Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

I walked over to the pile and began rummaging through it. "The people around here are pretty nice when you get to helping them, aren't they?"

Ben joined me at the pile with a smile on his face. "They pride themselves on their hospitality, once you've proven you're not an evil spirit."

My eyes twinkled up at him. "I'm not so sure about you."

"I prefer to be considered a mischievous spirit," he countered as he picked out a simple but clean pair of pants. "All the better, as some of the charms around here would certainly work against evil."

I lifted an eyebrow and a shirt out of the stack. "Really? They're not all just for show and comfort?"

He hopped first one leg and then the other into the pant legs. "Well, belief is half the workings of magic, but the effigies and icons they place about their homes do work as intended. I once witnessed a little girl ward off a bogey by merely clutching an effigy she had adopted as her doll."

"You watched that when you were visiting here?" I wondered as I slipped into my shirt and wandered toward the fireplace.

"Yes," Ben confirmed as he joined me at the warm hearth. He draped one arm over the mantel and smiled into the fire as his eyes took on a faraway glint. "Wynn was one of the local farmer's daughters and her father had come to Rookwood to sell his vegetables to my aunt as he did every year. A bogey had made its way onto the grounds and attacked us as we played together."

"So what happened to her after the bogey adventure?" I asked him.

His good humor faded a bit as he shook his head. "I don't know. That was my last summer here as a child."

"Maybe she's still around here," I mused as I plopped myself into one of the chairs. "We could find her."

"I wouldn't wish to bother you with my memories," he objected.

I snorted. "Why not? She might have some juicy stories about my betrothed that I could use to blackmail you with."

A crooked grin slipped onto his lips. "She does have one dark secret."

My ears perked up. "What?"

He pushed off the mantel and turned to face me. "That's for if we meet her again."

I cocked my head to one side. "Do you even know her name?"

Ben cupped his chin in one hand and furrowed his brow. "I can't seem to place it, but I'll remember it in time."

A loud knock came from the door and Cip's voice floated through the wood. "Miss? Sir? Ma says there's some toast ready for you if you're hungry."

"We'll be right there," Ben called back. He offered me an arm and a smile. "Shall we?"

"An offer of fresh bread?" I mused as I accepted his arm and let him help me to my feet. "I'm not about to let that go."

We slipped out of the room and soon arrived at the kitchen. The space was small but cozy, with a warm fire in the cook stove and a small table in the middle of the room around which were positioned four chairs. Cip sat in one of them with a plate of toast smothered in jam. A stack of toast sat in front of him.

Mrs. Gebur was busy at work in front of the stove but turned at our coming and nodded at the table. "Feel free to help yourselves."

We took our seats and dove into the pile of warm toast. The jam was sweet, the bread crunchy, and the room was warm. It was almost enough to make me fall asleep.

"Now then," Mrs. Gebur spoke up as she bounced over to the table to refill the empty toast plate. "What were you fine folk wanting to know from my husband?"

"We heard something had attacked your barnyard a night or two ago," Ben revealed as he took up another slice. "We were curious to know if it was true."

She paused and shuddered. "I wish it wasn't, but the truth is there was something out there that spooked the cows."

"And the chickens," Cip chimed in.

She resumed her stacking and nodded. "Indeed. Some hideous shadow was spooking them out of their minds so they almost stampeded through the fences."

"Pa said it was only the fog playing tricks on the animals," Cip reminded her.

She wagged her fork at him. "I know what your pa said and I know when there's magic trouble to be found, and that was magic."

"Then you don't know what this shadow thing was?" Ben wondered.

She sighed and shook her head. "I'm afraid not. It slipped away before we could get a good light on it."

"Where did it slip away to?" I asked between bites.

She nodded to the west. "That way and into the woods. I thought it might be a werewolf, but there was just something not quite right about it. Something not natural , if you know what I mean."

Ben nodded. "We get you. So you haven't seen it since?"

Mrs. Gebur straightened and had an unfocused look in her eyes as she stared at a wall to her right. "No, but I get the feeling it isn't far. Like that fog that's been hanging around all too often."

"Pa said it was just the cold air," Cip piped up.

Mrs. Gebur rolled her eyes. "Your father's always saying something's natural until an imp pops up in the pasture making mischief with the milk cows. Now if you'll be excusing me, I'm just about done cleaning your clothes."

We soon finished our meal and our clothes were ready. There wasn't a spot of bird poop anywhere on them and the clothes smelled of summer flowers. We returned to the parlor and slipped back into them.

"An admirable job, Mrs. Gebur," Ben complimented her as he studied his clean and dried pants.

She clasped her hands in front of her and beamed from her place near the door. I'm glad you like it. Now would you care to stay for dinner?"

Ben shook his head. "We've taken enough of your time and your hospitality, but give our best regards to your husband. He's very lucky."

Her cheeks reddened and she followed us outside to our carriage. Cip stood in front of Ferox and was feeding the horse a healthy helping of fresh hay plucked from the nearby pasture. The horse nuzzled his neck and made him laugh.

"That tickles!" Cip cooed as he scurried back out of reach of the animal.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, sir," Mrs. Gebur called to us as we climbed aboard our carriage. Cip scooted up to her side and she draped an arm around his shoulders so they made quite the charming pair. "Feel free to return whenever you wish."

Ben smiled and bowed his head. "We'll be sure to do that."

Ferox turned around and trotted down the driveway. I set a hand on my full stomach and sighed. "If this keeps up I'm going to burst before mid-afternoon." There was no witty reply from my companion and I looked up at him to find a distracted expression on his face. "You don't know what it is, do you?"

He shook his head. "No. It doesn't appear to be the fog that was so interested in making our acquaintance, nor does it seem to be a werewolf."

"Should we go ask them?" I suggested.

He turned to me with a slightly raised eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

The serious look on his face made me lose some color from mine. "Can't we? I mean, you probably know some of them, don't you?"

The corners of his lips twitched upward. "Should I?"

I shrugged. "You know everybody else. Why not some large and vicious hairballs?"

"I wouldn't call them that in front of them. They're very proud of their fur," he warned me as he turned his attention to Ferox. "Continue on the northern road for another five miles and steer off into a disused road."

Ferox flung his head to one side and pawed the ground.

Ben frowned. "Why not? What's the matter."

Ferox bobbed his head in a northerly direction.

I glanced between man and horse. "What's wrong with him?"

Ben leaned back and folded his arms over his chest as he furrowed his brow. "Apparently, there's something up ahead that's frightening him." Ferox whinnied and Ben snorted. "You are frightened, aren't you?"

The mighty steed held his head high and stomped the ground one last time before he dashed ahead. I nearly tumbled over the backward, but Ben looped his arm around my back and kept me in the carriage. The world flew past as our quick horse galloped down the bumpy dirt road.

Ben winked at me. "Nothing like a little incentive to inspire courage."

"I wish his courage would slow down," I quipped as we bounced over a rut and became airborne for a second.