Insperatus by Kelly Varesio Page A

embrace.
    Suddenly her eyes strayed toward the bedroom hollow. He had slowly reclined himself, but as she stood, he immediately sat erect. He must’ve thought she wanted him to leave. He stood after her and was clearly about to bow in leave, but she walked past him toward the place where she was staring. She hadn’t wanted him to leave. Something had caught her eye on the bed.
    She walked almost as if she was in a trance. Her weakness returned. She was concealing the fear, anger, and sorrow she felt over the letter she had found, supposedly from a witch, but an influx of chills seized her when she realized that there were a few more pages to that letter that she hadn’t seen, peeking from beneath the blankets.
     
    Chapter 12
     
    He didn’t follow her, but he glanced into the room where she was with interest. She saw him stand out of the corner of her eye, but she was paying close attention to the remaining pages of that letter which had been hiding beneath a fold in the sheet.
     
    However, Miss Pierson, I am sorry to inform you that your timing leaving England was terrible. Your father died last night…
     
    Her lip quivered. Her heart raced. She felt herself losing color.
    “ No,” she cried quietly, holding her head. “No. This isn’t true,” she said, tears finally beginning to escape her eyes. “This can’t be true! Oh, God, it can’t be true!”
    She fell onto her bed and cried softly with little recall of the man standing behind her, watching her every move. She couldn’t hear him, but then she felt a hand touch her shoulder. He was in her bedroom, trying to be of some comfort. But she didn’t care; she didn’t care about him being there. She didn’t even care about holding in her fear anymore—about showing the world she was strong.
    “ Miss Pierson, what is it?” he asked. “What’s happened?”
    She could not answer him. She felt as though she couldn’t talk, but she had to. She held her head, breathing little breathes in sorrow. “Is this some kind of cruel joke?” she asked angrily.
    But he didn’t know what she was talking about. “I don’t believe I understand. May I?”
    His last words were hesitant, but she handed him the end pages of letter without delay. “I can’t read anymore,” she choked.
    His eyes scanned the paper, and he slowly pulled it down from his face and stared at her. “I am so sorry. How far did you read? You may want to read the rest,” he paused and looked at her with sympathy. “Did you want me to?”
    She wasn’t sure what kind of expression she had given, but he nodded and looked down, clearing his throat and reading from the beginning to her.
    “ However, Miss Pierson, I am sorry to inform you that your timing leaving England was terrible. Your father died last night. It was determined that he had Typhoid Fever, brought on by his time spent in unsanitary places in France .” He stopped. “This is appalling,” he murmured.
    “ He was not yet an old man,” she hummed. Her throat was dry, and her heart was crushed so terribly that she thought she had bled through to her clothes. Her only person left , and…
    “ Shall I continue, or did you want to finish it?” His voice was quiet.
    “ Please,” she cried lightly.
    “ Rein ,” he continued reading, and he stopped every few words to look at her. “ Your father’s death was unstoppable, even with the aid of modern medical techniques. But I must explain to you about his affairs and your half-sister, Taverin Badeau. Since your father has died, his entire fortune goes to you and is currently in the hands of your agent; the French girl was left nothing, and your house was not left to either of you, but to the county. ” She had lifted her eyes, and she saw Harker looking sadly at her. “Rein, this is too much for you to listen to now.”
    Again. Again he’d said her name.
    A chill ran down her spine.
    “ Please keep going,” she entreated gently. “I must hear the rest, and I…”
    “