Ascension

by A. S. Fenichel

  “Me life will never be normal again, miss. I can’t go back to working in a scullery and pretending that things in London are normal. No one would ever believe my story of where I’ve been anyway. I’m sure to have lost my position with the Drumfields.”

  Gabriel cleared his throat. “If the only reason you wish to train for such a life is the need of a job, Miss Elizabeth, then I will give you a job working in my house. Belinda and I will be married soon and you could stay on with us.”

  Her face flushed an even deeper red. “Milord, you shouldn’t be calling me miss. I’m just Elizabeth, Lizzie really. I’m no lady.”

  He smiled. “The society of people that you are asking to join does not hold to the traditions to which you are accustomed. If you decide that risking your life to kill demons is the path you wish to take, then you will be equal with Belinda and me.”

  “Equal,” she whispered.

  “It is a high price,” Belinda said. “And the rest of society will not have changed. The balance is not an easy one.”

  Gabriel’s heart did a flip when she smiled over at him.

  Elizabeth straightened her shoulders. “I don’t have any family. I believe I could do it, miss. I’d like the chance to try.”

  Belinda sighed. “Then you shall have that opportunity, my dear. We will have a carriage pick you up and take you to the school as soon as the doctor says you are fit.”

  Dr. Emily Barns had silently watched the exchange. “Elizabeth is fit to leave whenever she chooses. She has recovered remarkably well.”

  Gabriel said, “I will have my man come for you after noon. His name is Thor. You will travel with us north today.”

  Elizabeth beamed with the excitement of any child who’d gotten her way. “Thank you. I’ll be ready.” She dashed from the room and her footsteps clomped up the stairs.

  “Belinda, it is good to see you,” the doctor said.

  Belinda strode over and the two women embraced. “It is good to see you too, doctor. “May I introduce my fiancé, Lord Gabriel Thurston, the Earl of Tullering.”

  Dr. Barns curtsied. “A pleasure to meet you, my lord. I’m happy to see that you returned safely from France.”

  “Thank you, doctor. I did not realize I was quite so famous.”

  She laughed. “Belinda was with us for a few days. She spoke of you quite often.”

  Belinda’s face flushed. “Elizabeth said that the others are not doing well.”

  Dr. Barns shook her head. “The two older women are having a rough time of it. The oldest, Mrs. Karen Sweeney, is a seamstress. She is delusional. She believes she has died and been brought to hell. She cannot understand why God has forsaken her. I hope with time, she will find her way back to sanity. I have been tempted to tell her that the entire thing was a very bad dream and hope that she believes it. I think it would go easier on her. Carlotta, is a woman of…alternate lifestyle—”

  Gabriel laughed at the euphemism.

  The doctor smiled. “She too is unable to reconcile what she has seen and move past it. She is mired with terrible nightmares that keep her awake. She has not slept more than an hour at a time since arriving. I have had to give her a draft and now she is finally resting. I’m hoping that when she wakes she will be more reasonable.”

  “And the other girl?” Gabriel asked.

  “Tally. She will recover. She is taking the experience more calmly. She seems to understand the situation.”

  “Do any of them have family?” He asked.

  “Only Karen. She has a husband. He was notified, and came by yesterday to see her. I expect he will be back again today.”

  “Is there anything we can do?” Belinda asked.

  She shook her head.

  “How do you treat them?” Gabriel asked.

  “Follow me.” She led them into a hallway and up a flight of stairs. She pushed open a door. It was set up with two beds, dressers and chairs.

  A nurse, dressed in gray and white, stood up when they entered.

  In one bed was Karen Sweeney, the lady who Belinda had nearly died with. She was tossing her head from side to side and muttering something. In the other bed, Carlotta slept.

  “We treat their physical wounds just as any other hospital or doctor would. Then we try to explain what has happened. I find that the young are much more easily able to live with the truth. Older people have more troubles. We are still working on how best to handle the mental strain left by the attacks.”

  He noticed that Belinda’s eyes had darkened. Her face had grown pale. “Bella, are you all right?”

  She forced a smile. “I suppose it is a bit strange being back here.”

  “I imagine it must be a bit unsettling,” the doctor agreed.

  Gabriel stepped forward and put his hand out for the doctor to shake. She looked down at his hand. After a second or two, she gripped his hand and shook it, her face breaking into a delightful grin.

  “Thank you for the tour, doctor. We are grateful to see that the victims are in good hands.”

  “I’m glad that you will be seeing to Elizabeth. She is a good girl.”

  “Do not trouble yourself. We shall make sure she is well received.”

  The doctor smiled.

  “Bella, are you ready to go. We have a long drive ahead of us and we must collect your mother.”

  Belinda nodded. “Thank you, doctor. Let us know if there is ever anything you need.”

  * * * *

  Gabriel’s gut tightened as the two carriages pulled into Brendaligh Castle, several people formed a line against the invasion. Unexpected visitors were likely rare. At the back of the line of men and women, the Earl of Shafton watched from the steps. His arms crossed over his barrel chest and his eyes remained narrowed until the moment he recognized his own crest on the side of the first carriage. Then his eyes widened and his lips parted before closing again. He ran his hand over his thinning hair before placing them on his hips and scowling down at the carriage.

  The party from London arrived in two vehicles, the Clayton carriage and Thor’s unmarked conveyance. Gabriel hoped the Shafton coat of arms on one carriage would stave off any initial aggression.

  Gabriel stepped down first and then turned back to hand Belinda down.

  She looked up at her father and then turned to another man in the line. He was only a few inches taller than her but his shoulders were extremely wide. As soon as he saw her, a wide smile spread across his face and he rushed forward. His hair was nearly black and his eyes were almost as dark, though they brightened at the sight of Belinda.

  A familiar pang of jealousy creped into Gabriel’s stomach again. He suppressed it. He really had to work on this. Belinda was his. Nothing would change that. She had told him that she loved him and no other, and he believed her. She would never lie about such a thing. Her honor was too precious to her.

  “Belinda!” the dark-haired man said brightly.

  “Brice.”

  When he reached her, they clasped hands. “What in the world are you doing here?”

  “I have come to see my father.”

  “Do you know what this place is?”

  “I have been informed.” Her eyes narrowed.

  He had the good manners to look down at the ground before meeting her eyes again. “I could not tell you, Belinda. I was sworn to secrecy. Believe me it was the most difficult thing to keep this from you.”

  “It is not your fault.” She looked up at her father who had not stepped down yet.

  Brice turned to his students and instructors. “You can all go back to your day. There is no threat here.” Then he faced Belinda again. “Is there?”

  She smiled. “Not to the school.”

  Brice glanced at the earl. He spoke in a low whisper. “I’m sworn to protect him as well.”

  She shrugged. “Brice, let me introduce you to my fiancé, Gabriel Thurston, the Earl of Tullering. Gabriel, this is Brice Lambert, my teacher.�
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  He shook Gabriel’s hand. “It is very good to make your acquaintance. Belinda spoke of you often during my time in London with her.”

  “She has told me quite a lot about you too. It is a pleasure.”

  “Gabriel and I have brought you a new student. She is very eager.”

  Brice cocked his head to one side and watched the young girl step down from the unmarked carriage. “One of your rescues from the other night’s excitement?”

  “You heard about that?” Gabriel asked.

  “We are very well informed here. Reece messengers the Company several times a week and they in turn send pertinent information here.”

  Gabriel wanted to ask many more questions, but it would have to wait.

  Belinda’s father stepped down from his high perch on the stairs. “Belinda, you will get right back in that carriage and go back to London. You have no business here. And you, Tullering, I thought you would have more sense than to let her continue with her reckless hobby.”

  “Hobby!” She stalked toward her father with clenched fists.

  Gabriel stepped in front of her. “You will soon learn that your daughter is not to be kept from her goals. Besides, if you had ever seen her fight, you would know that she was born to be a demon hunter.”

  Shafton opened his mouth and closed it again several times. “Regardless, you will take her directly back to London.”

  “David, I believe I would like to stay a bit longer. All of this is so interesting.” The footman assisted the countess down from the carriage. She was a bit rumpled from several days travel but still managed a bright smile for her husband.

  The earl’s entire demeanor changed. He rushed forward and took his wife’s hand. He kissed her gloved fingers. “Jacinda, what in the world are you doing here?”

  She batted her eyes prettily. “Belinda thought it time we saw this Scottish castle of yours, and I agreed. It seems odd that all of this has been going on while I have been relegated to the southern estates.”

  He turned an angry eye on his daughter. “What have you done?”

  “Something that you should have done a long time ago. Besides, mother already suspected most of the truth.”

  He turned back to his wife with wide eyes. “You knew?”

  She shrugged with her hands clasped and a slight sway of her skirts. It was a very feminine mannerism. “I am not stupid, David. I was there when Belinda was kidnapped. I saw the things that took her. I visited that hospital of yours and heard all the talk.”

  Brice excused himself from what was obviously a family matter. He sprinted over to Elizabeth and began a conversation with the girl who looked a bit star-struck.

  “Why did you never say anything?” the earl asked his wife.

  “I assumed you preferred your life in Scotland to your life with me. I hoped you would come home someday, but when you did not I accepted that you had a mistress here and would not return to our marriage.”

  His eyes darkened. He looked at his daughter and Gabriel.

  Belinda averted her eyes. It really was a private conversation and neither of them should have been present for it. But they were there.

  “There is no mistress, Jacinda. I could never get the hang of living two lives and in order to protect my family I chose to stay here.”

  The countess’s face brightened. “Perhaps our daughter can help you with that. She seems quite adept at living in both worlds.”

  He took his wife’s hand and tucked it in the crook of his elbow before guiding her up the steps. “Indeed.”

  Gabriel offered his arm, and Belinda allowed him to escort her into the castle. “How are you holding up?”

  “I had hoped he would be happier to see me,” she whispered. “At least he seems genuinely pleased to see mother.”

  “Do you want me to speak to him?”

  She shook her head. “I am not afraid of my father. It is high time he dealt with me.”

  Pride swelled in his chest. She feared nothing, and he admired that in her.

  The earl turned toward them once they were inside the towering stone foyer. There were very few ornaments in the castle. It remained gray and a bit dark. Stairs led up to a landing. To the right a set of open doors led into a large open room. Inside the sounds of fighting drew Gabriel’s attention. He walked to the doorway. Four men and two women were sparring with swords. The clash of steel was loud and jarring.

  The earl’s voice drew him away from the door. He introduced them to a young woman with oriental features, perfect skin, exotic eyes and full lips. “This is Mei Lin. She is a new student here. She will show you to your rooms.”

  The Earl turned, took his wife’s hand and the two walked up the steps to the landing, turned right and disappeared from view.

  “Hello, Mei Lin. I’m Belinda and this is Gabriel.”

  Mei responded with perfect English diction. “You are Lillian’s friend.”

  Belinda’s smile brightened. “I am. You must be the girl who she brought to school last week.”

  Mei nodded, but didn’t smile. “She is very kind.”

  “Yes, she is.”

  She turned and started up the steps. “You’re rooms are on the third level. I will show you.”

  They followed the young woman up steps and down hallways. The castle sprawled in every direction and Gabriel had to pay close attention to their direction. He didn’t want to be lost in Castle Brendaligh.

  After dropping Belinda off at her room, they found his room just down the hallway. Mei Lin left him immediately.

  The room was sparse, but he had lived in worse in France. A bed, desk and washbasin were the only furnishings. The walls were stone and no rug warmed the floor. He left the room immediately and walked down to Belinda’s room. He knocked.

  “Come in.”

  He opened the heavy oak door and entered a room very similar to the one he’d just come from. “Not exactly lush.”

  “They resemble cells, rather than rooms. I supposed the students spend little time in their rooms. When I was in training in London, I had little time left for more than sleeping and eating.” She sat down heavily on the bed.

  Gabriel took a seat next to her. She still smelled faintly of flowers even after the long journey. They had stopped at posting houses and inns along the way, but he was wrung out. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to his side.

  She gave no resistance, sliding up next to him and resting her head against his shoulder where it met his chest.

  “Bella?”

  She sighed. “Yes.”

  “What exactly do you hope to gain from our coming here?”

  Another despondent sound pushed from her lips. “I suppose I had hoped that my father would open his arms to me and tell me how sorry he is for having lied to me all these years. Or at least, how sorry he is that his business nearly cost me my life.”

  He gave her a squeeze. “That seems an unlikely outcome.”

  “Indeed.” Another sigh. “At least mother seems happy. He looked as if he actually loves her. It is rather amazing.”

  “Why do you say that? She is his wife.”

  She pulled away from him and looked him in the eyes. “I could not stand it when you were in France, Gabriel.”

  “Yet you were willing to give me up,” he reminded her.

  “I did not want you to get hurt or killed because of what I do. My feelings on that matter have not changed. I still fear that you will be killed and I will be to blame.”

  He smiled and cocked his head to one side. “Don’t you think it is possible that your father stays away in order to keep danger away from you and your mother?”

  She frowned, and he had to hold himself back from kissing her pouting lips.

  “I agree that might have been his excuse up until the point where I was kidnapped three years ago. But we have seen nothing of him since then and it must have been obvious to him that the enemy knew
our identities and we were in danger. At that point, he should have come home and told us everything. Knowledge is an asset in such cases.”

  He admired how assured she was. “Your father is old fashioned. He may not see it that way. You will have to ask him for his reasons, if it bothers you this much.”

  She leaned back into him and rapped her arms around his waist. “I intend to.”

  Gabriel relished the pressure of her body against his. “Would you like me to accompany you?”

  Her head shook against his chest. “I think this is something I should do alone. You may speak to him about having the wedding here in the next few days if you wish.”

  “I intend to address that issue before dinner.” He said it a bit more forcefully than was necessary.

  She laughed. “Do not worry, Gabriel. I will not run off. I have given my word.”

  “And if your father forbids the wedding?”

  She pulled away again. Her eyes were wide. “Why would he do that?”

  “I do not know. Fathers are strange when it comes to their daughters. He did not seem very pleased with me outside. He thinks I should act the part of a proper English husband and forbid you to fight.”

  “What do you think?”

  He leaned forward and his lips pressed against hers.

  Her mouth opened and their tongues slid together as if they were desperate for a taste of the other.

  His heart pounded and his breath became ragged. Kissing her cheek, he uttered, “As far as I am concerned we already belong to each other. I do not want to change anything about you, Bella. I love you just as you are.”

  Her long, soft sigh was enough to have him straining against his smalls.

  She turned into him and swung one leg over his lap so that she straddled him. She kissed him with renewed passion, practically devouring him. He could feel her trousers, and the weapons she had tucked under her skirts bruised him. Somehow, the knowledge that she was always at the ready for a fight aroused him even more.

  Her lips slid to his jaw.

  “I forbid only one thing,” he added.