As the music continued to flow around them, Mr. Thorn drew in close to Catherine and whispered in her ear, "That's right, Catherine, you are one of us. This is where you belong. Do you remember now?"
The music seemed to fade away, and she stared up into Mr. Thorn's green eyes.
"Is this what you were trying to tell me all along? That I am one of you, a Thorn Dweller or some sort of Fae creature?"
Mr. Thorn brushed her hair away from her face. It was an intimate gesture that normally would have set her ill at ease, but she was full of joy, and she ignored his inappropriate behavior. "Yes, my Lady Thornton, you are one of us. No human can cross into the inner forest, and you did. No human can join in the dance and see us for what we really are, but you did." He swept his arm in a circle to the gathered creatures watching with bated breath. "You are more than one of us. You are our princess, the promised daughter of the Thorns who will free our king from his eternal prison. You were sent to save our kingdom from destruction."
Chapter Twenty-two
All her plans were falling to pieces. Ever since that Mr. Thorn had stepped in, Mary could get no closer to Edward. She thought she had made progress when the maid she paid to feed her information informed her that Lady Thornton had gone missing. Then the wretched woman returned the next day unharmed. I am growing tired of these games. If I still had my magic, Edward would be mine by now. She bunched the fabric of her gown in her fists. She had called Tom to bring out the carriage, and she was rushing to confront the witch. The witch's spell had been a flop. It was supposed to kill Mr. Thorn and lead Lady Thornton to her demise; it had done neither. Mary needed to defeat Mr. Thorn before he came after her. She had heard about the untimely death of Colonel Hawthorn. Everyone in the village knew he was a strong proponent of the Thorn Dwellers. Dr. Rowan claimed his death was a weakness of the heart, but the boy who worked for him was spreading a much different rumor. A monster had broken into the colonel's home and torn him to pieces. There were other witnesses saying Mr. Thorn had been seen shortly after the death of the colonel. It did not take a fool to put two and two together.
The carriage came to a rumbling stop, and Mary let out the breath she had been holding. She waited for Tom to open the carriage door for her. Under normal circumstances, she would have plastered on a false sweet smile and rushed out. But she was too frustrated to even pretend. As soon as the door opened, she burst forward like a shot from a gun. She bustled past Tom, who was nearly bowled over by her speed. She hurried down the small garden path to the witch's front door. Tom hung back at the carriage, talking to the horses, while Mary rapped upon the splintered wood. There was no answer. She knocked again. I am in no mood for your tricks, old woman. Mary tapped her foot and crossed her hands over her chest. She did not even take time to pretend to be congenial, not today. As it was, her mother was already inviting over the Cedars. Mr. Nathaniel Cedars was well into his thirties with no prospects other than his father's estate, which took in a miniscule five hundred dollars a year. If I do not get rid of Lady Thornton soon, my mother will have me married off to that deplorable Nathaniel Cedars. I will not abide it.
She knocked on the door again with much more enthusiasm. The witch was either absent or dragging out Mary's misery for her own amusement. Mary believed the latter. When no answer was forthcoming, she decided to take matters in hand. She grabbed the knob and twisted. The door opened without a protest and swung open into the dark interior. She stepped inside.
"Old woman, your spell did not work. What do you have to say for yourself?" Mary shouted into the dark.
There was no answer. A chill crept up her spine. She looked back over to Tom. He was staring at the clouds overhead and did not notice her distress. She heaved a sigh and went inside. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim interior. When they did, she could see the floors inside had been swept, and nothing remained but the ashes of a former fire in a pit in the middle of the room. The bed remained without a mattress. The cupboards hung open with nothing inside. Mary looked around, hoping this was a trick of the light. The truth was apparent. The old woman was gone. The cottage looked as if she had never been there at all. Mary cursed loud and long in a most unladylike fashion. It was her brother, Charles, who had taught her all the vulgar words she spewed now, and she was glad for every one of them. Tom came barreling in, having heard her shouting. He was brandishing a tree branch like a weapon.
"Miss Ashton, I heard shouting," he said. His wide flat face turned from one corner of the cottage to the other.
"Nothing is the matter," she snapped at the dim-witted coachman. "Take me home, Tom."
He lowered the branch and looked around the empty room. "Mathilde is gone," he said, stating the obvious. She knew he did not mean it as a jibe, but her temper was rubbed raw at this point.
"I know, Tom. That's why I am upset," she said through ground teeth.
"I wonder where she went."
"To hell, for all I care," she murmured.
Tom looked at her wide eyed as if he could not believe his mistress had sworn in front of him. It was true she was not acting her usual self, but the stress of her situation was bringing forth all her worst attributes. She rushed past him to avoid further dim-witted commentary. She waited impatiently for him to open the carriage door. She crossed her arms and scowled at the peeling paint sides of the carriage. Tom fell over his own feet in his haste to get it open for her. She climbed inside, declining Tom's offer of assistance. He slammed it shut and then with a gentle word to the horses from Tom, they were zooming back home. What do I do now? How can I possibly convince Edward to set aside his wife when he seems so disgustingly in love with the plain woman?
Mary tapped her fingers against her arm as she thought. No ideas had come to her by the time she arrived home. She rushed through the front door and let Mr. Bernard take her coat and hat. She stomped over to the parlor, where her mother was working on some cross-stitching. Mary flung herself into a chair across from her.
Mrs. Ashton did not look up but said, "What seems to be the problem, daughter?"
"I refuse to marry Nathaniel Cedars."
Her mother looked up with an arched brow. "Has he asked for your hand?"
She huffed and looked away from her mother. "No, though I know you have invited him and Mr. Cedars to dinner. So he might take that idea up in his head."
Her mother smirked. "Have I now?"
"You think you're so clever, but I have been working on my own schemes. I spoke with the witch, and she gave me a spell to make Lady Thornton irresistible to the Thorn Dwellers."
Her mother set aside her cross-stitch to look at her daughter fully. "This is news indeed. I did not think you clever enough to come up with such a plot."
She colored, embarrassed by her mother's harsh assessment of her. She would not admit it to herself, but Mary had always been more direct in her plots. She preferred the easy way in most cases. "It worked. Lady Thornton went missing, and word about town says the last she was seen was beside the forest."
"And she was found again. Mrs. Bloom was by earlier with her daughters. She heard from Mrs. Rosewood that Lady Thornton turned up unharmed."
Mary exhaled. She had hoped her mother would not be abreast of neighborhood gossip. It appeared her mother had not been idle. "Yes, I heard that as well." Mary traced the flower pattern on the couch with the tip of her finger.
"And now you're out of ideas and out of magic." Her mother summarized.
Mary dared not look her mother in the eye because she would see her shame, and Mary could not bear it. All her plans were unravelling. It was that Mr. Thorn's fault, but without the witch's assistance, what hope did she have of ending Edward's marriage?
"You are fortunate I have been keeping track of your progress," her mother continued. At this, Mary did look up. Her mother was sitting, back rigid, looking at her daughter.
"Do you have a plan, then?" Mary asked.
Her mother smiled, and it was not heartwarming. It was
a conniving smile. "As a matter of fact, I do. I have been doing a bit of research on this Lady Thornton." She said her name like a curse. "She and Edward met at a party in London, and according to my source, it was love at first sight. To me it seemed strange, given Edward's pragmatic nature. Their romance was a whirlwind to say the least. Their entire courtship lasted two weeks. They took no honeymoon journey and arrived here shortly after."
Mary ground her teeth together as she listened. She did not want to hear the details of Edward's marriage. She needed a way to dissolve said marriage.
"You need to be patient, daughter. I am coming to a point," Mrs. Ashton said, drawing attention to Mary's anger.
Mary lowered her lashes, chastised.
"Since she has come to Thornwood, Lady Thornton has often been seen in the company of a Mr. Thorn. He is a gardener at Thornwood Abbey. I do not know much about him other than he has been working for the manor for a short time."
Mary gasped. Her mother raised a brow in question. "Do you know this man?"
"Yes, he's the gardener, or so he pretends to be. I suspect he is much more than what he seems. He threatened me and undid my love spell on Edward."
Mrs. Ashton nodded. "Ah. That explains much. He is a thorn in our side. We will need to deal with him, then. First we must get rid of Lady Thornton."
"Does this mean you're not planning on marrying me to Nathaniel Cedars?"
Her mother scoffed. "I would never waste such potential on such a low-hanging fruit. Nathaniel Cedars is just a means to an end. While we pretend to let him court you, you can pursue Lord Thornton without ridicule."
It was brilliant. There was a reason Mary feared her mother; she was a master of cunning. She must remind herself to never cross her mother. Her reputation would be ruined before she made it out the door.
Mary clapped her hands together with glee. "What do we do to discredit Lady Thornton, then?"
"We will expose her affair with Mr. Thorn."
"They are having an affair!" It explained Mr. Thorn's need to protect Lady Thornton and her disappearance. She must have been away with her lover in some sort of illicit rendezvous.
"Do not be a simpleton. Lady Thornton has had no affair that I know of. I believe the Fae want her for some other purpose or she is some sort of enchantress. Whatever the reason, Lord Thornton will not believe it. He puts no stock in magic or the Fae, but he is a man, and he will trust the word of his childhood friend."
She gave her daughter a pointed look. Mary laughed; it was the perfect plot. She would expose Lady Thornton as an adulterer, and Edward would be forced to put her aside. She could pretend to be courted by Nathaniel Cedars as Lord Thornton went through the process to annul his marriage, giving Mary time to pursue Edward without ruining either of their reputations. Even if her magic never returned, she did not care. It was enough to have the life she deserved.
"I should go straight away and tell Edward." Mary stood to check her appearance in the mirror. Should I change? No, it must look natural as if I heard the news and rushed over to tell him.
"Do not rush," her mother warned. "If you burst in, he may suspect what you're telling him. Or what if Lady Thornton is there? Will you make your accusations to her face?"
Mary smiled to think of it. She remembered the spell she had cast on the simple woman. Lady Thornton had no spine, and even if Mary made the accusations with her standing there, Mary suspected Lady Thornton would put up no defense. She would bow out like the coward she was.
"I am going, Mother. The sooner this matter is settled, the sooner our money troubles will be solved."
Mary called for Mr. Bernard, who brought back her coat and hat, and before long she was out of the house and on her way to Thornwood Abbey. She was giddy with excitement. She was not sure why she had not thought of such a simple tactic from the start. What woman could return from an accusation such as adultery? It was too perfect. She would ruin Lady Thornton's character and win her prize in one swoop.
The carriage came to a halt in the circular driveway of Thornwood Abbey. For a moment, Mary feared a repeat of her previous venture to Thornwood Abbey. Tom opened the door without delay, and the footman was waiting at the door to let her in. She mounted the steps to the house with a hardly suppressed smile. I can see Mr. Thorn's threats were empty ones. I should never have stayed away. She shed her coat, handing it to a redheaded footman.
Mr. Hobbs, Edward's butler, greeted her. "Miss Ashton, what a surprise. We did not know you were coming to call."
She smiled and it was dripping with sweetness. "I heard Lady Thornton had gone missing; I came to give his lordship my condolences."
She expected Mr. Hobbs to deny the statement and offer to show her to Lady Thornton's room. But he said instead, "Yes, it seems the lady has gone missing again. Mrs. Morgan saw her for a brief moment yesterday, but before dinner last night she disappeared once more. We have searched for her everywhere, but we fear she is gone for good." He did not seem too troubled by this news.
Mary exalted at the revelation. Did the spell work after all? If it did, I can make this work in my favor. It would make things that much easier. But to be certain, she decided to carry forward with her new plan.
"I am sorry to hear it. If you could show me to the parlor, I will wait for his lordship there," Mary said, displaying just the right amount of concern. Now that her plan was back on track, she could implement some of her more subtle techniques.
Mr. Hobbs bowed and then showed Mary to the parlor to wait. Mary was too excited to sit, and instead she paced the floor, waiting for Edward to arrive. It was not long before the double doors opened. When they did, Mary drew back in shock. She hardly recognized Edward. There were dark circles ringing his eyes, his clothes were not tucked in, and there was dirt smudged on his cravat.
"Edward, you look..." She could not choke out a false sentiment. He looked haggard and ten years older than the last time she had seen him. What has that woman done to you? she wondered.
"I look terrible, I know. I came to tell you to leave, Miss Ashton. Now is not a time I want to see guests."
She hesitated. Edward had never acted this way with her. He had always been kind and gentle.
"That is why I came; there's something I have to tell you, though I know it will cause you pain."
He looked up at her. His eyes were fever bright. Was he ill? Could it be fatal? She would have to work quickly if she hoped to marry him before the illness took him.
"Is it about Catherine? Have you seen her?" He grabbed Mary's shoulders and shook her.
For the first time since Mr. Thorn had threatened her, Mary was terrified.
"I have not seen her since she slipped off into the woods with Mr. Thorn," she said. His grip upon her shoulders grew painful, and his nails dug into her flesh. She made a noise of protest. "Edward, you are hurting me."
He shook Mary and flung her to the floor. She caught herself on her hands but jerked her shoulder. She crawled backward to get away from him. He had fallen to his knees and howled. It was a primal sound that rippled through her.
"What is wrong with you, Edward?"
He looked up at her with yellow eyes that were anything but human. "I am transforming; can you not see? I am no longer a man without her love. I am a beast." He threw his head back, and she watched in horror as his face elongated and hair spread from the top of his head to cover his face in a shaggy coat. He looked like a grotesque version of a wolf.
She got to her feet and thought to run before he took it into his head to attack her. She got to the door, but it was locked. She rattled the doorknobs and pounded on it. No one was coming to her rescue. She pressed her back flat against the door. She looked at Edward, who was no longer human but some sort of beast from a nightmare. He stood back on haunches that looked like a dog's. His arms had grown long and were covered in fur and ended with ivory claws. He opened his mouth rimmed with sharp teeth.
She cried, "Please do not hurt me. I only wanted you to love me. I wou
ld have been a good wife for you."
Then she heard a laugh, something akin to a cackle. She looked to her left and saw the witch standing there.
She crawled over to grab at the witch's feet. "Help me, please. The spell you gave me did not work. Lady Thornton still lives."
The witch laughed again. "Oh, my spells have worked. Just not in the way you thought they would. You've done your part, and I have only one use left for you."
"Please, I will do anything, just keep that thing from hurting me," Mary pleaded while keeping one eye on the monster in the room. It drew no closer, but she could see him trembling with suppressed energy, waiting to lunge at her.
The witched stroked Mary's blond hair. "You are a simple fool."
Mary had no time to respond. The witch pushed her back onto the ground. The beast that was Edward circled them, waiting but not attacking.
Mary wept. "Why are you doing this to me?"
The witch smiled and brought out a dagger from within the folds of her dress. She raised it high above her head and said, "I only need your heart to complete my spell," and then she drove the dagger into her chest.
Chapter Twenty-three
The dancers began to slip away into the dark, leaving behind Ray and Lady Thornton. She was staring at him, eyes wide. He knew it was the witch's influence that made him think so, but he could not help but think her beautiful. Her dark hair had fallen in a cascade over her shoulders. The little white flowers that the attendants had woven in her hair had petals falling from them that clung to her hair like snowflakes. Her small round face was flushed from the dance, and her bow lips were parted in a small 'o'. He would kiss her again if he was able, but as it was, time was short. Now that he was sure she was the one, there was no more time left to waste. He had to take her back to the grove for the final test.
"Your Majesty, the dance is at an end, but our night has just begun. Will you come with me?" He held out his hand to her. She stared at it for a moment as if she still doubted his motives. "I promise. I will not take your heart from you." He smiled.
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