Banshee Song
Book Two
Chapter Twenty-Six
"Perhaps she's just taking a break."
Sean shook his head. "Elizabeth wouldn't take a break for this long – and especially not at dinnertime."
Mr. Callahan nodded. That was true. "And you've checked the castle and the grounds?"
"Aye," Sean sighed. "Perhaps Miss Lockeheart knows where she is."
The only person they found in Miriam's room was her maid. "Excuse me, Kara, have ye seen Miss Lockeheart?" Sean asked.
The girl shook her head. "I was just wondering myself where she was. I haven't seen her since late this morning."
Sean frowned as he absorbed the new information. "Ye haven't by any chance seen Miss Brady since then?"
"No, I haven't."
"So they're both missing." He turned to Mr. Callahan. "Could they have gone somewhere?"
"If so, they did it walking. All the carriages are here; all horses accounted for. And Miss Lockeheart doesn't seem the type to enjoy a walk in the rain."
"So they have to be here, somewhere," Sean deduced.
"Excuse me, Lord Cassidy?" Kara spoke up. "I just remembered that Miss Lockeheart said something this morning about wanting to go exploring. She especially wanted to see the tower. Perhaps she and Miss Brady went together."
Sean and Mr. Callahan exchanged worried glances. Anything could have happened to the girls in that part of the castle. Sean tried to shut out the image of a bloody Elizabeth lying in a pile of rubble.
"I'll go get some tools and rope," Mr. Callahan said.
Sean nodded. "I'll get a couple of lamps."
A few minutes later the two men stood before the entrance to the central body of the castle. This was the oldest, and most dangerous part of the castle. A quick search of the other wings had proved their deepest fears – Miriam and Elizabeth had headed this way toward the old tower.
Sean tied one end of the rope around his waist and the other end went around Mr. Callahan. They didn't know what condition the floors would be in and this would at least help them if one of them fell into a hole. Mr. Callahan held his lamp high and went to open the door.
"Ready?"
Sean nodded, a grim determination evident on his face. {Hang on Beth, I'm coming.}
Elizabeth laid her head on her knees and closed her eyes. Her head was spinning and she couldn't tell which was worse; the dizzy nausea caused by her head injury or the burning pain in her arm.
She inhaled a deep, shaky breath. Darkness encroached all around her, enveloping her, suffocating her. She had lost all track of time down in the black nothingness. Minutes blurred into hours blurred into days. Had it been days? Had it been days in the hot, stuffy, dark so thick one could choke on it? Or maybe she had always been there and her other life had just been a pleasant dream.
"We're going to die." A moaning voice snapped Elizabeth back into reality.
"We're not going to die. Just hang on a little longer. Sean will find us."
"Before or after we die of starvation?"
"We are not going to die," Elizabeth bit out. "Just close your eyes and try to relax." {Yeah, right,} she thought to herself. {Like ye could relax in this situation.} She began counting in her head to keep her mind distracted. {1, 2, 3, 4…} She was somewhere in the mid 800's when she heard Miriam scramble to her feet.
"I can't take it anymore – I have to get out of here!" she cried. She began feeling her way along a wall.
"No! Miriam, we have to stay here!" Elizabeth stood up quickly. She closed her eyes for a second as a wave of nausea washed over her. She headed in the direction of Miriam's shuffling. She tried to keep her voice low and calming.
"Remember, we talked about this. Ye can't go anywhere; it's too dangerous. I won't let ye risk getting lost, or hurt."
"Who are you to give me orders? I tell you what to do, not the other way around. And I say that I am NOT going to sit around here waiting to die. Now you can stay here and wait for your precious Sean to rescue you, BETH, but I'm going to take matters into my own hands."
Elizabeth wasn't sure what did it. Whether it was hearing Sean's pet name so callously flung at her from that woman's lips, or whether she was simply tired, hurting, and had had enough of Miss Miriam. In any case, Elizabeth had reached her boiling point. She was done. Done with catering to the spoiled girl's every whim. Done with putting up with the girl's cruel remarks and snotty attitude. Done with watching the man she loved court another. Done.
Miriam turned to leave with a nasty, triumphant smirk on her face. She saw a dark blur of motion and then SLAP! She reached up to feel her stinging cheek.
"You slapped me," she said incredulously.
"Aye."
"Why?"
"Ye were obviously suffering from a fit of hysteria. I did it to help ye," Elizabeth coolly replied. "Do ye feel better, or are ye still hysterical?"
Miriam sullenly rubbed her cheek. "No, I'm good."
"Good. So ye aren't going to go anywhere? You're going to stay right here with me?"
"Yes."
"Great. Now let's get one more thing straight. Ye do not EVER call me Beth, okay? My name is not Lisa, or Elise, or Eliza, or anything else ye want to call me. My name is Elizabeth. Ye, however, may call me Miss Brady."
The two girls warily sank back down on the stone floor. Elizabeth rubbed her throbbing temples. There was one positive thing about Miriam's annoying presence; it helped to take Elizabeth's mind off of her ever- present fear. She closed her eyes and tried to relax as the minutes ticked by.
"I want my Daddy," Miriam sniffled, her earlier bravado having vanished.
"And I want ye to be quiet. Obviously, we don't always get what we want."
A small smile flickered across Miriam's face. "I know you probably think I'm some kind of spoiled brat…"
"Whatever gave ye that idea?" Elizabeth joked.
Despite herself, Miriam chuckled. "It's just, I've always gotten whatever I wanted; toys, new dresses, parties. But all I really ever wanted was for my parents to pay attention to me. Instead, Daddy's too busy with his business, and Mom's too busy being a socialite that they don't have any time for me. So instead of showering me with love and attention, they shower me with things. And I guess that's why I act the way I do."
"Well, at least your parents are still alive."
"Yes, and at least your parents loved you. My parents don't love me; they don't even want me around. They're just going to ship me off in marriage to the highest bidder. They don't care what I want, they don't care that I'm in love with Carlo, the stable boy. No, they're all, 'Sean has a title, and a grand castle. You'll be Lady Cassidy – won't that be nice?' and I'm all, 'No, I love Carlo' – why don't they love me?…"
"I hate to interrupt your sob story, but I think I hear something," Elizabeth cut in. She strained her ears, listening for the slightest sound. Relief washed over her when she distinctly heard footsteps above her. She could see a light growing brighter and could now clearly make out the hole they had fallen through.
"Elizabeth! Miriam!" a welcome voice called.
"Sean! Down here!" she cried back joyfully. Tears filled her eyes when Sean's face peered over the ledge. Mr. Callahan carefully lowered Sean down the hole and minutes later; he stood beside the two girls, anxious worry reflected on his face.
Miriam propelled herself into Sean's stunned arms. She blubbered loudly about her "broken" ankle and how scared she was and how he was her hero and she never gave up hope but always knew that he would find her. Elizabeth rolled her eyes. So much for Miriam's supposed change of heart. She was still the same, despite her ordeal.
"Are ye okay?" Sean asked, his eyes boring anxiously into Elizabeth's eyes while Miriam continued to cling onto him. Elizabeth nodded her silent response.
"No," Miriam replied. "My ankle is throbbing and I feel so faint – oh, I was so scared!" She cried loudly onto his shoulder.
"It's okay, you're safe now," Sean assured her. Then came the difficult task of raising the girls out of the hole. They had to be very careful not to cause the floor to cave in further. Miriam was lifted out first, due to her "broken" ankle, and Elizabeth followed. Sean came up last, panting and exhausted.
Miriam had to be carried; she simply could not walk with her "broken" ankle, so the two men carried her while Elizabeth followed, carrying the lamps and things the men had brought in. She was able to keep up pretty well at first, but as the minutes wore on the pain in her head and arm increased. Her head spun and her footsteps faltered. Soon, she was quite a distance behind the others, yet Miriam's non-stop crying and melodramatic posturing prevented Sean from noticing.
Elizabeth clutched her head as her vision swam. She felt as if all of her strength was being drained from her body. Her injuries combined with the emotional trauma she suffered were now taking their toll. She reached out for Sean and then collapsed to the floor in a dead faint.
Book Two
Chapter Twenty-Six
"Perhaps she's just taking a break."
Sean shook his head. "Elizabeth wouldn't take a break for this long – and especially not at dinnertime."
Mr. Callahan nodded. That was true. "And you've checked the castle and the grounds?"
"Aye," Sean sighed. "Perhaps Miss Lockeheart knows where she is."
The only person they found in Miriam's room was her maid. "Excuse me, Kara, have ye seen Miss Lockeheart?" Sean asked.
The girl shook her head. "I was just wondering myself where she was. I haven't seen her since late this morning."
Sean frowned as he absorbed the new information. "Ye haven't by any chance seen Miss Brady since then?"
"No, I haven't."
"So they're both missing." He turned to Mr. Callahan. "Could they have gone somewhere?"
"If so, they did it walking. All the carriages are here; all horses accounted for. And Miss Lockeheart doesn't seem the type to enjoy a walk in the rain."
"So they have to be here, somewhere," Sean deduced.
"Excuse me, Lord Cassidy?" Kara spoke up. "I just remembered that Miss Lockeheart said something this morning about wanting to go exploring. She especially wanted to see the tower. Perhaps she and Miss Brady went together."
Sean and Mr. Callahan exchanged worried glances. Anything could have happened to the girls in that part of the castle. Sean tried to shut out the image of a bloody Elizabeth lying in a pile of rubble.
"I'll go get some tools and rope," Mr. Callahan said.
Sean nodded. "I'll get a couple of lamps."
A few minutes later the two men stood before the entrance to the central body of the castle. This was the oldest, and most dangerous part of the castle. A quick search of the other wings had proved their deepest fears – Miriam and Elizabeth had headed this way toward the old tower.
Sean tied one end of the rope around his waist and the other end went around Mr. Callahan. They didn't know what condition the floors would be in and this would at least help them if one of them fell into a hole. Mr. Callahan held his lamp high and went to open the door.
"Ready?"
Sean nodded, a grim determination evident on his face. {Hang on Beth, I'm coming.}
Elizabeth laid her head on her knees and closed her eyes. Her head was spinning and she couldn't tell which was worse; the dizzy nausea caused by her head injury or the burning pain in her arm.
She inhaled a deep, shaky breath. Darkness encroached all around her, enveloping her, suffocating her. She had lost all track of time down in the black nothingness. Minutes blurred into hours blurred into days. Had it been days? Had it been days in the hot, stuffy, dark so thick one could choke on it? Or maybe she had always been there and her other life had just been a pleasant dream.
"We're going to die." A moaning voice snapped Elizabeth back into reality.
"We're not going to die. Just hang on a little longer. Sean will find us."
"Before or after we die of starvation?"
"We are not going to die," Elizabeth bit out. "Just close your eyes and try to relax." {Yeah, right,} she thought to herself. {Like ye could relax in this situation.} She began counting in her head to keep her mind distracted. {1, 2, 3, 4…} She was somewhere in the mid 800's when she heard Miriam scramble to her feet.
"I can't take it anymore – I have to get out of here!" she cried. She began feeling her way along a wall.
"No! Miriam, we have to stay here!" Elizabeth stood up quickly. She closed her eyes for a second as a wave of nausea washed over her. She headed in the direction of Miriam's shuffling. She tried to keep her voice low and calming.
"Remember, we talked about this. Ye can't go anywhere; it's too dangerous. I won't let ye risk getting lost, or hurt."
"Who are you to give me orders? I tell you what to do, not the other way around. And I say that I am NOT going to sit around here waiting to die. Now you can stay here and wait for your precious Sean to rescue you, BETH, but I'm going to take matters into my own hands."
Elizabeth wasn't sure what did it. Whether it was hearing Sean's pet name so callously flung at her from that woman's lips, or whether she was simply tired, hurting, and had had enough of Miss Miriam. In any case, Elizabeth had reached her boiling point. She was done. Done with catering to the spoiled girl's every whim. Done with putting up with the girl's cruel remarks and snotty attitude. Done with watching the man she loved court another. Done.
Miriam turned to leave with a nasty, triumphant smirk on her face. She saw a dark blur of motion and then SLAP! She reached up to feel her stinging cheek.
"You slapped me," she said incredulously.
"Aye."
"Why?"
"Ye were obviously suffering from a fit of hysteria. I did it to help ye," Elizabeth coolly replied. "Do ye feel better, or are ye still hysterical?"
Miriam sullenly rubbed her cheek. "No, I'm good."
"Good. So ye aren't going to go anywhere? You're going to stay right here with me?"
"Yes."
"Great. Now let's get one more thing straight. Ye do not EVER call me Beth, okay? My name is not Lisa, or Elise, or Eliza, or anything else ye want to call me. My name is Elizabeth. Ye, however, may call me Miss Brady."
The two girls warily sank back down on the stone floor. Elizabeth rubbed her throbbing temples. There was one positive thing about Miriam's annoying presence; it helped to take Elizabeth's mind off of her ever- present fear. She closed her eyes and tried to relax as the minutes ticked by.
"I want my Daddy," Miriam sniffled, her earlier bravado having vanished.
"And I want ye to be quiet. Obviously, we don't always get what we want."
A small smile flickered across Miriam's face. "I know you probably think I'm some kind of spoiled brat…"
"Whatever gave ye that idea?" Elizabeth joked.
Despite herself, Miriam chuckled. "It's just, I've always gotten whatever I wanted; toys, new dresses, parties. But all I really ever wanted was for my parents to pay attention to me. Instead, Daddy's too busy with his business, and Mom's too busy being a socialite that they don't have any time for me. So instead of showering me with love and attention, they shower me with things. And I guess that's why I act the way I do."
"Well, at least your parents are still alive."
"Yes, and at least your parents loved you. My parents don't love me; they don't even want me around. They're just going to ship me off in marriage to the highest bidder. They don't care what I want, they don't care that I'm in love with Carlo, the stable boy. No, they're all, 'Sean has a title, and a grand castle. You'll be Lady Cassidy – won't that be nice?' and I'm all, 'No, I love Carlo' – why don't they love me?…"
"I hate to interrupt your sob story, but I think I hear something," Elizabeth cut in. She strained her ears, listening for the slightest sound. Relief washed over her when she distinctly heard footsteps above her. She could see a light growing brighter and could now clearly make out the hole they had fallen through.
"Elizabeth! Miriam!" a welcome voice called.
"Sean! Down here!" she cried back joyfully. Tears filled her eyes when Sean's face peered over the ledge. Mr. Callahan carefully lowered Sean down the hole and minutes later; he stood beside the two girls, anxious worry reflected on his face.
Miriam propelled herself into Sean's stunned arms. She blubbered loudly about her "broken" ankle and how scared she was and how he was her hero and she never gave up hope but always knew that he would find her. Elizabeth rolled her eyes. So much for Miriam's supposed change of heart. She was still the same, despite her ordeal.
"Are ye okay?" Sean asked, his eyes boring anxiously into Elizabeth's eyes while Miriam continued to cling onto him. Elizabeth nodded her silent response.
"No," Miriam replied. "My ankle is throbbing and I feel so faint – oh, I was so scared!" She cried loudly onto his shoulder.
"It's okay, you're safe now," Sean assured her. Then came the difficult task of raising the girls out of the hole. They had to be very careful not to cause the floor to cave in further. Miriam was lifted out first, due to her "broken" ankle, and Elizabeth followed. Sean came up last, panting and exhausted.
Miriam had to be carried; she simply could not walk with her "broken" ankle, so the two men carried her while Elizabeth followed, carrying the lamps and things the men had brought in. She was able to keep up pretty well at first, but as the minutes wore on the pain in her head and arm increased. Her head spun and her footsteps faltered. Soon, she was quite a distance behind the others, yet Miriam's non-stop crying and melodramatic posturing prevented Sean from noticing.
Elizabeth clutched her head as her vision swam. She felt as if all of her strength was being drained from her body. Her injuries combined with the emotional trauma she suffered were now taking their toll. She reached out for Sean and then collapsed to the floor in a dead faint.
