by Amy Lignor
“Hello, Liz,” he said quietly. “How have you been?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
She blinked rapidly. “Daniel, what are you doing here?”
“After you left Achill, I thought I would leave, too. The fighting got worse and I knew that eventually you’d need me.”
“Fighting? There’s fighting in the town?”
“No, just the never-ending battle between my parents.”
“Oh, Daniel, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s all right.” He squeezed her shoulder. “I came here a few months ago looking for work, and Master Faire offered me a job.”
“Master Faire?”
“The father-in-law of Faith, my true love,” Daniel said with a smile remembering their old banter. “We had a long talk…spent a lot of time together. He seemed quite interested when I told him that I knew his son.”
“How, Daniel? How did you know this was Charles’ family?” Liz asked. “You never even knew his last name. You only met him once.”
Daniel winked. “Come on, I can see and hear you in your dreams, just like you can enter mine.” He leaned in close and whispered in her ear, “Don’t pretend you don’t know the whole time you’ve been gone, I’ve never left your side.”
Liz grabbed his hand. “Come with me.” Fear raced through her, as she pulled on his lapels dragging him out the veranda doors.
They followed a path that led them into the largest garden Liz had ever seen. Every flower ever created seemed to bloom around her; their strong scents filling the night air. Sitting on a white marble bench, she pulled Daniel down beside her.
His eyes burned into hers, it was like he was talking to her without using words. She felt like he was invading her thoughts, searching every corner of her mind for anything that she might have hidden from him. “Your look has certainly changed Liz, but you haven’t.”
She shuddered. “Tell me everything that happened since Faith and I left.”
He took a deep breath. “The whole village seemed to mourn your loss. The farms didn’t do so well, and overnight my father became the tyrant of the house. Believe me, my mother never saw it coming. The crops dried up, but his liquor didn’t…and he got very sick. He was coming home one night when his horse threw him.” Daniel’s voice grew cold. “You could smell the drink on him through the dirt of his grave.”
“You shouldn’t speak ill of the dead,” Liz reprimanded.
But Daniel seemed completely unaffected by his father’s death. “A few days after his funeral, an army of men came into town. One of them was asking about his son. He said that he’d tracked him to Achill. The description he gave matched one of the guys you and Faith left with, so I told him about the four of you.”
Liz’s eyes grew wide.
“I told him all the wonderful things about you, Liz, and he seemed quite taken with my stories.”
“Stories?” she choked.
“No, not like that. No one will ever know the secret we carry between us. I just told him how hard you worked at the pub and what a pure, sweet girl you were.” Liz squirmed under his intimate gaze. “I told him how the whole county loved you, and that he shouldn’t worry about his son because you would protect him on his journey.”
“Daniel that sounds ridiculous—telling a stranger that a mere girl would protect his big, strapping son.”
“He believed me. I was quite adamant about you, you know,” Daniel said as his face turned red.
She moved farther away from him across the cold stone bench. “Daniel, why are you really here?”
“I followed you at first. I wanted to make sure that if you needed me, or changed your mind, I’d be there for you.” He paused as his voice turned serious. “I didn’t like the tone Donald Faire used when he talked about his son, Liz. He spoke like he was hunting a hardened criminal. I was worried he might find him but end up hurting you by mistake. So when I knew you were coming here eventually, I arrived first to make sure you’d be safe. I’m sort of his messenger. I run errands for him, pick up legal papers—things like that. Mostly, I listen. I have free reign in this household Liz, so I always know what’s going on and what he’s planning. I can protect you from him, or whatever he has planned for those you’ve been traveling with.”
“This is a bad idea.”
“No, Liz, it’s fine. I’m just here to provide any backup or help you might need. The lady of the manor treats me with nothing but kindness.”
Liz shuddered, remembering the way she’d stared at Jason in the kitchen; the look of a piranha swimming in the cold waters of high society searching for her next male victim. “I’ll bet she does, Daniel. Listen to me—you need to be careful. There’s something wrong with these people, and I’d hate to see you get involved with any of them.”
He laughed. “Don’t worry, they won’t hurt me. In fact, they’re grooming me to marry their daughter.”
“Daughter?” Liz exclaimed. “Charles has a sister?”
“Yes and she’s pretty. Young, and a bit gangly, but still pretty.”
“Daniel, do you really think this family would let a peasant like you marry their daughter? You know they’re going to seek their vengeance on Faith. They’re probably planning her death right now—for having the audacity to marry their only son.”
Daniel stood up quickly, anger pulsing in his eyes. “That’s not a nice thing to say. I expected better from you, Liz.”
“Daniel, I didn’t mean that you and Faith are unworthy. Any woman would be lucky to marry a man like you. I just meant that, knowing how the world works, and the things Charles has told me about these awful people…”
Daniel snorted. “Since when do you, my lovely Elizabeth, know how the world works? Has your dark and brooding traveling companion finally made you a woman?”
“That’s none of your business!” she shouted.
“I thought so,” he said with a knowing grin. “If you need to rethink this marriage thing with Jason, just let me know and I will…”
She stopped him immediately. “Daniel, what kind of errands do you do for this man? What are they grooming you for, exactly? I don’t trust them. You could get caught up in something you know nothing about—something that even you won’t be able to handle.”
“I can take care of myself…as well as you.”
Liz pushed him away and took a deep breath. Her head was pounding. The powerful anger coming from inside the house was mixing with his confusing words. “Daniel, we’re friends.” She struggled with the sensations taking over her body. “I need to know if there’s any danger coming. I need to know what you’ve found out about these people. Daniel, please…”
“Charles hasn’t told you the whole truth. You would be smart to find out the other side of all the stories you’ve heard.”
“Tell me, Daniel. Tell me what you know. It’ll go no further than the two of us, as always.”
“Another secret between us, Liz?” He smiled yet there was a hint of sadness in his expression.
“I promise.” Liz tried to calm her rapid breathing, as she listened to the thoughts and ideas running through his head. She could feel the immense battle being waged inside him. Snippets of conversations flooded Liz’s brain as she stared into Daniel’s brilliant eyes. It almost felt like there was another person squatting inside of him…shouting words she couldn’t quite make out.
The sweat froze on her forehead as visions shot from his brain. Could she really be seeing this? Hearing this? Perhaps some dark power hung over this house of nightmares. Why else would her best friend think he was some kind of warrior? How could he possibly believe that they spoke to each other in their dreams? That she was the one he so desperately…
Liz recoiled from his gaze, banishing his thoughts from her mind. Her voice came out like a whisper in the night. “I’m in love with Jason, and I will never change my mind.”
“I realize that you think you’ve made your choice,” he snorted. “You’re just not ready to deal with the truth yet
.”
“The truth?”
She watched him cautiously. A feeling of dread swelled in her soul when jealousy clouded his beautiful blue eyes. Then, in a split second, his face transformed back into the warm mask of friendship that Liz had known all her life. “We’ll have plenty of time to deal with what’s going on between us later.”
“There is no us.”
“You need to know the whole truth, Liz. You need to know the danger that lurks inside this house.”
“Danger?” Her mouth suddenly felt dry.
“Just listen, and come with me,” he said as a note of bitterness entered his voice. “I want to introduce you to the woman I love.”
Liz kept her voice calm and steady. “Okay, that would be nice.”
Thoughts swam inside her head, but Liz knew that she needed to stay conscious in order to focus on whatever it was he was about to reveal. She needed to be able to choose between what was real and what he simply imagined in his mind, because each side was equally compelling. She took a deep breath, and readied herself for the bad news that Daniel seemed incredibly eager to share.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Brandy bottle in hand, Donald Faire passed a drink to his son. “Why have you come back to the people who would like nothing more than to put you out of your misery?”
Charles set the glass aside. “I’m here for Angela.”
Sitting down behind his imposing desk, Mr. Faire looked like an amused judge staring at the accused. “Angela won’t go with you. She hates you, boy. Can’t stand the sight of you.”
Charles grinned. “That’s not true. The lies you told her are just a little too hard to believe, and I’m sure Angela is old enough now to realize the filth our parents ooze. I’m going to give her the same opportunity for a life that I’ve found for myself.”
“A life,” his father snorted. “Traveling around the countryside with two peasants is a life? Oh, they’re beautiful, I grant you, but a peasant is a peasant. What will you do for money? Sell your sister on the street corner? Perhaps you are becoming more like your father.”
Charles lunged across the desk, reaching for the old man’s throat. “The only pimp in this house is you!”
“You are me!” he shouted back, barely flinching from his son’s attack. “You always will be! It’s time to return to the life you were born to lead.”
Jason’s strong hands pulled Charles back into the chair. “You can go to hell, old man,” Charles seethed. “Live the life I was born to lead? When the devil rises up and swallows me whole.”
His father raised an amused eyebrow. “Look around, he’s rising higher and higher with each passing day.”
The door opened behind them and a feminine shape sauntered into the room.
“This conversation is not for you.”
“So I heard,” Helen Faire said as she walked to the brandy cart to pour herself a drink. “You won’t take Angela from this house. She’s being raised to be a lady, not a vagabond like you.”
“A lady to the manor born, Mother? What do you care? You act like she’s yours, for Christ’s sake.”
Her knuckles turned white as she tightened her grip on the fragile glass. “She is mine.”
“Oh, please!” Charles snorted. “Look at her. I’m not a complete idiot. I’ve seen the faces of Father’s other girls, and Angela clearly favors one particular young secretary who frequently worked in this house. Not to mention, you were never pregnant more than once in your pathetic life. Angela just magically arrived one day after church. The same day, oddly enough, that Father’s young secretary up and disappeared.” The words seethed through Charles’ lips like venom. “Do you really think anyone bought your story?”
“I was bed-ridden with my pregnancy. You were just too young to remember,” she snarled through clenched teeth.
“The only time you ever stayed in bed was when Father was away on business and you had company,” Charles spat. “Save your lies for the morons out there, I already know the truth. Angela doesn’t need to be in this place. She deserves more—no matter who her mother really is. She deserves a good man and a loving family, and I intend to help her obtain the things she wants most out of life.”
“I suppose this loving husband he’s promising is you?” Helen asked as she gazed at Jason who remained silent at the other end of the room. “Is my son still trying to give you everything you don’t deserve?” Her gaze burned into him. “I saw the lady in red. Something tells me that my young daughter can’t hold a candle to the feelings you have for that one…or, am I wrong?” Her next words sounded oddly jealous. “You destroyed my daughter when you left. Now you come back and carry on in front of her with that…that…harlot?”
Jason stood up from his chair as his hate-filled words flew across the room. “I never destroyed Angela, and I never lied to her. I was only a boy. You were the one who ruined everything. Her life…my life…my parents’ lives—you two are nothing more than a pair of monsters! Angela deserves an explanation—an accurate explanation—of what went on here.”
“Accurate?” she laughed. “Do we really owe you that much?”
“No one owes me,” Jason said as he towered over her. “I, like your son, refuse to let any innocent be tortured by you any longer. Has Angela taken up the family drug habit yet? Has she become the family whore—or is that still your job?”
“Enough!” Mr. Faire bellowed. “I realize the…indiscretions…you’ve had with my wife, but that has nothing to do with this.”
Charles turned to Jason; a look of revulsion covered his face. “What did he just say?”
Jason hung his head. “Please, Charles…you’re the only friend I’ve ever had. Your mother was going to take them away, Charles. She almost killed Martha, threatening her with a knife in her own kitchen. I would’ve lost them if I hadn’t done what she asked.”
Charles felt like he just took a kick to the stomach as he listened to the painful confession of his longtime friend. The heartbreaking truth was evident in his eyes. He turned to his own flesh and blood. Hatred ran through his veins when he witnessed the smug smile on his mother’s face. She was obviously enjoying the wedge she was driving through their friendship.
Jason’s angry voice filled the room. “I was just a child! Then Angela found out. She was set up…to catch us in the act. I never meant to hurt her— or you.”
Charles met his friend’s desperate gaze. “They were going to remove them, Charles. Remove them. I believed they had that kind of power, and I didn’t know what to do. They threatened to carry out their plan if I even mentioned it to you…my friend…please…please believe me.”
Charles flopped back down into the leather chair. “What is wrong with you people?” He turned his gaze on his vile mother, as her pompous smile faded from sight.
“Me? You’re mad at me, and not your supposed friend who just happened to share a bed with your own mother?”
“You should be killed for what you’ve done,” Charles said slamming his crystal goblet on the desk with such force that shards of glass flew around the room like a violent rainstorm.
As he turned to walk out the door, his father shouted behind him, “If you repeat anything you heard outside these doors, I’ll have you permanently removed. Trust me, you don’t want to put me to the test. You know you’re no match for me!”
Charles spun on his heel. “I wouldn’t bet on that if I were you. You will burn in hell. I have help. In that department, you’re no match against me!” He threw the door open and stormed into the throng of mingling guests, pushing them aside as he went.
Nausea congealed in his throat. He felt sick hearing his friend’s footsteps coming up behind him. Charles turned and stared at the portrait of a tormented soul. As a multitude of emotions raged inside of him, he took a deep breath before patting Jason on the shoulder. “That woman is a monster. I no longer consider her my mother, but you, on the other hand, will always be my brother. During the worst times of my life, you’ve always
stood beside me, and now at this moment there’s no way I’m turning my back on you.”
Jason shook his head. “How can I ever explain this to Beth? How can I tell her that I’m unworthy of her love?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Liz would never hold it against you. Jason, she loves you.”
“But this is different, Charles, and you know it. And, what about Angela? Even if I were able to hold on to Beth’s love, how would I ever explain to Angela that I got scared and ran because of her mother’s scheming? She was only a child when she…saw what she saw.”
Charles nodded. “But Angela is sixteen now. She’ll understand.”
“But she’s lived under this roof her entire life. Who knows what they told her to save themselves?” His shoulders slumped. “Charles, I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am for my part in all of this.”
“Stop apologizing! Jason, I already knew,” Charles whispered as his friend’s mouth dropped open. He shrugged. “Angela told me. I just never really thought it was true. I mean, Angela never lied, but I figured she’d just mistaken you for one of the hundreds who…”
“I was just a child, and…”
“Enough!” Charles said regaining his composure. “She would’ve killed Martha and Anthony if you hadn’t done what she asked. I’m so embarrassed that I came from these people.” Tears choked his throat. “I’m sorry for what they’ve done to you. They bought your life. They tore you from your home, destroyed any love you had for your own father—making you think he was a coward. God! I’m just as bad as they are. I’ve used you, too…to escape. Why the hell are you still friends with me?”
“You aren’t like them, Charles,” Jason said. “You’ve proven that on numerous occasions. I’ll speak to Angela. I’ll explain everything to her, if she gives me the chance to apologize.”
Charles shrugged. “Angela was just a little girl at the time Jason, and much too young for you, as far as I was concerned. You needed something more.”