The Wedding of Rachel Blaine Read online

  I hesitate before taking the glass.

  “What's wrong?” he asks. “I know you didn't want to drink too much during the dinner, but this is just a top-up at the end of the night. It's us, toasting to the future.”

  “Of course,” I reply, although I still feel a little nauseous as I look at the champagne in the glass. I can't help thinking back to last night, out on the jetty, and then to Robert's comments at the pagoda.

  Except, I have to remember that all that stuff out at the pagoda never really happened.

  “Cheers, then,” he says, as he clinks his glass against mine. “To the future.”

  “To the future,” I reply, and then I watch as he sips from his glass.

  “Not thirsty?” he asks.

  “Just... savoring it,” I say cautiously.

  “I splashed out on the best they have,” he replies. “I can't remember the name of it, but it's supposed to be very good.” He takes another sip. “Come on, join in the fun. Why not?”

  I smile weakly, and then – forcing myself to stay focused on what's real and what's not – I sip from my glass. As I do so, I notice that Robert seems to be watching me very intently, but I suppose that's just what love is.

  “Good, isn't it?” he asks, before finishing the rest of his.

  “In a hurry?” I reply nervously.

  “To get my bride onto the bed?” he says, raising an amused eyebrow. “Whyever could that be?”

  I pause again, before finishing the last of my glass. I swallow hard, and the drink tastes slightly more bitter than I'd usually expect, but then again I haven't had really expensive champagne before. I'm sure it's always like this.

  “I've always loved you, Rachel,” Robert says after a moment. “I just want you to know that. I want you to keep it in your heart.”

  “Of course,” I reply. “And I love you too.”

  “Whatever happens,” he continues, “my love for you has always been so real, and so strong.”

  “Mine too,” I say, although I'm starting to notice that he's laying this all on a little thick.

  He stares at me for a moment, with a hint of sadness in his eyes, and then he gestures toward the bed.

  “I should take my dress off first.”

  “Leave it on.”

  “But -”

  “Just for now. Humor me.”

  I turn to go to the bed, but then I stop as I see Robert's expression.

  “Are you crying?” I ask.

  “Me?” He laughs, but it's a strained, forced laugh. “No, of course not. Why would you say that?”

  I stare at him for a moment, but I have to admit that I might have been wrong. His eyes look quite watery, as if he's holding tears back, but nothing is actually running down his cheek. I guess it's just late, and we've both had a long night.

  Still, I feel a little uneasy as I settle on the bed, and then I wait as Robert turns the light off and climbs on next to me.

  “I just realized something,” I say.

  “Roll over,” he replies. “Onto your side, facing the window.”

  “I didn't see Mr. Percival today,” I continue. “Not once. Isn't that odd?”

  “I'm sure he was just busy.”

  “But he didn't even come to congratulate us,” I point out, turning to him. “He was everywhere yesterday, we could barely get rid of him. Especially after the incident with the chandelier. And today he was completely gone.”

  “Maybe it was his day off.”

  “He said he'd see us at the wedding.”

  “Then maybe he -”

  “So where was he?”

  “I don't know,” Robert replies, sounding a little irritated now. “Rachel, please, does it matter?”

  “It just seems so odd,” I say, as I feel Robert's hand on my waist. “I really feel as if he would have been around, you know? To make sure that everything went perfectly. And he definitely would have come to give us his congratulations. It's so strange that I didn't see him at all.”

  “Don't worry about it now,” he replies, and I can feel him gently pushing me, getting me to roll over. “Can you get onto your side? For me?”

  I hesitate, still wondering what happened to Mr. Percival, and then I roll onto my side. I feel Robert's hand still resting on my waist, and at the same time I'm starting to feel really sleepy. I guess today has been a long day, and the champagne might have gone to my head, but my eyelids feel so heavy and it's as if my entire mind is being dragged down into darkness. This is my wedding night, it's supposed to be fun, but instead I feel as if I'm about to pass out.

  Robert leans closer to the back of my neck, so close now that I can actually feel his breath.

  I need to stay awake, but I can't fight this wave of exhaustion that's washing over me. It's almost as if I'm about to sink beneath the bed, and I can't even summon the strength to speak to Robert and tell him what's happening. I can feel his hand on my waist, starting to stroke me gently, but I can't say a word. I can barely keep my eyes open either, although I struggle and just about manage to look toward the window. And as I do so, I realize I can see the faintest hint of a figure moving slowly across the room in the darkness, coming toward us on the bed. I try desperately to keep my eyes open, but they slip shut just as I feel a rush of panic starting to burst through my chest. Even the panic isn't enough to keep me conscious, however, and my mind begins to fade to nothingness. The last thing I hear – the last thing I'm aware of at all – is Robert's voice whispering into my ear as laughter begins to fill the room.

  “I'm so sorry, Rachel. I love you, truly I do, but Lady Argyll offered me another chance at the bargain. I found her the body of that girl who used to work here, and now she's going to let Kim take your body. If you'd ever met Kim, you'd know what I have to do. If you'd met her, you'd understand.”

  BOOKS BY AMY CROSS

  1. Dark Season: The Complete First Series (2011)

  2. Werewolves of Soho (Lupine Howl book 1) (2012)

  3. Werewolves of the Other London (Lupine Howl book 2) (2012)

  4. Ghosts: The Complete Series (2012)

  5. Dark Season: The Complete Second Series (2012)

  6. The Children of Black Annis (Lupine Howl book 3) (2012)

  7. Destiny of the Last Wolf (Lupine Howl book 4) (2012)

  8. Asylum (The Asylum Trilogy book 1) (2012)

  9. Dark Season: The Complete Third Series (2013)

  10. Devil's Briar (2013)

  11. Broken Blue (The Broken Trilogy book 1) (2013)

  12. The Night Girl (2013)

  13. Days 1 to 4 (Mass Extinction Event book 1) (2013)

  14. Days 5 to 8 (Mass Extinction Event book 2) (2013)

  15. The Library (The Library Chronicles book 1) (2013)

  16. American Coven (2013)

  17. Werewolves of Sangreth (Lupine Howl book 5) (2013)

  18. Broken White (The Broken Trilogy book 2) (2013)

  19. Grave Girl (Grave Girl book 1) (2013)

  20. Other People's Bodies (2013)

  21. The Shades (2013)

  22. The Vampire's Grave and Other Stories (2013)

  23. Darper Danver: The Complete First Series (2013)

  24. The Hollow Church (2013)

  25. The Dead and the Dying (2013)

  26. Days 9 to 16 (Mass Extinction Event book 3) (2013)

  27. The Girl Who Never Came Back (2013)

  28. Ward Z (The Ward Z Series book 1) (2013)

  29. Journey to the Library (The Library Chronicles book 2) (2014)

  30. The Vampires of Tor Cliff Asylum (2014)

  31. The Family Man (2014)

  32. The Devil's Blade (2014)

  33. The Immortal Wolf (Lupine Howl book 6) (2014)

  34. The Dying Streets (Detective Laura Foster book 1) (2014)

  35. The Stars My Home (2014)

  36. The Ghost in the Rain and Other Stories (2014)

  37. Ghosts of the River Thames (The Robinson Chronicles book 1) (2014)

  38. The Wolves of C
ur'eath (2014)

  39. Days 46 to 53 (Mass Extinction Event book 4) (2014)

  40. The Man Who Saw the Face of the World (2014)

  41. The Art of Dying (Detective Laura Foster book 2) (2014)

  42. Raven Revivals (Grave Girl book 2) (2014)

  43. Arrival on Thaxos (Dead Souls book 1) (2014)

  44. Birthright (Dead Souls book 2) (2014)

  45. A Man of Ghosts (Dead Souls book 3) (2014)

  46. The Haunting of Hardstone Jail (2014)

  47. A Very Respectable Woman (2015)

  48. Better the Devil (2015)

  49. The Haunting of Marshall Heights (2015)

  50. Terror at Camp Everbee (The Ward Z Series book 2) (2015)

  51. Guided by Evil (Dead Souls book 4) (2015)

  52. Child of a Bloodied Hand (Dead Souls book 5) (2015)

  53. Promises of the Dead (Dead Souls book 6) (2015)

  54. Days 54 to 61 (Mass Extinction Event book 5) (2015)

  55. Angels in the Machine (The Robinson Chronicles book 2) (2015)

  56. The Curse of Ah-Qal's Tomb (2015)

  57. Broken Red (The Broken Trilogy book 3) (2015)

  58. The Farm (2015)

  59. Fallen Heroes (Detective Laura Foster book 3) (2015)

  60. The Haunting of Emily Stone (2015)

  61. Cursed Across Time (Dead Souls book 7) (2015)

  62. Destiny of the Dead (Dead Souls book 8) (2015)

  63. The Death of Jennifer Kazakos (Dead Souls book 9) (2015)

  64. Alice Isn't Well (Death Herself book 1) (2015)

  65. Annie's Room (2015)

  66. The House on Everley Street (Death Herself book 2) (2015)

  67. Meds (The Asylum Trilogy book 2) (2015)

  68. Take Me to Church (2015)

  69. Ascension (Demon's Grail book 1) (2015)

  70. The Priest Hole (Nykolas Freeman book 1) (2015)

  71. Eli's Town (2015)

  72. The Horror of Raven's Briar Orphanage (Dead Souls book 10) (2015)

  73. The Witch of Thaxos (Dead Souls book 11) (2015)

  74. The Rise of Ashalla (Dead Souls book 12) (2015)

  75. Evolution (Demon's Grail book 2) (2015)

  76. The Island (The Island book 1) (2015)

  77. The Lighthouse (2015)

  78. The Cabin (The Cabin Trilogy book 1) (2015)

  79. At the Edge of the Forest (2015)

  80. The Devil's Hand (2015)

  81. The 13th Demon (Demon's Grail book 3) (2016)

  82. After the Cabin (The Cabin Trilogy book 2) (2016)

  83. The Border: The Complete Series (2016)

  84. The Dead Ones (Death Herself book 3) (2016)

  85. A House in London (2016)

  86. Persona (The Island book 2) (2016)

  87. Battlefield (Nykolas Freeman book 2) (2016)

  88. Perfect Little Monsters and Other Stories (2016)

  89. The Ghost of Shapley Hall (2016)

  90. The Blood House (2016)

  91. The Death of Addie Gray (2016)

  92. The Girl With Crooked Fangs (2016)

  93. Last Wrong Turn (2016)

  94. The Body at Auercliff (2016)

  95. The Printer From Hell (2016)

  96. The Dog (2016)

  97. The Nurse (2016)

  98. The Haunting of Blackwych Grange (2016)

  99. Twisted Little Things and Other Stories (2016)

  100. The Horror of Devil's Root Lake (2016)

  101. The Disappearance of Katie Wren (2016)

  102. B&B (2016)

  103. The Bride of Ashbyrn House (2016)

  104. The Devil, the Witch and the Whore (The Deal Trilogy book 1) (2016)

  105. The Ghosts of Lakeforth Hotel (2016)

  106. The Ghost of Longthorn Manor and Other Stories (2016)

  107. Laura (2017)

  108. The Murder at Skellin Cottage (Jo Mason book 1) (2017)

  109. The Curse of Wetherley House (2017)

  110. The Ghosts of Hexley Airport (2017)

  111. The Return of Rachel Stone (Jo Mason book 2) (2017)

  112. Haunted (2017)

  113. The Vampire of Downing Street and Other Stories (2017)

  114. The Ash House (2017)

  115. The Ghost of Molly Holt (2017)

  116. The Camera Man (2017)

  117. The Soul Auction (2017)

  118. The Abyss (The Island book 3) (2017)

  119. Broken Window (The House of Jack the Ripper book 1) (2017)

  120. In Darkness Dwell (The House of Jack the Ripper book 2) (2017)

  121. Cradle to Grave (The House of Jack the Ripper book 3) (2017)

  122. The Lady Screams (The House of Jack the Ripper book 4) (2017)

  123. A Beast Well Tamed (The House of Jack the Ripper book 5) (2017)

  124. Doctor Charles Grazier (The House of Jack the Ripper book 6) (2017)

  125. The Raven Watcher (The House of Jack the Ripper book 7) (2017)

  126. The Final Act (The House of Jack the Ripper book 8) (2017)

  127. Stephen (2017)

  128. The Spider (2017)

  129. The Mermaid's Revenge (2017)

  130. The Girl Who Threw Rocks at the Devil (2018)

  131. Friend From the Internet (2018)

  132. Beautiful Familiar (2018)

  133. One Night at a Soul Auction (2018)

  134. 16 Frames of the Devil's Face (2018)

  135. The Haunting of Caldgrave House (2018)

  136. Like Stones on a Crow's Back (The Deal Trilogy book 2) (2018)

  137. Room 9 and Other Stories (2018)

  138. The Gravest Girl of All (Grave Girl book 3) (2018)

  139. Return to Thaxos (Dead Souls book 13) (2018)

  140. The Madness of Annie Radford (The Asylum Trilogy book 3) (2018)

  141. The Haunting of Briarwych Church (Briarwych book 1) (2018)

  142. I Just Want You To Be Happy (2018)

  143. Day 100 (Mass Extinction Event book 6) (2018)

  144. The Horror of Briarwych Church (Briarwych book 2) (2018)

  145. The Ghost of Briarwych Church (Briarwych book 3) (2018)

  146. Lights Out (2019)

  147. Apocalypse (The Ward Z Series book 3) (2019)

  148. Days 101 to 108 (Mass Extinction Event book 7) (2019)

  149. The Haunting of Daniel Bayliss (2019)

  150. The Purchase (2019)

  151. Harper's Hotel Ghost Girl (Death Herself book 4) (2019)

  152. The Haunting of Aldburn House (2019)

  153. Days 109 to 116 (Mass Extinction Event book 8) (2019)

  154. Bad News (2019)