“We would not have needed to do so if there had been one guide that we could have reviewed for reference. After they are finished, there will be a list of spells, its purpose and in which book it can be found. As for the items, there will be a list of what it is, what it does, and upon which shelf it is located.”
“That certainly would be more practical and save time,” Samantha agreed having remembered the days and nights they had all searched for answers before it was too late to help Chedworth.
“If you are not going to seek an answer to why Cassian is blocked from you, then we can at least help my cousins. It is not as if we have anything better to do.”
As Samantha could think of no further argument to remain in the garden, she allowed Maia to take her down to the vault and soon was given parchment and a pencil with instructions to list the item, a short summary of what it did, and each warning so a witch did not unleash magic that could not be undone.
The day passed quickly and she was able to document two rows of items before it was time to go upstairs to dine.
The candles in the sconces on the wall and in the chandeliers above extinguished themselves behind the women as they walked toward the exit to the vault. It had been Samantha’s mother, after her arrival and viewing the vault, who had cast a spell so that the candles would light when someone walked in then snuff out when all had left to protect itself from fire instead of a witch making certain that a candle or lamp had not accidently been left burning.
As they stepped into the corridor and Maia closed the vault door, Samantha tilted her head and listened.
Music had drifted into the vault while she documented items, but she assumed that someone was playing the piano upstairs and the notes had simply drifted down to the vault. When she asked, nobody else had heard it, which was not unusual since she was much more sensitive to music than others. Except, now that she was in the corridor, it seemed to be coming from behind.
“You still do not hear the music?” she asked Maia.
“No, I do not, though I am certain you could hear if someone was playing in the village.”
She could not hear from so far away, but music did travel to her from a distance.
As the women started to go up the stairs, the music from behind pulled at Samantha and she turned to investigate.
As she walked further and further away, the darker the corridors became. Other than the vault, a wine cellar and a cell to keep criminals locked away, though likely created for magical purposes, Samantha did not know what else was down here.
Except, it was dark and unlike the vault, the torches on the wall did not light themselves when a witch was near.
She turned to look back but the others had already gone upstairs.
A shiver swept down her spine and goosepimples rose on her arms.
Be careful where you wander, Iza had warned, and with that memory, Samantha turned away and hurried back to the stairs, then practically raced up them and firmly shut the door behind her.
Chapter 16
Cassian spent the better part of the day playing billiards with the others for lack of anything else to do since they had been told to stay put or leave the house completely.
He could have returned home, but then he would have wondered what Samantha was doing. He also lingered near the open door because if he heard her in the music room, he would join her there.
Except, no music was heard coming from anywhere and he was forced to endure the teasing from Ajax, Ares and Simon about what they believed was his infatuation with Samantha. Of course, he never admitted that such existed and it only stopped when Chedworth warned, with agreement from their married cousins, to leave matters be if they did not want to suffer from harassment when they developed their next infatuation.
Thank goodness there were mature males within the household or Cassian may have taken his leave and not returned until after Christmas.
By the time they arrived down to dinner, most everyone had been seated and Samantha was already surrounded so he was forced to sit further away. He wasn’t even on the opposite side of the table so he could not watch her without leaning forward and looking past the people who separated them.
He did not dare do so or any teasing he had suffered earlier would not only return but increase tenfold.
Following dinner, everyone retired to their chambers and he returned to his cottage where he prepared for Christmas Eve services then joined everyone else in the drawing room of Nightshade Manor near ten o’clock. There, they shared a cup of tea before setting out on their walk to Bocka Morrow. It was a tradition for anyone who was in residence during Christmas and this was the only time they crossed over fields that separated the neighboring estate, Hollybrook Park and the Romani Camp, to reach the shorter road to take them into town.
As they neared the haunted Castle Keyvnor, Samantha moved to the far side of the road to put as much distance between her and the estate as possible. Cassian strolled over and offered his arm.
“Is all well?” he asked quietly.
“It will be once we pass,” she whispered.
“You are afraid of ghosts?” he asked in disbelief. Cassian had assumed that witches would not be, though he had no basis for such.
“No, not at all,” Samantha quickly assured him. “It’s the music from some of them.”
