Haunting Violet
Page 83
Colin released me gently to the floor and then leaped up, plowing his fist into Wentworth’s face. Blood dripped from his nose.
Rowena fell a little bit in love with Colin at that moment.
I recognized the feeling, even through the chaos.
“Confess, damn it!” Colin shouted. I crawled forward to where Wentworth had fallen.
I touched his arm, and white frostbite traveled up to his shoulder. “Say it!”
He moaned, spat blood. The frost nibbled at his chin, spread over his cheek. He shivered so violently, blood spattered over the floor. “I murdered my niece.” Shards of ice fell from his lips, which were blue as bruises. Ice clumped in his eyelashes. “Make it stop! Make it stop!”
There were shocked gasps. Someone dropped a flute of champagne. The rain found its way indoors, pooling over the floors. Jasper leaned on his cane, his face hard and not entirely surprised.
Pain throbbed in my head. And then Rowena vanished so quickly, I crumpled at Lord Jasper’s feet while the dancers gaped at us, still frozen in their best ball gowns. Before I passed out from exhaustion, I heard Lord Jasper’s sister gasp.
“And in her underthings, no less!” Murder was less scandalous than my corset and pantalettes. She sniffed. “Like mother, like daughter.”
EPILOGUE
Is she dead?”
“I don’t think so. Poke her.”
“You poke her!”
I didn’t recognize the voices. I groaned, trying to open my eyes. The candlelight seemed impossibly bright. And the faces gathered around me weren’t any more familiar than their voices had been.
“I’m not dead,” I croaked at the ghosts. My throat felt like it was full of sand. Mr. Rochester whined and licked my hand. A young girl gave me a gap-toothed smile. “I don’t think.”
The man who’d spoken first looked vaguely like a pirate. He grinned wickedly at me. I could see right through his teeth to the ceiling above him.
“There you are, lass.”
“Not another ghost.” My head felt like it was on fire.
He threw back his head and laughed. “Don’t worry. I know exactly who killed me and I deserved it.”
“She’s awake!” It was Colin’s voice this time, flooded with relief as he rushed toward me. “Are you hurt? Can you sit? Violet?”
The pirate winked at me. “Love, lassie. Good for you.” He fell apart like smoke. The matronly woman on my other side sniffed disapprovingly at Colin. “He oughtn’t be holding you like that,” she complained before fading away as well. “ ’Tisn’t seemly.”
I couldn’t see Rowena anywhere. I probed my memories gently, as if they were an aching tooth in my head. Some of the events were fuzzy, but at least I knew which events had happened to me and which had happened to Rowena. I was finally alone inside my head.
“Thank God,” I said. I clutched my head when Colin hauled me up. “Ouch.”
“Sorry, sorry.”
I’d never seen him look so worried and frantic. He looked years younger and years older at the same time. His hair was disheveled, as if he’d been shoving his hand through it. His shirt was dry and I was in a proper nightdress, which meant I’d been unconscious for a good length of time.
“Where am I?” I couldn’t be sure what lay behind the glow of the candles.
“In your sitting room,” Lord Jasper said mildly from a chair by the hearth. “You are quite a resourceful girl, aren’t you?”
“Rowena?”
He smiled gently at me. “Gone. One would imagine she is finally at peace, thanks to you.”
I sighed, relieved. “Good.”
“I owe you an apology, Violet.”
I blinked. “Whatever for?”
“I invited you and your mother here for my own purposes. I’d hoped a medium in the presence of the same people at the same time Rowena died might bring some of the facts to light. I had no idea.”
“You knew Rowena’s drowning wasn’t an accident.”
“I suspected not.”
“What of Tabitha?” I asked. “Is she all right?”
“I’m here,” she croaked from the room my mother had used on our first visit. Colin had to help me shuffle over to the doorway, where I collapsed against it. She was lying under a pile of blankets, looking wretched.
“I had her brought here as soon as I could,” Lord Jasper explained quietly. “The doctor’s been and gone. You’re both to rest.”
“You look dreadful,” she whispered at me. I thought she might be trying to smile. I tried to smile back. I felt limp as a cooked noodle.
“You too.”
“Violet?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
I nodded, then clutched at my head. Colin practically carried me to the empty sofa. “Might I have some water?” I drank greedily when he brought me a glass, then laid back against my pillow, exhausted. “What of Mr. Travis?”
“He’s recuperating at home. He had a nasty gash on his head and his leg is broken. He’ll likely have a limp but he’ll survive.”
“And Wentworth?” I would have spat his name if I’d had the energy.
“Newgate Prison,” Lord Jasper told me. “The constable’s already taken him away. He won’t be tried, since he’s a peer, but I suspect he’ll be deported. In fact, I plan to make certain of it.”
Rowena fell a little bit in love with Colin at that moment.
I recognized the feeling, even through the chaos.
“Confess, damn it!” Colin shouted. I crawled forward to where Wentworth had fallen.
I touched his arm, and white frostbite traveled up to his shoulder. “Say it!”
He moaned, spat blood. The frost nibbled at his chin, spread over his cheek. He shivered so violently, blood spattered over the floor. “I murdered my niece.” Shards of ice fell from his lips, which were blue as bruises. Ice clumped in his eyelashes. “Make it stop! Make it stop!”
There were shocked gasps. Someone dropped a flute of champagne. The rain found its way indoors, pooling over the floors. Jasper leaned on his cane, his face hard and not entirely surprised.
Pain throbbed in my head. And then Rowena vanished so quickly, I crumpled at Lord Jasper’s feet while the dancers gaped at us, still frozen in their best ball gowns. Before I passed out from exhaustion, I heard Lord Jasper’s sister gasp.
“And in her underthings, no less!” Murder was less scandalous than my corset and pantalettes. She sniffed. “Like mother, like daughter.”
EPILOGUE
Is she dead?”
“I don’t think so. Poke her.”
“You poke her!”
I didn’t recognize the voices. I groaned, trying to open my eyes. The candlelight seemed impossibly bright. And the faces gathered around me weren’t any more familiar than their voices had been.
“I’m not dead,” I croaked at the ghosts. My throat felt like it was full of sand. Mr. Rochester whined and licked my hand. A young girl gave me a gap-toothed smile. “I don’t think.”
The man who’d spoken first looked vaguely like a pirate. He grinned wickedly at me. I could see right through his teeth to the ceiling above him.
“There you are, lass.”
“Not another ghost.” My head felt like it was on fire.
He threw back his head and laughed. “Don’t worry. I know exactly who killed me and I deserved it.”
“She’s awake!” It was Colin’s voice this time, flooded with relief as he rushed toward me. “Are you hurt? Can you sit? Violet?”
The pirate winked at me. “Love, lassie. Good for you.” He fell apart like smoke. The matronly woman on my other side sniffed disapprovingly at Colin. “He oughtn’t be holding you like that,” she complained before fading away as well. “ ’Tisn’t seemly.”
I couldn’t see Rowena anywhere. I probed my memories gently, as if they were an aching tooth in my head. Some of the events were fuzzy, but at least I knew which events had happened to me and which had happened to Rowena. I was finally alone inside my head.
“Thank God,” I said. I clutched my head when Colin hauled me up. “Ouch.”
“Sorry, sorry.”
I’d never seen him look so worried and frantic. He looked years younger and years older at the same time. His hair was disheveled, as if he’d been shoving his hand through it. His shirt was dry and I was in a proper nightdress, which meant I’d been unconscious for a good length of time.
“Where am I?” I couldn’t be sure what lay behind the glow of the candles.
“In your sitting room,” Lord Jasper said mildly from a chair by the hearth. “You are quite a resourceful girl, aren’t you?”
“Rowena?”
He smiled gently at me. “Gone. One would imagine she is finally at peace, thanks to you.”
I sighed, relieved. “Good.”
“I owe you an apology, Violet.”
I blinked. “Whatever for?”
“I invited you and your mother here for my own purposes. I’d hoped a medium in the presence of the same people at the same time Rowena died might bring some of the facts to light. I had no idea.”
“You knew Rowena’s drowning wasn’t an accident.”
“I suspected not.”
“What of Tabitha?” I asked. “Is she all right?”
“I’m here,” she croaked from the room my mother had used on our first visit. Colin had to help me shuffle over to the doorway, where I collapsed against it. She was lying under a pile of blankets, looking wretched.
“I had her brought here as soon as I could,” Lord Jasper explained quietly. “The doctor’s been and gone. You’re both to rest.”
“You look dreadful,” she whispered at me. I thought she might be trying to smile. I tried to smile back. I felt limp as a cooked noodle.
“You too.”
“Violet?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
I nodded, then clutched at my head. Colin practically carried me to the empty sofa. “Might I have some water?” I drank greedily when he brought me a glass, then laid back against my pillow, exhausted. “What of Mr. Travis?”
“He’s recuperating at home. He had a nasty gash on his head and his leg is broken. He’ll likely have a limp but he’ll survive.”
“And Wentworth?” I would have spat his name if I’d had the energy.
“Newgate Prison,” Lord Jasper told me. “The constable’s already taken him away. He won’t be tried, since he’s a peer, but I suspect he’ll be deported. In fact, I plan to make certain of it.”
