“It’s nothing,” William laughed to himself, breathless from the shock. “You’re alone, all alone except for those spiders…”
Hanbury seemed too still, as if the storm-cover wasn’t enough to convince the manor that it was the time to wake up.
William bent down, shaking his head and scooped up his trusty poker. Setting it on the desk, he peered reluctantly back out the window, his reflection being the only thing looking back at him.
Until he saw it again. But this time, the figure was outside.
Leaning closer to the glass, squinting through the curtain of rain, it wasn’t a spectral vision but a real view of a man running towards the manor. And William recognised him straight away.
Edward had returned.
“Here wefuckinggo,” William whispered to himself just as the visitor looked up to the window and waved at him. Frantically, might he add. Edward pointed to the door, shouting something that William couldn’t hear. But the request was clear.
Let me in.
Edward stood inside the entrance way, dripping head to toe. William had taken his time to amble down the stairs, making sure the man was exposed to the elements for a little longer. It turned out his sinister plan worked, because Edward was completely soaked through. So much that a puddle of rainwater seeped off him, spreading around his polished boots. The stone porch did well to keep him dry but did little to stop him from shivering violently before him.
“Hello again,” Edward said, teeth chattering with an almost expectant grin. “Fancy seeing you here.”
His forced friendly nature was more off-putting then spoiled milk in tea.
“What do you want?” William asked, clutching the door, ready to close it on Edward at any given second.
“Since you asked so nicely, I was hoping you’d let me in.”
“Andwhywould I do that?”
Edward glanced behind him just as a fork of lightning lit the darkening sky. “It’s storming outside. Pretty bad. Raining cats and dogs, both of which I’m severely allergic too.”
“Thatisa shame.” William moved to close the door until a rather large hand reached in and stopped him.
“And…” Edward drawled. “I’m worried that if I stay outside any longer, I might get swept away or something.”
“One can only hope.”
Edward pouted brilliant pink lips. “There’s lightning too. It could hit me…”
“Again, that too would be a shame.”
“Finally.” Edward smiled, droplets falling from the tip of his nose. “Something we agree on.”
William shook his head, fighting the urge to bite the insides of his cheeks. “What I meant is it’s not a shame for me, but for you.”
Usually, William found his disdain was obvious to the people he came into contact with. Edward, however, seemed shielded from it. In fact, the sly smile lifting his lips suggested he was almost enjoying it.
“Listen, I know we are off to a bad start, but I am really just hoping to see out the storm. I don’t want to burden you.”
“Then you’ll get your sopping wet arse off my porch and leave,” William retorted, wishing he hadn’t left the poker upstairs on the desk.
“Will – William, please.” Edward’s smile faltered for the first time. “I beg you, let me in.”
William paused, internally battling with two sides of his conscience. Before he could make his decision, thunder roared across the sky. Lightning followed, emitting a glow over the stretching maw that was Hanbury’s gardens.
“Please,” Edward said, flinching beneath the glare. “Pretty please with a cherry on top…”
“I don’t know you from Adam.”
“Touché.” Edward pouted like some high-paid model in Vogue. “Would dropping to my knees and begging you help? I get the impression that you would actually rather enjoy that.”
