Chasing Shadows (13 page)

Draped over the large four-poster bed was a canopy of thick red velvet detailed with an embroidered pattern of gold leaves and stems, entwining to create an intricate pattern on the fabric. The material was wrapped around each of the four pillars and tied with golden chords, pooling on the ground at each corner of the bed.

Her eyes moved over the mahogany night table that had been placed beside the head of the mattress, the legs of which had been artfully carved with the same leaf pattern on the canopy. The burgundy bedcoverings had been pulled up underneath the pillows and tucked tightly on all sides, creating a crease-free surface that Sarah was sure she could bounce a quarter off of.

A large fur rug was positioned in the center of the enormous room, and Sarah gaped at it before her eyes wandered to the writing desk pressed against the side of the room nearest her. The paper screens had been pulled back, and the light coming through the windows on either side of the bed reflected off the silver inkwell positioned next to the wax seal on the desk.

It was not the gaudy opulence she had been expecting from her view of the guest wing, and Sarah realized she was taking everything in with wide-eyed shock. The room screamed of a breathtaking and simple beauty, and she was never more aware of the fact that she didn’t belong here.

She remembered to snap her mouth closed before she turned to look over her shoulder at Edith, though she couldn’t manage to blink her saucer-sized eyes. Edith gave her the faintest of smiles and motioned with her head for her to go into the room. Sarah walked in tentatively, feeling like she was intruding at the same time she felt drawn into the room by an invisible pull. This wasn’t hers; it couldn’t be.

“Are you sure we’re in the right place?” she asked, her voice smaller than she would have liked.

“Yes, miss,” came the response behind her. Sarah could tell from the sound of it that Edith hadn’t followed her inside.

Her eyes roved over the walls and the furnishings again as she wandered aimlessly. Lightly dragging her fingertips across the surface of the rich mahogany desk, she felt a disbelieving smile touch her lips. This was her room now.

Her eyes wandered to the small stack of lambskin papers that had been neatly placed in the center of the desk, waiting for her to touch the tip of her ink-dipped quill to their surface, filling them with secrets and promises before sealing each one.

Lips parted slightly in surprise, Sarah gingerly touched the single rose in full bloom that had been placed on top of the stack. She stared at the flower, and the contrast of the tan page it lay in the middle of caused the petals to look blood red. 

~Chapter 15~

Sarah pulled her hand back from the rose, as if pricked by an invisible thorn. Something was gnawing at her insides as she remembered what Edith had told her earlier. She turned to find her standing in the doorway, looking uncomfortable.

“You said that someone requested I be moved. Who was it?”

There was a brief hesitation before Edith answered quietly, “Lord Lisandro. He wished for you to be moved nearer his quarters for the duration of your service.”

Sarah’s left eye narrowed, and she shook her head from side to side. “But it isn’t an issue coming from my room to change his bandages.”

Something in her mentor’s expression caused a lump of apprehension to form in Sarah’s throat, choking her as the silence lengthened. “Edith,” she managed at last, her voice strained. “Where is his room? And
why
would he want me so close to him?”

She watched Edith’s eyes fill with sympathy and . . . worry? “He requested that you be as close as possible; his quarters are just across the hall from this room.”

“But that makes it look like—” Sarah’s words died on her lips when Edith didn’t dissuade her train of thought. The lump of dread turned into a rock of horror that lodged in her throat, making it nearly impossible to breathe. She prayed she was reading more into the situation than there was, though all doubt over Damien’s intentions was removed when she recalled the expressions on the faces of the servant girls downstairs. She had recognized the pure hatred but hadn’t remembered the underlying jealousy until now: They thought she didn’t deserve to be his
mistress
.

Just thinking the word made Sarah sick.

A look akin to that of a protective mother bear came across Edith’s features as she hurried into the room and gathered both of Sarah’s hands in her own. “Whatever his exact intentions for moving you over here, I will
not
let him harm you.” she said firmly. “No matter what, my lady.”

“Stop it, Edith. I’m nobody’s lady.”

“You are now.”

Sarah’s head snapped up to meet her friend’s troubled gaze. “What are you talking about?”

A heavy sigh left Edith’s lips. “When Lord Lisandro requested that you have this room, he also demanded that you be made a lady in the eye of society. You are no longer a servant—you are
free
.”

Sarah gaped at her in bafflement, shaking her head. “But he just met me. He can’t
make
me a lady! Can he? Can’t you take me back to my other room?”

“He has great influence, and I cannot disobey a direct order,” she answered softly, looking distressed. Sarah had never seen the sturdy woman so close to tears. “Oh, Sarah, you must forgive me! I should never have left the two of you un-chaperoned, but I never imagined that he would be so possessive after only knowing you for so short a time.”

Sarah felt her body shaking in both fear and anger, all directed at Damien. “Edith,” she said firmly, relieved when her voice didn’t betray her inner turmoil, “whatever ideas he thinks he has for me have nothing to do with you. You’ve been nothing but kind to me ever since I got here.” Her grip tightened. “And he can drop dead if he thinks he’s going to touch me; he’s got a whole other thing coming to him if that’s what he has in mind.”

The shocked look on Edith’s face melted into an amused smile, though the anxiety still clung to the corners of her eyes. “I believe he should have though twice before inviting you to live so close. I don’t believe he will sleep peacefully with you nearby.”

Sarah shot her a half-hearted grin. “You know it! He’d better sleep with one eye open and not run into me in any dark alleys, or I’ll go all ninja on him.” She received a chuckle, and Sarah squared her shoulders, willing determination into her every fiber. “I can take care of myself. And, hey, maybe he just took pity on me and I’m his charity case for the week while I’m his nurse. I’ll be back working by your side within a few days once he gets better.”

Edith’s smile became strained. “Perhaps.” She didn’t sound convinced. She squeezed Sarah’s hands before releasing them and walking backward toward the door. “I must go now, but I’ll stay close by. If you need anything, my lady, just send for me.” Sarah nodded, and the door closed behind her friend, the sound echoing one final note against the stone walls.

The room suddenly felt very empty and cold in Edith’s absence, and she picked up the rose and clutched it to her chest, the only other living thing in the room besides her. In the silence, the overwhelming jumble of emotions Sarah had been battling washed over her in earnest. In an instant, she was made aware of the implications of this beautiful room—this gift and the man across the hall who expected something in return. But maybe she was reading everything wrong.

She was dully aware that she would be getting out of her duties for a while, but that also meant she would no longer have Edith’s constant company. And the previous excitement she had felt over discovering her new living quarters had quickly faded to a gnawing terror, and without Edith’s calming presence to distract her, Sarah remembered anew Will’s betrayal.  

Alone, frightened, and more confused than ever, Sarah threw herself face-first onto the bed, clutching the rose like a lifeline when she could no longer keep the tears at bay.

—

Will went back to his work, venting his frustration upon the cooling piece of iron with the weighty hammer. He could feel wary eyes on the back of his neck and knew Robert was watching him as he warped the rod until it was unrecognizable. He glared at the wrecked piece of metal, and, glancing up, directed his steady gaze at his hired hand. “Don’t you have a task to do?”

Robert’s look was full of pity. He didn’t move. “Pardon me for meddling, Taylor, but—”

“Then don’t,” Will said, more exasperated than angry as he swiped a wrist over his sweating brow.

“—I was thinking,” the blond man went on as though he hadn’t heard, “you should go after her, if you’re so torn up about it.”

Will stopped his work, laying the hammer aside. Leaning his hip against the workbench, he folded his arms and gave the other man a blank stare. Robert was an excellent worker, but he certainly expressed his opinions a little too freely for someone in the employ of a lowly blacksmith. “What caused you to think I am upset?” Will ground out crossly.

“Doesn’t take a genius to see what I did when she came in.” Robert flashed his pearly white teeth. “She wasn’t bad to look at, if you don’t mind me saying.” Would it matter if he
had
minded?

Noting Will’s stony expression, Robert’s tone gentled when he spoke. “You’re in love with her, but something obviously went terribly wrong in the five minutes I was out. Want to talk about it?”

Will’s folded arms rose and fell as his chest expanded with a heavy breath. “I seem to be cursed when it comes to relationships.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I’ve damned every last one that comes my way,” he exploded, vexed beyond control. “Either by what I say and do, or by what I don’t.”

Robert grinned lazily. “I guess it’s a good thing that this is strictly a business relationship, otherwise I might have to worry about anvils dropping from the sky.”

Will’s laugh sounded more like a huff, though the sudden release felt good.

“Not that I have much experience with women,” Robert continued, “but I know enough to tell you that you should go after her before she gets too far.”

Will was already shaking his head before he finished. “No, she wants to be alone. I need to give her time.”

“Wrong move.” At Will’s skeptical glance, Robert held up his hands before he completely dismissed his advice. “Like I said, I know I’m no expert, but it’s my understanding that when a woman runs away, she expects you to follow.”

“Like a test?”

“Of your undying love, I guess.” He shrugged. “It makes sense, in a way. Think of it like the way you might train a horse.” At Will’s quirked brow, Robert hurriedly continued. “I’m not comparing them to animals, just using an analogy you’ll understand. But you spend time training a wild mare—or stallion, in her case—trying to get it to trust you, but you can’t tell how strong the bond is until you walk away. If the animal follows, you know.”

“I suppose
I’m
the wild stallion.” Will let that sink in and realized it wasn’t too far off. He drew his gaze from a bale of hay in the corner and gave Robert an appreciative glance. “I had never thought of it like that,” he admitted reluctantly.

Robert grinned. “Well, my mother raised me never to think of women in terms of livestock, but I thought it might get your attention.”

Nodding, Will headed for the door, throwing on his cloak, a man with a purpose. He knew she would be too far-gone to be found among the traders and consumers milling about, but his gaze still wandered the street as he moved outside. When his eyes locked on Jade’s dark ones, nearly black from this distance, he stopped in his tracks, anger immediately rising to the surface. Their friendship had ended years ago, but how could she have betrayed him in such a way?

She smiled coyly at him, and his spine stiffened. Jade turned away and moved through the crowd with her chin high. Men glanced at her as she passed, while others, presumably customers, avoided her gaze at all cost, some even cutting a wide birth around her. Jade cocked her head slightly, and though he could not catch her expression, Will assumed that she either smiled or blew a kiss to a man close by, judging by the way the woman walking beside him slapped his arm and then hurriedly pulled him along.

A good head taller than most of the townsfolk about, Will easily kept track of Jade’s slender form as she sashayed down the Dark District, her unrestrained hair swaying back and forth as she moved, drawing most of the male eyes present when they thought no one was looking. Jade did like to cause a stir wherever she went.

Will ducked down her street, resisting the desire to look about him and see if anyone noticed his path. Jade was already out of sight—safely behind closed doors, no doubt—and Will hastened down the typically deserted street with purposeful strides. What was he expecting? An apology? He doubted he could get a woman as stubborn and prideful as Jade to get on her knees, though he was loathe to admit that he would never ask her to do such a thing, tempting as that might be.

Clenching his fist, he pounded on the door with a single hard rap, which took more self-control than it should have. Jade could have beaten him down the road by no more than a minute, but he waited longer than that on her stoop with no sound from within.

Vexed, he ground his teeth and barked in a loud voice, “Jade, open up! I want my money back!” She loved to be the center of attention, but he knew she hated when people made a stir outside her door: Unhappy customers were bad for business.

As expected, Jade ripped the door open before he got out the last word. Though he could see in her eyes that she was frazzled, she pasted on the fake smile that she used to practice on him. His blood boiled at the seductive gleam in her eyes, but it was anger, not desire, that caused his body to heat. Her jealousy had ruined one of the few relationships that meant anything to him.    

“Oh, William! What a
delectable
surprise.” The innuendo was like a barb—intended, he was sure. “And to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

“You know why I’m here.” Will had to force his jaw to unclench to get the words out.

“Ah, of course. Would you care to come in?” Jade asked, dark eyes filled with enticement. She leaned against the doorframe in a practiced move meant to allure. “We would be far more comfortable inside while we discuss your . . . predicament?”

Will took a step back. The action was an obvious decline to her proposal—he wasn’t fooled in the least or even tempted to accept her offer. Her open invitation would certainly be difficult for many men to refuse, but Will was wise enough to know that she offered temporary pleasure that would only take a piece of him, not give anything of worth. Besides, there was only one woman he could ever want now. Anyone else would just be a poor imitation.

“Why did you tell Sarah that we had been together?” he demanded. Not that it would mend the wrong done, but something in him was itching for a good fight after months of being cooped up.

Some of Jade’s composure was slipping, and she rolled her eyes, a piece of the spunky girl he once knew revealing itself. “I can’t fathom why it was an issue—”

“
Why
?” He hadn’t meant to shout, but he was at his wit’s end and wanted a straight answer from her. For once.

Jade didn’t even flinch, perhaps because she was used to men speaking loudly at her. “I was making things simple for everyone.” Will opened his mouth to tell her that she had
complicated
things for everyone, but she surprised him by asking, “Did you deny it?” At his hesitation, her look became knowing.

He blinked. “Well, no, I—”

“You see? I simply saved her the pain of discovery before she became too attached.” Jade’s eyes darkened and flashed, though her voice remained even. “I allowed her to see the simple fact that all men are the same: prideful, disloyal, and believe that a woman’s only purpose is to gratify their whims.” She cocked her head, her professional side regaining control as she grinned at him, toying. “Now she knows how incapable of love your sex truly is.” She sighed dramatically. “A pity, considering the two of you made a handsome couple, though her skin
is
a little dark,” she threw in, almost as an afterthought. She examined her nails as though they were far more interesting than this conversation.