A/N: First of all, a special thanks to everyone who has read my first story; Between Innocence and Danger. I was overwhelmed by the response. Now, why post a second story? Because BIAD is coming to an end shortly. Also, this storyline wouldn't leave me alone. As the summery says: The year is 2012 and Allerdale Hall has been turned into a university. Norah Wells enrolls and experiences strange things almost immediately. Her dreams are plagued by a man, who seems to be from another century. She becomes enthralled by him and tries to investigate who he is. What she discovers about him, and about herself, is shocking.
Love breaking through time
Chapter One
Welcome to Allerdale Hall
Despite the fact that Norah Wells loved her best friend Liane Davis dearly, there were times when she wanted to slap her silly. This was one of those times.
"I can't believe we're going to be apart for so long. I mean, what if he finds someone else in the meantime? Ugh, why study when it's much more fun to cuddle with your other half."
It wasn't the first time Norah had heard Liane make these comments about her current boyfriend. She talked a lot about him and his wandering eye. Them being apart didn't exactly ease Liane's mind. Norah knew guys like Matthew Anderson very well; they loved the chase and the final conquest. After they had gotten what they came for, they got bored very easily. Matthew was almost at his 'getting bored' stage. Usually Norah would tell Liane she deserved so much more, but one; she had already tried and two; the fact was that Liane was kind of the same. Every two months there was a new boyfriend around the corner whom she swore was 'the one.' So Norah's guess was that after a few weeks of Allerdale Hall, Liane would be just fine with a man from university.
Norah sighed. Love was an overrated concept. Why waste your good mood and future career on a man? Liane had broken so many hearts over the years, and had had her own heart broken. It was all the girl worried about; being on the arm of some hot guy and flaunt. She cared about her grades a lot less. It had been a miracle that in the end, she had finally studied hard enough to get accepted to Allerdale. Norah chose not to join that club of guy chasers. She had been friends with Liane for a long time, but she was not afraid to put her foot down when it came to finding her own path in life and not participating in what 'everybody else was doing.'
"You'll see each other soon. Haven't you already made plans to visit him in three weeks?"
"Yes, but that takes too long! Oh you wouldn't understand. Men don't matter to you. That's what you tell me."
Norah bit her tongue and stared out of the window of the bus that was driving them. Allerdale Hall came into view in all its' glory. It was truly stunning. From what she had heard about it, the main entrance was the oldest part of the entire university. It used to be a mansion of some sorts and a baronet had lived there. She loved anything related to Victorian ages, so she guessed this would really please her.
"Maybe the right guy just hasn't come along yet, you know. One of these days, a man is going to matter to you," Liane told her.
"Maybe, but I think I'll graduate first before I let myself lose my head."
"Allerdale Hall is quite pretty."
Norah felt 'pretty' didn't do the buildings any justice. Jaw dropping was a better word for when it came to the old carvings Allerdale Hall had to offer.
"I've got this feeling, Norah. Allerdale Hall is going to make you fall in love. Hard."
"Yes, these buildings are so fascinating."
Liane rolled her eyes. "I'm not talking about the buildings." Norah almost sat with her nose pressed against the window, trying to get a better view. There was something about that place… She couldn't quite put her finger on it. It almost felt like some kind of déjà vu, but that was insane. She had never been in northern England in her life.
"We're here!" the bus driver announced.
Norah and Liane took their belongings and exited the bus, before gazing up at the enormous structure in front of them. "Wow," Liane whispered in awe. Wow indeed, Norah thought. It was even more imposing up close and personal. The front doors opened to them, and they slowly set foot inside. "Has an aristocrat lived here? I mean, the people inhabiting this place back in the day must have had some serious money!"
"From what I've read, it was inherited by a baronet and a Lady, but they were penniless. That's what caused this main building to be sold to the city, and they turned it into a university in the end."
"Pity. I was already having wild imaginations about a hot, rich aristocrat performing deprivation on the ladies in this mansion."
Norah laughed at Liane's remark, because for some reason, she was having the exact same thoughts.
"These are your schedules. You're studying classics, right?" the girl behind a makeshift table asked. Norah nodded absentmindedly. "Great. Most of your classes will be in building F. It is just off to the right of this main building. These are the keys to your room. It's on the first floor. Go up the main staircase. It will be on the left side."
The main staircase was sturdy, dark and massive, almost taking up the entire room in the hallway downstairs. The walls were covered in paintings that Norah didn't dare guess about how old they were. Wow, she was born in the wrong era. She loved these things!
The hallway upstairs seemed a bit dark and everything was covered in dark wood. Even the entrance to their room was a massive, wooden door. It creaked when they opened it with their key.
"Well fuck! Would you look at this! I think we're going to handle ourselves just fine here in northern England. Oh my.. Would you check out our bathroom? It's insane! I'm so glad we didn't go to Oxford," Liane hammered on excitedly.
Norah had quite a different feel in this room. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, but she was overwhelmed with the feeling that she had been here before, just like she had when she had first set eyes on Allerdale Hall. An image flashed before her of a large bed in the middle of the room. There was a candlestick near a chair and…
"What are you daydreaming about? Don't you just love this?" Liane interrupted her thoughts.
Norah looked around and saw the room as it currently was; no large bed, no candles and two twin beds on each side of the room. Where had her mind taken her?
"All right, which bed do you want?" she tried to distract herself.
Liane looked at her with a grin. "Are you kidding me? The one near the window of course! If there's a hot guy on campus, I need to be able to see it!"
Norah made a face. Matthew seemed to be already forgotten. She unpacked and went to put her toiletries in the bathroom, when the sight of the bathtub made her freeze. Lord, there was something very eerie about this. Why were all of these things familiar to her?
She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up when a soft breeze passed by her. Had Liane already opened up a window in here?
"Edith," a voice seemed to whisper in her ear.
Wow, what the hell?! What was that? She quickly whirled around to check out the bathroom, but it was empty. No one was in here except for her. She put a hand to her heart, trying to will it to calm down somewhat. Maybe she was behaving this funny because she had never been so far away from home.
"Norah, there's a welcoming party in the building tonight. Are you coming with me" Liane came bounding into the bathroom.
She was looking at her pleadingly, her eyes big and bright. A small smile played around Norah's lips. She knew when she was being played.
"Oh no," she told her.
"Yes," Liane said decisively. "It's perfect. It'll take my mind off of Matthew and you can relax a bit."
"We still need to unpack our stuff and get settled," she told her.
"Oh come on! We can unpack later. Our first class isn't until tomorrow afternoon. You know you want to. Anyways, you became friends with me so I could order you to have fun. If you had your way, fun would be forgotten."
"All right. I'll go with you. For some reason, this room is giving me a weird feeling."
"You're just feeling homesick. One party and you will be all better. Doctor Liane promises you."
Norah smiled at her friend's antics. Liane could be a bit shallow sometimes, but she was a great friend with a caring heart. She was glad they had both been accepted to Allerdale.
The party started at nine p.m. and was held in the main building in what used to be some sort of basement. They took the stairs down and were met with a crowded room and music blaring from the speakers.
"Let's find you a nice guy," Liane almost yelled with the noise.
"Let's just party."
"Aw party pooper! I want to see you love somebody!"
"I love you." Norah joked.
Liane stuck her tongue out at her and began to sway to the rhythm, while Norah made her way through the crowd to get some drinks for them.
"Two cokes, please," she asked as she looked around the room.
If their bedroom upstairs gave her a weird vibe, this room was a thousand times worse. There was a knot in her stomach as she eyed the brick, red walls. From what she had read about this place, the aristocrats that had lived here had tried to live off of what the land had to offer. Of course, the land had nothing much to offer but red clay. In the winter, the red clay would seep through the snow and would make it look like blood. They had called it 'Crimson Peak' back in the day. She could still see the red clay in the walls today. The room was full of it.
Suddenly, she wasn't sitting at the drinks stand in a crowded room anymore. She was standing in the middle of it, eying an elevator at the far end. Since when did this house have an elevator? She had only seen stairs. The room was empty now, save for her, and she saw wells standing on both ends of the room. They were closed off with heavy, iron lids. Her stomach turned at the sight of them. A suitcase of some sorts was standing to the right.
What was going on here? Where were all the people? Was she dreaming?
"Hey lady! Are you okay?"
The voice sounded from somewhere in the distance and she closed her eyes. As soon as she opened them, she was back at the party. The guy who was handling their drinks was eyeing her in a funny way. The wells were gone.
"Uhm yes, I'm sorry. I guess I'm more tired than I thought," she apologized. "Thanks for the drinks."
As she made her way back towards Liane she shook her head. It would be better if she slept soundly tonight..
Some hours later, Norah helped Liane up the stairs to their bedroom as best she could. It wasn't easy, but they struggled up one step at a time, all the while Norah cursed the students who had spiked drinks all around tonight. Luckily, she had watched her drinks, knowing what students could be like.
"Keys?" she asked Liane, when they'd finally reached their destination. Liane had held onto the keys for the night. She had left hers inside the bedroom. Maybe that hadn't been the wisest decision.
"Pocket," she mumbled.
Norah delicately reached into her jean pocket and fumbled around trying to get her hand on them. Liane grunted. She finally fished them out, unlocked the door, and then they stumbled through it. When they reached her bed, Liane fell onto it, instantly snoring loudly.
Norah sighed, looking around their bedroom. Well, the first night away from home and it had been strange. She had been daydreaming about the rooms of this building a lot, Liane had gotten drunk and all in all, she felt weird. Like she had thought earlier; maybe a good night's sleep would do her a world of good. Tomorrow would be her first day at university. There was a lot to be excited for.
Quickly undressing, she got into her bed and sighed. She would do just fine here….
"You'll pay for that," he said to her, pinning her to the cushions behind her in their bed.
"Pick on someone your own size," she'd told him defiantly.
"I'll do what I want. You are my wife."
"You're a bully."
"Who cares?"
He swooped down to kiss her neckline, making her do a sharp intake of breath. He was so seductive. His hands began to wander to improper places. Her breasts were pressed against his naked chest as he carefully licked a path across her clavicle. His fingertips played with her sides.
"That tickles," she said to him, laughing.
He chuckled. "I'll keep in mind that you're ticklish in case I need to punish you."
"I'm always a good girl."
"I beg to differ. If I recall correctly, you were anything but good in our small room at the post office."
She blushed furiously, but her eyes stayed on him the whole time.
"You liked it."
"I did. I want you," he whispered.
"Then take me."
His fingers wandered further down until they found that place between her legs that burned and ached for him. His thumb pressed down gently between her folds and she cried out.
"Can you be quiet?"
"Yes.. Please," she pleaded, as he started building her up. He kissed her gently as his hand played with her. It was more satisfying than she could have imagined. Yes, the post office had been pleasurable. But this… this was all about her and what felt good to her. Her back arched off of the bed in wanton need. She felt so…. Bad.
"Are you ready?" he asked her.
"Yesyesyesyes," she babbled.
Her mind was lost as he sent her over the edge. When she finally landed back on earth, she gazed at him in a daze. He was so perfect with his dark, curly hair and blue eyes. He leaned forward and buried his face in the crook of her neck.
"You're mine. My Edith," he whispered in her ear….
Norah bolted upright in her bed, her heart pounding in her chest. Sweat covered her body as she tried to take in her surroundings. Right, she was at the university now. The room was dark, save for a small speck of moonlight shining through the curtains. Liane was still snoring away her drunken stupor in her bed. Apparently, there was a storm brewing outside, since she could hear branches tapping the window every now and then. The wind made the wood of the building moan and groan.
Norah ran a hand through her hair and took a deep breath. That had been some dream! She could still feel the after effects of it between her… well, a sexy dream like that had its' influence.
The man in it had been so… beautiful was not a right word for a man, but wow! He had been exquisite. The question was how did he end up in her dreams? Who was he? Had she seen a picture of him somewhere? And he had called her….
Suddenly her heart stopped. He had called her Edith, the same name she had heard being whispered in the bathroom. Was it a coincidence? Was her mind playing tricks on her. She had been a little off ever since she had gotten here.
Maybe she had imagined hearing the name and had interpreted it in her dream somehow. She flopped back down onto her pillow. Well, it had been a dream, so there was no need to worry about it. As for the man; all of Liane's pushing her into the direction of a relationship probably had her conjure up a fantasy man. He was some fantasy man, indeed! More like a God with his chiseled features. She grinned to herself. If a man like that ever came around the corner, she would maybe reconsider her vision on love.
With that thought in mind, she went back to sleep. From somewhere in the corner of the room, curtains began to billow as if wind was blowing through it. Both girls slept soundly as a voice sounded throughout the room.
"Edith…."
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