Chapter 2

"And here is where we buried the bodies," Amelia said in such a casual tone that one might almost be inclined to believe her.

"Excuse me?" Cecilia gasped. "What does that mean?"

"The bodies," Amelia repeated with utmost seriousness. "Right here…" She gestured toward a row of hedges that grew along the back of the estate. They formed a wall that surrounded the large garden, enclosing the backyard like a keep. "And all the way toward the back there. Obviously, the hedges came after the bodies. That is what makes them grow so wondrously."

Cecilia's mouth hung open. "You are joking—please, tell me that you are joking."

"Why would I joke about that? The only joke here is how effective bodies are in nurturing the hedges. I'm not sure why that is." She scratched at her chin in thought. "But when they break down in the soil, it is as if the hedges were literally sucking the life from them. Only, what life? Seeing as the bodies were dead when we buried them. I mean, it is not as if we were going to bury live bodies. That would be madness."

"Marina." Cecilia turned to her sister. "Tell her to stop it."

"Stop what?" Amelia hurried to interject. "You asked for a tour, and that is what I am doing. I suppose I could have waited for you to ask what our secret was, concerning these resplendent hedges. Have you ever seen anything like them? But I thought I might as well tell you now, in case you go digging."

"I do not believe you." Cecilia crossed her arms defiantly.

"Suit yourself." Amelia shrugged. "Only…" She sucked through her teeth. "I should warn you that when the moon is full, some of our staff have reported seeing some of the bodies rise from the grave."

"Marina!"

"Amelia," Marina sighed, doing her best not to burst into laughter. "Please tell my sister that you are only joking. She might have a heart attack if you do not."

"Oh, I did not mean to scare her," Amelia said with complete sincerity. "I am sorry, Cecilia. I was only jesting."

Cecilia glared at her. "It wasn't funny."

"Are you sure?" Amelia smirked. "Because if you saw the look on your face…"

Cecilia glared daggers at her, which only made her smirk further. And the look in Amelia's eyes, one of pure mischief, told Marina that she was far from done trying to terrify Cecilia. In fact, if Marina knew Amelia half as well as she thought she did, her friend was only just getting started.

Oh, this was a good idea, Marina decided. And with each passing moment—not to mention the bouts of laughter that were a natural outcome of spending time with Amelia—Marina knew that the right decision had been made.

It hadn't been easy. And it had taken a lot of arguing and bickering and even a little bit of shouting. But eventually, her father relented and agreed that it was in the family's best interests for her to spend a week or two at Trowbridge Estate, which was a good five-hour ride north from London.

Sequestered to the country. Away from the eyes of the ton. Trowbridge Estate was the perfect place to lie low and keep out of sight until the horrible gossip about her wedding day had time to build, simmer, die out, and then be forgotten entirely.

What was more, seeing as Cecilia had been so insistent in Marina's defense—better that than the nunnery—Lord Repington had even allowed her to join Marina. Or rather demanded it. A wonderful idea at the time, and Cecilia had agreed… although now, Marina sensed that her sister might be regretting it.

"Oh, that reminds me." Amelia looked past the garden, across the field that skirted the property, and to the forest on the horizon. "The forest isn't off limits, but if you do go, make sure you let one of the staff know. That way, if you don't return, we will know where to look."

Cecilia took a deep, defiant breath. "And why would I not return?"

"Well, a lot of people don't." Amelia shrugged. "Mostly, it is children from the neighboring village. They go for a little wander, and the next thing you know… poof!"

"Marina!"

They arrived a little under an hour ago, and as soon as they did, Amelia insisted on giving the two sisters a tour. A rather grim tour when considering that every room she had shown them had either hidden bodies in the walls, ghouls who came out at night, or in the stables' case, horses who might eat you up if you were to look at them the wrong way.

It was all in good fun, of course. Or it was supposed to be. Marina had known that Amelia had a rather dark sense of humor, one which she appreciated greatly. Her sister, on the other hand, was having a harder time getting used to it.

But it was also greatly needed, if for no other reason than to take Marina's mind off the tragedy that was her wedding day. And it was a tragedy, too! The more she thought of it, the more she convinced herself that any day now, she would wake up in tears, for surely that was the reasonable response? She was upset about what had happened. Depressed also. She just wished that she felt that way because surely that was normal?

"Right!" Amelia clapped her hands together. "The stables. Shall I show you?"

"But the horses…" Cecilia could not have looked more frightened.

"Oh, yes!" Amelia bit her bottom lip. "It should be fine. They are usually fed in the morning. Besides…" Her eyes flashed. "They prefer to eat dead bodies. Far easier on their stomachs."

"But—but…"

"You know what"—Marina took a step back—"I think I might go for a walk."

"Where to?" Amelia asked quickly.

Marina shrugged. "About. I need some time to think. Alone," she emphasized when she saw her sister reach for her. "It is just, well, with everything that has happened… You know how it is?"

Really, she just needed some time away from her sister and Amelia, but using her failed wedding as an excuse was as good as anything else.

"Say nothing more!" Amelia took Cecilia by the hand. "That will give me and Cecilia some time to bond. Won't it?"

Cecilia's face turned pale, and her eyes widened with fear. But before she could say anything else, Amelia was dragging her away.

Alone now and glad of it, Marina started down the garden path, walking back toward the manor and around the side. From there, she followed the path to the front of the manor, where her eyes fell on a large marble fountain that sat in the center of the driveway.

Marina wandered idly toward the fountain, and as she did so, she continued to think about Lord Rutley and her failed wedding.

Why was she not more upset? Why did she not care as she should? She stood by the edge of the fountain, staring into the water, wishing more than anything to feel something. Anything at all. If for no other reason than to confirm to herself that she was normal and hadn't spent her entire life living a lie.

Seeing as she was so distracted, it was not until the last minute that she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Movement. Something big coming toward her. For a second, she was struck by fear as images of dead bodies from the grave came to mind, as if all of Amelia's stories were true.

She gasped and spun about, rolling her eyes when she saw that it was just a dog. Only, it was rather large in size. Massive, in fact. Nearly as big as she was, and it was coming right for her.

"Steady…" She held out a hand to stop the great beast. "Stay!" She backed up until the back of her knees hit the edge of the fountain. "I said stay!"

The dog either did not hear her or did not care. One minute it was charging toward her, its tongue lolling happily, panting, yapping with glee, and the next, it was on her.

"Oooh!" she cried out as the dog leaped into the air, knocking her back and sending her over the edge of the fountain and into the water. "Ah!"

The water was cold as it swallowed her whole. Her entire body sank to the bottom like a sock filled with pennies. She tried to breathe but instead swallowed water. She tried to push herself up, but the weight of the dog held her down. She splashed and kicked and thrashed, thinking for a moment that this might be her end.

But then the weight of the great animal was gone, and she pushed herself to her feet, breaching the surface, sucking in a lungful of air as if she had not breathed in days.

"Excuse me!" a male voice shouted from somewhere. "Have you lost your mind?!"

"Wh—what?"

She was still standing in the center of the fountain, drenched from head to toe. Her dress clung to her body, and her hair stuck to her neck and face. The chill of the wind seeped into her bones.

"No, I—" She looked up to see who had called, caught sight of him, and gasped.

In a word, he was gorgeous. In two words, he was damn stunning.