I stood there, apart from him, because I had my balance again, and I didn’t want
to be pressed against another man, regardless of who he was. “Yes,” I said. “George
and I are both fine.”
Thomas came to a panting stop. Even with his dressing gown flapping around his
bare feet and ankles, his hair tousled all over his head, he looked beautiful.
“What is going on here?” he said, but Lawrence just shook his head.
“I don’t know as yet. But something has happened. Andy?”
We were all standing there in the middle of John’s bedchamber, the candlelight
flickering slightly because there was an open window beside John’s bed. I hugged
myself, but that wasn’t enough. I leaned down and picked up George. I wasn’t
about to let him go. He seemed to realize that something was going on here and
that I needed him. He settled himself comfortably in my arms.
“Tell them what happened,” John said, and he walked away to the fireplace to set
a fire.
Then Amelia was standing in the open doorway staring at all of us, that lovely
black hair of hers streaking down her back, like a long silk swatch.
“I woke up suddenly,” I said, and swallowed because I heard a tremor in my voice.
“I don’t know why, but I did. And I saw something very ugly, not really human,
and it was standing like a dead thing at the foot of my bed, still as a statue,
like it wasn’t really there. I realized soon enough that it was an old woman,
hideous, with tangled white hair, and when I asked her what she wanted, she said
I was an abomination, and other things along that line, and that I would pay for
it all. Then she raised this knife and came toward me. I threw a pillow at her,
grabbed George, and we managed to get out of the bedchamber.”
There was silence.
John said, “Do you remember exactly what the old woman said to you?”
I shook my head. “Perhaps it will straighten itself out tomorrow. Right now, it’s
just a blur except for the abomination part. One doesn’t easily forget being
called an abomination.”
And the silence continued with four sets of eyes just staring at me.
“Listen to me, I know you don’t want to believe me, not after what I felt in the
Black Chamber and what I said happened to Amelia, but it is all true. I would
not make this up. Actually, I don’t think I would even be able to conjure this
up. It was terrifying. It was very real. The old woman tried to kill me.”
There was more silence, then my husband said in a very low, gentle voice, “Certainly
something happened, Andy. Would you like a cup of tea?”
“Excuse me,” John said. “I’m going to The Blue Room and see what I can find.”
“I’ll come with you,” Thomas said.
I knew, of course, that the room would be perfectly empty. The old woman wouldn’t
be there. Why would she remain?
“You have had quite a fright,” Amelia said. “No matter what happened, dream or
something else, you are still shaking. Come and sit down, Andy.”
“No,” I said. “I want to go back to The Blue Room.” I ignored my husband, whose
hand was stretched out toward me. George trotted after me. We walked down that
corridor together, and I felt the curdling fear grow stronger and stronger with
each step nearer.
By the time I reached the open door, I felt numb with fear. It was a horrible
way to feel. I felt helpless, and my brain just didn’t want me to move in any
direction. I just wanted to shut myself down.
George barked.
“It’s all right,” John called out. “Both of you can come in.”
“There is nothing here,” Thomas said, and I saw that he was gingerly moving his
left hand. What the devil could possibly be wrong with his damned left hand?
“I didn’t expect the old woman would remain to greet you after she failed to
kill me. Or perhaps she meant to frighten me, if that is what she meant by me