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| Nik, Christian & Filipe have a discussion |
Filipe Braga’s life seemed to be snowballing day after day since the moment Eliza Goode held him captive at her cottage and tapped his body for fresh blood for almost week. He knew the dangers of letting Sebastian do as he pleasure but at the same time he felt almost bound to protect him, guard him and in truth steer anyone getting close to the truth further away from it.
As Filipe walked to meet Christian at his office from the café where he ran into his beautiful partner Celeste and Charlotte, he thought about tactics he needed to take to make sure Christian stayed away from Goode island and the two witches who made Sebastian what he was and what they made Filipe what he was becoming: an enabler of evil.
Inside his office, Constable Christian Evans nervously scribbled on notes. He was panicked and unsure of himself. Acting totally off. His uneasiness was out of character for a man in charge of Welshport Island’s civic duties, and he wasn’t alone.
Evie’s brother Nikolas Jordan had traveled a long journey over the Atlantic from England to find his sister who had not held contact since her wedding day.
Nikolas was promised by Christian to help release her from Windcliff but Christian had yet to bring anything up with the local courts like he promised. Nikolas could see the strain on the Constable’s face and in his mannerisms—he felt disturbed and just as uneasy as Christian’s actions were showing he was.
“Do you need something to calm you Constable? I could get someone. Anyone. The hotel said if I ever needed a doctor on my stay that they could call a doctor by the name of Ward. Should I try Dr. Ward?” Nikolas asked as he sat in the chair across from the frazzled Christian.
“No. No. I’m fine. I’m just running my brain about how to help Evie. She’s all I think about. Sometimes I’m fine and I can focus on work and focus on things I need to do for this community but then I have these bouts of impatient yearning where I can’t grasp on to one single thought and…I don’t know. It’s like I’ve been put under some sort of strange spell.” Christian said.
He was finally on the right track.
The day Christian went to Goode Island to find Mary, Eliza has blown a powder in his face that was meant to erase his memory or negative thoughts on Mary’s whereabouts. The powder was to push his eagerness to arrest Mary for murder into a sort of surrender. It worked but an unfortunate side effect was a lingering anxious tone of life. Christian lost his ability to make choices and clear his mind. His brain, thanks to Eliza’s powder, was a mishmash of confusion and stress and anxiety to the point where he could not function.
“It’s just sometimes you’re fine and sometimes you’re not. I’m rather worried.” Nikolas replied noting Christian’s inconsistency.
“What? What’s that?” Christian again replied further worrying Nik that putting his trust in the Constable may have been a bad idea.
At the door, listening carefully was Filipe early for his meeting.
“I said you…” Nik began before being interrupted.
“It’s the Lord family. They’ve done something to me. Every since I saw that body, the night they took Evie I’ve never been the same. I can’t sleep some nights and others I sleep too much. I don’t eat some days and others I eat too much. Nik I can’t focus on a single thought. I just can’t focos.” Christian expressed.
“What should we do? I could call that Dr. Ward.” Nik replied his face plagued with worry.
“They’ll think I’m crazy. I’ll lose everything.” Christian replied.
“If I could figure this out for you I would but I can’t. You said you’d help me and at this point you’re the only person I trust. You're no good to me—or Evie—if you can’t help yourself. Please let me help you get yourself together.” Nikolas replied.
“Listen to him, Chris.” Filipe said entering the office. “I think he’s right.”
“Filipe.” Christian said, his eyes almost watering from seeing his friend, another sign of his strain showing.
“Nikolas… uhhh… Evie’s lawyer.” Nik said, still introducing himself as Evie’s fake lawyer, his paranoia on who to trust still on high alert.
“Evie has a lawyer? Why does she need a lawyer? Chris what is this?” Filipe replied annoyed.
“He, uhh… Nikolas has…” Christian began to say, stammering for a lie to continue Nikolas’ identity a secret.
“Because she’s being held against her will at Windcliff Sanitarium by the Lord family’s power and money. I want to help her out of there. There is absolutely no proof she’s mentally I’ll and needs to be there.” Nik relief forcefully.
“And what proof do you have she’s not? From what I heard she was seeing her dead husband all over their house. That doesn’t sound very stable to be.” Filipe said playing devil’s advocate.
“She’s my…!” Nik began to say she was his sister and he knew her better than anyone else. But stopped before outing himself. “She’s my client and I know her as best as anyone could. And she’s never provider for me any kind of inkling of her being mad.” He finished.
“She’s not. I know she’s not!” Christian replied.
“Chris, my friend, you’re exhausted. You look like you haven’t slept in days. You need to go home and rest. Take some time off and let the deputies take care of things until you’re back and better than ever.” Filipe said going to get Christian out of the way for a bit.
“No! He can’t do that! I don’t have anyone else and I can’t get out of here without the Constable approving that she doesn’t really need to be there.” Nik confessed.
Filipe wasn’t sure he liked Nikolas’ pushing of Christian who seemed to be falling deeper and deeper into his budding nervous break down. It was all he could do not to push the young Jordan man into the hallway force him to leave. But Christian mattered first. He was clearly not well.
“I don’t know how you found out about Evie and her predicament but I think you should count your blessing and call it a day, sir. The Lords aren’t a perfect family. They have their issues but the one thing that is true is that they love each other and look out for each other.” Filipe said even surprising himself for defending the Lords, but it was all he could to do make sure he kept everyone off Sebastian's scent.
And so far, it seemed no one seemed to be.
“By putting her in a mental institution??” Nikolas countered.
“She’s not sick, she’s NOT SICK!!” Christian shouted, perhaps confessing his own mental rawness in doing so.
“Fine! Fine! Do what you want, but if you asked me to come here to help you get Evie out of that place I won’t do it. I won’t try and stop you but I can’t help you go along these lines.” Filipe said, relieved the two men were sure they wanted to put their focus on Evie & off of Mary and Eliza, which was Filipe’s true motive.
“We need to save her, she’s…” Christian said pausing.
“She’s what?” Nikolas Asked.
“What do we need to save her from?” Filipe said adding a second question.
“The monster.” Christian replied in a whisper, repeating the words Gaspar said in his last blood gurgling breath.
“Monster? What is he talking about?” Nikolas asked Filipe.
“The monster.” Christian repeated then standing up and going to his office window. His eyes glazed over and he only stared out beyond the office window glass. The powerful dust Eliza blew in Christian’s face truly doing its deed of putting Christian in a massive confusing and mental mess.
“He’s not well. Not well at all.” Filipe said softly, realizing perhaps Christian had seen Sebastian somewhere in town lurking in the shadows. It worried him instantly.
“It’s so strange when we went to Windcliff yesterday he was somewhat fine. He did mention this person called Gaspar and a death? I…I don’t know. I don’t know what this is!” Nikolas told Filipe feeling desperate for some clarity.
Filipe felt disgusted with himself because of the satisfaction that Christian seemed to be out of sorts, it meant no one would believe a word he said, but the fact he still had Gaspar’s monster on his mind meant he needed to push things further to keep Sebastian’s new life as the un-dead a secret.
This had to be. To keep everyone safe.
“Maybe there is one way we can help him?” Filipe said to Nikolas.
“I love her, I’m in love with her. I love her. I’m in love with her.” Christian muttered looking out the window.
“He’s talking about Evie, isn’t he. He really does love her. How, how can we help them both?” Nik asked Filipe who was ever so eager to get Christian out of the way for his own good.
“If he wants to be with Evie this bad and, he himself is clearly out of sorts, we could call the doctor.” Filipe offered.
“I love her.” Christian repeated.
“No, no. I offered to do the same but he didn’t want me to call Dr. Ward.” Nikolas replied.
“Not Ward. Kim. Dr. Kim of Windcliff, we can have Christian committed there too, then you and I could, perhaps, figure out what to do next, but Christian can’t help you like this, not like this.” Filipe said trying to get the Constable out of his way, and thus out of Sebastian's way.
Feelings of guilt started to fill Filipe's heart of helping Sebastian before helping Christian, but it was the best and most safest way to keep everyone alive.
Nikolas shook his head unsure of how to answer. He didn’t know how to free Evie much less have Christian take there too, but from his actions Christian was surly in need or psychiatric help.
As Nik and Filipe contemplated Christian’s fate, he tapped his fingers nervously only the windowsill over and over and over whispering to himself the words MONSTER and SAVE HER.
It was clear. Nik took a deep breaths and saw no other choice.
“Whatever. Do what you have to but I’m still going to try and remove my sis—client from the hospital. She doesn’t deserve to be there.” Nikolas said almost revealing his connection to Evie.
And as Filipe helped the dazed Christian away from the window Nikolas realized he could go and help take Christian and perhaps slip sway from admissions and find and free his sister.
“I’ll call Kim.” Filipe said.
“I’ll help you.” Nikolas relied eagerly.
****
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| Georgina, Eliza & Mary at the cabin |
On Goode Island the wind rushed intensely over through the thicket of trees that surrounded the small singular cottage in the center of the island. It was nearly dusk, and the lights coming from the cottage windows reflected on the surrounding trees like the coming sunset on the horizon.
Inside, Eliza and Mary Goode carefully prepared their experiment bodily transference with the unconscious Georgina Kent.
Georgina was on the ground in front of hearth on top of a soft moss stuff mattress. The area around her, various chairs, a large table and shelves, had all been pushed back up against the back wall so that they two sorceress had enough room on the floor to cast their spell.
It was a big job, according to Eliza,, who had never done this before.
As mother and daughter gathered the intracule parts of their spell, Georgina started to come to. Her eyes flickered open. She looked up ad the cottage's ceiling and didn't recognize it. Her neck was hurting, a side effect from the long travel with Sebastian who was in his slumber room awaiting the coming night
She moaned and stretched and sat up, but said nothing.
Eliza, busily setting up for the switch, didn't notice. Mary did.
"Mother." Mary said, pulling her mother's arm so that her body turned to see the awakened Georgina.
"What... where am I?" Georgina asked, not recognizing Mary at first. But then as her eyes adjusted, gasped at her. "What do you want with me?" She added, jumping up to her feet from the mattress they had laid her on.
Eliza smiled and clutched Mary's shaking hand that was firmly on her upper arm.
"There is no reason to fear us. In fact we want to help you. That's why we've brought you here." Eliza said, stepping one step closer to Georgina who stepped back one step, feeling the heat from the fireplace on her back.
"How did I get here? I saw... the other night, I saw...he...attacked me.... how did I see him? How did I get here? Mary Goode, how did you...do this?" Georgina replied, everything from the last few days starting to flood her mind all at once. It almost became too much. She felt faint. She felt flush. She grabbed her head and was about to fall backwards when Eliza quickly leapt forward and held Georgina up.
"There, there. Come sit down. You've been through a very traumatic situation. I can understand how this must seem. Its all too much. Even I feel like that, so I imagine you are overwhelmed my dear. Mary, fetch her some tea." Eliza said, Mary quickly complied.
"What do you want from me?" Georgina asked, grabbing hold of the hot mug of tea and staring into the warm liquid before sipping as if to check for poison.
"Don't worry. We don't want to hurt you. We need your help and what we can offer you will no doubt set you free." Mary said in a whisper.
"How can you help me? The whole village is terrified of you. They all know what you did. We all know what you did." Georgina said, sipping the tea for her nerves.
"We understand completely how it must seem. But my daughter Mary was in a way just like you. Used by the Lord family for their own gains. And that is why we need your help. We need you to help us and in doing so, you'll be free of them." Eliza replied.
"Ill lose everything if the family realized I helped you with anything that hurt then! How can you even ask me that?" Georgina asked.
"They'll never know." Eliza added.
"You want me to help you? Without them finding out? This doesn't make sense. Mr. Lord finds everything out. He has his ways. I cannot be the one to cross him." Georgina answered.
"We have a way. But you must trust us." Mary replied as Georgina turned from Eliza when Mary spoke and saw something very familiar in her eyes. The blue color. It was indistinguishable .She had always known those blue eyes but had never put two and two together. They were also Charlotte's eyes.
"Charlotte. This is all about Miss Charlotte isn't it? Are you her mother?" Georgia asked as both Mary and Eliza shot each other a look.
"Yes." Mary answered quickly. "But its not just about her. Its about that whole family and what they have done over the years that have left so many destroyed lives in their wake. I'm sure even in your own life you can relate to something like that. How did you come to being Rebecca's personal maid?"
Georgina looked down again at her mug of tea. Her own connection to the family was a history she wished she had forgotten. But she never did. How could she? It made her who she was. A trapped maid within the walls of a place that terrified her day in and day out. But she was trapped there. She owed the family. Her whole family was in debt to the Lords, but being that she was the last one living, the debt needed to be paid by her and her alone.
"My mother was a mistress to Albert Lord, Mrs. Lord's husband. I always knew him as Uncle Albert but in fact he was my mother's benefactor. My father when he found this out jumped off the top of the lighthouse. My mother was brokenhearted. She felt so horrible that she had broken her marriage, and pushed my father to his demise and also ruined the Lord's marriage. She later jumped from the lighthouse too. Eventually, I became a ward of the state and when I turned 17, Mrs. Lord took me in as her maid -- a way for my family to pay her back for what she called 'personal pains and suffering'. I had no where to go. No job. No money, No family. So I went." Georgina explained.
"They're evil people, Georgina. Evil. You had nothing to do with all that infidelity." Eliza replied.
"NO! Mrs. Lord has been good to me! She has! She has treated me like her own daughter." Georgina exclaimed as the fire crackled in the hearth.
"Her own? She makes you work there out of a manipulated guilt. You had nothing to do with her husband being with your mother. You were a child. She's wicked, just like her son who keeps me from my child. And I want to make it right. All of if. With your help." Mary answered.
"How? How in the world could you both get what you want with my help and still keep me safe?"
Eliza and Mary looked at each other. Eliza got up from her stool and walked over to her pushed back book shelf and pulled out a large thick book. It was her book of spells. The pages were old and stained yellow. They were frayed on the edges like old cloth, slightly torn and withered.
"This book will heal us all. What we can do, Georgina, is give you a new life. With a single spell, a single work of magic arts, we can provide you with a new life that will save you from the Lords and in turn give us what we need. Access. All we need is access. You are the key to that lock." Eliza explained.
"What kind of access?" Georgina wondered.
"I want to be able to enter the mansion and stay there. Watch over my child. Protect her. Be with her. But I cant with t his face, this body. But I can with yours. We can switch, Georgina. I can be you. You can be me, and we can help you escape Welshport forever and start over somewhere else. Somewhere safe where you never have to be another person's maid ever again." Mary explained.
"You're mad! You're both mad! You want to switch bodies??? How is that even .... you're MAD!!" Georgina replied jumping from her chair and spilling the tea over her dark skirt.
"Calm down! Calm down!" Eliza said grabbing Georgina's wrist. "This is real, this is true and we are not mad. I promise you I can give you freedom. All the freedom you deserve and that you should have had before the nightmare of the Lords entered your life. In Mary's body you can escape this place and start anew. Georgina, I give you my word, your life will be safe and sound if you help us switch. Mary needs this. Her daughter needs this. Think of yourself at Charlotte's age. Your mother was gone. You were alone in the orphanage. Now imagine if Jacob was your father. What do you think Charlotte's future is with a man like that as her guide to life?"
Georgia took a breath and looked down at the book. She looked at the two women in front of her and their gazes of sincerity and truth.. It was a strange request, switching bodies with Mary Goode, but the temptation of freedom from her servitude to Rebecca and all the nasty things she experienced there was stronger than she realized. Freedom was a tastier dish.
"Will it hurt?" Georgina asked to Eliza and Mary's delight.
"Not a pinch." Eliza replied taking Georgina's had and leading her back to the mattress on the floor.
"What do I do?" Georgina asked.
"Lie there still. Keep your eyes closed and focus on living outside of this body in the next. Imagine your life as a free woman. Because in a moments time, it will be real." Eliza said as she and Mary sat down. one on either side of Georgina.
Georgina nodded her head as she was laid out long ways in front of the fire. Her feet feeling the most of the heat coming from the fire. Eliza sat to her left and Mary to her right. There was a large white circle of salt that surrounded all three women and leaves of sage sprinkled over the salt. The room was dark with only the flashing red and yellow flames from the fireplace lighting it and the smell of oils from the lamps filled the room in an aroma that calmed Georgina's heartbeat to a slow and steady normal.
Eliza and Mary, both seated with their legs tucked under them and their hands touching a their palms closed there eyes and prayed.
Eliza opened her eyes to get one more look at her Mary who kept hers closed and was mouthing her prayers. Once Eliza’s spell was done, the Mary and Georgina would be switched and Mary would be no more, at least not in the conventional way. It hurt Eliza to know this would be an end of sorts to her daughter. Georgina, inside of Mary, could not live in Welshport. She would have to vanish for her own safety ending her connection to Eliza in the body she gave birth to. It was like a death, death by disappearance.
“My sweet girl…” Eliza whispered to herself. “Goodbye.”
Then their prayers continued and when each prayer was done, Eliza opened the book to the spell of bodily switches and read aloud:
"hinc pergitis, in promo, tolle quod scis, in proximo, unum cum his verbis, in promixo, Maria Et Georgina,, ad corpos, unum corpos, unum corpoos."
With the spell read aloud the winds began to blow harder and harder through the tress outside. The branches scartched the windows. The fire in the hearts became hotter and hotter. Georgina winched as the spell began to take hold of her mind and souk. Mary too began to feel the pull of the powers.
Eliza repeated: "hinc pergitis, in promo, tolle quod scis, in proximo, unum cum his verbis, in promixo, Maria Et Georgina,, ad corpos, unum corpos, unum corpoos."
Mary moaned as a bright light began to lift from her body. Her hands began to shake. Georgina too began to have a light come from deep inside her chest. Their eyes still closed, as the wind burst through the shuttered windows and filled the room rushing over the fire and blowing it out.
The entire room except for the energy glowing from both woman, now flowing around their body like a swirling yellow fog.
Eliza repeated: "hinc pergitis, in promo, tolle quod scis, in proximo, unum cum his verbis, in promixo, Maria Et Georgina,, ad corpos, unum corpos, unum corpoos."
Then, in a burst of energy, the two glowing yellow lights from Mary and Georgina quickly switched places in a second burst that blew Mary back to the ground and then everything was dark.
The sun had set.
The fire was out.
The winds stopped.
There was sound, but then Eliza struck a match and lit a candle. She walked over to the fireplace and lit it again. Mary and Georgina opened their eyes and saw the world from two new bodies.
Georgina and Mary stood up and looked into their old faces. Mary smiled. Georgina cried.
It had worked.
"I can't believe it." Georgina said in Mary's voice from Mary's body.
"We did it, mother. We did it." Mary said in Georgina's voice from Georgina's body.
Eliza smiled at her work.
Georgina looked at her new body, Her new hands. Her new blond hair. Her new blue eyes.
It was strange and yet exhilarating.
"You're free." Mary said holding her former hands to Georgina who smiled.
"Now we find Evie" A growling voice said from the shadows.
It was Sebastian, who stepped into the newly lit room to Georgina's shock. She gasped and stepped back behind Mary.
"Its him!!!" Georgina explained.
Eliza grabbed Georgina tight to her to comfort her. "Its ok. He's a friend."
"You have what you want, now help me get what I want. That was our deal." he replied.
Eliza and Mary looked at each other and realized they had helped Georgina escape a debt she did not owe only to fall into a debt they did owe, one to Sebastian. The happy feelings of success quickly.
Evie was Sebastian's only want. Only desire. He needed her like the blood he needed to live, and the two witches who had made his this way were going to help him get her back. One way or another.
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| Mary & Georgina switch bodies |
****
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| Rebecca arrives at St. Thomas' Cemetery |
As the darkness in the sky intensified over Welshport, and the seagulls screeched in the distance of the lifting Atlantic Fog, a small car with shining chrome bumpers and a black canvas top rolled through the gates of St. Thomas’ Cemetery that looked over the Northshore Cliffside of the island.
The car was carrying Rebecca Lord and her driver Hamstead. Rebecca was on a mission to make sure what she knew was true — was true!
The truth she sought was that her grandson Sebastian was dead and buried in a sleek velvet lined coffin in the family plot in the cemetery, and the groundskeeper was going to prove that Sebastian’s ring somehow appearing at Georgina’s attack was just a coincidence.
As Rebecca got out of her car with Hamstead’s hand guiding her down the two small steps to the gravel filled front drive outside the groundskeeper’s small on location home; he was already outside shivering in the cold air.
“Ma’am what’s the meaning of this late visit? When I got your call earlier after dinner I wasn’t expecting you to show up after the sun went down.” The cemetery groundskeeper said, his breath puffing in white plumes from us dry lips.
“This. I need you to prove to me that this is a fake. Or a copy.” Rebecca said revealing Sebastian’s signet ring in her black gloved hand.
“I don’t understand Mrs. Lord, I’m not a jeweler.” The groundskeeper snipped.
Rebecca’s eyes squinted with distance as a far off ship wailed it’s fog horn in the newly thickening fog.
“Of course you’re not. But you can dig can’t you? I want you to …” Rebecca paused. “exhume my grandson from his grave. If he isn't missing his ring, well, then I’ll know this one is a fake.” Rebecca replied.
“Exhume Sebastian? Ma’am you don’t want to do that. Not now. It’s been so long since he died and it just won’t please you to see. I, I can do it later. Yes! When the sun comes up and I will send word to you at Tirymôr of what I find!” The groundskeeper said nervously as he knew the grave was completely empty.
“No! I have to see for myself. I need you do to this now and whatever is down there won’t give more any more nightmares of his death than I already have, I can assure you. Now, so you have shovels or should I lend you some? Because I’ve come prepared for any excuse as to not do this tonight.” Rebecca relief lifting an eyebrow and cutting the groundkeeper at the knees.
“Ma’am, I have to say,” he began speaking as more puffy white breath came from his mouth in the cold air. “this is unethical. I could lose my job!”
“You won’t! No one will ever know and if it should get out I’ll protect you. You will not lose your job, I’ll make sure of it.” Rebecca answered as a shiver ran up the back of her corseted back. “Come. It’s too cold to argue with you anymore. We’ll take the car to Sebastian and you’ll use our shovels. Hamstead will help.”
With that order, clean cut and sturdy, the groundskeeper was cornered. He took a deep breath and followed Rebecca into the back of the Model T car. She shoved the shovels to one side of the back seat and moved herself over to the far left side allowing him enough room to sit next to her.
He was a tall man of Welsh decent as many people on the island were thanks to its first settlers coming from that area of the UK. He was tan skinned from the many hours in the island sun working in the grounds of St. Thomas’ Cemetery with brown eyes and dark hair. His lips scratchy and chapped became pink and plump when he licked them. Rebecca noticed his handsome face now in the soft light of the back of her car and wondered how on earth such a young man could do the work he did, all the while the car drove the crooked slim pathways around the cemetery all the way up the largest green slope up to the Lord Family plot.
It didn’t take long.
As soon as they arrived, Hamstead pulled the shovels out of the car and the groundskeeper went with him over to Sebastian’s grave. Rebecca, hiding from the bitter night cold stayed in the car until the moment they were to open the coffin.
She sat there, breath puffing white from her nostrils, imagining Sebastian’s body. Hoping it was still as pristine as the time she last saw it right before they closed the coffin’s lid. How she dreamt he’d come home and hug her, kiss Charlotte, give them all a good laugh as he so often did. He used to take away all their pain, and it was quite the challenge with all the drama the family had constantly gone through.
But he did it. When he was alive. He always did it. He was Rebecca’s ray of light. But now, to find this copy signet ring, all her darkness crept in again.
She watched as her pocket watch ticked away the hour and the dirt from the grave flew into the air and on to the cold hard surface of the grave yard. She saw the dirt fly in the face of the giant Angel statues that made up her husband’s plot where his body lay next to the small body of her still born daughter Victoria that Rebecca gave birth to after her two sons.
And next to Victoria an empty plot waiting for Rebecca.
Every time Rebecca could muster the courage to look out the small cube shaped window or her car Hamstead and the groundskeeper were deeper and deeper into the grave until suddenly their shovels hit the lid.
“Ma’am!! We’ve hit!” Hamstead called from inside the grave.
Rebecca sighed deeply. A small part of her was hoping they’d never find it. That all of this would never come to pass and that she wouldn’t have to do what she was about to do. She quickly crossed herself, clutched her rosary right in her left hand and Sebastian’s signet ring in the other and slowly made the short walk over to the open mouth of Sebastian’s grave.
The groundskeeper was shaking at the bottom. He knew it was empty. He found it empty with the town’s priest who was with him the morning after Mary had taken the newly brought to life Sebastian.
“Ma’am when I open this coffin please look away, let me glance down at to check what you need me to check and we can be all down with this.” The groundskeeper said.
“Absolutely not. I need to see for myself. If my poor grandson is wearing his ring, in his deep sleep, then I’ll know. I know this one here in my hand is a fake and a fraud and someone out there is trying to …. Never mind this, just please open it.” Rebecca replied.
“Ma’am, perhaps he is right. Perhaps you should quickly turn away from the body and I’ll glance for you.” Hamstead added.
“Both of you forget what you’re talking to. I’ve seen worse things, although the idea of seeing him again is truly painful and something I’d wish we didn’t have to do, I must do it. Now enough of this stalling and so as I saw! Open it quickly and let it be over.” Rebecca ordered as the wind blew an icy breath over the slopes of the cemetery and chilled the three to their bones.
The groundskeeper paused. He didn’t want to do it. He was afraid of what was about to happen. Hamstead pulled himself out of the grave to him the groundskeeper more room and as his pushed himself up the pressure from his feet cracked the top of the lid of the coffin and the groundskeeper fell through clearly showing that there was nothing inside the coffin.
“What the devil? How?!” Hamstead shouted noticing the groundskeeper’s feet went straight through the lid without hitting a body.
Rebecca noticed too. She walked around the open grave staring down with a furrowed brow as the frightening truth was setting in. No body.
“Open it.” She said. “Open the whole thing. Show me!”
“Ma’am! I think we should just go This is no sight for a lady and I assure you whatever is in here will stay on your mind all your life long. You don’t want that, do ya?” The groundskeeper said as he removed his feet from the coffin.
“DAMN IT! I said open it now!!” Rebecca screamed as loud as the wind.
The groundskeeper looked at Rebecca, then at Hamstead, then at Rebecca again.
Then he finally did it. He opened the lid and revealed the truth: there was no body in the coffin. No Sebastian. No signet ring. Nothing.
“How? How could this be? The grave was … ma’am I don’t understand!” Hamstead said as Rebecca looked down at the signet ring she found at Georgina’s attack.
“Then it’s true. This is… and he must of killed Gasp…. And taken Geo…” Rebecca was unable to make her thoughts clear out loud, but in her mind it was a clear as the tiny spec of blue sky peeking through the shadowy gray clouds above their heads. Some way Sebastian — was alive. Not dead, but alive.
“Ma’am I…” the groundskeeper began before being interrupted.
“I’ll have not one more single word from you. Rebury this coffin cover it and speak not a word of this to a single soul. I’ll make your life a living hell, so hellish you’ll wish it was you in that empty coffin. Do you understand? Not a word.” Rebecca hissed.
The grounds keeper’s eyes darted, but he could see Rebecca was not playing. He took a deep breath and nodded his head yes.
“Hamstead take me home— NOW!” Rebecca then ordered as she darted back into the car.
Hamstead complied and the two quickly made their wait driving down the twisting road of St. Thomas’s cemetery leaving the groundskeeper to his own devices still in Sebastian’s grave and shivering in the bitter cold.
In the car Rebecca banged the inside of the car with her first screaming in absolute anger. She didn’t understand how he could be alive, or how he could have been taken dead. But she knew in her heart that if he was taken in death that there would have been signs. Someone would have surly tried to ransom his body; conniving charlatans and drunkan thieves, SOMEONE, would find any opportunity to peel an extra penny from the Lord family fortune.
But there was no ransom for her grandson’s body. Not appeals for money. Nothing.
Gaspar’s murder. Georgina’s attack and abduction. Sebastian's signet ring, Rebecca thought, ,could all of that be done by a living breathing Sebastian?
Hamstead watched his mistress in the review mirror. Her face, pale and angry, also showed pain and fear. She would find him, she needed to. She needed answers. She needed the darkness to end--whom ever was responsible. Even if it was her beloved grandson. Where ever he was.
Whatever he was.
