by Clare Revell
“I noticed. Will you please come into the light so I can see who I’m talking to?”
Caitlyn’s laugh was short and sharp. “Disconcerting, isn’t it? Talking to someone you can’t see. Not knowing how they’re feeling because you can’t see their face? Someone who hides and won’t tell you the truth?”
“I had my reasons.” His heart sank. She couldn’t face him after last night. Now she’d seen who he really was, the monster behind the mask, she detested him. “Can we talk about this properly?”
“I’m busy, so unless you want to talk while I search, then it’ll have to wait. Although, I’m sure you probably have some work you ought to be getting on with.” A hard edge crept into her voice. “You won’t want to help me with what I’m doing. Because it’s Christmas and should be ignored.”
His shoulder hit a box. Something clattered to the ground by his feet. He reached down and picked it up. An angel glinted in his hand. It had his name written across the base. His mother had posted it to his school for him, the year he arrived home to find them all gone.
Tears pricked his eyes as he slid it into his pocket.
“Why didn’t you tell me about your face?” she asked. “How bad it really was? I asked often enough.”
“I was afraid you’d back out of our agreement.”
“And have my father thrown into prison?” Caitlyn scoffed. “Yeah, right.”
Hayden took a step closer to her voice. “Your father never would have been thrown into prison unless I pressed charges, you know that. I paid the debt to the tax office, the day I discovered the bill hadn’t been paid.”
“So you decided to threaten an old man, purely because you wanted me.” She screamed in frustration and threw something across the darkness.
A car pulled up outside. Hayden wished there was a window in the attic. There were no servants to answer the door and it would take him too long to get down the stairs. “Someone is here. It would be quicker if you ran to the door to see who it is.”
“That will be Meredith. She’s early, but never mind.” Footsteps stomped across the attic. “And don’t you dare try to interrupt us.”
“Caitlyn. I’m sorry…” He paused, his heart breaking. He had blown any chance he had with her. His eyes burned and he blinked hard. “Perhaps you’d rather leave, never look at me again. You can have the marriage annulled. I won’t contest it.”
“Don’t put ideas in my head, husband. A marriage is for life, not just for Christmas. Only, you don’t do Christmas, and apparently don’t do a proper marriage, either. I happen to believe in both.” She brushed past him, her perfume lingering as the attic door slammed.
Hayden reached out and flicked on the light. A box of decorations he hadn’t realized was there sat open. The servants must have bought them that first year they’d tried to decorate.
He shoved everything inside and picked up the box, balancing it in one arm. Then he turned and headed back down the staircase. He placed the box at the bottom of the Christmas tree.
Hayden pulled the angel from his pocket and held the string, watching it move and glisten in the sunlight. He blinked hard, and reaching out, hung the ornament on the tree. He should order a matching one for Caitlyn if he could.
As his fingers touched the tree, a memory hit him with the force of the Flying Scotsman. A huge tree filled part of the barn, the ladder his father had used to hang the star on the top still standing next to it. Rafe teased him about his fear of heights and clambered to the top of the ladder, taunting him. Determined to prove he wasn’t a coward, Hayden climbed after him.
Rafe’s face creased in pain and he wobbled, losing his balance. The ladder shifted suddenly, hitting the beam that always stuck out at an odd angle. People screamed as they fell to the ground. A crushing weight lay on top of Hayden’s head and leg. Blood spilled from his brother. As they lay beneath the wreckage, Rafe’s blood mixed with his own. Just beyond his reach lay the Christmas tree.
Shaking his head, Hayden limped toward his study, fingers white where they gripped the cane. Caitlyn may never love him, but he loved her and if she insisted on a real Christmas, then he’d at least try to ensure she had one.
From the library he could hear Caitlyn speaking. A low, male voice replied. Perhaps that was her friend’s husband.
Hayden strode into his study and shut the door. He dropped into his chair, and lifted the laptop’s lid. His fingers moved quickly over the keys. He smiled when he found the angels were still available and ordered one with Caitlyn’s name across the base. He paid extra for express delivery. That should ensure it arrived in time for Christmas.
A loud thud resounded from in the hallway, followed by a clang. Hayden rose to his feet. “Caitlyn, are you all right?” No answer came. Concerned she may have hurt herself and be unable to answer, Hayden made his way across the room. “Caitlyn?”
The door flung open and David, the dressmaker, stood there. “Caitlyn isn’t here anymore,” he sneered.
“Where is she? What have you done with her?”
“What makes you think I did anything? You did it all by yourself. You’re the monster, Hayden.” David reached behind his back, and produced a sword.
Hayden recognized it as the one which hung above the fireplace in the library. He stood firm, fear clenching his stomach. “Where is she?”
“She’s gone. You see, the problem is you. Remove you and she’ll be fine.” David swung the sword in a wide arc.
Hayden blocked the parry with his cane. He staggered backwards as he absorbed the blow.
“I’m not letting you take her. She’s mine. She was mine long before you wanted her.”
Hayden blocked another blow; this one sent jarring pain up his arm as the blade nicked his fingers. Warm blood dripped from his hand. “You’re too late. We’re already married.”
Another blow sent him to his knees as he lost his balance.
David’s eyes shone with maniacal fire as he raised the sword, bringing it down with a sweeping blow. “You will never have her.”
Hayden glanced down, surprised to see the sword blade protruding from his shoulder. It didn’t even hurt. He reached up and pulled the blade out. It clattered to the floor.
David kicked the cane out of his reach. “I will not let her ruin her life like you ruined mine…brother.”
Darkness tinged the edge of Hayden’s vision. David’s last word made no sense to his pain filled mind. “What?” he whispered, trying to make sense of everything. “My brother is dead…”
“I never did count as far as you were concerned, did I?” David’s bitter tone resonated as he picked up the sword, swinging it down one last time.
The blade struck home and agony rocketed. Hayden closed his eyes, succumbing to the overwhelming darkness. Perhaps if he kept still for a moment, the pain would ease and he could get up.
Somewhere outside a car pulled away, tires spinning on the gravel.
“Caitlyn…” Hayden forced his eyes open and pulled the sword from his side. He dragged himself across the floor, slowly, painfully, his left arm refusing to work. He turned over, clasping his arm, as the darkness reclaimed him.
10
Faraway footsteps thudded in the darkness. Hayden tried to move, but pain seared, keeping him curled in a ball, clutching his shoulder, arm clamped against his side.
“Wait, Meredith, there’s a note on the door.”
Think. Meredith is Caitlyn’s friend. She could call someone.
“Help…” Hayden tried, his voice weak.
“It’s from Caitlyn, but not her writing. Must be Hayden’s.” A woman spoke this time. “Hayden and I have gone away for a few days. We’re going to Scotland to see his family and won’t be back ’til the New Year. Last minute decision.” Paper rustled. “Oh, well, I’ll give her a call tonight and make sure they got there safely.”
“Help…” Hayden tried again as the voices faded.
Car doors slammed.
He was all alone. As the darkness
threatened to engulf him, he tried to place David, addled mind grasping for answers. David had seemed familiar when he’d brought the dresses over…
Of course. His mother’s son from a previous relationship, the half-brother, so much older than he and Rafe. He’d rarely seen the man who had never fully integrated into the new family formed when his parents had married. But his name hadn’t been David. It was…Tony?
Yes. He was Tony.
Caitlyn huddled in the car, her mind whirling, as David drove. He’d said her father was ill, a stroke, and she had to come quickly before it was too late. Would she be in time? She should have told Hayden. But David said he’d take care of that, while she grabbed her bag and coat and waited in the car. It took him forever before he reappeared, slightly out of breath, coat buttoned all the way up, but she wasn’t given a chance to ask why, as he started the car and drove like a maniac down the driveway to the main road.
She studied the man next to her. “Why didn’t Auntie Naomi ring me?”
“She was a little busy.”
“But she had time to call you. She has my number. She should have called me. This doesn’t make any sense.” She turned to the window as David stopped the car and switched off the engine. “This isn’t a hospital. Or their house.”
“It’s a nursing home. I suggest you hurry.”
Things weren’t adding up, but she didn’t have time to argue. Caitlyn snatched up her bag, and dashed out of the car. She ran up the steps of the huge Georgian mansion. There was no nameplate for the building, something else that didn’t ring true.
Let me be in time to see him.
She searched for the doorbell and pushed it. The bell clanged, and then echoed. Strange. Nothing should echo—unless the house was empty.
David reached her side and produced a key. He leaned over her and unlocked the door.
Confusion gripped her, accentuating her concern. “Why do you have a key?”
“Shut up.” He grabbed her arm, propelling her inside and down a hallway.
Caitlyn struggled, dragging her feet. “What are you doing? Where’s my father?”
“Get in.” He shoved her into a small room, devoid of anything, and locked the door behind her.
Terror replaced the confusion. She remembered all too well what happened the last time she was by herself in a room with him. Now she was alone in a house and he had the keys. She spun and pounded on the wooden barrier between them. “David. What’s going on? Where’s my father?”
David laughed. “He’s not here. He never was.”
“Let me out. I have to get to him.”
“You’re going nowhere, Caitlyn. Your father is fine. He never was sick. And you are not marrying my brother.”
Caitlyn stared at the door in disbelief, her anger at being locked in temporarily forgotten. “What are you talking about? Hayden’s brother is dead. He told me that himself. Rafe died when Hayden was six.”
“Did he tell you it was his fault Rafe died?” David asked. His voice sounded almost maniacal.
“He told me it was an accident that left him severely injured, that his parents abandoned him soon afterwards.” She paused. “Who are you really, David?”
“Hayden and I share the same mother. But his father never adopted me because at seventeen I was too old. He tolerated me, gave me a job as a gardener. Rafe and Hayden were spoilt brats.” Banging resounded with his words. “Everything they wanted, they got. Hayden used to goad Rafe into doing things he couldn’t do himself. Like climbing the tree to hang those infernal matching ornaments they had.”
Something crashed in the hallway. “Where was my ornament?” David yelled. “I was the oldest, but I didn’t matter any longer. When Hayden climbed the ladder after Rafe, I saw my chance to right things.” Fury made his voice tremble. “If those brats weren’t there, maybe my mother would love me again. I pushed the ladder away from the wall, bringing the ceiling and the wall down with it. It should have killed them both. I wanted to murder them both, but I failed then. I won’t fail now.”
Caitlyn slumped against the door. She closed her eyes. Lord, help me here. David has consistently lied to me, about his job and so on. How do I know this is true? Is there a way for me to reach his sick mind? Hayden may have had selfish motives, but the only thing he hid was the extent of his facial damage.
David’s voice softened. “And then you came along. The first girl to even look at me twice, despite the age difference. He never showed any interest in you, until I asked you out. He plotted to ruin my life the way he ruined Rafe’s. The way he’s always ruined my life.”
“Kidnapping me isn’t helping anything.” Her mind raced. Her emotions seesawed between panic and anger. Where was Hayden in all this? Had David really told him where they were going? A horrid thought crossed her mind. What if he’d actually hurt Hayden and that part wasn’t a lie? “Why don’t you let me out and—”
“No way. You’re not getting out of here until you marry me.”
“Not happening.” She rubbed her fingers over the wedding ring she wore. Perhaps he assumed it was an engagement ring. “Hayden and I got married three days ago.”
A sick scream of fury came from the other side of the locked door. “Then you can die, as well.”
Caitlyn froze. “What do you mean ‘as well’?” Her heart sped as she pounded on the door. “David, what have you done?”
“Slain the monster, Caitlyn. Hayden is dead, like Rafe, or will be soon. Doesn’t matter which. And now you can die right along with him.”
Something splashed in the hallway and the footsteps began to recede. The stench of petrol seeped under the door.
Petrol? She banged on the door. “You let me out of here, right now. David!” No answer came. She thumped harder, knuckles bruising, his senseless ravings rebounding in her brain.
Caitlyn paused. Crackling came from the other side of the wooden barrier. She wrinkled her nose. Something was burning. She glanced down, backing away as smoke wafted under the door. She turned and flew to the window. In desperation, she struggled to open it, shoving with all her might, but it was either jammed or locked.
David’s contorted face appeared on the other side of the glass.
She rattled the frame and shrieked, “Let me out! You can’t do this.”
“Think you’ll find I already have,” he sneered. “If I can’t have you, no one can.”
Liquid splashed over the window, making her jump back. Oil smeared the glass and she assumed it was more petrol. An explosion sent her flying to the floor. She screamed and curled into a ball, throwing her hands over her head as the window shattered, spraying her with glass.
Hot, searing flames shot over her, singeing her hair and charring her sleeves. Intense heat prickled her skin. Her stomach knotted with raw fear, but she refused to let it take over.
David had said Hayden was dying. She couldn’t let that happen.
She loved him.
Caitlyn caught her breath. She. Loved. Him. When had that happened? She wasn’t sure, but what she did know was that she didn’t want to live without him.
She glanced over at the door. The explosion had blown it open. Flames rushed into the room, licking at the woodwork. Beyond lay an inferno. There was no way she could get through there unharmed.
She turned, but the window was blocked by ceiling timbers. Now she had no choice. It had to be the door and the flames.
“A little help, Lord,” she whispered. Caitlyn stood and gathered her skirts, pulling them close around her. Taking a deep breath, she darted through the door and into the blazing hallway. Dodging pockets of flame, she raced to the front door and yanked it open.
She stumbled down the steps into the cold air, coughing, eyes watering. Fresh, chilly air struggled to fill her lungs.
David tackled her to the ground. “Oh, no, you don’t.”
Had he been lying in wait? Caitlyn fought back with everything she had, bringing her knee up hard and fast into
his groin. Making the most of him rolling in agony, she scooped up the fallen car keys and rocketed to her feet. She pressed the unlock button as she sprinted toward his car.
A cry of rage reached her ears. Her fingers fumbled the keys and they tumbled to the ground. Scrabbling to pick them up, she glanced behind to see David struggle to his feet and lurch after her.
Wrenching the door open, Caitlyn was more scared than she had ever been in her life. Once inside, she locked the doors as David reached the car. He pounded on the window and screamed curses at her. Her chest hitching, she ignored him, shoved the keys in the ignition, and started the engine. She pulled away, running over his foot. “Not sorry,” she yelled, glancing in the mirror. “I ought to be, but I’m not. Forgive me, Lord.”
Pressing her foot hard on the accelerator, Caitlyn headed back to Stetford Park, praying she’d get there in time to save Hayden from whatever evil David had begun.
Hayden lay strewn on the floor at the foot of the Christmas tree. “The irony isn’t lost on me, Lord,” he said. “Been here before. It’s where I first found You, as a small child of six. You kept me going through the darkest time of my life. And I’m in that place once again.”
Wet drops of misery crept down his face. “I need Your help here, because without You I’m nothing.” He rolled over, clutching his arm. An involuntary cry wrenched from him as pain spiked. He inched across the floor to the wall where he pulled to a sitting position.
Stars floated in front of his eyes, nausea rising. He swallowed hard and pressed his head against the wall. He didn’t want to throw up or pass out. Closing his eyes, he sucked in several deep breaths, allowing his body time to adjust to its new situation.
Hayden tugged his handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped it around his bleeding fingers. He ripped open his shirt, sending buttons flying across the floor. The upper chest wound appeared deep and it was certainly painful. He had a good chance of bleeding to death if he didn’t do something soon.
He cried out as he yanked off his shirt, using it as a makeshift bandage across his chest, binding the hole in his shoulder. He checked his mobile. No signal, and if he were David, he’d have disconnected the phone lines to prevent anyone calling for help. No point in even trying the landline in the study.