Contingency (9 page)

I sat there for several moments trying to gather my thoughts into some semblance of order. I searched his eyes hoping I hadn’t read too much into his words. I wanted to tell him that deep inside I secretly hoped I wouldn’t warp again either, but just then the carriage came to an abrupt halt. We sat there for a few more silent moments waiting for the sign that all was clear for us to go inside. A thump on the roof from the driver told us we were good to go. Dr. Blake jumped down the carriage and held his hand out. I put my hand into his much larger one and felt the current between us sizzle to life.

I looked into his handsome face and hesitantly reached over to trace his lips with my finger. I felt him suck in a breath. He reached up and pulled the hood of my cloak back over my head, took my hand and brushed a light kiss over my knuckles before helping me out of the carriage. We walked quickly up the steps to my new townhouse with Dr. Blake staying alert, looking around us and hoping our arrival hadn’t noted by anyone. We stepped inside as soon as the door opened and both of us let out a relieved breath.

I pushed my hood back and looked around my new home. It was a modest sized, two story house with marble flooring in the foyer and a beautiful staircase to the second floor. Dr. Blake showed me around the first floor. The first door to the left was a small comfortable looking sitting room. The first door on the right was a larger sitting room that housed a small piano. The second door on the right led into a room that acted as an office and library. I could see myself spending many nights curled up in the chair by the fireplace reading. I shook my head to clear the wishful vision. We looked around the rest of the first floor before heading upstairs. The second floor had two small bedrooms and a larger master bedroom with an attached sitting room. I walked in and looked around the cozy room, it would suit me well.

Dr. Blake cleared his throat from the doorway “If you will permit me?” I snorted and beckoned him to come on in. “Mrs. Howell sent everything you will need ahead of us. Of course, if you find that you are in need of something we haven’t thought of, please don’t hesitate to ask.” I walked over to the armoire and opened the doors only to gawk at the amount of stuff that was crammed inside. Good God.

“Did Mrs. Howell mention that I had a few things for you?”

I wondered why he seemed so nervous. “She did,” I said, my curiosity piqued. He walked over to the bed and knelt down to retrieve a leather satchel beneath it. He laid it gently on the bed and then crooked his finger for me to come closer. I raised my brow but went over anyway. Curiosity killed the cat and all that jazz.

He opened the satchel and took a long wooden box out of it. When he withdrew a beautiful dirk from inside the case, my breath caught in my throat. It was probably the most beautiful weapon I had ever seen. I had handled several knives and swords while training with Dr. Blake, but this one--a Sgian Dubh, if I remembered correctly, was astonishingly superior to anything I had trained with. The blade was perhaps eight inches and the hilt was about four inches in length. The hilt was ebony with intricate Celtic knots carved into it. He handed it to me hilt first with a look of apprehension in his eyes, as if he were holding his breath for some reason.

I took it from him, my hand shaking slightly; and when I grasped the hilt in my hand, it fit as if it were a long lost extension of my hand, as if it had been made just for me. I ran my fingers lightly over the carvings on the hilt and then I noticed meticulously etched words down the length of the blade. I held the blade up closer to my face so I could read the words when I realized they were in another language. “Ta mo chroi istigh ionat” was beautifully engraved into the blade. I looked up at my silent companion.

“It’s Gaelic,” he said softly. I held the blade out from my body and gave a few flicks of my wrist, letting my hand get use to the feel of the blade; but it wasn’t necessary. My hand had a mind of its own and it felt as though it was meant to hold this dirk. I shook my head at the absurdity of my thoughts.

“It’s beautiful,” I said. “What does the engraving mean?”

Dr. Blake grinned and shook his head at me “Oh no--you’ll have to figure that one out on your own.”

“Are you serious?” I squealed, “You’ve handed me the single most wonderful item I have ever received, and you won’t tell me what it says on the blade?” I saw the look of amusement and determination on his face and sighed. There would be no talking him into it. “Well, I’m going to enjoy every moment that I have this, it will be hard for me to give it back,” I said as my fingers caressed the carvings on the hilt once more.

“It’s yours, Sage. I had it made for you.” My eyes flew wide with surprise. He had this made for me as a gift? If I didn’t know better I’d swear I saw a blush creep up his neck.

“I wanted to get you something special--something to show you how proud I am of all that you have accomplished... So, do you like it?”

I nodded and murmured, “It’s perfect.” No one had ever given me something so thoughtful. I threw myself into his arms. His shock only lasted a second before he relaxed and hugged me-- as if he had a choice.

I pulled back to look into his handsome imperfect face. “Thank you, Aldwin.” I got on my tip toes and pressed my lips gently to his. I wanted to tell him so much with that kiss, but I wasn’t sure how he felt or if I should be putting myself out there. My future, our future, was too uncertain. I pulled back slightly breathless and more than slightly dizzy. I chuckled under my breath at how this man affected me. Talk about kissing a girl senseless.

He drew away reluctantly to show me what else he had in his case of goodies. There was a smaller, plainer version of my dirk and it would be perfect for my garter holster, I thought excitedly. The last item he withdrew from the case made me blink in surprise. What the heck was that doing in a case of weapons?

A unique cuff bracelet was the last item in the case. The bracelet was probably three to four inches wide and had an antique silver finish. A butterfly topped the cuff bracelet with its wings spread from one side to the other; several precious gemstones were encrusted in the wings of the butterfly. The center of the butterfly looked like the innards of a clock or watch. I realized that it was a watch, when I heard a soft ticking coming from the bracelet. A strong feeling, almost like a premonition swept over me, making my heart skip a beat. Things were about to change imminently, and I wasn’t sure I wanted them to.

I frowned slightly. “It’s lovely, but why is it with these?” I motioned towards the weapons on the bed.

His eyes twinkled like a boy about to show off his favorite toy. He moved closer to me with the bracelet in his hand. “Look. See how the butterfly is raised a little off the base of the bracelet?” his breath fanned my cheek. I nodded my head in answer. “If you apply just the right amount of pressure...” I heard a soft click as he pressed down on the center of the butterfly and a jewel on the side of the bracelet, designed to look like the winding mechanism, popped free with a snick. Dr. Blake pulled the small jewel free of the bracelet and showed me the one inch needle.

My eyebrows shot up. Clearly I had no clue about this kind of James Bond stuff. “The needle has been coated with a substance that will knock a grown man or preternatural out for hours. It can only be used once, so use it only if you absolutely have to.” He pressed the gemstone-studded pin into the bracelet and put the cuff on my arm. It too, fit perfectly. I wasn’t big on jewelry, but this was just unique enough to be my style and it could come in very handy.

Just then a knock came from downstairs back entrance making me jump. Dr. Blake smirked and headed for the door. “That will be your household staff starting to arrive. I’ll leave you to get acquainted with your new surroundings and items while I make sure everything gets underway for your big night tonight.” He turned to go.

“Aldwin...” I started. His shoulders tensed visibly. “I mean, Dr. Blake...” I wanted to pour my heart out to him and tell him how much he had come to mean to me, but all my uncertainties about the future and uncertainties about my feelings rushed to stop me. He had stopped and was looking at me, searching my face with his good eye. I dropped my gaze to the bracelet on my wrist.

“Thank you for everything. You have become the one constant in my life, the one person I can trust. I hope we can continue be friends.” He looked slightly pained at my words, and I wondered briefly if he had planned on distancing himself from me since I was no longer his student. The thought sent a stab of pain straight to my chest.

He bowed ever so slightly and answered quickly. “Yes, of course,
friends
.” He turned back towards the door and without looking back said, “Sage, call me Aldwin. We are to be
friends
after all.” The word ‘friends’ came out caustically, but before I could say anything in reply, he strode from the room and left me standing there wondering how I had screwed up again
.

Chapter Fifteen

The day flew by quickly after that. I met with the three people who would staff my small townhouse, all of whom were trustworthy in the eyes of Cerberus. The cook, Mrs. Weston, was a short round woman with beady little brown eyes that I swear could see my deepest darkest secrets. She freaked me out a bit and I wouldn’t be surprised at all to one day learn that the woman was proficient in throwing hexes on unsuspecting mortals.

Zachary was to be my butler and he was also acting as my driver and night security. He was a tall, thin man; and despite his impeccable clothing and softly spoken words, he scared the bejeezus out of me. I could definitely see him playing the role of an assassin in some thriller movie. Luckily, the young woman who was to be my lady’s maid, a pretty girl named Marie, was quite normal. Right now the normal, dark-haired lady’s maid had her too lovely green eyes roaming slowly over Dr. Aldwin Blake’s sexy body. Great--three for three.

After making sure everyone was getting settled in, I hurried up the stairs to indulge in a bath before I had to get ready for my big night. Bubble baths were a luxury I would never again take for granted. I let out a groan of pleasure as I sunk into the warm water that filled the old fashioned claw foot tub. I lathered up my hair and body with a silky lemongrass scented soap as I thought about the upcoming evening. It should be pretty uneventful, just talking, mingling and dancing. I winced. I would rather be fighting vampires or doing well, just about anything else.

I soaked until the water cooled and my fingers raisined up, wrapped a towel around me and decided to try on my new fancy underwear.

Once I donned the new garments I stood in front of my full length mirror and was barely able to recognize myself. The cream-colored corset fit me like a second skin and accentuated my trim waist and modestly sized boobs. I slid the small dagger into the sheath attached to my special made garter and couldn’t suppress the shiver of excitement that zinged through me.

I gave a couple of lunges and kicks to make sure the garter wouldn’t slip and to see how well I could move in my new and improved corset. Actually, I just wanted to show off in front of the mirror. I grinned at my reflection dressed head to toe in cream and lace. I looked like a hot lingerie model; well, if you could ignore the wicked-looking dagger strapped to my right thigh--and the cocky smirk plastered on my face.

Marie came in and lifted the dress I had chosen for the night over my head and let the silky fabric slide down my lace-clad body, buttoning up the back when everything was in place. I glanced back at the mirror after I was fully dressed to see the full effect of my ensemble. The dress was a deep lavender colored silk that flowed gracefully down to my ankles, it gathered at the waist and fell open in the front to reveal a silver underskirt. The bodice had a sweetheart neckline, and hundreds of tiny deep plum colored beads had been sewn into it. The same beading adorned the sleeves and formed an intricate pattern on the bottom of the silver underskirt. The dress was gorgeous, and I felt beautiful wearing it.

I donned a pair of cream-colored suede calf high shoes with a two inch heel and then slid my beloved sgian dubh into the hidden slot of my right shoe. I turned left and right to see if anyone would be able to tell I was wearing two weapons and much to my delight they seemed invisible. Marie also fixed my unruly hair into a pretty updo for the evening and I had to admit, once we were done, I did indeed look like a woman on a mission to find a husband. The purples in my gown looked lovely with my complexion and deep auburn hair.

I slid the clockwork butterfly cuff onto my arm, grabbed my matching wrap and headed down stairs. I pushed the churning in my stomach to the back of my mind and focused on the task at hand. Be a lady, play the part, and for God’s sake--don’t make a fool out of myself.

Chapter Sixteen

As I stepped out of the carriage in front of Mrs. Lillian Sebast’s huge home, I imagined myself for a split second running away with my tail tucked between my legs. Instead I gripped my fan and invitation tighter in my hand and sucked up my doubts and fears and walked forward with the other dozen or so guests making their way up the stairs of the brightly lit home.