rooms. The knock sounded again, and this time there was no doubt someone was tapping on her door.

  Peeling herself off the bed, she hastily swiped a palm across her reddened cheeks, realizing that she was still holding the rose. She placed it gently on the rumpled covers, being careful of its delicate petals. She felt ridiculous over her tumultuous emotions and told herself—again—that what Will did in his free time wasn’t her concern. And what did it matter that some guy had moved her next door?

  Sarah felt sick.

  “Who is it?” she called out, her voice cracking. She prayed it wasn’t Damien.

  “It is Damien Lisandro, my lady.”

  Sarah could have sworn. She hadn’t expected him so soon. Clenching her fists at her sides, she tried to think of something to buy her time—to find a weapon, climb out through the window, scale down the wall to the snowy earth—she didn’t know.

  “Give me a minute!” She hoped he couldn’t hear the edge to the words.

  She reached for her naked wrist, suddenly remembering the watch Karen had given her. She had removed it this morning so she didn’t lose it, but where had she put it? She closed her eyes, and a desperate groan escaped her lips when she pictured it safely nestled at the bottom of the trunk in her old room. The trunk that was now empty.

  Her eyes snapped open. Edith had said they’d moved her things to this room, and she prayed they hadn’t confiscated it or tossed it out.

  Oh, God. Oh, God, oh, God, please, Sarah prayed over and over, no other words coming in her desperation. She ran to the wardrobe on the right wall and flung the doors open wide, sifting through the folds of variously colored fabrics, the details of which—and also the fact that it was stocked full of gowns—were completely lost on her as she shoved the dresses aside and scanned the wooden bottom of the small closet. Nothing.

  Sarah didn’t bother to close the door as she dashed to the desk, her eyes widening as she took in the four small drawers on each side of the oversized desk: nine in total, including the one in the middle. Oh, for the love of—! She started on the left side and ripped the top drawer open, then the next one down, and the next. She finished with that side before moving onto the long, flat drawer in the center of the desk, jerking it open and slamming it closed. She placed her hand on the knob of the next drawer before she registered a muted scrape as the contents of the previous one slid about.

  With a startled gasp, she pulled the middl
e drawer out again and expelled a breath of relief when she saw the watch lying safely inside. Picking it up as though the sturdy mechanism were made of porcelain, Sarah secured it around her wrist. Some of the tension left her body as the light pressure of the watch against her skin served to remind her that she had a means of escape, if it came to that.

  Mustering whatever courage she had left, Sarah tipped her chin up as she opened the door, determined that he would never see her broken.

  Damien seemed to have been waiting patiently outside, appearing completely at ease as he smiled at her, though it quickly faded to a look of concern as his eyes roved her features. “My lady, have you been crying? Are you ill?”

  She felt her face heat, feeling embarrassed that he had so quickly seen the marks of her tears. “I’m fine,” she answered, hating the way her voice became so quiet; it only made her sound weaker.

  He tipped his head to the side, assessing her. Sarah would have thought the action looked cocky had it not been for the look of warmth and concern in his eyes. “I’m a fairly good listener.”

  She shook her head, feeling uncomfortable that she felt so, well, comfortable in his presence. “No thanks.”

  Damien smiled softly when she didn’t offer up any further information. She was surprised at the genuine look on his face, but she still wasn’t sure if she could trust him . . . or herself.

  “Would you like me to leave?” he asked.

  Sarah was taken aback that he would let her so easily dismiss him. She told herself not to be fooled by his kindness and respect for her privacy, or the way eyes the color of gold-flecked espresso watched her, and she definitely was not going to be fooled by his handsome features. She was smarter than that.

  Folding her arms tightly across her chest like body armor, she asked, “What are you doing here, Damien? Better yet, why am I here?”

  He seemed pleased that she had remembered his name, and Sarah silently reprimanded herself for giving her captor any satisfaction. “I was hoping that we might get to know one another better.”