She moved on to the dining room. She swallowed hard against the lump of terror threatening when she saw the candles on the dining room table. They looked the same as the first night she’d lit them. She lit them again and turned up more lamps, determined to cast out the darkness and shadows.
She let out a heavy breath and smiled. Her thoughts carried her to the odd conversation at Liam’s dinner party. He’d been battered from all sides by questions and accusations and an invisible interloper, but he’d carried all conversations easily. She remembered how Penelope had reacted to touching her. She allowed herself a moment to feel the sadness; she’d so wanted to be friends with Penelope. Now, it would never be.
Pushing the heaviness from her chest, she stared around the room. Above the scent of gas in the lamps and the wax of the candles, she could still smell Millie’s apple pie.
“As soon as I’m done filling this place with light, I’m going to find some apples and make my own pie.”
Her situation didn’t seem so frightening when she had a plan.
She moved on to the music room. At the hearth, she spent a few moments lighting the fire. Odd how the logs and kindling were arranged for her, but she gave it little thought as she held her lighter under a few pinecones to get it all started. Intentionally ignoring the sofa where Liam had slept while she wrote her notes, she made her way around the room and lit the lamps. Only when the room was filled with light and all the gloominess was gone did she look at the sofa. She could almost envision him lying there, sleeping, staying with her all night although he had to be uncomfortable.
She sighed, letting go of the vision. Maybe she’d suddenly wake up again and be back with him. But she didn’t hold on to that notion any tighter than she did the idea she might wake up and be back with her brothers or her parents. Taking in the room, she stopped at the sight of the Charleston Couier lying on the table where Liam had left it.
At least her time with Liam hadn’t all been a dream.
Shifting her gaze and saw her music notebook on the piano.
All night she’d sat at that piano writing a song for Liam. And now he would never hear it. She should have played it for him the moment he woke and complained about the crick in his neck. Never again would she ever waste a moment not telling or doing what was necessary for those she loved. Not ever.
Too late to make that vow now. Now, she was alone. In the darkness and silence. Okay, maybe silence, but she intended to keep the candles lit as long as possible and she’d break the silence with her music.
Now she could only hope that those she loved—her parents, her brothers, and Liam—would somehow hear her music and feel her love in their hearts. And yes, she did love Liam. She’d only been with him a few days, but it was as if her soul recognized his. As if, no matter on which plane they existed, they were meant to love each other.
At least she got to stay in his house. She didn’t even think of it as her house anymore. It was his. It was as if she shared it with him.
And it was his piano.
After a few heartbeats, she sat down at the piano. She tore the pages from her notebook and spread them out even though she didn’t need to read the music she’d written. Whenever she wrote music, once she committed it to paper, her heart and her fingers knew how to play it. That was how it had always been for her.
She picked up her pencil and added to the title: (Liam’s Song).
Then she put her fingers on the keys, closed her eyes and played it, listening, feeling, living her music as the notes filled the house. And her heart.
For a long moment, after the notes finished echoing through the house, she sat quietly, eyes still closed, barely breathing.
Well that was a first…
The first time she’d ever written a song that didn’t require at least a little bit of tweaking. No, it was exactly what she’d wanted, everything she’d dreamed when she sat down to write it. The song spoke of stepping into Camden Place, the way the house lightened her heart, of meeting Liam, of his strange dinner party. There was even the exact crescendo for that misty character with the knife.
And it was a haunting melody, which was fitting.
Yes, everything she wanted in her musical story was there.
“Beautiful,” she breathed.
“Yes, it is,” a voice whispered behind her, just as hands gripped her shoulders.
Clare screamed and jumped from the piano bench.
Chapter Eighteen
Clare stared at Liam, her heart pounding painfully as she worked to calm her breath.
“I am so sorry, my darling. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
She blinked at him, then reached out to touch him, see if he was real and not something she’d just dreamed up after playing his song.
“Where did you…where did you come from?”
He was solid, real, and warm. When he pulled her into his embrace, she melted against him, and held on to him as tightly as was humanly possible she was so relieved to see him. He smelled so good. She heard his heart beating as she pressed herself against his chest.
“Sweet heavens, I frightened you so badly you seem unable to catch your breath. I feel you trembling.”
Gerard came to the door. “Is everything all right, sir? We heard Miss Clare scream.”
“Everything is fine, Gerard. Thank you. I’m afraid I snuck up behind her and frightened her.”
“Your music is lovely, Miss Clare,” Gerard remarked before he left again.
“Thank…thank you.” She had to work past the scare, but it was getting easier. She took a deep breath and felt her body calm as she remained within the circle of his arms. “You…You were gone.”
“Of course, I was gone. I told you I needed to do some work today, go to my office. I also spent some time at the courthouse and the Brenner’s hotel. Although, I must admit, it was nearly impossible to leave you. After I tucked you in this morning, I watched you sleeping, and it took all my will power not to climb under the covers with you.”
“No, I mean you were gone.”
“Yes, I know. And you were asleep while I was gone. Did you have a nice nap? According to Millie, you slept all day.”
She pulled away enough to look up at him, but she gripped his arms with her hands, terrified if she let him go, he might disappear again. “Yes, I did.”
“Good, but you’re staring at me.”
“I’m glad to see you. I missed you.” It was the most desperate of truths. When she thought she was caught in this place alone, it was terrifying. But more than that…she never thought to see Liam again. Her heart wrenched at the memory.
He leaned close and kissed her. The touch of his lips was electrifying, warm, and perfect. “I missed you, too. I think tomorrow, when I have to go my office, I’ll take you with me.”
“You bet your ass you will. You aren’t leaving me home alone again. Ever.”
He kissed the top of her head and chuckled at her choice of words. She closed her eyes into his kiss and her heart did a little sigh. Is this what it felt like to be in love? In his arms, she felt utterly cherished.
“I thought of you every moment. Of course, if this is the way you’ll greet me when I come home, maybe I’ll do better to leave you here. And on that note, perhaps I should send a message to my friends and tell them the dinner party is cancelled.”
“Dinner party?” Clare asked, a chill shuddering through her. For some reason, the thought of meeting Liam’s friends for real both thrilled and scared her. Also…what about the vision she had of the man with the knife?
“Yes, I hope you don’t mind that I invited my friends for supper. Soon, I hope they’ll all be your friends. I just want to show you off. I want everyone to meet you and see us together. I want you sitting in the proper seat at my table. I want you beside me, Clare. Always.” His voice held a heavy emotion that wrapped Clare in its heat. She shuddered.
Until that moment, Clare hadn’t understood the magnitude of the word ‘always’ or the word ‘
forever’. But in his arms, she certainly wanted both of them, especially after having a taste of being without him. She never wanted to feel that soul-rending loneliness again.
“Is Evelyn coming?” Clare wasn’t certain that what she needed was another dinner party. Then again, perhaps she should surround herself with people. After thinking she was trapped in the house completely alone, a party with laughter and fellowship was what she needed.
Liam chuckled. “She and her brother were not invited, so no. I suppose they could always barge in. It wouldn’t be unlike them. I’m just sorry you don’t have any gowns of your own. You’ll have to wear one of my mother’s.”
“I don’t mind. Your mother has lovely gowns.”
“Well, would you mind going up stairs and putting one on? While I love to see your curvy hips in these jeans, I’m not certain my friends would understand.”
She laughed, finally beginning to feel at ease for the first time since she’d awakened that evening. “Promise you won’t disappear if I go upstairs.”
“Of course, I wouldn’t think of it. I believe my mother has a dark blue gown that would look beautiful on you.”
She smiled up at him, her heart light. “I’ll check it out.”
“I suppose that means you don’t need my help finding it and putting it on,” Liam said, his eyes darkening with devilish hope.
She chuckled again. “You got it.” She moved toward the stairs, but stopped and turned back to him. “I do hope it doesn’t bother you overly much.”
“What, my lovely?”
“That while I love wearing beautiful gowns, I don’t plan to completely give up my jeans.”
He shook his head at her. “I would expect nothing less from you. I merely want to spend time with you. I love the way your eyes sparkle in the firelight. I love the way you look at me. I love to watch you when you lose yourself in your music, as if it’s an ocean and you’re swimming in it. If I get to keep you all to myself, that would be fine, too. But for this dinner party, I don’t think I should play anymore games of Questions without you there to show I’m not insane. Besides, after my bump on the head, I’m not certain I’m able to keep up with several conversations at once. And I want them to see you as a woman of this century and hear you when you play that lovely piece of music you wrote for me.”
She stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at him, loving him with every beat of her heart.
He looked up at her and smiled, making her heart pound harder, faster. “What is it?”
“I just thought I’d never feel…never have…what I have here,” she remarked, gesturing between them. “Thank you.” She wasn’t ready to tell him she loved him. She wasn’t ready to say the words, but he had to know, right? She hadn’t even known how much she loved him until she thought she’d lost him forever.
Yes, she would miss her family. Terribly. But somehow Liam Camden had managed—in a very short time—to reach in and weave their souls together.
“And I thank you, Clare, for showing me what my heart and my life were truly missing.”
Movement behind Liam from the darkened parlor caught her eye.
It was the dark figure Clare had seen when she first entered the house, the man with the hidden face who wore a hat, the man with the bloody knife in his hand. Only right now, it wasn’t bloody. It was shiny clean as he stepped up behind Liam.
“Liam!” was all she had time to scream. She tried to run down, but was forced to catch hold of the railing to keep from stumbling. And her legs suddenly felt as though she were running through three feet of water.
To her horror, Liam turned, not quite presenting his back to her. Then it was all in slow motion.
“What the hell, Oliver?” Liam asked.
Evelyn stepped out of the parlor behind Oliver. She wore a red dress. When Clare first arrived, she had only been able to see a misty part of the skirt. Now Clare saw the complete outfit, could even make out the seashell buttons of her bodice.
Oliver reached out and handed the knife to Evelyn. In an expert, familiar, bold move, Oliver grabbed Liam. Liam was strong, but not quite as big as Oliver, and not as prepared as Oliver.
“I suppose I should be glad you broke our engagement Liam, given how mad you are to stand here by the stairs and talk to a ghost no one else can see. But nonetheless, you should never have broken our engagement. No one rejects me. Ever.” Evelyn sank the knife right into Liam’s belly.
In Oliver’s hold, Liam’s knees gave out. He might have fallen to the floor, but Oliver held him up. Still, he gasped for air, trying to clutch his stomach but Oliver held him bound. “Why?” he let out, his voice a wet, painfilled gargle.
“You should have married me, Liam. You should have become my husband to give us the cover we need. Instead you created an imaginary lover.”
“What? Cover?” Liam forced out as Clare screamed and leapt down the stairs. But something was wrong. She couldn’t get down the stairs fast enough. It was like she was caught in the fog of a dream.
It was obvious Evelyn couldn’t see or hear Clare. “Yes, people have begun to suspect there is more to Oliver and me than a simple sibling relationship. I think a few have even begun to suspect that we’ve killed some of those who have joined us in our nightly fun. But we only killed those we thought would tell our secrets. We couldn’t allow for anyone to discover how Oliver and I really love one another or that we like others to join in our fun or watch us.” Evelyn cocked her head to the side in a defiant, arrogant stance. “You could have married me. The three of us would have had a fabulous time together. I even think you would have enjoyed it. And if you weren’t interested in joining Oliver and me in our bed, you could have just watched us. I know you’ve paid Miss Sue Ellen to watch her girls as they pleasured each other. But then you had to go mad and dream up some lover.”
“Never…” Liam let out.
“See, my dear,” Oliver said. “I told you he would never agree.” He leaned closer and turned his attention to Liam. “You should have just drunk my wine the other night instead of spilling it all over the table. I made certain to add enough arsenic in it that time. Or you should have just let me run you down in the street. It would have been so much easier for us. Then we wouldn’t have had to do it this way.”
“Why? Why would you want to kill me?” Liam’s words came out between breaths.
“I wasn’t certain I wanted to.” Evelyn pulled out the knife and stuck him again. “I was just growing bored waiting for you. Then Oliver convinced me I could play the grieving fiancé after you were dead. Just think of all that attention. And it would give people something else to think about instead of wondering if Oliver and I were lovers. We might even get possession of your house and your excellent cook. The dinnerware, however, I must admit I would sell. It’s not exactly to my liking.”
Liam groaned and Evelyn stabbed him a third time. Clare couldn’t believe the Wanesworth siblings spoke so calmly, as if they were discussing the weather.
Gulping in a breath, Clare put her hand on Oliver’s arm.
“Oh, my God!”
Liam fell completely to the floor, curled in a ball, clutching his middle and bleeding as Oliver, shocked at the sudden sight of Clare, released him.
“What is it, my love?” Evelyn turned her attention from Liam to her brother.
Clare used Oliver’s surprise to her advantage and grabbed the chair where Liam had sat while she put ointment on his wounded head, raised it, and smashed it over Oliver’s head. The sound it made was sickening. Oliver slumped to the floor just as Gerard arrived from the kitchen.
“Master Liam!”
Relief filled Clare with Gerard’s arrival. “They are the Midnight Killer. Get some help, Gerard, call the City Guard and the doctor.” Clare wanted nothing more than to help Liam, but she wasn’t finished. Not yet. She couldn’t let Evelyn get away. What if Clare stayed in the limbo land where only certain people could see her? She wouldn’t be able to save Liam and Evelyn might get away
with her crimes. Clare reached out and grasped Evelyn’s hand.
Gerard stared at the scene for a moment.
“Go, now Gerard.”
Evelyn looked at Clare, her eyes widening, and screamed.
Gerard dashed out the front door, but not before Clare put every bit of strength she possessed and punched Evelyn in the face. There was enough force behind her small fist to send Evelyn out of her grip and stumbling across the foyer, the bloody knife still clutched in her hand.
Clare took in the brother and sister duo for another moment, making certain they wouldn’t be any threat for at least the next few moments. Only then did she kneel down next to Liam and put her hands on his stomach to apply pressure and try to stop the bleeding. But so much of his blood already covered his clothes and the floor. Evelyn had been an expert with her knife, obviously hitting vital organs and vessels. It didn’t take an experienced doctor to see the dire situation.
Only then did she allow herself to feel and recognize the fear that gripped her. This was the nineteenth century. There was no modern medicine, no 911 emergency call center that sent first responders, no sterile operating rooms with skilled surgeons.
“Liam.” She looked down at him, met his gaze. “It’s okay. You’re going to be fine.”
“Ah, Clare.” With one bloody hand, he reached up and touched her face. “Never play poker, my dear. You’re a terrible liar.”
She tried to smile, but only fought to keep from crying. She couldn’t lose him. Not now. Not like this. Not when she, herself, seemed caught between realities. Without him, she was terrified she couldn’t find her way to where she was supposed to be.
He held her gaze. “Somehow you landed in my house and brought your music to me. You’ve shown me what real love is. Thank you. I love you, Clare. My heart will be yours forever. My soul shall always love yours.”
His words were music in her heart. At the same time, they were like an ice pick chipping away at it. Why now? Why did she have to be given such great love now, only to have it snatched away again? “I love you.” Her tears landed on his dear face. It was only three words.
Camden Place: The Haunted Book Three Page 16