He made a face, amused. “Mother would never let the truth get in the way of a good story, particularly at a party she was hosting.”
That certainly felt true. “And your doppelgänger?”
He shrugged. “There are so many extra people here at the house today…. It could have been any of them.”
It made perfect sense and I was glad to have someone else come to the same conclusion. “I actually thought I saw you earlier as well,” I confided. “Through the windows, in the garden.”
“Really?” Alex tilted his head, amused. “Was he as handsome as me?”
I squinted as if trying to remember the other man’s face. “About the same, I think. But he was much more modest.”
He chuckled as we made our way to the library. “Then perhaps you ought to marry him instead.”
The screams woke me.
My eyes flashed open and I sat up with a start, listening to the quiet stirrings of my dark room.
I was utterly spent and annoyed at having been woken.
The dinner party had lasted for far too long. Brandies in the library had led to some of the bolder guests requesting to see the now-infamous underwater room. Tipsy and full of giggles, they made their way out into the dark gardens, to search for the gatehouse. Tired footmen raced ahead to light the lanterns but even still, the marchioness took a tumble, twisting an ankle in her headlong haste to be the first to find the door. Alex had wisely remained behind, claiming the room would be too crowded for his chair. I had hoped I might stay as well, but Gerard had clasped an insistent hand around my shoulders, exhorting me to tell the tale once more.
I’d returned to my chambers in the wee hours of the morning, my body exhausted and my head spinning. A case of champagne had been brought out from behind the bar and the guests delighted in popping bottle after bottle, toasting the engagement,the underwater room, and the carp that had inevitably swarmed the glass windows when the lights flipped on.
Another cry echoed through the night and I collapsed back into the bedclothes.
“Those blasted peacocks,” I muttered, and rolled over, bringing a pillow up over my ears to muffle their screeching.
Sleep quickly claimed its hold but it settled over me as a light blanket, easily snatched away, and when another scream rang out, I pushed the pillows back with a mumbled curse.
Surely there ought to be something that could be done about the birds. Covered cages or a roosting house. Something. Anything.
I poured a glass of water and sipped it slowly, willing myself to drift off once more.
When the next scream came, it wasn’t from within the gardens.
It sounded as if it was coming from inside the house, just down the hall.
I frowned, setting the water aside.
Had one of the birds broken into the house?
With a groan, I stood and found my robe. Pulling it on against the chill, I wandered into the hallway, wondering if anyone else realized one of Dauphine’s beloved pets had infiltrated the manor.
Another cry, this time higher and smaller. It ended in a breathy rattle, choked and gasping.
Was that…Was it a child?
I backtracked into the parlor and lit a candle, frowning as I noticed it was pink. I brandished the little light around the room,trying to find one of Annaleigh’s. It seemed a footman had come through and replaced all the salt and sage stubs with fresh pink ones.
Another scream rang out, awful and lingering, and the hairs at the back of my neck stood on end.
That wasn’t a peacock.
It sounded like a person. One in great distress.
I could almost hear words within it, calling out for mercy.
It set me into action. I’d look for Annaleigh’s candles later. Someone needed my help.
