Ever Bound (12 page)

Annabeth took a deep breath and reached for the table where there was an arsenal of other weapons to choose from. Her hand hovered there, ready to reload. Her eyes glistened under the tears. They broke free and slid down her face. “Don’t you see? I can never trust you again.”

“I realize I’ve been a fool, but when I told you nothing happened, I really had no idea how that would impact my life later. I was embarrassed.”

Annabeth pulled her knees up, wrapped her arms around them, and looked back toward the window. “You hurt me.”

I perched on the end of her bed as far away from her as possible.

“I’d do anything to take it back.” Needing any nearness I could achieve, I leaned a fraction of an inch closer.

“You should have told me the moment you realized we were going to be more than friends. But you were selfish. And now you’re here to tell me how sorry you are when you’re planning your wedding?” Her tears stopped and she swallowed hard.

I leaned back. How could she think this?

She’d had days to sit in there and loll all she’d heard from her demented sister and everything she’d seen around in her head without my side of things.

“For three years, I dodged her advances, but she became more persistent. I couldn’t make her mad. I had to manage her so my family wouldn’t be sent away. Finally, I’d had enough. I told her I didn’t love her and knew I never could. Something changed after that. She delved into an even deeper into a darkness I can’t explain. One evening not too long after that, she came to me with food. I’m sure she put something in it. I found myself at the pond after you caught me listening to you play piano. I think you might remember that night. I became so weighed down by exhaustion that I couldn’t stop her when she came to me. When I woke afterward, she pretended I’d taken advantage of her when it was exactly the other way around.”

“It didn’t occur to you to try to trust me?” She sat straighter on the bed. “Or you wanted to have me so in love with you I couldn’t tell the truth from a lie?”

“No, I was ashamed. And scared.”

“I can’t believe you! You won’t even admit that’s what you did!” She shouted.

“Yes. I wanted you in love with me but not so I could betray you. I needed your trust. I didn’t think it all through. It—we—happened so fast. But you’re important to me, and I don’t want to lose you. I didn’t want to lose you, then.”

“You. Never. Had. Me.” She sounded so final.

All the air in the room, it wasn’t enough. I couldn’t breathe. “I can’t change the past, and I understand you want to hate me, just please don’t.” For a few seconds, I was silent and still.

Tears streamed in a current down her calm face.

From her nightstand, I took a handkerchief and laid it beside her on the bed. I dared to touch her arm, but she jerked away. “No. D-d-don’t.”

Staring at her carpet, I got lost in its pattern. I’d never be able to live without her. I was so empty.

“My sister defiles everything she touches. I thought you could be different. That you wouldn’t be stupid enough to fall victim to her wiles. And now Daddy will stop at nothing until you are hers. Even if I could bring myself to believe you, and then one day, look at you without seeing your bare bodies together, it would be futile. You were hers the day she placed claim on you.”

Rotting that felt like death started in the pit of my stomach. I could see how she felt now. I could never imagine seeing another man’s hands touch her body. By right, by fate, we both belonged to the other, but we would never see that happy ending.

I solemnly stood and turned away.

My chest was a cave of ice.

Not looking back, I pulled the door shut behind me.

It was up to her now. I had done all I could do. Backing off was unbearable, but it’s what I had to do.

* * * *

After the disappointing visit with Annabeth, the day just kept getting better. At the back door of the house, Pop dropped a shell into a double barrel shotgun. His face was sullen shadows as he raised his eyes to look at me. “Two of the horses have fallen ill.”

“What? Which ones?” My heart pounded against a cold knot in the center of my chest.

“The colt and the mare.”

“Sampson and Delilah?” I shook my head slowly. “No, I just checked them this morning.”

“Son, they are lying on their sides, eyes glazed over. They have terrible tremors and they’ve lost control of their bladders.”

“Poison?” Nausea threatened at the back of my throat.

“I’m sure of it.”

I waited in the kitchen, knowing that shooting a horse or farm animal was necessary at times, but when the two loud bangs cut through the air, it was as if they’d hit me in the head too.

Mama’s loving arm slipped around my waist as she pressed her cheek to my shoulder.

Tears boiled under my eyelids.

Sampson and Delilah were our personal horses. Innocent animals. They’d done nothing to deserve this.

I lifted my head and looked toward the main house. Slamming furniture out of my way as I went, I stopped at the door. “It had to be Grace. She’s the only one on the whole plantation vile enough.”

“Colby. No,” Mama said. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”

Mama approached me and grabbed my shoulders.

“I should have left her in the barn.” I couldn’t catch my breath. Too much hurt in one day. I wanted to scream.

“Just breathe,” Mama said in a soothing tone.

The horses upset me, but losing Annabeth and the only two real friends I had in the same day had proved too much. I wasn’t done with Grace. I’d have the last say.

* * * *

Pop and I spent the day digging holes for the horses. As dusk settled over the land, I stood over my two confidants and stewed in anger.

“I know you loved them,” Grace said from behind me.

While shoveling clumps of dirt from the holes, I’d had time to burn off some anger and gain the beginnings of a plan to rid myself and the whole farm of her. Every vile thing she did to get my attention or threaten me into marrying her would help me. I simply had to withstand her attacks until the perfect moment.

“Yes.” I clenched my fists and held my anger back.

“I am also aware that you love Annabeth. If you refuse to marry me, she’s next. If she comes to you, you had better make sure she knows who you’re loyal to.”

* * * *

Grace had gone back to the main house with an uneventful exit, and when she left, I was left sickened.

The only thing I could do was work. It kept me from strangling Grace in a murderous rage.

After raking the grass bordering the rose maze, I made room for hay and alfalfa in the outbuilding. With the pitchfork, I scooped up the final wads of loose hay and cleaned up the remaining mess.

When I turned toward the door, Annabeth was leaned against the wall, her hands clasped at the front of her skirts.

I stabbed the pitchfork into the haystack and wiped my hands on my trousers.

“I’m sorry about your horses.” Her gaze moved to the place I had just cleared.

“Thanks.” As something to occupy my hands, I moved the pitchfork from one wall to the other. Any other day, I’d have rushed to her, but today I didn’t feel much like being near anyone. I hurt everyone and everything I touched by existing.

“We’ll discover who did it,” she said.

Any other time her being soft toward me would have helped and probably sent chills of intoxicating urges through me. Tonight. Nothing. Mostly.

“All things done in secret will one day be shouted from the rooftops. It will come out in the end.”

“You should be inside the safety of your house.” I turned back to my work.

“I could say the same for you. If there’s a lunatic out here running around trying to sabotage our households, you should take heed to your own words.”

“I’m not in danger.” I turned. I had just been about to grab the pitchfork again, but Annabeth stood between it and me.

She was closer now. Her eyes connected with mine.

“As much as I hate to admit this with as angry as I am, I’m afraid for you. I think Grace has gone beyond pitching one of her famous tantrums. She’s the lunatic.”

I stepped out of the barn and looked around it. When I came back, I lowered my voice. “Where’s your sister?”

“In the house, sleeping. She vomited for a while today. Something even stranger than normal is going on with her.”

“Then it should be safe to warn you.” I took an uncertain step toward her. “She killed my horses to show me how very serious she is about being married to me. If I don’t end whatever is left of what you and I had, then she’s threatened to kill you too.”

Color drained from Annabeth’s face. “I knew she was lying when she asked for my forgiveness.”

“You can say we have nothing left, but you’d be just as big a liar as I was.” My voice was flat. There was no time to argue about feelings. They were there. Or she wouldn’t have been so damned mad at me. “So, until I can figure out how to beat her at her own game, I’m escorting you to your house. I ask that you not be alone with her. At all.”

“You need to be in your cottage with the doors and windows locked too.” A streak of fear coursed through her eyes.

“In her demented state, the most she would probably do to me is run screaming at me naked. Believe me, I’ll have no trouble turning her down.” I couldn’t help but smile a little. The worry in Annabeth’s eyes gave me hope.

Sadness washed over her face. “If you were the son-in-law of a rich man, your life would be so much simpler. If you did actually take part in the act with her and at some point had feelings for her that you’re embarrassed about, I could understand I suppose. You could give in and stop fretting over me. You are probably the only good, true thing that could bring Grace back to who she used to be before this sickness took root inside her.”

“When I figure out how to get the rich man’s other daughter to stop hating me and trust me again, I will be his son-in-law.” I scooped her up and dipped in to kiss her forehead. “As for Grace, it happened exactly as I told you. I was almost unconscious. When I woke from the drunken stupor, the only feelings involved were nausea.”

Annabeth wobbled a little when I let her out of my arms. She looked thoughtful. “I wanted that experience to be mine. She stole that from me.”

As if I’d had anything she would want in the first place, now the only thing I could have given her was gone.

“If you must accompany me, please do so.” She clutched her skirts and walked ahead of me to the house.

At least we’d spoken, and she hadn’t thrown something at me.

Each day, thereafter, I busied myself in or around the barn, hoping Annabeth would come to me, but it had been four days and nothing. I had to accept that.

And wait.

As we ate dinner, Mrs. Rollins finally came to the cottage.

Mama and Pop excused themselves so we could speak.

“She’s leaving her bed, dressing, and eating with the family, but she’s rarely speaks. When I approach the subject of you, she shrugs instead of threatening to toss you into the pond with a boulder tied to your foot. Yes. She said that.” Mrs. Rollins grinned. “Did you find chance to propose?”

“The moment hasn’t presented itself. I had just finished burying my poisoned horses when I saw her. It didn’t exactly leave a romantic moment.” I moved my food around on my plate.

“Now is as good a time as any to tell you. I’ve concocted a plan. You’ll pretend you’re going to marry Grace, and I’ll continue to arrange a ceremony. I’ll send out invitations. Grace will see only a fake invitation with her name on it, but the ones I send to post will have Annabeth’s as your betrothed. On the day of the wedding, I’ll detain Grace while Annabeth comes down in the dress. You’ll be married with haste and then you must leave here. I’ve set aside enough money that the two of you should never have need for anything. You may decide to gather your parents’ things and procure a safe place far away from here for them to live. It’s your decision, but I don’t want you to look back. This place has been a horrific source of pain for Annabeth, too much for most people to overcome. But she can be saved. As for Grace. She’s too far gone.” Desperation strained Mrs. Rollins’s face.

Everything depended on me.

“You’ve spent some time planning this?” I put my fork down.

“From the first day you arrived at the plantation, the plan began to take shape. I just wasn’t sure it would play into my hands.”

“And if Annabeth doesn’t agree?” I put my fork on the table.

Mrs. Rollins laughed and rolled her eyes. “You have no idea how she feels for you, do you?”

“She’s not exactly an easy person to figure.”

“I know my daughter. There’s no question that she would eventually marry you. Your job is to hasten the process.” Mrs. Rollins held my gaze.

“This should be easy.” I gave her a scowl. “But we won’t accept your money.”

Mrs. Rollins held out her hand with a smile. “You’ll do what you must to keep my daughter safe. If money is involved, you have no choice.”

We shook on the deal.

* * * *

When the sun had hidden behind the trees and twilight had fallen over the estate, a wagon came to a halt at the entrance of the house. It was black with a covered bed I’d parked a time or two in the last year, but I’d never seen the hooded figure’s face as it walked toward the entrance.

This time, just as all the others, it arrived unannounced. It was my job to make room for another wagon’s storage when anyone visited, so I walked to the front entrance of the house in time to see Mrs. Rollins greeting the guest.

“It’s so good to see you again. Are you ready to sew?” Mrs. Rollins said.

The figure, who had a hood of gray wool, dipped her head and ducked into the house. “Yes, ma’am. It’s one of my specialties. How is Grace today?”

“She’s doing better, I think. She’s ready for you upstairs.” Mrs. Rollins spotted me.

I gave her a wave.

“Colby, could you bring in the trunk. We have dresses to start on.” Mrs. Rollins gave me a wink.

I took the woman’s wagon and brought her trunk into the elevator.

“The fourth floor would be an excellent place to keep her activities private,” Mrs. Rollins whispered.