In Rapture (Destined) (6 page)

Malinda
finally took a moment to look around the room. It was a big enough room, but
nothing in it reflected that it belonged to Sophia. There were no dolls, no
books, and absolutely no toys, just like the nursery. The walls were a dull
gray, so lifeless that anyone in the room would look pale if they stood inside
the walls too long. There was no window in the room at all, which made the
walls seem even smaller. What was wrong with these people? Children deserved to
be carefree and young. This room was certainly not appropriate for a child.
Children should have rainbows and lollipops, not a pale, stale, understated
mausoleum that sucked the life out of you. Why treat a child like a somber
adult? There would be plenty of time to act grown up.

Malinda
made a decision right then and there, that as soon as she met her husband, she
would demand that things be changed right away. She would be more than happy to
see to the hiring of an appropriate nursemaid for Sophia. She would even be
happy to shop for the things they would need to change Sophia’s world. It was
not like the master of this house could not afford these things. There were
many extravagant items that occupied the large manor, and some of them were
completely useless in her opinion. What good were fine paintings and
tapestries, when you could never touch them, never use them for anything but
something pretty to look at? Malinda would never understand the purpose of such
things. She wondered if she would ever feel at home at Wickford Manor or if she
would always feel like the farm girl pretending to be someone her destiny had
never intended her to be. The only thing that made her feel at home was the
lost little girl who was curled up in the bed next to her.

Malinda
waited a few moments before she felt comfortable enough to leave Sophia alone
for the night. She had to have been sitting next to her for almost an hour
before she was sure the little girl was not going to wake up. After closing the
door quietly behind her Malinda started to walk down the long hallway that
turned away from her room. When she reached the end of the hall, she saw the
stairs that would lead her down to the main floor of the manor. Perhaps she
would sneak down to the kitchen for a late snack. Her mind was certainly too
active to head back to bed right now.

When
she made her way down to the bottom of the stairs, she saw a faint glow
underneath a door to the right of her, which she was pretty sure was the dining
room. She felt the air around her turn slowly, the energy around her prickling the
hair on the back of her neck as she put her hand on the doorknob. Something was
not right. She held her hand up to her heart as a rapid pulse started to beat
in her chest. She closed her eyes and focused on calming the ideas racing
through her head as one thought led swiftly to another, yet for some reason she
could not hold on to a single one of them. Fear was wild like that, chasing
away sanity like dried dandelions on the wind. The drop of a pin on the floor
could echo eerily in a large room until it sounded much like the rush of the
crashing waves of an ocean against the rocks.

She
opened her eyes and clenched her hands together at her side, doing her best
imitation of a brave woman ready to take on the world. Malinda took a deep
breath and created a shield of energy around her, ready for whatever assailant
might be in the other room. She opened the door ever so slowly and forced her
eyes to stay open. “Come on, Malinda. Get a grip. You’re too old to be afraid
of the dark.” She steeled herself for whatever sight would meet her, and she
swung the door forcefully open.

Standing
in front of the tiny fireplace was a glowing light that seemed to absorb the
darkness in the room. Malinda watched as the light changed to a specter of a
ghostly lady. The ghost turned to her, pointed a long bony finger, and a howl
of wind left her lips. Malinda felt a draft of air speed past her as the
howling ghost ran at her, but she held her ground. The ghost ran right through
her shield and knocked her back onto her bottom. Malinda turned to where the
ghost now stood and captured a good look at her face before she faded quickly
out of sight. Maria Timberlin.

Malinda
heaved herself up off the floor and walked over to the fireplace. Above the
mantle, the picture of the former Lady Timberlin hung once again. Somehow, the specter
had replaced the painting that had been removed earlier that day. She wondered
how long the ghost had been running through the halls of Wickford Manor. For
the most part Malinda had assumed that ghosts were harmless, but the energy
flowing through the ghostly veins of Maria Timberlin was definitely something
harmful and wicked. She would have to find a way to help this ghost move on. If
anything, Malinda would be more prepared for the next ghostly attack from Maria
Timberlin. She would not be taken advantage of so easily next time.

Malinda
extracted a chair from the table and stood up to remove the painting from the
wall. If she stood up on her tiptoes she barely managed to achieve the right
angle to remove the painting carefully. She could just imagine toppling head
first from the chair with the painting tumbling after her, so she steadied her
hand on the mantle as she stepped down from the chair. Malinda placed the
painting on the ground further away from the fireplace, with the painted woman
facing the wall. She would have the maids move it to storage in the attic if
she had to. Perhaps this would make it harder for the ghost to return it to its
previous place over the mantle.

Malinda
had thoroughly lost her appetite, so she left the dining room after closing the
doors quietly behind her. She saw another faint glowing light down the hallway.
“Again?” She walked purposefully to the door and yanked it open, ready to tell
the specter to shove off, but a completely different sight filled the space
before her. A handsome young man sat at the desk in front of her. His long
blond hair curled in thick strands that wove gently around a face that was set in
fierce concentration. She could not tell what color his eyes were, but she
could tell they seemed troubled. He sported a small rugged beard that ran from
the top of his mouth, down around his mouth to the bottom of his chin, tracing
small pathways up to his ears. The breath seemed to suck out of her lungs when
he looked up at her from his perch at his desk.

“And
you are?” The deep timber of his voice shattered the silence in the room.

“I’m
sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude. I’m Malinda Grier…I mean Timberlin, I suppose.
And you?” Malinda fidgeted in front of his piercing gaze, hoping that he would
not see the discomfort his gaze brought to her.

“I
see. Well, that would make me your husband.”

He
rose from the desk like a panther on the hunt and made his way slowly over to
her. Malinda had enough time to see the taut fabric of his white buttoned shirt
strain against the muscles hidden underneath. Malinda was not quite prepared
for the heat of his golden eyes when his face came close to hers. She looked
away nervously as butterflies took off in her stomach and tumbled in several
directions at once. When his hand gently crept across her face to pull her face
closer to his, she could not fight the tingling warmth that rose through her
body. His lips were just inches away from hers and all she could think about
was the dream that had haunted her for years. A flash of images raced across
her mind. Their bodies moving together, mouths touching, hands reaching,
searching for the exhausting ecstasy she had found only in her dreams. It was
him. It had always been him.

When
his mouth touched hers she struggled not to bolt from the emotions that flared
deep inside. His hand crept down her neck and lured her body closer to his. She
gasped in surprise when he cupped her bottom in his hands as he deepened his
assault on her lips. When his tongue made its way into her mouth, she felt a
piercing heat splinter the stillness inside her, as her own moan of desire left
her mouth. When he pulled away from her she could not meet his gaze.

***

Grant
gazed at Malinda, his eyes taking in the old nightgown that teased his senses,
as her womanly curves were outlined underneath when the flickering light of the
fireplace behind them lit up the material like the tail of a firefly. He ran a
finger down the front and found a nipple that was hiding deliciously
underneath.

***

Malinda
intended to move away from his touch, but something almost mystical kept her
trapped in time. Finally sanity returned and she pushed herself away from him. “I’m
sorry. I was just returning to bed. I didn’t mean to interrupt your evening.”
She turned around swiftly and walked as fast as her feet would carry her, away
from the study, from her husband, from the lover from her dreams. She heard him
call after her.

“That’s
right. Run while you still can.”

Chapter 9

Malinda’s
heart was still racing as she climbed the stairs to the master bedroom. This
time, she was especially thankful for the darkness that would hide the red that
crept up her throat, all the way to the top of her face. She could feel the
heated flush staining her, the same exact flush she had felt many times before
when her mystery lover had invaded her dream life. She opened the door to the
bedroom, looked behind her to make sure he had not followed her, then entered
swiftly before the door closed behind her. She leaned into the door, gathering
her courage for the third time this evening to help her through whatever else
headed her way.

First,
a screaming child required her attention. Then, a spectral ghost of her husband’s
former wife attacked her, moments before she was rakishly assaulted by him.
Flashes of the future had teased her mind, something that had usually only
happened when she was trying to depict events from the past. His aura had left
an imprint in her life, long before she had ever met him. She could not turn
away from the insights that had divinely presented themselves to her.

Malinda
crawled back into bed, watching the shadows of light dance across the blue
curtains that separated her vision from the rest of the room. It took her a
long time to finally feel exhausted enough to drift back to sleep. Her eyelids
started to flutter closed as the last of the flames started to die down in the
fireplace.

While
she slept she was transported to a place she had never seen before. The walls
around her shimmered, like sunlight hitting icicles in the middle of winter.
They cast small rainbows all around her. The sound of the wind running through
crystal chimes rang through the air. She twirled around to the music they
created, along with her light musical laughter, which cast a serene melody all
around her. The energy around her made her feel uplifted and carefree in her
new surroundings, a peaceful feeling she had not felt in quite some time. Malinda
ran a finger against the crystal wall and felt the moisture of dewdrops running
in invisible rivulets down it. She should have expected the freezing cold
feeling that touched her hand, but it stung her flesh nonetheless.

“Where
am I?” Malinda could not hold back the awe she felt inside. This was truly a
spectacular place, and it was building up even further before her eyes. A small
crystal pit formed in the middle of the room, with bright flames burning safely
inside. She walked closer to the flames and found that a few other objects had
started to form around her. A red velvet covered chaise, with a silver metal
frame, rose from the ground. A small silver framed chair with a red velvet
cushion soon followed. Malinda felt drawn to the chaise, as if it were calling
her name. She sat down and watched as the flames before her rose even higher.
She shielded her face from the heat in reflex, but the flames did not put off
any heat at all, just a calming light that filled her with peace.

It
was entirely possible that she stared at the flames for hours, for the gentle
dancing colors hypnotized her into a calming trance. This place, while she had
never seen it in a dream before, felt somewhat familiar, as if her soul
beckoned her to it. While she was completely alone in the room she did not feel
any loneliness at all. She felt surrounded by a love and light so pure that it
wrapped around her soul and cleansed the darkness away from her. There was
peace in the soothing tranquility of the walls around her, a peace that rocked
her with its lullaby into a healing sleep.

While
Malinda had slept restfully, the moment she awoke every nerve in her body
screamed in protest, for when she had gone to sleep the night before she was
completely alone in bed. At the moment she was anything but. Her husband had
decided to come to bed after she had fallen asleep, and she had somehow turned
into the curve of his body during the early morning hours. His arms were
holding her close to him and her head was resting on his shoulder.

Panic
entered her immediately. How did she get out of this without waking him up? Was
she prepared for the consequences if he did awaken? He was a man, like any
other. He probably expected to consummate their relationship at some point, and
the practical part of her mind took over. She had chosen to marry this man,
whether she had known him at the time or not. She could not truly judge his
character after one encounter, but his reaction to her gave the aura of a cold
and calculating man. Malinda expected to feel nothing but contempt for the man
who ignored his daughter so heinously, but for some reason she did not sense
any coldhearted snake. He felt much more like an animal caught in a trap, an
animal that would more than likely gnaw off his foot rather than deal with his
capture. Whatever it was that he perceived as a threat was something only he
would be able to confess.