Victor was in a much better mood as Saturday approached and made it a habit to check in on me throughout the day. Friday arrived, and Lou was nowhere to be found. Roy later informed me that morning that Lou had packed her things in the middle of the night and left the manor. I froze as I thought about it, trying to make sense of what had happened.
"Lenna, are you alright?" I asked, walking closer to her as she dusted shelves in the main hall. Lenna spun around frantically, her eyes wide with horror, before she realized it was just me standing there.
"I apologize, Miss Delaney, but I'm not allowed to speak to you." Lenna seemed on the verge of tears as she spoke. Without thinking, I took her hand in mine and looked at her intently. "Tell me what's wrong. I'm sure I can help you to the best of my abilities."
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she pulled me down the hall and into my office, locking the door behind her. "The other maids were sent away to live in the guest house, and tonight I'll be the last to go. I'm so frightened, and I don't know what to do, but Roy says I have to go."
"What time are you supposed to go to the guest house, Lenna?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. Lenna sniffled, wiping her nose on the back of her hand.
"Roy told me to leave for the guest house at three a.m. It's the devil's hour," she whispered.
I looked around the room, starting to pace, when a wild idea came to me.
"I'll go with you."
Lenna looked at me, wiping the tears from her eyes but still visibly shaking. "What about Mr. Alcott? He'll be angry with you." I was confused by her question when there was a knock at my office door. Lenna looked at me, frightened, and I had to think quickly. I knocked a vase full of roses onto the floor and handed Lenna some paper towels.
"Quickly, Lenna, pretend you're cleaning!" I urged.
She dropped to her knees and began to clean up the spilled water, furiously wiping her eyes.
When I opened the door, Roy stood there with James. They both peered into the room, seeing Lenna cleaning up the water I had spilled.
"Good evening, gentlemen. Did you need Lenna? I made a mess and asked her to help me clean it up. I hope that's alright, Roy."
Roy reassured me it was fine and explained he was checking where everyone was. "Lenna, when you're finished here, I'd like you to finish your duties in the library. James will walk with you tonight."
I glanced at James, who was staring at me as Roy spoke. Lenna nodded, not turning to face them, and continued to wipe up the water.
"Victor is looking for you, Ayana. He's waiting for you in his study," James added, still staring at the back of Lenna's head.
"Thank you, James. I'll be there shortly. I'm just going to wait for Lenna to finish up." James suddenly reached forward and brushed a strand of hair that had fallen over my shoulder. I stared at him in disbelief as Roy turned away, following James down the hall.
I closed the door and turned to face Lenna, my heart pounding. "What happened? What did they do?"
I shook my head, silently freaking out. His eyes were different... how was that possible? Weren't they green when we'd met? Lenna was already scared, and I didn't want to make it worse by telling her what I had seen.
As seriously as I could, I grabbed Lenna by the shoulders and sat her down. "Wait for me, Lenna. Don't go anywhere without me. Do you understand?"
She nodded, and I could see she calmed down just a bit. I left her alone in my office and went to find Victor in the study.
When I entered, Victor was at his massive desk, leaning over a bunch of papers and saying something in Latin while glancing down at the small black book from town. He saw me and immediately closed the book, standing up and walking over to the fireplace to light it.
"Come sit with me on the sofa, Ayana." Victor poured me a glass of wine, and I sat down, watching him walk over to an old record player and wind it up. A soft melody began to play as I sipped my wine. Victor sat next to me, leaning over and gently kissing me on the lips.
"What are you up to, Victor?" I asked, feeling the wine relax me.
Victor stood and added more logs to the fire, then glanced at my watch. I realized it was getting late, and I needed to leave soon to meet Lenna. "Will you dance with me, just for a moment?" he asked, offering his hand.
I took it, giggling despite myself as I followed him to the middle of the room. My two left feet were on full display, but he led me effortlessly as we waltzed slowly. I felt like I was floating, lost in the moment, like there was no one else in the world but the two of us.
But when the wine wore off, I checked my watch and felt my heart sink. It was already four in the morning. Frantically, I looked around for my shoes and ran from the study, them in hand. Victor called after me, but I ignored him, thinking only of Lenna and how I had let time slip away from me.
When I entered the main hall, Lenna was nowhere to be seen, and my heart began to race. I ran to my office, throwing open the door—and froze at the horrific scene inside.
The room was destroyed: books torn and scattered across the floor, the desk overturned, glass everywhere, and the window smashed. My shoes dropped to the floor as I walked into the room, my eyes scanning the wreckage.
The books I had spent a fortune on were now in puddles on the floor. Without thinking, I dropped to my knees, glass shards stabbing into my skin. I didn't care. I grabbed the books carefully, wincing with each shard that pierced my hands. Footsteps hurried down the hall as I sat there, numb, staring at a particular puddle in front of the window. There, in the water, was a fingernail—covered in blood and claw marks, as if someone had been dragged away.
Before I could process what I was seeing, Victor was in front of me, holding my hands and yelling at someone. But I wasn't listening. When I looked up at the broken window, two red eyes were staring at me from the bushes outside. My scream tore through the air, making Victor freeze in fear as I pointed toward the window. I tried to pull away, but the glass only dug deeper into my feet and hands.
The next thing I knew, Victor was scooping me up and carrying me out of the room, down the hall, and upstairs to his room. He brushed my hair gently, humming the melody that had played earlier in the study. I was in complete shock, staring off into space.
A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door, and I jumped out of my skin. Victor assured me I was safe and that a doctor had arrived to look at me.
An old man with a scruffy beard entered the room, carrying a black briefcase. He sat in front of me, pulling out some tools to check my eyes and ears.
"You should rest now; you're in shock, and rightfully so," he said, placing a small vial of liquid in my hand. "This will help calm your nerves."
I looked at Victor, who nodded at me to take the liquid. As I did, the question that had been gnawing at me came out: "What happened? Where's Lenna?"
The doctor exchanged a look with Victor, who beckoned him over to take a seat.
"One of the townsfolk found Lenna last night," the doctor began, his voice somber. "She was waiting for someone in the hall when the intruder found her. She ran into your office to hide, but they were too strong and overpowered her. Roy believes the intended target was Victor, and if you hadn't been with him last night, he might not have made it. I'm afraid Lenna is dead—her body was found on the front lawn."
My heart stopped. My mouth went dry. I burst into tears, sobbing as Victor pulled me close, whispering softly to me. "Shh, you're safe now. Everything will be okay."
Victor gave me the tonic after the doctor left, urging me to sleep in his bed. "I'll personally take care of Theo for you, just rest now."
He left me alone in his giant room with only a single candle illuminating the pitch-black darkness. It was five in the morning, and I watched as the sky gradually turned from black to dull grey through a slit in the curtains. Victor returned a short while later and laid beside me.
"Ayana, please try to sleep," he whispered, stroking my hair. "I promise you'll feel better."
I rested my head on his chest, letting the sound of his voice soothe me as I drifted into a restless sleep.
When I woke up, Victor was fast asleep, his hand resting on my forehead, his breathing deep and even. The strange metallic taste still lingered in my mouth, so I decided to get up to grab water. But as soon as I stood, a sharp pain shot through my feet, and I yelped, falling to the ground.
Victor bolted upright. "What's wrong? What hurts?"
"My foot," I whimpered. "I think there's still glass in it."
Victor asked if it was okay for him to help, and I nodded through the pain. I watched him pull out the shards of glass, his nostrils flaring with discomfort as he worked.
"Are you okay, Victor?" I asked, noticing his discomfort.
"I'm fine," he smiled. "I don't do well around blood, unfortunately."
When he was finished, he bandaged my feet and helped me to the bathroom, where he gently rinsed the dried blood from my hands.
"You know," he said, "tonight's my parents' gathering. I don't want you to feel like you have to go, given everything that's happened."
The gathering had completely slipped my mind, but despite everything, I still wanted to attend—maybe after some rest.
"Of course, I'd like to go," I replied, offering a tired smile. "A hot shower and some rest will do wonders."
Victor agreed, calling Roy to prepare a bath for me and bring chamomile tea before he left me alone again. Part of me wanted to ask him to stay, but the fear still gnawed at me. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw those red eyes staring back at me from the window.
I threw back the thick black curtains, letting in the light. The room was full of gothic-era paintings, the walls lined floor to ceiling. Everything in the room was a deep, rich royal blue—matching even the curtains that draped the four-poster bed.
Even though I wanted to snoop, I couldn't bring myself to. I climbed back into his bed, curling into a ball, trying to will myself to sleep.
By noon, I heard voices and loud giggling outside the room. A quarter to one, I was in Mrs. Alcott's dressing room, waiting for my makeup and hair to arrive—trying to push aside the overwhelming fear in my chest.