by Jane Charles
Father Matthew glanced around. “I’m goin’ ta need my portmanteau.”
Wolf started for the stairs. “I’ll get it, Father.”
The priest looked to Garrick. “I doona believe yer vicar will make his sermon tomorrow, sir. Ye’d best make other plans.”
“Already taken care of,” Braden assured him.
“Let’s begin, then.” Father Matthew took a string of beads from his pocket and turned to the gentlemen.
“No matter what happens, doona speak. Stand firm and strong in yer convictions. Doona let doub’ enter yer mind.” He looked at them, one at a time, meeting their eyes so that they understood the seriousness of the situation.
“Has he eaten?”
“We brought food,” Quent answered. “The body is still Vicar Southward and we didn’t want him to starve, but each time he flung it back at us.”
“With his hands?” the father questioned.
“No.” Quent shivered. “It was if he did it with his mind. He looked at the dishes and the next thing they were flying across the cell. We gave up brining him anything after the first day.”
The priest nodded.
Wolf returned a moment later carrying the priest’s portmanteau, which he placed on a bench.
“If you are praying men, I’d suggest you start now.” He walked to the case and opened it. “And, doona stop.”
David had never been much for prayer, not that he didn’t believe in the almighty, he’d just never given it the time he should if he wanted to arrive at the correct destination upon death. Perhaps when this was over, he’d return to visiting the church on a regular basis.
That would surely set London on its ear. First, he’d married and next, he’d start attending services. The ton would think he was the one who’d become possessed.
Father Matthew retrieved a bottle from his bag, crossed himself then lowered his head, muttering something under this breath that Thorn did not understand. After a few moments, he crossed himself again and approached the cell where he tossed water, which Thorn assumed was blessed holy water, on the vicar. The droplets sizzled as they touched the man’s skin causing immediate blisters.
Vicar Southward roared, his voice so loud it nearly shook the room.
The priest began speaking again. This time his voice was loud and booming, surprising for someone of such a slight stature. He spoke in Latin, which David remembered from school, but not enough to know what he was saying.
Vicar Southward replied, but it sounded Gaelic to David’s ear, not that he understood that language either.
By the look on the vicar’s face and tone of his voice, David assumed he was probably throwing more insults at the priest. But Father Matthew remained calm and in control, as he continued to chat. Sometimes in Latin and other times in Gaelic.
When Father Matthew invoked the name of the Virgin Mary in Latin, which David did understand, the vicar roared and nearly pulled the chains from the wall. And with that, David began praying harder than he ever had in his life.
* * *
Anna tried to sit, several times, but it was impossible to remain in the chair for long, and soon she was pacing again.
What was going on down there? The men had gone down hours ago and some of the most horrible, spine chilling screams had come from below, followed by deathly silence. What if it didn’t work? What if they did have to cut off Uncle Walter’s hand to get him back?
She couldn’t imagine how he would react to that, and Anna didn’t look forward to his return to himself if that did occur. He was already going to be angry enough about her marriage to David and that they’d summoned a priest to help him. The loss of a hand would certainly put him in a black mood he might never recover from.
Perhaps when this was over, she and David could move to the Continent because Anna wasn’t sure London would be far enough from her uncle’s rage.
“I’m surprised you traveled to Scotland,” Lila said, pulling Anna from her thoughts.
She stopped and looked at her cousin. “I thought I might go mad if I sat here, just waiting.” It was bad enough since their return.
“Yes, well, it wasn’t easy,” Lila snapped.
Anna blinked. “I can see that. I am sorry. Truly, Lila.”
“Anna Southward!” Tilly exclaimed. “What’s that on your hand?”
Drat, she’d been careful to keep her left hand hidden in the folds of her skirts or tucked beneath her arm when they were folded. Now was not the time to explain. “It’s nothing really.”
“It’s a ring!” Tilly pointed out. “What sort of ring is it? Not something you found lying around Marisdùn, I hope.”
Not here, but she found it in a box with others in Scotland. And, it hadn’t even occurred to her that it could be dangerous when accepting it. Goodness, what if it had been possessed too?
She shook the thought from her head, remembering the moment when David slipped it on her finger.
“Tell me it’s not something evil, Anna,” Lila said in a panic. “I don’t know—“
“It’s a wedding ring,” Anna blurted out before either of her cousins became upset, imagining the worst possible outcome of her wearing an unfamiliar ring.
Lila’s mouth dropped open. “You got married in Scotland?”
Anna tried to bite back her grin. “I wasn’t so certain Uncle Walter would approve of David...Mr. Thorn...and we were in Scotland, and…Well, I would do it again,” she finished with conviction.
Tilly reached out and took her ringed hand. “Father Matthew married you?”
Her uncle would never forgive her if she allowed the priest to do the honor an English vicar should. “Blacksmith.” Not that he would consider that much better.
“I would have done the same, if I was you,” Lila finally said, much to Anna’s surprise.
“Thank you. I wish you both could have been there.” As perfect as the moment had been, Anna spoke the truth. Whenever Anna had thought of marrying, she always pictured Lila and Tilly beside her, acting as her bridesmaids.
“Was it very romantic?” Tilly asked with a sigh.
Anna was about to tell them all about her wedding when another scream came from the dungeons, dousing the slight bit of normalcy they had enjoyed for a few short moments.
Chapter 25
David was exhausted, but he remained in the dungeon while the priest continued to chant, pray, and cross himself. He wished he could understand what the man was saying, but any Latin he’d been forced to learn was nearly forgotten. And, he certainly didn’t understand Gaelic.
He did admire Father Matthew, however. The priest had been working, nonstop since he began yesterday, without a moment’s rest. And, at his urging, neither had any of the rest of them. Father Matthew had counseled them to remain strong, but it was becoming bloody difficult. His body ached from standing in the frigid room, his muscles tense with fright and anticipation. How much longer would this take?
David prayed it wasn’t a week. Didn’t Anna say it had taken nearly a week for the priests to free the girl in Italy? He wasn’t sure he could hold on that long, or any of them for that manner.
Father Matthew’s voice remained as strong as Cynbel’s, even though physically they both were weakening. Not so much Cynbel’s strength, but the deterioration of his body as more lesions appeared on his skin that was now pale as a corpse.
Would Vicar Southward even survive this? Maybe it would have been kinder to cut off his hand instead of putting him through this. Especially if he did not survive.
If it did come down to the vicar’s survival or death, they may just have to take the hand, though he truly hoped they weren’t faced with that gruesome decision.
Cynbel was in mid-scream when he suddenly silenced and collapsed.
David started forward, not really sure of what he could do when Father Matthew held up his hand to stop him. He took the bottle from his portmanteau once again, uncorked it and sprinkled the contents on the vicar’s hand. This time the holy water
didn’t sizzle or cause blisters like it had earlier. Instead, it ran over Vicar Southward’s hand and onto the ring, almost pushing it from the vicar’s finger. It fell to the ground with a clank and rolled between the bars and into the center of the room.
He and the others stood there, simply staring at it.
Father Matthew put the water away and retrieved a pristine white cloth. “Ye have the box?”
The man’s voice sounded suddenly tired and his body slouched as if he couldn’t hold himself up much longer.
“Yes, yes.” Garrick pointed to the box they’d found in the priest’s hole.
“Open if for me, will ye?”
Garrick did as he was asked as Father Matthew picked the ring up, using the cloth to protect his skin and dropped it into the box saying, “Signaculum grtia Dei.”
The lid on the box snapped closed without help from any of them.
David blew out a breath as the room immediately began to warm. “Is that it? Is it over?” It seemed to be over, and the ring was in the box, but he wasn’t about to take anything for granted or assume this was behind them. Not without the confirmation of the priest.
“After he wakes, we’ll ken for certain.”
* * *
Anna rushed to David as soon as he entered the white parlor. His arms went around her and squeezed tightly, as if he were drawing on her strength. She tilted her head and looked up into his brown eyes. They were soft, but tired, and there were slight smudges beneath them as if he’d not gotten any sleep. Which she knew very well he hadn’t. None of them had been able to rest. He black hair was mussed, as if he’d run his fingers through it over and over. The stubble that had been on his chin when they first arrived was getting thicker by the moment. If he didn’t shave soon, David would have a beard. She rather liked the idea. It added to his roguish looks.
None of them said anything about what had happened below and Anna was almost afraid to ask.
Anna searched the room and glanced to the open doorway, but Father Matthew hadn’t joined them. She looked back into David’s eyes. “Is it over?”
He gave a quick nod.
“And my uncle? Is he…?”
“Resting, or unconscious,” David answered.
“And Cynbel?” Certainly they wouldn’t be up here if her uncle was still possessed.
“Gone. We think.”
Anna blew out a sigh of relief that the ordeal was over. “You need to rest.”
David caressed her cheek and offered a hint of a smile. “We both need to rest.” Pulling away from her, he grasped her hand. “Why don’t we retire until we’re needed?”
Goodness, she was going to retire with him. She’d never slept with anyone before, but as they were married, she’d no longer sleep alone. Unless David was of a mind that they would have separate chambers. She snuck a look up at him from beneath her lashes. Her parents never had separate chambers and she sincerely doubted David would want them either.
He led her down the corridor and into a chamber and then closed the door behind them. Anna simply stood there, looking around. A massive bed set in the center of the room, and a low fire burned in the fireplace. David tossed a few logs on the flame and shivered. “I’m not sure how long it will take me to thaw out from being down in the dungeon.”
Anna frowned. “Was it so terribly cold?” She recalled it being chilly earlier, but not uncomfortably so.
“As soon as Father Matthew was present, the room became most definitely colder. A few times I could swear I could see my breath.”
She took his hand in hers. It was rather chilly, but not overly so. She rubbed it between her hands. “I’ll help warm you.”
A seductive grin formed on his lips as David turned to her and drew Anna close. “I am hoping for that very thing, wife.”
A thrill shot through her as his lips met hers.
“Turn around,” he instructed after breaking his knee melting kiss, and Anna did what he asked.
He gathered her hair in his hands and lay it across her shoulder and began unfastening her gown.
A metal object sat on the table beside the door and she eyed it rather curiously. “What is that?” She pointed to it.
David chuckled. “Would you believe it’s a chastity belt?”
She turned. “Why ever would you have something like that?”
“We found it when we found the other items in the Priest’s hole.”
“I’m not sure I like that anymore than the ring.” She glanced back. “It looks rather barbaric.”
Her husband laughed again. “Trust me, the last thing I want you wearing is that.” His arms went around her, unfastening the rest of the gown, then he pushed it from her shoulders. “Shall we retire?”
Chapter 26
David blinked his eyes open and closed them quickly again against the bright sunlight streaming into the chamber. Had they slept the day away or had they slept into the next? He was certainly tired enough that he could have slept for a week. Not that he and Anna had found their slumber immediately upon retiring.
A grin pulled at his lips. After the most horrendous night of his life, even worse than when they banished Mrs. Routledge, he’d experienced the most wonderful, beyond his imagination, day by finally making Anna his. This was what he’d been waiting for, needing for the past year. Love. Anna. She was what he needed to fill the void in his life.
And she was exactly where he intended to have her often, lying on her side, his body curled around hers. The covers had slipped and her delicate bare shoulder was exposed. He should let her sleep, but couldn’t help himself and placed a kiss upon it.
Anna turned her head and looked up at David, a sleepy smile on her beautiful face.
He was the luckiest person in the world and couldn’t believe he would truly be waking up like this for the rest of his life.
“What time is it?”
“Does it matter?” He could stay here for the next week, alternating between making love and sleeping. He was sure Quent would understand if he didn’t vacate the premises on the date David originally intended.
“Do you think my uncle is awake yet?” Worry marred his lovely wife’s brow and all thoughts of making love to her again evaporated.
“We could go check.” David rolled away from her. “If he’s still unconscious we can always return here.” He grinned at her. “I’m not sure you’ve gotten enough rest since the ordeal of the past few days.”
She chuckled and pulled herself from the bed, wrapping a sheet around her body to keep him from seeing her. “I’m sure rest is exactly what you have in mind.”
“On second thought,” David said, reaching out for her and pulling her back onto the bed. “There is no reason to leave yet. I’m sure they will alert us if we are needed.”
With those words there was a knock at the door and David silently cursed. “Yes?”
“Your uncle is awake, Mrs. Thorn.”
* * *
Anna took a deep breath, straightened her spine and entered the white salon on David’s arm. She was terrified, not sure of what she would find. If he was up here, then he must be recovered and Cynbel fully exorcised. Though, at the moment, she would almost rather face Cynbel than tell her uncle she had married David in Scotland.
She sucked in a breath when she finally laid eyes on Uncle Walter. She’d never seen him so pale, and why were there bruises and scratches on his face? Were those burns on his hands? Goodness, what had they done to him down there?
Her uncle raked her over with his familiar, cold, blue eyes and then fixed his gaze on her hand resting on David’s arm. “What is this about?” he demanded.
“Uncle, you remember Mr. David Thorn.”
Uncle Walter sneered. “The one who walks on his hands and caused a good deal of trouble last year?”
Oh dear, she’d forgotten about that incident. Clearly the possession had not marred his memory.
“Yes, well, he, um…did walk on his hands, I believe, but I’m not sure he caused�
��”
“What is that on your finger?” he demanded.
Anna sucked in her breath.
“That would be a wedding ring,” David answered.
“To you?” he asked with a mixture of outrage and disgust.
“Yes.” David stood taller. “And we are quite happy.”
Uncle Walter glared at the priest. “Is this your doing?”
Father Matthew held up his hands in defense. “I dinna marry them.” Then he smiled at David and Anna. “But they are well suited for one another, doona ye agree?”
“I agree to nothing,” Uncle Walter roared. “Who married you without my permission?” he demanded.
Anna swallowed against the lump in her throat and tried to speak.
“A very kind blacksmith in Gretna,” David answered.
Her uncle’s blue eyes grew wider. “Gretna? Over an Anvil? That is a heathen wedding without the blessing of the church.”
Oh dear! Did her uncle not consider them married in the eyes of God, even though it was quite legal?
“Step away from him, niece. I will not have you ruined by the likes of him.”
Oh dear, this was going even worse than she imagined. “I cannot do that, Uncle. I love him.”
“Bah! What do you know of love?”
“Plenty!” She lifted her chin in defiance. “I witnessed it in my own parents and I know how I feel when I am with David.”
“Such drivel.” He sighed and focused on David. “I suppose an annulment is out of the question?”
Anna’s mouth popped open. Was her uncle actually asking her husband if their marriage had been consummated, in front of others? Her face heated and Anna couldn’t look at anyone else in the room.
“Very much so, Vicar Southward,” David announced loudly enough for everyone to hear. Probably even the servants in the kitchen.
Father Matthew chuckled and her uncle sneered again before looking at Anna. “Well, I hope you are happy, for you’re stuck, well and good, for the rest of your life.”
Anna couldn’t help but grin. She was quite happy and looked forward to being stuck with David until they both kicked up their toes.