Page 92 of Never Leave Me
Harrison took a long sip. The last thing he remembered was riding home, giving Ellen and Marian the news about Arthur’s capture, and then falling into bed. What time was that? Was it afternoon? If so, now that it was 3:00 a.m., he’d been asleep for twelve hours, if not more.
The bigger question was, how had he crossed back to the present? He hadn’t put any holy water into the vault. Hadn’t planned to until after he’d helped rescue Arthur.
He finished his drink and nodded his thanks to Drake. “How did you wake me up?”
Sybil slanted a glance to the bedside table and the small dusty green glass bottles. “We were checking the vault every hour and finally two bottles showed up.”
He could sense her unasked question: How did they get there? She probably still didn’t believe anyone could cross into the past and put them there. But after the bottles had appeared from seemingly out of nowhere, she wanted him to explain how it had happened.
Who had done it? Marian hadn’t been keen on using the holywater—had wanted to return it to Ickham to ensure her dad’s safety. And Will was too up front to resort to deception, especially since they’d already made plans for Arthur’s rescue.
That left only one person. Ellen. She must have taken the leather flask after he’d fallen asleep. But why? He’d explained his wish to wait and help Arthur. “Ellen put them there.”
One of Sybil’s eyebrows cocked just slightly. She was usually impeccable at hiding her reactions. But he guessed his explanation was too difficult to believe. No doubt she thought he was absolutely mad.
“So you spoke with Ellen?” Sybil’s brusque, no-nonsense expression fell back into place.
“Lionel is holding her at Reider Castle. In the underground chambers, the old dungeon area. They’ve set up a laboratory there.”
Sybil studied his face, her eyes radiating questions.
“Please believe me, Sybil. I’m not fabricating any of this.”
“It’s as good a lead as any I’ve had yet, though communicating with the dead is not something I advocate nor is it my expertise.”
“I wasn’t communicating with the dead...” Did she believe he’d had a séance, conjuring, or some other ritual where he’d spoken with Ellen—or even Marian or Arthur? “How could I? I’ve been in a coma.”
She reached for her jacket slung over the back of the chair. “Let’s not worry about how you know. Let’s focus on pursuing the lead. I’ll speak with the chief constable and sort out a plan to investigate Reider Castle.”
Harrison struggled to sit up amidst the tubes that had helped him survive the past couple of days. “We have to keep this as private as possible. If Dr. Lionel knows he’s been found out, he’ll disappear and take Ellen with him.”
She shrugged into her jacket. “I’ll be discreet, Harrison. I’m determined to make sense of this case every bit as much as you are.”
As she exited the room, Harrison reclined against his pillows, fatigue hitting him and making him dizzy. Although he wanted to rush over to Reider Castle and storm inside, he was too weak to get out of bed just yet. In an hour or two, though, hopefully, his body would be rested enough to join in the rescue attempt.
Why had Ellen sent him back to the present? He closed his eyes and attempted to remember their last conversation together. Her words, spoken in the heat of the moment, rushed back to him.“I’m to blame for bringing Lord Worth into this. He wanted me, not Dad.”
What if she planned to offer herself to Lord Worth in place of Arthur?
He bolted up. Over the passing of the hours that he’d been asleep, she might have gone to Reider Castle and made the exchange. If so, there was no telling what Lord Worth could have done to her. What if he decided to burn her at the stake instead of Arthur? Or what if he demanded that she marry him? Once word of Harrison’s coma and death spread, Simon Worth would have every right to take her.
The very thought of her being with the cruel lord made Harrison’s stomach twist painfully.
“For the love of all that’s holy.” He swung his legs off the bed but then swayed. “Help me up, Drake.”
Drake was at his side in an instant. “You’re weak still, my lord, and should be abed for a while longer, eh?”
“I can’t.” But even as he pushed to his feet, he could only stare at his room and the door, his helplessness rendering him immobile. He wanted to rush to Ellen’s aid as he usually did, propose solutions, and come up with a viable plan.
But there was nothing—absolutely nothing—he could do for the woman he loved.
Ellen stood in the shadow of the stables holding the lead rope of the saddled horse. Dawn was several hours away, and she would have only scant moonlight to help her find her way to Reider Castle.
If only she could call a minicab. And if only she had her phone with the map app.
She held back an exasperated sigh and pressed the pouch beneath her skirt, feeling the bulbous glass bottles with their long necks. In addition to the two doses she’d placed in the vault for Harrison, she hadn’t taken much of the holy water, only two more tablespoons.
This day marked her dad’s passing. That meant it was the day he was gravely injured in the past, an injury that had contributed to his present comatose body dying. The real question yet to be answered was whether or not he also succumbed to death in 1382. If she succeeded at rescuing him from burning at the stake, he would still be in danger from something else. But what?
