Magic & Mayhem

by Susan Conley

  Stumbling up, Adrian swung about, ready to charge after her. Something snatched his elbow back roughly, halting his flight. Sharp fingernails dug into his sweater sleeve as Janice called sharply to Lloyd.

  “Go after her, Lloyd. She’ll never find her way back to the main chateau alone.”

  Adrian felt rather than saw Lloyd’s nod as he bolted past the table. He disappeared through the doorframe, calling sharply for Ginger to hold up. The rich timbre of his voice faded away along with receding footsteps and Adrian felt his stomach heave. Those snakes were having a picnic in his stomach now, hissing and coiling, preparing to strike. Janice’s voice cut through their din.

  “Calm down, Adrian. Lloyd will see to Ginger. Her outburst is understandable. She’s scared.”

  “Well, who the hell in the room isn’t!” he snapped.

  “It’s different for her and you know it. She didn’t grow up in our kind of world.”

  “Babying her won’t help the situation!” Adrian countered.

  Janice’s accusing retort stabbed the air.

  “A little understanding from your heart instead of your mouth would be a welcome relief to us all, Adrian. My God, why can’t you have some compassion for Ginger and look at this nightmare from her side? She must feel like an animal in a cage, who, even if the door was open, wouldn’t dare come out. We talk of ghosts and spirits the way she talks of music and composers. To her, we must resemble creatures from another world.”

  “Or hell,” Adrian commented wryly.

  Janice shot him a cold look, rancor sharpening her tone.

  “Give your mouth a rest, Adrian. It’ll thank you for it.”

  With a sweep of his hands, Adrian returned her sarcasm.

  “Ginger’s got to stay tough and brazen her fears out with the rest of us. I don’t know what Lisette has in mind next for us, do you?”

  “Of course not!”

  “Well, my gut instinct tells me things are going to get tougher, not easier. If you weren’t so busy coddling Ginger just to spite me, you’d sense that!”

  “Spite you!” Janice’s eyes flashed green ice. “I resent that remark from you, Adrian, I really do. I genuinely like Ginger. And if I’m coddling her as you say, it’s because I do feel sorry for her. Not because we’re trapped here like mice in a maze, but because I remember what it’s like to hang around an insensitive bastard twenty-four hours a day!”

  Her words were meant to sting him to the core, Adrian realized, but it had the opposite effect. She was obviously comparing him to her ex-husband. The snakes in his stomach quieted, infusing him with an unexpected streak of honesty.

  “I’ve been ugly to you, Janice. I don’t deny it. If I had a heart of stone, it wouldn’t be so bad being here with you, looking at you, wanting to make love to you … ”

  He cut off his sentence in mid-stream as startled as she by the confession. Her confusion quickly turned to subdued anger. One look at the fiery glint in her eyes and Adrian knew she had misinterpreted his words. She thought them another of his ploys to be especially nasty to her. She stepped back and he guessed she was about to deliver the second stinging slap to his cheek in one night.

  Inwardly, Adrian groaned, a part of him hoping she would hit him. If she struck him, there would be an end to the mounting dislike between them. If she hit him, both of them would be released — free to concentrate on getting rid of Lisette’s hold over them.

  Adrian waited for the blow, his eyes locked in a silent battle of wills with Janice. Like cunning dogs defending their turf, they both assessed the other’s anger, neither giving way. When the silence between them deepened, Janice put out her hand, palm up to him. Adrian glanced at it, confused.

  “My compass,” she said quietly.

  Adrian nodded. She was leaving the room like Ginger before her. But she was going away in quiet dignity. Knowing he couldn’t allow her to go off on her own either, Adrian dipped his fingers into his shirt lining pretending to search for her compass. He came up empty and shrugged in dismay at her.

  “Sorry. Must’ve dropped it in the solarium in all the excitement.”

  Her face fell in disappointment and she withdrew her hand. Adrian heard a small sigh escape her lips as she took a step around him and headed for the doorway. Lightning-quick, he grabbed her elbow and spun her back around.

  “We’ve got to stay together. You know that.” Her withering glare set the snakes in his stomach hissing again and he let loose her arm. Clenching his teeth, he swatted the air impatiently. “All right, go ahead. Get lost out there.” She remained motionless and he repeated his gesture. “Go on. Take your tight little ass out of my sight!”

  She was gone with a graceful spin before he even finished the sentence and her retreat had him groaning aloud this time. Smooth, real smooth, he congratulated himself.

  Staring at the empty doorway, Adrian parked himself along the edge of the table and wondered what to do now. His damnable luck when it came to women was still holding and then some. He reached into his shirt lining and withdrew Janice’s compass, curling his fingers around the cylinder. He sensed her life force immediately. Abruptly, his subconscious tossed up a single word. Anna. He tightened his hold on the compass, seeking Anna’s identity. Nothing came, only the word Anna singed in his mind. Anna. Anna was everything to Janice. Quickly, he shut the memory out, stared again at the empty doorway.

  “Way to blow it, Adrian, old buddy,” he chided, mimicking Todd’s usual catch-phrase. “You never thought she’d walk out, did you?”

  A discreet cough sounded behind him and Adrian sprang from the table, casting a furtive glance over his shoulder. Dammit all to hell! He had forgotten the Grisombs were even in the room. He groaned aloud. Sweet Jesus! They had heard every word between him and Janice.

  Rapidly, his mouth went dry and he sought some witty comeback to cover his discomfort. Finding none, he re-parked himself along the edge of the table and began tossing the compass into the air and down again.

  Mercifully, the pair kept silent, sparing him further embarrassment. Their silence allowed him a moment to regain his composure and, forcing a remote dignity to his tone, he finally dipped his head.

  “I think I handled that rather well, don’t you?” Muriel’s laugh gave him a small, satisfying victory and he shrugged his shoulders. Seconds later, his gaze floundered under Jasper’s keenly observant stare. “I know what you’re thinking,” he stated. “I should go after her.”

  Jasper heaved himself from the sofa at once, coming to rest alongside the table.

  “No. Actually, I was thinking how well suited you and Janice seem to be.”

  “Well suited! She can’t abide the sight of me!”

  The older man grasped Adrian’s shoulder and shook him firmly.

  “Nonsense. If you rub two sticks together long enough, you’re bound to ignite a fire.”

  Muriel echoed his sentiment.

  “Jasper’s right. Conflict is a natural state of affairs and the wonderful thing about conflict is that it stimulates one to new insights about themselves.”

  Adrian gave a busted laugh.

  “Insights! You saw her leave. She’d rather take her chances with a ghost than to stay in the same room with me.”

  Muriel gave his forearm a pat.

  “Yes, well, as a Don Juan, you have about as much finesse as a sloth on Librium.”

  Adrian threw his head back, a genuine laugh spilling over. Muriel was a priceless pearl. She had coined a phrase out of his own barbed wit. Touched by her warm support, Adrian reached out and gave her an exuberant hug.

  “You’re so like my foster father. I could never fool him for a minute either.”

  She was obviously pleased by his words and squeezed his arm affectionately.

  “There must’ve been a wonderful little boy insid
e you once, Adrian. What happened to him?”

  “He got lost somewhere … like a bead from a broken string.” The admission was dredged from somewhere beyond logic and reason, and Adrian was astonished at the sense of fulfillment he felt in admitting it. A gentle caress raked his forearm and when he turned, Muriel’s eyes were filled with compassion. Before she could speak, he pocketed the compass and hopped from the table. “Too drained to explain further,” he supplied as he made for the door. “Let’s find Janice. I’m feeling uneasy all of a sudden.”

  In two steps, they were at his side, ready to help in his search. Adrian signaled Muriel out first and she went quickly. About to follow, Adrian was halted by a clamp on his wrist. Instantly, his mind collided with Jasper’s and he heard the question as clearly as if it had been spoken between them.

  “What really happened between you and Janice when the glass shattered at dinner?”

  For a second, he thought of evading the question, then realized the futility of it. If Jasper really wanted to, he could find the answer by simply diving deeper into Adrian’s mind. But it wasn’t his style, Adrian realized. He didn’t intrude where he wasn’t invited. Their eyes met as the two exchanged a pact.

  “A mind meld. A memory. An image of rough, raw lovemaking … ” he said aloud, then paused, aware that Muriel had returned and was staring at him curiously. “I don’t know what it was,” he finished lamely.

  Jasper released his wrist, nodding with a hesitant shrug.

  “Are you afraid the vision you saw is about to happen with Janice?”

  “Worse. I’m afraid it’s not going to happen.”

  His candid reply shocked both of them, but he didn’t wait around to see the look on their faces. Instead, he whipped past and strode down the corridor. A short moment later, he heard their footsteps tapping on the oak floor behind him.

  Reaching an intersection, Adrian signaled the Grisombs.

  “The main staircase is just beyond there. I’m going to circle back through the wing and pick up Janice.”

  “You’re sure she’s back there?” Jasper asked with a tilt of his lips.

  “Yes, because she’s blind as a bat without her compass.” Seeing Muriel’s mouth open, Adrian lifted his hand. “You’re right. It was a despicable thing to do, letting her leave without it. I’ll apologize as soon as I see her.”

  He gave the pair no chance to cast any further slurs on his character and strode back the way they had come. Now, if only Janice would be as kind to him when he finally found her.

  Chapter 13

  SATURDAY — 1:35 AM

  Staring down the expanse of a dimly lit assembly hall, Janice held back a childish desire to stamp her foot. Curse her rotten luck! She was right back where she had started from and more lost than ever. The swords and crossbows hanging like vultures on the crossbeams above her head were the same ones she had passed only minutes ago. Sighing, she finally admitted she had no idea where she was or how far she had come from the library. One thing was for certain though, she was traveling in circles and each minute that passed had her more unsure as to which corridor she should take. Damn her stupid pride! And damn Adrian Magus for not giving her the compass!

  Janice swiped at an angry tear forming. He had her compass, the lying swine! She’d stake six months’ royalty checks on it. Why hadn’t she challenged him in the library to return it to her instead of fleeing like a stupid thief in the night? And why was he refusing to give the compass to her in the first place? He knew she couldn’t find her way alone without it. Why was he being such a donkey’s ass?

  Janice did stamp her foot then, wishing the worst tortures of hell on him. And also on herself. She had let his barbed tongue goad her into leaving the library and it was a childish, foolish thing to do. What had she gained by it? Nothing. He was safe. She was lost.

  “He wanted to keep you from wandering the chateau alone. He senses the danger coming.”

  Janice stiffened, hearing the voice in her head as clearly as if someone had spoken it aloud. Damn it all to hell, go away, she commanded the voice. It drifted away at once, leaving her to notice a tangy aroma permeating the air.

  “Raspberries,” she muttered beneath her breath. The word sent a sudden suspicious chill up her spine and tossing her head, she ventured a tentative question to the air. “Lisette?”

  No response came and Janice stifled a chuckle. If her sense of humor hadn’t suddenly skipped town, her penchant for talking to ghosts that weren’t there would be hysterically funny. After all, hadn’t she promised Captain Bowers only this afternoon she wouldn’t spook any ghosts while here? So much for keeping that promise.

  She cast a hasty glance left and right, swallowing the thick knot that was suddenly forming in her throat. She had to get out of here any way she could. Any door she could. Her gaze scoured the massive white pillars nearby and she shivered. Should she go back that way? Yes, she had to find Lloyd, Adrian, anybody real. If she didn’t, she’d run into an insane panic.

  Squaring her shoulders, she stepped forward, treading the wood floor as if walking on eggshells. With each step, she forced herself to take deep, calming breaths. Breathe in, breathe out.

  Reaching the pillars, a new chill seized Janice, a frozen, frightened thing in her heart and, unnerved, she whirled. In the distance, she heard footsteps drumming on wood. Her hand fluttered to her heart as it began to thump wildly against her ribcage. Dear God, could ghosts produce human footsteps? No way, she cautioned, ghosts were spirit, nothing more. It was Adrian or the Grisombs coming to fetch her.

  A single tear formed in the corner of her right eye as she peered through the shadows of the room toward its farthest end. Please be someone I know, she prayed fervently. She closed her eyes and listened, catching her breath as the footsteps paused, then suddenly resumed, moving away from her. They were leaving her!

  Panicking, Janice tore down the hall toward the receding footsteps and a blot of minuscule light emanating beyond the doorway. Halfway there, she skidded to a halt as a shadow loomed up in the doorway. Adrian. It was Adrian. Bless him. He really didn’t hate her as much as he implied.

  Janice picked up her pace again, clamping her lips to imprison a sob of relief. She didn’t care how much he insulted her from here on out. She had never been so glad to see anyone in her life.

  He stepped into the room, spying her speeding figure and Janice slowed her steps, realizing how stupid she must look to him. No need to rush, she berated herself, you’re safe at last. Her heart slowed its wild thumping, calmed by her confident words. She could see Adrian’s face clearly as he neared and it cheered her. In a few steps, she would be touching him, touching his ruffled shirt to prove he was real, not just a hysterical delusion her panicked mind manufactured.

  Halting inches from him, Janice lifted her gaze to his face. She thought she saw a pensive shimmer in the shadow of his eyes and had an unexpected, disturbing desire all at once to flee back the way she had come. In the next instant, he greeted her, his voice thick and unsteady.

  “Hallo, Izzy, ma petite fleur.” Janice froze, stunned by the greeting. Izzy? Who was Izzy! A hand came out to stroke her hair and she drew back from the touch. “Non, cherie, do not shrink from the touch of my hand on your hair. Vous êtes toujours avec moi quoi que nous avons toujours partie.” The dark eyes clung to hers and Janice’s breath caught in her throat. Was that tenderness in Adrian’s expression and voice? And why the devil was he calling her Izzy and speaking French? And then it hit her. Izzy — Lisette! This wasn’t Adrian at all. In a suffocated whisper, she quizzed.

  “Aubert?”

  “Oui, mon amie.”

  He spoke again, his voice almost a caress. He reached out and this time Janice let his hand brush a stray tendril of hair from her neck. “Do you know what a prized beauty you are? Your hair a tribute to rubies? For three centuries, I have hu
ngered to see you, to feel the melting softness of your body.” His hand smoothed her hair, moved on to her cheekbone.

  Janice held her breath, hypnotized by the invisible warmth of his touch. His knuckles caressed the line of her cheekbone and he was looking at her face as if he were photographing it for all time. Janice’s heart suddenly swelled with a feeling she thought long dead. Not since Jimmy had she felt so consumed by naked desire.

  Before her stood, not Adrian, but Baron Aubert Dumas. And he believed her to be Lisette, was seeking Lisette.

  “Never touched, always touching.” His husky murmur cut into Janice’s thoughts, accelerating her pulse. His hand slipped to the nape of her neck and pulled her toward him. “For three centuries I have hungered to feel your lips on mine.” He was going to kiss her, Janice sensed, unlock his heart and soul to her. The idea sent her spirits soaring, her knees trembling, and the blood pounding in her ears. “Embrassez moi. Come kiss me, Izzy.” His voice was sensually seductive as he lowered his head and his uneven breathing teased her cheek. She felt tears smarting behind her eyes and he saw them. His own gleamed more fiercely. “You have nothing to fear from me, cherie. I am your salvation.” His head dipped lower, his lips hovering inches from hers. Janice’s pulse skittered in alarm as his head blocked out all light.

  “Adrian!” she called, scarcely aware she had called his name.

  As if struck by a spasm, the lips halted their journey. Janice watched the eyes darken in pain, reflect glimmers of light, adjust, then regard her with a speculative stare.

  “Was I about to kiss you?”

  The question was crisp and clear, with a hint of sarcasm, and Janice knew the baron had vanished, letting Adrian’s consciousness take over again. Suddenly tongue-tied, Janice managed a suffocated whisper.

  “No, you weren’t. Baron Dumas was.”

  Adrian’s eyes narrowed suspiciously and he lifted his head away from her. Taking a step back, he stared at her in waiting silence. Janice could see her answer had rattled him and for a long moment, they merely looked at one another curiously. And then his eyes grew openly amused.