Alexander-Fyn-Sanguinarian Read Online Free PDF Page B

Charters, I’ll see what business I can send your way.”
    The man rose and bowed. “Most obliged, my lord, most obliged.”

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Chapter Three
    A sharp wind shook the carriage back and forth, and with every stone that rattled beneath the horses’ hoofs on the rutted road, Evangeline’s apprehension grew.
    Castle Haven was an immense structure of gray stone, standing in the midst of a vast expanse of wild, rocky moorland in the northernmost part of Yorkshire. With the sun going down, its last rays gilding the castle’s Gothic outline against the darkening sky, it appeared menacing.
    When the horses finally clattered to a halt in the courtyard in front of a pair of wide, studded oak doors, it was all Evangeline could do to suppress a scream. She clutched Mrs. Brackett so abruptly that the older woman, who had dropped into a doze, sprang awake in terror to clutch her in return.
    “We’re here, Mrs. Brackett, God help us.”
    “Now you calm yourself at once, Miss Evie, because you are doing your heart no good and you’ll have mine stopped if you go on like this.” The woman patted her hand in a feeble attempt at reassurance. Her face—eyes wide, mouth tight—told another story.
    “Mrs. Brackett, if you left and went back to London I would never hold it against you,” Evangeline assured her. “You have cared for me with a mother’s devotion. You owe me nothing more.”
    Mrs. Brackett spoke firmly, “I’m going nowhere, dearie, you’re like my own nipper. We stick together, you and me.”
    A freezing gust of wind clutched at the carriage, almost lifting it off the ground. For a moment the horses braced themselves. Then the door opened and the step was pulled down. “Let’s have you, ladies.”

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    Hodder’s voice, both familiar and comforting, was very welcome.
    A piercing scream suddenly cut the air, drowning even the raging screech of the wind. The colour drained from Evangeline’s face. She stared at Mrs. Brackett and Hodder in growing horror. “Good God, what was that?”
    “Seagulls, Miss,” the older man said, though he avoided her eyes.
    “Seagulls in the middle of the Yorkshire Moors?” Evangeline questioned, her voice nearly cracking as another scream followed the first, and then stopped abruptly.
    “That was a scream,” Mrs. Brackett accused him.
    “No, it wasn’t.”
    “It was! Take us back to London. I’m not letting my young lady get out of this carriage.” Mrs. Brackett dragged Evangeline back against the velvet seat, hanging on tightly to her. “Close that door.”
    “Now come on, Missis. You can’t stay in there all night. The master will be very angry and aside from that you’ll freeze, because I won’t be going anywhere tonight, and them horses need their stalls and a good feed.”
    “Then freeze we will,” Evangeline said. “That was most definitely a woman screaming in agony and that man has given me one too many surprises these last two days. I want no more from him. I won’t marry him, I won’t. He is unnatural.”
    “Get back on that seat and start driving for London,” Mrs.
    Brackett ordered, holding her ground while refusing to let go of her young mistress. “She’s right. That was a woman’s scream.”
    “No, no, you’re wrong,” Hodder protested. Then, seeing their determination, muttered, as he turned toward the castle, “The master will not be happy about this.”

    * * * *

    Raven took no pleasure in the woman’s death, but neither did he recoil from it. Leaning on the wall of the west turret, he considered 34
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    dropping the corpse into the dense undergrowth far below. “Damn it all, the girl is here,” he ground out, catching sight of the carriage. He had planned to get the kill out of the way before she arrived, but Evangeline’s antics had caused him to be late. God forbid she had heard Eugenia’s last screams, because she had certainly screamed very loudly when she knew her death was