by A. W. Exley
"I'll deal with matters, I think I know what needs to be done to put things right." Charlotte silenced the other two, then rose and pointed me out the door.
I didn't need to be told twice. My mind itched as though it longed to shed a wool covering. Charlotte was the only one who seemed to share my unease with this world. We both walked out of the room.
Once out in the hall, she closed the door behind her and then grabbed my arm. "Quick, let's get out of here before mother follows to scold me for being useless."
"Go where?" I whispered.
Charlotte stared at me. "Serenity House, of course."
It made no sense, but instinct said yes, that was exactly where we needed to be. We couldn't run down the hall because our footsteps would have given us away. Instead we walked as quickly and silently as possible until we reached the servant’s stairway.
"I need to see Father," I couldn't run off without checking on him.
Charlotte shook her head and laid a hand on my arm. "Don't, Ella. This world is not ours. Here, Sir Jeffrey has never recovered, and it would break your heart to see him."
I swallowed a lump in my throat. I desperately wanted to see Father but the picture in my head was of a man recovering his strength. Of life dancing in his eyes as he questioned Seth about his intentions toward me. Dare I gaze upon his broken form?
"They're not real are they? None of them," I whispered.
She shook her head. "I don't think so. I think this realm is like a dream, and it is populated from our memories."
"Very well, but first thing when we get back I am going to him." With my conscience somewhat mollified, we hurried down the servant's access way. We bustled and jostled in the narrow space, spilling out in the alleyway that ran between larder, laundry and kitchen.
Magda stood at the range and narrowed her gaze at us. "Whatever are you two about?"
"Ella is assisting me with something. We'll only be gone an hour." Charlotte kept her head high and escorted me out into the courtyard.
Free of anyone to overhear, I spun on her. "What is going on? Why does no one know what vermin are and why on earth is Louise engaged to Seth?"
Charlotte kept pulling me toward the barn. "I told you, the spell went wrong. I'm not supposed to be here in this realm, only you. They don't remember because in this world none of that ever happened."
Either Charlotte was as mad as me, or she was talking the truth. "Why is it so hard for me to remember? A part of me knows you're telling the truth, but my head feels as though I drank too much champagne last night."
"I think being a witch enables me to remember what happened. Or maybe I remain in control because I cast the spell? Oh, who knows!" She threw up her hands. "It doesn't matter. What matters now is that we need to find Millicent, and you need to defeat her."
Millicent. The word sliced through all my concerns and objections like a midnight breeze scuttling a fog. Details were slow in forming, but I recognised the truth in Charlotte's tale, and I sighed to know Seth could yet be saved from Louise.
"Right, Serenity House. We need transport." I disappeared into the barn while Charlotte stood watch in case Louise got nosy. At least some things were a constant in this world and the other. I wrapped my hands around Trusty's handlebars and wheeled the motorcycle from the barn.
Charlotte stood with an open mouth. "Oh, Ella—"
I had heard all the objections about Father's pride and joy since the day it rolled off the back of an army truck. Step-mother screeched in horror, which only endeared the machine to me. Who knew how many favours Father called in to acquire the Triumph? They were as rare as hen's teeth. "I know, horrid old smelly thing, but Trusty will get us to Serenity House far quicker than anything else."
A smile broke over Charlotte's face. "Actually I was going to say I have wanted a ride on the motorcycle for ever so long. Mother always said it was unseemly and good girls would never dare."
I winked at Charlotte. "Join me on the bad side?"
She laughed as she lifted her skirts and hopped on the back. Her hands wrapped around my waist as I kicked the bike into life, opened the throttle, and we sped along the driveway.
Riding Trusty was not conducive to conversation, and we were both silent on the journey to Serenity House. As we rounded the sweeping driveway and had our first glimpse of the house, I slammed on the brakes.
Charlotte made a soft ompf against my back.
"Sorry," I muttered, without taking my eyes off the vista beyond. The Serenity House we knew was a symmetrical building of two wings and constructed of a warm, honey coloured brick. What stood at the end of the drive way was the original Tudor home. I had seen it once before, in a sketch in an old book kept in Seth's library.
Made of a brownish red brick, its façade reminded me of dried blood. Gone was the Georgian symmetry. The house was a confusing confection of turrets and arches and ramparts as though the architect couldn't decide what sort of look he wanted—elegant manor home or medieval castle. Thick glass in the small mullioned windows gave the house a disapproving face, and dark stained timbers above were heavy brows to its frown.
"That is not what the house should look like," Charlotte whispered from over my shoulder.
"It's the original house the first duke built for his bride. No wonder they covered it all up with the big Georgian addition. Our Serenity House looks far nicer." Ours had a soul. What would we find inside this building?
"What's the plan?" Charlotte asked.
Oh. There was a tricky question. "I don't have one." There were elements to this that we didn't think through. After battling Elizabeth in the catacombs, I had assumed fighting Millicent would be similar. I glanced over my shoulder at Charlotte. "I expected the spell to send me to some shadowy nightmare realm crawling with the Turned while Millicent sat on a throne. This all seems rather… normal."
"I don't like this version of normal. It's unnerving." Her hands dropped from around me and Charlotte went silent.
"You have your mother and sister restored to you here." What was it like for her to lose them both and then find herself seated across from them at the breakfast table? Perhaps Charlotte would prefer to stay here.
"Distance brings things into perspective. Outwardly they look like the rest of us, but if you really look, you can see the rot at their core. They didn't really change when they Turned; they just shed the exteriors that hid what they really are." Her voice was quiet and small behind me, and a sadness weighted each word.
I didn't know how long we had in Millicent's domain, but with each passing minute my mind became clearer. I remembered the life I left behind and why our fight was important.
"Since this all seems frightfully normal, let's act as expected. We will ride up and knock on the front door. You can say you need to discuss a minor wedding detail with Millicent." I wondered where Seth was in this version of our world. Did he read poetry aloud to Millicent, or was he bleeding out his life force on an altar to darkness? Another noble husband sacrificed to feed her power.
We carried on slowly along the driveway, taking in the differences between the estate built under Elizabeth the First and the grand home we knew. Even the gardens were different, laid out in elaborate parterres. During the Great War, the shortage of young men meant gardens were among the first casualties. The time and labour couldn't be spared to maintain such frivolous things, and they became overgrown and lost back into the landscape.
I parked the bike and switched off the engine. We walked under the first arch into a smaller courtyard with a tinkling fountain. Water poured from the mouth of a large fish standing on its tail into the bowl below. Charlotte and I shared a curious look before continuing up the path to large double front doors.
I stopped her before the door. "You will need to do the talking, Charlotte. They should know you as Lady Jeffrey's daughter, whereas I am just the scullery maid."
The knocker was fashioned to resemble a lion's head, the ring clutched in its jaws. I grabbed the cool brass
and rapped twice on the door. My immediate job done, I stepped back so Charlotte could take central stage.
One side of the enormous doors swung open. A young footman peered down an aquiline nose at us. Where was Warrens? I hoped nothing untoward had happened to him here. He was a reliable old brick.
"Is the duchess in, please? My mother sent me to ask about the wedding. She wonders about using the gardens for spring nuptials. That would accommodate more people." Charlotte prattled the words like a society girl looking forward to the event of the year.
The footman stood to one side. "I shall enquire if she will see you, Miss Jeffrey."
I swear the man sniffed as I walked past, as though a bad smell passed under his nose. I was about to give him a smart retort when a faint memory pinged into my head. I glanced back and stared at his nose. It was quite distinctive, as were his height and slender frame.
I knew him. Except last time I saw him he had a large, gaping wound in his chest.
The soft soles of his shoes made no sound as he walked down the hall and rapped on a parlour door.
"I know him," I whispered to Charlotte.
Charlotte frowned as the servant disappeared into the next room. "Do you recognise him from Seth's staff?"
I grabbed her sleeve to stop her going after him. "No. That's Tim Matthews. He was the first. You never forget your first. I took his head off with my sword to defend Alice. They threw me in jail as a murderer. How can he be here when his body was destroyed?"
Charlotte's mouth made a round O shape. She turned her head and tracked his body as it reappeared. "Perhaps it is because you only destroyed his physical form in our world. What if their souls are trapped here?"
It made horrible sense in my head. We hypothesised that empty shells rose up and attacked us, assuming their souls were tucked up safe in Heaven. Then Charlotte ventured that Millicent collected their souls and kept them trapped in her realm. That the Turned served in the in-between realm while their bodies did Millicent's bidding in our world. It wasn't enough to dispatch their physical bodies. We needed to find a way to free all the unfortunate souls she had gathered.
Matthews returned to us and gave a small bow to Charlotte. "The duchess will see you, if you will follow me."
We trod floorboards that were eerily familiar. The sweeping staircase with its griffin end posts dominated the entrance way. A tall, narrow window offered a shaft of light across the bottom step and was matched by an identical window at the top of the stairs. The front door we just came through would one day be removed and become a secret door to the new part of the house.
"Miss Jeffrey, ma'am." Matthews glared at me, but as a servant I wasn't worthy of being announced. I slunk behind Charlotte. My gaze roamed over objects, looking for something to use as a weapon. I would stick to my usual plan, the one that worked. Find a sword, cut off her head, and burn her body.
Ah. The fates smiled on me; Millicent had a pair of doubled headed axes glinting in the low light over her fireplace.
23
Charlotte
Making a choice
* * *
The bird drew my attention first. It uttered a caw as we walked into the darkened parlour. Despite the sun outside, inside was dim. The single window had glass so thick and wavy it was as though sunlight tried to penetrate through deep water. The shafts of light quivered, mimicking the movement of being rocked by an unseen tide. The walls were panelled in a dark wood, and even the tapestries depicted a night-time scene of people cavorting around a bonfire. The raven was perched upon the top of a high-backed chair that faced the window.
"Hush, Walter. Miss Jeffrey is a neighbour and soon to be part of our family," a rich, lyrical voice said.
"I was wanting a quick word about the wedding, Lady Leithfield. Mother wants to know how many people could fit in the garden because ever so many are expecting an invitation." I glanced at Ella, expecting her to do something, like leap at the duchess waving a sword.
"You are so very early to call, Charlotte, how uncouth of you. I was on my way to bed after a rather productive night." Millicent rose from her chair. Her tall body was draped in a red velvet gown. A gold tasselled cord cinched the gown at her narrow waist. Long black hair rose from a widow's peak and then fell past her shoulders. Her face was angular, with high cheekbones and an aura of superiority in the tilt of her nose. There was a vague resemblance to mother, but she was a poor reflection of the original.
Black eyes peered at me and then moved to a point over my shoulder where Ella stood. "Oh. You brought Eleanor. This isn't a social call, is it Charlotte? How delicious to catch you in a lie." Her gaze narrowed and she held out her arm. The raven cawed and hopped onto her forearm. Now two sets of black eyes stared at me. As one, both tilted their heads to regard me on a slight angle.
"You have changed, Charlotte. You have shed your ordinary skin. You have discovered what lay dormant in your blood, and there is now a glow of power about you. Who would have imagined little Charlotte lying and practicing witchcraft? Whatever next—murdering your husband?" Her lush lips pulled into a full smile and exposed her canines.
Chills ran over my skin. Embracing the power within me didn't mean following her dark path. I would walk in the light.
"I'm sure we'd love to chat, Millicent, but we came here to defeat you, end the vermin war and send you back to Hell," Ella said. Her gaze caught on the crossed blades over the fireplace and she lunged for them.
Ella grabbed the handle of a double-headed axe and pulled it free of the mount. She weighed the weapon in her hand. "Much heavier than what I'm used to, but it will do the job."
I could only watch as Millicent laughed. Then she lashed out one hand, not the one with the perched raven, but the other. Ella was thrown across the room and landed with a thud by the door.
"Did you think it would be so easy? Louise said you were rather thick, and now I see she spoke true. This is not the physical world, but my domain." Millicent advanced on Ella like a walking thunderstorm. The air cracked and fizzed around her. The ember deep inside me responded to her presence. It heated and spread its intoxicating brew through my veins.
Ella scrabbled to her feet, two hands clutching the weapon. The footman rushed through the door, drawn by the commotion. Ella swung the axe and I cringed as the blade sliced into his gut. Ella pulled the axe free and then brought it down on his neck, severing his head in one blow.
"A sharp blade usually works," Ella said as the headless footman slumped to the ground, clutching the entrails that spilled from his opened stomach. "And what works on one, will work on another."
Then a curious thing happened. Matthews' headless body pushed his guts back into his body and they stayed there. His hands reached out blindly and found the head and lifted it back onto his neck. Flesh, blood, and tendons knitted together. He pulled his knees under himself and looked up, intact, without a mark upon him.
"Bloody hell," Ella said.
Millicent laughed and her raven cackled. "You still haven't figured it out yet, have you?"
Ella cast a wide-eyed gaze to me. "Any help you can offer, Charlotte, would be much appreciated."
I didn't know what to do. My feet were nailed to the floor. I wasn't a fighter. Ella always took up the sword in this war. I sat in the parlour, useless. Mother never allowed me to do anything worthwhile. Nobles didn't dirty their hands.
Except I did in my new life. I learned to cook, keep house, tend the garden, and look after the chickens. I delighted in the dirt under my nails because it meant I had done something productive. I only had one fledgling skill I could offer.
I reached out and touched the footman as he staggered to his feet. His head swung in my direction. Mentally I reached for the warm stone in my stomach. I remembered the night on the train roof and my feeling of wanting to help the Turned, to give them freedom. Then I met his gaze and whispered, "I release you."
His eyes widened and his body froze for a second. Then he sighed and crumpled to the ground.
Again. This time he didn't get up. His body simply… dissolved. As though he were made of morning mist and a light breeze scattered him into nothing.
"You have a talent, Charlotte, but then Anne was a powerful witch. Soon I will return to your world and all shall fall under my dominion. I will have Louise at my right hand, and you could be at my left." Millicent reached out and caressed my face.
Her touch was cold. Like the grave. Yet the ember inside me flared even brighter.
"How can you return? Won't you be like they are?" I pointed to where the footman had lain before he evaporated.
A cold smile graced her elegant face. "At the moment, my physical body is suspended between life and death, neither one nor the other. But when I have sufficient souls to power me, I shall be reborn into the world in a new immortal form."
While we talked, Ella crept up behind Millicent. She struck out with the axe, slicing through Millicent from the right side of her neck down and across to come out under her left arm. I expected her body to slide into two pieces, but nothing happened. The blow moved through her torso unimpeded by flesh or bone, as though Ella sliced at thin air. The blow continued on its arc and the blade wedged in a side table.
Ella stared at the axe and then the untouched Millicent. A frown pulled her brows. "Time to think of a new plan," she muttered.
"Enough of this. I am so close, I believe one more soul will be sufficient. How fitting it is you, Eleanor, who will herald my return." Millicent waved her hand and more footmen marched into the room. One, two, and onward until at least ten men surrounded us. They grabbed Ella and she disappeared underneath them. Her muffled cries and struggles were mere ripples in their solid mass.
"To the dining hall." Millicent waved her hand. The raven took flight and pursued the men bearing Ella with them. "Walk with me." She took my hand and my body obeyed as she led me away.
I wanted to cry, I felt so helpless. Yes I could release one person, but Millicent controlled thousands, if not millions by now. I could labour for my entire lifetime and only free a fraction of them. She was so powerful—she was the ocean and I, a mere puddle.