Evermore

by C. J. Archer

  “So you gave him a curse!” I cried. “You just handed it over for a few coins!”

  “I did not,” she snapped. “Do not judge me, Miss Chambers. I was angry too. I wanted revenge for my own son’s death, but I could not get it. I never learned who killed him. I wanted to help Leviticus, and I wanted to act on my own anger and sorrow through him.”

  “It is still a despicable thing to do to a stranger,” Celia said.

  “I did not kill him,” she said. “Nor did I curse his spirit, not in the way Leviticus wanted. Something held me back. Fear, perhaps. I was brought up to leave the Otherworld alone, to respect it. But I knew the curses, just like all the custodians in my family do. So I gave him a more harmless one to use, one that would not destroy Beaufort’s essence but send his spirit into a—what do you call it?—limbo, forever waiting.”

  “Is that not cruel enough?” White-hot rage burned inside me, bursting before my eyes, consuming me until it was impossible to think of anything else except my hatred toward Price and this woman.

  Celia gripped my hand and Louis moved to my side. Two guardians, ready to protect me. Or stop me.

  “You helped him summon the demon and then Mortlock much later,” George said to Mrs. Stanley. He at least sounded calm, sensible. “You gave him the curses to destroy the Otherworld when it went against your beliefs. Why?”

  “I did not see him again for months after I gave him that first curse. Then one day he showed up at my tent. We talked some more and I discovered that he needed a new home.”

  “So you offered Price these rooms?” I asked Mrs. Stanley.

  “I left the circus and bought this house with money I’d saved and an inheritance. We moved in together and fell in love. I wanted to help him. I wanted to cure him. I thought if he had his revenge completely, he would get better. So I cursed the amulet and told him how it could be used to release the demon. He knew about possession himself, through his books, so Mortlock was all his doing, but I found that little girl.”

  “Cara,” Celia whispered. She reached up and clutched Louis’ hand.

  “I’d seen her at the market in Leather Lane. One day she was talking to herself, and when I asked her who she spoke to, she told me there was a woman. There was no one there, but I did not doubt her. I knew she could see spirits.”

  “But neither the demon nor the possession assuaged Price’s anger,” George said. “You had to go one step further.”

  “He grew more angry every time you won.” Mrs. Stanley looked at me but there was no malice in her eyes, just emptiness, as if all her anger and sadness were washed out by her tears. “He needed something more permanent, something to finish Beaufort forever.”

  “And you told him about the curse?” Louis asked. “Just like that? Did you not think through the consequences?”

  “Of course I did. But he was so unhappy, and by then I would do anything for him. Anything. I was not afraid of becoming nothing myself. I welcomed it.” She shrugged one shoulder. “I knew I was going to an awful place when my time came. Leviticus knew that too. Our crimes had already been committed, and there is no good place in the Otherworld for the likes of us. Why not destroy it altogether? What did it matter to us?” Her face crumpled, twisted, and a sob bubbled up from her chest. “Neither of us was going to be with our beautiful boys. I would rather be nothing than face never seeing my son again.”

  Her quiet sobs made the only sound in the otherwise silent room. She cut a lonely figure on the floor near the feet of Leviticus Price, her gray hair tumbling out of its pins and over her face. George rose but I did not get off the sofa. I felt stronger yet still so empty. Jacob had not come to me. He must have gone. I hoped he’d crossed over, that we’d not been too late.

  At least I’d said goodbye.

  “This must be reported to the police,” Louis finally said. “We cannot hide the fact Leviticus Price was shot.”

  “We cannot tell them everything,” Celia said. She seemed to suddenly realize she was holding Louis’ hand and let go. She tucked it behind her. He stretched his fingers then balled them into a fist.

  “We’ll go to Lord Preston first and tell him what we’ve learned,” I said. “If we can get him to believe us, he might be able help us to convince the police that Price was killed in self-defense.” Getting him to change his mind was highly unlikely, but we had a duty to tell him who had killed Jacob. If he did believe us, his influence would be extremely useful when it came time to inform the police.

  I expected Mrs. Stanley to say something, but she did not. Mrs. White, however, nodded. “I will agree to say the same thing. There is no need for anyone here to suffer further.”

  “Thank you,” my sister whispered, dabbing at her damp eyes with the edge of her sleeve.

  “Emily, are you well enough to go home?” Louis asked. “Should I carry you?”

  “I’m well,” I said, getting up.

  “Don’t exert yourselves too soon,” Mrs. White said to George and me. “You must rest.”

  “No problem there,” George said, buttoning up his waistcoat. “I feel like I could sleep for a week. Come, Emily, we’ll go to the Beauforts’ together. Do you think the ball will have finished?”

  I stood, but the room tilted and my legs gave way. I felt myself falling, but something caught me before I hit the ground.

  Not something, someone. “Jacob!”

  “Emily, you look terrible.” His hands circled my waist as he gently lowered me to the sofa.

  “He’s here?” George asked. “Beaufort is back?”

  “He is,” I said. And he was holding me. It was exactly where I wanted to be, and where I wanted him to be. By my side.

  “Em, are you all right?” He pushed the hair off my forehead and kissed me there. “Answer me.”

  “I’m all right,” I said. “Oh, Jacob.” I threw my arms around his neck and buried my face in his shoulder. I allowed myself one almighty sob then gathered my wits and drew back to look at him properly. He was almost back to the way he used to be. Although most of him was solid, like any living man, his edges were a little smudged, as if someone had run their thumb around him. I caressed his cheek, his jaw and neck, unable to get enough of him. It was so good to touch him again, and to know the danger to the Waiting Area was over.

  He closed his eyes and leaned into my hand. “Thank God, Emily. Thank God you’re alive.”

  “The Waiting Area is back to normal?” George asked.

  “It is,” Jacob said, but there was a small hesitation in his voice.

  I repeated his words for the others then said, “What’s wrong?”

  “I feel a little weaker than I used to.”

  “It may take time before you are fully restored to your usual spirit self.” But there was more. He didn’t quite meet my gaze and I knew he was keeping something from me. “Jacob? What is it?”

  “As you can see, I haven’t crossed,” he said heavily. “I thought I would now that Price is gone. I saw his spirit briefly in the Waiting Area, but he didn’t see me. It was him, wasn’t it? He tried to destroy the Otherworld. He was the one who brought Mortlock back and the demon. He ended my life. So why am I still in the Waiting Area?”

  “Oh, Jacob, I’m sorry. I wish I knew.”

  “I think it’s something to do with what he said to me when I died. That I must give something up.” He faded a little, not quite as much as when the Waiting Area was under the curse, but he certainly wasn’t solid anymore. “Do you remember, Em?”

  “I do. You still think that relevant now that he’s gone?”

  “Yes.” He closed his eyes. “I feel so tired.”

  “You can rest soon.” I cupped his face in my hands. “Think. What could you possibly have to give up?”

  But it wasn’t Jacob who answered me. It was Mrs. Stanley. “He must give up the one thing he truly cares for,” she said. “But he cannot. Can you, Mr. Beaufort?”

  “You know what it is?” I clutched at Jacob’s arms. The muscles
tensed beneath his shirt. “Tell me. I want you to crossover. I want you to be at peace. Tell me what you must give up and I’ll help you.”

  His mouth twisted, his nostrils flared, and for a brief moment he fainted away to almost nothing before flickering back into existence again. “It’s impossible, Emily.” His voice was thick with emotion and exhaustion. “She’s right. I’ve tried. I tried to give you up. But I can’t.”

  “Me?” I whispered.

  “What is it?” Celia asked. “What did he say?”

  “That he must give up me, yet…” I shook my head. We’d suspected that he had to stop loving me and let me go, but when he had tried, nothing happened. “It didn’t work last time.”

  “That’s because I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t give you up. Anything else, yes, but never you.” The corner of his lips curved into a wry smile. “Not even for everlasting peace. I love you. Stopping is an impossibility.”

  I pressed my cheek to his heart but there was no beat. He felt so cold and he faded a little again.

  “There is another way.” I heard Mrs. Stanley’s words, but they didn’t sink in until Louis, George, and my sister prompted her for more. “Now that Leviticus is…gone,” she added, “there is something else you can do. Is he weak, Miss Chambers?”

  “Yes,” I whispered. “Why? What is happening to him?”

  “Please Mrs. Stanley,” Celia urged, “make amends. Do the right thing, and tell us what to do.”

  She didn’t answer for so long that I thought I’d scream with frustration. Louis adjusted his grip on the handle of the pistol, but he didn’t use it to threaten her. I was afraid my sister would snatch it from him and do it herself if Mrs. Stanley didn’t speak.

  Thankfully the landlady did. “You must find Beaufort’s body,” she said. “And quickly. Now that the one who laid the curse on him is gone, Beaufort’s body is dying.”

  “He’s already dead,” George said.

  “No, he’s not,” she said. “He’s still alive. But not for long.”

  CHAPTER 13

  Alive? Jacob was alive?

  Impossible. It had to be. Either I was dreaming or Mrs. Stanley was lying.

  And yet…and yet…

  “Why should we believe you?” George asked her. “You’ve lied so many times already. How do we know this is not one more?”

  “It may be.” Mrs. Stanley’s accent seemed thicker and her manner was of someone who no longer cared what anyone thought. I felt a little sorry for her. I didn’t understand why she could love someone like Price, but I understood deep, soul-wrenching love, and that was enough for me to forgive her role. “But you will not know for sure until you find his body.”

  “We have to trust her,” Celia muttered. “We cannot risk doing nothing.” She looked to me. Everyone did.

  I clutched Jacob’s shirt, even as he faded in and out. I didn’t look up at his face. Could not. If I moved, if I spoke even in a whisper, I might shatter this dream and wake up into a nightmare instead.

  It was Jacob who roused me. “Emily,” he said urgently. “Emily, ask her where my body is. Ask her how she knows this. Ask her…bloody hell.” He pressed his forehead to mine and breathed deeply, despite not needing air.

  I pulled away and held his hand as if that could stop him disappearing. He shimmered but remained.

  “You had better tell us what you know,” I said, putting as much of a threatening tone into it as I could.

  Mrs. Stanley sat heavily on the chair and smoothed her apron over her lap. She looked much older and somewhat weaker, as if all the life had gone out of her. “When Leviticus first came to me at the circus and asked for a curse to use on the Beaufort boy, I was hesitant. He paid me a large sum, but still, I did not like the idea. I was not in love with him then. I sympathized with his tale, but what he asked went against everything I was brought up to believe. I could not do it.”

  “But you took his money anyway,” Louis said.

  She nodded. “I gave him a curse that I told him would obliterate his victim completely. He would have no existence, not in this world or the Otherworld. All he had to do was make him lose consciousness, not kill him, then speak the curse.”

  Jacob let go of me and I thought he was going to fade away completely, so faint was he. But he sat on the floor, his back against the sofa. He clasped is drawn-up knees and stared straight ahead. I knelt beside him and touched his shoulder. He didn’t move.

  “The curse you gave Price…what did it really do?” I asked.

  “It turned Beaufort into a spirit, separated him from his body. But he was more than a spirit, or perhaps less, depending on your point of view.”

  “He is more solid than other ghosts,” I said, “and can go where others cannot.”

  “But he could not crossover, could never be truly dead unless he gave up what he loved most.”

  Me.

  I tightened my grip on Jacob’s shoulder. He did not acknowledge my presence. It was as if he wasn’t even listening.

  “Jacob said his killer told him that he must give something up,” I said, “something he loved dearly.”

  “I did not want to dabble in the spirit world back then,” she said. “So I gave the milder curse to Leviticus and told him to tell Beaufort that he had to give something up. It was my way of helping Beaufort end the curse himself and return to his body and his life, but I told Leviticus that it was merely a part of the curse and would not work if left out.” She cast a longing gaze at Price’s body. “I lied to him and I did not know how to end the lie.”

  “But Jacob couldn’t do it,” Celia muttered. “He couldn’t give you up, Em.” She stared at me, her eyes widened and filled with wonder.

  “A man can never truly set aside the woman who occupies his heart,” Louis said. “No matter how much distance or time separates them.”

  “Very true,” George said.

  Jacob took my hand and kneaded my fingers.

  “So you never told Price the truth?” I asked Mrs. Stanley.

  “He soon realized something was wrong when you poked your nose in. You claimed to be speaking to Beaufort’s ghost and he knew you had no reason to lie. Leviticus blamed me for giving him the wrong curse. I told him it was innocently done, and he…he believed me.” She wiped away the tears washing silently down her cheeks. “He decided to use Beaufort’s spirit state to his advantage instead. He did not know that Beaufort was not really dead, see, and I never told him.”

  “So he thought he’d make Jacob’s spirit suffer by watching his loved ones hurt,” I said. “He set the demon onto Jacob’s family and he summoned Mortlock into his sister’s body.”

  “When that did not work, he wanted to end it once and for all by destroying everything, the entire Otherworld,” Mrs. Stanley said. “He didn’t care what would happen to himself anymore, and by then I loved him too much not to help.”

  “So you gave him the most dangerous curse there is,” George said. “Mad. Utterly mad.”

  “Hush, George,” I said. We needed Mrs. Stanley’s help and blaming her was not going to win her over. “Mrs. Stanley, where is Jacob’s body?”

  “I do not know, do I? I was not there when Leviticus set upon him.”

  “You don’t know!” I stormed over to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. “How can you not know? Why didn’t you find out?” I was so angry I wanted to shake her until the answers fell out, but someone gently pulled me away. Two someones, I realized, Celia and Louis.

  “We’ll find him,” George said. “Let’s approach this scientifically.”

  “Emily,” Jacob said. “Emily, it’s no use. I can’t do it. I can’t give you up. And I’m so weak…”

  I knelt in front of him. He closed his eyes and his face crumpled. “Be strong. You have to be. There must be a counter curse?” This I said to Mrs. Stanley.

  She nodded. “There is. Find his body, speak the words, and his spirit will return as if nothing were amiss.”

  “You’ll tell us what
to say,” said George. It was not a question but a demand.

  “I will. If you do something for me.”

  “Name a sum.”

  “I do not want money,” she said. “I want you to kill me.”

  Celia and Mrs. White gasped. George swore under his breath, but I simply sat back on my haunches and stared at her.

  “I cannot do it myself,” Mrs. Stanley said. “Taking my own life goes against my beliefs.”

  “As it is against ours for taking another’s,” Mrs. White said. “We cannot do it. I won’t be a party to it.”

  “Then you can look the other way,” George said bluntly. “We’ll do anything required. Even that.”

  “Why?” Mrs. White asked her dead husband’s lover. “You could have money, live comfortably.”

  “Because she wants to be with him,” I said. “If you’ve never loved deeply, Mrs. White, you wouldn’t understand.”

  She shook her head slowly. “You’re right, Miss Chambers, I don’t understand.”

  “You must hurry,” Mrs. Stanley said. “Now that Leviticus is gone, the body will be dying. Beaufort’s spirit will not last much longer.”

  “How much time have we got left?” I asked.

  “Perhaps an hour, maybe two.”

  “An hour!” I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. How could we find his body in an hour when no one knew its location?

  To my surprise it was Celia who sprang into action first. “Jacob, do you know where you were killed, or cursed? Perhaps your body is nearby somewhere.”