Page 34

F aint sunlight slashed across her closed eyes. The moment she came awake, she sat up, panic lancing through her.

It was past dawn.

The book was no longer in her arms. Frantically, she searched the area. The book had slid to the floor. It was upside down, the pages curled against the floor. Her parchment was scattered across the rug. She hastily picked up the papers, gathering them together. She put them inside the pages of the book.

Before she flipped it closed, she noticed something different. Every single page had a blooming rose on the page. Even the pages she had not yet read.

What did it mean? That the book held no more secrets? The curse was broken? Or—worse—the curse was forever?

She had to get to Leopold. She dashed from the room, flinging open the door and rushing into the hallway.

And halted in the foyer.

She gaped at the open casement.

There was no longer a door. And what remained was nothing more than shredded, splintered wood. As if something had tried to claw its way into the manor. Her heart thumped a wild beat.

What happened? She didn’t recall hearing anything the night before, but she had been so tired she must have slept through whatever it was that tried to get inside.

Stepping closer, she saw droplets of blood on the floor inside the doorway.

“Oh, gods,” she whispered.

Leopold .

Urgency pounded through her. She had to get to him.

She started for the open door, when suddenly Gerald stepped in front of her.

“It’s not safe, miss.”

She blinked surprise as her heart jolted. He startled her. She hadn’t seen him. She wasn’t even sure where he’d come from. She stared up at him, then looked back at the door. The claw marks were evident.

“What happened here?”

“All I can say, miss, is that a beast tried to get inside last night.”

“Last night.”

Her mind pounded with unanswered questions. Why would Leopold try to get inside the manor? He wasn’t a threat to her. In the instances she saw him in beast form, he protected her.

Unless…unless there was another threat. She clutched the book tighter in her arms, suddenly worried about Leopold. She knew he was there last night when Lord Vincent left.

His haughty words rang back to her.

That beast is a menace, and I will see its end.

A shadow fell across the open casement, catching her eye. She glanced up to see Lord Vincent stepping through the destruction, a look of smug satisfaction on his face. Instantly, she knew he was responsible for something. Dread washed through her, making her stomach cramp.

“What did you do?” It took everything in her not to shout at the man.

His surprised gaze flickered to her. “What do you mean?”

“I see it in your eyes, Lord Vincent. The triumph. You came back last night, didn’t you?” Accusing him was farfetched. It was nothing more than a guess, but she saw the gratification in his eyes.

“And a good thing I did, too.” He ignored her as he glanced at the butler there. “The threat has been eradicated.”

“What does that mean?” Her heart thudded like a war drum, sending terror pumping through her. Bile rose to the back of her throat. All she thought about was Leopold.

Lord Vincent’s cold eyes turned back to her. “It means the beast will no longer threaten you or this manor.”

Her knees nearly buckled. “He was no threat to me or us.”

Emotion clotted her throat. Hot tears burned the backs of her eyes. She had to get out of this house. She had to find Leopold. She had to know if he was all right.

But judging by the delight oozing from the nobleman, she wasn’t sure.

“That’s not what I saw last night. And so, I returned and took care of the beast.”

Unable to stop herself, she emitted a strangled gasp. Gerald placed a concerned hand on her elbow as he moved to stand next to her. She was grateful for his strength. But Lord Vincent’s eyes narrowed to suspicious slits.

“Do you care for this beast, Miss Bella? Is that it?” He moved closer, closing the distance between them. Stifling her. Making her shrink back with his disdainful expression.

“I-I—”

But she didn’t finish her answer as Emmaline bounded down the steps. She halted at the foot of the stairs, her eyes wide as she took in the situation. The destroyed front door. Lord Vincent standing over her, threatening her. And Gerald holding her elbow as though to keep her upright.

“Ah, Miss Emmaline. Please escort the lady to her chambers and see that she remains there until this situation,” he waved to the door, “can be properly handled.”

Emmaline nodded as she stepped toward Bella, reaching for her. Fury ignited through her as she shrugged off the girl and the butler. She rounded her ire on Lord Vincent.

“Who are you to give my maid orders? And my butler? Who are you to walk into this house as if you are the lord of the manor? Who are you to seek justice for some infraction that has never even occurred?”

He was startled by her heated words and took a step back. “Bella, I—”

“Do not use my given name,” she spat. “You are not worthy of that. Or of Emmaline. I tire of your meddling, my lord. I tire of you coming here demanding answers from me—me!—when I owe you nothing. Nothing . I finished your translation. I gave you back the book. You paid me handsomely for it. That was nothing more than a business transaction. We are nothing more than a business transaction. Coming here pretending to be interested in Emmaline is disgraceful.”

She regretted the words the instant she heard Emmaline choke out a sob. Lord Vincent’s face drained of color. Gerald stepped toward her, placing a hand on her elbow again.

“Miss Bella—” the butler started.

“Enough.” She jerked away and rounded on him. “Find someone in town who can repair the door, Gerald. If no one will come, find someone in Port Leclare. Perhaps one of my father’s old contacts. I don’t care who. Just get someone here today to fix the door. As for you.” She turned back to Lord Vincent, who had stumbled back toward the open door. “Leave this place and never return. If you do, I shall call the constable and have you arrested for trespassing. Is that clear?”

He stiffened then, unaccustomed to being accused of any sort of crime, and straightened his cravat even though it wasn’t askew.

“You have made your wishes perfectly clear, my lady.” He started to go, then turned back, a spiteful look on his face. “I do hope your father is released form the port jail soon, though I daresay the magistrate won’t take kindly to him being a smuggler.”

It was a parting shot as he stepped through the open casement. Bella clenched her jaw tight as she stared daggers at his retreating back. The only sound was the man’s retreating footsteps on the gravel drive, then the rattling of the carriage as he rode away.

Silence descended between the three of them. She took a deep, cleansing breath to get her emotions under control.

“Miss Bella…is Mr. Rinaldi a smuggler?” Gerald asked, his voice low. Confusion and concern etched his brow.

“No,” she snapped. “He is no smuggler. Lord Vincent knows that. He just wanted to insult me. You’ve known my father longer than me. You know he is no criminal.”

He seemed to take her words as truth and nodded. “I will find someone to repair the door.”

“Thank you, Gerald.”

She turned to Emmaline, then, who still stood at the foot of the stairs. Her eyes were wide and watery with tears, her fingers pressed to her lips. Guilt immediately swamped Bella. Her words were cruel, she knew, but she was certain they were truth. After all, the nobleman did not deny them.

“I’m sorry, Emmaline.”

She shook her head, spun, and hurried up the stairs. Moments later, a door slammed.

Bella sighed. The damage was done. She would find a way to make peace with the girl later. Now, though, she had to find Leopold.

The moment she stepped out the door and into the morning, she smelled the blood and death that seemed to permeate the air. Her stomach twisted into a knot as a sick feeling crept over her. She glanced around the area and saw more drops of blood dotting the front of the manor. A trail led away toward the gardens to the side of the house.

She followed it down the footpath. But it disappeared under one of the rosebushes. Crouching low, she saw the ground stained with a wide pool of blood. There was nothing more. No indication he had dragged himself out of the bushes. Thankfully, his body—in beast or human form—was not there either.

“I hope you’re all right.”

There was only one way to find out.