chapter thirty-six
THE POISONER
T he winding trails of the Caldor Estate held some of the most beautiful scenes.
They cut through endless fields that turned from wildflowers to golden grass in autumn.
The ones that led into the forest went over creeks with thick trees in between, perfect for clearing the mind.
The sunsets always lit the leaves on fire in a golden glow late in the day.
The main road leading into town was on the other side of the wooded area.
The old English town looked frozen in time, not excluding the shops, taverns, and markets. It was perfectly quaint. Even at its busiest, it was quieter than my favorite market in London.
Phoebe and I arrived on horseback. There was a fox hunt later on, but other than that, it was a perfect leisurely day.
We thought spending some time away from the crowd might be nice.
It had been awkward between us since we found Boris.
I made Silas promise no more surprises unless absolutely necessary.
I warned him that he would cause me to fall ill if he kept leaving me with dead things. He was reluctant, but agreed.
Although Phoebe didn’t know it, Silas had decided to stay at the estate with me. As they say, it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission, and Phoebe did not need to know why he was really there.
I told him he was not allowed to be seen too close to me if we wanted to keep a low profile.
More attention was unnecessary as we figured out who my second stalker was.
He was reluctant to leave me alone, but he needed to give me some space to keep more rumors from spreading.
There were already so many from when he would not leave my side back home.
So far, Phoebe had informed me that people thought we had an arranged marriage, that I had fallen pregnant with his child, or that I was a witch because a man like him could not possibly want a woman who had a nontraditional lifestyle and a pedigree.
The stories had become our new form of entertainment.
Phoebe seemed less irritable about the whole thing, as I assured her that our relationship was professional.
While Silas’s and my relationship was complicated, I found myself hating him less and less, especially after last night.
Unfortunately, I had seen every side of him, yet I was still helpless to keep myself from certain feelings.
I would like to say maybe my presence had changed him, but I might be getting ahead of myself.
I needed him whether I liked it or not. I knew he wasn’t telling me everything. Something was wrong if he was genuinely worried. Stalking out of amusement had turned into stalking out of necessity recently. How did I always manage to attract the strangest men?
“You know, there’s a patron gala when we return to the city.
Father is lending some of his collection to the museum for a new exhibition,” Phoebe chattered excitedly.
“I’d love for you to come! Everyone from the museum will be there.
I am sure my father could recommend you if you make any contacts.
Many men from the natural sciences department will be in attendance.
” She wiggled her eyebrows at me suggestively.
I rolled my eyes as I adjusted my grip on the reins of my horse. “I will go, but not for that.” I gave my horse a nudge with my heel to speed up.
“Don’t you care about finding someone? You could ride off into the sunset while you talk about bugs or whatever you science folk use for small talk!” She laughed, pushing her horse forward to catch up with me.
“There are more important things to chase than men. Men are plentiful. It is not hard to find them. Sometimes they even find you.”
She shook her head at me as we rode up the path, approaching the estate.
The men were warming up their horses and playing a friendly polo game in the back courtyard.
I could see a flash of golden hair on a chestnut stallion bolting toward the ball, his strong arm smacking it hard with the stick, his body practically leaning sideways off the horse.
The ball smacked the net. Some cheers and groans chorused as Silas yanked on the reins, turning around.
He spotted me off into the distance, giving me a smirk before he circled around to the other players.
I could feel Phoebe’s glare already.
“What?” I smiled sheepishly.
“Strictly business?” She raised her brow.
“Yes, strictly business,” I reassured her with an unconvincing smile.
“I wasn’t aware he was on our guest list,” she said through clenched teeth, “and I made the list myself. Unless I am missing something.”
“He said he came with Jonathan, the one who works for one of your father’s acquisitions,” I lied.
She looked like she considered the possibility but was ultimately unconvinced.
I was reluctant to look in the water, not wanting to see any more unsuspected eyes peering back at me.
Tea was being served in the gazebo for the ladies in attendance. It was a nice day for fresh air and leisurely activity. I looked down at the honey-colored liquid in my cup, pushing my spoon around, stirring the fragments of leaves at the bottom.
“Is it true?” a voice spoke out.
My mind was pulled from my trance as I looked up to see many sets of eyes now on me, waiting eagerly for a response.
“Apologies. I was lost in thought. What was it?”
“Silas Forbes,” one brunette pipped. “Is he everything they say he is?”
“What might they be saying he is?” I sipped from my cup.
“They say he’s quite gifted in the…carnal subjects.” She smirked, and others joined in a cheeky array of giggles.
I had a tense expression on my face. “I wouldn’t know. Mr. Forbes and I are not involved other than business.” I set my cup down and glanced awkwardly at Phoebe, who refused to look in my direction.
“What project has he commissioned you for? A dog rig?” one woman teased boldly.
“Clarissa!” Phoebe snapped. “I expect more from you, but you look like the type of mug to know a dog rig when you see one. What’s that saying? ‘Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck’? How predictable,” she spat. I swore her tongue could cut up a woman faster than even the most esteemed butcher.
“It is all good fun, Phoebe.” Another woman sighed.
“Do not pretend you asked in good nature,” Phoebe sneered.
The table was silent, everyone glancing between the two.
“If rumors are something that you would like to believe, then be my guest to do so,” I spoke finally, rising from my seat to excuse myself.
I placed my hand on Clarissa’s shoulder in passing, my lips to her ear. “No amount of insult will be able to make you feel better about a man like him preferring a woman with a bit more…substance.” Malice lingered in my words, leaving them all with that as I headed back to the house.
It might not have been wise to feed into the rumors about Silas and me, though it was not like I could make them disappear either.
What was one more rumor? No one knew which one to believe anyway.
Someone had also spread a rumor that it was confirmed from the horse’s mouth that we were courting, though it was not from mine, that was for sure.
The lounge area was warmly lit, the tall windows painted with strokes of rain pouring down against the glass.
The sound could lull me to sleep as I sat alone on a decorative chaise.
I had not seen Phoebe since the garden. I imagined she was displeased with me at the moment.
Eyes shifted at me nervously as people bustled about, drinking and coming together to continue their hearsay.
The energy of those shifting gazes changed when a tall figure moved through the crowd, seating himself next to me.
“Now, why would a pretty girl like you be sitting by herself? It sounds like a waste of good company,” Silas whispered playfully.
Curious glimpses were stolen by the people around us, but I could only look at him.
“Well, I figured it was the best way for everyone to keep their heads,” I said sarcastically, clinking my glass against his before letting the rest of the scotch slip down my throat. “People are avoiding me like the plague.”
“Oh, that is because I told them that you were carrying my demon spawn and also secretly engaged to me.” He smirked.
“So you heard the rumors too, I take it?”
“Of course! I started a few of my own. I felt like I was missing out,” he joked. “Half of them did not sound terrible.”
“I like the one about me being a witch. I think it was the one with the most conviction. The apothecary? Are people losing their heads? A devilish man following me around like my personal henchman? I would say that it is a very strong possibility.”
“Well, you have certainly bewitched me.” He laughed. “Any more tricks up your sleeve? Any of your special potions left to try?”
“Keep it up and maybe I will make one just for you. Again. ”
“I quite like your poisons. I have acquired a taste for them.” He leaned close to my ear. “It is not the only thing I have developed a taste for.”
“Shouldn’t we be keeping our distance?”
“You know very well that I couldn’t do that any more than I could be a vegetarian.” He slid his arm behind me to rest it on the back of the couch. “How about we go somewhere more intimate?”
“People will notice,” I mumbled into my cup. “They’ll talk.”
“They already are, so what’s the point?”
“Are you suggesting that we court publicly?”
“Why not?”
“You don’t think it would be bad for your reputation?”
“You’re intelligent, a uniquely skilled killer, and beautiful beyond my wildest imagination. I think you would be good for my bloodline.”
“Very funny,” I scoffed. “Be careful. One might say you almost sound sincere.”
He leaned back in the seat, eyeing the people fluttering about.
“You know, I’ve never felt the need to keep humans around. They’re so frail and needy.” He kept his eyes on the crowd. “Many people like myself, including my father, keep them as pets often. Especially ones like you.”
I watched his steady expression, but he did not look my way as he spoke. He then took my hand and stood up, pulling me toward the back of the room.
“I always thought it was senseless to possess something so delicate that could break if you used it the wrong way. I couldn’t understand how that effort was worth a meal that you could find out in the open and dispose of later.
There would always be another.” He pulled me out the door and ventured down to the pond, away from prying eyes.
“Now I understand what it is to become obsessed, devoted to possessing someone. Enough to fight the urge to lock you away so no one can set wandering eyes on you again.”
There was something bright in the look he gave me that would have me believing that his last statement was not a joke. I had watched the obsession fester inside him since the moment we met. I knew how far he would go because of me, but how far would he go for me?
“Why are you telling me this?” My voice was strained.
Frost began forming on the grass as we walked along the edge of the pond. The conservatory glowed a bright orange over the dark blue surrounding the night.
“Just in case you needed convincing.” He looked at me through those angelic blond lashes, running his finger down my arm before intertwining our fingers.
“I want all of you, not just blood. I want every piece of flesh that clings to your bones and more. I want to own every expression that crosses that pretty face. Every hair on your head belongs to me, no part of it untouched by my hands.”
“I don’t belong to you,” I reminded him.
A smirk crossed his lips when I said that, like it was a challenge.
A carnal expression graced that striking face.
“If you believe that, then maybe you are a fool after all, Alina,” he said smoothly, taking my hand and lifting it up to spin me around.
He crossed it over my chest and held me against him, his other hand wrapping around my waist. We could hear the muffled sounds of music in the distance.
His breath fanned over the back of my neck as he kissed the skin softly, swaying with me as he caressed my body.
His obsession was worse than I thought. I assumed that it was caused by my supposed special blood he talked about, but now I knew that it was so much worse.
He would never leave me alone. He did not care if the public knew.
It meant cutting me off from everyone else.
If intimidation failed, I knew he would not hesitate to deliver body parts to my door if any man tried to move on what he thought was his.
“You are the fool if you think I could belong to anyone.” I unraveled myself from his arms, but he pulled me back in. He dipped me low with a tight grasp.
“You say that, but there will come a time when I ask you, and you will say yes.” He pulled me up to where our noses touched.
“That is quite a fantasy you have.” I raised a brow. “Unlikely, I fear.”
He chuckled and cupped my cheek softly, lovingly, even.
“We will burn that bridge when we get to it, my shadow.”