Page 28 of Mesmerized

“It were lookin’ that dark, I thought,” he agreed, handing one of the lanterns to St. Leger.

“Good,” Stephen said. “Let’s see if we can catch some sign of him.”

They went down the shallow steps into the lower garden. Tom, holding his lantern up to cast as much light as possible, turned to the right. Stephen and Olivia went the other way. Olivia, holding the long skirts of her dressing gown up to her ankles to keep them from brushing the ground, peered carefully to each side of her for any glimpse of their visitor. They wound through the west half of the garden, taking every path they found. Now and again they ran into Tom, searching from his side of the garden, and at last they came together at the very bottom of the garden, at the end of the path. Beyond lay only dark trees and, after that, a meadow. Not surprisingly, they had found no sign of their quarry.

“It’s hopeless,” Stephen said with some bitterness. “Chasing someone dressed in black through the darkness...”

“Especially given the fact that he had all that time to get away while we were running down the stairs and out to the garden,” Olivia added.

“I know.” Stephen sighed. “We might as well return to the house. We can search tomorrow in the daylight. Perhaps we’ll find some trace of him.”

They returned to the house to find the rest of the occupants in turmoil. Lady St. Leger, Pamela, Belinda and their guests were all milling about at the foot of the stairs, waiting for them.

“Stephen!” Lady St. Leger pounced on him. “What was it? Did you see him again?”

“I’ve never been so scared in my life!” Belinda exclaimed, grabbing her brother’s arm. Her white face attested to her words, though there was also the irrepressible excitement of a nineteen-year-old shining in her gray eyes. “What was it?”

“I imagine it was someone dressed up in a robe,” Stephen replied flatly. “But he was gone by the time we got there.”

Lady St. Leger was also still in her dressing gown, but Belinda and Pamela were dressed for dinner. Pamela, icily beautiful, as always, in gray silk and lace, cast a disparaging eye over Olivia’s attire. Olivia glanced down at her dressing gown, seeing that she had not managed to keep the hem of it entirely from the dirt; she had also, she realized, stepped on one of the ruffles of her petticoat and pulled it loose, so that it dragged on the ground, dangling and dirty.

“Was there really someone outside in the garden, Stephen?” Pamela asked, her tone faintly derisive. “My chamber is on the wrong side, so I was not able to see this ‘ghost.’”

“He was there!” Belinda snapped, whirling toward Lady Pamela fiercely. “Just because you didn’t see—”

“It’s all right, Belinda.” Stephen laid a calming hand on her shoulder. He looked at Pamela. “Yes, I saw him, too. There was someone cavorting about in the garden, though I am sure it—”

“Cavorting!” Lady St. Leger exclaimed. “How can you be so lighthearted about it? It was a horrible, hideous monk, with the face of a skeleton, and he was walking with such a slow, ponderous tread—a walk like doom. Like death!”

Olivia went quickly over to the older woman and put her arm around her comfortingly. “It’s all right, Lady St. Leger. I’m sure. Please don’t distress yourself. Tomorrow, when it is light, we will make a better search. No doubt it will turn out to be something not very ominous.”

Madame Valenskaya spoke up, saying portentously, “Spirits leaf no traces. Can you not see? It was a lost soul. It cried out to me. To you!” She pointed dramatically at Stephen. “How can you ignore it?”

“Bloody hell!” Stephen burst out. “It was nothing but a man dressed up in a fake monk’s robe! But I am sure you already know—”

“Lord St. Leger,” Olivia stuck in quickly, “your mother is very distressed. Perhaps you should take her up to her room.”

“Yes. Of course.” He shot Olivia a grateful look and took his mother’s arm. “Let us go upstairs. You should lie down and rest. You will feel better.”

“I won’t,” Lady St. Leger protested. “I’m much too frightened to close my eyes, let alone sleep. I have heard people talk about ghosts, but I never actually saw one before. It was ghastly.”

“I’m sure you still have not seen one,” Stephen growled.

“It was ghastly,” Olivia agreed. “Whatever it was.”

“When it turned its face up, and I saw that skull—” Belinda shivered “—it nearly frightened me out of my wits.”

“You were right to say that this place was full of lost souls, Madame.” Mr. Babington spoke up, his quiet voice firmer than normal. “Obviously that was one of the poor shades Lady St. Leger’s son spoke about.”

“Yes. Of course. Is true.” Madame Valenskaya spoke slowly, nodding and looking downcast. “I am sorry, my lady. Blackhope is a dark place, full of unhappy souls.”

“Madame, will you sit again tonight?” Lady St. Leger asked, leaving her son’s side and going over to the medium and looking hopefully into her face. “Please? I am sure it would be of great help in this matter.”

The medium inclined her head regally. “Of course, my lady. I must help you. I will call on de spirits tonight.”

Olivia cast a glance at Stephen, who gave her an ironic look in return but said nothing. She felt sure that he realized, as she did, that the only way they could discover Valenskaya’s scheme was to let the woman play out her act tonight.

So, after the evening meal, which had been delayed almost to the point of ruination by the “ghostly appearance” and the subsequent turmoil, the household gathered once again around the table in the smaller dining room. They sat as they had before, with the medium at one end of the table, her cohorts on either side and Lord St. Leger as far from her as he could be placed. Once again Olivia sat between Lady St. Leger and Stephen, and even though she was prepared tonight for the sensation that ran through her when his hand folded around hers, the power of it was no less intense. She could not help but wonder what he felt when he took her hand and whether it shook him as much as it did her. Olivia thought of the kiss he had given her the day before; she hoped he could not read on her face where her thoughts lay.