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Having lain in bed worrying the entire night, Adele woke and put on her woollies prior to sunrise. She planned to be out of the house even before Mei Ling started cooking, and so she snuck down the stairwell, tiptoed past the closed door of her aunt and uncle’s bedchamber, and slipped on her boots and her coat in the foyer. From there she hurriedly gathered bread and a slice of smoked sausage from the pantry and slipped them into a basket on the buffet. The medicine bag had never been removed from its hiding place in the kitchen, so she took that with her as well.
Cold air hit her as soon as she opened the door of the storm porch. Sub-freezing temperatures stiffened her breath and chilled her cheeks. This was the coldest she’d experienced this winter. She set the bag at her feet, looped her basket of food on her arm, pulled on her gloves, and rolled her scarf over her head.
Despite the cold, a quiet beauty laced the landscape. Hoarfrost glistened with threads of gold as the sun peeked over the horizon. The silence of this new wintry dawn excited her, as did the anticipation of seeing Grai again.
The wrought-iron gate moaned as she pulled it open and dodged the icicles that hung from the honeysuckle vines above her head. She made her way through an arbor of frost to Grandfather Madison’s patio as the ground crunched under her boots. The stately fountain no longer gushed freely, but the waterfall from the figure’s jug had frozen in place, fixed in an immobile pool, the ripples having frozen in their wave, clear and slick, like glass. She observed the beauty of it, and of the morning, thankful for the sense of freedom being here gave her.
Not knowing if she should call Grai’s name, she wandered through the patio, past the graveyard access and the broken columns that once stood as an entry to the Madison manor. She stopped in front of the ivy laden rock work she had seen him disappear into the other day, presuming it was the entrance to the shelter he stayed in.
“Grai?” she whispered outside the stone wall.
No one answered, so she spoke again.
“I brought you a peace offering. More medicine, too. And I have news.”
Of course, she wouldn’t hear anyone speaking from inside, and they couldn’t hear her. With granite walls, sound couldn’t carry. Regardless, she waited, her heart beating heavily. If his spirit were with him, he could surely see her. The ivy above her head hung low, still green, but sharpened with ice crystals on every leaf. The pillars they clung to offered a sense of security, guarding over the entrance as if they were soldiers in a queen’s army. Adele understood why Grai chose this habitat as his refuge.
“Grai, I’m not going home without seeing you. Please come talk to me.”
After what seemed like hours, though in reality it had only been minutes, a slit in the rock wall slowly grew wider. Half expecting his spirit to be the one that responded, it surprised her to see Grai standing there in the flesh.
His curls were tangled about his head, his clothes twisted and unsightly. Clearly, he had just woken up. But instead of an ill-tempered greeting, which she expected, he smiled.
“I assumed you were gone forever,” he said.
Relieved, Adele held out her basket.
“I brought you some food.”
He backed away from the entry and ushered her into his root cellar. She hesitated, shocked that he would invite her into his sanctuary he had been trying to conceal.
“I thought...” she stuttered.
“Come in. Please,” he said.
She stepped cautiously into the dark and damp tunnel which smelled of musk and wet earth. He rolled the stone closed behind her, encasing her in complete darkness. Even with her eyes wide, she could see nothing until Grai struck a match and lit a lantern. He took the basket from her and led her through a narrow passage deep into a dugout under the ground. The walls of the corridor they walked through were rock—dank and cold—but the burrow opened into a chamber equivalent in design to a small den. A desk stood up against one wall and on it were stacked papers, a fountain pen, and an inkwell. Across from the counter a granite shelf protruded, taking up most of the room’s space. It was long enough for a body to lie on. On the bed, the blankets that Adele had given Grai were piled in a bundle. Leather bags filled with unknown items were shoved away in the shadows.
Even though moisture condescended along the walls, the room wasn’t especially cold. There was a musty human smell to the quarters, stuffy and unpleasant.
“It’s wonderful to see you, Adele,” a voice spoke out of the darkness. Grai’s soul floated into the light of the lantern, his smile warm and pleasant, and for once Adele found the same hospitality in both Grai and his spirit.
“It’s marvelous to see you both, as well,” Adele said. She put the medicine bag on the ground, set her basket on the bed, and pulled out the bread and sausage. Grai’s eyes lit up as she handed it to him. He had no reservations biting into it in front of her and sat on the bed in amongst his clothes, his hat, and the blankets, devouring the meat as if he hadn’t eaten in months. Perhaps he hadn’t. His eagerness for food brought tears to her eyes.
“You shouldn’t have to live like this,” she said.
He paused, food in his mouth, and looked at her.
“Finish eating,” his spirit told Grai.
Grai gave him a resentful look but took another bite.
“We know we shouldn’t be living like this, although Grai here sinks into a pit of depression all too often, swearing that he deserves the worst life offers,” the spirit told Adele.
Grai opened his mouth to argue, his spirit pointed at him. “Let me talk,” he said, and turned back to Adele. “We’ve been discussing ways to escape this lifestyle, but without knowing who is looking for us and what’s out there, I’m afraid we haven’t come up with any ideas.”
“I have news that might help you decide.”
“Pray, tell.”
Grai leaned over and moved his coat from the desk chair, and Adele sat down.
“Well, for beginners, there’s a warrant out for this Delaney fellow.”
“We knew that.”
“And it’s rumored he came to Port Summerhill. I saw his picture. I thought maybe if I described him you could remember if he were one of your attackers.”
Grai shook his head and swallowed. “The men who assaulted me wore masks. The man who strangled me and subsequently drove his knife in me had a very raspy growl. I don’t think I would recognize him. It was dark and I couldn’t breathe.”
“This man has dark hair and a mustache.”
Grai shrugged his shoulders and took a bite of bread. “It could be him, I don’t know. I know who Delaney is, though I don’t think I ever met him. He was an apprentice to my grandfather’s partner. Therefore, he would know more about this place than others. He might even know about the dugout. He would certainly have heard about the gold.”
“Gold?”
Grai swallowed and wiped his mouth with his arm. His spirit tossed him a linen cloth, which he caught and used for his hands.
“During the war, grandfather suspected that the treasury notes the government issued would not be convertible, even though they were declared legal tender. So, grandfather started collecting gold coins. He presumed that after the war we’d be back on the gold standard. What grandfather saved would be worth more than it had been when the notes were circulated. Professor Reinhardt collaborated with my grandfather, and this Delaney, being the professor’s apprentice, would know there’s a cache of gold somewhere. That’s why he helped your parents rob and kill the professor. It’s right to fear him, yes. But whether he had a hand in the initial attack on me, it’s hard to say. Maybe. The timing seems off if he was with your parents when they killed Professor Reinhardt.”
She sat silently, hoping she had discovered the would-be murderer.
“Why a peace offering?” Grai asked her.
“You suspected me. You thought I was...I don’t know, a spy or something.”
“No, I didn’t.” Grai laughed.
“Oh?” His spirit crossed his arms. “That’s not what I heard.”
“Sometimes you hear wrong,” Grai told him. “The news about the professor upset me. That your parents killed him disturbed me even more. But....” He first glanced at his spirit, and then his eyes met hers.
“I was wrong to walk away from you as I did. And if I suspected you, it was because I was wrestling with my feelings toward you. After I realized how my reaction might have hurt you, I thought you would leave me forever, and I don’t want that. I want you to—” he paused and sighed. “I want you to keep coming to see me.”
She smiled.
“What?”
“That makes me happy Grai because I want to continue coming to see you. Although I would be much happier if I didn’t have to see you in such miserable conditions.”
Grai grunted and finished the last of the sausage. He wiped his hands on the rag and tossed it on the pile of clothes on the bed.
“It’s not an appropriate place for a young lady, I agree. I suppose I shouldn’t have brought you in here. I was hoping for a clean dressing though, and it’s cold outside.”
“Please don’t apologize. I only meant I wish you weren’t living under such conditions. It breaks my heart. You deserve much better than this.”
Grai shrugged and looked away.
“Let’s change that wrap.” Adele unlatched the bag and pulled out her potions while Grai took off the soiled bandage. She continued talking as she poured water over a cloth to wipe his wound clean and as she applied the salves.
“The second newsworthy event that happened last night is that I met your mother and your stepfather.”
Grai winced.
“Does that hurt?”
“Some. You met my mother?”
“They came to the house.”
That instilled a silence that scared Adele, and she didn’t quite understand the exchange between Grai and his spirit.
“Why?”
“My uncle had some kind of business to talk over with Bonneville?” His wound looked tender, red, but she couldn’t tell whether it was infected or not, the light was so dim. She applied more salve. He sucked air in between his teeth and closed his eyes.
“It’s very sore. I’m sorry.”
“What affairs did they discuss?” he asked, his tone accusing, or the pain made it sound that way.
“I didn’t hear their conversation. I was instructed to stay in the room with my mother and yours.”
“And what was that like?”
Adele sighed. “Your mother has some odd beliefs.”
Grai laughed. “Let me guess, she believes in ghosts.” He looked at his spirit, who shrugged.
Adele sat up and looked at him, and then at his spirit. “If I don’t cover my mirror, does that mean you won’t leave this realm when you die and will spend your time tormenting me and my family?”
Grai’s spirit shook his head. “Frankly, what you do with your mirrors has no bearing on whether I stay here. He’s the only one keeping me around.” He pointed to Grai. “I certainly wouldn’t torment you. I like you, Adele.” He winked, triggering a smile from her.
“Your mother told me....” Adele’s smile lasted only a moment, as Lucille’s words bothered her all night, and she had to know if they were true. She looked at Grai. “She told me because I’m not wearing my mourning apparel and lamenting over my parents that your spirit will curse me.”
“Oh, Adele,” his spirit said. “You don’t believe that do you?”
“She carries a lock of your hair around her neck.” Adele touched Grai’s hair. “It scared me.”
Grai took her arm and held her hand in his.
“My mother does some peculiar things, Adele. Don’t be afraid of her. And don’t suppose all that she says is true. She visits soothsayers and spiritualists. She’s gotten far deeper into the realm of the afterlife than what’s good for her. I’m more concerned about my stepfather meeting with your uncle. It seems highly suspicious to me.”
“I don’t know what they discussed when they came to our house, but at the dance, I eavesdropped.”
“And?”
“At first they made little sense, and it seemed they were talking in code. They mentioned my uncle purchasing this property. He will give your stepfather earnest money next week. He plans on using it for the railroad terminal.”
Grai’s reaction startled her. He let go of her arm, flew off the bed, grabbed his derby and threw it on the floor.
“Curses!”
Adele flinched at his outburst.
About to step on the already crunched topper, his spirit rushed to rescue it.
“None of that. You’ve a right to be angry, but we don’t destroy what little we have because of your temper!”
They stared at each other for a moment and finally Grai relented, picked up the derby, reshaped it with his fist, and tossed it back on the bed.
Adele reached out to Grai and touched his hand. “Please sit back down so I can finish wrapping your wound.”
She pulled out the gauze from the medicine bag, peering into the corners to see if another roll had been hidden away somewhere. There hadn’t. “I don’t mean to upset you. I thought you should know what they’re planning.”
“Of course, I should,” Grai sat on the bed, brushed his hair with his hands, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry,” he breathed. “This was my dream. Grandfather and I were going to rebuild. Make it even better than before, a refuge for people, a sanctuary. I can’t stand to think of it being logged or divided into parcels.”
“You don’t have to defend your stand, Grai. This land is yours. No one should make plans for it but you.”
Adele put the salves away and unrolled the last of the cotton wrap.
“Regardless, last night, your stepfather insisted he had to take care of details before he could sell. And my uncle said something that was...upsetting.”
“What was that?”
“I’m not sure what he was referring to, but it sounded odd. He said your mother’s performance will not hold up in court.”
“What? What does that mean? What performance?”
“I’m not sure if they were talking about the way she is mourning, goes on wailing about your death.”
Grai stared at her with a sour expression.
“They will never find me,” he swore.
Adele sighed and Grai’s spirit clicked his tongue.
“Hold this end,” she instructed, giving him one end of the gauze. “Your stepfather kept speaking about details that prevented him from selling.”
“Details such as making sure I’m dead?”
“I don’t know.” She put her arms around his torso as she wrapped the bandage. He relaxed when she touched him, and their eyes met briefly. A tingle raced up her spine. He had such brilliant hazel eyes.
“I hope not. Perhaps I can somehow distract him from buying the property. They said little more than that. I think they knew I was listening.”
“Your uncle could be behind the attack, Adele.”
She ignored that deduction even though she had similar thoughts. It was a perplexing situation if her uncle had conspired to kill him. She’d already sworn to protect Grai, and yet she depended on Uncle Nicholas and Aunt Eloise for her sustenance.
“I don’t know what I’d do if he is,” she whispered. “I won’t ever stop helping you.” When she finished wrapping the wound, she tied the end. He took her hands in his.
“Don’t place yourself in jeopardy over me.”
Adele couldn’t stand to meet his eyes. She slipped her hands away from his and focused on the bags that were tucked away in the shadows. Her feelings for him were extremely hard to control. How appropriate could this be, hiding in a dugout with him, unchaperoned, touching his body? Perhaps she was the woman Benjamin accused her of being. And yet, even with a reputation hovering over her, she would not trade these moments for all the silken gowns in the world.
She put the lids on her jars and tucked them into the medicine bag. She had used the last of her bandages. Uncle Nicholas would be suspicious if he found out, especially since her wound had already healed.
“Where can I get more gauze?” she asked.
“The mercantile in Port Summerhill has it,” Grai answered.
“I will have to get some before Uncle Nicholas sees his bag.”
“My apologies for using it all,” Grai said.
“Don’t apologize. I’m thinking a ride into Port Summerhill would be beneficial. There’s one other thing that happened last night you need to know about. I met Miss Mary Sellers.”
Grai’s frown cleared.
“She wanted very much to talk with me. She used the excuse of wanting information about Professor Reinhardt and said he might have a survey of your property.”
“Why?”
“They need it for probate.”
Grai moaned.
“It will not happen, Grai. I believe she’s on your side. She said she identified with my sorrow over my parents because she felt the same way about you.”
“She’s a kind woman,” Grai said.
“I thought so. You see? There are those of us who care, Grai. She might help you. She says she’s against the railroad and all that the town is doing to get it here. If I could tell her you’re still alive—,”
Grai shook his head. “She works hand in hand with the bankers.”
“Let me talk to her. She could hold up the probate court somehow. She might even know who plotted to kill you.”
“Even if we knew, what could we do about it?”
“She could get you a lawyer.”
“Impossible.”
“Why?” Adele argued. “You need one.”
“Grai,” his spirit protested. “You need to do something. You can’t keep building on this property without securing it as your own.”
“You’ve been building in your condition?”
“He already has half a foundation of stone laid for the house. I told him he was going to hurt himself.”
“Grai, that’s a lot of work,”
“I take breaks. I have to do something.”
“No wonder your wound hasn’t begun to seal.”
Grai rose and walked away from the two of them.
“If I don’t work, I’ll be worse off. I cannot lie around in this tomb waiting for my killers to show up, and I cannot appear in Port Summerhill. What else is left? If I have to build this manor stone by stone alone than that’s what I’ll do. I am determined to restore my grandfather’s estate. Adele, if you insist on telling Mary Sellers that I’m alive, go ahead but only if she can find a lawyer who won’t reveal my secret. Under no circumstances is anyone else to know!
“You won’t regret it!” Elated that she had his permission to help, Adele sprang off the bed and wrapped her arms around him. Grai’s spirit slipped inside of him and though the two flickered as they had the first time she saw them, she felt a surge of energy come from Grai, and he embraced her like no other human being ever had. She didn’t want to let go.
“It feels so good to hold you,” he sighed, resting his chin in her hair. “I have not been touched like this, ever.” He held onto her tighter, and then he kissed her gently on her forehead.
“You don’t realize how lonely you’ve been until someone hugs you,” Adele said. “I feel the same way.”
When they parted, there were tears in his eyes. She took his head in her hands, wiped his tears with her thumbs, and kissed him on his lips. He pressed closer to her, and they embraced again. Time seemed to stand still as Adele absorbed the warmth of his body, his heartbeat beating against hers, the scent of him. They kissed and as their lips sealed together; they exchanged breath with one another.
“Adele,” he whispered. “Adele.” As if her name were a song, he whispered it again. He fixed a lock of her hair behind her ear. “You’ve done more for me in these last few days than anyone has done my entire life.”
“What is it that’s making my heart flutter right now?” Adele asked. “I’m drawn to you. Even last night among all those people, all I could think of was you. All day I couldn’t wait to come and see you.”
“And I tossed all night, worried that I chased you away.”
He kissed her again, and she nestled into his arms.
“How long can you stay, today?”
“No one is awake at the house. We didn’t come home until late, so I assume I won’t be missed for quite a while. What time is it now?” Adele asked, disoriented from the dark cellar.
He laughed quietly “I can’t help you there. My timepiece was stolen the night I was attacked.”
Adele drew in a sharp breath.
“Your timepiece?”
“It was my grandfather’s. An heirloom. I didn’t want to lose it.”
“What was your grandfather’s name?”
“Cyrus. Why?”
“C.M.?”
He looked at her, puzzled.
“A large red gemstone on the latch?”
“You’ve seen my pocket watch?”
She swallowed and nodded. “If it is yours, my cousin’s son has it.”
“What? How did he get it?”
From Benjamin. Benjamin may be the man who tried to kill Grai. She opened her mouth to tell him, but instead held her hand over her lips. Her heart raced so quickly she thought she’d faint. She lived in a house with a murderer. Was her entire family involved?
“Oh, Grai,” she said.
“Are you ill?” Grai asked.
“Just lightheaded.”
“Let’s go outside and get some fresh air.”
She trembled as they walked through the dark corridor. Grai snuffed the lantern before he rolled open the entryway. His spirit trailed behind them.
The fresh air helped Adele come to her senses, and with Grai’s support, she managed to stagger to the bench by the fountain without fainting. Grai sat next to her and wrapped his arm around her.
“Someone in your family attacked me?” he asked.
“Peter is forever trailing my cousin Benjamin around like a shadow. He even mimics him sometimes. I saw him with a timepiece the other day and he refused to tell me where it came from, but it would make perfect sense Benjamin gave it to him, or else Peter stole it. I wish you could remember what your assailants looked like.”
Grai rubbed her back for a moment. His spirit had slipped out of him again and the two studied each other.
“This is the cousin who had you pinned against the outside of the house the other day?”
“He tries to kiss me. He does it as a stunt. I don’t know what he’d do if we were alone. He terrifies me.”
“Rightly so. You’re in danger, Adele. I didn’t mean for you to be at risk.”
“Benjamin would be a threat to me regardless of my coming here. We’re both in danger and so we need to act quickly. I’ll go to Mary.”
“How?”
“I’ll take one of my uncle’s horses to Port Summerhill directly from here. Miss Sellers invited me to come and see her, so I’ll use that as an excuse. I’ll ask her to contact a lawyer and then I’ll return home. I’m not in dire danger. Neither my uncle nor Benjamin will know what I’ve done. At worse, Uncle Nicholas will lock me in my room for having taken one of his horses without asking.” She shrugged, thinking about his reaction should he find out. “And having been gone all day and missing a meal.”
“It’s unnecessary for you to take that risk, Adele. You don’t have to do any more than you have already. I can walk into town and find Mary myself.”
“That’s too dangerous, Grai.” She took his hand and clinched it. “Let me go. I can be back before nightfall.”
“You need an escort. I’ll go with you.”
“And get shot while on the back of one of my uncle’s horses? Are you daft, Grai?”
“Grai,” his spirit spoke softly. “She’s right.”
“If you promise to ask someone, anyone, to ride with you.”
“Perhaps Mr. Fernsworth will. I’ll ask him.”
In Grai’s condition he’d never make the trip, and if he fell off his horse into the snow then where would they be? No. She’d be much quicker riding alone. Unless, of course, Mr. Fernsworth would go with her, which she doubted. He did nothing without Uncle Nicholas’ permission, but Grai didn’t need to know that.