Blessedly Bound

by Lucretia Stanhope

  Gwen walked in behind Kathy, who switched the light on.

  Shelves lined the walls, some holding yarns, others holding tubs with assorted craft supplies. While she listened to Kathy talk about the regulars as if she should know them, her eyes flicked to three posters on the walls. They depicted cute mice playing with yarn balls. It added to the cozy 'her kind of place,' feeling. “Sounds lovely. I meant to come sooner. As soon as I saw a yarn shop. I knit. The distraction would be good for my nerves, but I didn't bring any supplies.”

  “Bless your heart it would. How are you holding up? We loved Lizzy so much. Sweet as a button. Here every Wednesday for our group. We meet to knit, for charity. You are more than welcome to come. We meet every Wednesday after I close, at six.” Kathy slid into a seat and nodded for Gwen to do the same.

  Gwen smiled, then sat down. While she found it sweet, the fast-paced talking overwhelmed her. Subdued best described her chats with Lewis, when he came around. He didn't care for idle chat. She felt outmatched. “That sounds great. Once I get settled.”

  “Of course. Awful. How are you up there, banging around all alone? Did you meet your neighbor yet?” Kathy asked.

  “You mean Sebastian?” Gwen took a small sip of her coffee before continuing. “No, I keep trying to meet him. He has documents for me, but he is hard to pin down. I guess I really haven't pressed him. I just don't feel up to that yet.”

  “Oh, do meet with him. He was Lizzy's best friend. Didn't come to town much at all, but Lizzy always told stories about him.”

  “Do you think he might know more about what happened?” Gwen ran her finger along the handle of the cup.

  “If anyone would. He saw her every day from what I gather. Didn't Curtis, I mean, Sheriff Curtis, have anything to tell you?” Kathy asked as her brows pinched together.

  Gwen frowned. “No, seems they have no leads yet. I didn't, well I didn't know Lizzy. I'm just feeling a bit lost.”

  Kathy sipped her coffee. “Well, I will talk with Curtis at dinner. He is always at Mel's Diner. When you have time, stop in there. I know Mel has been eager to meet you too. I just can't imagine anyone not liking Lizzy, much less hurting her. Kind, generous, a good, good soul.”

  “Do you know why my mom left?” Gwen felt forward to ask so soon, but it played on her mind.

  Kathy looked away toward the door. “No honey, Lizzy never spoke about anything sad. You talk to Sebastian, he would know.”

  “I will,” Gwen said, and finished her coffee. “Can I get some fingering yarn? I think I want to make a lacy wrap.”

  “Of course, and you don't forget about next Wednesday. I'll save you a seat. There will always be a seat here for you. All the ladies will be so excited. It's been hard looking at her empty chair.” Kathy frowned briefly, before smiling again.

  “Lizzy knitted? She came here?” Gwen said, unable to hide her surprise as she caught up with what Kathy said when they first sat down.

  Kathy gave a small chuckle at Gwen and repeated herself. She added some more details. “I wish you knew her. She was such a sweet creature. Every Wednesday, we knit for charity, she was always first to sign up for everything. Knitted beautiful lace. Just gorgeous delicate things. Your mom was learning too when she was a little girl.”

  Gwen smiled at that and walked with Kathy to pick out some lacy blue yarn for her wrap. After several squeezes, Gwen settled on some alpaca that Kathy said just arrived.

  “Thank you. I will see you Wednesday.” Gwen wrapped the top of her bag over and peered out the window, happy to see the snow momentarily stopped.

  The walk to the car and drive to the grocery proved uneventful, much to her pleasure. She loved that the store didn't have more than a few people. While she walked the aisles, she thought about her visit with Kathy. She felt excited about what the next week could hold and struggled to recall the last time she felt that way. Her mind played out happy, but impossible scenes of Lizzy as a person, and as a grandmother, while she tossed things in her cart.

  Safely back in the truck, she looked at her phone. The clock read almost five, more time slipped from away her and Kathy while they chatted than she thought. Thinking back, she realized they probably walked the store looking at yarn just as long.

  Before she started driving she decided to call Sebastian, not sure why she put it off. Shortly after she arrived in town she made a few tries with no answer and gave up. She told herself she would deal with it all later. Later kept getting pushed back but she needed to handle all the finer details. That would mean planning a memorial, which in all probability topped the reasons why later never happened. As before, his phone rang with no answer. This time she left a short message with her number.

  She didn't sense Lewis when she arrived back at the manor. Since she wouldn't have his help, she smiled that the salt he laid kept the path mostly free of snow. She brought in what needed put away immediately and left the rest for later.

  She added more wood to the fire and turned her attention to the dwindling stack of wood beside the fireplace. A frown formed while she contemplated if the stack would hold out until Lewis returned. The pile outside just needed carried in, he chopped it before he left. Due to the weather, she decided to give him more time before she dragged it in herself.

  Settled on the couch, she pulled out her needles and new yarn. The feeling of the yarn in her hands melted away any remaining tension. The sound of the clicking needles punctuated her thoughts. Considering how much Kathy implied everyone loved Lizzy, Gwen struggled to imagine who would burn her alive.

  Over the years, Lewis told Gwen very little about her family. She knew Lizzy and her mother both practiced witchcraft. Could another witch have done it? Or even a demon, as Lewis suggested.

  Her phone rang and she looked at the screen to see Sebastian's number.

  “I am free this evening,” he said after they exchanged hellos. His voice sounded smooth with a hint of something exotic. Mediterranean, she guessed.

  “Oh, sure if you are up for the weather. I don't mind waiting until tomorrow when the sun is out and it's warmer.” She didn't want him making a special trip out in the nasty cold to meet with her.

  “I am afraid my days are accounted for. Tonight then?”

  She agreed and they hung up. Her hands quickly finished the stitches in her current row of knitting. After she set the project down, she made her way to the kitchen to start a fresh pot of coffee before adding the last few pieces of wood to the fire.

  “Lewis?” As she expected, he did not respond. She did not use magic to reach him. Adding wood to a fire did not fall into a summon-able emergency.

  She wondered if she should have agreed to a meeting with a strange man, alone. Kathy said he and Lizzy shared a deep friendship. That should make him safe. While she felt cheated she never got to know Lizzy, she liked the idea someone who knew her intimately lived next door. She imagined Sebastian as a gentle, frail older man that came over for tea and long chats. That picture gave her comfort and eased some of her worry about the late-night meeting.

  She walked over to the door and cracked it opened. Even though the snow stopped and the wind let up, the cold remained bitter. She closed the door quickly. Her eyes looked at the fire that dwindled and threatened to extinguish. She frowned. She would need more wood before Lewis came home. The large room demanded a fire, and she didn't want it chilly when Sebastian arrived. Not after he faced the weather to meet with her.

  She tugged on her heavy coat, thick gloves, and hat, before she headed off to the side of the house to gather more logs. Her hands hurt from the cold almost as soon as she stepped outside. Between her fumbling frozen fingers, and the weight of the wood, she found she could only manage one piece at a time. Rather than opening the door for each trip, she started a small pile of logs just outside the front door.

  “Go inside.” The smooth voice she recognized from the phone call as Sebastian danced in the air.

  She turned to see a man approaching behind her. He stood
at least a foot taller than her five foot four and looked down at her with piercing blue eyes. The rest of his features remained hidden from both her sight and the cold. She started to protest, but he cut his eyes at her and she changed her mind.

  On the porch, she grabbed a piece of wood off the stack. She carried it inside and tossed it on the fire. While she waited for Sebastian, she tugged off her jacket, gloves and hat. She rubbed her hands together in an effort to get the feeling back in her fingers.

  When the door opened again, Sebastian walked in with his arms full of wood. He walked over to the empty spot beside the fireplace, and stacked it neatly.

  “Thank you, I'm sorry you had to…” she started to say.

  “No worries.” His eyes looked her over.

  She tried to maintain a smile even though the intensity of his gaze made her blush.

  He looked at her as if he wanted to memorize every detail about her. When he pulled off his hat and scarf, he revealed a face she did not anticipate. She expected to see a man two generations older than her. Instead, an entrancing young man closer to her age, no older than mid-thirties stood in front of her. His flawless face embodied the sensuality of his smooth voice.

  She looked away and took a step back as she blushed again. She wanted the distance as a buffer against the embarrassing and inexplicable attraction she felt to the stranger.

  Sebastian pulled off his jacket and walked it to the hook by the front door as if he knew his way around. As Lizzy's best friend, Gwen expected as much.

  “I made coffee if you'd like.” Her eyes watched as he moved with an unnatural grace.

  When he stepped closer, his chestnut hair danced across his shoulders.

  Too perfect, she thought. Like her Lewis. Magical. Standing nearer, she felt that he put off the same magical feeling Lewis did.

  She looked at his eyes again and noticed the thick black rim outside of the cobalt blue, just as with Lewis. Could he have been Lizzy's familiar, not just a friend? Could she even ask that? Aware she looked at him too long and with too much attention, she focused her eyes on the fire.

  “Thank you, but no.” His eyes lingered on hers. “When you have warmed up, we can get to business.”

  “Of course. I'm sure you have plans. I appreciate you coming over.”

  “No plans, after business I look forward to talking with you. If you will allow me to monopolize your evening.”

  His voice danced across her ears and the scent of man mixed with sandalwood filled the air between them. Yes, please monopolize me, she thought. “I had no other plans.”

  “Lovely.” He walked over to a chair just beside the couch.

  She didn't notice his bag when he came in. He pulled out some papers from the side of it and looked up at her.

  “What are we doing first?” Despite losing all her family, she never had any estates to deal with before.

  “I'm going to leave several documents with you that you will need to read and sign. Most are so I can have things transferred to your name and release funds. In the meantime, should you need anything, anything at all, you have but to ask. There is a fund for such occurrences at your disposal.” He paused and watched her face. He frowned a little and then carried on. “There is a copy of the will. You will also find her final wishes, which I can help you with as much as you need.”

  She tried to smile but the thought of making final arrangements took her to dark places. It made her realize again she never could get to know Lizzy. Never.

  “How about I take this whole stack of nasty papers and leave them in the office for you. Then we can talk of lighter things?”

  She nodded and followed him, watching as he put everything on the desk in the office she barely looked in before. Most of her days were spent in the main room since she did not feel at home enough to explore yet.

  As they walked back to the main room and the warmth of the fire, she noticed he radiated a warm, comforting feeling himself. Again, she wondered what sort of magical creature shared her space, and if they should have waited to meet when Lewis could join them.

  She did not get a feeling of danger from him. Her instincts told her the opposite. She felt a natural pull toward him. It felt like she knew him. Like they shared a link already.

  She smiled, sat on the couch, and tried to resist the urge to ask him about magic. The look in his eyes as he watched her said he also had something on his mind that he held back.

  Chapter Three

  “H ow are you settling in?” Sebastian asked. His eyes lingered on Gwen’s full lips while she answered.

  “I haven't, not really. I mean I found where the needed rooms were, but I haven't explored.” She looked over to see him watching her. “I'm still sleeping here, on the couch,” she said, with a sigh as punctuation.

  He brought his attention away from the soft curves on both Gwen's face and body and looked at her eyes, mortified. “Sleeping on the couch? That won't do. Lizzy would have both our heads. Let me show you the other rooms. I can give you a little history and help you settle on a better place to rest. We can talk about other things while we explore.”

  “It's not so bad.” She gave him a half smile. “I don't want to be a bother. I can explore later.”

  “You are no bother. Where else am I to find such charming company?” Her smile captivated him.

  She studied him closer with her deep brown eyes. “Were you her familiar?”

  His eyes twinkled and a smile formed at the corners of his mouth. “No, but your senses are sharp. I am sure her familiar is in mourning before being chosen for his next witch.”

  “But you are like my Lewis?”

  “Lewis, I assume is your familiar?” he asked. Gwen nodded and he continued. “Where is Lewis tonight?” He found it unusual that she was alone, among other things.

  “Off doing whatever it is guides do when not practicing magic.” She shrugged. “You didn't answer my question.”

  “No, I'm sorry. I was like your Lewis. I am...” He paused a moment before he continued. “Retired.”

  She frowned at his answer. “Did you know Lizzy well?”

  He stood and reached out a hand. “Yes, very well. She was my best friend in this world. Come, unless I have made you uncomfortable, let me show you around your home.”

  She took his hand to stand. The warmth of his touch against her palm buzzed. She pulled her hand back and followed him across the room. “Why did my mom leave?”

  “You don't start small, do you? Don't you want to know her favorite food or thing to do on a Sunday night?” he asked as they entered the room to the right. “This, by the way, was her favorite room in the whole house. If you look up on a clear night, you can see every star in the sky.”

  She stood beside him, and looked through the glass ceiling at the black sky with its twinkling stars. The thought of Lizzy loving that room made her smile since it drew her too. Lounge chairs and a swing she rocked in earlier in the day lined the outer edges of the room.

  “We will find journals upstairs that tell all about your family history. Good and bad. I can tell you, or you can read from Lizzy's own words. Either way.” He turned to her and saw doubt and fear in her eyes. “Know that she loved you. She loved you and your mother both deeply.”

  She felt herself caught in his gaze again. “You have captivating eyes.”

  His smile grew. “You do say what is on your mind. Beautiful trait, that fits you well.”

  “Sorry, I have never had much of a thought to mouth filter.”

  His smile remained. “No apologies. Let's find you a room.”

  They walked back to the main room where he added a log to the fire, before they walked up the stairs.

  She barely ventured up the stairs herself. What few doors she opened revealed rooms filled with covered furniture. Part of her still did not want to face snooping in her grandmother's things.

  He opened the first door. “This is a guest room, one of many. Lizzy did like to entertain. Most of the rooms were
made up like this, just in case a guest needed to stay. The weather here can be changeable. How does it feel to you?”

  She looked at him puzzled. “Feel? Okay, I guess.”

  “You are filled with magic as Lizzy was. Does this room speak to you?” Patience showed in his tone and presence.

  She looked around, took a few steps deeper in the room, and then turned back to him. “I'm not that kind of witch. I weave magic, and I get visions. Mostly I have to touch something.”

  His brows creased but he didn't say anything. He knew that under the surface, Gwen held power far beyond spell-casting. He could feel her magic pulse. It reached out to him each time they stood close. He stepped into her space and closed his eyes. Her vibrations almost felt to him like an adolescent just before their gifts unwound. That should not be the case with her. Not with her blessings and not as a woman. He needed to talk with Lewis.

  “If this room gives you no feelings, let's move on.” He decided not to talk about magic with her until he found out from Lewis why she seemed oblivious to her capabilities.

  They walked into several more rooms, none of which gave her any feelings. He could tell the next room they walked in felt different to her.

  “What was this room?” she asked.

  He walked in behind her and pulled a sheet off a white crib in the corner. “Feel like home? This was to be your room.”

  “It did feel different, warmer.” She looked around the room.

  “It should, we already blessed this room to comfort you, many years ago.”

  A fireplace dominated one wall and a large window took up much of the outside wall. She walked over and opened the curtain. Despite the darkness, she could see it looked over the side yard toward the forest.

  “I can swap one of the guest beds with the crib if you like? There is already a dresser and nightstand.” He pulled the sheets off the furniture to show her. “There is a white sleigh bed in the third room we saw.” He walked over and pulled a sheet off a mirror on a white painted base.

  “It's all lovely.” She ran a finger over the shiny white dresser, and then walked to the mirror.