PINELIGHTforkindle (11 page)

My head was still balanced against the open window seal when I saw Scarlet Heights for the first time.

Scarlet Heights was by all means a castle. It towered in the colorful sky, shading the land around it. Hundreds of red rosebushes were in bloom along the stone wall that led to its gates. Green vines climbed the outer walls, while more red roses colored the courtyard.

My mouth automatically dropped open in awe at its greatness.

“And that’s why they call it Scarlet Heights,” Fergus said.

As the car came to a stop in the circular courtyard, I noticed a woman standing at the door, dressed in a flowing golden dress, admiring the ruby color of the roses. Her eyes sparkled when her attention turned to us. In seconds Fergus had his arms wrapped around her, completely covering her body with his.

It wasn’t until they parted that I realized how stunning the woman was. Her green eyes were kind and her smile warm. There was a slight tint of peach lipstick remaining on her lips, which went well with the soft gold color of her skin and hair. She had to be nearly Fergus’s age, but you wouldn’t have guessed it at first or second glance.

“Clara,” she said as her hand lightly touched my shoulder. She looped an arm around my head and pulled me close to her. “I can’t believe you are finally here.”

“You’ve got a beautiful place,” I said as I subconsciously pulled away. “Have we met before?”

She shot a concerned look at Fergus and then back to me.

“Of course, dear. I’m your—”

“Norma,” Fergus interrupted. “Her name is Norma. You knew her when you were young.”

“How did I know you exactly?”

There was an awkward silence for a moment. “Let’s go inside, dear. We should get you settled in before we catch up.”

The inside of the manor was just as striking as the outer walls. The floor was tiled with different shades of yellow stone that complemented the walls. Golden drapes shaded the windows, and red decorative rugs covered the floor.

Norma walked beside me with her long yellow dress gliding over the patterns on the floor. I was dressed in a printed white T-shirt, black shorts, and black sneakers, an outfit I had quickly bought between connecting flights. I automatically felt underdressed.

“We are throwing a party tonight, in your honor. I understand you won’t remember their faces, but everyone is dying to see you!” She paused for a moment, allowing me to walk slightly ahead of her.

“Everyone?”

“You used to play in these halls as a young girl. You especially loved sliding down the staircase. Do you remember that? You were so little then. You would count each step on the way up and then slide down. I was scared to death the first time I saw you fly down them. You would just laugh and laugh! Now look at you. You are a beautiful woman!”

I was interested in knowing how my family was connecting to all of this—to this place specifically, but I didn’t feel like prying would be appropriate. Not until I unpacked, at least.

“So I guess our families were close, huh?”

Norma smiled as we took our first step on the staircase. “Closer than you know, child.”

We climbed the dark staircase, following the red carpet that lined the steps. After passing several large windows that looked over a green courtyard, we then turned and went up another flight of stairs. These steps ended on the second floor. Altogether I counted thirty-five steps.

“Your room is right down this hall. The one with the double doors,” she said, pointing to the right.

I opened the doors to find a room fit for a queen.

The walls were pale yellow, with crown molding. Folds of scarlet drapes shut in the window to the right; to the front were clear panes of glass opening up to an ocean view. A window seat, neatly cushioned to match the drapes, sat against the floor-length panes. A long golden material fell from the ceiling, creating a canopy over a frilly bed, while two fancy lamps stood tall on both sides.

“This is my room?” I questioned in disbelief at my good fortune.

“Of course. This was your favorite room.”

“I’ve slept here before?”

“Many times.”

“Oh.”

“We can find you another room if you feel uncomfortable…I just thought—”

“The room is great, Norma. I really mean it,” I said, quickly interrupting her thought.

“There’s a powder room through that door.” She pointed to a door hidden in the molding on the left side of the room, while walking over to the bed. “The wardrobe inside contains a few clean clothes. I can take you shopping tomorrow for some new ones if you like.”

She caught my eyes darting to the bed as she spoke.

“Oh, Clara, I’m sorry. Here you are, tired, and I’m carrying on about clothes. You’ve had a long trip—I can only imagine how exhausted you must be. Why don’t you lay down and take a little nap before our guests arrive, hmm?”

Tired was an understatement. I simply nodded and smiled politely.

“If you’re sure you don’t mind,” I said, “it would be nice to take a bath and lay down for a few hours.”

“You take as long as you like, sweetie,” she insisted while she made her way back through the door. “I’m going to drive into town to pick up a few things for tonight. I’ll check on you when I return.”

“Thanks.”

“I’ll see you in a bit...”

After a nice warm bath, I toweled off and slipped into one of the nightgowns from the wardrobe. I went straight to the bed and drifted to sleep in seconds.

Six hours later, my eyes opened after dreaming that Alice was taken. Then I remembered she
was
taken—that the nightmare was real. Alice was still missing, and Fergus had brought me here to find her.
And where was I?
Northern Ireland. I was staying in Northern Ireland, in a manor—no, in a castle—called Scarlet Heights.

I hopped from my bed to sit on the red cushion under the deep-set windowsill. Norma was right about the view, I loved it. Scarlet Heights towered over a steep cliff that dropped into rocky water. Green grass carpeted the ground, surrounding the castle and fading into rock as it neared this steep drop-off. From my window you could see miles and miles of the deep blue sea held in place by a rocky coastline. The dangerous waters looked tranquil through the glass pane. I almost felt at ease watching the waves crash against the shore.

About the time my mind drifted, Norma walked into the room.

“How was your nap?” she asked in her sweet voice.

I cleared my throat a bit before answering politely, “It was exactly what I needed.”

“Good. You look very rested.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I hope you don’t mind that I picked up a few things for you while I was in town. I thought you might like to dress up tonight since everyone is coming to see you. Fergus said the two of you left in quite a hurry—didn’t have time to pack, he said.” As she finished the sentence, she opened a large box and pulled out a simple, yet elegant red dress. “I hear red never goes out of style.”

“It’s perfect.” I bounced from the window seat and ran to her.

“And we can’t forget the shoes.” She tilted the box very slightly. Sitting at the bottom on crisp white tissue paper were a pair of red velvet high heels.

“Oh, thank you—but, this is way too much.” I laid the dress on the end of the bed, while she placed the box and shoes to its side. She quietly walked over to me.

“I’ve waited for this day for many years. It brings me great joy to have you here.” She paused long enough to sweep her hand over my cheek. “Nothing will ever be too much for our Clarabella.” She reached around my head and pulled me in for a hug. I quickly wrapped my arms around her.

While my head rested on her shoulder, I inhaled her sweet smell of lavender and sunshine. I could see another smile form on her kind face.

I looked right into her glistening eyes. “Thank you,” I said. “Thank you for everything.”

-11-

SCARLET REFLECTIONS

Everywhere I turned there was another face greeting me with a smile. I had said
hello
and
nice to meet you
hundreds of times and had been the official receiver of hugs and handshakes throughout the night. Once everyone seemed to calm down and talk among one another, I was able to slip away from the crowd. I weaved my way through the many groups that had gathered, until I saw the back of the hall. I was drawn to the round silver doors and two floor-length windows.

Fergus stood next to one of the rose-colored panes, staring out into the night. He moved every few seconds to take small sips from his glass of punch.

“Need company?” I asked as I walked to him.

“You look beautiful tonight, Clara,” Fergus said. His fingers tapped against the glass in his hand as he turned to reveal an award-winning smile. In some way I felt like he was proud of me.

“You should be enjoying the party, not hanging around an old man like me,” he said.

“Stop saying you’re old, ’cause you’re not.” I shook my head while clearing my throat. We both looked out into the crowd of guests. All of them seemed to be so happy.

“All these people, they know me, but I don’t remember a single face. I feel so out of place.” I noticed his smile fade, so I hurriedly brushed my hair from my shoulder and gave an enthusiastic grin. “But the food is great,” I added.

He chuckled. “That’s the Clara I know.”

We stood side by side, looking through the window at the night sky. Fergus continued to sip on his punch until it was almost gone.

“Fergus,” I said, breaking the trance, “you said you knew where they took Alice. Why won’t you tell me?”

He tilted his head down and looked up through droopy eyes. “Sometimes it’s too hard to hear the truth, dangerous even. I need you to trust me, Clara. Trust that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and to bring her back.”

“I do trust you. It’s just…nothing makes sense. I feel lost.”

As I turned my head to avoid his heartfelt gaze, my attention fell on a painting on the other side of the room. It was alone, centered in the middle of the wall. It’s wide golden frame made it stand out even more against the shadowed wall. I wasn’t sure how I had missed it before.

“Is that you?” I walked toward the painting, putting our conversation on hold. “And Norma?”

Before he could answer, I was close enough to see the truth for myself. The painting was a portrait of Norma and Fergus, with Scarlet Heights in all of its glory. They both held a loving gaze, with their arms holding each other.
How did I miss this? Fergus and Norma?
I thought he was a widower.

“Yes,” he said from across the room.

“Why did you…?” My brain was trying to trace back to all of the times he had spoken about missing his wife. He never once mentioned that she was still alive.

“It was the only way.”

“Stop saying that. Only way for what?”

He looked down at the bottom of his empty glass, not saying a word.

“For what, Fergus?”

“To protect my granddaughter,” he said, and then clarified. “It was the only way to keep you safe.”

Fergus is my grandfather
.
I directed my gaze toward the window nearest the painting. There was only silence while we each waited for the other to speak. A part of me wanted to throw my arms around him and never let go, but the other part, the more prominent part, was angry. I was hurt by the lies, by the secrets.

“Don’t be upset,” he said, reaching for my hand.

“All this time…” I swallowed, clearing the lumps from my throat while I backed away. “I can’t do this right now.”

I felt his eyes on my back, following me until I made my way into the dark hallway. The stairs seemed endless as I stomped to my bedroom.
I
s anything in my life real? Or is it all a lie?
I could actually feel my face getting hot again from frustration. I swung the heavy door to my room open, and a nice rush of air cooled the heat on my skin.

I’d been naive all along.
Is Alice even my aunt? Is she really missing?
I shuffled my feet over to the windowsill to sulk against the cold glass. A loose curl fell to my face as I watched the dark waves of the ocean ripple effortlessly across the deep abyss. It made sense now, why he brought me here. They were my father’s parents. This is where we lived.

I watched the waves for hours, trying to find logic behind the secrets, when my eyes spotted someone in the darkness. Someone from the party, I imagined.

I stood up to get a better look. That’s when I saw her face. This someone wasn’t just a guest from the party. It was a young girl. And she was walking straight for the edge of the cliff. Just like my dream.

How can this be happening? Am I dreaming again?
She had the same long brown hair. The same oversized scarlet cape. She stopped when she reached the edge, turned, and looked up at the window. Then she was gone.