Magic Awakened: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set

by K.N. Lee

  She spent the day puttering around in the studio, looking at the paintings and cleaning up the little kitchen. It was basic, but had everything she would need including a little fridge and a cooker. She checked out the cupboards, but they were empty, apart from a couple of packets of crisps and some packet soups. At lunch time, she boiled the kettle and mixed up a packet soup into a cup and drank that down quickly. It didn’t fill her, but it helped to warm her up. Despite the heating being on full blast, the studio was still chilly. The small heater wasn’t anywhere near big enough to heat the studio’s large space and Anais had not taken her coat off yet.

  She knew she’d have to venture back into the house to pick up some clothes and get some food, but she put it off as long as she could.

  Eventually, it began to turn dark outside and she could leave it no longer. She timed it so everyone would be at dinner. She didn’t want to see anyone. She was sick of everyone looking at her with pity in their eyes. She was sick of Rafe glaring at her for no determinable reason, and she was especially sick of looking at Andrew and Judith, who were both so lovely, but seeing them holding hands and stealing kisses was too much for Anais to bear. She didn’t even want to see Winnie, who would try to comfort her.

  She made her way, through the snow, which had now started really coming down, to the kitchen. It was locked, so she fished out the keys to the house that Andrew had given her previously and found the right one for the kitchen door. It turned with a faint click and she entered the lovely warm kitchen. On the table was a picnic basket with a note next to it. It had her name on it, so she opened it.

  Thought you might need this, August

  She opened the lid and peeked inside. It was full of cans of food, a loaf of bread, a carton of milk, some packets of sliced meat and some bags of fresh vegetables. Anais smiled, August was so thoughtful. She looked again and saw an empty hot water bottle shoved down the side.

  Deciding to leave the basket for last, she sneaked upstairs to her room on the second floor. She packed enough clothes for a week, including her heaviest jumpers and thickest socks and carried them downstairs. She made a quick detour to Aethelu’s room and took a pillow. Then she headed back to the kitchen. Luckily she’d timed it perfectly, and she spotted no one en route. Her hands were full, so she had to make two journeys back to the studio, coming back for the picnic basket. The snow had been coming down in occasional small flurries for weeks, leaving the whole estate under a thin blanket of snow, but now Anais had to carry the picnic basket through a blizzard. Every time she opened her eyes, snow flew into them, effectively rendering her blind for the short journey. She was glad to get back to the studio and out of the relentless snow. Now that she had come in from the outside, she could appreciate that the heater, though ineffective, had actually warmed the studio more than she thought, although it was still bitterly cold. There were no drawers and no wardrobe so she left her clothes in bags by the side of the bed and climbed back down the ladder, bringing the thickest of the jumpers with her. In the kitchen, she filled the hot water bottle before making herself some dinner. Sausages and beans on toast were eaten on a little table, which she had found in the corner of the studio, covered in paint tubes and brushes. Tomorrow, she decided, she would organise all Aethelu’s paints, ready for when she got home.

  To warm herself up, and for lack of anything else to do, Anais ran the giant tub where she’d shared her first kiss with Aethelu. Being such a big bath, it took a long time to fill, but the water was hot and steam rose like whispers from the surface.

  Scrabbling around in the little cabinet, she found some soap and shampoo where the gold oil lived. She almost poured some into the bath to relive the experience, but it wouldn’t be the same without Aethelu and she couldn’t be bothered with the inevitable clean up the next morning. Instead, she found some clear bath oil and poured a generous measure into the bath. It smelled divine and Anais stayed in the bath until it cooled. Then she grabbed a towel and, not bothering to dress, jumped straight into bed. She’d had enough forethought to re-do the hot water bottle and slip it between the sheets so the bed was now toasty warm. She hugged the pillow she’d taken from Aethelu’s room. It had the faint smell of strawberry shampoo. She breathed deeply and fell into a fitful sleep.

  Chapter 15

  Aldrich had given her a timetable of when he expected her in the surgery. There were daily injections and various scans he had to perform, and each one had to be completed at certain times.

  The next morning marked the first of these appointments. She opened the door to be greeted with nearly a foot of snow outside.

  The snow was still falling heavily, although not quite the blizzard conditions of the previous evening. She slipped her wellies on and made a slow trek to the next door, the surgery. She could tell by the footprints in the snow that Aldrich was already there. He opened the door and let her in. All that was needed was a shot, which he gave her in silence. He then reminded her to come back the next day for more of the same. She made her way back through the snow to the studio and spent the day alone, organising the paints, washing the brushes and generally tidying up, as she had tidied thoroughly the day she’d spent with Aethelu. Once finished with her housekeeping, there was very little to do. She wished she’d had the forethought to bring some books to read.

  She looked at her watch. It was an hour until midday. The family always ate dinner together in the large dining room, but lunch was a haphazard affair. Everybody made their own lunch and ate where they pleased and at whatever time they wanted. There was no formal arrangement, but the household generally staggered lunchtimes, so as not to be getting in each other’s way in the kitchen. Anais didn’t want to see anybody, but she was getting really bored stuck at the studio by herself with nothing to do. She waited the hour and then made her way to the house bringing the empty picnic basket with her. Bypassing the kitchen, she walked around to the front door, where she entered the house. It was the first time she had used these huge doors, always using the entrance through the kitchen before. They opened slowly with a slight creak, which she tried to minimise by opening the large doors slowly and slipping in through the crack. Thankfully, the main entrance was clear and so she quietly made her way to the library. Placing a few books in the basket, she headed to the door to leave. She was just about to open the library door when she heard footsteps and voices heading in her direction. She panicked. Not wanting to face anyone, she ran to the secret door that Aethelu had shown her. Once she was inside the secret passageway, she felt really foolish. There was no reason for her to hide, she could have just said hello to whoever it was and then casually left the library. Still, it was too late now. She would look really silly exiting the secret passageway, and she could think of no sensible reason why she should be there. She could walk the length of the passageway and up the ladder to the passage’s exit on the first floor, but she had dropped the basket in her haste to hide. She decided to wait where she was, banking on whoever it was to get a book and leave without noticing the basket.

  It was dark in the passageway, the only light coming from a couple of holes drilled in the wall through to the library. She put her eyes to the holes and realized they were not an accident, but had been drilled at eye level for the exact reason she was using them. She saw Rafe and Alex standing square in the centre of the room, ignoring the books completely. They were obviously not there for a quick read. She could hear them perfectly from her hiding place and it sounded like they were arguing.

  “Steer clear of her,” she heard Alex warning Rafe.

  “I can’t. She’s like no one I’ve ever met, she’s beautiful, she’s kind, and I think I’m in love with her.”

  Anais was now thankful that she had hidden. Her toes curled with embarrassment with what she was hearing. She knew that Rafe and Alex had had a little crush on her weeks ago and she knew that Alex hadn’t quite got over his crush, but it was shocking to hear how Rafe felt about her. She held her breath and listened.

 
; “You can’t have her. She’s with someone else. You are going to have to get over her. Come on. You have the pick of women. The legendary Raphael. You can have anyone you want.”

  Anais wondered why Alex couldn’t follow his own advice.

  “I know, I’ve had my fair share of women, but none of them are like her. She’s special. I don’t want anyone else. We sit up all night talking. She’s amazing.”

  “Look bro. I feel for you, I really do. I’m in the same position, remember. In fact, I rather think I’ve got it a lot worse than you. Anais is having my baby, and I still can’t be with her. How do you think I feel?”

  “I know, I know, I’m sorry. God, we are both in a mess, huh?”

  “You’ll be fine, you always are, but at the end of the day she’s with Andrew and there is nothing you can do about it.”

  Andrew? Anais was confused, she was not with Andrew, and then she realised. They had not been talking about her at all. Rafe was in love with Judith.

  Anais gasped at the bombshell and then held her breath. The boys made no sign of having heard her.

  Alex continued “I think you should stop meeting up with her in the night too.”

  “We only talk. We’ve not done anything wrong.”

  “Does Andrew know of these cosy little night-time chats?”

  Rafe’s silence answered his question for him.

  “Look, if Andrew found out that his girlfriend was secretly meeting you, he’d be devastated. He’s your friend. You don’t do that to friends.”

  “They are not secret meetings per se.”

  “They are, if you are not telling Andrew about them.”

  “He’s just so busy in the evenings with all his computer stuff and Judith has no one else to talk to.”

  “Listen to yourself!” Alex raised his voice “Andrew is working every night tracking Jago. He’s doing this to keep us all safe. Stealing his girlfriend is a crappy way to repay him. There are plenty of people in this house that she can talk to. You’ve got to take a step back.”

  Rafe sounded down as he answered “As ever, you are right, brother. I will do my best to stop seeing her.”

  Anais had been so wrapped up in herself that she’d not noticed what the other people in the house were going through. She had suspected that Alex wanted to be with her still. He was hardly subtle about it, although she had hoped his feelings had diminished by now. She was in total shock about Rafe’s feelings for Judith though. She’d not spent any time with her due to her self-imposed incarceration, but the few times she had seen Judith, she’d been with Andrew. Apart from Christmas day when they danced together, Anais had not seen any interaction at all between Rafe and Judith. Then she remembered back to the night she saw Rafe on the stairs. He must have been going up to Judith’s room.

  She hoped he would heed Alex’s advice. Rafe was a beautiful man and despite her own general unease around him, she could see what the girls saw in him. Refined, stylish, well-mannered and with an air of confidence that Andrew could never hope to match. Alex was right. He could have his pick of the girls.

  She would hate to see Andrew hurt, and if Rafe put his mind to it and turned on the charm she could see Judith falling for him.

  She decided to speak to Andrew at the first available opportunity. She’d not tell tales on Rafe, that would be unfair, but she would convince Andrew to put the security work on the back burner and spend more time with Judith in the evening.

  Anais waited until she heard the brothers leave and then opened the concealed door back into the library. She picked up the basket of books and ran back to the studio, back through the main hall, which thankfully was empty of both Rafe and Alex.

  She had only been back fifteen minutes when there came a knock on the door. She prayed it wasn’t Rafe or Alex. She couldn’t cope with seeing either of them right now. Opening the door she was relieved to find it was Arcadia. She’d managed to walk through a foot of snow in six inch heels.

  Anais was so impressed that she had to let her in. She didn’t have the heart to send her straight back out into the snow. She fixed them both a coffee. As there was only one chair in the studio, Anais offered it to Arcadia and perched herself on an upturned wooden box.

  “I hope you aren’t going to try to get me come back to the house, because if you are, you are wasting your time.”

  Arcadia graciously ignored Anais’ rudeness and took a sip of her coffee.

  “I know you must be wondering why Aethelu hasn’t called.”

  Anais had been wondering just that, but as she had left her mobile phone at the Book Emporium and Aethelu had left hers behind (Anais had found it a few days ago), she had given up on trying to contact Aethelu.

  “Well,” continued Arcadia, “it turns out that she’s been on Auntie Ava’s yacht for the last week, and they are having problems with their communication system.”

  Anais’ heart leapt at this snippet of information.

  “How do you know?”

  “She just now called on the house phone. Apparently, they just sailed into a good reception area. She said she’d been trying to call, almost non-stop since she got on the boat. She told me that she was having trouble persuading Ava and Alfred to come home. They had heard that the weather was pretty bad over here and wanted to spend the winter docked in Cape Verde where it is sunny. Aethelu told me that she would get on the first plane home as soon as they docked, whether or not Ava and Alfred wanted to join her She hopes to be here in the next few days.”

  Arcadia grinned at Anais, obviously delighted at passing on the good news.

  Anais’ heart lifted, she grinned back.

  “What else did she say?”

  “She said she wanted to talk to you. I was just about to come and get you, but the line started to break up. I heard her say to tell you she missed you, before it cut out completely. Sorry.”

  “Oh no, don’t be sorry” Anais would have liked to talk to Aethelu, but she was going to see her in two or three days. Her mood of the last week lifted instantly, and she hugged Arcadia, crumpling her very expensive dress in the process.

  I didn’t say anything about the baby. I hope that’s ok.”

  Anais heart dropped a little. She would have to drop that bombshell when Aethelu returned. She would get through it; they would get through it together. She was too excited about Aethelu’s return to dwell on it too much.

  Living in the studio was now not an option, she had to be near the house phone if it rang again. She decided to spend the days at the house and return to sleep in the studio at night. Perhaps Aethelu would move in with her when she got home.

  She allowed herself a little dream of the domestic bliss of she and Aethelu living in the studio. She could barely contain her excitement, as she followed Arcadia back to the house.

  Any thoughts of Rafe and Judith were forgotten.

  Chapter 16

  The day after the phone call, Anais had been more social than she had been in a week. She was seeing Aethelu in a couple of days, and nothing could dampen her spirits. She spent the day helping Winnie in the kitchen. She’d not seen much of her friend since the day Winnie had arrived back at the manor, and she’d forgotten how much she liked spending time with her. They baked enough cake to feed an army, before starting on dinner. Every so often, someone would come into the kitchen for a chat and a coffee and in Anais’ new mood, she was happy to sit and while away the time. Arcadia spent more than an hour lamenting over her loss of social life and being stuck in the house, even though she was getting more phone calls than ever. It seemed that Hollywood could not run itself without her, after all. Even though she was based in the South of France, she still jetted to California whenever she was needed for a business lunch or networking at a celebrity party. Now, though, it seemed that she was missing every party of the season, and she was not happy about it.

  When she’d left to make yet another business call, Winnie rolled her eyes. “Honestly, that girl! I know she’s busy, but it’s only a
couple of parties she’s missing. It’s hardly the end of the world... Oh, I suppose it is the end of the world.” Winnie looked mortified at what she had just said and went back to her cooking.

  On the second day after the phone call, Anais dressed as nicely as she could. She asked Arcadia for a bit of help with her makeup and dress, as she wanted to look nice for Aethelu’s return. Arcadia lent her a buttercup yellow dress, which was fitted and trim at the waist with a matching belt. Catching the name on the label, Anais estimated it to be worth at least in the triple figures.

  Arcadia was much quicker on her makeup than she had been on Christmas day, and the result was a much fresher look. The subtle pinks went well with the yellow of the dress. She couldn’t sit still the whole day, not settling, moving from one thing to another, waiting for the phone to ring to say that Aethelu was at the airport ready to be picked up. The call never came and Anais went to bed disappointed.

  The next day was more of the same with the same result. Anais handed back the freshly washed dress to Arcadia.

  The rest of the week continued in the same way. Every time the phone rang, Anais ran to answer it, but more often than not, it was a girl calling for either Rafe or Alex, neither of which showed any interest and told her to tell whoever it was that they were out. If it wasn’t for Alex or Rafe, it was one of Arcadias contacts, who couldn’t reach her on her mobile. On more than one occasion, she’d found herself taking messages from Hollywood A-listers. At first, she found it exciting, but after the first few times it happened, she was just disappointed. She couldn’t understand why Aethelu didn’t call her. Surely, there were payphones in Cape Verde. Eventually, Anais just let it ring. It was better than the crushing disappointment of picking it up and not hearing Aethelu’s voice on the other end.