Disclaimer: Crimson Peak belongs to Guillermo del Toro and The Lodgers belongs to Brian O'Malley.

Summary: Sean Nally was supposed to die that fateful night when he tried to help Rachel escape her fate. He was supposed to be the price of her freedom. So why and how did he find himself in Allerdale Hall, far from home, serving the Sharpes?

Author's note: Please note that my first language is not English, it's French. If you find any mistakes or weird sentence, let me know, so I can better myself. While I know I am almost fluent and while I do read after myself and use Grammarly to help, sometimes, a mistake can pass by.

Entwined Souls

Chapter 4

Thomas and Lucille were frozen in shock as Rachel was in Sean's arms.

"Well, the world is small! It appears you two know each other already!" The man joked

Lucille's mind was racing. And her first thought about Sean being dangerous came back to her. The woman he had tried to save, it was Rachel, from the banned line of the Sharpe family. It still didn't explain why he came through the tanks, but the mere fact that he was connected to this branch of the clan made him threatening.

"They were banned two centuries ago." She reminded herself "Things could have changed. We lost all contacts with them after they were banished."

If she had to be completely honest, she sided with the banned Sharpes. Two hundred years ago, their ancestor, George Sharpe, had banished his son Francis and daughter Mary, twins, because they were caught while having an "unnatural physical intimacy". Brother and sister claimed they were in love and would not be separated, especially when Mary was with child. To avoid tarnishing the family name with the shame of public execution for incest, to get rid of that stain on the family legacy, George had given his son a huge sum of money and his estate in Ireland, Loftus Hall, if he moved there with his sister and never returned to England. For the rest of the world, Mary would move to Ireland for her health and Francis wanted to keep her company. They were to be kept inside, raising their demon spawn, and if they were to ever say they were Sharpes, assassins would come to slit their throats opened but not before making them see life escaping their baby's body. They couldn't go outside the gates of the estate, vital necessities would be provided to them, leaving them only the lake for walks, they couldn't write to anyone. Basically, they were being buried alive in the middle of nowhere, because their sin was to love someone they weren't supposed to. Lucille had no idea what happened to Francis and Mary after they went in exile, or how their line managed to survive up until this day. In fact, she always found it extreme to ban two souls who had found each other, just because they happened to be related. She knew how it felt, loving someone society didn't want you to love, just because he was family.

"There is something off about her, though." She thought

But right now, all she could do was smile, pretending she was happy her cousin had reunited with a long lost friend.

"I thought you were dead." Rachel whispered between her tears

Sean could feel how tight she was hugging him. He wanted to return her embrace just as strongly, but a part of him prevented him to do so.

"I suggest we all go have dinner. The journey must have been tiring." Thomas offered

Rachel nodded and as Sean was taking her luggage, the baronet turned to him.

"Sean, once Rachel's bags are in her room, join us. We'll wait for you to start digging."

Rachel let herself be guided. And while Allerdale Hall was gorgeous, she couldn't focus enough on her beauty to enjoy it. Her heart was racing. Sean was alive! She didn't know how he had managed to survive, how he found himself here, but what mattered the most was that he had been spared. Back there, in that cellar, when he had dived in to rescue her, the ghosts had grabbed him to make him sink. She had tried to reach to him but they prevented her and all she could do was to watch as Sean was dragged down in the darkness. She didn't know how she had managed it, but she had been allowed to reach the surface, emerging through the lake in her estate. The morning had risen. Rachel had returned to the house, to search for Sean and to see how Edward was doing. Edward had managed to reach his bed but it was obvious he was dying and there was nothing she could do. And, near the cellar's trapdoor, the others had rejected Sean's wooden leg. Their message seemed clear if she wanted to be free, fine. But that was all she'd have of the man she brought into this home. Her price to pay for her freedom was to be all alone, her brother and her lover dead. She had searched if she had any relatives alive, finding the documents that belonged to her ancestors. And now, not only did she still have a family, Sean was there, alive. Just thinking about it, she wanted to cry again.

"I hope you'll like English gastronomy." Lucille quietly said

"I am sure I will love it."

XXXXX

Sean joined the Sharpes rather quickly and quietly sat, not wanting to disturb things any more than he already did. He tried not to stare at Rachel, to be as discrete as possible, to make himself very very little.

"So, you two know each other." Thomas started "Care to explain how you two met?"

"Sean saved me from the local bullies." Rachel explained as she was catching food with her fork

"I just told Dessie to leave you alone." Sean shyly specified

"I was doing my grocery shopping at Sean's mother's shop, the Nally. As I went out, a man named Dessie came to me, accusing me of spying him and a young woman in the forest."

Rachel willingly hid Kay's name. Sean didn't need to know his sister was harassed by him. He certainly knew already.

"Sean saw Dessie wouldn't leave me alone, so he came to us and told him to leave me alone, allowing me to go home." She continued "He even went as far as following me, to make sure Dessie wouldn't go after me."

"A real knight in shining armour." Lucille smiled

Sean didn't reply.

"We met again the following days and we connected." Rachel ended

The young veteran remained silent. He had nothing to add. Besides, he didn't know what he could add. He felt out of place. And his heart was filled with confusion. He was relieved beyond belief to have seen that Rachel was alive, that she was well, that she wasn't going to be alone. And God, she was still the same girl he fell for! The way her eyes betrayed her heart's thoughts, her warm smile, her dignified grace and manners! But as he feared, seeing her meant what he went through was real. And she'd certainly want to talk about it. It would be natural if she did. And, of course, he could always tell her he didn't want to even think about it. That would be running away though. He couldn't pretend that nothing had happened, that they could resume their relationship where it had been stopped. Besides, even if they had survived, they wouldn't be able to be together. Rachel was from the aristocracy. He was just a former soldier, missing a leg, and not even English.

"So, do you have any plans for the future, Rachel?" Lucille asked "Marriage, maybe?"

The idea had crossed Lucille's mind. Rachel was the perfect candidate. She certainly was rich, she didn't have any family left except them, and even if they were related, two centuries had passed, the blood had been mixed enough to avoid public scandal. If she was to discover her and Thomas's secret, she wouldn't be in any position to complain due to her family's banishment. They'd get Loftus Hall back and her cousin seemed to be quite frail. Her health would be blamed for a sudden and lethal illness. After her demise, they could sell Loftus Hall, get even more money back and Thomas would certainly have the funds needed for his machine. Of course, there was Sean. He knew Rachel and he wasn't stupid. He'd certainly put two and two together. They could always make him visit the tanks again. Or he'd die of a sudden illness too and they'd claim it was because he was so dedicated to Rachel's person, he nursed her, he caught what she had and died too. That would be enough to keep his mother and his sister away from prying into their affairs.

"I doubt anyone would want to marry me." Her cousin answered

"Don't be so modest! You are a pretty young woman." She smiled

"True." Thomas added "But Lucille, Rachel is only eighteen. She has time."

Lucille placed her hand under the table and pinched her brother's leg. He understood he had made a mistake.

"First of all, I need to figure out what to do with my life. I need to find a job. However, I am not sure what I could do. I was pretty much sheltered my entire life. I don't really know how the outside world works."

"You want to work?" Lucille inquired

"My family's finances are drained. I have nothing left apart from Loftus Hall, and it is in pitiful shape."

Lucille scratched her idea of having Rachel's savings. However, having her marrying Thomas could still work. Loftus Hall could still be sold.

"What are you going to do with the house?" Thomas wondered

"I'll sell it. The house, the furniture, the portraits, the land, everything. I don't want anything from this place. I've suffered too much there to want any keepsake."

"You want to sell it?!"

Sean cursed himself for his outburst as all eyes were now on him. It had come out of his mouth without him thinking. The house in itself was harmless, but what was below it... Rachel gave him a soft smile.

"I know it seems like a huge sacrifice." She managed to correct his mistake "But I can't do anything else to save it. I have debts. The money I'll get from selling it will not only erase them but give me a bit of saving for me to live on. I'll have a priest come too."

"A priest?" Thomas quizzed

"People in the village are superstitious. My family lived there as a recluse, it's to ease their spirits. Besides, a godly touch won't harm. It could set my family's soul to rest. And bless the future owners."

Sean bit his tongue and wanted to slap himself. He was such an idiot! He had completely forgotten Rachel had debts, while he had heard his mother tell her she couldn't give her groceries on credit any longer after that week. And he should have guessed Rachel wouldn't have sold the house without trying to resolve the ghosts' issue. But it had been beyond his control. And deep down, he was afraid they'd be able to reach them, even far away from the village. He felt pathetic. And weak.

"You are home, Rachel." Thomas said "You can take your time. Is there anything you're very good at?"

"I do love books and poetry. But I am not sure I could be a writer."

"You can always give it a try."

The room fell silent shortly afterwards, the peace of the place only disturbed by the sound of the cluttery against the plates. After a few minutes, putting down her glass of water, Rachel looked at Sean and asked the question that was burning her lips from the very beginning:

"How did you arrive here?"

The young man froze, unable to respond immediately. He was unsure how he could explain. He knew he could simply tell her what he had told Lucille and Thomas. But while the siblings seemed sceptical but inclined to give him a free pass, Rachel knew the truth. She'd validate it. And they'd both be considered crazy and perhaps even thrown outside.

"Meeting my shovel." Lucille joked

He mentally thanked the woman for this, whatever he'd explain, she and Thomas would continue to believe what they wanted to believe, without thinking he or Rachel were madmen. And he knew Rachel was sharp enough to understand the situation.

"I was still in the water, drowning and about to pass out when a voice echoed. It told me you were safe. Then, I heard another voice, a man. I couldn't understand what he and the other voice said anymore. But after they were done arguing, they freed me, some kind of vortex formed and it pushed me up until I reached the surface. The surface being one of the clay tanks of this house. I got out of it, completely covered by it. Lady Lucille thought I was an intruder or a beast and she hit me with a shovel before Lord Thomas realized the truth."

Rachel didn't say anything but he could see the relief, as well as some questions, in her eyes. However, she didn't express them.

"Lord and Lady Sharpe took me in. They saved my life and nursed me back to health. Lord Thomas even made a new leg for me. I now work for them, in exchange for their kindness."

Surprising him, she took his hand and gently pressed it. She looked at her cousins, a soft and grateful smile on her lips.

"Thank you so much. I don't know how I could repay you for this. You saved Sean's life. You took him in. And now, you even take me in."

As Thomas was starting to say it wasn't a big deal, that it was natural, all of that nonsense, Lucille kept eating, her mind working like a machine. This was going to be even more complicated if they wanted to marry Rachel off to Thomas. First, she needed to convince Thomas to marry her. The biggest obstacle remained Sean. Not that he'd be opposed to the wedding, he was clever enough to understand his place and not step out of his boundaries. But Rachel clearly had feelings for him, romantic feelings. She wasn't sure about Sean though. He was harder to read. While it was obvious he cared for Rachel, she couldn't see any signs of infatuation. Then, an epiphany came to her. It was much simpler actually! Why even bother marrying Thomas to Rachel? The girl had spoken of paying back her debts. There was the possibility they'd gain something from her, marriage or not. Besides, they were about to receive Margaret's money. They still had time to think ahead if it ran short before Thomas managed to have a working machine to extract the clay. Rachel had nowhere to go, she wouldn't do anything stupid. She owed them a place to live in and her precious Sean's life. And if they became too bothersome, she'd get rid of them. Or she'd repeat history by sending her away again, with some coins, and Sean to be her bodyguard. However, all of this meant one thing:

She was right from the very beginning.

Sean Nally, even if he didn't realize it, was very dangerous indeed.

To Be Continued