He was one of them! He was there!
The thought made her heartsick. He had to have been there to write that chapter!
The serpent undulated within her.
How could he sit here and calmly admit he’d written for all to read that description of what happened to her, of how Richard died? What had been his role?
Murderer!?
Horror assailed her, rising up to swamp her senses and making her feel sick to her stomach. Her heart raced. She felt the color draining from her face. She gasped, wide-eyed, her hand rising to her lips.
No! No!
He reached out to her as she surged to her feet. “I—” he began.
She had to get away, to get away from him, to get away from the memories.
She ran toward the Serpentine where Alex and Gwinnie were guiding the boat through the water with their length of rope.
I have to get away! We have to get away!
“Alex! Alex!” she called, her voice shrill.
Alex’s head whipped around at his name. “Come see, Mama!”
“No, we must leave immediately,” she told him, struggling to hide the fear and horror that filled her chest. She grabbed his arm and pulled him away from Lady Guinevere.
“Lady Darkford—Cassandra!” exclaimed Gwinnie. She reached out to her. “What has occurred?”
“I should have known when you said your brother was into demons and cults!” she spat out.
“Lady Darkford!” shouted Lord Lakehurst, running toward them.
“Keep away from me,murderer,” Cassandra hissed, pulling Alex away.
“But, Mama!” Alex protested, still grasping his end of the rope attached to the little boat.
“What?!” exclaimed Gwinnie.
“Lady Darkford,” Lakehurst began again, reaching her side, standing between her and the lake.
“No!” Cassandra yelled. She pushed him away from her.
Surprised at her action, she saw Lakehurst stumble backward in the slick mud at the water’s edge, his boot heel tangling with the rope attached to the boat. He couldn’t keep his footing. “Wha—?” he uttered as he lost his balance.
She watched in horror at what she’d done when he fell on his back in the shallow water at the lakeshore.
“Lakehurst!” screamed Gwinnie.
Cassandra swung her son up into her arms and hurried away. Alex’s confused, wide-eyed nursemaid ran to catch up.
* * *
“Mama! But, Mama!”
Lakehurst heard Alex’s high-pitched protest. His mother ignored him, intent as she was to put as much distance between them as rapidly as she could.
Around them, the park had gone strangely quiet. No voices, no carriage wheels turning or horses’ hooves pounding.
