"JAMES!" The cry wrenched from my throat without my permission. I needed him. I needed him to get me out of there. I needed him to not let me die. I coughed and searched through the fire and smoke just in time to see James leave my line of sight.
Where was he going? I backed up to the far wall and crouched down in a futile attempt to escape the flames. I stared at the doorway, waiting for James to reappear, to give me some sort of hope, or even to say goodbye.
I had been so close, so very close to freedom and happiness. So close to escaping. Instead I would die in one of the countless unfamiliar rooms of the old wing. Trapped, shut in, with no escape—just like so many times before.
James didn't reappear. Several guards still beat at the flames, but though they could squelch the fire nearest them, they could not stop it from creeping ever closer to me. But perhaps I could. I grabbed at the curtains closest to me and ripped them down. I twisted them into a thick rope, hoping that I was doing the right thing. I stepped forward, the heat searing my face as I swung the curtain in an arc, over my shoulder and onto the flames, trying to smother them. I couldn't tell if it did any good, but it didn't seem to make it worse, so I tried again and again.
Sparks flew up and landed on my skirts, marring the fabric with tiny burn marks. A larger ember caught on the hem of my dress and started to smolder. I dropped the curtain and stamped it out, then pulled my skirt up, tying it in a knot close to my legs to keep it away from the burning floor.
The smoke was thickening, making my head swim. I pushed at my hair, which hung in wild disarray around my face. My legs faltered, and I sank to the ground and found the space near the floor to be much clearer. I lay down, breathing in what little clean air I could get.
I needed to stand up. But lying down felt so much better. I was tired. I gazed around to see that the curtain I had been using to combat the fire was now smoldering. My eyes widened. I needed that. I needed it to keep the fire away, to stay alive until they brought water.
I pressed my hands against the warm stone floor and pushed myself up. I grabbed hold of the edge that wasn't yet smoldering and tossed the curtain into the fire so that it wouldn't bring the flames closer. I threw my arm over my mouth and looked around. Some tall piece of furniture stood to my left. I pulled the fabric aside, revealing a wardrobe. I yanked it open and found a chemise with a ruffle on the bottom. Fisting my hands in the fabric, I tore the ruffle free, then tied the fabric around the lower part of my face.
At least half of the room was already burning, the fire spreading out into the hallway. The flames had quickly worked their way over the bedding and up to the canopy. Most of the rugs strewn over the floor were being consumed, but there were two close to me that had not yet caught fire. I grabbed the edge of both of them and pulled them back. If I could create enough space around me that was nothing but stone floor, perhaps I might survive.
Despite the fabric over my face, the smoke assaulted my lungs and brought on another fit of coughing. I dropped to my knees once more, seeking cleaner air.
A crash sounded to my right, and I spun toward the noise. The bookshelf in the far corner of the room shuddered as another crash rumbled through it, making the drape that had covered it come loose and fall to the floor.
"Marilee!" The muffled shout came from behind the shelf.
"James?" It came out as barely a whisper.
"Marilee! Can you hear me?"
"James!" I crawled toward the shelf, not knowing what was happening, only that James was calling me from the other side.
"You have to open the hatch."
I reached the shelf and started pulling off books and statues, tossing them aside, trying to get closer to his voice. "The hatch? What hatch?" I had to pause for a cough. "What do I do? Tell me what to do!"
"Pull everything off of the second to highest shelf. Get everything off!"
I didn't question, just started pulling the contents from their perch, one after the other, letting them crash onto the floor behind me. My heart raced in fear and anticipation. Sweat coated my skin, and the heat was becoming unbearable. Another cough interrupted my work, but I persisted. Finally, I tossed the last books aside. "Now what?" I shouted, but heard no reply. "JAMES!" I screamed.
"I'm here! Is everything off?"
"Yes! What do I do?"
"You have to push up on the right side of the shelf. Push as hard as you can."
I did as he asked. It didn't move. "It's not doing anything."
"Push harder! You can do this, Marilee! Push as hard as you can until it comes loose. Push straight up. It's a lever. We have to release the lever."
I pushed up with both palms, but it did nothing. So I kept pushing with my left hand and slammed my right hand up into the underside of the shelf over and over, desperately trying to stuff down my panic. "Why isn't there a lever on your side?"
"It was only ever meant to open one way. You can do this!"
"But what if I can't?" A tapestry fell from the wall beside me in a rush of sparks, making me cringe away. I glanced around at the room and my heart dropped. I was out of time.
"Marilee!" James shouted, his voice on the edge of panic.
I turned back to the shelf and continued my assault. "Let me out, let me out, let me out!" I screamed at the wood, as smoke and sweat blurred my eyes with tears. Finally I placed both my palms on the underside of the shelf, straightened my arms and pushed up with my legs.
It jolted up with a great clack and I fell forward against the shelves. Before I could regain my bearings, the entire bookcase swung forward, accompanied by a tremendous grunt of exertion from James.
I moved to the side as a gap widened, and as soon as there was room enough for me, I pushed against him and he moved back, pulling me with him into a passage beyond. My legs gave out and he set me on the ground before pulling the bookcase back into place as the flames surged toward the fresh air of the passage.
Pulling the chemise ruffle from over my mouth, I heaved and coughed there in the dark and dusty passageway. I just wanted to sit and breathe, but James reached under my arms and picked me up.
"We have to move," he explained. The space was too narrow for him to carry me in his arms, so he set me on my feet in front of him, bracing my back against his chest and moving us along as I made my own stumbling attempts at walking with his arm around my waist holding me upright. I tried to speak, but each time I got a word out, the rest would be cut off by a cough or a sob.
"Breathe, Marilee, just breathe. I have you."
"I—I never knew this was here."
"Just another discovery from my youth."
It was too much. The reality of the situation I had just escaped settled over me and the terror and relief combined in a potent mass that filled my stomach and chest. I stared down the barely visible passageway. A small pin of light glowed in the distance, but it seemed too far away. The walls were too close, the light too dim. I couldn't breathe.
"How much farther is it, James? How much farther?"
"You can do this. Just keep breathing. Keep breathing."
My feet stopped and I put my hands out to touch the close walls on either side of me, effectively halting our progress. James allowed me to turn around, wrapping me in an embrace as I fell apart, trying to suck in a decent breath.
"It's too small," I gasped in a panic. "There's no room. There's not enough air."
"Close your eyes. Breathe in. The air is there. The room is there. So long as there is room for you and me both, we'll be all right," he whispered, close to my ear.
"I'm so tired." My grip on his shoulders was the only thing holding me up.
"I won't let you go, but you have to keep trying. Be daring. I know you can be."
I could be daring, if I chose it.
There wasn't much space, but there was enough for me to stand here and be held by the man I loved. He had pulled me from that burning room, and I knew he would get me out of this passage.
I forced my feet to push off the g
round, forced my legs to support my weight. "I can be daring."
"That's my Marilee."
He stroked my hair as he waited for my breathing to calm. When it was slow and steady, my chest moving in time with his, James pulled back to look at me in the dim light. I could barely make out his outline. He pushed my hair from my forehead and kissed it, then kissed my temple, my cheek, and finally my mouth. I drank him in, ignoring the dirt and cobwebs of this long forgotten passage, ignoring the need to get out of the house before it burned to the ground. I just wanted to feel whole, for just a moment, and James had a way of making me feel whole, and loved, and worthwhile.
"We have to get out of here," he said between kisses. I tried to agree, but he just kept kissing me and started walking forward, causing me to walk backwards. One of his arms left my waist so that he could feel his way along the wall. "Only you could distract me so thoroughly in the middle of a life and death situation."
"I'm sorry," I murmured, though really I wasn't. Still, I did my best to pull away and turn around.
My head was clearer, and my legs were stronger now that James had distracted me from my upheaval. We came to a ladder that I was able to descend with minimal help. I dropped to the ground and turned to find that there was no passageway, only a small, dead-end space. "James?" I fought to keep the panic from my voice.
He dropped next to me. "It's all right." James pushed on a wall and it opened.
I stumbled through the opening and found myself in a broom cupboard under the main staircase. James and I stepped into the light of the main hall, and found my guards lining the walls, directing the servants and everyone else to leave the house.
Falstone saw me first. It seemed as if he had been waiting there. He tried to keep his face stoic, but his relief was palpable. He tipped his face up, so that his shout would carry up the stairs. "The princess is secure! Everyone clear out!"
I clung to James's side, worried about encountering Edmund or the magistrate. They both appeared at the top of the stairs just as I was about to step outside through the front doors.
I was shocked to see that they each wore expressions much like Falstone's. I desperately hoped that that meant I would be allowed to leave in peace.
As soon as I stepped out into the night air, I was assaulted by three hysterical women. Beatrice, Cecily and Emeline surrounded me, their faces tearstained. Emeline wrapped her hands around my waist and wouldn't let go for several moments. After giving them what reassurance I could, James was able to remove me farther from the house. Rogue's insistent barking gained my attention. He was a ways off, being held at bay by Mr. Tennsworth, who looked as though he was barely keeping the canine under control. James took me directly over to them, and Rogue whined and strained against his rope until I reached him. He didn't jump on me, as I might have expected, but instead sniffed and snuffled and licked and whined as he checked me over from head to toe. I took the rope from Mr. Tennsworth, though I knew Rogue would not leave my side. James led me even further from the house and lingering chaos. We sat on the lawn, a safe distance away, with Rogue lying with his back pressed against my thigh. We watched in horrified fascination as smoke started rising into the night sky, despite the line of guards and servants passing buckets of water to fight it.
Edmund was the closest to the house. The Winberg guards kept having to pull him back. He seemed lost, and it was an odd thing to see him so uncertain.
"I told him," I said, leaning into James's shoulder.
"Told him what?" he murmured into my hair.
"That it would all burn if given the chance."
Chapter Twenty-Four
"COME ALONG."
JAMES'S voice pulled me from my daze. He was standing up and encouraging me to do the same.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"I'm taking you home to my mother, so that she can take care of you. You need to sleep."
"What about my guards, and the servants, and—"
"They will all be taken care of. I promise no one will be left without a bed tonight."
"What about the house?"
"I don't think the fire is spreading anymore. They've contained it and are hoping it will burn itself out soon."
I tried to push myself to my feet, but James picked me up and walked over to his horse, which Mr. Tennsworth had standing at the ready. He mounted, then helped me get situated in front of him, keeping one arm around me and using the other to handle Captain.
James led out, letting the horse walk as two of my guards followed. I remained tense and alert as we crept through the night, aware that anyone or anything could be hiding under the cover of night.
We turned onto the tree-lined lane leading to James's home, and I immediately spotted the ghostly apparition of a rider galloping toward us. I tensed and opened my mouth to shout a warning, but Leo called back, "Rider approaching."
I was surprised to feel a rumble of laughter from James's chest, and looked closer at the specter. Georgiana Sutton was galloping toward us. Her light blue dressing gown shone in the dim light as moonbeams caught in the ruffles peeking out at the hem. A footman rode behind her, looking flustered.
"All's well," James said to Leo. "It is only my mother."
Georgiana pulled her mount to a rough halt in front of us. "I saw smoke. What has happened?"
"A fire," James answered. "I don't believe anyone was injured, but there will be significant damage to Bridgefield house."
Her eyes kept darting from me to James and back. "You are both covered in soot. Are you certain you are not hurt?"
"I am perfectly well. Though I think Marilee should be seen by a doctor."
I shook my head. "There is no—" My pronouncement was cut off by a fit of coughing.
Georgiana looked me over with a shrewd eye. "Sophie will know what to do for her." She pulled her horse around, clearly anxious to get back to the house.
"Who is Sophie?" I asked once the coughing passed.
"My mother's maid. She is as good as a doctor in many instances." He heeled his horse, and I tried to relax as we traversed the remaining distance to the house.
When we came to a stop, I started to slide from the horse, but James held me still. "Let me?"
I nodded, exhaustion hitting me in waves.
James dismounted, then pulled me from the saddle and into his arms. "When will you learn that you no longer have to do everything by yourself?" he murmured as he climbed the steps.
I smiled and buried my face in his neck. I wasn't alone anymore.
James entrusted my care to his mother, who led me away to a chamber where I was bathed, dressed in a clean chemise, and looked over by Sophie before Georgiana tucked me into a large bed. I did my best to thank her, though it felt terribly inadequate.
She pushed my hair from my forehead, her eyes filled with maternal concern and love. "I'm happy to do it. And relieved that you came out of that fire all right. It's nothing short of a miracle."
"I'm just glad that James knew the secrets of that house."
She smiled, her eyes shining with pride. "Speaking of my strapping young son," she said with a meaningful raise of her eyebrows. "I am to tell you that he says good night and it is only his deep respect for propriety that keeps him from saying so in person."
The corner of my mouth lifted at the idea of James having a deep respect for propriety. "Where is your strapping young son?"
"I would imagine he is fiddling with his viol. If you'd like, I can leave your door ajar so that you can hear him playing."
"Please do," I asked, excited at the prospect of hearing him play again. I hoped it would help me relax. Despite my exhaustion, I was reluctant to close my eyes and surrender to sleep with such terrifying memories ready to encroach.
Georgiana kissed my forehead and slipped from the room, leaving the door open a bit. I strained to hear any hint of music, but could only discern the sounds of guards and servants moving here and there. I had nearly resigned myself to trying to claim sleep without
the help of music when I heard it. It started with just a few notes, then a scale. No doubt James was tuning his instrument to just the right pitch. Silence prevailed for just a moment before the notes drifted up to me once more. It started with one long high note, held out so long that it felt like standing on the edge of a cliff, waiting to fall. I knew it was inevitable, but the waiting was as exhilarating as it was terrifying. Finally it fell off to the next note, held almost as long as the first, until it too fell to another note, then another. The melody emerged a little at a time. It was slow and measured, filled with high, keening notes, as if James were coaxing the strings into singing of their desperate longing.
I closed my eyes, breathing in the music. Each inhale filled me with memories of James, of his smile and warmth and his music. Each exhale carried away the heat of flames, the smell of smoke and the icy terror that had consumed me. I thought of James, sitting somewhere in the house, his head bent over the neck of his viol, while his fingers slid along the strings, playing me to sleep and calming my fears.
***
A weight pressed down on me, holding me down and preventing my escape from the blaze that surrounded me. My arms moved in slow motion, and I couldn't free my legs. I let out a cry of frustration and attempted to throw off the oppressing weight. For the briefest of moments I had the sensation of falling.
Then I hit the ground. My eyes popped open. I lay flat on my stomach, my cheek pressed to the floor, my lungs gasping for breath. My mind settled as reality fell into place. I was at Sutton Manor. There was no fire here, and it had only been the blankets that had held me down and were even now tangled about my legs.
The door flew open and booted feet took a few steps inside. "Highness?" Marcus's nervous voice cut through the silence.
"I am well," I said, hoping that would satisfy him. I was on the opposite side of the bed from the door, hidden from view. And I very much wished to stay that way.
"Are you certain?" I could hear that he wanted to see for himself that I was fine, but he couldn't unless I gave my permission.
Saving Marilee Page 25