Page 43 of Witchbane

That night, having each checked the spell room and found nothing amiss, we said our goodnights. Aunt Sorrel returned to her cottage, while Grandmama and I locked the doors, took our lit candles and went upstairs to our bedrooms. I yawned but, as tired as I was after such an emotionally challenging day, I couldn’t imagine being able to sleep. Not in my bedroom as it was now.

I kissed my grandmother outside her room and went into my own, knowing she was not going to leave the hall for her own bedroom until I did.

As I entered, my candle lit the wall and I spotted something different. I shuddered to see that the blackness had grown even more. The mouldy veins resembled two arms outstretched to envelop me. I was unable to move, my feet feeling as if they were planted there. Why did I have to return to this room each night? Surely I could move to another bedroom?

I was about to leave the room to speak to my grandmother, but as I turned and took hold of the doorknob her voice rang out. ‘Go to bed, Rue,’ she snapped as if she sensed what I was about to do.

I groaned. There was nothing for it but to do as she said. I stood for a moment, trying to pluck up the courage to get into bed, then decided to keep my clothes on, so that if my fear of the presence became too much to bear, I would be free to bolt from the room without losing my dignity. Tomorrow morning, though, I would speak to Grandmama and plead with her to allow me to move my things into another bedroom.

As I lay in the dark the faint scent I had detected earlier wafted over me. Maybe changing rooms wasn’t the answer. What we had to do was discover what had caused this blackness; why it was here and what it meant to us. Was the scent of my mother a ruse to trick us? Although I had only known my mother when I was a child, I couldn’t imagine why she would send something like this to my room. It was very odd and extremely disconcerting.

Chapter Twenty-One

THEO

Ileft my family home and quickly retraced my steps to the crossroads. I wasn’t sure why I felt compelled to come this way. My mother believed in following her instincts but until now I had never done so myself. Something was making me take this route, and as I had a lot of time to make up in my investigation, because of revisiting Rue’s home and then spending time with my mother, I decided to follow this feeling. The sooner I located Lord Thistlebury, the quicker I could prove Rue’s innocence and free her to continue with her life.

As I rode I tried to feel confident about my plan, but it was tentative at best. After half an hour, I reached Merryvale. Logic told me there was little chance of finding her father here, or indeed any information about him; it was far too close to the manor, and if they truly hadn’t seen anything of him for the past decade then he surely would not be here. But I needed to eliminate it to be able to move on to the next town.

By six o’clock I had reached Oakley and spoken to anyone who would entertain my questions but found out nothing else. I was about to leave the village and return home when a voice called out to me.

‘Sir, please stop. I have information for you that might assist you in your quest.’

Shocked at someone speaking to me willingly, I reined Warrior to a walk and turned him to face the man running in my direction.

‘You can help me find Lord Thistlebury?’

The man, whom I gauged to be about forty, panted and bent over, raising a hand as he gathered his breath. I waited patiently for him to speak.

‘Sorry,’ he said, standing upright, his face flushed. ‘I heard you speaking to some of the men in the inn earlier. I’ve been trying to decide whether to approach you, but I believe I must tell you what I know.’

Suspicious about his motive, I said, ‘You will understand, I hope, why I’m taken aback by your offer.’

He nodded. ‘Aye, sir. I’m aware it can’t be easy for the women at the manor to keep it going since His Lordship vanished.’ When I didn’t respond, he continued, ‘My own father ran off when I was nine years old, leaving my mother and siblings with little to tide us over. I don’t understand him choosing to leave that poor motherless daughter of his without a word. Cruel, it is.’

I felt a lump form in my throat and swallowed before nodding my agreement. ‘Then I am grateful to you. Please tell me what you know.’

He took off his hat and scratched his head thoughtfully. Several men were leaving the inn and the man walked around Warrior’s head to stand on the side furthest from them. ‘My apologies.’

Understanding his wish not to be seen, I gave him an understanding smile. ‘Please continue.’

He pushed his hands into his jacket pocket and leant close to Warrior’s neck. ‘It was about four years ago that I heard this, so His Lordship might have already moved on.’

‘I understand.’

‘I heard from a cousin who had been working up High Marcham. Insisted he’d spotted a man he swore was Lord Thistlebury.’

‘He knew him?’

The man nodded. ‘Aye, he worked as a stable boy at the manor for a few years. Spoke to him most days when he tacked up his horse, he did.’

This was looking promising. ‘Please carry on.’

‘My cousin said His Lordship appeared weary, as if he’d aged twenty years.’ He puffed out his cheeks. ‘Probably due to losing his wife in that awful way.’ He raised his eyebrows until they disappeared into his greasy fringe. ‘And guilt for leaving that daughter of his.’

As much as I agreed with this man, my impatience made me anxious. Warrior picked up on my mood as he always did and began stamping his right hoof.

The man jumped back. ‘He could crush my foot with those things.’