"It's not easy to find. How did you make your way there?"
"By accident. Somehow I led myself onto the path there."
"You should not get lost in these woods," Elke warned.
"Where is Wilhelmina?"
"She has taken to her room. Isn't feeling well, apparently."
"I hope it's nothing serious."
"No, of course not. Just some stomach upset, I presume." Elke sat down. "Such a dull day."
"Isn't it."
"It can go on like this for weeks. It's quite oppressive."
It felt traitorous, but Aldine was relieved that Wilhelmina was not there in the salon with them. Her presence had felt particularly oppressive lately.
"Mint tea?" Elke suggested.
"Please," Aldine said and Elke rose to go find Weber.
Putting her brush down, she left the water coloring she was doing and moved toward the seating arrangement where they normally had tea.
Elke returned a few minutes later, carrying a tea service. "I don't know where Weber is, but he's hiding somewhere. Probably takes the opportunity to hide himself away when Wilhelmina is indisposed. Luckily, I am not completely ignorant how to brew tea."
Setting it down, she poured two teas and handed one over. "Thank you," Aldine said, taking a sip of the steaming mint liquid. She was getting quite used to the taste. "The people around here are quite frightened of the ruin in the woods, aren't they?"
"They still fear the curse of the witch."
"Curse?" Aldine asked.
"Some woman they had determined was a witch way back when they feared witches, cursing the people around here. I am sure they assign Heinrich's bad luck to the curse."
"That's ridiculous," Aldine said.
"Of course it is." Placing her cup down, Elke crossed her legs under her voluminous skirt.
"What does it say exactly?"
"It isn't so much what it says. Apparently one of the distant Count Gravens did kill his wife. And now Countess Gravens have been dying again. So the belief is that the Count Graven is destined to murder his wife."
Unable to help it, goosebumps rose up Aldine’s arms, because that was her. The curse people around here believed in was that Heinrich would kill her—like he had done twice before. A shudder went through her at the thought.
"And people believe this?" she asked.
"Oh yes," Elke said. "To many in the village, you are a marked woman, probably going to drop dead any minute." She said it with such a light tone, it sounded ludicrous.
"And why would he kill me?"
"Now that is less clear. Whether it is just a hidden hatred for women that comes out of him, or if the witch compels it without him quite knowing what he is doing, I don't know." Now it sounded like it was a certain he would do it. Aldine tried to shake the ill ease off her. There was no reason to feel uncomfortable because of some superstitions people had.
"And they believe he killed his other wives."
"Absolutely. Or rather the curse did."
"Who was this distant countess that had died?"
"They don't really talk about her, but it is said she was strangled by her husband on their wedding night. I don't know if that is true, but it is what is said."
"How can a man murder someone on their wedding night in a jealous rage?"
"Maybe she wasn't a virgin?" Elke offered. "Back then, losing one's chastity was tantamount to sleeping with the devil, wasn't it? The gravest of offenses."
"Is this even true?"
"Well, I would not ask Wilhelmina about it. She dislikes you enough as it is."
It was a little strange hearing it confirmed that their mother-in-law disliked her. She hadn't done anything to deserve it.
"Why Heinrich? Why the count?" Aldine asked.
"I don't know. The long history of the title, I suppose. I don't really know where the curse originated, or why it is tied to the Graven house."
"Is it, though? Or simply assigned because his wives had misfortunes."
"No the curse existed before he married. There was talk of it as he married for the first time, people saying she was signing her own death warrant by marrying him. And those people were proved right."
Frowning, Aldine didn't know what to make of this. It was strange to think that a lot of the people she saw when she left the house believed she would die soon, the victim of an old witch's curse. Her thoughts buzzed around her head as she tried to think this through, searching for the falsehoods in what she was being told—besides the fact that curses didn't exist.
"Both Heinrich and Ludwig think it's utter nonsense, of course."
"What about Wolfgang?"
A look of surprise registered on Elke's face. She dismissed him as unimportant the way Wilhelmina did. "I've never asked him. Although if anyone would wish a curse on a younger brother they believed had stolen their inheritance, then it would be the bastard older brother, wouldn't it?"
The sheer bitterness was disconcerting. Elke really didn't like Wolfgang—with a strong vehemence. That had to come from somewhere, but Aldine didn't understand where. "Why do you hate him so much?"
"Why is he still here? There is nothing for him."
"His brothers, I suppose," Aldine said. "This is still his family."
"He is illegitimate. He doesn't belong here."
"So where does he belong?"
"Who cares?" Elke spat. There was definitely something more to this than Wolfgang's birth status. Elke was reasonable with most things, except when it came to Wolfgang. "Go to the city, go somewhere. Instead, he hangs around and constantly reminds Wilhelmina about his existence. He does it on purpose, you know. Pure spite. Doesn't give a damned about Heinrich and Ludwig. Watch him. He's not here for brotherly love."
For a moment, Elke sounded a bit unhinged, but maybe there was something Elke knew about Wolfgang that Aldine didn't. It sounded that way.
"If anyone is a curse on this family, it is that man." The distress was practically dripping off Elke, this turn of conversation was upsetting her. "God knows who he is related to on his mother's side."
"What do you mean?"
Rising, Elke refused to speak about this anymore, leaving Aldine to wonder what had happened between her and her half-brother-in-law. It sounded as if something had—something bad. Granted, he wasn't much for manners, but she had never perceived anything hostile from him. Elke had obviously seen something different. On the other hand, he seemed to be the one person who wasn't hiding from her the things that had happened to the previous countesses.
One had died in a sudden fever, the other had fallen and struck her head in the forest. Both perfectly natural. Uncomfortably, she had to admit that both could be masks for something much more sinister. It couldn't be entirely ruled out that they had been murdered. Poison could cause a deadly fever and being struck on the head, well, that would be the simplest way of murdering someone, wouldn't it? Short of running them through with a sword.
Did Elke believe that Wolfgang was responsible? That would explain the vehemence against him. Although everyone else believed it was Heinrich responsible for killing his brides. A renewed shudder trickled down Aldine’s spine. That simply could not be true. They were both natural, unfortunate deaths that had struck this house, and it was being twisted into something it wasn't.
If only there wasn't that little niggle in the back of her mind that refused to completely dismiss ideas such as witches and curses, black cats running across the road and even elves living in the deepest, densest parts of the forest. In her mind, she knew it was all ludicrous, but in a corner of her heart, that fear still lived that such things could be. Darkness and its agents were out to weaken them and would find any way they could to do so. Were they not being told this every Sunday, but then also told to dismiss unsavory beliefs such as elves and witches?
Chapter 14
SUPPER WAS AMUSING that night. Heinrich was in good spirits despite the solemn weather they'd had all day. He laughed and joked, and everyone a
t the table seemed to enjoy the evening.
There was no moon that night, so uncompromising darkness pressed on the windows, but the fire kept them warm in the salon as they sat and talked. The prices of lumber were favorable at the moment, which seemed to please everyone. It was a conversation Aldine had little to add to.
Wilhelmina looked a little pale as she had come down for supper that evening, but otherwise seemed perfectly fine. She ate very little, however, and it was clear that the evening was taxing on her. Before long, she retired and returned upstairs.
For Aldine, the mood lifted the moment the woman left, but she felt ungenerous admitting it. In truth, her own stomach had been feeling a little upset earlier. Better now with a hearty supper. A glass of claret sat in her hand and she enjoyed it. It was Italian, she had been told.
Mostly, Heinrich spoke with Ludwig about the things they had heard, seen and learnt that day. There was little from the house to report, especially after the calm and sedate day they'd had.
"Aldine has found the witches’ cottage," Elke announced during a lull in the conversation and all eyes turned to her, including Heinrich’s, who had only sparingly paid attention to her after seeing to her comfort.
"Such structures are dangerous," Heinrich warned. "You should show care. The wood is rotten and the stones unstable. You must never enter a ruin like that."
"I stumbled across it by accident," Aldine admitted. "I didn't go inside." Except for the first step, where she had learned her lesson. The cut wasn’t hurting quite as much now, but she hadn't forgotten it. "How long ago was it since someone lived there?"
"Hundreds of years," Ludwig said.
"Who lived there?"
All were quiet for a moment, until Ludwig spoke. "It was so long ago, no one remembers. Some family, I suppose."
"Yet, people still refer to it as the witches’ cottage."
"Probably more due to the remoteness of the place rather than any particular knowledge of the people who actually existed."
"There were, though, some witch trials back then," Elke added.
"I'm not a historian, so I wouldn't know what happened three hundred years ago," Ludwig added.
"There were witch trials all over the country," Heinrich said. "We had some here in the county as well."
"So someone who lived in that cottage could have been tried as a witch," Aldine said.
"It is possible," Heinrich said. "That could perhaps be the reason why people perpetuate calling it the witches’ cottage. We should tear it down. It is a hazard."
"I think it's charming," Elke said. "A ruin. I understand in other parts of the continent, people pay to have fake ruins built on their lands."
Aldine had heard of the concept, although her father had never been engaged to build a false ruin. It was popular in England, she believed.
"Well, let's hope they build them sturdier than real ruins. I think I will retire as well," Heinrich said, finishing the rest of his drink and putting the glass down. That was Aldine's cue to follow suit.
*
The house was on fire again, her motions too slow to get away from the blistering heat. The distress of it was intense, but it also felt familiar, as if she'd been here before. The walls were burning, with yellow flames flaring dangerously. There was also a roaring wind through the room, but it didn't blow out the flames. They seemed separate, the wind and the fire.
All her movements were slow. Her heart raced and she wanted to run, but it was as if she was walking through water. The heat burned down her lungs, licked along her skin. Turning, she tried to find some way out of the room, but she found none. Paintings hung on every wall. Where was the door? Even the windows were shuttered. The fire wasn't going to let her escape. It didn't want her to escape.
Panic rose higher and higher. She needed to get out. The flames were coming closer and closer, and it was so hot. Turning and turning, she sought an exit, but each time she turned, she faced an unfamiliar scene. The furniture changed, the portraits changed. More of the severe, black-dressed Lutherans with their white collars and large hats. The scenes moved, but they were silent. She didn't have time to look at the curious portraits. The fire was coming closer—she had to escape.
Finally a door and she ran for it, but never seemed to get closer, frantically trying to move her legs, never quite getting the traction to move forward.
"Help," she called. "I can't get out." The fire absorbed her voice, its roar growing louder.
The door opened and she felt relief wash through her. The room was letting her out, but she could see another room beyond.
Instantly, she was there, standing in the middle of it. A larger room with people. They were all staring at her and she tried to warn them about the fire, but the words wouldn't form in her mouth. There was hatred in their eyes. They hated her. Why? What had she done?
It was cool for a moment, but hot winds flared through. It had to be from the burning room she had come from.
Then Heinrich appeared, his blond hair glistening. He looked strong and powerful, but wasn't looking at her. A torch sat in his hand. Relief. He would save her, bring her to safety. Why was he carrying a torch?
But when he looked at her, she saw the same hatred as in the people around her.
"Did you think you would get away with it?" he asked harshly.
"I haven't done anything."
A smile spread across his lips, but it wasn't a friendly one. It was malicious, that hatred still shining in his eyes. She'd never seen him like this before.
"Please, Heinrich. Help me," she called. "You're supposed to help me."
"No one can help you. No one wants to. You can't escape the curse."
Trying to move, she sought to run away, but she was being held in place. By what, she didn't know, but she couldn't move. He wasn't going to help her. He was with these people, who all wanted to see her harmed. She had to run away, but still she couldn't budge.
Reaching the torch over, he lit her skirt and it caught fire. She couldn't feel it yet, but it was coming closer and closer. All around her was fire.
"Heinrich, no!" she called, but he only stepped back and stared at the flames. They were all looking at the flames which were traveling higher and higher. The heat was building. It was starting to burn and Aldine struggled wildly. They were trying to kill her.
"No one escapes the curse," he said, almost gently now, as if trying to soothe her. No, she would not be soothed. This was the deepest betrayal.
"You can't do this," she screamed, but no one moved to help her as she tore against the binds that held her.
"Aldine!"
Frantically, she struggled as darkness descended, pressing on her. No, pressing on her arms, trying to restrain her. There was nothing but darkness and she fought. Gone was the fire and the smoke.
"You are dreaming again," the voice said. Heinrich. Soft now, without the harsh hatred.
Forcefully, Aldine pulled away from him, but he wouldn't let her.
"Awake now," he said. "Just a dream. Calm."
Her heart still boomed inside her chest, every part of her trying to fight. A dream, she told herself, trying to calm. It had been a dream and now she was awake. Even so, she wanted to run. He'd set her on fire in the dream and that panic still sat with her, even as she tried to calm herself.
"Tomorrow, we must call the doctor so he can give you something to sleep," Heinrich said. "Such nightmares. You scream and fight."
"I dreamt I was being lit on fire," she said, omitting that he had been the one who had done so.
Her breath still beating in and out of her chest, she tried to calm herself further. The bedsheets were tangled around her legs again, and she'd worked to extract herself. "I'm fine," she finally said, trying to convince herself as much as him.
"You have a furtive imagination," he said, lying down on his side of the bed again.
"I never used to." Never in her life had she had dreams like this before. The panic of it still seared her blood and fired
her body, even as she tried to relax. Sweat drenched every part of her and heat still radiated from her body.
In her dream, Heinrich had been trying to kill her. Had lit her on fire and had felt she deserved it—deserved to die.
"Sleep now," he said, his voice thick with sleep again. It was clearly over for him, but Aldine lay there, still too hot for blankets, staring at the ceiling.
You can't escape the curse, the dream had said. Obviously, it was simply a reflection of the things she had learnt, but it had been so vivid, so very shocking. The heat of the flames had licked her skin, had burned and hurt. The panic had been real—panic she had never felt before, the kind where you were sure you were about to die. She'd never felt that before either.
Maybe he was right and her imagination was more compelling than she had thought possible. It didn't feel like a mere nightmare, though. It felt like a warning. That hatred in Heinrich's eyes. That scared her more than the fire. All of them had hated her, even as she didn't know the people who had been there with him. Unlike the first dream where she had seen Elke and Ludwig, this one had only been Heinrich—telling her that she wasn't going to escape the curse.
Chapter 15
AGAIN ALDINE FELT LIKE she was recovering from a fever as she sat on a bench outside the kitchen. Breakfast had been unbearable, but she hadn't wanted to stay in her room either to then suffer Wilhelmina's contempt for the next week, so she had gone downstairs and tried to eat. Now, though, with the excuse of needing fresh air, she sat on the bench that was usually a spot for staff to relax. It also assured she would not be disturbed.
The herb garden was laid out before her, although the kitchen vegetables were apparently grown somewhere else.
Closing her eyes for a moment, she stilled her mind, avoiding the things she didn't want to think about—specifically the dream that had terrorized her the night before. Her mind was tired and her body exhausted from it. Her stomach was unsettled, as if she had eaten something unpleasant, but it was probably a side effect of the distress she had felt.
The sky was gray today, the sun occasionally peeking through. It would likely rain again later. A cool breeze gently swayed her skirt and birds chirped. All around her was calm, and it soothed her. It was as far away from the scene inside her head as she could imagine.
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