by Rachel James
Jasper was leading Lloyd away with Muriel trailing several paces behind. Janice felt a sick yearning to have this nightmare over — even if it meant sacrificing her body to a hot tide of passion with Adrian. Making love would be a humiliation but one she could quickly forget. If making love to Adrian … she broke off her thoughts and sank into the nearest chair. My God, she was actually entertaining the thought of making love to Adrian without the proper safe-sex precautions. Was she out of her mind? Yes, that was it. She was losing her grip on reality, like Lloyd. She clasped her fingers together in her lap and stared down at them. She hoped when it came, her breakdown would be swift and that she’d have no recollection of it. It was all right to be insane if you couldn’t remember the details. A tear dropped onto her thumb and she felt movement in front of her. Strong fingers appeared and covered her white-knuckled ones.
“That won’t happen to you,” Adrian stated.
Janice met Adrian’s dark eyes. She released her fingers from his grasp and scrubbed at the wetness on her cheeks. Though her mouth felt like paper, dry and dusty, she managed a shaky reply.
“I wouldn’t have thought it would happen to him either. Lloyd’s the strongest man I know.”
“Let’s not judge him until we have all the facts.”
“You mean his behavior may have been manipulated on purpose?”
“Yes. To cause dissension among us. To split us apart.”
Denial flew from Janice’s lips immediately.
“But you’re wrong. It isn’t to split us apart. It’s to bring you and me closer together.”
Surprise siphoned the blood from Adrian’s face and he stared at her as if she had suddenly grown a new head. Then his face twisted into a lopsided grin and he patted her fists lightly.
“Can’t be done. If ever two people were worlds apart, it’s you and me. I hate you. You hate me.”
“I don’t hate you, Adrian.”
“Of course you do. I’m an arrogant bastard, you said so yourself.”
“Well, you are. But I don’t hate you for it.”
Adrian cocked his head and Janice had the feeling he was staring into her very soul.
“Do you want to make love to me, Janice Kelly?”
Weary of the question, her answer was half-hearted.
“I don’t know.”
“You are cracking up.” His retort dripped with sarcasm and he withdrew his hands from hers. Acknowledging his sarcasm, she pressed her hands over her eyes.
“I must be. There’s no other explanation for such stupidity.”
Adrian stood then, bringing her up with him. He swept her into the circle of his arms and his lips descended on hers. It was an empty kiss, lacking real heart and emotion, but still the pit of Janice’s stomach did a wild somersault. When he raised his head again and they were staring curiously at each other, Adrian sent her a wry grin.
“There now, we’ve got the damn kiss behind us. We both felt nothing. Now, maybe we can concentrate on getting the hell out of this place.”
He swung about and strode to the bedroom, leaving Janice to stare after him in alarm. Did he think that empty kiss settled matters between them? If so, he was a fool. The kiss had made things worse, if not for him, at least for her.
Janice sat down hard again in her chair, pressing her hands once again over her eyes. He probably thought a cold kiss would prove to their captors the futility of pushing them together. The kiss had started a funny kind of singing in her veins and on her lips. Her whole being was filled with unanswered longing. Janice gave an impatient groan. Damn Adrian! He had doomed them. She hadn’t been fooled by that ice-caked kiss, and if she wasn’t fooled by it, the ghosts certainly weren’t either.
Chapter 18
SATURDAY — 4:15 AM
The west bedroom was swathed in half shadow, half light, and from where she stood in the doorway, it was hard for Janice to imagine a more serene picture. Yet she knew the chain of events that had occurred in the last hour didn’t even remotely resemble serene. Nothing seemed real in the last ten minutes. Not Ginger’s cocooning, not Lloyd’s breakdown, not Adrian’s empty kiss. It was if time had simply surrendered itself into Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone.
Adjusting her eyes to the dim light, Janice studied the four-poster bed silhouetted before her. It stood like a giant wasp, an alien creature with tasseled wings. In its stomach, Lloyd slept peacefully, oblivious to the world, barely seeming to breathe. Muriel was alongside the bed, her arm draped on the coverlet. Janice watched her fingers pluck continuously at the tufted quilting as she kept a vigilant eye on Lloyd’s rhythmic breathing. Stepping into the room, Janice headed for the bed.
“How is he?”
A silent wave signaled her to a chair and she sank into the deep green cushions, glad to be able to give her own body some restful downtime. She rubbed her eyelids and then settled her gaze on Muriel, who was thoughtfully contemplating Lloyd’s sleeping form.
“How is he?” Janice asked again. Muriel’s whispered response was low and filled with compassion.
“He’s asleep at last. Poor man, he’s exhausted. It must be hell to be so defenseless. To have to listen to garbled voices in your head and not be able to cast them out!”
Janice stole a peek at Lloyd’s sleeping form. If there were voices chattering in his head, it wasn’t apparent on the surface. He seemed lifeless, almost comatose. Janice wondered if he was somehow slipping away from them on purpose, out of self-preservation. What was he hearing in his head? It was awful not to know. Perhaps if they did, they could help him ease the pain.
Janice returned her gaze to Muriel, averting her thoughts from Lloyd’s breakdown. “You don’t look so refreshed yourself, Muriel,” she commented softly. She hoped the worry in her tone was adequately disguised. They all had enough troubles without saying the obvious.
“Too much excitement,” Muriel replied. “And not enough time to process it. It’s as if time has been suddenly suspended and what we do in the next few moments will seal our destinies.”
“Perhaps it will,” Janice remarked. The women exchanged knowing glances and Janice found herself leaning forward, stilling Muriel’s restless fingers. “Do you trust me, Muriel?”
Muriel’s eyes widened in surprise at her question.
“My dear, how can you even ask that? Surely you know I’ve grown exceedingly fond of you. It is my dearest wish that when this nightmare is over, you’ll let Jasper and me come and visit you in Colorado. I want to meet that precious daughter of yours.”
Janice felt a rising knot in her throat and swallowed it down. Muriel had to be the dearest, the sweetest woman she had ever met. If only things weren’t so muddled. She squeezed the fingers in her palm affectionately.
“I’ve grown very fond of you too, Muriel. That’s why you must listen to what I am going to say with an open mind.”
“I’m a trance channeler. If there’s one thing I’ve got, it’s an open mind.”
Janice stifled an urge to laugh. Muriel was incorrigible, her sense of humor indestructible. Even now, when things were at their worst, she was still able to poke fun at their plight. Janice felt a sudden inner pang; she envied Muriel’s ability to remain buoyant no matter the adversity. Perhaps if she herself had a better outlook on what was occurring, she would be able to handle the gnawing ache in the pit of her stomach. As it was, continuing to hold back the pain set her teeth on edge more and more, she realized. She had to make Muriel see things as she did. Leaning in, Janice took the initiative.
“I can’t stand what’s happening to us, Muriel. If I have to stand by and watch another one of you shut down like Ginger, I’ll go out of my mind.”
“My dear, who’s to say that you won’t be next? We don’t know what our spirit friends intend.”
“I know,” Janice replied. “I’ve known eve
r since I met the baron. What’s happening here is between Lisette and the baron. It’s that simple.”
“What are you suggesting, Janice?”
“Help me convince Adrian that we must separate from the rest of you.”
Muriel pinched Janice’s fingers.
“My dear, that’s nonsense. None of us stands a chance alone. We must stick together.”
“But we won’t be alone. Adrian and I will be together.” Muriel’s frown deepened and Janice added quickly, “Don’t think I haven’t thought of the danger. But if this nightmare is to have an end, it will be because of me, of what I do. There’s no use lying to ourselves anymore. Lisette intends to free her soul and only I have the power to free all of you. Though we all skirt the issue, I am the key. Lisette needs me, needs my physical body.”
Muriel’s fingers pinched Janice’s again, her horror apparent.
“Surely you’re not intending to give yourself over to Lisette? That’s crazy talk. Though she seems a benevolent spirit, we could be misinterpreting her pain. She could be lying, preying on our goodness.”
“I wouldn’t really be giving myself over to her. When she comes, I don’t have any recollection of it. Whatever she makes me do, I won’t remember it.”
“And Adrian?”
“He won’t remember either.”
“I don’t like it!” Muriel scoffed. “For you and Adrian to sacrifice your bodies … I don’t like it!”
“If there’s another way, I’m willing to listen to it,” Janice commented. She saw Muriel’s frown pucker deeper.
“I don’t know any other way.”
“Then you’ll help me convince Adrian?”
“It’s useless, my dear. Adrian will never agree to it, and I say, thank God!”
“He’ll agree. He’s attracted to me physically.”
“And that’s just why he won’t agree to it.” Muriel argued. She gave Janice’s hand a sympathetic pat, meeting her baffled gaze straight on. “Can you imagine Adrian agreeing to make love to you knowing full well he won’t remember it when it’s over? He won’t do it. Mark my words.”
“He has to. Because he knows the same as I that if he doesn’t, he will put the rest of you in jeopardy. For all his jaded wit, I don’t think he’ll let that happen. He’ll agree — if you and Jasper convince him of it.”
A look of alarm crossed Muriel’s face at once and she lowered her voice so only Janice could hear her words.
“I can’t burden Jasper with this. He’s a man of the cloth. It’s his job to counsel unmarried couples to abstain from sex, not indulge in it.”
Janice felt a warm flush stain her cheeks. Heavens, she had never thought how perverse her suggestion might sound to a minister. Lord, had she lost all shreds of decency? Her hands sought the shelter of her lap once more and she stiffened her resolve. No, she’d not change her mind. No matter how sinful a minister thought it was. She was going to end this nightmare.
Across the way, Muriel shifted in her chair, remaining silent to allow Janice a chance to regain her composure. Pulling her thoughts back in line, Janice let her gaze drift back to Muriel, who took charge again.
“No, I won’t discuss this with Jasper. But I will talk to Adrian.”
Janice felt immense relief well up.
“Bless you, Muriel.”
A warning finger flashed before her eyes.
“I’ll talk with Adrian. But I won’t press him.”
Janice had a moment of indecision, but she stamped it down where it belonged. They were getting out of here alive. All of them. Anything else was unthinkable.
“I trust Lisette, Muriel. I know it’s foolish to believe a ghost, but I don’t think she will let any harm come to me. And I don’t think the baron will harm Adrian.”
“If we were just dealing with the baron and Lisette I should feel safer. But that fiend of a spirit intends harm to you. To Lisette.”
Janice brought her hands to Muriel’s and cupped them for a change.
“You let me worry about that horrid, spiteful ghost. Besides, what could you do to keep it from harming me this very minute if it wanted to? You saw it before. We were powerless to stop it.”
Muriel slipped her hands from beneath Janice’s.
“I hate it when you’re right.” She plucked at the collar of her dress. “That hateful ghost has made me quite cross. And I intend to tell it that if it dares to show itself again.”
Janice did smile then, knowing full well Muriel wouldn’t do any such thing. For all their bravado, each of them was sufficiently kowtowed by the spiteful cloud.
Muriel gave a busted sigh, bringing Janice’s attention back to the matter at hand.
“Well, sitting here won’t get the thing done,” she remarked, rising. She padded across the carpet and was gone before Janice could offer a heartfelt thank you.
Leaning back, all bravery gone now that her task had been accomplished, Janice sighed. It would soon be over. They’d be going home. A tear welled up suddenly, saturating her lower eyelid. No tears, she chastised herself, swiping at the bead. The time for crying is long past. Another tear followed the first and soon Janice found herself continuously dabbing at her wet cheeks. Janice Marie Mignon Kelly, you are the stupidest of fools. Just because you have to sacrifice every shred of decency in you and make love to the handsomest, most infuriating man you’ve ever met … her thoughts derailed instantly. Heavens, that wasn’t why she was crying at all. She wasn’t crying because of what she had to do. She was crying because she wouldn’t recall one wonderful minute of doing it.
• • •
“Driving yourself this way is foolish, Adrian.”
Warm fingers descended on Adrian’s collar and probed the cords along his neck. Adrian dropped his head forward, enjoying Muriel’s fingers as they massaged a knotted ridge along his upper back.
“I feel so useless,” he stated. He stole a peek at the comatose woman alongside the ottoman where he sat. “I know she can’t see or hear me, but I at least have to prove to myself I didn’t abandon her.”
The fingers dug deeper into his flesh, massaging a stubborn kink.
“Ginger knows, Adrian. She trusts you completely.”
Adrian raised his head at the comment, his lips curling to a sneer.
“She’ll never speak to me again when this is over. And she’d be a fool if she did. I had no right to bring her with me. I just couldn’t face this reunion alone. Damn my egotistical pride!”
The fingers on his neck paused and soon, Adrian saw a flash of pink. When he looked up, Muriel was settling in a chair in front of him.
“You brought Ginger along to entertain Lloyd’s guests. It was exceedingly smart on your part to do it. So if you want me to feel sorry for you because things haven’t turned out as you expected, let me tell you right now, I won’t do it. None of us had any choice in this arrangement. We were all called to this moment, for good or ill.”
“One of God’s never-ending jokes on mankind,” Adrian quipped, then fell silent as a disapproving frown appeared on Muriel’s brow. He inspected her clouded expression closely. He hoped his own was guarded because he didn’t want her to see how worried he was by her appearance and words. She looked drained. The wrinkles along her cheekbone seemed more pronounced than he remembered. Take a look in the mirror, he chided himself at once. You might be surprised by your own face. Living through hell on earth tends to age one quickly, he informed his alter-ego. Still, he hoped his face wasn’t as easy to read as Muriel’s. Something was on her mind. She was staring at him with the same intensity as he was at her.
“Has something happened?” he asked, when Muriel continued to keep her own counsel.
“Janice wants me to convince you it is necessary for you and her to separate from the rest of us.”
Adrian felt a tremor explode deep in the pit of his stomach.
“Has the woman gone completely insane? We can’t split up. It’s out of the question.”
“Is it because you are afraid to be alone with her, Adrian?”
“What!” Adrian barely kept his seat but managed to put a leash on his temper. What was Janice concocting against him now? He had apologized to her for being a surly bastard. What more did she want from him? He shot Muriel a heated glare. “Has Janice been black mouthing me to you, Muriel?”
“Of course not. You know she never would. I merely asked that question because Janice sincerely thinks that if you two separate from the rest of us, Lisette will follow and the rest of us will be safe.”
“She’s right of course. That will happen. But that also leaves both of us in a potentially dangerous position.”
“Yes,” Muriel agreed. “Janice believes the ghosts will quickly take over your physical bodies. She believes Lisette intends to consummate her love for the baron, thereby releasing both their souls.”
“And do you believe that?” Adrian asked, surprised to find himself banking on her answer. No, he chastised himself, he was really seeking her approval.
“The idea has merit, although I wouldn’t admit as much to Janice. She’s quite the bravest woman I’ve met in years. It’s not every woman who would sacrifice herself to a man to save people who were unknown to her only several hours ago.”
Adrian’s mood blackened and a deep scowl etched his eyebrows.
“Don’t you mean it’s not every woman who would sacrifice herself to me to save lives?”
“No, I didn’t mean that at all,” Muriel intervened. “I think you are quite the bravest man I’ve met next to Jasper.”
Adrian felt his lips twitch unexpectedly.
“Well, at least I’m in good company.”
“Be serious, Adrian. I need to know what you think. I’ve told Janice you won’t do it.”
“And I won’t.”
“Yes,” Muriel nodded at him. “You strike me as a man who relishes the feel of a woman. I don’t think your manly pride could stand making love to an unconscious woman.”