A Cold Legacy (19 page)

I
HAD NEVER BEEN
the sort of girl who dreamed of her wedding day. Instead, I had spent my childhood poring over biology books and stealing glimpses through the keyhole into my father's laboratory. Marriage had felt so far off back then. The only man in my life who mattered had been my father.

I sat alone at the vanity table in my bedroom, looking in the mirror, a bouquet of dusky dried heather from Valentina's herb collection at my side. The girls had rubbed rouge on my cheeks and powdered my entire face and pulled my hair up in a formal Highland twist.

A knock came at the door.

I nearly dropped the heather. “Come in.”

Elizabeth stepped into the room. She'd changed out of the simple muslin dresses she wore most days into one of her silk gowns from London. She sat beside me on the dressing bench and fixed a loose pin in my hair. I wondered what my mother would have thought of me. Had she ever imagined my wedding day? If she were here, would she hold me tight
and tell me she was proud of the woman I'd become?

“There now.” Elizabeth smoothed down a curl. “You look lovely.”

I touched the dried bouquet of heather delicately. There had been a man once—one of Mother's clients—who bought her a china set with a heather pattern. I must have been thirteen years old at the time. Mother loved fine china, but she'd sold the set to buy me an elegant dress.

There's only one way out of this life for you, Juliet
, she had said.
In a few years you'll need to find a respectable young man. Wealthy. From a good family. Charm him, make him fall in love with you, and never, ever tell him who you really are
.

Montgomery wasn't from a respectable family, nor was he wealthy. But he loved me despite my faults, and I loved him despite his.

Elizabeth helped me undo the ties of my robe and carefully slipped the dress over my head. I'd expected it to be stiff with newness, but it was soft as silk. As Elizabeth knelt to adjust the hem, a stray pin from the bouquet stuck my finger and a bead of blood appeared. My strength wavered. Was love enough? What would Montgomery do when he discovered Edward hiding away in the attic?

“Are you nervous?” Elizabeth asked.

“Yes, a bit,” I confessed. “It's difficult to know what the future will hold.”

She gave me a sympathetic smile. “Whatever comes, you'll weather it. Besides, whatever happens can't be as bad as poor Victor Frankenstein's wedding night, can it? There's only room enough in this house for one cursed wedding tale.
I promise you—no murders, no attacks, no monsters lurking in the shadows. Now smile, and marry that man.”

I took a deep breath and nodded. Elizabeth squeezed my hand. The door opened and Balthazar stuck his head in. He wore an old black sash tied around his neck in a bow, since all of the formal wear was too small for him.

He stood at attention. “We're ready, miss.”

B
ALTHAZAR LED ME DOWN
the stairs. With my arm in his, we stepped out of the glass-encased winter solarium into the south garden, where the servants gathered around an altar of winter greenery. Montgomery stood at the front. His hair was combed back, his hands clasped in front of him. As far back as I could remember, he had always been in my life. Now he always would be.

I had taken him for granted back when I'd been a foolish girl in awe of my father, but I wasn't foolish anymore. I was keeping Edward secret from him, but he was keeping secrets, too. In time, everything would come out, and we would lay ourselves bare and make amends. We had years for that.

I took another step, the lace hem sweeping the ground. Lily and Moira whispered to each other about how lovely my dress was. I spotted little Annabelle in the back, standing on tiptoe to see until Carlyle picked her up and set her on his shoulder.

I squeezed Balthazar's arm. “I'm sorry again about last night. I hope you can forgive me. There's no one I'd rather give me away than you.”

“It's all right, miss,” he said somberly. “Just remember your promise. After the wedding, you must tell him.”

He stood straighter, taking his duties seriously. I was in awe of him. No human could forgive and forget so easily.

Lucy stood to the side of the wedding party, dressed in a purple gown with Edward's pocket watch glinting around her neck, no longer a sign of his death but of his life. She caught my eye and gave me a reassuring smile to say that everything was all right with him, and then raised a fiddle and started playing a reel. I had forgotten she could play. The music was beautiful. Overhead, the sinking sun found breaks in the clouds and cast a golden-colored light over the wedding party. Balthazar led me toward the altar.

“Montgomery says we shall live here, at the estate,” Balthazar whispered to me. “He said this will be our home forever.”

My stomach clenched. It reminded me of when I'd fled Father's island, when I'd known we had to leave Balthazar behind even though it broke my heart. I squeezed his arm harder, reassuring myself that I'd never have to make a choice that difficult again. “Of course we shall.”

He grinned, and we walked the rest of the way to the wedding party. Balthazar patted my arm and then moved to stand next to Lucy. She gave his hand a squeeze, and he beamed.

Montgomery came to stand beside me. I could feel his presence like warm sunshine, my mind racing to take all this in, the flowers and the clouds overhead and his hands clasped behind his back.

“Dearly beloved,” McKenna began.

She continued through prayers I'd heard at the few weddings I'd attended when I was younger. I didn't care about the words, the same words spoken at all weddings. What I cared about was capturing the parts of today that wouldn't last forever in the pages of a book: the rolling moors behind us, the single strand of hair that fell into Montgomery's eyes, the anxious way his fingers flexed, betraying his excitement. Lucy holding Balthazar's hand. Sharkey sitting at Moira's feet with a bit of twine fastened to his leather collar as a leash. The wind still carried the smell of the storm, and it blew harder, ruffling my dress and making the windmill churn fast. I wanted to remember every moment. Most of all, I wanted to remember Montgomery.

I reached out to hold his hand. I knew it was untraditional for the bride and groom to touch during the ceremony, but we'd given up formalities long ago.

McKenna asked for the ring, and we made our promises to each other, and Montgomery slipped the ring over my finger.

“You may kiss the bride,” she said.

Montgomery placed a chaste kiss on my lips that lit a fire within me. I fought the urge to throw my arms around him and never let go.

“I'm sorry this wedding has to come at so difficult a time,” he whispered. “So soon after Edward's funeral. But I love you, and I always will.”

I tried to show no reaction; for all I knew, Edward might be in the attic even now, looking down on us. I glanced that
way but the sun was reflecting on the upper windowpanes, obscuring whatever was behind them. I told myself it was a good thing—Edward was back with us, and in time perhaps he and Lucy would be standing where I was now, the past forgotten, and the four of us could share in the management of Ballentyne.

Before I could answer, Lucy struck up a tune on the fiddle and the servants cheered. The little girls wrapped their arms around themselves for warmth, and Elizabeth herded everyone toward the glass-enclosed winter garden, where McKenna was waiting to serve cake. The coming darkness brought with it a chilling breeze, but I didn't care. Today only one thing mattered.

“I love you,” I whispered to Montgomery.

He grinned, but a tug on my dress caught my attention, and I looked down to find Hensley in a tidy little suit with a rat perched on his shoulder, that one milky white eye seemingly staring into nothing. A coldness crept up my bare arms at the memory of him holding the Beast's heart in his bloodred hands, staring at me the same way.

“What is it, Hensley?” I asked as calmly as I could, though my heartbeat sped. Montgomery was gone from my side; two of the little girls had pulled him into a dance.

“You're keeping a man secret in the attic,” he said, and blinked solemnly.

M
Y HEAD WHIRLED AROUND
to Montgomery, making sure he was out of earshot. I looked for Lucy but she was gone, probably to check on Edward's recovery.

“I've been watching through the walls,” Hensley added. “He's the same man who was scaring everyone before. You brought him back to life. You weren't supposed to do that.”

My heart pounded harder. He couldn't tell Montgomery about Edward, not today. I couldn't shatter this one day of happiness with such shocking news.

“Come with me.” I led him away from the group and knelt down, hoping that if anyone caught sight of us, they would think it merely a sweet scene of the bride playing with a child on her wedding day.

“I know it looks like the same scary man, but it isn't,” I said in a rush. “The man in the attic is good. He's a dear friend, and he's recovering from having been very ill. For now, let's keep it a secret, what do you say? Like a game between the two of us.”

I could feel panic creeping further into my skin. Hensley was unpredictable and dangerous. There was no telling what he might do or say.

“Mother says we can't ever bring them back. Bad things will happen.” He spun his head in Elizabeth's direction. He had a cold look in his eye. “I should tell her what you've done.”

He started toward her, and I pounced on him. “No! No, listen to me, nothing bad will happen. The ones brought back from death aren't anything to worry about.
You're
fine, aren't you? You only meant to kill that Beast because he was harming us, right?”

I knew that wasn't true, but I hoped it might sway him.

He seemed to be wavering but then started for Elizabeth again. I grabbed his little wrist. “Wait,” I said, a little desperately. “I'll tell you a secret, but you have to promise not to tell your mother. I can prove that the man in the attic isn't a threat. I did the same procedure on your rat here, and it's perfectly normal, isn't it?”

He frowned, head twisting toward the rat on his shoulder. “My pet?”

I swallowed, speaking in a rush. “You're quite strong for a little boy, and sometimes you crush them without knowing it. Your mother throws them out and replaces them, but this one I brought back to life. And he's good, isn't he? He's a sweet little pet. Aren't you glad he's back? For me, it's the same with Edward. Everyone will be glad he's back, in time.”

Hensley's jaw tightened. I had never been able to read the expression on his face. Even when he had killed the Beast
with his own hands, he had barely flinched. His hand slowly reached up to clutch the rat. God, how I wished I could read what that little boy was thinking.

“There is more than one rat?” Hensley asked slowly.

“Yes. It's true. Now you have a secret and so do I. If you keep mine about the man hiding in the attic, just for a few more days, I'll read you all the stories you want.” I swallowed, worried. “Do you agree?”

He didn't answer. He stared at me blankly and then stomped off toward the house. I uneasily watched him go. At least Lucy was watching out for Edward—Hensley surely wouldn't do anything drastic like try to pull his heart out again. I'd read him a story later, and with luck he'd forget all about it.

Montgomery grabbed my hand, pulling me from my thoughts, and led me into a spin with the other dancers. I leaned in to him, breathing in his smell, memorizing it, trying not to worry about Hensley. Just one day of happiness, that's all I wanted.

I hugged Montgomery closer. We had a wedding party to celebrate, and then the wedding night.

T
HE STORM STRUCK AS
night fell. Everyone crowded into the glass-enclosed winter garden to stay out of the rain, and in the jumble Montgomery and I were able to sneak away to be alone. Laughing, we climbed through the portrait in the library and followed the wall passages to the upstairs closet, where we spilled out in the empty hallway next to my bedroom door.

The laughter faded on my lips as other feelings grew: nervousness, excitement, apprehension. The only man I'd been with was Edward, and that night hadn't been about love. It had been about loneliness and desperation and trying to pretend I wasn't slipping, when I'd already slipped too far.

Montgomery pulled me close. He was my tether to the real world, not the other, darker one that had called to me so many times before. I closed my eyes and tried not to think about my unsettling meeting with Hensley.

“Juliet James,” he whispered against my cheek. “How do you feel, knowing you'll never be a Moreau again?”

“I suppose I haven't given it much thought.” A cold feeling ran up my spine like drips of ice water. No longer a Moreau? Was it really so simple as a name changed on paper, my father's to my husband's? Was Juliet James a different girl—a normal girl? I looked at my hands, scrubbed clean now, the gold ring glinting on my fourth finger. One nail was jagged.

“Come with me,” Montgomery whispered, leading me to the bedroom door. He wrapped me in his arms, and the kiss felt so natural and so right that I was hardly aware of who was shutting the door, who was dragging whom toward the bed. Cracks in the windows let in hints of cold winter wind. Montgomery reached for the row of buttons down the back of my dress.

“Wait,” I whispered, unable to shake the unsettled feeling. “There's just one thing I must do first.”

He raised an eyebrow. “One moment, and not a second more.”

I pressed a kiss to his cheek, and then went to my own bedroom. I kicked my wedding shoes off and tiptoed to the doorway, then down the hall and up the stairs, fighting with my heavy dress, to the attic. No matter how I'd tried, I couldn't forget Hensley's words at the wedding. I wanted just to see Edward to make certain Hensley hadn't done something rash. Night had fallen, and the windows were black beyond, showing me my reflection. With all the rouge and fancy hairdressings, I scarcely recognized myself.

There was a photograph taken once of my mother when I was a baby. She wasn't much older than I was now. It seemed to be my mother looking back at me, and at first the sight was startling, but then I felt comforted. Montgomery had been right. She'd been with me all along, a quieter memory than that of my father, but still there. Only now was I starting to realize it.

I hurried the rest of the way down the hall and rapped on Valentina's door. There was no answer, so I twisted the knob and peeked within.

A single candle flickered on the bedside table. Lucy and Edward lay on the bed, fast asleep with exhaustion. They were fully clothed, though her dress strap had fallen from her shoulder, and his shirt was unbuttoned at the top. She had an arm wrapped across his chest and he, in turn, had buried his face against her shoulder.

It was a sweet, simple scene. Edward sighed in his sleep and pulled her closer, just like any couple in any bed in the world.

I glanced at the fireplace that held the trapdoor to the
passageways. Tomorrow I'd board it up with nails so Hensley couldn't get inside—just in case. And besides, I'd tell Montgomery about Edward soon enough, and then we'd all tell Elizabeth together. She wouldn't be happy, but what choice did she have but to accept it? She had accepted Hensley. In time, she'd come to accept Edward.

Feeling deeply contented, I eased the door closed so as not to wake them. Was there anything in the world better than a husband waiting for me downstairs, and my two best friends healthy and falling in love upstairs?

I tiptoed back to my room and sprayed some perfume over my shoulders to justify my absence, and then knocked on Montgomery's door.

When he opened it, he pulled me inside. “That was two moments. Are you trying to torture me?”

“Perhaps,” I whispered. “Now, kiss me.”

He was all too happy to oblige. His hands found the row of buttons down my back and he undid them gracelessly, anxious to feel my skin beneath. Once his fingers brushed the scar that ran the length of my back, I moved his hands away and slid the straps off my shoulders, shedding the lace and pearl buttons, stripping down to my undergarments with the ivory ribbons, a thin chemise and corset and petticoats that stretched to just below my knees.

“I've never seen anything more beautiful,” he said. I turned around so he could unhook the corset, which he let fall to the floor. He tugged loose the tie around his neck, threw it on the pile along with his black jacket, and dragged the shirt over his head.

“Are you sure you're ready?” he asked.

I silenced him with a finger over his lips. “You're the one who wanted to wait. Not me.”

With something like a growl, he wrapped an arm around my back, pulling me into a soft kiss, and then it wasn't so soft anymore, and my thoughts were lost amid the sounds of wind pushing at the window. Making love wasn't like it had been with Edward. That had been rushed, hungry. Being with Montgomery was nothing
but
love. Victor Frankenstein's wedding night might have ended with tragedy, but history wasn't always doomed to repeat itself. Sometimes, things could go right.

We fell asleep, arms intertwined, to the sounds of the windmill churning outside. Even in sleep, I didn't want to let him go. I dreamed of us together in my house on Belgrave Square with children of our own and hallways that always smelled of fresh roses. I dreamed that one day, years from now, it would be safe for us to leave Ballentyne and we'd travel to Paris and New York and Rome.

As I fell deeper into sleep, a different scent reached my nose. Montgomery's arm suddenly tightened around me, shaking me until I blinked fully awake.

“Do you smell smoke?” he asked, just as screams rang out from beyond the walls.