Something wailed again, the sound full of pain but muffled as though coming from far away. She jerked the door back open, clenching her teeth. If it was that dog again, she was going to give whoever was supposed to be caring for it a tongue-lashing they wouldn’t soon forget. She stomped down the hall in the direction of the sound, pausing when she turned the corner.
She narrowed her eyes. Something moved at the far end. Or was that just a cloud crossing in front of the moon, making the shadows dance? “Hallo?” she called again, even softer this time. Her feet were carrying her slowly forward even as her mind was clearing. A disturbed night’s sleep wasn’t the worst thing in the world, not when one was safe in one’s own bed.
Something hissed, and Katherine’s heart started to race. She stopped. This had been a poor idea. She’d let her irritation lead her to a stupid decision. She took a step back. There was a thump at the end of the hall. She spun, her elbow banging into a handle. As this door was closer than her own, she turned it, and darted inside the room.
She leaned back against the door, her chest heaving. She was probably being foolish. It was probably just the dog.
But she’d wait a few minutes before venturing back into that hallway.
She straightened. She’d taken refuge in the ballroom, one that looked as though it hadn’t been used for some time. Whitesheets draped several pieces of furniture, and a potted plant had withered to just about nothing.
The parquet floor was cold against her bare feet. A draft caressed her cheek.
And a hand reached out from behind and grabbed her shoulder.
“Gah!” Katherine spun again, feeling much too much like a child’s top. She pressed a hand to her chest. “You. What are you doing sneaking about?”
Lady Mary’s spectacles glinted in the moonlight. “Me? I was following you. What are you doing?”
Katherine’s heart began to settle. She dropped her head back on her shoulders. “You were the one at the end of the hall. I thought…” Well, it didn’t matter what she’d thought. Any foolishness about the supernatural that might have flitted through her mind she would keep to herself. She raised her head and glared at the older woman. “You’ve kept me from a restful night’s sleep.”
“You aren’t the only one wishing she was abed.” Lady Mary sniffed. “So, you were following me and I was following you. How disappointing.”
Katherine tilted her head. “Wait. I couldn’t have been hearing you out in the hallway while you were in your room hearing me out in the hallway. Something made a noise that lured one of us out of our rooms first. There has to be someone else out there.”
Lady Mary tugged on her white sleep cap. “I thought I saw someone creeping up the staircase from the front hall. What would anyone be doing creeping about here in the dark? If it was a servant, he or she would carry a lamp or candle.”
“Perhaps, though neither of us was clever enough to seek out an open flame to light a candle of our own before creeping about.”
“Ididn’t want the person I was following to see me.” Lady Mary lifted her chin. “And I wasn’t creeping.”
Katherine tip-toed to the door. “Fine, you are the superior sneaker.” Her voice was cross, and she knew she’d have to apologize to the woman after she’d had some sleep. She opened the door an inch and peered out.
Nothing moved. Feeling a bit braver now that someone else was with her, she asked, “Are we going to keep looking for the source of the noise or return to our rooms?”
Lady Mary blew out a breath. “I’m tired. Let’s make a quick circuit around this floor and, if we see nothing, retire.”
Katherine agreed. Shoulder to shoulder, they made their way around the first floor. The hallways formed a convenient square. The dark corner at the first turn, the one Katherine had thought she’d seen something moving in, proved empty. As did the second turn. They made their way towards the third, passing the main staircase leading down to the ground floor.
Katherine paused. This was where she’d stood when Perrin had grabbed for her. When she’d pushed him away. She didn’t think the sight of him bouncing down the stairs, his head rattling against each step, would ever leave her memory.
Lady Mary tilted her head. “Do you hear something?”
“No.” Katherine shook herself. “No, nothing.” She sighed. “There’s no one about. Let’s—”
Glass shattered, the sound rising like an explosion from the ground floor. The air shifted, a chilling draft swirling their nightdresses. Something else shattered, and Katherine grabbed Lady Mary’s arm. “Do we go see what that is?”
“If I’d brought my pistol, maybe.” Lady Mary looked about. “And there is nothing handy around here that can be used as a weapon.”
A door opened around the corner of the hall. Footsteps hurried their way. Mr. Ryder trotted up to them as more doors opened. “What happened?” he asked.
“We were just about to go investigate.” Lady Mary gave him a genteel smile. “However, if you would like to do that for us….”
Mr. Evans joined them, tying the knot of his banyan. “Stay here,” he told them, nodding to Mr. Ryder. The two of them trotted down the stairs as Lady Mary and Katherine were joined by the other guests.
Katherine blew out a breath. It looked like no one was going to get a good night’s sleep.
Chapter Seventeen
