Edith cleaned off the carrots she was going to use in the stew she was making when she looked out the window and she watched Carter and Thomas talking. They were near the clay harvester as she looked at the clay harvester and she smiled. Suddenly, the air turned ice cold as she dropped the carrots into the sink and she stood perfectly still.

She heard the soft sound of material moving closer while she closed her eyes and she heard raspy breathing. She slowly turned when she opened her eyes and her heart jumped in her chest. Standing in front of her was a female figure covered in red clay or dirt and the female figure was missing the top part of her face. Her hair looked like it was plastered against her skull and she titled her head side-to-side. Edith could see into the skull, but her eyes moved over the female figure's body and she saw the female figure was wearing either a tattered wedding dress or an extravagant ball gown.

"Get out!" the female figure shouted into her face.

"Who are you?" Edith asked.

"Get out!" she shouted again then she faded away and Edith leaned against the edge of the sink. She turned to look out the window when something urged her to go outside and she headed for the backdoor. She opened the door while she left the house and she headed for Carter and Thomas.

The sunlight shimmered on the clay harvester while Carter walked around the clay harvester and he was impressed with how Thomas built the clay harvester without any formal training or education. Thomas and Finlay stood on the platform as Thomas looked at the gages then he moved a few of the switches.

"Move back," Thomas said, looking at Carter and Carter backed up. Thomas moved the switch as a low rumbling filled the air and the scoops started moving. The scoops headed for the hole in the ground as one of the scoops entered the hole then the scoops stopped. Sighing, Thomas hopped off the platform when he walked to the hole and he knelt down on his haunches.

"What happened?" Carter asked, walking closer.

"I don't know," Thomas said as he stood then he walked to the engine. Thomas checked the engine while he tapped on the gage then he looked into where the coal was burning. He checked the gages again while Edith walked closer and she had lifted her skirt slightly to avoid the clay.

"Edith, what are you doing out here?" Carter asked.

"I just wanted to see what you were doing," Edith said while she looked at Thomas. Thomas looked at her while a small smile spread across his face and he swore she was blushing.

"Hello," Thomas said while the wind blew some of his dark curls into his eyes and he brushed the curls back.

"Hello."

"Have you figured out what's wrong?" Carter asked.

"No, I haven't," Thomas said, turning toward the engine and he checked the gages again. He hopped onto the platform when he signaled with his hands for them to back up and they moved back. Thomas looked at the levers when he pulled on the lever then he yelled as a blast of hot steam hit his right hand.

"Thomas!" Edith said, running to the platform.

"Stay back!" he said, holding his right hand against his chest. The pain was blinding as he blinked the tears from his eyes while Finlay used thick gloves to pull the switch back and Thomas almost fell off the platform. Carter and Finlay helped him off the platform as Thomas felt the bile move up his throat and Edith quickly walked closer.

"Let's get him inside!" Carter said as they helped Thomas walk to the house and Finlay glared at the clay harvester before walking away.

Lucille stood in the doorway to the kitchen while Carter and Edith led Thomas to the sink and Lucille saw the pained look on his face.

"What have you done?!" Lucille demanded. She tried to go into the kitchen, but something prevented her from moving and she growled.

"Place his hand under the water," Edith said. The cool water felt good on the burn as Thomas held his hand under the running water, but he still felt a little dizzy. "Do you have an aloe?"

"There is some in there," Thomas said, nodding his head toward the cabinet. She opened the door as she removed a small glass jar and she opened the lid. "That's it."

Edith carefully dried off Thomas' hand as he hissed and she gave him a sympathetic look. Carter had found a clean cloth in a drawer while Edith placed some aloe on the burn and Thomas made a tiny whimper. She wrapped the cloth around Thomas' right hand while Thomas watched and Carter noticed how they were looking at each other.

"Thank you," Thomas said after she was done bandaging his hand and he slowly flexed his fingers.

"I think we need to take you to the hospital," Carter said.

"I'm fine."

"You look like you're about to faint. Maybe we should go," Edith said with a pleading look and Thomas smiled.

"If you insist," Thomas said with a little laugh to his voice and they headed out of the kitchen. Bon-Ton yelped as the dog ran to him and Edith carefully picked Bon-Ton up.

Lucille had followed them, but she was unable to leave the house and she frowned while she watched the carriage head down the path to the front gate.

Holy Angels Hospital

The door opened while Carter and Edith led Thomas inside and one of the doctors ran to them.

"What happened?!" Doctor Phillip Hendricks asked.

"He burned his hand," Edith said.

"How did he do that?"

"I was working on my…," Thomas said as he staggered to one side and Doctor Hendricks went to get a wheelchair. Sighing, Thomas sat down as they went into an examination room and they helped get Thomas onto the examination table. He was lying on his back while Carter explained what happened to Doctor Hendricks and Edith held onto Thomas' left hand. Doctor Hendricks walked to the examination table when he examined Thomas and Thomas gently squeezed Edith's fingers when Doctor Hendricks touched the burn. Doctor Hendricks placed Thomas' right hand down when he walked to the table and he picked up some bandages and cleaning solution. He walked back to the table when he started cleaning the burn then he wrapped the bandage around Thomas' right hand

"You are very lucky. If the burn had been any worse, I would have had to remove your pinkie and, maybe, your ring finger as well as some of you hand," Doctor Hendrick said.

"How often should we change the bandage?" Edith asked.

"It will be needed changing twice a day. I'll give you some more bandages as well as some aloe to put on the burn and a jar of coconut oil balm."

"What will that do?"

"It was help make the scars nearly unnoticeable."

"Thank you, Doctor."

"I am also going to prescribe some powders for the pain."

"I… I won't be needing that," Thomas said.

"Thomas, be reasonable," Edith said and he reluctantly nodded his head.

"I want you to take some of the powders the moment you get home," Doctor Hendricks said.

"I will make sure he takes them."

Nodding, Doctor Hendricks and Carter left the room as Edith helped Thomas sit up and he looked at the bandage. She helped him into the wheelchair when a nurse walked in the room and they left the room.

Alllerdale Hall

Later that evening, Thomas was lying under the blankets and comforter with a proper bandage wrapped around his right hand and pinkie and the bottles of powders for the pain was sitting on the night table. Bon-Ton rested near his right leg as the dog slept and Thomas was looking at his right hand. He barely moved his fingers while his mind drifted back to the conversation they had with the doctor and he sighed.

"Ah, you're awake," Edith said. He looked at her standing in the doorway and she saw the sad look in his eyes.

"God, I wish I could take that sadness from your eyes," she thought.

"My hand hurts," Thomas said.

"Did you take the medicine the doctor gave you?"

"I'm afraid to."

"Why?"

Thomas didn't wish to tell her about the time Lucille had almost made him drink poison instead of the medicine the doctor had given their mother when he had gotten ill as a child and he looked at the bandage.

"When I was seven, my father… My father took me out into the moors to hunt pheasants. This was the first time my father ever paid any sort of attention to me. He had also asked some business associates to join us. We had gone deep into the moors until he found a place to make camp and he told me I was to stay and keep the fire going. I kept the fire going until it started getting dark, but they never returned. I had no idea where they were or where I was and I became frightened. Finally, I decided to go look for them, but I got disoriented and soon I was hopelessly lost."

"You must have been terrified!"

"I was. I wandered around the moors for hours. My wearing thin shoes didn't help matters. As the night worn on, I became cold, tired, hungry and thirsty. Lucille told me Father had sent some of the servants out to look for me after he had returned home and he realized I was missing. When they finally had found me, I was nearly dead," he explained and she gasped. "I went in and out of consciousness for weeks. Once, I heard my mother ask the doctor if I was going to die and I can still see the disappointment on her face when he said I wouldn't."

"She actually wanted you to die?!"

"Yes," he said with a nod. Edith felt the tears rolling down her cheeks when the air turned cold and she swore she saw a large shadow moving across the wall next to the bed.

"Lucille helped take care of me, but she told me she didn't like me being ill. So, she decided to put me out of my misery."

"What did she do?"

"She had gotten hold of some rat poison and she mixed it in with some water. She said it was medicine. Just before I drank it, the doctor came in. He took the glass from her then he sniffed the water and he tossed the glass onto the floor. He confronted her and Lucille told him what she had placed in the water."

"Did he tell your mother and father what she was going to do?"

"Yes. Father beat Lucille right in front of me. After that, I didn't want to take any medicine."

Edith watched the large shadow moving away from the bed as the large shadow faded and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Are you sure you don't want to take anything?"

"I'm sure. But, if you don't mind, may I have some warm milk?"

"Of course," she said then she walked away and he looked at the bottles of powders. He didn't notice the female figure covered in what looked like red clay of dirt standing in the doorway and she held a male infant in her arms. The infant looked like a small skeletal creature. It seemed to be crying in pain and the infant wiggled around in her arms. Her long hair was plastered to her skull and the hair covered her eyes. She also appeared to be crying and she was dressed in what appeared to be a nightgown. Bon-Ton suddenly woke up as the dog looked at the doorway and the dog started whimpering.

"What's wrong?" Thomas asked, looking at the doorway, but didn't see anything and Bon-Ton's tail started wagging. "It's alright. She's coming back."

Bon-Ton barked as the female and the baby faded away and Thomas sighed, wondering what had gotten the dog so upset.

In the kitchen, Edith poured the warm milk into the coffee mug after she had turned the burner off when she felt like she was being watched and she saw the large shadow moving across the wall. She wasn't afraid of the large shadow anymore as she washed out the pot then she placed the pot on the drying rack.

"I know who you are," she said, picking up the coffee mug. She heard the sound of heavy footsteps behind her, but she didn't turn around and she picked up the coffee mug. The large shadow seemed to reach out for her as she walked to the kitchen doorway then she stopped. Slowly, she turned and looked at the large shadow on the wall. The large shadow was imposing, and she did feel a sense of power coming from the large shadow, but her anger from the knowledge of who she thought it was caused her to stand straighter.

"I understand you must have been a powerful man when you were alive, but you no longer have that power. You are nothing more than a shadow and I am not afraid of shadows."

The large shadow didn't move as she left the room then she headed for the stairs. She listened for the footsteps, but all she heard was silence and she walked up the stairs. Edith walked in the room when she stopped near the bed and looked at Thomas. His eyes were closed as his chest softly rose and fell and he had his injured hand against his chest. Bon-Ton woke as the dog looked at her and Edith made a soft hushing sound. She placed the coffee mug on the night table when she carefully moved the bedding up and Thomas sighed, but he didn't wake. Turning, Edith walked out of the room as she walked down the hallway, but she didn't see Lucille standing near the door to Thomas' room. She glared at Edith while Edith went downstairs then Lucille slowly faded.

Iron Wood – Cumberland

Iron Wood Asylum was located just outside of Cumberland and was situated on the top of a large hill. A large, dark stone wall surrounded the grounds and barbed iron stakes rose from the top of the walls. A large iron gate greeted those who came to the asylum and the grounds were kept neat and tidy. At the center of the grounds was the asylum itself. The large, four story building has a stone base on the first floor and the upper three floors were a white wood with dark wood shutters on either side of the windows. Four stone towers were at the corners of the house and the roof had dark gray shingles. Tall bushes lined the walls with small bushes under the windows and thick iron bars covered the windows. A stone path wound around the house and large, dark wood trees were spread over the grounds.

A carriage moved down the path as the carriage came to a stop near the front stairs and the driver hopped down. He moved the small steps down before opening the door to the carriage and he nodded to his passenger. Out of the carriage stepped a medium size man with shoulder length brown hair and white, gray and silver hair was scattered among the brown hair. He had chocolate brown eyes, covered by wire rimmed glasses, and his face was serious. He held the handle of a doctor's bag in his right hand as he looked toward the front door of the asylum and he scrunched up his nose. His dark tailored suit was neatly pressed and the sunlight shimmered off his black hard leather shoes. He looked up at the stone gargoyles sitting on the edge of the roof when he nodded to the driver then he walked to the stairs. The driver climbed back into the driver's seat as the carriage moved away and the man walked up the stairs.

"Good morning, Doctor," one of the interns said after opening the front door and Doctor Lachlan Carlyle glanced at him. He barely nodded his head as Lachlan walked down the hallway and he could just hear the sound of someone screaming somewhere in the asylum. He walked up the stairs as he passed a few nurses and interns and they said good morning to him. He walked down the hallway when he came to the door with his name engraved on the bronze nameplate and he opened the door. He walked in the room when he closed the door and he looked around the room.

Two large windows were on either side of the framed large landscape painting hanging over the small caramel brown wood bookcase and four flowerpots were under the windows. A small row of books sat under the framed landscape painting and thick blood red curtains covered the sides of the windows.

Large caramel brown wood bookcases were to the left and right of the room and the shelves were crammed with medical books, stacks of papers and file folders. Oil lamps were between the bookcases and oil lamps were on either side of the framed large landscape painting.

A caramel wood table was to the right of the door with a small, white porcelain mantel clock on the top and two small stacks of books sat on either side of the clock. A framed landscape painting was hanging over the caramel wood table and a small stack of books was under the caramel wood table.

A coatrack was to the left of the door and a globe of the world was in the corner. Dark frames covered the portraits of his family were on the wall between the coatrack and the globe and a red carpet covered the middle of the hardwood flooring.

Lachlan closed the door when he placed his coat on the peg on the coatrack then he placed his suit jacket on the other peg. He walked to the large oak desk just in front of the windows and he moved the high back chair back. He sat down after he placed the doctor's bag on the desk when someone knocked on the door and he looked at the door.

"Enter," he said, his Scottish accent rolling the "r". The door opened while one of the nurses walked in the room and she walked to the desk. She had a silver tray in her hands as she placed the silver tray on the small caramel wood table in front of the desk and he nodded. She served the tea when she placed the teacup and saucer on the desk and he gave her a tiny smile. "Thank you."

Nodding, the nurse left the room as she closed the door and he looked at the teacup. It was a white porcelain with blue vines painted on it and the saucer was painted with the same design.

Sighing, Lachlan picked up the teacup when he sipped on the tea and he sat back in the chair. He placed the teacup back on the saucer as he looked at the casefile on the desk and he opened the casefile. He read the information when the air in the room suddenly became ice cold and he balled the fingers of his left hand into a fist.

"Do you have tae do that?" he growled, looking up.

Standing in front of the desk was a figure of a man, but it was how the man looked which was unusual.

The man was a little taller than he was. He was wearing priest clothes and leather shoes and his hair was brushed back. His eyes were sunken in and he had his hands folded in front of him. The strange thing about the man was his clothes and shoes were white, his skin was the color of dull ivory and his hair was white. Three large scratches spread over his right cheek and ghost blood floated out from the scratches. There was a large, jagged hole on his chest where his heart used to be and more ghost blood floated in the air.

Lachlan could just see through the man and Lachlan waited for the man to speak

"It is time, My Son," the man said.

"Time for what?"

"Time for you tae face your greatest challenge."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Aye, you do."

Lachlan became silent as he thought and he steepled his fingers together. He slowly blinked his eyes when he lowered his hands and the man didn't like the harsh look on Lachlan's face.

"If it's what I think it is, the answer is no," Lachlan said with a shake of his head.

"But…"

"Did you forget what happened the last time?! I nearly died!"

"Lachie…"

"No!" he shouted when the door opened and a nurse looked at him.

"Is everything alright, Doctor?" she asked.

"Aye," he said with a nod and the nurse closed the door. He looked at the man as Lachlan sighed and he folded his arms over his chest.

"You know what will happen if you don't perform your duty," the man said and Lachlan glared at him.

"A person will lose their immortal soul," he said while he leaned his head back and he looked up at the ceiling. "What if it's too late?"

"It is never too late."

"And what am I tae do if they say they didnae want my help?"

"They won't."

"You're that sure, are you?" he asked, lowering his head and he arched an eyebrow.

"Aye."

"Then it looks like I have no choice," Lachlan grumbled and the man moved closer, placing his hands barely on top of the desk.

"Just remember. Beware of Crimson Peak," the man said then he vanished and Lachlan placed his head in his hands. Shaking his head, he went back to reading the file and he pushed up the glasses with his finger.