by L C Kincaide
“When Adam first came to Boston. I took him to the manor and… well… we got stuck there for the night.”
“Oh.”
“I thought I had dreamt it. It seemed unreal, more dreamlike than anything else. I never mentioned it and neither did he.”
“That is…”
“Weird? Yeah, I’d say so. We never planned on it, as far as I remember, we even avoided each other as much as we could being trapped in there.”
“You were trapped?”
“Didn’t I tell you? A storm came up, and when we tried to leave the damned car wouldn’t start, so we had to stay the night.”
“When Matt and I wanted to get to you last year, the same thing happened to us too. Not even the rental cars would start and we went through three. I was so frustrated I was ready to scream. Maybe I did. It was awful, like something was keeping us away from you.”
“That place… but why?”
“I wish I knew.”
Emma watched Ella swatting at her toys that dangled from the handle. “In six months I’ll have one of those.”
Rachel smiled. “And she will be perfect.”
“He.”
“You can tell already?”
“I’ve dreamt about him,” Emma realized, “since last year. I thought he was yours, but…” Her head dropped in her hands. “Oh, God. I’m not ready for this! What kind of a mother will I be?”
“Regardless of what you may have heard, no one is ever ready. Motherhood — parenthood is a huge step and feeling overwhelmed is perfectly normal. Trust me, I know. When I found out Ella was on her way, I froze in a panic — a deer in the headlights moment. After that, it was, bring it on!” She fixed Emma with her eyes. “Secondly, you will be a wonderful mother because you are a loving and kind person, and fun and quirky and a whole lot of other wonderful things too which I’ll be happy to list.”
“Thanks, I get the point.” Emma grinned. “But how do I tell him?”
“You will when you’re ready, once the news has settled for you.”
“What if he doesn’t want children?”
“Why would you think that? Of course he will.” She rubbed her back.
Emma’s teary eyes met hers. “He was married for two years and they didn’t have any.”
“Maybe the timing wasn’t right or the marriage. They divorced after all. When the time is right, you will tell him, and the news will come as a surprise, but he’ll be thrilled too.”
“How do you know this?” She regarded her with scepticism.
“From everything you told me about him.”
“What if he thinks I did this to trap him?”
“Emma! Really? After what you’ve done to make up for what your ancestors did to his?” She shook her head. “I can’t imagine it would cross his mind. It happened for a reason.”
“What possible reason would that be? I didn’t want this nor he, I’m sure, and if not us, then who? If we had been anywhere else…”
“You don’t think something weird is going on, do you?”
“I hope not because I wouldn’t know where to start. It scares me that something could be manipulating us to get its way, but how can I not consider it?”
Rachel mulled over Emma’s circumstances and reluctantly agreed with her. Had she conceived anywhere else, they would not be having the conversation in this tone. As much as she wanted to believe nothing out of the ordinary was happening and everything was going to turn out all right, she could not, especially after their visit to the warehouse. Emma may have driven out a ghost from the manor, yet something remained there still.
“Worrying won’t help. It’s not good for you, nor the baby.”
“So, what do I do? Ignore it? If mum knew… I can’t imagine what she’d do to me. Probably try to talk me into an…”
“No! Don’t even go there.”
“She really hated the Kinsleys. Adam too. Everyone from Mason down. This would have been her worst nightmare coming true, for me to bring another Everdon into this world, in her mind a potential Mason!”
“Geez!” Rachel rubbed down her goosebumps. Ella began to fuss, and she took her out of the car seat. “You can’t do this to yourself. It isn’t healthy.”
Emma wiped her tears. “So, what do I do?”
“Maybe if you talk to somebody.”
“I’m not going to any damned shrink. You know I can’t say any of my history to anyone outside of the family.”
Rachel chewed her bottom lip. “There is someone.”
Emma raised her eyebrows.
“Medium Mabel.”
“She only channels dead people.”
“Think about it. The manor has always been driven by dead peoples’ twisted desires. I’m not saying that what happened to you is the result of that, but I’m not disclaiming it either. It’s worth a try even if only to set your mind at ease.”
Emma studied the ceiling and released a long held breath. “I’ll think about it.”
“Okay. We’ll go together.” She glanced around the apartment. “Where’s the kitchen in this place? Do you have any food? I’m starving.”
Emma spent the night wrestling with her conscience. Several times she had picked up the phone to call Adam, and each time she set it down not trusting herself to conceal her feelings. Had she an idea of when they’d see each other next, talking to him would be easier. Rachel was right. He needed to know he was going to be a father, had a right to, but blind-siding him wasn’t how she wanted him to learn. He deserved to find out in a gentler way.
Then there was the other matter. She went over every instance that could be considered out of the ordinary starting with her dreams about the baby boy to their night of passion under the Everdon roof. She tossed and turned. When the early morning light leaked under the shade, her mind was made up. She needed to see someone, Mabel in particular. The medium was familiar with her dodgy history.
CHAPTER 22
~*~
“Thanks for seeing me on such short notice.” Emma crossed the threshold of Mabel’s house and wondered how in the past year nothing had changed.
“You did say it was a matter of life and death, and considering what you’ve already been through how could I not?”
“I’m glad you remembered me.” She said and followed Mabel to the parlor. The furniture was arranged the same way, and she fought her nausea against the cat urine and incense mélange.
“Your friend didn’t come with you?”
“No. She couldn’t make it.” Emma lied. If Mabel invoked something terrible, she didn’t want Rachel in any danger now that she was a mother. “She has a baby to take care of.”
“Oh, how wonderful! Give her my congratulations.”
“I will.”
Emma sat in the same chair as before and hoped no lightbulb would explode as it had during their last session.
“So, what’s going on?” Mabel asked settling herself opposite her. The tape recorder waited ready on the coffee table.
“I’ve had recurring dreams and something strange happened at the manor.”
Mabel studied her for a moment then her round face creased in a smile. “It seems your friend isn’t the only one who should be congratulated.”
Emma blushed and lowered her eyes.
“I’m not judging you, Emma, I just know. Is that why you needed to see me?”
“Yes. I’ve dreamt of him before he became a reality and I’m worried that… I don’t even know what about, but the feeling is there and I can’t make it stop. You’re the only other person I can tell these things to aside from Rachel who won’t think I’m crazy.”
“You’re definitely not crazy, that much is clear. People nowadays place their trust in what celebrities tell them or what they can buy instead of t
rusting their intuition, which is what is telling you that something is in the works and what brought you here. As you know, my work is with the spirits who passed. No living person is the cause of your distress.”
“Damn. I was afraid of that.”
“I understand. Too often, fear is a maligned emotion, but it serves an important purpose.”
“Then you can help me?”
“I’ll do my best.” She took a deep breath and repeated her instructions about not interrupting or speaking unless invited to. “This will be a little different.” She said getting to her feet and from a corner brought a folding tray table and set it up between them. “I will need to hold your hands for this. Physical contact helps me hone in on whatever forces are active around you.” She pressed the Record button.
Emma shivered at the notion of forces having latched onto her and Mabel’s gentle and reassuring touch helped calm her.
The medium closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. Her head drooped and after a while she spoke. “Someone is here… come forward and be heard…” Mabel waited and Emma held her breath.
While Mabel’s grasp remained soft, her own fingers clenched, and she forced them to relax not wanting to injure the woman.
“Emma, beware of him!” The medium raised her head, but her eyes were unfocused.
Emma jumped in her seat and Mabel’s grasp on her tightened. “I should have warned you and he stopped me.” Her voice cracked.
“Mum?” Emma breathed. “Who?” She wanted to ask, but Mabel’s head drooped again and she let go then slumped in the chair.
Emma waited, her pulse racing. Who was she warning her against, surely not Adam? But no doubt remained what really cause her mother’s death, and she despised him for it.
“Did you see anything?” Emma asked when Mabel revived.
She stared into mid-distance. “I saw a house, no bigger than that. Old and filled with torment and longing. So many emotions there… fear, rage… they flow through it endlessly like a black river. Someone is in the shadows, waiting.”
“Who? Waiting for what?”
“He was a man of many gifts and complex emotions, all of which had stripped him raw while he lived. He has attached himself to you.”
“Attached himself?” Terror sprang to the surface. “So I’m haunted now?”
“Not exactly haunted, but he is near you, drawn to you if you will.” Emma imagined how that would look and remembered the reflection she had seen in the shop window in Greenwich Village thinking it to be Adam’s, for it had resembled him. The blood in her veins chilled.
“Oh God! Mason. What does he want from me? He should be happy where he is. How did he even get to me? He’s always been at the house.”
“Do you have anything that once belonged to him? Something personal? I may reach him through that.”
“A watch! His wife gave it to him as a gift. My mother had it stashed in a safe deposit box. I found out recently she wanted it destroyed.” She dug into her bag hoping she had put it back and not in the desk drawer. Her fingers closed on the velvet sheath and she winced.
Mabel took it from her and examined it. “Yes, this would do it. It’s his bridge to you. How long have you had this?”
“Not that long, a couple of months.”
“It would seem your mother suspected this would happen.”
“What does he want from me?”
“Let’s try to find out.” Mabel held the watch in her hands and closed her eyes.
Emma watched and listened for the worst. After a few seconds Mabel’s eyes moved under her eyelids and her lips formed soundless words. Emma wrung her hands and waited for the medium to return. When Mabel opened her eyes, Emma braced herself.
“Your mother was right to have it removed from her possession. She must have sensed he would use it as a means to attach himself to her or anyone who had it. It is how he’s kept himself near since you were at the manor. He is pleased that the two youngest Everdons have been drawn together and that he made it possible. He’d waited a long time for it.”
“What? For me to meet Adam?”
Mabel nodded. “But mostly for the child — your son’s conception.”
Emma was baffled. Why did he care if the line continued? “I don’t understand why it even matters to him anymore. He’s dead.”
Mabel took her hand and looked her squarely in the eye. “He wants to return.”
Filled with revulsion, Emma pulled free. “What?”
“He wants your son — to be your son and to start over and have the life he had been denied. They both do.”
Dear God! They’re both in on it! Had she known, she never would have invited Ivy. She’d sooner waste her life continuing the Weekends and risk her sanity than sacrifice her child! “He can’t have him! Tell me there’s something I can do to prevent it! Please!” She was practically shouting, but couldn’t stop.
“There is a way.” Mabel covered her hand with hers. “The key is the manor. It is of great significance to him. What can you tell me about it?”
Emma took a breath not knowing where to start, so she told Mabel the manor’s history and what she remembered of her own ordeal.
“Is there a location that makes you feel more uncomfortable than anywhere else?”
Emma thought of the parlor, but memories of her time there with John caused her unease. That was once their safe haven. The portrait gallery had been where the poltergeist of Victoria Ruskin had attacked her. But under the skylight is where she had almost disappeared, and the place where Amelia died.
“There’s a huge skylight in the central hall. It always gave me the creeps. When the sun shines through it, there’s a bright spot underneath. Under moonlight, it’s worse. I can’t even walk under it anymore since…”
“It is the weak spot in the veil. When the energy is strong enough, it will allow the passage from here to there, and conversely. He will use that to enter, and he is prepared to do anything to draw you there.”
“I won’t let him!” She said fiercely.
Mabel’s gaze was gentle, her voice soft. “Emma, he’s already drawn you there once and made your pregnancy possible.”
Emma gaped at her, the terrible truth sinking in. “So, there’s nothing I can do to stop him?”
“I didn’t say that. You are strong and guided by love for your child and his father. Love is a powerful force. When strong enough, all else yields before it.”
“I’ll do whatever I have to.”
“I will give you a list of things you’ll need and instructions. It won’t be easy, but the good news is, he won’t risk harming you. He knows this is his only chance.”
“Well, thank goodness for small miracles.” She said bitterly. “Is it possible for a ghost to be insane?”
“That term doesn’t apply to spirits. We say they’ve been corrupted.”
“That sounds about right.”
“You just need to keep him on the other side. His pocket watch will help greatly, so at least you have something concrete you can use against him.”
Mabel gave her detailed instructions while Emma listened all the while thinking she must be in the middle of a nightmare because these things didn’t happen outside of books and movies.
CHAPTER 23
~*~
“You said, go ahead I trust you, so don’t complain now.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to intrude on a family argument.” Emma followed their voices and stepped into the bedroom.
“You’re not.” Rachel pointed to a box on the bed. “The costumes have arrived. Yours is that one.”
“Ooh. I can’t wait to see it! So, what’s wrong with yours?” She turned to her brother.
“Rachel decided I should go as a Roman gladiator.”
“He may as well show off those legendary Stuart legs.”
“Love the sandals. The skirt looks comfy.” Emma winked at Rachel.
“It’s not a skirt, but a tunic.” He plucked at the pleated fabric.
“I think you look ferocious. Dangerous.”
“There, you see? You’ll be fine.” She turned to Emma. “Let’s have a look at yours.”
“Can I change now?”
“All right. Off you go.” She swatted his butt. “Hmmm… I like that costume more and more.”
Emma picked up her box.
“Hey, not so fast, you.” She stopped her. “Did you call Mabel?”
Emma glanced at her parcel. “I’ll wait until after the Ball. I don’t have the time to do anything about it, anyway.”
“Okay, as long as you’re not going to worry until then.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“All yours.” Matthew exclaimed stepping out of the bathroom looking like himself again in his jeans and sweater, and left them to their costume change.
Emma opened her box not liking having lied to Rachel, but she couldn’t allow her to get involved. She now understood why Mason had let her off after her tirade that day. He needed her alive and safe. Everyone else was likely disposable. She pushed those thoughts aside and tried on her flapper dress.
“You look amazing! It’s the perfect style on you!”
“Yeah, the dropped waist helps.” She turned in front of the mirror in the black silk dress tunic. The flaring skirt swirled around her knees and a beaded decoration in a floral design sparkled at the hips. She adjusted the length of voile on her shoulder. “I’ll use one of mum’s brooches to fasten this. She has miles of pearls too.”
“You’re going to look totally authentic! Do you have shoes?”
“I found a cool pair of T-strap heels.”
“What do you think of this?” Rachel jutted her hip, and coins at her waist tinkled.