Page 52 of A Baron's Disguised Lady
“You know me,” she said, and Lavinia smiled.
“Theodora,” she replied, holding out her hands towards her sister, who continued to approach her across the forest glade.
“I had to come, Lavinia. I had to tell you—you’re close,” she said.
Lavinia looked at her in surprise.
“But… what do you mean? Close to what?” she asked, and Theodora stepped closer, though she remained just out of reach of Lavinia’s outstretched hands.
“Gwendolene, Lavinia. You can help Archie… help Archie,” she said, and Lavinia nodded.
“Do you know the truth? Do you know what happened to Gwendolene? Is she there with you?” Lavinia asked, but Theodora shook her head.
“This is my place, Lavinia—where I’m happy,” she said.
Lavinia had so many questions, and now she stretched out her hands, trying to take hold of her sister’s hand, even as Theodora began to fade.
“But… I want you back, Theodora. I’ve missed you so terribly… I can’t… please, don’t leave me again,” she cried out.
But Theodora, the forest glade, the light… all of it was beginning to fade.
“Lavinia, I love you,” Theodora said, and with a start, Lavinia opened her eyes.
***
She sat bolt upright in bed, confused for a moment as to where she was, before realizing it had all been a dream—her sister, the clearing, and the scent of the flowers.
“Theodora,” she said out loud, having never seen her sister so vividly in a dream as she had done just then.
As a child, Lavinia had often dreamed of her sister. But those dreams had been childish; images of the memories they had shared, mixed with Lavinia’s own longings. But this was different. It was as though her sister had actually come to her, to tell her something about Gwendolene.
“That we’re close to the truth. That we have to persevere,”she murmured, renewed in her determination to see the matter through. To find the truth about Gwendolene’s killer.
It was still dark outside, and a distant clock, somewhere in the house, now chimed the third hour. Lavinia yawned, pulling the blankets over herself in the hope of going back to sleep. But a sudden noise disturbed her. It was the creaking of a floorboard, as though someone was in the corridor outside her bedroom.
Lavinia sat up, curious as to who should be wandering around the house at such an hour. Daisy would long since have gone to bed, and none of the other servants would surely be so bold as to approach her bedroom at that hour… not even the butler. Another creak sounded from outside, and then a pause.
Lavinia held her breath, listening through the darkness, as now, the handle of the door twisted with a creak. Lavinia was certain she had pulled the bolt across before bed, and handle turned in vain. She was about to cry out—to scream for help—but now the footsteps retreated, the floorboards creaking in the opposite direction as she breathed a sigh of relief.
Who was that? Who could it have been?She pulled back the blankets, hurrying to the door, and listening for any further sounds along the corridor.
But the house was quiet, and Lavinia did not dare pull back the bolt and look out. Instead, she crossed to the window, pulling back the curtain to look out across the garden. The moon was high in the sky, casting a silvery glow across the lawns, and as she watched, a figure, dressed all in black, sprinted towards thegate leading into the orchard. Lavinia drew a sharp intake of breath, her eyes growing wide at the sight, fearing whoever it was had meant her harm.
Perhaps they know what Doctor Airdale told us,she thought to herself, shuddering at the thought of what might have happened had the bolt not been drawn across the door.
One murder had already been committed at Sarum Lacy House, and Lavinia now realized how close she had come to being the victim of another. But who was the figure dressed all in black, and how had they discovered what she and Archie now knew?
I can’t tell him. He’d only worry, and he’d send me away,she thought to herself, knowing Archie would only seek to protect her if she told him what had happened.
Instead, she checked the bolt was still drawn across the door, and lit a candle to light the room, sitting in a chair by the hearth and watching the door until first light. She had just fallen asleep when Daisy knocked, and waking with a start, she called out to the maid to identify herself.
“It’s… just me, Daisy. Are you all right, Miss Stuart?” the maid replied, and bleary-eyed, Lavinia hurried to pull back the bolt.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Daisy. I must’ve locked the door from the inside last night,” Lavinia said.
The maid was carrying a tray with tea things on it, and she looked at Lavinia curiously.
“Are you sure you’re all right? You look like you’ve been up all night. I was worried—Mr. Hargreaves says someone broke into the house last night,” Daisy said, and Lavinia tried her best to look surprised.
