NOTE: I will be posting two chapters this week; this one, and then Chapter 16 on Friday, so stay tuned! A HUGE thank you to Royal Cobalt and Sydneyer for taking time out of their busy schedules to proofread for me! You ladies are the best!

Chapter 15

And I've never loved a darker blue

Than the darkness I have known in you,

Own from you

You, whose heart would sing of anarchy

You would laugh at meanings, guarantees,

So beautifully

- Better Love, Hozier

Two days later, I was comfortably ensconced on the sofa in our shared sitting room, cuddled against Will's side, listening to the rain fall against the window while he read a newspaper. Things had, more or less, returned to normal between us after the night of the storm. The rain – the kind that lasted for days – had continued to fall ever since. My training with Richard had commenced the day before, and I was still sore from the beating my muscles had taken against the heavy bag that morning.

I yawned as I leaned my head back against Will's shoulder and picked up his hand from where it rested on my knee, turning it over to trace the lines on his palm.

"So, what do you want to do today?" I asked.

Will threw a look out the window at the pouring rain as his hand closed tightly around mine. "I thought we'd go for a swim in the lake."

I gave him a doubtful look.

He stared down at me, his lips twitching as he fought a smile.

I rose to my knees and turned to face him, laying a hand on either side of his face. "You're ridiculous."

He gave me an incredulous look. "Me? Ridiculous? Never," he laughed. "But I will tell you what is ridiculous."

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

Before I knew what he was about, Will reached out to tickle me.

Laughing, I fell backward onto the couch cushions. He stretched out beside me, propping himself up on one elbow so that his face hovered just above mine.

He leaned down to whisper near my ear, sending a shiver down my spine as his warm breath tickled my neck. "What is ridiculous, is how much I love you."

I struggled to keep a straight face as I looked up into his mischiefful gaze. "You're right. That is ridiculous. But I guess that makes me ridiculous as well because for some weird reason, I kind of like you, too."

His brows lowered over his deep blue eyes. "Just kind of like me, eh?"

"Mm-hm," I answered, still trying to suppress a smile.

He began tickling me again until I shook with laughter. "Okay, okay! I'll say it!" I cried.

Will's fingers abruptly stilled against my ribs. "I'm listening, Miss Bennet."

"I love you, too."

"That's more like it," he whispered against my ear before he sat upright and pulled me along with him.

I snuggled back into my place at his side and turned so that my legs rested across his lap.

He took my hand in his. "So, back to your question about what to do today. I was thinking we could stay in here, just the two of us, and watch movies."

"Really?" I grinned.

"Really," he replied.

I hugged him tightly.

He tucked a wave of hair behind my ear. "Thank you for putting up with my schedule for so long. It's usually hectic during the first few weeks of being home, while I try to catch up with everything, but it's been more so, this time around."

That reminded me of one of the causes of his busy schedule. "Have you heard anything more from or about George Wickham?"

Will took a deep breath and pulled me closer, resting his chin on top of my head. "No, unfortunately. He seems to have disappeared, and that concerns me greatly."

I leaned back so that I could look at him. Worry lines creased his forehead. I laid a hand on his cheek. "Nothing is going to happen to me, Will."

His eyes held mine. "No, it won't. I won't allow anything to happen to you. I promise."

"I know." I gave him a reassuring smile, regretting having brought up the topic.

"I love you," he whispered.

I bit my lip. "Ditto. You don't have to worry about me, okay? Everything is going to be fine." Wishing to change the subject and steer his mind away from the dark place it had gone to, I shifted into a kneeling position and kissed him softly. "Do you know what I love about you?" I whispered against his lips.

"Hmm, I've been wondering that very thing for a while, you know," he murmured.

I laughed and pulled back from the kiss to look into his eyes.

Will's eyes smoldered with desire and humor as he wrapped his hands around the back of my thighs and pulled my right leg across his knees so that I was straddling his lap. His hands moved slowly over my hips to my waist, where his grip tightened, holding me in place. One side of his mouth pulled up into a half-smile as he lightly tickled my sides. "I really would like to know why."

Despite his smile and playful manner, I detected a hint of uncertainty in his voice. "I love your strength – both physical and of character," I told him, brushing the hair back from his forehead before placing a kiss there. "I love your sense of humor," I continued, pressing my lips against the corner of his jaw. "I love the way you care for others, even when it's not your responsibility to do so," I whispered near his ear, brushing a kiss over the sensitive spot just beneath it, while my thumb traveled the length of his jugular, from jaw to clavicle, on the opposite side of his neck.

Will inhaled sharply as a slight shudder wracked his body, and his hands dropped from my waist to my hips. I smiled with satisfaction; it was nice to know that I affected him, as much as he did me. I rested my forehead against his and closed my eyes. "I love your mind; your intelligence and the way you challenge me. I love that you enjoy discussing ideas and I love the non sequitur turns our conversations take. I love how my mind works faster when I'm with you."

I raised my head and looked into his beautiful eyes. "I love your blue eyes and the way that everything you feel shows in them. I love the way you remember little things, like promises made under duress and the fact that I love chocolate and hate whipped cream." Just barely making contact with his skin, I trailed my lips down the column of his neck to his pulse point and placed another kiss there before I raised my head and again met his gaze, from which, I was happy to note, all traces of uncertainty and concern had vanished. "And I love your smile." I smiled, myself, and kissed the corner of his mouth. "Shall I go on?" I asked with an impertinent tilt of my head.

"I enjoy compliments from you, especially if this is the way you pay them," he whispered, pressing his thumb against my lower lip.

"Wow, vain, much?" I laughed. "Well then," I closed my eyes and kissed the pad of his thumb, which was still pressed against my mouth, before meeting his eyes again, "I'll happily oblige you."

We spent the rest of the day together, watching movies and talking, and didn't join the others until supper.

oooOOOooo

"So," Richard began with a smirk, that evening at dinner, "it's nice to finally see the two of you today."

I blushed.

Will grinned at me before turning to acknowledge his cousin's comment with a nod.

Caroline glared at me from across the table, a scowl on her ruby-painted lips.

Not about to let her get to me, I raised an eyebrow and smiled sweetly at her. She narrowed her eyes and returned her attention to her plate.

After dinner, Will stepped into his office to check messages; and Richard, Georgiana, Charles, and Jane moved to the card table for a game. Caroline occupied herself with a magazine, and I curled up on a sofa with my laptop, to work on lesson plans for the upcoming school term.

Eventually Will entered the room and sat down beside me, picking up my hand and kissing the inside of my wrist as he did so. "Hello, love."

I smiled in return and closed my laptop, bending forward to slide it into the backpack on the floor by my feet. "Hey, yourself."

"I missed you," he whispered near my ear, making my skin tingle with electricity.

I leaned my head against his shoulder and looked up at his face. Noting the distracted look in his eyes, I asked, "What's on your mind?"

Will tilted his head to one side, his tired eyes staring ahead, unseeingly. "I've been thinking about making some organizational changes in the library. I'd like to digitize the card catalog and reorganize the books, according to genre."

I gave a disbelieving laugh, thinking of the thousands upon thousands of books that filled the shelves. "That's an ambitious undertaking. And random."

"It will certainly be an interesting process," he agreed. "But I liked the way you had yours organized and thought it might be easier for people to find books here in the future-" He suddenly jerked his head to one side. "What the—" he exclaimed, clapping a hand against the side of his neck. He quickly looked over his shoulder.

Caroline stood just behind him, holding a book with a ribbon bookmark dangling from the pages. She smiled coyly. "Sorry. I didn't realize that the end of my bookmark had slipped out." she purred. "I was hoping we could finish discussing the holiday outreach initiative this evening."

Will gave her a puzzled look. "We finished discussing that last week, remember? You said you were going to have your team start on it."

"Forgive me, darling. You're right of course. I meant that I just wanted to discuss the progress I've made so far with you." Caroline's cheeks pinked and her eyes quickly scanned the room before returning to Will's. "I heard you speaking of rearranging your library," she continued in a voice slightly higher pitched than her normal, sultry tone. "I'd be happy to help you, although, I must admit, I don't know why you're so obsessed with that book room of yours."

Charles and Jane came over to join us then, both seating themselves on the loveseat across from Will and me.

I felt Will's body tense beside me. He seemed to be struggling with reining in his annoyance, so I spoke up. "Libraries are so much more than a room full of books, Caroline," I explained patiently. "A library is a place full of dreams and adventures waiting to be experienced."

Caroline directed a scornful glare my way before she caught herself. Her mouth curled into a condescending smile. "I suppose you would think that, having had so little excitement in your life of limited means."

Will narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to say something, but Charles beat him to it.

"Caroline," Charles interrupted.

Caroline turned her glare on her brother.

Charles gave his sister an amused smile. "Lizzy's means aren't limited. They far exceed your own."

Caroline laughed softly. "Surely you exaggerate. After all, if manners, bearing, and appearance are anything to judge by - and in my extensive experience they are - she's the last person of my acquaintance whom I'd assume possesses extensive wealth." She cast a falsely sweet, sideways glance at me. "No offense meant, of course."

I smirked and winked back at her. "None taken. One has to care about someone's opinion in order to be offended by it."

Caroline's expression turned blank as if she wasn't sure whether I'd insulted her or not.

"You're making a fool of yourself, and me, Caroline, so I suggest you stop now." Charles threw back.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Please, Charles, you do that well enough all on your own."

"Everyone just calm down," Jane cut in with her soft, soothing voice.

Feeling uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had taken, I chose that moment to lean forward and rummage through my backpack, under the pretense of searching for something. I unzipped a side pocket and reached inside, quickly drawing my hand back in alarm when it came into contact with something soft and sticky. "What is that?" I absently muttered as I tentatively reached my hand in again and pulled out the smushed, gooey remains of a Fig Newton. "Oh. That's where my cookies went. No wonder I couldn't find them on the plane." I wrinkled my nose. My packing style was haphazard at best, and I'd thrown the cookies in as an afterthought, not paying attention to where I'd put them.

Caroline pursed her lips. "I rest my case. Look, you can't blame me for assuming she's tediously middle class. Again, no offense meant, I'm sure," she asserted in a defensive tone.

Will glared at Caroline with a challenging, razor-sharp glint in his eyes. "Oh, believe me, I have looked, very closely in fact, and I love what I see." He turned to look at me and his features softened as he leaned down to place a kiss on my still-wrinkled nose.

I wasn't sure whether to feel complimented, amused, or insulted. I went with amusement and shrugged before returning my attention to the gooey mess in my hand.

Caroline made a noise of disgust and stalked out of the room.

Will pulled back just enough so that he could look into my eyes. "Come for a walk with me."

I glanced out the large windows that overlooked the back terrace and the still-falling rain. "In the rain?"

He nodded.

"Okay, but first, I need to dispose of this," I said, holding up the crushed cookie. "And was it really necessary to let the cat out of the bag about my financial situation, Charles?" I asked, turning to face him.

Charles smiled sheepishly. "I probably shouldn't have said that. I am sorry, but she was insulting you and I wanted to shut her up." He shrugged. "Forgive me?"

I shook my head. "I don't think it's possible to withhold forgiveness from you, my friend."

"Thank you," he replied with a sincere smile as he rose from the sofa and extended a hand to help Jane up.

"I think we're going to head upstairs to watch a movie," Jane said by way of excuse before she and Charles turned to leave the room.

"Night," I called after them.

After they'd gone, Will turned to me. "I'm going to add 'gracious' to your list of attributes."

I frowned. "But not graceful, eh?"

He smiled. "I won't ever say that you're clumsy, love, but throughout our acquaintance, I've observed that gravity seems to have a rather more significant pull on you than it does the rest of humanity."

"You know, that only began when I met you," I declared with feigned indignation.

Will laughed softly. "Falling for me then, Elizabeth?"

I narrowed my eyes at the pun and rose from the couch to go wash my hands. "Perhaps," I threw over my shoulder as I exited the room.

oooOOOooo

The next morning, I woke at dawn to the sound of silence. I rushed to the window and peered outside. Only a few sprinkles fell, and the first orange rays of the long-absent sun kindled on the eastern horizon. I smiled happily as I changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top and pulled on my running shoes, inordinately pleased about the prospect of an early morning run for the first time in days.

Richard must have had the same idea because he awaited me on the terrace. "Good morning," he greeted with an easy smile.

"I see you had the same idea."

He nodded. "It seems so. Are you sure you want to go? The trails are likely to be a muddy mess."

I grinned. "Are you kidding? Mud just makes it more fun. I enjoy a good mess."

He wagged his eyebrows. "Well, when you put it that way." With that, he took off at a jog down the still-wet steps.

The paths were indeed muddy, and as the sun climbed higher in the sky, the air grew hot and humid. Richard had long since discarded his t-shirt, and I had rolled my tank top up and tucked the bottom under my sports bra. By the time we returned to the house, I was drenched from a combination of sweat and water puddles, and my legs, arms, abdomen, and back were splattered with mud. Richard hadn't fared much better.

We decided to go in through the marble-floored front hall to avoid damaging any carpets. After we'd stopped to remove our shoes, we entered the house.

Caroline stood near the bottom of the grand staircase, speaking with Will. Both turned their eyes to Richard and me as we walked toward them.

"Good Lord, Elizabeth! What on earth have you been doing?" Caroline exclaimed with disgust.

I shrugged. "Running."

"But you're legs! They're six inches deep in mud, and the rest of your body is covered in it, too!" Caroline was clearly horrified.

I grinned. "Aww, you look like you need a hug, Caroline!" I began to jog toward her with outstretched arms. She squealed in terror and hid behind Will's broad back, as I slid to a stop in front of them.

Will grinned, looking me up and down. "It's a good look for you. I'll take that hug." He stepped forward and lifted me off the floor in a bear hug, kissing me soundly, mud and all, before setting me on my feet again.

I stared at his clothes, now mud-stained as well.

He followed my gaze to his shirt and jeans and laughed. "It looks like I need a change of clothing, too."

Caroline made a noise of revulsion. "How disgusting, running around in the mud like a pig." Her mouth twisted up in a condescending smirk as she placed her hands on her slender, designer skirt-clad hips. "On second thought, you probably felt right at home."

"Takes one to know one, Caroline," I smiled cheekily as I turned and sprinted up the stairs, toward my room.

oooOOOooo

Later the next evening, after dinner, I leaned against a window in Will's study, watching the rain, which had begun to fall again, drip from the eves. The heat and humidity of the previous morning had washed away with the return of the wet weather, leaving the air delightfully chilly. I felt a familiar pair of strong arms wrap around my waist, and I smiled and placed my hands on top of Will's, leaning back against his warm chest. "I love it when you do that," I whispered.

"Do what?" he asked, resting his chin on the top of my head.

"Hold me like this," I replied.

"My arms are always open, you know," he answered.

I turned inside the circle of his arms to face him. "I know," I smiled. A movement behind him caught my attention and I peered around his shoulder as the door opened and someone entered the room.

"Here you are!" Charles exclaimed. "I've been searching everywhere for you. Mind if I speak with you for a moment, Will?"

Will sighed heavily and gave me an apologetic look before turning to his friend. "Not at all."

I held in a disappointed sigh of my own and, with a polite smile for Charles, picked up the book I'd selected earlier in the day and headed to the drawing room by the terrace to read.

The rest of the group filtered in throughout the evening, eventually congregating around the fireplace, where a fire had been lit to chase away the unseasonable chill. I took a seat next to Will on a sofa, snuggling into the plush pillows propped against the armrest of the opposite end, while Charles and Jane lounged on the loveseat across from us. Georgiana and Richard claimed a pair of armchairs, and Caroline strode straight for the sofa and sat on the empty cushion between Will and me.

While the rest of us engaged in conversation, Caroline made an ostentatious display of reading a book, occasionally accidentally-on-purpose brushing Will's arm when she turned a page. I tried not to laugh at her obvious attempt to attract his attention, or at Will's uncomfortable expression.

"What are you reading, Caroline?" I asked, nodding toward the book she held.

She placed a ribbon marker between the pages and snapped the book shut before she directed a narrow look at me, and then turned her eyes to Will. "The Great Gatsby."

"Ah," I nodded. "I hear that's one of Will's favorites, as well."

Will threw me a betrayed look. I grinned in response.

Caroline tossed her hair. "Well, of course. It is, after all, one of the greatest stories ever written, and Will's taste is superb. There's so much wisdom between the pages."

I bit my lip to keep from laughing. "Is there, indeed?"

"Oh, yes," Caroline replied in an imperious tone. She opened her book to the page she had marked. "For example, this passage here, 'And I like large parties. They're so intimate. At small parties, there isn't any privacy.'" She closed the book once more. "Wouldn't you agree with that statement, Will?" she purred.

Will's frown deepened. "I prefer to avoid parties altogether. I much prefer the intimacy of a quiet evening at home."

"It's such a romantic story," Caroline went on, not acknowledging Will's contradictory answer, "that's why it's one of my favorites. Persistence can do much when it comes to the heart."

I raised an eyebrow.

Caroline continued, "What do you think, Will?" she asked, obviously trying to wring a like opinion from him.

He sighed heavily. "It's one of my favorites as well," he admitted with reluctance. "Elizabeth?" he asked, turning to me. "What are your thoughts on the matter?"

I glanced from Caroline to Will. To say that Caroline appeared annoyed with the fact that he had asked for my opinion would be an understatement.

I pressed my lips together and shook my head. "I'm not a fan."

Will's eyes narrowed with interest. "Why not?" he asked. "Don't you think that love is worth waiting for and working toward?"

"Of course, I do. However, that's not the case in the book, and the plot isn't even really about love, per se. It's more an illustration of how insanity, adultery, unhealthy infatuation," I threw a quick sideways glance at Caroline, "and inferiority complexes are often mistaken for love, than anything.

"Gatsby spends his life trying to build a future that's already behind him. Daisy can't even function when she's forced to consider anything more substantial than her own pleasure. What, to me, is even more frustrating is that no one wants Daisy for the merits of her mind or personality – the fact that she has little of either, notwithstanding – but rather for her looks in order to stroke their egos and further their own selfish agendas. And then, you know, there's the whole homicide and suicide thing. But, hey, if you don't mind those hiccups and the resulting happily-never-after, then I suppose it's an alright story." I shrugged.

Caroline's eyes, which had narrowed incrementally throughout my speech, now glowed with sardonic light. "Clearly your grasp of how high society functions is wanting. One of the highest compliments a woman can be paid is to be asked to be on the arm of a rich, handsome man. Of course, plain women tend to disagree; they'd rather think men don't want them because they're too intelligent and independent. The truth is men prefer beauty to brains. Men of power and importance don't like to be contradicted by know-it-all women."

I barely managed to hold back a loud, single-syllabled blast of laughter. "Well, you're right about a few things. I don't know how high society functions, nor do I particularly care. Most men, in my experience, do prefer beauty to brains, integrity, and personality, which is why I've spent the majority of my adult life single. That said, if I miss out on an invitation to act the part of flavorless candy on a rich guy's arm because I have a mind of my own and lack society's standards of beauty, I'll take it as a compliment."

Caroline crossed her arms over her chest and pursed her lips. "And I suppose whatever you're currently reading is so intellectually stimulating." She gave a curt nod to the book in my lap.

"Not in the least," I smiled, unabashedly, lovingly patting the cover of the hardbound, first edition I'd found in the library that morning.

"Well, what are you reading, then?" she demanded in a haughty tone.

"The Man-Eaters of Tsavo, by John Henry Patterson," I answered.

Caroline threw me a look of disgust. Before she could reply, however, Richard cut in. "Now there's a movie I haven't seen in years."

"Me either," I agreed.

"Anyone up for a movie night?" Richard asked, looking around at the group.

We all readily agreed – well, everyone except for Caroline – and followed Richard as he led the way down to the small home theater in Pemberley's basement, to watch The Ghost and the Darkness.

Will and I brought up the rear of the procession, and he grabbed my elbow just before we entered the darkened theater, bringing me to a halt. "You're going to pay for your betrayal up there," he growled in a low, playful tone only I could hear. "Telling my secrets to Caroline of all people."

I tilted my head back and smirked, narrowing my eyes at him. "Do. Your. Worst, pretty boy." Before he could retaliate for that comment, I dashed into the room to join the others.

oooOOOooo

Later that night, after everyone else had gone to bed, I felt restless. Deciding that a walk through the winding corridors sounded like a good way to work off my excess energy, I grabbed the flashlight from my nightstand, switched it on, and stepped into the hallway.

The dark halls were downright eerie, at night in any case, and tonight, I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that I was being watched as I restlessly paced the long corridors of the family and guest wings. The beam of my flashlight cut through the darkness, lengthening the shadows into menacing shapes that reached out with grasping claws to seize me. I mentally cursed myself for watching a movie about man-eating lions right before bedtime.

Deciding that the solitude of my room was preferable to the terrors my imagination insisted on conjuring, I turned and began to walk back. When I was almost to my door, my toe caught on a wrinkle in the plush runner rug, and I let out a squeak as I pitched forward. My shoulder hit the wall with a dull thud before I caught myself on the edge of Will's doorframe. The door popped open, and I clapped a hand over my mouth to muffle a startled gasp.

Will stood in the doorway, barely discernible from the shadows of the hallway in the black track pants and t-shirt he wore. He looked as surprised as I felt. "What are you doing out here, love?"

I heaved a sigh of relief and bent over; one hand on my knee, and the other pressed against my wildly thumping heart. After I caught my breath and my heart rate had slowed, I straightened, tucking my hair behind my ear. "Sorry. You scared me. Did I wake you?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No. I was finishing some work and heard...noise." The corner of his mouth lifted in a lopsided smile. "Here, come in," he whispered, gently pressing his hand against the small of my back, and ushering me inside the room. He quickly scanned the hallway before he closed the door and guided me to a sofa situated in front of the fireplace.

I'd not been in Will's room before. I looked around the chamber, lit by the soft glow of the fire and a bedside lamp. The table the lamp rested on held a digital alarm clock with a green display, a precariously stacked tower of books, a watch, the band of which was draped over the edge, and his phone. A pair of tennis shoes and slippers occupied the floor space beneath it, both pairs of footwear lined up neatly and precisely next to one another. A massive, dark, four-poster bed that looked much larger than a standard king size dominated the room. The covers were tucked over and under the mattress with square corners of military-grade precision.

An enormous, rolltop desk that held several neatly organized stacks of paper stood in a corner, a suit jacket and tie haphazardly slung over the back of a matching wooden desk chair. A large bureau, the top of which held a few framed photos, a polished wooden box, and a stack of t-shirts, painstakingly folded into precise squares and organized by color, stood nearby. A set of ancient-looking armchairs flanked a chess table to the right of the sofa, the playing pieces precisely arranged in the exact center of the chess board's black and white marble squares. A dark green rug that matched the heavy velvet window drapes was centered in front of the hearth; the edges aligned perfectly with the lines of the floorboards.

My attention was drawn back to Will when he pulled a blanket off the back of the sofa and sat down next to me, covering us both with the plush comforter.

I switched off my flashlight and tucked it into the pocket of my shorts before I took a deep breath, still feeling a bit rattled by the haunting sensation of being watched by unseen eyes in the halls. "Are you sure I'm not bothering you? It's late...I should let you sleep."

Will placed a warm palm against my cheek. "You can stay for a little while," he said as he leaned forward and kissed me. "Please," he whispered against my mouth.

I leaned back and smiled, shaking my head, my lips tingling from his kiss. "You can be very persuasive, you know."

"I do," he answered with a lazy smile. "By the way, just so you know, you had me at 'fight-or-flight.'"

I wrinkled my nose and laughed. "What?"

"That day when we met. I, of course, noticed your beauty-"

I rolled my eyes, "Oh, yeah... grass-stained, no makeup, and sopping wet because I made the mistake of standing on a sprinkler."

Will slid his palm from my cheek to cover my mouth. "Silence, woman. Let me finish," he said playfully.

My eyes widened incredulously at his humor, but I remained silent, allowing him to continue.

"As I said, you had me at 'fight-or-flight,' but what intrigued me and drove me to continue to attempt to draw you out was your mind. What Caroline said tonight about men preferring beauty to intelligence," he shook his head slowly, "she couldn't be more wrong in my case. I love that about you, and it's what drew me to you in the first place. I just want you to know that."

My heart buoyed in my chest like it had been pumped full of helium. "That means more to me than you'll ever know," I said, stretching up to kiss him.

"I was about to watch some television... care to join me?" he whispered.

"As long as it's something light and funny that'll take my mind off of man-eating lions," I laughed.

"How does Monty Python sound?" he asked.

"Perfect," I replied, snuggling into his side.

An hour or so later, I disentangled myself from a soundly sleeping Will's arms and tucked the blanket around him. On my way out the door, I glanced at the glowing alarm clock display on his nightstand. It was well after two in the morning.

Feeling thirsty, I decided to grab a bottle of water from the kitchen before heading to bed for the night, so I pulled my flashlight from my pocket and switched it on as I made my way cautiously through the hallway. I heard a shuffling sound as I reached the top of the staircase, and then felt claws grasp my arm. I stifled a scream and shook off the claw-like hand, but my assailant's relentless grip found me again.

"I know what you're doing!" a woman's voice hissed in my ear.

With my heart in my throat, I pointed the flashlight toward the sound of the voice. The beam of light illuminated Caroline's face. "Let go, Caroline!" I whispered forcefully, not wanting to wake anyone.

Caroline gave my arm a painful squeeze before she released it. "Walking the halls like a bloody hooker walks the streets, hoping that Will will open his door for you! I saw you go into his room tonight!"

Well, that explained the creepy feeling of being watched.

"I won't have it, you sneaky little slag!" she continued in a threatening tone. "I've worked too long and too hard for him!" she growled. "Don't think you're anything more substantial than a fling – a puff of smoke! Men like Will don't marry pitiful farm girls from the middle of nowhere. He'll use you and then dump you like the rubbish that you are."

She paused, her mouth puckering derisively as her eyes swept over me. "Then again, maybe I don't have anything to worry about. Will needs a woman; a little girl like you wouldn't know how to begin to handle that much man."

I felt whisperings of all the insecurities I still held about my and Will's relationship stir to life in my heart, but thankfully, indignation and humor won out. Considering my paralyzing fear of intimacy, I was the farthest thing from a slag, as Caroline put it, as one could possibly get outside the walls of a convent.

"Interesting," I replied coolly. "You've been trying to get him to notice you for how many years? Clearly, you're nothing more substantial to him than that puff of smoke you mentioned because I'm the one who was with him tonight; not you."

I began to turn to leave but couldn't help taking one last parting shot. "Oh, and I've been handling that much man very well, according to him, all summer long." A complete lie? Absolutely. An immature move on my part? Probably. But Caroline brought out the worst in me, and growing up, embroiled in sibling rivalry with four sisters, tends to make one a little saltier than necessary with comebacks at times.

A look of fury twisted Caroline's features as she cocked her arm back, palm splayed as if to slap me. She froze and drew it back almost immediately, her face melting into a mask of disbelief and alarm. With an angry, frustrated huff, she turned with a toss of her hair and breezed down the staircase. She threw a black look at me over her shoulder and disappeared down into the darkened depths of the stairwell.

I exhaled heavily and turned to walk back to my room, casting cautious glances over my shoulder as I went. When my bedroom door was safely shut – and locked – behind me, I began to shake with nervous laughter. The whole exchange had been so utterly ridiculous and beneath me.

I absently rubbed at the goosebumps that covered my arms but stopped when I felt something wet and sticky on my palm. I looked down in alarm at the dark red smear that covered my hand. My eyes shifted to my arm, where blood trickled from five bloody perforations, in the shape of Caroline's claw-like, manicured fingernails.