Chapter 4
“Did you sleep well? Are your accommodations satisfactory?” Rahil asked the next morning. He smiled pleasantly. “I’ve always found that it takes time to adjust to new living conditions.”
“It was perfect,” I lied. “Everything’s very comfortable.
” I hadn’t slept a wink the night before; I’d been too busy staring at the trinkets on the shelf, trying to recall all the rumors I’d ever heard about Rahil’s former wives and how long each had been married to him before mysteriously vanishing.
“Would you like to dine together or separately?”
“Together,” I decided. It wouldn’t do to avoid Rahil entirely. If I was going to get him to release my sister, I needed to be in his good graces, and sooner was better than later.
“Splendid.” He offered me his elbow and I took it, trying not to look at him as I barely rested my fingertips onto it, but the strangeness of his blue beard kept attracting my attention.
“It may be arrogant to say so,” he went on, unaware that I was fighting the urge to run, “but I truly own the most spectacular manor the world has ever known. You ought to explore it today.”
“I’m sure I shall.”
“Here we are,” he said, guiding me into a long banquet hall where portraits of feasts and bowls of fruit adorned the hall. “Sit anywhere you like, and your plate will automatically fill with anything your heart desires.”
As I headed to a chair, Rahil jumped ahead of me and pulled it out for me. Just as he’d claimed it would, the plate in front of me immediately filled with all my favorite foods. There were eggs loaded with mushrooms and hot peppers, berries with cream, and chunks of dragon fruit.
“That’s amazing,” I said, impressed against my will. “How does it do that?”
“It’s the dragon enchantment at work,” he said, sitting across from me and waiting for his own plate to fill as well. “Fascinating creatures, dragons. Do you know much about them?”
“No. They’re native to Rookwyn and the Shadowed Mountains, aren’t they?”
“You’re correct. They occasionally pass through Brisden, but it’s populous enough here that there aren’t many lonely caves for them to nest in.”
“How did you get one to enchant your house?”
“By bribing it with a great sum of money,” Rahil said with another toothy smile behind that bluish beard. “I have almost limitless resources. You’re a lucky woman.”
I raised my glass. “I am indeed.” I examined his plate. “Do you not eat peppers? I assumed they were customary with most breakfasts, and these are particularly fine.”
He curled his lip. “I wouldn’t know; I’m not fond of peppers. They’re too spicy for me. I prefer sweeter foods.”
“Your loss,” I said with a shrug, and raised my glass to my lips. As I drank, a loud rapping came from the front door.
Rahil frowned. “I wasn’t expecting anyone.” He turned to me. “Did you tell anyone to come?”
“No,” I said, nervous for some unknown reason. Nadia was in a holding cell, and my few potion clients would never come looking for me.
“Stay here,” Rahil ordered, and went to answer the door.
The moment he was out of sight, I followed after him, treading softly in the hope that he wouldn’t hear my footsteps.
“—just want to see her and make sure she’s doing well,” a familiar creaky voice was saying.
“What are you suggesting?” Rahil answered coolly. “That I might harm my wife? Turning up uninvited on the day after a wedding is rather rude, you know.”
“I’ve known her a long time and I care about her,” the old man said.
I emerged from around the corner and smiled. “Father Eldridge, it’s good to see you.”
The minister’s face relaxed. “Alia! I was so worried about you.”
“I missed seeing you at the wedding yesterday,” I told him. “I had hoped you would attend.”
His wizened old face fell. “I couldn’t. I—”
“I understand,” I said quickly before turning to Rahil. “This is Father Eldridge, who runs the worship center in town. He served me and my sister more meals than I could count, and his wife was the one who taught me to read. I owe him a great deal.”
Rahil’s smile didn’t reach his eyes as he rotated his wedding ring before reaching out to clasp the minister’s hand. “In that case, you can expect to see a sizeable donation from us within a week.”
I threw a sharp, surprised look at Rahil, as did the old minister.
“She owes us no debt,” Eldridge hastened to say, but Rahil waved away his protests.
“I’m aware that you serve those in need out of the kindness of your heart. I always think that kindness is to be rewarded, don’t you, dear?” His hand crept up to my waist.
“If anyone deserves to be rewarded, it’s Eldridge and his wife,” I answered. “That’s very generous of you to offer, Rahil. Thank you.”
Rahil’s smile widened. “I’m a generous man. I don’t know why people think otherwise. In fact, I take great joy in gifting the best in life to those who have had little. Something we have in common, Father.”
“Perhaps I’ve misjudged you,” Father Eldridge said in his dry, reedy voice. “The rumors about you might have been exaggerated or unfounded.”
“You’re forgiven. I’m just glad to do something that means so much to my wife.” He bestowed a mechanical kiss to my cheek. “But if you don’t mind, she and I would like to be alone.”
“Of course, of course,” Father Eldridge said, bowing his way out the door.
Rahil called after him, “And watch for that donation!” before snapping the door shut.
A ringing silence followed. “That was unexpected,” I told him. “Why would you offer to do so much for them?”
He gave me a curious look. “I simply want to prove to you that I’m not a bad person.
I know there are more than a few rumors about me, and none are complimentary.
But I really do want to make a difference in the world.
” Eager sincerity shone out of his eyes, and my heart softened a little.
People made errors in judgment all the time; perhaps I had done the same.
“What you did was very kind,” I told him quietly, inwardly vowing to stop calling him Bluebeard in my mind. “That worship center helped me through many difficult times.”
“It’s my pleasure,” he said, and reached out to squeeze my hand.
I allowed it. I still didn’t trust him, but a hefty donation would make a world of difference to that worship center.
Samira’s face floated to the forefront of my mind, as if she were about to ask me to show her how to brew yet another elixir to ward off old age.
She had never reappeared after she’d gotten married, and Rahil hadn’t explained her disappearance.
I wouldn’t allow myself to be bribed into lowering my guard, no matter how much money he offered.
“How did each of your wives die?” I asked him that evening at dinner, my stomach knotted. I tried to broach the subject delicately, but tact had never been one of my strengths. “I assume they all died.”
He poked at his food with his fork. “I don’t particularly enjoy talking about it, but I suppose you have a right to know.
” He put down his fork and distractedly twisted the wedding ring around his finger—the one he had claimed a previous wife had given him.
A bright green gemstone flickered back at me.
“I thought that ring had a ruby on it,” I said hesitantly.
“No, it’s always been an emerald,” he said, rubbing his thumb over the jewel. “Maybe there was strange lighting before. Did you want to hear the story?”
I nodded.
“Joy was my first wife, and she was the love of my life. Having the dragon enchant this house was her idea, and she was unlike any other woman I’ve ever known.
We were very happy for several years, but she died in childbirth, along with our unborn son.
” His voice choked up and he cleared his throat before continuing.
“I vowed that after her, I would never love again. No offense.”
“None taken. Go on.”
“I vowed I would never love again,” he repeated, “but I still had to be married to fulfill the stipulations of my inheritance. So I married Nicole, a woman from a wealthy family. Our marriage was more akin to a joint business venture. We put our assets together and she agreed to marry me for the tax benefits and logistical advantages.” He smiled sadly.
“Not particularly romantic, but it worked out well enough. We got along for the most part and were married for two years. But she hadn’t told me all of her business dealings, and it turned out that her family’s wealth came from…
less-reputable sources, and there were some creditors who collected in blood rather than money. ”
I cringed. “That’s horrible.”
“It was. It happened right in front of me. I still don’t know why they didn’t kill me at the same time. It would have spared me a great deal of suffering, and I don’t think I’ve contributed anything to the world since her death.”
“But you’re doing good things now,” I pointed out. “You just donated to a worship center today.”
He tugged at his beard. “It seems that money’s all I’m good for.”
A drop of pity swelled in my chest. Could I have misjudged him? “What about wives three, four, and five?”
“After Nicole’s death, I told myself I would only pick a woman to marry who wasn’t caught up in any business dealings, and it would be best if she was fairly unattached.
My third wife, Natalya, was an excellent horseback trick rider.
I used to watch her try out different techniques for hours.
One night, she was riding back home during a storm and her horse got spooked. ”
He shuddered. “It was about then that I started wondering if I somehow cursed any woman who married me. I refused to marry for several years, but the way my inheritance is set up, it was going to all be taken away. I wondered if it would be better that way—after having three failed marriages, I thought maybe it would be best if I were rid of my riches, even if it went to lawyers. I almost did it too. But then Karis came along. She was a talented musician and composer, and she changed my mind, at least a little. She said that if I was going to throw away my fortune, the least I could do was give it to women who had never known wealth—at least as long as I was clear I would never love them.”
A slight smile crossed his lips. “I asked if she was volunteering, and she said only if I agreed to give her any musical instrument she wanted.”
“Sounds like a woman who knows opportunity when it’s presented to her.”
“She was that. I bought her an entire orchestra of the best instruments money could buy and hosted concerts so she could perform for crowds. We even traveled to other countries. I went to every single one of her concerts. If she had lived longer, I think I might’ve fallen in love with her.
But she caught black fever while we were touring Coronis and died before we could get back home. ”
“I’m sorry,” I told him. The pain in his voice was all too audible, but at the same time, there was a gut-wrenching twist to my insides. “And the most recent wife?”
“Ah, yes. Samira had attended one of Karis’s performances and came to express her condolences, and we discovered that we had a great deal in common.
We struck up a close friendship and she was willing to marry me.
But Samira knew the fate of my previous wives and wanted something to ward off illness and injury, just in case I was somehow cursed, so I managed to procure her a full apothecary and a place for her to brew potions.
It’s part of the manor; you’ll see it when you go exploring.
She was determined to learn to prevent any illness. ”
That part did sound like her. She was always very interested in remedies and treatments and had always wanted to learn.
“And then?” I prompted.
“She drowned,” he said sadly. “We were vacationing two years ago, and we went to explore a coral reef. Our guide said that if we could procure a sea serpent, their mucus had magical properties that are useful in potions. Samira didn’t like the water, but she wanted the ingredients more than she disliked water.
I was on the boat with the guide, and…and…
” His eyes closed and a single tear leaked out.
“She didn’t surface for a long time. When we jumped in to look for her, we found that her foot had been caught in the reef. She couldn’t escape.”
“I’m so sorry.” Did I believe him? Or was it simply a ruse?
No one could have as much bad luck as Rahil had claimed, but also…
his story was plausible. Even though my heart wanted to believe him and offer kindness, I couldn’t help but keep my distance.
As believable as it was, his very presence still gave me that eerie, unsettled feeling I couldn’t shake off.
He nodded glumly. “I’ve simply come to the conclusion that I’m cursed.
No women will even come near me now, and I can’t blame them.
I was prepared to have them strip me of my title and all my wealth this week, but then when your sister tried to steal from me on my way to the lawyer’s office, I thought at least I could marry her to give her a life so she didn’t need to steal.
I didn’t know she’s only seventeen or I wouldn’t have suggested it.
But then you offered to take her place and…
and here we are. Now I’ve pulled yet another woman into a marriage where you’ll be doomed to die because of my own selfishness and greed.
” He tugged at his bushy beard again. “You have free rein of the house. Go wherever you like and do whatever you like; I shan’t bother you at all.
My only hope is that you live as long as possible. ”