Page 57 of Mesmerized

“I know. But when you began to describe it and its contents, I suspected you must have seen this casket.”

“But how—” She raised her gaze finally from the gleaming box and looked at him. “I don’t understand.”

“I don’t either. But I want you to look at what’s inside.” He opened the clasp and raised the lid. There was a pile of golden objects inside the little box, including a small dagger with a jeweled gold hilt. On top lay a large cross, also made of gold, about four or five inches long, and in the center lay a cabochon ruby.

Olivia stared at the cross. She had guessed that it would be in there, after seeing the gold casket, but even so, it made her stomach queasy to see the actual object, exactly like the one she had seen in her dream.

“I did not see the dagger,” she said.

“No? What about this?” Stephen pulled out a necklace, long oval gold beads strung together, each bead cunningly etched.

“That’s the necklace,” she said a little breathlessly. “It was in the box, too.”

“It’s not a necklace,” Stephen replied, holding it closer to her. “It is a rosary. See, there are different shaped lozenges for the Pater Nosters and the Ave Marias. And each bead, if you’ll look, is carved with a biblical scene. It’s excellent craftsmanship.”

“It’s beautiful,” Olivia responded. “And the girdle she wore? The jeweled belt? Is it in there?”

“No. I have never seen anything like that. But there are some necklaces and rings and such. Do you recognize any of them?”

He held out the box to her, and Olivia stood up and took it in her hands. As she grasped it, she was suddenly swamped with a strange feeling. Her stomach roiled, and it was hard to breathe. The blood drained from her face, leaving her ashen.

In her mind Olivia saw the woman she had dreamed of the night before. Lady Alys was with the knight she loved. They were outside in a meadow, sitting beside a pond. It was, Olivia realized, the same pond where she and Stephen had gone the first day she was at Blackhope.

Lady Alys was leaning against the knight, his arm curled around her, and they seemed to be lazily daydreaming in the sun. Alys looked up at the knight, her face soft with love. They were facing toward the pond, smiling and talking, absorbed in each other. They did not see, as Olivia saw, another man standing some distance from them, hidden among the trees at the edge of the meadow. His hair was black, as was his small pointed beard. A gold ring glinted on his finger, and the silk tunic he wore was richly embroidered with gold thread at the neck. He was watching the couple, his face stamped with a cold, fierce hatred.

An overpowering sense of evil swept Olivia, and her throat constricted. She could not breathe. She swayed, her eyes rolling up.

“Olivia!” Stephen jumped forward, his arm going around her waist as she slumped into a faint. With his other hand, he grasped the gold box.

He thrust the box onto the desk with one hand, his other arm lowering Olivia gently into her chair. Worriedly, he took her wrist and felt for her pulse.

“Olivia. Please, wake up.” Visions of her slipping into the same unconscious state as Babington played terrifyingly through his head. “Sweet Lord, wake up.”

He started to ring for smelling salts again, but just then Olivia’s eyelids fluttered, and she opened her eyes.

“Thank God.” Stephen let out a sigh of relief. “Are you all right?”

“I—I think so.” Olivia looked confused. “What happened?”

“You fainted. I’m not sure why. I handed you the Martyrs’ casket, and you looked very strange and fell into a faint.”

He slipped his hand behind her back and helped her straighten.

“Oh,” Olivia said, covering her eyes with her hand. She felt weak and a little sick to her stomach, as well. “I saw something. I’m sorry, I really can’t explain it well. But as soon as I touched that casket, I saw Lady Alys.” She described the scene to him, along with the man in the concealing woods who watched the lovers.

“Do you think it was the lady’s husband?” Stephen asked.

“Sir Raymond? Yes, I think it was. Hatred poured from him. His eyes were glittering with anger and I was just flooded with this horrible sense of evil.”

“Evil?” He responded. “There are those who would say her husband was the injured party.”

“But you didn’t see this man. He was—I don’t know, the feeling of evil was so strong. It was more than jealousy or anger. I can’t explain it. But it made me feel quite ill.”

“I could see that.” Stephen moved away and leaned against his desk, stretching his legs out in front of him. He looked at Olivia, whose color was returning.

“All right,” he said. “What is happening?”

“I haven’t any idea,” Olivia replied. “I have never experienced anything like this in my life. What do these things mean that I keep seeing? And why am I seeing them? I would think I was going utterly mad if you had not seen some of them, as well.”