He eyed her suspiciously, trying not to make it too obvious that he doubted her words. “All right, Madeline. But you both shall return here in less than five minutes. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Uncle,” the girls spoke in unison.
He waited until the girls were out of the parlor, then he shifted his focus onto his mother. Occasionally, he would notice how her face had grown sadder over the last few months. Her eyes had lost that spark she once had. And now, he would often catch her lost in thought, her lips moving, speaking voicelessly to someone who wasn’t there any longer. It saddened him. It also saddened him even more to know there was so little he could do about it.
“Edmund,” the Countess spoke first. “You can’t possibly throw the poor girl out into the streets. She is not well.”
“So, you keep reminding me,” he replied, his body stiff. “But she is not my responsibility. You and the girls are. And, I cannot have anyone endanger your safety and well-being.”
“Does she look like any sort of a danger to us, Edmund? Does she really?” She spoke more enthusiastically now.
“You cannot know what hides in someone’s heart.” He shook his head. “No one is ever out in such God-awful weather as last night for something good.”
All of a sudden, he remembered receiving word of the death of his brother and his brother’s wife, while he was still in France, well on his way to becoming a Navy Officer. The very thought of that seemed too distant now. He felt as if that dream had belonged to someone else, someone who wasn’t there anymore. But he knew one thing. His brother’s death was not the result of an accident, even though everyone assured him it was. He knew better. He sensed it. And he was sure that whoever did it was not done with their family.
“She is just a girl, Edmund-”
“What is taking her so long?” Edmund huffed, pretending that he hadn’t heard his mother’s comment.
At that moment, the girls rushed back into the parlor, their cheeks flushed from running up and then back down the main staircase. They breathed heavily, panting. Madeline rested her hands on her knees, bending forward.
“She is…” Cecilia was the first one to catch her breath, but her sister finished her statement.
“An angel!”
“What are you talking about?” Edmund frowned.
But, at the same time, his stomach reminded him of his own vision of an angel, all aglow in the darkness, calling out to him. He quickly made the image disperse in his mind. There were no such things as angels in this world.
“We peered through the keyhole,” Madeline explained.
“You did what?” The Countess’ eyes widened in shock and disbelief at this impropriety. But the girls didn’t seem to pay much attention to that.
“We saw her in the guestroom, just walking up and down, and she’s really all white! Her hair and her skin, everything!” Madeline explained, her little hands flailing in the air, as she tried to explain the inexplicable. “She looks even whiter in broad daylight!”
“Preposterous!” Edmund rolled his eyes, irritated.
“But it’s true, Uncle!” Cecilia added, her mouth remaining open in shock that was still shaking her. “We both saw it!”
“You are letting your imagination run wild, as you always do,” Edmund scoffed. “And may I remind you, that is what will always lead you to trouble.”
“Why won’t you believe us?” Cecilia whined, hugging her doll tightly.
The ribbons in her hair were of the same color as the ones in the doll’s hair. That was one of the reasons why she liked it so much. That, and the fact that it was the last gift their mother had given them - two dolls for two girls.
“You haven’t really given me much reason to believe you, have you?” Edmund replied, but immediately felt that he was being too harsh.
Only now, there was no way to take it back. He exhaled loudly, scratching the back of his head. He was not good at apologizing. This was probably so because he hadn’t done it often. He was hoping his mother would interject, as she sometimes did, and make it all better. But she didn’t. She was obviously allowing him to sort this out on his own.
“You stay here,” he ordered the girls, clearing his throat a little. “You know that you are in disgrace and you are not to leave the house. Miss. Montgomery will find a suitable activity for you, which will lack in fun, I can assure you of that.”
“Oh, no!’ Madeline pouted again. Cecilia just rolled her eyes, without a word.
“And don’t even think of checking on those mongrels,” Edmund threatened with his finger.
He was already regretting the fact that he had allowed the puppies to remain on the premises. The gardener had found them a place outside. Edmund knew that this was the worst punishment for the girls - let them keep the puppies, but not be allowed to play with them for a few days at least.
With those words, he opened the door to the parlor and went out into the long corridor, which led to the main staircase. He hesitated at the bottom. But one moment was enough to remind him that there was a stranger under his roof. A stranger he could not trust. A stranger who had not explained herself or her presence on his property in the dead of night.
