“I have a strange feeling everything will work out just fine,” Evelyn said confidently. “In truth, I think they needed to come back here. They needed to confront the demons of the past.”
“That’s what scares me.” Grace glanced out of the window; the haunting sight of the full moon caused a shiver to run down her spine. “What if they don’t come back? What if they find others with the same affliction living in the castle? What if they want to drink blood openly and freely without the need to hide it from the world?”
Evelyn grasped her upper arms. “You’re starting to sound irrational.” She forced Grace to look at her. “Elliot loves you. You will need to find a way to control your emotions if we are going to be any help to them.”
Help to them?
What on earth could they do when faced with a devil in the guise of a temptress?
“What? Do you have a plan in mind?” Grace noted the sly smirk playing on Evelyn’s lips. “You do! I have seen that mischievous look in your eye numerous times before.”
Evelyn’s smirk turned into a beaming grin. “Of course. Why do you think I told you to shape the candle wax and put a blob in each ear?”
The mere mention of wax caused the itching to return. Grace scratched at her ear convinced remnants were still lodged inside the small canal. “I assumed you knew they would be over-protective. I assumed you would take umbrage at being manipulated, at losing your free will.”
“I refuse to be treated like a child,” Evelyn said with a firm nod. “If I want to risk my life to save the man I love, then that is my choice to make.”
“I must say I am somewhat relieved. Every minute spent standing by this window feels more like a day. Another hour and I would be fit for Bedlam.”
Evelyn took her hand and patted it gently. “Well, we would not want that. Now before we can do anything, we must check to see if the wax plug worked. When Elliot commanded you to stay in the room, did you do what I said?”
Grace nodded. “I hummed a tune in my head and stared at him blankly.” It had not been an easy task, but it helped that she imagined she was listening to her sister, Caroline.
“Good. Hopefully, the wax will have helped to muffle the sound.”
“It must have worked as I struggled to follow the conversation around the table. What made you think of using candle wax?”
“I don’t know. The thought just popped into my head. I recalled that in the Greek tale Odyssey, Circe tells Odysseus to make plugs for their ears from beeswax so they would not fall prey to the sirens song.” Evelyn shrugged. “I hoped it would work in the same way, but I am a little sceptical.”
Grace gave her a hug. It was the only way she knew to express her pride in her friend’s ingenious plan. “I would never have thought of something so clever. If it had been left up to me, we’d still be sat in this room come the morning.”
Evelyn rubbed Grace’s upper arms as she stepped back. “Let us see if it worked before you offer any more praise for my inventiveness.”
They turned and looked at the door, took hesitant steps towards it as though they expected to find a jeering crowd surrounding the hangman’s scaffold on the other side.
Evelyn turned the key, grabbed the handle and exhaled. “Well, here goes.” She opened the door and waved her hand for Grace to attempt to step over the threshold.
“Elliot will be furious with me if this works,” Grace said, imagining the look on his face if he returned to find their room empty. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out into the hall. The sudden rush of satisfaction made her jump and clap her hands. “It worked. Good heavens.”
Evelyn chuckled nervously. “What are the chances it worked for you but not for me? Alexander can be very domineering though he often struggles to form coherent sentences when I look at him in a certain way. Let’s hope his mind was on other things and his words lacked the conviction needed.”
With ease and with a cheer of elation, Evelyn joined Grace out in the hall.
“It’s rather gratifying to know we
are capable of weaving magic of our own,” Evelyn said looking terribly pleased with herself.
Grace straightened and, with a renewed sense of confidence, said, “So, we have managed to evade our captors. What now?”
Evelyn thought for a moment. “We will visit the elderly gentleman who lives at the end of the street. The wench said he cares for the orphan children of the village. So we will say we have come at Frau Lockwood’s behest and wish to make a financial contribution to the cause.”
“What if Frau Lockwood comes to see him while we are there?”
“The wench said she goes to see the children. Surely they’ll be tucked up in their beds at this late hour. Besides, I doubt she would cause us any harm while in the presence of witnesses. She also said that the children are often seen playing outside, so they do not possess the same affliction.”
Grace found the whole thing baffling. It was as though Frau Lockwood and the devil woman were two different people. On one hand she appeared to be caring and nurturing. On the other hand, she was capable of the most evil, inhumane acts.
“Why do you think she goes to visit them?” Grace asked curiously.