Julian looked more closely at her hair, holding it up to his face. He rubbed a few strands between his fingers to see that the more he touched it, the more it faded to blonde. Julian’s brow furrowed and he looked at Elise’s head, his hand shaking as he reached over and turned her face to him. He held his breath as he pushed the hair from her face, his body shuddering with relief when he saw that the girl wasn’t Elise. It was Mary, with something in her hair to make it look orange. Julian stared at her face, her wide open eyes, and his head was filled with questions, but only one of them mattered. Julian hopped up and left Mary’s body on the ground, running back into the house.
“Elise,” he shouted as he ran up the stairs, going to her room and pounding on the door. She didn’t answer, and when he tried it, the door was locked. He cursed and used his key, then threw the door open and went inside. Julian looked around the room frantically, but it was empty. He looked through the wardrobe to see that Elise’s clothes were gone, and there was no longer anything in her dressing room. Julian’s heart sank when he realized that she was gone, but he found himself searching the rest of the house anyway, just in case for some reason she was somehow still there. He searched both the first and the second floors but they were both empty. Julian felt a profound loneliness swell through him—everybody was gone. Everybody but Julian and his uncle.
Julian looked up at the ceiling, then started to make his way up the stairs. He had no idea how Mary had gotten the paste for her hair, but he had a feeling that his uncle had something to do with it. The old man couldn’t do much, but he was cunning—Julian didn’t put it past him to find a way to destroy everything in Julian’s life as he had once before.
Julian’s uncle was sitting in his usual spot, only instead of looking out the window, he was facing toward the door, staring at Julian. The man’s face was old and shriveled, his whole body tiny and weak. Still, he gave Julian that wicked grin that Julian had always hated.
“What did you do to Mary?” Julian asked his uncle.
The man laughed.
“I saw what you did to Mary. Your own cousin. Killed her just like you killed your wife.”
Julian gritted his teeth, staring at the old man with fierce hatred. He had no idea how long he had managed to go this long without killing his uncle, other than the fact that it was in his nature not to hurt anybody. Despite what some people might think, Julian was typically a gentle man, and that part of his nature was the only reason his uncle hadn’t starved to death alone in the attic a long time ago.
“You sent Mary down with the dye in her hair,” Julian said. “Why?”
“Thought you’d mistake her for your new little whore. Knock her up with an heir. I told her to fuck you and she said she tried every night.”
“How was she getting downstairs?” Julian asked. He remembered all the things that Nikola had said about Elise, how Elise had been attacking her, haunting her at night. He remembered also the night that he’d seen Mary with her red hair in his own room. Shame filled Julian when he remembered the doubt he had felt after Nikola’s death, how he’d questioned to himself about what Elise was really capable of, if she was even really human, or something darker, a witch who was capable of evil.
“How was she getting downstairs?” Julian repeated, but his uncle didn’t answer.
The old man chuckled, which turned into a cough that seemed to go on and on.
“You’re going to have to bury that body just like you did with the other whore.,” Julian’s uncle said.
Julian stared at him.
“How did you know about that?”
“I see everything, boy,” said the uncle. “I see everything that goes on in this house.”
“Your daughter is dead,” Julian spat. “Does that not bother you?”
“That little animal was a moron,” the man said, his voice filled with disdain. “She was useless. Couldn’t even do what I told her to do.”
Julian shook his head, trying to swallow his rage and disgust.
“You’re all alone now, Julian,” his uncle said, looking up at him with eyes that were more than half -blind. “Your whore left, your wife is dead, your nanny and her husband are gone—everybody’s gone.”
Julian gritted his teeth, his fists balling in rage at his sides.
“You’re alone, too, Uncle,” Julian said. “Don’t forget that. You’re alone, and you can be completely forgotten up here in this attic. I could go away for a few weeks and there’d be nothing but rot left when I got back.”
The old man stuck his chin in the air.
“My son will take care of me,” he said proudly.
Julian shot the man a look, standing up.
“You’d better hope it stays that way. ,” Julian said. “If something happens to Thomas, and he doesn’t come back, you will starve to death up here, old man.”
The old man choked as he tried to get words out, but only managed a coughing fit. Julian left him behind, slamming the door behind him and making his way downstairs. He didn’t bother to lock the door to the third floor. The only reason he had done it was to keep Mary upstairs, but somehow, she had found her way out. Julian supposed it was possible that at some point, a maid had lost a key, but Julian couldn’t remember the last time he’d known of a maid having a key to the third floor at all. It was something they had stopped giving the girls years ago.
Julian thought about Elise again and felt something ache inside of him. She really was gone now. He wanted to be sure, though, and the only way he knew to do so would be to check the stables. Elise never would have left without Lovely, so if the horse was gone, Elise had definitely left at some point without saying goodbye, just like Julian had told her to do. He was filled with regret as he walked across the property toward the stables, looking inside and searching each stall with his eyes. His heart sank when he realized that Lovely wasn’t there—that meant that Elise wasn’t simply walking through the forest or visiting at the pond, but was gone. Julian left the stables, walking slowly back toward the house. He wasn’t in a rush to get back into the empty mansion, which was completely devoid of life now, dull and meaningless.
There was a rustle in the bushes of the maze and Julian froze, turning his head slowly in that direction. He saw Thomas then, and for some reason a chill ran through Julian. Julian met Thomas’s eye and held it, and for an instant, he saw something there that he had never seen before—something intelligent, thoughtful. But it passed as quickly as it came, and Thomas’s face became plastered with that goofy grin again, the one he always got when he saw Julian.
“Hi, cousin,” Thomas said.
Julian looked at the man gravely.
“Hi, Thomas,” Julian said. “Um, do you want to go inside and sit down? There’s something I need to tell you.”
“No,” Thomas said quickly, taking a deliberate step away from his hut. “No, my lord. I like the sunshine. What is it?”
“It’s about Mary,” Julian said. “She—there was an accident today. Mary fell out of the window.”
“She fell out of the window?” Thomas asked. Julian nodded, holding the man’s eye. It was then that Thomas let out a loud, whooping laugh, a childlike giggle that sent a shiver through Julian’s spine. Julian stared at the man, gaping at him as Thomas clapped his hands like a little boy.
“Good for Mary!” he said delightedly.
Julian shook his head.
“No, Thomas. Mary didn’t make it through the fall. She’s—she passed away, Tom.”
“Mary’s dead?” Thomas asked, a dumbfounded look passing over his face. Julian nodded, feeling his heart break at the look on the man’s face. Thomas started to cry then and barreled past Julian and into his hut, slamming the door behind him. Julian tried the door but it was locked.
“Thomas,” he said. “Thomas, come out here. You shouldn’t be alone.”
“Leave me alone,” Thomas shouted, and then Julian heard banging, loud po
unding against the door as if Thomas was beating it with his fists. Julian turned around and started back toward the house, deciding to leave Thomas there to cool down. Julian hoped Thomas would be better if he went back to visit tomorrow, after he’d had time to deal with the initial feeling of losing his sister. Julian felt bad for him—he had no idea how rough it must be for his cousin, who had a simple mind, one that couldn’t process everything that was going on. For that matter, neither could Julian, who was facing the prospect of burying a second body this week. He looked down at her distastefully as he approached her on the ground, sadness passing through him when he remembered what a life she’d had. Julian sighed and set to work, trying to stop thinking about Elise, hoping that one day he wouldn’t even be compelled to.
Chapter 28
Elise struggled against the ropes, trying helplessly to scream against the gag that was in her mouth. She could see Julian out the dirty window, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get his attention. He was talking to Thomas outside, and Elise could hear Thomas’s voice raised to a higher pitch than usual, childlike and innocent compared to the menacing tone he took with her. Elise fought as hard as she could, but she was tied too tightly. She choked on the gag, writing until her body went weak and limp. She closed her eyes quickly when the door opened, pretending to be unconscious. Thomas came in and knelt down next to her, poking her with his fingers.
“Wake up,” he said, then poked her harder, painfully in her ribcage. Elise snarled at him, scrambling back away from him as best as she could.
“What do you want from me?” she tried to ask him, but her mouth was too full to speak, and all she could do was stare.
“I have a plan for some things I need to do here at home, but first I have somewhere to take you,” he said. “Are you ready to go on a little trip?”
Elise shook her head, narrowing her eyes at him. He laughed, his voice cold and dry. Then he lifted his hand, and before Elise had a chance to react, he knocked her out again.
The next time Elise woke up, she was in a carriage, lying on her side. Her ankles weren’t bound, but her wrists were tied behind her. Elise blinked, waking up abruptly, struggling to get her wrists untied. She heard movement at the front of the carriage, somebody shifting, slapping the horses so that they sped up. Elise struggled, managing to sit up in the carriage. She leaned forward, using her hands to part the curtain and look outside. Elise couldn’t tell where she was—it was dark, and the carriage was moving too fast to make out any landmarks. Elise looked forward and, saw the profile of Thomas sitting at the front of the carriage. He was intent and focused a few feet away from her, and when Elise looked back, she saw a dense thicket of trees not far away.
Elise took a deep breath, barely hesitating before she rolled out of the carriage, landing hard on the ground and rolling over and over in the dirt, choking as it clouded up around her. She struggled to her feet, not able to use her hands, and had to try a couple of times before she could propel herself forward. Elise looked over her shoulder to see the carriage stopping just as she started to run, and she turned around and let her legs carry her as fast as she could through the trees. Elise had no idea where she was going, but she knew only that her only chance was to get as far away as possible and hopefully hide among the forest where Thomas wouldn’t be able to find her.
Elise’s heart was pounding as she ran, and when she heard footsteps behind her, she did her best to speed up the pumping over her legs. Elise felt like she was flying, like her lungs were about to explode, but she didn’t have time to make it far enough away before Thomas leaped at her, taking her down from behind. Elise screeched like a wildcat, fighting and thrashing, but in the end there was nothing that she could do once Thomas got on top of her. His face was livid, eyes wide and angry as he looked down at her with his hands wrapped around her throat. Elise saw her death in his mind, the life leaving her, her face going pale and her eyes blank. She closed her eyes and waited for death, but it didn’t come. Instead, a fist hit her again, and everything went black.
When Elise woke up again, she was untied, lying in a soft feather bed. She looked down over her body to see that she was wearing a silk nightgown, one that had been embroidered with tiny jewels that sparkled over her breasts and her belly. Elise stirred in the bed, feeling heavy and sore in every limb as she tried to sit up. She looked around but didn’t recognize the room, though she was obviously in a lavish manor. The room was much like the one she’d had at Julian’s—large with a lush canopy bed, the finest silk beddings and hangings that looked like they were made of the finest fabrics money could buy. For a moment, Elise allowed herself to wonder if maybe she was back at Julian’s, in a room she had never seen before. She felt hope inflate her chest as she looked at the door and called out to him.
“Julian?” she asked. There was no answer. Elise got up and out of the bed, wincing when she put pressure on her leg to walk. She looked down to see that her ankle was swollen, something that must have happened when she jumped from the carriage. Elise hobbled over to the door and tried to open it, but found that it was locked from the other side. She knocked on it.
“Julian!” she called out, but there was still no answer. Elise sighed, frustratedly, staring at the door before she went back to her bed and sat down.
A few moments later, she heard a key in the lock. Elise looked up, staring at the door as it opened. When she saw who it was, she felt like her whole body was deflating. Lord Bishop appeared in the doorway, a broad smile on his face.
“Hello, Elise,” he said, coming into the room and shutting the door behind him. Elise could smell him from across the room, his odor thick and heavy, the scent of his sweat permeating the room. She held her breath as he came closer, looking her over in the silk gown.
“You look dazzling,” he said. “It’s good to see you back in such high health. You’ve put a little meat on since the last time I saw you—it suits you.”
“Why am I here?” Elise asked, backing up away from him on the bed. Her back was too the wall and she couldn’t go any further. She kept her eyes on him, staring at him as he approached her at the bed.
“You’re here because you’re bought and paid for,” Lord Bishop said. “Just because Lord Ashton stole you away, doesn’t mean that you’re not my property.”
“I’m nobody’s property,” Elise spat, livid. “I’m not a whore.”
“Oh, but you are a whore. And now you’re my whore. And I get to do whatever I want to you until your Lord Ashton is finally dead.”
Elise felt herself go cold, her skin paling. “Dead?”
“Now that everybody else is out of the way, Thomas is Lord Ashton’s only living heir. Once Julian dies, Thomas inherits the title of Earl.”
Elise gritted her teeth. “That’s what he’s doing this for?”
“No, my dear,” Lord Bishop laughed. “The reason he’s doing this in particular is because he loves carving women into little pieces, and I’ve promised to let him do that as soon as I’ve worn you out.”
Elise felt herself flush a deep, humiliated red.
“You’re never going to touch me,” she spat. “I will die before I let you touch me.”
“You may very well do just that,” Lord Bishop said, approaching the bed, reaching out for Elise. She swatted his hand away, hitting him hard, and then he grabbed her chin and squeezed it as he forced her to look at him. Elise tried desperately to ignore the images in his mind, vile pictures, things that she had never even wanted to imagine. Elise kicked at him, scrambling as far backward away from him as she could possible get. Her ankle was swollen and throbbing, pain lancing through her leg, but she was too filled with panic to care.
“You can fight me right now all you want,” said Lord Bishop. “I expected you to be feisty in the beginning. It’s only for now—once you’ve found out that your precious Lord Ashton has been killed and mutilated beyond recognition, I have a feeling you won’t care what happ
ens to your body then.”
“You’re not going to kill him,” Elise said, desperation in her voice. “Please, don’t hurt him.”
“It’s too late, Elise,” Lord Bishop said, giving her a fake look of sympathy that sent disgust riveting through her body. “Thomas is on his way right now. He wanted to stay and watch the fun I have with you first, but I told him I wanted to build up the anticipation with you for a little bit. It will be a couple of days before I actually fuck you.”
Elise’s face wrinkled up with disgust. “Never.”
Lord Bishop laughed. “Like I said, at a certain point you won’t even care anymore. But that’s for later. I want you to spend some time thinking about what it’s going to be like first.”
“What do you mean?”
“What it’s going to be like to be naked with me inside of you,” Lord Bishop said. “And then what it’s going to be like to let me watch Thomas cut your arms and legs off.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Elise asked, filled with horror beyond her comprehension. “What is wrong with both of you?”
“People like you and Lord Ashton always get what you want,” Lord Bishop said, his voice sounding bored as he got off of the bed. “Some of us have to pay for what we get. But I expect to get what I pay for.”
Elise stared at him, watching as he stood up to go. He gave her a grin before he left.
The Touch of the Outcast_A Gothic Mystery Romance Page 23