Chapter Twenty-seven.
F or three nights after I killed the mastermind, I didn’t see Eden. Simply because I wished to ensure no others had knowledge concerning Vam’pirs. The Barringtons had contacts within the government, and I tapped them for intelligence.
They had no information regarding the experiment or the house. Good. It was finally over, and it was safe to roam the streets again. As soon as night fell, I drove to Eden’s pub and was surprised to receive a chilly welcome. That was unacceptable.
“What’s wrong?” I challenged.
“Jacques, I’m busy,” Eden answered and walked away.
“Eden, it’s Tuesday evening. It’s dead in here. What’s up?”
“Nothing. Did you enjoy yourself the other night?”
Puzzled, I looked at Eden, and then I realised what she meant.
“You saw me with Amelia. That wasn’t what you think—”
“Shit never is, is it? Jack often has the same excuse: forget the explanation.”
“No, I won’t. Amelia is an acquaintance. Actually, Amelia is the girlfriend of a friend of mine. James was in trouble and needed help.”
Carefully, I took Eden by the arm.
“Jacques, I’ve heard this all before,” Eden replied and pulled her arm away.
Fortune smiled at that moment as James and Amelia walked in. Arm in arm and smiling at each other.
Eden looked surprised.
Before joining James and Amelia at a table, I said, “See.”
“Anything wrong?” I asked them, concerned.
“Nothing, I wanted to stop and see you,” Amelia replied with a smile.
James was staring at Eden with recognition in his eyes.
“Elizabeth!” James murmured and turned back in shock.
“Yes, that is Elizabeth’s soul reborn,” I answered defensively.
Amelia froze and stared at the woman who housed the soul of James’s dead lover. Apprehension showed on Amelia’s face, and she sat in fear, looking at James.
“Now I know why you frequent this pub. I thought it was strange for you to come to such places. Good luck, Jacques. If she is anything like Elizabeth, you’ll need it,” James said before putting Eden out of his mind.
James turned to Amelia and kissed her gently on the lips. “Luckily, I found love, and hopefully, you’ll find yours this time.”
I smiled, thankful James and I were not at odds again. The next several hours were spent chatting. James surprised me at how he opened up and shared things. Amelia left first, and James asked her to wait outside.
“Jaq, I meant what I said the other night. Honestly, I don’t think that we will be best friends. But I hope that we’ll become some sort of friends. There’s history between us. I’m with Amelia now. After a long time alone, I dimly perceived the millennia of solitude you suffered, Jacques. For sure, I cannot imagine life without Amelia.”
“Thank you, James. Your words mean a lot. Despite our differences, I hope that something positive will eventually result from our relationship. However, know this: Amelia adores you,” I said to reassure James.
“Yes, and that is reciprocated.”
“Try telling Amelia this. Amelia thinks she is fighting the ghost of Elizabeth. Spend some time with Amelia, show her how much you do love her.”
James chuckled. “What is this? Dr Jacques Du Mont? I’ll consider what you’ve said. Good luck with your barmaid.”
James rose, shook my hand, and left. I heard a squeal of delight from Amelia, and the word Bermuda came through clearly.
Silently, I laughed. Congratulations, James, a honeymoon is a fantastic plan. Just mind that sun!
Happily, I watched them leave and rose out of my seat. I walked over to Eden, and without a word, she fetched a drink.
“Sorry. I don’t know what possessed me.” Eden placed the glass in front of me.
“I do. You sense it, too, the fact we are meant to be together.”
“But I’m married,” Eden said weakly.
“To a fool who doesn’t recognise the worth of what they have.”
Eden shook her head. “Jack loves me.”
“As a slave. Tell me to go, and I’ll stay away. Say that there is nothing between us, and I will disappear and leave you to your life.”
Eden seemed on the verge of speaking before letting out a soft sigh. “I cannot. But I can’t leave Jack either.”
Hastily, I wrote my address down on a piece of paper, trying not to think of déjà vu.
“Come tomorrow, and we’ll not be disturbed.”
Eden pocketed it quickly, and I felt a threatening presence. Jack had just entered the pub and was glaring in my direction.
Mischief rising, I winked and walked over.
“Hello again,” I said. The urge to punch Jack in the face was hard to control, but I kept my temper.
“John, isn’t it?” Jack asked with a sneer.
“Jacques, actually, but you knew that,” I retorted, and Jack looked affronted. With Jack’s huge bulk, I bet nobody called dear old Jack out on his shit.
Before Jack could say another word, I left the pub and returned home.
The next day, I waited all morning for Eden to arrive and finally resigned myself that she wasn’t. At two o’clock, I was getting ready to visit Eden. Something told me there might have been trouble when a timid knock rapped on the door. Anxiously, I rushed and opened it, and Eden stood there in the pouring rain.
“Jack is working nights, so I couldn’t leave till he had,” Eden said as she walked in.
Relived Eden was safe, I led her into the living room and walked into the kitchen. Eden followed me out as I made coffee.
“I love your house. It feels… well, homely,” Eden finished inanely.
“The result took time. This is not my main home, I have many, but if I want to remain anonymous, this suits. Nobody would expect someone like me to reside here. Not in a terraced house in Dagenham. Here, I can relax, and I have to admit I am happy.”
“Somebody like you?” Eden questioned. “Oh, you own other properties?”
Eden was clearly thinking I dabbled in property. The truth was, I owned many houses around the world and rented them while I didn’t live in them. They might as well be useful.
“Quite a few. That’s where a lot of my money comes from. If I’m not using them, I rent them out.”
“You’re well off,” Eden said, and I nodded.
An awkward silence fell, and we sat staring at each other across the room.
“Jaq, I have never done anything like this before, and I don’t know why I’m doing this now,” Eden finally broke the quiet.
“There is something between us. Accept that. Eden, this is why you’re here. Don’t deny it.”
“I’m not, but I’m scared and confused.”
“Come and live with me. If you want to flee Dagenham, we can. We travel anywhere in the world.”
Eden stood up and paced the carpet.
“Jaq, I can’t just up and leave Jack. That’s not right.”
Prepared to fight for Eden, I rose to my feet. “Who cares what’s right or wrong? Eden, we are meant to be together.” I grabbed her arm gently, intending to pull her into my arms, and the response frightened me.
Eden hissed in pain and pulled away in fear. Belatedly, Eden tried to hide the spontaneous reaction, but it was too late. I’d witnessed it. Without a word, I pulled Eden back and rolled her shirtsleeve up. There was a huge bruise on her upper arm.
“How did you get this?” Stupid question; I already knew how Eden had received it.
“Fell…” Eden broke off at my glare and fumbled around. “It’s nothing to do with you.”
“No? The bastard’s beating you up.”
“Jack doesn’t mean it,” Eden cried.
“Why are you defending Jack?” I yelled. “There is no defence for this. I’ll kill him!”
“No!”
Eden gathered up her bag and coat and walked to the front door. Running after her, I cut Eden’s escape route off and slammed my hand against the door, holding it shut.
“This was a bad idea, Jacques. I must go.”
“Don’t,” I whispered in Eden’s ear.
Eden looked at me with tears in her eyes. “Where were you during my school days? I made my bed then, and now I have to lie in it.”
“No, you don’t. Leave Jack. Eden, I’ll give you the life you deserve. Divorce is not banned nowadays.”
Eden shook her head in denial, freeing her arm as she left my house. Desperately, I wanted to run after her, but the sun came out. Miserable, I flinched back into the shadows of my home. I left Eden alone that night and for the next six.
◆◆◆
When I returned to the pub a week later, it was nearly closing time, and I watched Eden from a dark corner. Darkness shadowed Eden’s eyes, and her face was pale.
She laughed at something the manager said, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Eden appeared dull and withdrawn. As I watched, Eden looked up and saw Jack. The laughter stopped immediately, and Eden collected her coat. Jack’s posture indicated impending trouble, prompting me to follow him to the car park.
“…want you to quit,” Jack was saying as I closed in.
“No, please. Jack, I like the job.”
“You’re a cheap slut. Whore! You enjoy men looking at your body and revel in their attention,” Jack shouted.
“How can you say that?” Eden cried.
“Easy. First Jacques, then the manager. Are you fucking them? Hope you get paid.”
“They’re better in bed than what you are,” Eden flung back angrily.
Jack’s face set into an expression I did not like one bit, and Eden cringed.
“Please, Jack, I didn’t mean that. I was just angry.”
“Anger doesn’t get you anywhere, does it?”
Jack drew his arm back to punch her, and Eden cowered against the car. Before Jack’s fist landed, I was there, grabbing his arm and breaking it. Jack fell to the ground with a howl, and I kicked him hard. Jack lifted and flew across the carpark.
“Jacques, don’t!” Eden cried and grabbed onto my arm, pulling me away from Jack. “What have you done? I’ll just get worse when Jack gets home.”
“No, you won’t,” I said, picking Eden up. “You’re coming with me.”
Ignoring any arguments, I carried Eden to where my car was and put her inside.
I drove when I couldn’t be bothered to walk or teleport, it also kept up the appearance of normalcy.
Eden sobbed, her face buried in her hands. My heart wept, and I drove Eden home in silence.
Eden stared when I pulled up at her house.
“Get some clothes or whatever you need, and we’ll leave,” I ordered.
Eden nodded in shock, and I trailed behind her. Eden switched on the lights, and I hissed.
Those were not dark circles under her eyes but bruises instead. Fist clenched, I followed Eden upstairs, where she only picked up a few clothes and jewellery.
“These were my mothers,” Eden said as she put the jewellery into her handbag.
“Anything else?”
“Just this,” Eden replied, and grief hit me. The last item was a tiny pink little dress, obviously bought for the baby. “This is all I have left of Elizabeth.”
Eden gathered up some photos and followed me down to the car. I threw the suitcase and bags in the boot and slammed it shut. Eden stood there looking up at the house where she had lived.
“The marriage is over, isn’t it?” Eden asked.
“It was over the moment Jack raised his hands. You shouldn’t have accepted the beatings,” I answered and drove home.
There wasn’t a lot of distance between Jack’s house and mine. A three/four-minute walk. That was worrying. Silently, I began making plans to get Eden to one of my bigger homes, away from Dagenham. The London townhouse would suffice for now.
I let us in and took her belongings upstairs to the spare bedroom. Eden followed me up and looked around.
“This has been recently decorated,” she said.
“Last week, I did it for you.”
“You expected me then?” Eden refused to meet my eyes, and I was starting to get a little worried. It seemed as if her fire had been extinguished. Obviously, Eden had just suffered a harrowing experience, but somehow, I anticipated more fire than this.
“Hoped.”
Eden nodded and sat down on the bed. “Would you leave me, please? Jaq, I don’t mean to sound rude, but I need time alone to think things over.”
I nodded and left the room.
All night, I waited downstairs, waiting for Eden to do something, but nothing happened. At eight o’clock the next morning, I took Eden up some toast and was surprised to see her dressed and staring at the ceiling.
“You’re awake.”
Eden nodded and sat up. There were bags under her eyes as well as bruises, and it was plain Eden hadn’t slept.
“Jaq, I need to grab some extra belongings from home.
“What prevented you from getting that yesterday?” I asked.
I knew what Eden was not saying. Eden would go home to face Jack. And I would have to let her. Eden would not settle until she had faced him.
“I forgot,” Eden said inanely, not elaborating.
She rose and walked to the bathroom, where I could hear her showering. I sat wearily on the bed and felt that Eden had closed herself off to me. Like Elizabeth, Eden could not leave her first relationship easily.
Elizabeth had managed to juggle two lovers, but Eden would not. Not when Jack was violent and cruel. Jack would be very nasty when she returned. Honestly, I think Eden underestimated what reception she would receive. However, this was Eden’s choice, and it had to be respected. I left Eden’s room so she could dress and made myself scarce.
The day was cloudy, so I visited the shops. When I returned, Eden was gone. Torn between chasing Eden and accepting her decision, I put the bags of shopping down. As there was hardly any food, I’d bought Eden some.
Desperately, I sought Eden out and sensed her in the presence of Jack. There was anger and pain surrounding her, and I shut that out. Eden had to resolve this herself. If I interfered, then I would never know if Eden would resent me for trying to run her life. As I was watching the morning programmes on television, I felt Eden scream. I sat up and searched her out.
Eden was in agony, and it was not emotional.
Jack was beating her!
I cursed at the bright sunlight streaming through the windows. Shit, I couldn’t reach her! Frantically, I searched Eden out again and felt nothing. Panic set in, and I kept an eye on the sky as I paced helplessly in my home. I was completely clueless, and my mind started imagining countless scenarios. Finally, after an hour, the sun disappeared behind a big cloud, and I dashed to her house.
It was a nightmare outside. There was a fire engine, two police cars and an ambulance. Sitting in one of the police cars was Jack, and when he saw me, he smirked.
“Won’t want the bitch now. Not after what I’ve done to her.”
My heart stopped, and I rushed inside. A police officer stopped me, and I explained who I was.
“You’re the boyfriend, then?” he asked.
“Boyfriend? No, I’m a friend. Eden and I were due to meet for coffee, and I saw all the commotion. Where is Eden, what has Jack done?”
The police officer looked into my face before motioning to the ambulance.
“They are working on Eden now. It is bad. Can you attend the hospital with her?”
I nodded and felt the blood drain from my face as another officer came out with an evidence bag holding a knife. A blood-stained knife.
The young officer I was talking to took pity on me and led me to the ambulance. I dreaded looking inside and when I did, I wish that I hadn’t. Blood covered both the ambulance and the paramedics.
“Time to go,” one told the officer.
“He’s going with her. He’s a friend,” the officer said and pushed me inside.
They slammed the doors and, with sirens blazing, pulled away. It took fifteen minutes to reach the hospital, and those were the longest minutes of my life.
Jack had done his work well. He had beaten Eden’s beautiful face to a pulp. Eden’s nose was broken, and her eyes were puffed up. Despite the fact Jack had only one hand to hit with, he had done a thorough job of beating Eden.
Her body was smothered in bruises, and she had broken fingers where he had stamped on them. Eden’s left ankle was thought to be broken, and they were worried about a possible back fracture. Jack had pushed Eden down the stairs and then dragged her screaming by the hair into the living room.
The neighbours had heard Eden crying for help and had called the police. Jack had used the knife on Eden’s stomach, twisting it deep into her womb, rendering her barren. Jack had also carved his initials into her breasts, both of them. And insanely, Jack had begun to slice Eden’s body up. On arrival at the hospital, Eden was rushed straight into the theatre and remained there for several hours.
I paced the waiting room, listening to the nurse’s updates without emotion. Finally, a doctor came to see me.
“Mrs…”
“Call her Eden. She won’t be married for much longer.”
“Eden is stable but in intensive care.”
The doctor listed the wounds that I have just described and continued. “Eden’s throat was cut, and it is doubtful whether Eden will talk properly again. Eden is very lucky to have survived. She has also sustained injuries to her arms, where she tried to defend against the knife. Mr Du Mont, Eden has several broken ribs and a punctured lung. How she’s held on, I don’t know. If Eden survives the night, we’ll have some hope.
I stared, not saying a word.
“Would you like to see Eden?” a nurse asked.
I nodded my head mutely and followed her into intensive care.
Eden was wreathed in bandages and drips. I took a chair and sat next to her, holding her hand as I best as I could, considering that it was in bandages. The nurse squeezed my shoulder and left.
Jack had chopped and butchered Eden’s hair, and she looked simply awful. As the evening approached, I refused to leave, and the nurses allowed me to stay the night.
Twice during the night, Eden’s heart stopped, and she was brought back. I began to think that I might have to change her when her condition stabilised. I breathed a sigh of relief as a nurse gave me a thumbs up, and I relaxed a little. They transferred Eden to a ward, and I paid for a private room.
Once there and closed off, I dropped some of my blood into her wounds to aid healing.
A few of Eden’s neighbours came to visit, and I was grateful. The man who’d called the police burst into tears. Poor soul, he was an elderly man who could barely walk himself. He babbled that he wasn’t strong enough to help and felt guilty.
I recalled the fire engine’s presence at the house and asked about it. He said that Jack had burnt all of Eden’s belongings and set the bedroom alight. Funny, I hadn’t noticed. He offered to return tomorrow, and I nodded. Finally, after my long vigil, Eden opened her eyes.
She tried to talk, but I put my finger to her lips and shook my head. I pressed the button to call the nurse, and the sister came in.
She checked Eden over and said that she was stable. I stroked Eden’s hair and whispered soothing things. Eden clearly remembered everything Jack had done to her, and the fear in her eyes was tangible.
I told her Jack was under arrest, and Eden relaxed a bit. I wanted to tear Jack apart limb by limb and knew that I would get a chance to do that someday. The main thing was getting her better.
Eden remained in hospital for three weeks.
Luckily, Eden’s back wasn’t broken, thank God, and she would speak again. Her voice would not be what it once was, pure and sweet. It took on a husky timber, and I told her it very sexy.
Eden smiled, but her spirits were low, and I couldn’t perk them up.
Then, after two weeks, I brought Eden a small parcel. Eden looked at me and then waved her fingers under my nose. I grinned sheepishly and opened it for her. Her eyes widened as she read what was on the tickets. A trip on the Orient Express and to Disney Land, Paris.
“It’s for big kids as well as little ones,” I said and was relieved when Eden smiled.
“Jaq, I would love to go, but—”
“Eden, I have applied for a passport for you, and the trip is not booked until next month. This is an incentive for you to heal.”
Neither of us had approached the subject of Eden’s beating, but we knew that we would have to talk about it. I wasn’t sure anymore whether Eden wanted me in her life, as I had caused it—however indirectly.
“I would love to go. Maybe as a honeymoon. If you still want me in this condition,” Eden said timidly.
“Nothing will ever change my feelings for you, Eden. Nothing. And a honeymoon would be perfect.”
A smile crossed Eden’s lips.
“Although I thought we could do this as a holiday, maybe Barbados and Europe as a honeymoon,” I said causally.
Eden began crying, and I wiped the tears away.
“I’m damaged goods, Jacques. I can’t even have children anymore.”
Eden broke down into great sobs, and a nurse poked her head in concerned. I waved her away, and she left me to comfort Eden. As Eden sobbed, I held her tightly. I made soothing noises and whispered meaningless nonsense in her ears.
“Eden, I need to share something with you. Listen carefully and pay attention, darling. If you want me to leave after, then I will, but please hear me out.”
Eden nodded and pushed herself up in bed.
“Eden, I cannot have any more children. I was frightened of telling you this in case you rejected me. If you want children, perhaps we can adopt. Anything to make you happy.”
“I had no idea.”
“About the fact that I’m sterile? I don’t care what you look like on the outside, it’s your soul that I am in love with. I am committed to spending my life with you and will do whatever it takes to make it happen. If you don’t want me, then I will leave and will only come back when you call me.”
I stopped and let Eden think it over.
Eden said nothing, and I rose from the chair. At once, she put her arm out to stop me.
“I love you too. In just a few weeks, I’ve found what I’ve been searching for my whole life—you. We’re soul mates if you believe in that.”
“Oh, I believe Eden, you have no idea how much,” I swore and sat back down.