34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

A startled shriek pierced the air, echoed immediately by Evelyn's own cry of surprise. As her eyes adjusted, she found herself face to face with Nell, the maid, clad in her stark white nightgown and cap, a shawl thrown haphazardly over her shoulders.

"Nell?" Evelyn gasped, lowering the poker. "What on earth are you doing here?"

Nell's eyes were wide with fright, her hand clutched to her chest. "Miss Bane! You gave me such a fright!"

Evelyn's gaze darted around the room, taking in the single lantern burning on a small table, the lack of any other presence. The acrid smell of smoke still lingered, but now she noticed that the smell was stirred up whenever she or Nell moved.

"Did you hear it too?" Nell demanded, coming forward and clasping Evelyn's hand with her own, clammy and cold.

Evelyn's heart raced as she lowered the fire poker, her mind struggling to make sense of the situation. "What do you mean, Nell? What did you hear?"

Nell's eyes darted nervously around the room, her fingers twisting the fabric of her shawl. "I was just finishing my rounds, Miss Bane, making sure all the lights were out upstairs. That's when I heard it—strange noises, like someone moving about in here."

Evelyn felt a chill run down her spine. She'd heard noises too, hadn't she? Or had it all been her imagination, fuelled by an overactive mind in the Baron's absence?

"I don't know what I heard," Evelyn muttered, not releasing her grip on the poker. She looked about suspiciously, not trusting her own eyes.

Evelyn's gaze swept the room once more, searching for any sign of an intruder. Finding nothing, she turned back to Nell, who still trembled like a leaf in the wind.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the house were haunted," Nell whispered, her eyes wide. "Not with its tragic history."

Evelyn's heart skipped a beat. Here, at last, was an opportunity to uncover the truth about that fateful night. She'd heard whispers and rumours, but nothing concrete. The Baron never spoke of it, and she'd never dared to ask.

"Nell," Evelyn began carefully, lowering her voice to match the maid's hushed tone, "were you here that day? The day of the fire?"

Nell's face fell, her eyes growing distant as if gazing into the past. She nodded slowly, a deep sadness etching itself across her features. "I was, Miss Bane. I'll never forget it as long as I live."

Evelyn felt her breath stutter in her chest. She hesitated, torn between her burning curiosity and the pain evident in Nell's expression. But she had to know. She had to understand what had shaped the Baron into the man he was today.

"Could you... would you tell me what happened?" Evelyn asked gently, reaching out to place a comforting hand on Nell's arm.

Nell drew a shaky breath, her gaze fixed on some point beyond the charred walls of the West Wing. "It was a terrible night," she began.

Evelyn listened intently as Nell's voice dropped to a whisper, her eyes distant with the weight of memory.

"It was such a lovely evening at first," Nell began. "The Baroness was in high spirits, positively glowing. I remember seeing her with the Baron in the hallway, laughing and carrying on like newlyweds. They were so in love, Miss Bane. It was beautiful to see."

Evelyn's heart clenched at the thought of the Baron as a different man, one capable of such open affection. It seemed a world away from the stern, reserved figure she knew.

Nell continued, her voice growing thick with emotion. "The Baroness retired to her room, and the Baron to his study. All seemed well. But then..." She paused, swallowing hard. "The screams started. I rushed out to see what was happening, and the Baroness' room was already engulfed in flames. It spread so quickly, Miss Bane. Like a living thing, hungry and merciless."

Evelyn felt a chill run down her spine, imagining the terror of that night. She could almost hear the roar of the flames, smell the acrid smoke.

"I ran," Nell admitted, shame colouring her voice. "I'm not proud of it, but I ran for my life. The Baron, though... he was magnificent. He charged through the smoke, both girls in his arms. He got them out safely, but..." Nell's voice broke. "He tried to go back in. It took several of the farmhands to hold him back. He fought them like a madman, screaming for his wife."

Evelyn's eyes burned with unshed tears. She could picture it all too clearly - the Baron, wild with desperation, struggling against those who sought to save him from a fiery death. The depth of his love, and the magnitude of his loss, suddenly became painfully clear.

Evelyn listened intently as Nell continued her harrowing tale, her heart aching for the Baron and the tragedy he'd endured.

"He finally broke free," Nell said, her voice barely above a whisper. "The Baron, he... he got back into the house. We all thought we'd lost him too."

Evelyn's breath hitched in her chest, picturing the scene. The roaring flames, the choking smoke, and the Baron's desperate determination to save his wife.

Nell's eyes were distant, lost in the memory. "Then there was this awful crashing sound. A beam had collapsed right on top of him. It broke his ribs, and..." She trailed off, her hand moving unconsciously to her own face. "His face, Miss Bane. That perfect, handsome face. It was... it was terrible to see."

Evelyn felt a pang in her chest at Nell's words. She'd grown accustomed to the Baron's scar, seeing it as part of who he was. But to those who'd known him before, it must have been a shocking change.

"That beam likely saved his life," Nell continued, shaking her head. "But the sight of it... it haunts me still. How his face was permanently altered in such a way."

As Nell spoke, Evelyn found herself silently disagreeing. The scar wasn't a ruin or a blemish. To her, it was a testament to the Baron's courage, his willingness to risk everything for those he loved. It was a badge of honour, of survival against impossible odds. The mark of a man who had faced the worst life could throw at him and emerged, battered but unbroken.

Nell shook herself all over, as if trying to physically dislodge the weight of her memories. Evelyn watched her closely, her mind whirling with the new information. The tragedy that had befallen the Baron and his family seemed almost too terrible to comprehend.

As the silence stretched between them, a thought occurred to Evelyn. She hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should voice it, but her curiosity won out.

"Nell," she began carefully, "if it is indeed the spirit of the Baroness that has grown restless... why now? Why would she be disturbed after years of being at peace?"

Nell's eyes widened at the question, her brow furrowing in thought. "I... I hadn't considered that, Miss Bane," she admitted, twisting her shawl in her hands. "It's true, there've been no disturbances like this before. Not in all the years since..."

Evelyn nodded, encouraging her to continue. She found herself leaning in, eager to hear Nell's thoughts on the matter.

"Perhaps," Nell ventured, her voice barely above a whisper, "Well. Me mam always said that there's only two reasons for a restless spirit."

"Go on," Evelyn encouraged Nell, though she dreaded hearing the rest.

Nell hesitated, looking as if she didn't want to continue. "She said that it was because the spirit either had unfinished business, or...or because something disturbed it in some way."

Nell paused, her teeth flashing out as she chewed on her lip. "I can't imagine what would be disturbing the Baroness after all these years. Nothing's changed that much. Only..." Nell trailed off, shooting a glance at Evelyn and then quickly averting her eyes.

Evelyn felt a flutter in her chest at Nell's words. She hadn't realised the impact her presence had made on the household. "Surely you don't think my being here would upset the Baroness's spirit?" she asked, a hint of incredulity creeping into her voice.

Nell shook her head vigorously. "Oh no, Miss Bane, not at all. Please, I shouldn't have said anything," she said, squeezing Evelyn's free hand once again. "Forget I said it—I shouldn't have. Me mam also always said I had more beauty than brains," she offered with a weak smile.

Evelyn nodded absently, her mind whirling with the implications of Nell's words. She opened her mouth to reply, but before she could utter a sound, a faint noise drifted through the air. Her head snapped up, eyes wide. The sound had come from the direction of her room.

She exchanged a look with Nell, whose face had gone pale. The maid's lips pursed into a thin line, her earlier bravado seemingly evaporated.

"It's nothing, Miss Bane," Nell said, though her voice quavered slightly. "A house this big and old doesn't need ghosts to creak in the wind. It's just... settling, that's all."

Evelyn swallowed hard, forcing herself to nod in agreement. "Of course," she said, proud of how steady her voice sounded. "You're absolutely right, Nell. We're letting our imaginations run away with us."

Together, they made their way out of the West Wing, Evelyn's grip on the fire poker never loosening. As they reached the door, she paused, casting one last glance over her shoulder at the room that had held so many secrets. With a deep breath, she pulled the door shut behind them, the click of the latch echoing in the silent corridor.

Nell turned to her, a wan smile on her face. "I should be getting back to the servants' quarters," she said. "Goodnight, Miss Bane."

"Goodnight, Nell," Evelyn replied, watching as the maid hurried away, her white nightgown fluttering like a ghost in the darkness.

Evelyn made her way back to her room, her heart still racing from the encounter in the West Wing. As she approached, she noticed that the door stood ajar, just as she'd left it in her haste to investigate the strange noises. Moonlight spilled through the window, casting an ethereal glow across the hallway outside her room.

Her eyes drifted down to the carpet lining the wooden floor, and she froze. There, just visible in the silvery light, was a smudge she hadn't noticed before. Frowning, Evelyn leaned closer, struggling to find her breath as she realised it wasn't merely a stain, but a charred spot on the carpet.

She stared at it, her mind whirling. Surely it had always been there, she told herself. It must be a coincidence, a remnant from that terrible night years ago that she'd simply never noticed before. Yet the longer she looked, the more it seemed to mock her attempts at rationalisation.

With a shaky breath, Evelyn straightened and entered her room, closing the door firmly behind her. She threw back the covers on her bed, her movements mechanical as her thoughts raced. When she finally slipped into bed, she placed the fire poker so that it leaned on the nightstand beside her, within easy reach.

Despite her exhaustion, sleep eluded her. Every creak of the old house, every whisper of wind against the windows, set her nerves on edge. Evelyn lay rigid beneath the covers, her eyes wide open in the darkness, the poker a cold comfort beside her. What she wouldn't have given to have the comfort of a warm, solid body next to her in bed instead.