His Bewitching Jewel (A Regency Holiday Romance Book 7) (10 page)

She shook her head. “I haven’t an inkling, sir.”

He caught up with her, and pulled her around to face her. “You look terrified.”

“I…this house…it is not as tranquil as its lovely interior might make one think. There are things…there are entities that haunt this place that are quite unnerving, sir. And what…what did the maid mean when she said that he was coming back to murder us in our beds?” She realized a moment too late that she had placed her hands against his chest, and she had clutched his waistcoat between her fingers, in what was clearly a desperate gesture.

He looked furtively about, and without uttering another word, he guided her into the nearest room, which, just happened to be the Library. He led her over to a sofa, and they settled down upon it. She shouldn’t have allowed him to be this close to her—she shouldn’t have allowed herself to be so close to him, but he was right.

She was scared witless, and she didn’t welcome spending another night, alone in her bedchamber while ungodly noises went on outside of her room, and if that weight pressed down upon the end of her bed again, she would die of fear.

He held her hand between both of his. “You…you mustn’t pay any mind to the ghosts in this old house of mine. They won’t hurt you. Trust me, Miss Massey.” At his words, the flames of the fire died out, and as their eyes went to it, the flames grew once more. The unsettling sight only added to her feelings of uneasiness.

“I don’t believe you,” she said, her voice trembling. “I can see it in your eyes. Doubt lingers behind your false bravado. What did the maid mean? Pray, tell me, Your Grace.” With the candlelight flickering around them, he looked quite handsome. She would have thought their setting to be wonderfully romantic, if only they were here under different circumstances.

“I… I can’t answer that question, Ruby,” he said, standing up, and starting to restlessly pace in front of her. He was just as restless as she was, and she wanted answers. She had always been one for a mystery—but not this kind of a mystery. No, this was far too scary for her taste.

“You warned me about supernatural occurrences only last night,” she sighed. So much had happened in one day. She felt as if she had been awake for days, and as if she had known the Duke forever. Almost as if their souls recognized each other, as if they had been reunited after a long separation. “Answer me this, sir—what ghost in this house scratches continually at my door? And then, right after that, something or someone entered my room, and sat on the end of my bed. I didn’t like it one bit, sir.”

“Are…” he stopped pacing. “Are you quite certain?” he asked, his eyes almost wild. He looked quite nonplussed by her latest revelation.

“Aye, quite,” she said crisply. “There is no mistaking that kind of weight pressing against your feet.”

“The scratching at the door has been experienced by some of the maids, and blessedly, the children have never had to endure it…but a weight on the end of the bed…I haven’t heard that story yet.”

“It is not a story, sir,” she bristled indignantly. Thinking that he was not giving credence to her words made her furious. She stood up. “I should retire to my rooms, and pray that I can get a few winks of sleep, this night. Goodnight to you, Your Grace,” she said, keeping her tone cool, and emotionally detached. She curtsied to him, and watched him incline his head in return. Quickly, before he could regain his senses, and attempt to waylay her, she fled the room, and raced for the staircase.

Pounding up the steps, she only stopped when she reached the door to her bedchamber. With her heart still thundering against her ribcage, she stopped for a moment, and leaned against her door, exhaling a shattering breath. She couldn’t face spending another night alone. How would she survive this night? How would she be able to stay here?

“Miss Massey,” a soft whisper almost made her shriek, and she did jump a fair bit off the floor. She stilled her voice in her throat, tried to regain her composure, and turned to regard Lady Miranda, who stood in her nightgown with her hair tied in rags.

“Yes, Lady Miranda,” she said breathlessly, her voice still wobbling, as if it would break at any moment, and she would be sobbing.

“I…I heard a scream. It didn’t wake Cordelia, but I wanted to make certain that everyone was all right.”

“Everyone is quite all right. One of the maids had a fright, that is all, my lady,” she said, soothingly.

“The nannies are snoring so loudly that I daren’t think anything could wake them, not even the dead,” Lady Miranda said ruefully. “You look quite pale, Miss Massey, are you quite all right? Do you need me to fetch anything for you?”

She sighed heavily. “The scream unsettled me a bit, Lady Miranda. You mustn’t pay any mind to me. I am still trying to get used to Penryn House, and all of its curiosities.”

“Many outsiders have a hard time settling in here,” Miranda mused. “You will come to love it in time…just as we adore it. Do you think…do you think we could continue our music lessons tomorrow? Cordelia loves music ever so, and it puts her into such a glorious mood.”

“Aye,” Ruby said, finally calming down a bit. “I think that can be arranged.” She opened her bedchamber door, and stopped. Her entire room was a dishevelled mess. Someone had been prying into her affairs. Someone had been searching through her things.

And she had a fair bet who that someone was.

Anger surged through her, and she struggled to contain it, as she balled her hands into fists. She looked over at her trunk. By the looks of things, someone had also attempted to open it. She didn’t like having her privacy invaded in such a way. The gall of the culprit was not to be borne!

Her hand flew to the key that hung around her neck. Thank goodness she had decided to take it with her. Even if she had left it hidden here, they would have bloody well rooted it out of its hiding place.

“Who made such an utter shamble of your bedchamber, Miss Massey?” Lady Miranda had stepped into the room, and she looked as dismayed as Ruby felt. Anger coupled with her dismay, and she felt like hunting out the foul Mrs. Teague and giving her a good tongue lashing for going through her things.

It had to be Mrs. Teague. No one else in the house could have been so bold—not to mention malicious.

Feeling defeated, she sank onto her bed, and sighed. Resting her head in her hands, she sat for a moment attempting to sort out her thoughts. She had almost forgotten that Lady Miranda remained, until the girl hopped up onto the bed to sit next to her.

“Don’t fret, Miss Massey. I will tell Uncle tomorrow that someone went through your things, and they left a terrible mess. You mustn’t worry, he will find the culprit, and they will be properly chastised.”

She sighed again, and lifted her head from where it rested, to look at Lady Miranda. Innocent blue eyes stared back at her.

“If they have damaged anything beyond repair, I shall ask Uncle to give you the money to replace it.”

She smiled at the dear girl. “That won’t be necessary, Lady Miranda. Nothing looks as if it has been broken, only moved about. And anything that couldn’t be replaced is safely stored away and locked up.” Her eyes went to the trunk, and Lady Miranda’s eyes followed her gaze.

“That is good,” Lady Miranda said, sighing. “I best return to the nursery, before one of them snores so loudly they wake themselves up and decide to come and check on us. If Cordelia wakes up and finds me gone, she will be ever so worried. She will panic without me by her side. Goodnight, Miss Massey. I hope you are able to sleep tonight. Hopefully, my ancestors will leave you in peace.”

“Then, you know,” she said cautiously.

“Everyone who lives here knows, Miss Massey. They know, but they do not speak of it. Even Uncle knows…lately, however, I have found that the house feels quite different. I don’t know…I think that maybe…” she stopped herself before elaborating. “I must away, Miss.”

“Goodnight, Lady Miranda,” she said, as the sweet child left the room. Feeling forlorn, and a little sorry for herself, she sat for a few moments in quiet contemplation and then rang for a maid to assist her.

The maid that came to help was horrified by the room. She did not say a word, as she helped Ruby out of her frock, and undergarments. It was the stay that she really needed the most help with. Getting out of the bloody thing was not something she thought she could ever do alone. Once she was ready for bed, the maid left, and she climbed in under the bedclothes, at least the bed was nice and warm.

Come the morrow, she was damnably tempted to write to her uncle and tell him that she was coming home. She didn’t think she could go on here. If she did that, she would be a failure at running away. She had to stay here. If she returned now, her mother would always let that pendulum hang over her head. Her mother would tell her that she couldn’t succeed at anything in life—and that she had to marry, posthaste, so she wouldn’t be such a burden to her uncle.

Maniacal laughter echoed around her. It was a man’s laugh, and it seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere. She sucked in a large breath, and with her eyes wide, looked around her. She didn’t want to blow out the candle that kept her room lit in a comforting glow. She wanted to jump out of bed, and flee this place, as the tormenting laughter continued to echo around her. Her hands, trembling, she sat up, and licked the pad of her thumb and forefinger to put out the candle flame when a gust of wind blew through the room, and extinguished it for her.

Oh, how tempting it was to jump out of bed, reach for her dressing gown, and dash through the house to find the Duke. He would give her the comfort she so desperately sought. He would shelter her from the storm that seemed ready to lash this house in its unforgivingly fearsome supernatural grip. She wasn’t courageous like her Lovett cousins. She was not brave like Rose and Iris. Though she wasn’t related to Julia, she wasn’t even as capable as Julia was in the face of danger. She hadn’t even been able to properly shoot that blackguard back when Julia had needed her to at Wilton Park. She had failed at that just like she made a cock up of everything in her life.

She should have done what her mother had wanted her to do from the get go. She should have married the wretch her mother had picked out for her. She should have listened to her, and done as she wanted like a bloody puppet, because really, did she deserve anything more?

“Oh, God,” she whispered. “Please help and keep me. Please save me from this horrid place.” Shutting her eyes, she sank back down under the bedclothes, and attempted to still her ragged breathing. Her heart would never stop thundering in her chest, not for as long as was under this roof. She thought briefly back to all that she had left behind. If she had continued on, as her uncle had thought she would, she would have been safely in London right now, planning the gay social soirees that gave Julia such joy.

How would Julia and Freddie react when they discovered that she had done a runner? Moreover, how would her poor uncle react?

And could she hold out and see her way through the hell that surrounded her here in this haunted house?

As she was drifting away into blessed sleep, she felt that weight press down where her feet were under the bedclothes. Quelling a scream growing in her throat, she moved her feet, and pulled the bedclothes over her head. She was a bloody coward, of that she felt quite certain now.

Maybe it would improve if she gave it time, but how could she go on living at Penryn House?

Furthermore, did she even want to stay?

Finn feared he would lose Ruby.

He laid awake in his bed, listening to the clock as it went tick tock, tick tock. It was well after midnight now. Groaning, he sat up, and raked his hand through his hair. Reaching for his dressing gown, he left his bedchamber, and stood outside in the hallway, staring at a portrait of a dead ancestor.

It was a calm night, and he hadn’t heard any unexplainable noises since the maid had screamed. Ruby was frightened, and rightfully so—but how could he explain what the maid had seen to her? How could he tell her the terrible truth?

The only reason he kept his servants, was because he paid unusually high wages. If he didn’t pay so well, they would have been gone not long after he had hired them. Mrs. Teague might have remained, as he doubted that she would have been able to find suitable employment elsewhere, given her irascible behaviour, and he had heard that her husband had left her in rather poor financial straits, and for that much, she had his sympathy.

He used every ounce of his willpower to keep himself from going to Ruby, and explaining everything to her, and praying that somehow she would understand.

The question was, how much information was too much? Would she even believe him, or would she be so frightened that he would scare her into fleeing this place?

“What do I do?” he asked, as desperation clawed at him, almost as if he expected the portrait to answer him. Sighing, mournfully, he went back to his bedchamber, and tossed and turned in his bed, until blissfully, sleep claimed him.

*****

The next morning, Ruby awoke refreshed, and with a new sense of purpose in her life. She wanted to start anew, and give her life her a fresh chance at succeeding. The night before, she had dreamt of her father, and the lovely life they had once led. To remember him as he had been with her, and seeing her uncle in her dreams with them had given her a renewed purpose in her life. It had made her realize that her work with Lady Miranda and Lady Cordelia was important. If she left now, the small progress that Lady Cordelia had made might go up in smoke. Somehow, she had to help heal Lady Cordelia enough so she could be a part of her uncle’s life. She couldn’t remain afraid of him forever. It wasn’t fair to him, and it wasn’t fair to her.

She threw back her bedclothes, and climbed out of bed. Her eyes immediately went to the beautiful window. Padding over to it, she opened the curtains, and looked out at the misty morning.

Sighing, she turned back to the round table and chairs in her bedchamber, and looked with apprehension at the tray of food there. There was a cup of steaming hot chocolate, and with the hot chocolate was a plateful of ginger biscuits. She hadn’t noticed them before on her way to open the curtains. How did they get there? There hadn’t possibly been enough time for someone to enter the room.

“You are getting ahead of yourself again, Ruby. You mustn’t read anything else into the situation. A footman or maid had to have brought the food up here, that is the only sensible explanation,” she whispered, still a little on edge.

She was becoming too high strung. She had to rein it in, and attempt to relax, or she would never be able to survive here. Walking over to the little treat, she picked up the hot chocolate and sipped tentatively at it. It tasted normal. She finished it off, and the biscuits, as her appetite seemed to have returned in full force, and then went to decide what she would wear. She opened the wardrobe, and stared at the small number of frocks she had taken out of her trunk the day that she had arrived.

Most of them were black, dark blue, or in varying shades of puce. Unfortunately, she didn’t have any lavender ones. Sighing, she picked out the puce coloured one. The dressmaker who made this for her had called it puce, but she had always thought it was more of a deep purple. It might give her a bit more colour than the plain black did.

Taking off her dressing gown and her nightgown, she put on her shift, and then rang for a maid to help her to get into her stay. While she waited, she went over to take her jewelry case out of her trunk. Quickly, she selected a pair of amethyst drop earrings, and then, she put the jewelry case back into her trunk, locking it securely. Placing the key back around her neck, she looked to the door, as the maid slipped cautiously into the room.

Once she was dressed, the maid left, and another knock sounded at the door. She opened it, to find a footman waiting with her breakfast. He walked into the room, and placed the tray on her table. He looked at the empty tray, and gave her a look of consternation.

“Pray, give my thanks to Mrs. Chegwin. The ginger biscuits and the hot chocolate were just what I needed. I am not sure if I have room for the buttered buns, and tea she has left me there,” Ruby said softly.

“I wasn’t aware…” the footman stopped as if checking himself, and looked around the room a bit warily. “I shall tell Mrs. Chegwin. Have a good morning, Miss Massey.” He left, taking the empty tray with him. She shut the door behind him, and reflected upon the nervous expression that had crossed his features when he had seen the empty plate of biscuits, and the empty cup. She wouldn’t dwell upon it. If she did—she would scare herself witless, and she would be packing her trunk and doing what she always seemed to do best—she would be running away again.

It was time to start her day. Now, if she could only keep a good deal of distance between her and the Duke, then, she would have it all. She didn’t want to be around him because she knew that someday he would wear down her defenses, and she would do the unthinkable—she would give herself to him, and say to hell with the consequences.

*****

Ruby and the girls spent the morning in the Music Room. Lady Cordelia blossomed around music, and she had quite the talent, and ear for music. She could play a tune on the pianoforte back to her just by hearing it. She smiled, giggled, and came out of her shell with music playing around her. Lady Miranda, enjoyed it all as well, but her talent wasn’t nearly as great as her sister’s.

The Duke had gone out riding for most of the morning, and when he returned their melodies earned his attention. Ruby had hoped to stop before he came back, and her nerve had failed her when it came right down to it, she couldn’t pull Lady Cordelia away. They were playing a lively country dance tune at the moment that the Duke made his appearance.

He clapped for them, as Lady Miranda stopped playing, stood up and gave him a curtsy. Ruby laughed, and Lady Cordelia sat at the pianoforte as if she couldn’t move. She looked back over at her, and sighed. Walking back over to the pianoforte, she reached for another sheet of music. “Lady Miranda, see if your uncle would like to dance with you a bit, as we play the next tune.”

For being so young, Lady Cordelia seemed quite able to read most of the music she had put before her. Her mother must have paid a good deal of attention to their musical lessons, because while Lady Cordelia was a natural, she had been educated quite well on how to read the music, and seemed to have an uncanny affinity for that as well, for she was far beyond her level. She couldn’t quite fathom how talented she was. It took Ruby’s breath away, and made her wince when she considered how long it had taken her to learn the same things. The fact that the last governess had declared her a simpleton was a bit too much. Lady Cordelia had a gift, and it was one that they would have to continue to nurture.

“Do you think you can play this tune, my lady?” she asked, setting the sheet of music in front of her. The little girl looked at the bars of music, and nodded her head enthusiastically, even though she kept looking out the corner of her eye at the Duke as if she expected him to do something to her.

She watched as the Duke playfully danced with Lady Miranda, and turned the sheet music as Lady Cordelia needed her to. Once the song was finished, Lady Miranda curtsied, and the Duke bowed. They all laughed. It had been a fun way to spend the morning.

Their laughter died out as harp music filled the air. It would have been beautiful if only someone had been sitting at the harp playing the graceful melody.

Fear stole through Ruby. She couldn’t breathe. Lady Cordelia looked completely unaffected, as did Lady Miranda and the Duke. Were they all mad? Or was she the only one that had heard the strain of music from the harp?

“It looks as if the ghosts want to play along too,” the Duke remarked, as Lady Miranda nodded her head.

“Oh, aye, I think they feel as if we are leaving them out on the fun,” Lady Miranda said. “Mama would have loved to be around here this morning.”

The Duke put his arm around Lady Miranda. “Aye, she did love her harp, as did my grandmother,” he said softly.

Were ghosts living with them an accepted way of life here at Penryn House? She was almost afraid to ask, but she had to. She had to know.

“The ghosts, do they make their presence known often?”

“We are scaring her, Uncle,” Lady Miranda whispered.

“The ghosts have always had a way of making themselves known to us, Miss Massey. You needn’t worry. Most of the spirits that haunt this house are ancestors of mine. However, there is one ghost of a past cook, who never seemed to have left her kitchens. She used to have maids bring guests hot chocolate and biscuits to have when they woke up in the morning, and one or two of our guests have experienced it after she passed away.”

Now Ruby couldn’t move. She couldn’t move, and she could speak. She was frozen with fear.

“Uncle, she looks quite pale. Do you think she might have a fainting spell?” Lady Miranda asked worriedly. He and Lady Miranda hurried to her side. Lady Cordelia jumped up from where she sat at the pianoforte, and Ruby sagged onto the seat.

“Would you like some brandy, Miss Massey?” he asked gently.

She shook her head. She still couldn’t speak.

“Why don’t you and Cordelia go and fetch one of the new jigsaw puzzles that arrived in the post last week? I think that Miss Massey has had enough for one day.”

Enough? She still had to teach them something other than music. She felt like a failure for she still had so much to teach them. By what she had seen this morning, their musical education was quite well developed. She had a fair bet that she would discover that they were quite accomplished in reading, writing and arithmetic, and she surmised that Lady Miranda probably knew a fair bit of history, and she was probably already quite fluent in French, and possibly even Latin, Greek and German.

*****

Finn watched Ruby as Miranda collected Cordelia and they left the Music Room. He sauntered over to her, and grew even more alarmed when she didn’t acknowledge his presence. He passed his hand in front of her eyes, and she finally snapped to attention.

“I…I was lost in thought. I…I am sorry, Your Grace,” she said, standing up. She looked up at him. “I…now that the children are gone…I wanted to ask you if you were in jest about the hot chocolate and biscuits being served to guests…or…”

“I wasn’t jesting, Miss Massey. I never jest in relation to talking about the ghosts that roam this house. Most of them are harmless, some will even help. They have been known to set the table for company before. The footmen and butler have walked into the Dining Room and found their jobs completed.”

She gasped. “Surely, surely you are not serious?”

“As I said, Miss Massey, I never jest when it comes to the ghosts in this house,” he said somberly.

“And the ghost that scared the maid the other night?” she asked.

He sighed heavily, turned his back to her, and settled his eyes on the harp. He needed to redirect her attention. “Did you wake to find hot chocolate and biscuits waiting for you this morning, Miss Massey?” Oh, how he wished he could call her Ruby. The name was always on the tip of his tongue.

“I…” she stammered. He didn’t need to turn to look at her to know that her cheeks were a flaming red. “I did.” Her voice was so low, it was almost a whisper.

He smiled. He didn’t think she would have any problem with hearing scratching noises at her door anymore. The ghosts that he had always known and loved had obviously accepted her. They wouldn’t allow her to be frightened anymore, not if they could help it.

“These things happen at Penryn House. I warned you on your first night for a reason. Some cannot handle it. Others find the courage because of the generous wages I pay.”

“Mrs. Teague doesn’t believe in ghosts,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Mrs. Teague is a foolish old woman,” he said dismissively. “I can’t understand how she can reside under this roof, and not believe in the ruddy things. This house—this house is special. The things that happen here—well, you need to be strong to deal with some of them. Did you have a peaceful night last night?”

Silence met him. He turned around to see that she had quietly slipped from the room. She had run from him! He didn’t know whether to be offended or impressed. She certainly was fleet of foot—almost like a fairy.

He groaned when Miranda and Cordelia returned. “Where did Miss Massey go?” Miranda asked.

“I do not know,” he said. “Why don’t you and Cordelia go back up to the nursery, and play there for a little while? We can do the puzzle later,” he said.

“Yes, Uncle,” Miranda said, in her obedient way. She took Cordelia’s hand, and they left the Music Room.

He would have to make it quite clear to Ruby that while she might be quite adept at slipping out during a conversation, it wasn’t polite.