“Help me figure out what I’m going to do with people. Justin wants to have two colleagues and his daughter come up. Okay, listen good and hang with me. The inn has six rooms. Mine, Tom’s, and Martha’s, and the three we let out. Tom is staying for the weekend, so his room is taken. Justin and I will be leaving Saturday night, which empties my room. Marc has taken Justin’s old room, but he’ll just have to go home for Friday and Saturday night. The Donnesys and the Bakers will still be in their rooms. Are you still with me? That leaves me with three people and only two rooms—short of space.”
“Easy,” Sue said. “Justin’s professor friends can have the two rooms, and his daughter can stay with me.”
“Oh, Sue, I hate to do that to you—”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m dying of curiosity!”
“So am I,” Serena admitted. She shook her head. “I still don’t think I believe all this, Sue. Instant husband—and instant sixteen-year-old. And instant New York City—”
“You’re starting to sound jittery,” Sue warned. “I think you should get out of here and go buy a dress—and a pack of lacy lingerie and anything else you can think of! There’s only tomorrow, and then there’s Saturday—and then two P.M.!”
“I guess I will go pick up some things,” Serena murmured. She glanced at Sue with a frown. “I think it’s been a little insulting to realize how dispensable I am!”
“Not to Justin,” Sue said softly. “And to be indispensable to a man you love … well, that’s what counts, honey.”
“Thanks, Sue,” Serena replied. She collected a few things she had strewn on the desk and dug her purse out from beneath her desk. She smiled as she walked toward the door and then paused.
“Sue, I’m sure Tom has told you about the stairwell and the diary. And that I came out of the stairwell shrieking that Justin … was Miles.”
Sue glanced at her nails. “Yeah, I heard.”
“Well?”
“You were locked in a dark stairwell for hours. It’s easy to believe anything in that kind of circumstance.”
“Sue!” Serena persisted. “No vibes at all?”
“I’ve liked Justin from the beginning, Serena, and I always told you so.”
Serena smiled with worried eyes and left. I am fine, she told herself. I know I was being silly. I know a dark stairwell can make you think anything.
Then why was Sue hedging?
She wasn’t hedging; if she didn’t believe things would be okay, she would say something, she would try to stop me.
And oh, brother! What is happening to me! I don’t believe in any of this, and I tease Susan constantly about her “vibes.”
Disgusted with herself, she forced her mind to concentrate on the excitement and wonder of getting married, committing herself to Justin for life and receiving the commitment in return. She went into her favorite boutique and almost immediately found what she wanted—the special dress, a pale mauve that hugged her figure and actually made her eyes look violet to herself. The wedding would be small, just those who had attended the party and Justin’s friends and his daughter. And it would take place at the inn.
But although she wouldn’t be a young bride in frothy white again, it would be even more of an occasion to her because there were still times that she had to shake her head with a certain awe at the fact that Justin was really hers … forever.
He greeted her at the door when she came home. “Jenny gets into Boston tomorrow night at five. Flight 307 from Cincinnati. Coming with me to pick her up?”
Serena nodded happily and kissed him. “Of course. Oh, Justin, I hope she likes me!”
He kissed her nose. “She’s going to love you.”
It was a nice night. They spent the evening talking with Tom, and Serena was thrilled to see how well the man she adored and the brother she loved dearly got along. It was very late when she fell asleep in Justin’s arms, and her dreams should have been sweet.
They were terrifying.
She was awakened from them by a piercing scream of horror that filled the night air with jagged, hysterical shrieks.
And she was the one screaming.
CHAPTER TEN
A HAND CLAMPED FIRMLY over her mouth.
“Dammit to hell, Serena! Shush! You’re going to have the whole house up here thinking I’m beating you to death!”
Justin spoke with a thin veil of soothing humor over an irritation he simply couldn’t bury. He released her mouth slowly, whispering, “What the hell is the matter with you?”
Serena sprang from the bed, shaking. She stared at him in the moonlit dimness of the room, her eyes wide with an unfathomable fear. She tried to speak, failed, and finally managed, “Justin—it can’t be. It simply can’t be. Something terrible is going to happen.”
To his amazement she spun from him and headed for the door. He leapt after her, reaching the door before her and catching her in his arms as he blocked the exit from her.
“You’re damned right something terrible is going to happen,” he charged her. “You’ll get to see a real jealous fit, and I will start beating you if you go running out of this room stark naked.”
She paused and blinked, and he realized she had only now become fully conscious. He shook her slightly, whispering a sharp “Serena!” She stared into his eyes, lips trembling, then threw herself into his arms. She was still shaking with sobs of terror.
He let her cry for a second, smoothing back her hair as she drenched his chest with tears. Then he picked her up and walked her back to the bed where he laid her down and pulled the covers around her before joining her, propped up on an elbow as he held her securely.
“It can’t be, Justin,” she murmured, her eyes meeting his clearly but still liquid with tears.
“Serena, you had a dream,” he told her firmly. “And I’m not throwing my life away because of a dream.”
“But—”
“Tell me about it.”
“I …” She wanted to tell him, to explain, but she knew her explanation would be weak because description couldn’t make him understand the overwhelming terror she had felt.
“Tell me, Serena,” he insisted softly, hand firm and securely steadying over her hip as he lay beside her, touching her with the warm length of his body.
“You were coming at me, Justin, but all I could really see were your eyes. And the deeper I looked, the more I could see that the brown within them was actually yellow fire. You had no pupils, Justin. … Your eyes were actually fire. …”
She paused, biting a lip as she realized he had to think she was crazy to scream like a child over a dream about fire in his eyes.
“Go on,” he urged her softly.
“You were calling to me, and I couldn’t tell what you were saying. I felt that I had to go to you, and yet that if I did I would catch fire. … I … I just couldn’t tell if you were trying to help me … or … or burn me with the flame. And then …”
“Then what?”
“You kept getting closer, and I was paralyzed with fear. And then suddenly the fire wasn’t in your eyes at all. It burst between us and the flames reached into the sky and they were blue with intensity. …”
“And then you woke up,” he concluded softly.
“Yes.”
He hugged her close to him, soothing her with gentle strokes over her shoulder and arm. “Serena, I would never hurt you.”
“I believe that, Justin,” she murmured, “I mean, not intentionally. But, Justin, I’m so frightened! It’s just like the dream. I want you so badly, but I can’t tell what’s wrong. …”
“There’s nothing wrong,” he said firmly, “and I’m not going to allow anything to be wrong. Half your problem is this damn house—and we’ll be out of it on Sunday.”
“Justin, it isn’t the house. Neither of us believes in haunted houses. I’ve lived here all my life, and I never had a problem until you … until we—”
“Serena,” he interrupted firmly. “You’re right—I don’t bel
ieve in haunted houses. And I’m sure you don’t either. But I do believe in the power of suggestion. You have all this Eleanora nonsense on your mind, and it’s giving you nightmares. I’m telling you right now, Serena—I love you. And I don’t give a damn about what happened to Eleanora Hawk centuries ago. We’re going to be married on Saturday if I have to drug you and drag you down the aisle—because I know you love me too.”
“No, Justin, our lives—”
“Serena,” he whispered softly, “it was a dream, and yes, dreams can be very terrifying! But I’m here, and I’m going to hold you through the night, and I won’t even try to sleep until—”
“Oh, don’t you understand, Justin? It isn’t only me! When that fire came up, I didn’t know who was going to suffer … to pay—me, or you!”
“Serena,” he said, laughing. “Look at me, sweetheart. What do you think is going to happen to me?”
“Justin—”
“I’ll always be very careful—”
“Dammit. Don’t patronize me, Justin!”
Serena felt his muscles tense, saw the telltale tic in his jaw. “And don’t push the limits of my patience!” he exclaimed in return, his whisper harsh. “Now it’s the middle of the night. Let’s get some sleep.”
“I can’t sleep, I keep remembering—”
“Well,” he murmured, and a subtle difference came to his tone. “I’ll bet I can make you forget all about it. If I’m going to be awake anyway …”
Tom Hawk had been dreaming himself when his eyes suddenly flew open. He was glad to be awakened; his own dream wasn’t pleasant, but whether he had actually heard or sensed his sister’s scream, he didn’t know.
He bolted from his bed and secured a terry robe around himself before flinging open his door and racing down the hallway.
In front of Serena’s door he paused in consternation, his hand halted in the middle of intent before he could tap on the new wood.
The room was quiet. He couldn’t go flying into her room when she was sleeping with her fiancé. If he had imagined the scream, they would both think him insane.
And if he weren’t careful, O’Neill would start thinking the whole family was bats.
But what if O’Neill wasn’t entirely what he seemed. What if Serena had screamed. What if the muscle-bound Ph.D. was a little off the wall himself, threatening Serena to silence while he performed sick deeds.
Hell, Tom Hawk, he told himself beneath his breath as a smile at his own absurdity curled his lips, you are half-bats.
He glanced at the door again. Not a sound was coming from it. But he had been worried about his sister, and when he worried, he was usually right to do so.
With his face twisted in a mask of uncertainty, he leaned his ear against the door and began to hear murmuring.
And then his sister’s voice. Soft … almost a purr.
“Oh … Justin …”
Tom drew his ear from the door as his face turned pink. Sheepishly he made his way back to his own room.
In the morning the Golden Hawk itself seemed to sleep late. No one appeared for breakfast at eight, which was fine because Martha was still sleeping herself. Mildred Donnesy was the first to awaken, and then she woke up her poor husband with a swat, reminding him that they were among the employed and that the museum had to open. They and the Bakers departed quietly.
Serena awoke at eleven to see Justin zip up a pair of beige trousers and pull a navy knit shirt over his head. His hair was wet, and she realized a bit resentfully that he had already jogged and showered and was on his way out.
His eyes fell upon her as he clipped on his watch and collected his keys. He arched a brow. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” she mumbled in return, curling her arms around her pillow.
“You okay?”
Serena nodded slowly. He had managed to make her forget the dream. And now, in daylight, it did seem a little foolish.
He walked over to the bed and smiled as he leaned down to kiss her. She was always a vision to him. Her chestnut hair was billowed in wild disarray about her, her violet eyes appeared sweetly sensuous in their drowsy state.
He touched her lips swiftly, then backed away. “I’m getting out of here quickly,” he laughed, knowing she was still a little too out-of-it to understand why. “I have to pick up my suit, and I want to stop by AAA to pick up a few maps. And Martha asked me to stop by the florist and make sure they have the delivery set for early in the morning.” He waited a minute, wondering if she would protest.
She didn’t. She smiled vaguely and closed her eyes again.
“Don’t forget, we have to pick up Jenny at five.”
“I won’t forget,” Serena mumbled.
The click of the door when he left snapped Serena out of her drowsiness. She stretched for a minute, glanced at the clock on the nightstand, and groaned. Damn, it was late.
She bathed quickly and decided to wear a skirt and a tailored blouse with an edge of ruffling down the front. The outfit, in shades of summer mauve, was neither too businesslike nor fussy. Perfect for meeting Justin’s daughter, and since they would have to leave for Logan Airport with a good hour to spare on a Friday night, she didn’t think she’d have a chance to change again.
She was surprised to find her brother in the kitchen popping bread into the toaster, his usually bright expression definitely dour. She raised a brow at him as she checked the coffeepot.
“Rotten night,” he murmured.
“Must be an epidemic,” Serena replied lightly, grateful to see that there was coffee in the pot. “Where’s Martha?”
“She went into town to collect a few supplies for tomorrow. Most of the food is going to be delivered, and the florists are supposed to do the arrangements in the house, but you know Martha. She wants everything perfect.”
Serena smiled. “My wedding,” she said, laughing, “and I’ve barely done a thing.”
“That’s allowed,” Tom said, grinning, “since it’s almost a shotgun affair. Want some toast?”
“Thanks.”
“Good. I’ll make your toast if you’ll pour my coffee.”
“I didn’t get the bad end of the stick in that deal,” Serena agreed.
A few minutes later they sat across from each other at the table. Tom looked at his sister quizzically, and she half smiled and half frowned as she caught his stare. “What?” she asked.
“How come you had a bad night?” he said.
“Oh … a dream.”
Tom swallowed a bite of toast and rinsed it down with a sip of coffee. “I thought I heard you scream,” he said. He started to blush. “In fact, I came racing out of my room to your door … but … well, you weren’t screaming anymore. And I … well, I knew you were all right. I mean, not in any pain.”
Serena started flushing too, and then both brother and sister broke into laughter, still flushing. “I’m sorry I woke you,” Serena murmured, trying to change the subject.
“Oh, I was glad you woke me. I was having a horrendous dream myself.”
“You were?” Serena felt her body tense in some type of strange anticipation. “About what?”
Tom shrugged and smiled gently in reply to the anxiety in his sister’s eyes. “Not about you, or Justin, or anything relevant. Just strange. And … painful.”
“Tell me about it,” Serena demanded.
“I’d rather not. It would just bring up a lot of long-ago pain for you to dwell on too.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I was dreaming about Mom.”
“Mom,” Serena repeated, bewildered. Then she said softly, “Tom, you should tell me about the dream. Justin made me tell him about mine, and it made me feel better. And, Tom, it’s always going to hurt us both a little about our parents, but they’ve been gone ten years. We can both talk about it now.”
Tom shrugged again, then grimaced. “It was really kind of crazy. I felt like I knew Mom was in the house, and I could hear the plane. But I couldn’t get
to her. All I could do was hear the plane. That funny soaring noise. And then there was an explosion, and flames leaping high and—hey, Serena, what’s the matter?”
She had jumped to her feet and gone as white as chalk. “Serena, it was all long ago. Damn, I knew I shouldn’t have said anything—”
“That’s it!” Serena shrieked, “A fire—a plane! Oh, Jesus, Tom, that’s it. Justin was right; he’s strong, so little can hurt him, he’s like the Rock of Gibraltar, but one thing could kill him, and that’s his daughter, he loves her so much—”
“Serena.” Tom jumped beside her in alarm. “What are you talking about? Calm down—”
“I can’t. I have to find Justin. I have to make him get Jenny off that plane—”
Shaking off her brother’s touch, she was outside and into her car before he could stop her. He was just in time to be covered by the dust as the wheels sent it flying.
Justin had already left the cleaners. She didn’t catch up with him until he was leaving the AAA office, and then she was so incoherent it was minutes before he could understand a thing she was saying.
He was patient at first when he tried to calm her, but his patience fled fast to become irritation. He sternly forced her to quiet down and speak slowly, then ducked her inside to the far corner of a dimly lit lounge, ordering them both stiff drinks.
He wouldn’t let her speak again until she had taken several sips.
Then she tried to get ahold of herself and plead as rationally as she could.
“Justin, please, we’re wasting time. You have to stop Jenny from getting on that plane. Don’t you see, it’s your turn—”
“Serena! I’ve gone about as far with all this as I can go. It is not my turn for anything! And I’m not going to have my daughter miss the wedding because you have nightmares.”
Serena knew the set to his face, the iron lock to his strong jaw. She stared at him helplessly, then fell silent and quietly finished her drink, feeling the heat and intensity of his eyes all the while.
She stood up and gazed down at him, defeated. “There won’t be a wedding tomorrow, Justin. I can’t marry you.”
He caught her wrist. “You are going to marry me tomorrow.”
Serena's Magic Page 17