To Walk in the Sun (Wiggons' School for Elegant Young Ladies - Book 1) (16 page)

* * *

Tess marched down the hall and banged on the
door to the bedroom of Miss Weston, Lady Trent and Miss Fairview.
She’d had enough of their silliness. Their concerns must cease and
desist,
now
. Thank goodness Lord Atwood saw the entire
matter in good humor, but it was inconsiderate and insensitive for
the girls to carry on so when he had given them a place to
stay.

There was no sound from within and she banged
a bit harder.

Still nothing. She turned the handle on the
door, stepped into the room and jerked at the brightness. Goodness,
even she was pained from coming in here. The girls’ room was
situated at the southern end of the house. All three windows were
open, the drapes pulled back to allow the fullest amount of sun
into the room. No vampire in his or her right mind would attempt to
enter this room.

She left and slammed the door behind her.

Tess found the three of them sitting in a
gazebo by the lake. A book on Ireland was open on Eliza’s lap and
the other two read over her shoulder. What they could find so
interesting she had no idea. Besides, right now it didn’t
matter.

“We need to have a word, girls.” She used the
tone most likely to illicit a prompt, respectful response.

All three sets of eyes snapped up. They
scrambled to their feet and faced her. Eliza closed and placed the
book on the chair behind her.

“I have had about all I can take of your
fears and superstitions.”

“But, Miss Crawford --” Sophia began.

Tess focused on her. “You will remain silent.
You will listen to what I say.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Sophia dropped her chin, her
lips formed a pout.

“Lord Atwood is
not
a vampire. His
wife is
not
alive.”

“We saw her,” Eliza interrupted.

“What exactly did you see?” Tess
demanded.

“He was carrying a woman down the hall.”

“Did you see her face, hair, clothing?”

“Well, ah, no,” Eliza admitted.

Tess could not tell the girls it was she
Atwood carried. That would invite an entirely new set of problems.
Whether it be her fall from morality or mortality. Either way, they
would invent a story that would see her ruined.

“What time was it when you saw him carrying
this…
person
?”

The girls shared a look. Rosemary answered,
“Around two in the morning.”

“What were you girls even doing awake at that
time?”

“We, um, couldn’t sleep,” Sophia answered in
a weak voice.

Tess marched down the line and looked each of
them over. She knew this was intimidating for she had used it on
them before. Something had to be done. “Perhaps I should separate
the three of you.”

“No,” their voices cried in unison.

“What else am I to do? You have the rest of
the girls too frightened to sleep. They wake the other teachers at
all hours of the night because they
heard
something or
saw
something.”

“Perhaps they did.” Eliza’s chin jutted
out.

This child had always been the most stubborn
and difficult one. Tess walked over and stared down her nose at the
girl. “You are the instigator in all of this. If you do not stop,
now, you will be moved to the top floor, with the younger
girls.”

Her eyes grew wide. “No, Miss Crawford,
please.”

“Then I suggest you get a hold of your
tongue, and imagination, because if you do not stop encouraging
these other two with your outrageous ideas, that is exactly where
you will find yourself. And, if that doesn’t work, you will be sent
home.”

Tess knew if she stayed and listened to any
argument she would end up yelling at the girls and possibly make
threats she could not follow through on. So, to end the discussion,
she turned on her heel and marched out of the gazebo. Once she was
far enough away, she stopped. She was much too agitated to return
to the house or try and concentrate on the lessons for tomorrow.
Perhaps if she slept at night it would be easier, and maybe she
wouldn’t be so exhausted.

She took in her surroundings. Perhaps a
stroll would calm her enough to enjoy conversation with the other
teachers in the household.

* * *

Sophia and Rosemary focused on Eliza and
waited for her reaction. The girl sighed and settled into a wicker
chair. “Poor, Miss Crawford. Do you think it is possible he has
already begun to mesmerize her?”

Rosemary settled down beside her on the
floor. “My father also said it is nonsense.”

“All adults think it is nonsense,” Eliza she
scoffed.

“Yes, but still. . .” Sophia began.

Eliza focused on her. “We know what we saw.
Even if Miss Crawford and the others are blind to the truth, we
must protect them.”

“But how?” Sophia cried and sank to the floor
beside Rosemary.

Eliza picked up her book on Ireland. “I know
exactly how.”

* * *

Tess took deep breaths and tried to calm her
anger. She shouldn’t have been so hard on the girls but they were
being ridiculous. She was certain neither she, Claudia nor Natalie
had ever behaved in such a manner.

Well, there was the time Claudia insisted the
fishermen were smugglers. She could not imagine why anyone would be
out in boats before the sun rose if not for illegal purposes. For a
week they rose at three in the morning to spy on the men, to see
what they were really about. Every morning, just before the sun
rose, they rowed their boats out to the sea and cast out their
nets. Not one bottle of brandy or bolt of lace was ever retrieved.
All the girls managed to do was catch a cold that kept all three of
them in bed for days.

Still, they were much more mature than those
three girls. None of them would have ever imagined such an
outrageous scenario as vampires.

She chuckled at the memories as she turned
into the gardens. The sight before her brought her up short.
Natalie’s classes had done wonders. Before, weeds chocked out the
plants and flowers. That had all been cleared away and the last of
the summer flowers bloomed, offering an array of color that would
soon die with the first frost and later be covered in snow.

Tess settled onto a bench and willed all
tension from her body. At least Atwood was handling the girl’s
beliefs with good humor. She wasn’t so sure she would have been as
kind had people talked about her in the same manner.

Atwood. He was a very strange man. One moment
he was barking and ordering people about. The next, he laughed. She
could not come to grips with his ever-changing moods. What had last
night been about? Why had he gotten so physically close to her? She
could still smell his scent.

No, she must forget his scent, his sculpted
chest, his chiseled face and most importantly, his penetrating
eyes. Her body warmed at the remembrance of his face, close to
hers, and the urge to place her lips on his.

Tess abruptly stood and began to pace among
the mums. How could she be attracted to such a contrary man? Of
course he was handsome, but she had met other handsome men in her
life and memories of their lips, faces and chests did not keep her
awake at night. Or at least not their lips and faces. Atwood’s was
the only chest she had ever seen.

Her face heated at the memory. What would it
be like to touch it? Would the strength be similar to a statue?
Would his hair be soft?

Stop it
. Atwood may be handsome, and
at times, nice, but there was no future. Goodness, the man’s best
friend was Percer. That alone should tell her something about his
character. Anyone who considered Percer a man worthy of respect was
not someone she cared to know. So, Atwood could be the most
attractive, intriguing, if not almost perfect man alive, but his
choice of companions left a lot to be desired and the strongest
reason why she should keep her distance.

There was only one problem, how was she to
combat her attraction when she was now forced to spend the evening
hours with him acting as his secretary. She could only pray he
stayed on his own side of the desk.

With determination, Tess started back to the
house. She was resolved and she would stay strong. No matter how
much he tempted her, she would not succumb to his charms. With her
mind made up, Tess set off on the short path that cut through the
woods to the main lawn.

“Ah, Theresa Ford-Creigh. How long has it
been? Two years?”

Tess stopped. A chill went up her spine. The
hairs stood up on the back of her neck. She knew that voice and had
prayed never to hear it again.

revelling in bliss, thou beholdest not the
abyss that yawns beneath thy feet,

intoxicated with the luscious perfume of the
flower thou hast plucked,

thou little deemest how deadly is the venom
with which it is fraught,

although, for a short season, its potent
fragrance

bestows new energy on all thy feelings.

Wake Not the Dead

Johann Ludwig Tieck

Chapter 14

Out of the woods stepped Lord Walter Percer.
Where had he come from and how did he find me
?

Tess took a step back. Her eyes darted from
one end of the short path to another. She wasn’t sure if she hoped
for rescue or not.
Why was he here?

“Ah, Theresa, you have grown prettier over
time.” Percer’s hand came up to caress her cheek.

Tess jerked away.

“Had I known, I may have actually gone
through with my ruse to marry you.”

Tess moved back from him, off the path.

“Come now, don’t be afraid.” His voice was
silken, seductive. The same voice she had fallen for so many years
ago.

“What do you want?” She edged to the side,
back onto the path, yet kept her distance from him.

“Do you know how long it took me to find
you?” He advanced on her. His steps slow and menacing.

Tess shook her head and continued to look for
an avenue of escape. She considered screaming, but what if Percer
turned her in?

“Personally, I would have been more creative
if I had to change my name. Ford-Creigh to Crawford. Any idiot
could have figured it out.”

“I took you a long time.” Her brow arched and
Tess wondered where she got the inner strength to insult him. Was
she a fool?

He laughed. “Touché, my dear.” He stopped
before her. “I honestly thought you had left the country. I never
dreamed you would be foolish enough to return to your former
school.”

“How did you find me?” Tess needed to know
where she had gone wrong. That way, when she disappeared again she
would not make the same mistake.

“I was visiting a friend when a teacher and a
few of the students spent the night. When the teacher, Tess
Crawford, was mentioned I could not help but be intrigued.”

It was stupid to come back here and she’d
originally only intended to stay a short time before she moved on.
But, when no one came after her, Mrs. Wiggons assured her she would
be safe. Well, she had been for over a year.

“After a few further questions, I knew it had
to be you. What were the chances of someone, with a similar name,
matching your exact description, teaching at a school you had
attended?”

Tess took a step back. She would run if she
had to, even without her belongings. This was a day she had
prepared for. “Why haven’t you turned me in?”

He grinned and advanced. With each step, she
took one backwards. “I want something.”

She stopped. “What?”

He arched a brow. “You know exactly what I am
looking for.”

“I don’t have it.”

He reached out, grabbed her hair and jerked
her to him. “Don’t lie to me.”

Tess bit back a scream. The girls were not
that far away and she did not want them to come investigate.

“You will bring me your father’s piece of the
map.”

“And if I don’t?”

“I will contact the magistrate and you will
hang.”

Tess fought the dizziness and blackness that
engulfed her. It was what she had always feared. Oh, why hadn’t she
moved to the continent or America? “How do I know you will not turn
me in once you have the paper?”

“You don’t.” He grinned before he brought his
face down and kissed her.

Tess twisted her head away. Hair ripped from
the base of her skull.

“Don’t fight me. I control everything.”

Tears sprung to her eyes. What was she to
do?
“Bring me the paper and I won’t turn you in.”

“What assurance do I have?”

“My word.” His smile grew wider. “Besides,
there is more I need from you and a hangman’s noose would be a bit
inconvenient at this moment.” His eyes raked over her body and
lingered for a moment on her breasts.

She feared what else he would demand. Would
the payment be worth survival? Further, she could not trust him.
She would never be that foolish again.

“Miss Crawford,” Eliza called from the far
end of the path. “I have a question. Are you still here?”

Percer turned to look in the direction of the
voice, as did Tess. She could not see her and hoped Percer could
not either, or that Eliza could see him.

“Tonight, at midnight, here. Bring me the
paper.” He faded into the woods and she heard his feet run through
the brush.

Tess collapsed against a tree. She could not
find her breath and her heart beat so fiercely it was a wonder it
couldn’t be seen. What would have happened if Eliza had not called
out? What if Eliza had come across them? So many questions and no
answers. Percer was dangerous and he had found her. She had to
protect the girls no matter what. She knew, in her heart, that she
would deliver the paper to him tonight. What happened afterwards,
she did not know.