Chapter Two: Gentle Ben
"Feeling all right, dear?" Professor Bradford smiled at her youthful assistant in the dim light of the musty old private library.
"I'm fine," Julia replied, quickly covering a yawn. "Tired, I guess." Though she'd been assigned to a very comfortable guestroom in the upper corridors of Dunwich Manor's secluded stillness, the bright young college girl had slept very little the night before. Dreams of being burned as a witch had kept her tossing and turning all night. Yet her dream-filled slumber had also included vivid, strangely sensual images of dark and forbidden pagan rites.
"Perhaps a breath of fresh air," the plump professor suggested, patting her assistant's pale cheek and returning at once to her notes. Julia could see that sensible Professor Bradford wanted to continue her occult studies without any annoying distractions.
It was a dreary day outside, so instead of walking in the garden Julia grabbed her purse and decided to climb the Old North Tower. According to local legend, the pretty young wife of Silas Dunwich had fallen from this very tower, shortly after cruel Silas had burned one of the local witches. Had her death been murder, a tragic accident, or had still darker forces been at work?
"Where do you think you're going?" The growling menace of the guttural words made Julia nearly jump right out of her skin.
"I'm going up to the tower for a breath of air," she replied, feeling foolish and a little breathless already from her short climb.
"You won't make it up six flights, not in them high heels." The hulking brute with the sullen manners and the unshaven face was clearly in much better physical shape than she was. Julia disliked his rudeness, especially the way he kept looking her up and down, staring at her like she was unwanted and out of place.
"You don't like the Dunwich family having visitors, do you?" Julia conquered her fears and boldly met the young man's hostile gaze. His eyes were blue like hers, but a pale blue, in striking contrast to his thick and curly black hair. Really he was quite an attractive young man. But she hated his rude behavior, and his angry words almost frightened her.
"I don't like people looking for trouble. I don't like the family letting strangers pry into things that are better forgotten."
"Well, you may not like it, but it's their house." Without showing her fear or avoiding his eyes, Julia brushed past the young man. She ignored his final words as she headed up the stairs.
"It's not their house, it's my house. And I don't like strangers."
Julia enjoyed the long climb, even though she was tired and thoroughly out of breath by the time she reached the tower. The view was not as spectacular as she would have hoped, for it was a gloomy day and the dark forest stretched to the horizon. Somewhere out there had once been a village, but the paths were overgrown and the settlers had all died shortly after the horrible events of the witch trials. When Julia leaned against the glass and peered into the forest, she felt she could almost see old Madge Tarleton gazing up at Dunwich Manor. Condemned to a fiery death, and gazing up at the house with such hatred . . .
Hurrying back down the stairs, Julia told herself that she would say nothing to Professor Bradford about her foolish impressions. It was ridiculous to imagine there was something sinister about her surroundings! Except for the nasty young handyman with the rude manners and strangely compelling blue eyes, everyone she'd met at Dunwich Manor was absolutely charming. And the house was charming, too, full of Gothic atmosphere and shadows.
"Hey! Hey, let me out!" Back on the ground floor, Julia tugged on the door that led out of the old tower, but for some reason it wouldn't open. She rattled the doorknob, crying for help and growing increasingly frantic as it became clear she was locked in.
"Hello! Why, Julia, my dear, what's the matter?" Dr. Ben Carlson smelled like peppermints and expensive cologne. He opened the door with a look of surprise, laughing as Julia flung herself weeping into his arms.
"Oh, Dr. Carlson, thank heavens! I wasn't . . . I mean I just . . . I mean the door got stuck and I just . . . I just got a little upset."
"There, there, of course you did." Even though he was bald and plump and a bit shorter than she was, the doctor had a way of holding Julia and soothing her that made her feel completely safe. "This house is very old, you know, and even though we pay young Mathew a great deal of money to keep things in repair it's obvious that he doesn't take his work very seriously."
"I don't like him," Julia sniffled, fighting to stop her gushing tears. "When I wanted to climb the stairs he told me it was dangerous!"
"Well, there are better ways to explore Dunwich Manor than wandering off on your own," Dr. Carlson said gently, wiping Julia's tears away with a large and very soft scented handkerchief. "Why don't we both get a cup of cocoa from the kitchen, and then when the day warms up a bit we'll take a walk in the garden and have a nice long chat. Does that sound like a plan, Julia my dear?"
"That sounds like a great plan," Julia said, smiling through her tears as Dr. Carlson carefully dried her face. He was so thoughtful, and so very different from that horrible Matthew. Julia wanted him to tell her all about Dunwich Manor. But at the same time she had to remember what her job was. "Dr. Carlson, I've got to get back to the library . . . Professor Bradford is expecting me."
"Now that's naughty talk, Miss Julia." The smiling older man wagged a gently scolding finger in her face. "Only my patients call me Dr. Carlson. My friends call me Ben. Now let's go have some hot cocoa together. We'll tell the professor its research!"
"All right, Ben." Julia really could have kissed the funny little doctor with the kind eyes and teasing smile. She grabbed her purse from the floor, not realizing until now that she'd dropped it in her frantic struggles with the locked door. Matthew might not want her here, but she was certain that Ben would protect her. And one way or another, she would learn the truth about Dunwich Manor.