Clockwork Countess (7 page)

             
"All the clocks,
" she said in fascinated horror.  "Is that why you have so many clocks?"

             
"The clockwork in
her heart responds
to the magnetic pull of
the
pendulum
in the great clock in the hall. 
The
moment
um
of all the swaying
pendulums
in unison
maintains
her
heartbeat, the
rhythm
of her lungs..
.
.her life
,
if that is
what you'd call it,
"
he explained bitterly.

             
Rowan remembered an exhibition she had once
attended
in Dublin at the
same
theater where her
father
was performing. 
The
scientist
had
demonstrated
that
if you lined up a row o
f clocks all together,
like magic
,
the magnetic pull of each
pendulum
would eventually come into
synchronicity
and every clock in the row
began
to sway and tick to the exact same beat. 

             
But to do that to
a woman
's heart!

             
“But…but it i
s not really her then?  Just a body and
a mind with no human soul?” Rowan
shivered
in the clammy chill of the tower.  “It’s monstrous!”

             
“Yes, monstrous..
..
” he said, turning away but not before she caught the pure agony twisting his handsome face.  “And I am responsible. 
I can never leave her, or this machine
that is
not
my mother and yet..
.
and yet is.” 

             
“Oh Roderick…” she moved t
o place her hand on his shoulder
but he flinched and her arm dropped to her side.

             
“Now do you see why you
must
leave?
" he begged in a broken voice.
"
I cannot condemn you to live in this unnatural hell for the rest of your life!”

             
She shook her head, "But–"

             
"No,
"
he insisted.  "You say you think we could be
friends
, but
you know there is more than that between us.  The truth is
,
I'
ve
loved you since the moment I
laid
eyes on you
,
Rowan.
  I, who
understand
so
brilliantly
the working of
scientific
theory
, will never understand how upon looking
into
the dear face of
a woman I'd
never
met b
efore,
somehow
found
the companion of my soul.
In the spark of a moment!  No
laboratory
can measure it or prove it.  N
o science
quantify
how it can be.  And yet
,
it'
s more real to me than all the facts and theories I have ever learned.
I love
yo
u, but because I do, I can never
allow you to stay
."

             
Tears were
running
unchecked down her flushed cheeks as she
grasped
at his hand.
"But if we love
each other
surely we can find a way!"

             
"Don't you understand?" he asked
bitterly.
"I have already destroyed
one person I love
.  I
cannot do it again
.
"

             
It was
like
someone had sucked
all the air out of her
, to know that he loved her, that they loved
each other
,
and yet she must leave.

             
The sound of a coach clattering to a stop before the manor
house
ma
de them pause and turn their gaze to the
tower window. 

             
Through the haze of her pain, Rowan wondered w
ho could be coming to Heartwycke at this late hour?

             
Below
,
Edmund
threw open the carriage door and stumbled out onto the driveway, not drunk this
time
but so hurried it made him clumsy.
Even from their vantage
point
up in the tower it was clear something was dreadfully wrong.

             
“Dam
n him, what has he gotten into
now?” cursed Rockerick
before
quickly tuning back to Rowan.  “You had better return to your chamber.”

             
But
instead
she followed
Roderick
as he flew down the
twisting
stairs.
  

             
When
they reached
the
landing of the great hall, Edmund rushed forward
,
grasping
Roderick
by the lapels of his
dressing
gown
, a wild
fierce
look in his pale eyes.  "
They're
after me! You've got to help
!"

             
Roderick
gripped Edmund
'
s wrists hard,
forcing
his brother
to
release
hi
m
.  "You've more
gambling
debt
s,
is that it?  Now they've called in
their
markers?"

             
Edmond pressed his white lips together and nodded.  "You've got
to
help me! I'm the earl
,
damn it
––all this is mine by right!"

             
"Not yet, Edmund," came a
cold clear voice from the top
of
the landing. 

             
Everyone looked up to see the countess calmly descending the stairs. 
Though clad only in her chemise
,
her black hair falling in lose waves down her back
,
she still
maintained
her elegant
hauteur
.  Rowan shivered as she took in the gleam of the steel corset
beneath
the countess's
fine linen
.

             
"Mother!"  Edmund rushed up the stairs to meet her halfway.  "You once loved me.  For Go
d
's sake
, if you've anything human lef
t in you
,
help me!  One word from you
and I'm saved!"

             
The countess arched a brow. 
"Did
you
not
understand your brother when he told you your
gambling
debts would no longer be covered?"

             
"But...but I'll die..
..
" he stammered.  "This time they mean it!"  He fell to her knees
groveling
as tears
of
fright
streaked
his livid cheeks.  "Don't let them kill me, Mother!  I beg you!"

             
Rowan turned
to Roderick.  She
could
see the anger all
mixed-up
with pity and loathing in his face.  He met her gaze and gave her a tight jerk of a nod.  He would not let his brother die. 

             
Roderick took a step
forward to call
Edmund
back
, but before he could
,
the co
untess knelt and lifted her
first born
son's
chin, so that he looked straight in
to
those cold steel
gray eyes.  "You are not worthy to be the heir to
H
e
artwy
cke
Park.  Your death will assist in the
better
running of the place and you shall not be missed."  She rose an
d shook off her skirts where
her son's
touch had
rumpled
them.

             
Edmund
stared
up at his mother
with wide unblinking eyes for a moment, the
n he lunged for her
throat, his hands closing
round her flawless white skin in
murderous rage.

             
"Edmu
nd!" Roderick leaped forward
,
and with a
sharp
wrench
,
grasped
his brother
by
the
shoulders and threw him to the side of the
stairs
,
away from
the
countess. 

             
For a moment Edmond
just
lay
there
stunned, panting, but then he growled.  "You think you have me
,
do you?  That you can protect this
monstrous
clockwork doll of yours?  Well, I know more than you think!"

             
And
before
anyone
could stop him
,
Edmund
raced down the stairs
to
the fireplace
.  G
rasping the heavy iron coal shovel in his shaking fists, he turned to
the great
clock and
struck
with all his force.

             
Shattering
glass flew,
and
Edmund attacked
again, this time harder with all the madness of
his
fury, splintering the carved
ebony
.

             
"
Edmu
nd
stop!  You'll kill her!" roared Roderick,
preparing
to leap forward to restrain
his brother. 
But
a grip like iron circled his wrist.  He looked up confused to
see the countess, her
steady hand l
ocked around his arm.  He
stared
into
her
eyes but her face was as un
readable in its perfection as a porcelain figurine's
.

             
With one last
burst of mad rage, Edmund bashed
the clock again
,
finally
cracking
the massive swaying pendulum in half
.  The brass clanged to
the floor,
the
broken
top swayed drunkenly as
the filigreed hands twitched
and
went still
.
 

             
Edmu
nd collapsed
against
the frame of
the
destroyed clock, but the frame could no longer hold the heavy carved
marble
owl that crowned the instrument
,
and before he
could
jump aside, the statue lurched forward,
like
a
night
bird
swooping
down
on its prey. 

             
Edmund screeched and fell back on
the
slick marble floor
as the heavy owl landed.