Page 55 of From the Darkness

Moments ago, she’d been flying as high as the stars. Now she fought the tears gathering in the backs of her eyes.

Damn him!

He had made her believe that he wanted her to come back to him. Was that a lie? Was he playing with her? Or worse, was he using her for his own purposes?

She squeezed her eyes shut, clenched her hands into fists, trying to make that idea go away. She desperately wanted to ask him what was going on. Why he had chosen that way to make love to her. And why he had left so suddenly. But she didn’t even know if she could believe his answer.

She thought about going back to her own bed. But she knew she would never sleep in that room, not now.

Instead, she pulled up the covers and burrowed down into the warmth created by her own body. She actually slept for a few hours, then rose determined to take some positive action.

It was still dark when she returned to her room, changed her clothing, and left again—heading for the part of the house where Dinah’s room and the schoolroom were located—in search of new sleeping quarters.

“So, Troy,” she murmured in a low voice as she walked quietly down the hall, “what do you think about my changing bedrooms? If you don’t approve, all you have to do is say so.”

She didn’t expect an answer, and she didn’t get one, even though she couldn’t shake the feeling that he knew perfectly well what she was doing.

One door down from the sunporch, she found a small but charmingly decorated bedroom. It had only a small closet, which she considered a definite plus, and she checked that carefully to make sure there was no secret entrance. Then, before the rest of the household was awake, she packed up her clothing and toilet articles and moved them to the new location.

She was just putting her underwear in the dresser in the new room, when the door burst open.

She almost jumped out of her skin, until she found herself facing a distressed looking Mrs. Martindale.

The housekeeper’s eyes widened when she saw Bree. “Why, it’s you again! What are you doing in here?”

“I’m changing rooms.”

“Why on earth? Wasn’t the old one satisfactory?”

“It was fine. But it was too far away from Dinah. I want to be close to her. So I took the liberty of moving my things. I hope that’s not an inconvenience.”

“Oh no. That’s fine. I just couldn’t imagine who was in here.”

“Were you expecting a ghost?” Bree couldn’t stop herself from asking.

The housekeeper laughed. “No. Of course not. You just gave me a start, but I guess it cuts both ways. You looked like you thought an ax murderer had come in.”

Bree joined in the laughter. “Yes, well, this house can be kind of spooky.”

Mrs. Martindale nodded, then said, “The bed in this room isn’t made up. I can do that for you after breakfast.”

“I don’t want to put you to any extra trouble. I’ll do it. Just show me where to find the linens.”

“I’ll bring them now.” She left and returned a few minutes later with towels, sheets, and pillowcases.

Bree kept herself busy making the bed and arranging the towels in the bathroom. Something kept nagging at her. Some fact she should match with some other fact. But whatever it was wouldn’t come to her.

It was only a little past dawn when she finished everything, but she was too restless to sit still.

After pulling on a jacket, she went down the backstairs and out the door. She had told herself she just needed a breath of fresh air. But as soon as she stepped outside, she knew where she was going. Quickly, she crossed the garden area, then stepped out onto the headlands. This early in the morning, mist rolled in off the ocean, making it difficult to see the edge of the cliff.

She knew the fog made for dangerous walking, but if she kept her gaze a few feet ahead of her, she could see the path she’d taken the day before.

Her hands were cold, and she thrust them into her pockets, hearing the roar of the waves breaking against the cliffs as she walked away from the house.

She saw the grove of trees ahead and veered toward the left, plowing through the low-growing vegetation. Even in full daylight, the shadows under the canopy of branches had been spooky. With mist wafting around the moss-covered trunks, it was even spookier. For a moment she hesitated, then she stepped out of the open area and under the trees, her breath coming hard and fast—as though she’d just run a race.

She stood quietly, waiting for her breathing to settle. When she decided she could hear something besides the air rushing in and out of her lungs, she listened.

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