Lacybourne Manor (Ghosts and Reincarnation #3)(102)
Author: Kristen Ashley

“I thought you were dead!” the woman yelled, striding forward quickly. “Inside, they said you were murdered… oh… my… gawd!” Her voice rose even further as she turned to a harried, embarrassed-looking man beside her. “They said they’d come back to life. Oh… my… gawd, Harold, look at them. They’ve been reincarnated!”

More people were now peering at them, some of them curiously, others, who had also been inside the house and seen the portraits, excitedly.

“Did you come to visit the portraits?” the woman asked.

“They live here,” Mags offered proudly.

Colin cursed eloquently under his breath and Sibyl’s eyes sent icicles shafting toward her mother.

“Oh… my… gawd,” the American woman breathed before shouting, “It’s magic!”

Colin practically shoved Sibyl into the BMW and once her feet cleared the door, he closed it cleanly and prowled to the other side while Mags, Bertie and Scarlett slid into the back.

Colin took them to the village next to Clevedon, to a lovely, small café nestled into pretty woods at the back of a garden centre. As the day stayed cold and misty, they were forced inside to sit amongst the brightly painted tables and gaily blinking fairy lights. The food there was delicious and, after they’d finished, Bertie cleared his throat.

“We’ve been talking and we’ve come to some decisions,” he announced and everyone’s eyes turned to him. “Scarlett and I have to get back but seeing as things are… well, the way they are,” he paused hesitantly before he let the bomb drop, “Mags feels she ought to stay.”

Sibyl looked at Colin who, she was surprised to see after the recent incident at Lacybourne, had no reaction whatsoever to this news.

Her gaze slid away from Colin and the rest of the family glanced at each other then finally Bertie asked, “If that’s all right with you, Colin.”

Colin looked first at Bertie then directly at Mags. “You’re welcome at Lacybourne for as long as you wish to stay.”

Mags beamed then instantly offered, “I’ll take the bedroom the farthest away. Give you both some privacy.”

Sibyl glanced at the ceiling, praying to the goddess for patience which, luckily, the goddess bestowed on her and the rest of the day went without incident.

* * * * *

Late in the evening, after their visit to Mrs. Byrne and Angie, dinner and everyone was in bed, Sibyl found (not surprisingly) she was unable to sleep. Listening to Colin’s even breathing, she gently slid out of his arms, out of bed and pulled on the plaid dressing gown her father had discarded years before but she’d saved from the Goodwill bag and she’d used ever since.

She stepped over Mallory whose body was twitching, running after something in his sleep that he would never chase when he was awake and went to stand by the window. In order to be quiet and not disturb Colin, she carefully opened the drapes and stared out into the moonless night. Her eyes adjusted to the dim light from the streetlamps that barely filtered through the heavy tree line and tall shrubbery at the edge of the estate.

She could see the outlines of the trees and thought of Royce and Beatrice dying hideous, bloody deaths somewhere out there hundreds of years ago.

She hadn’t been back to see Royce in her dreams in weeks. Now, she wished to go back, was desperate to go back so she could talk to him, warn him, tell him what awaited him and Beatrice. If she was able to convince him, she could stop the curse before it started. Even though she wanted it, her nights were dreamless and, it seemed, she realised with a heavy heart, Royce was lost to her.

“Sibyl, get away from the window.” Colin’s low voice startled her, she jumped and turned toward the bed.

“I didn’t know you were awake,” she whispered as if he was still asleep.

The covers snapped back, he knifed out of bed, took a great stride toward her (a distance that would take her at least three), snatched her wrist and yanked her back to the side of the bed. He then went to the window and slapped the curtains shut.

“What are you doing?” she asked, watching him.

“Has it occurred to you that someone out there wants to hurt you, me or both of us and standing by the window in the dead of night gives them a clean shot?” he asked in return, his tone sharp.

The thought jarred her to her senses and she replied quietly, “I didn’t think.”

“Sometimes you don’t,” he muttered this on a weary sigh and she was stunned to hear that this was said non-judgementally, devoid of insult or even mild annoyance (well, perhaps, there was mild annoyance but it was very mild annoyance).

And, because of that, because he understood that failing of hers and accepted it (with only very mild annoyance), Sibyl very nearly blurted out right then and there that she loved him.

But, luckily, before she could, Colin pulled her back into bed with him and settled himself behind her, his arm wrapped around her and his body pressed down her length.

Then he asked, “Why were you up?”

His deep, velvet voice rumbled through her and she decided she loved that too.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she explained.

“I gathered that,” he muttered drily in return.

She smiled and she decided she loved that about him too and she didn’t even know what that was.

Then she whispered, “My family is leaving tomorrow and it makes me sad.”

“Your mother is staying,” Colin offered in consolation but his arm tightened comfortingly and his breath stirred her hair and her love bloomed even more. That thing inside her she thought was long since ash, she knew now, was alive and flourishing.

“My mother is staying tomorrow and that makes me worried,” she replied.

She felt his body shake gently with his chuckle and her smile deepened at the thought that she was able to make him laugh and she decided she loved that too.

“At least things will be more interesting with her around,” Colin remarked.

He had that right and he likely didn’t even know how right he was.

But he would find out.

“I think we can barely cope with things getting much more interesting,” Sibyl countered.

Colin made no response.

With his silence, she settled deeper into him and nestled her bottom into his groin. When she’d done this, finally, she relaxed.

But when he next spoke, all relaxation fled.

“Now, why don’t you tell me why you really couldn’t sleep?”

Her eyes grew round in the dark.