UNKNOWN P.O.V

Adrian Devereux was a despicable man. He was an heir of generational wealth, and had made himself a name in the business world through his acumen and strategies that amassed his family thousands of gold coin on a weekly basis.

His family held him in high regard. Young men and lords looked up to him, striving for a place within his social circle. Older men were impressed by him, never passing down an opportunity to interact with his brilliance.

It was inevitable that a man of his calibre and popularity would take a wife of equal status.

In the palm of Adrian Devereux’s hand were riches, status, family, social acceptance, and the kindest most beautiful wife. Yet, he appreciated none of it.

I loathed ungrateful bastards.

Especially those who went out of their way to make others unhappy, those who saw lesser of anybody below their status, those whose accomplishments were founded on an already set and shining stage, those whose hearts’ desires came to fruition merely by a snap of their fingers, those who were undeserving of what they had in the first place.

It sickened me to smile at him on occasion, to pretend to be understanding, yielding and cordial when all I longed for was his despicable soul sucked out of him by my shadows. How satisfying it would be to watch his horrified face as he begged for his worthless life; grovelled at my feet for forgiveness.

But the mongrel was past forgiveness, for he was a dead man walking.
Without the Curse of Verthen ending him, I had to find another discreet way. It vexed me that I could not come close to him as I wished—those damn vampires were always watching, just like my shadows watched him.

Of course it would have been easier to command my shadows to kill him, but they only came to life and had full power on nights of the full moon.  It was a full moon this weekend, except time was not my best ally.

From what the shadows whispered to me, the clever, ever-dubious Tristan Devereux not only had a powerful vampire by his side, but a sorcerer as well. The information should have thrust me into the throes of panic, but it had me cackling in victory instead.

My third attempt to kill Adrian was afoot, and there was no stopping it. It was already too late for the poor, despicable sod.

What remained was to deal with the vampire, so I could make my escape.

I would soon return to watch the loathsome worm writhe and die, then take what was rightfully mine.

******

MAVIS FLARE

Tristan did not join us for breakfast the next day, having left early to presumably commence the interrogation of those on The List. The highlight of the meal was yesterday’s visit to Fate’s Heart, as well as the weekend stay at Soulga Province.

The purpose of the stay was sightseeing, in particular the ethereal fluorescent plants known as scithera. Their fluorescence surfaced every season on nights when the moon was full.

I had witnessed this once before, as a wandering child in Soulga after my orphanage burned down. The luminescence had been so beautiful and tranquil, it had given me comfort in that otherwise dreary forest.

I doubted whether it was the same place we would be going this weekend. While my view of the scithera had occurred deep within the forests closer to the Soulga-Evindrear border, this sightseeing was further south at Ridmata Cove by the Riddens Sea.

Mr. Edgar informed us of the Devereux property in Ridmata Cove, and that we would be sharing that house with the Fairburn family for the entirety of our stay.

Now, I was absolutely delighted. Over-the-moon excited, Spirits-are-high enthusiastic. Not only would it be nice to see the greftyrs again, but I had always dreamed of travelling for pleasure!

*******

It was during my harp lesson with Lea in the music room when I noticed she was a bit distracted. Yes, I finally relented to have the Missus teach me a musical instrument other than a tambourine.

Despite my initial disinclination as well as the uncomfortable position I had to arrange my body in to play, I found that I quite liked the musical soundings of the harp against my fingers.

“What’s the matter?” I asked Lea.  “You aren’t completely here with me.”

It took her a minute to realise I was speaking to her. “Hm? I’m sorry, did you say something? You’re doing well, Mavis.”

“It wasn’t about the instrument,” I relayed, leaning my head against the wooden encasing. “Something is on your mind, I can tell. Spit it out.”

Lea caught her bottom lip between her teeth and fiddled with her fingers on her lap. “It’s about Mr. Adrian.”

I resisted the urge to groan and roll my eyes, opting for false compassion instead. “What about your dear husband?”

“He seems strange,” she answered. “Too quiet and distracted. He hardly slept last night, and kept sighing to himself. This morning, I had to remind him to wear his tie and comb his hair. He insists that he’s fine, but I know he isn’t.”

Of course he’s not fine. He thinks you’re trying to kill him.

I offered a simple explanation to ease her mind. “Maybe he’s stressed by work.”

“Stressed so much he forgets to comb his hair?” Lea shook her head. “I do not think so. Whatever the situation, Mr. Adrian always puts great care and attention into his appearance. A problem with work would not capture his mind like that.”

“I have only seen him act this way once before, and it was the time the cursed goblin infiltrated the compound,” she continued. “I fretted over the goblin's intention to curse him, but he dismissed my fears, saying I was worried over nothing. That it wouldn’t happen gain. I had to remind him to wear his cufflinks the next morning.”

“Lea—”

“I’ve been thinking...speculating that perhaps the cursed goblin’s death was not the end of it,” she went on, growing more anxious by the second. The closer she came to the truth, the more my anxiety built.  “That Mr. Adrian could be in danger somehow and he himself is aware of it.”

I did not wish to undermine her concerns, I really didn’t. But I could not get Lea involved in this cat and mouse game. Especially not when her name was on The List. She would be crushed if  she discovered Adrian’s mistrust.

“Nothing has happened since then, Lea,” I forced myself to say, hating the lies that spun from my tongue. “Everything has been peaceful. Why would he be in danger again all of a sudden?”

She frowned, worry molding her features. “I don’t know, Mavis. I just feel like something isn’t right with him. It doesn’t help that he won’t confide in me. You know, I speculated to him that someone could have sent that goblin to harm him, and the culprit could still be out there. What troubles me so is that I might be right. That he knows I might be right because something happened to him again. Yet he won’t talk to me about it.”

“Do you really believe that there is someone out there intent on harming him?”

Reluctantly, she nodded her head.

I had to tread with caution. I couldn’t cement her beliefs, but perhaps Lea could assist in this investigation.
Tristan knew Adrian long enough to draw up a list of people with have motive to hurt him. As his wife, Lea could have known something as well.

I chose my next words carefully. “Alright then. Hypothetically speaking, if that person did exist, who do you think it might be? Who would want to harm him? Did you think about that too?”

“I thought about his business rivals, because that is most of his life,” she replied. “Then I circled back to personal life, but I don’t know much about that aside from my and his family’s relationships. It came to mind that some of my suitors hadn’t been thrilled about our marriage.”

“Your suitors?”

She nodded and sighed. “It’s ridiculous, I know. They wouldn’t be happy about losing; no one ever is. But people can be petty sometimes. Though...to curse someone out of envy is too much, don’t you think?”

Lea's suspicions formed the key that unlocked some sleeping part of my brain.

Leaning forward, I asked, “Do you remember the names of all who wooed you?”

“I might, if not full names,” Lea said. “In honest, Ari remembers more than I. My father had her make a list of suitors who asked for my hand. She probably still has it.”

It wouldn’t be wise to ask Lea directly about those suitors, lest my curiosity multiples her suspicions. I would talk to Ari about it later.

“Do you think one of them could harm Mr. Adrian?” Lea asked, her eyes wide and frantic.

I gulped, searching for an answer. In the end, I smiled reassuringly and placed my hand atop hers.

And I lied through my teeth. “No. I think Adrian’s fine, and that you worry too much. But if it makes you feel any better, I shall talk to Tristan and see if he can find out what’s bothering him. Then I’ll tell you, alright?”

She squeezed my hand and forced a smile. “Alright.”

*****

In my hand was  the list of Lea’s suitors as recreated by Ari. It comprised a total of twenty names, with four of them engaged. I questioned Ari if any of them seemed strange or had particularly obsessive or insistent traits towards Lea.

She managed to narrow down three of them. All happened to be in the clothing business, meaning they were business rivals for Adrian. It had to be one of them.

Henry Brood, William Forrest or that bastard Isaac Greene.

Rage filled me as the image of that pervert’s hands on Lea floated across my mind. If our villain turned out to be him, I would have a pleasant time leaving red handprints all over that disgusting face of his.

While Lea and Rebecca escorted Madam Felicity to the temple, I feigned a hard headache and opted to stay behind.
My true intentions were to witness Mr. Vlad’s hypnotic power in case Tristan returned with him, hence I waited on the terrace.

If it so happened that the villain had been exposed already, it would be to my relief and elation. I would find another opportunity to witness Mr. Vlad’s magnificent power.

My biggest worry was Lea. I was still disappointed in both Adrian and Tristan for their doubts about her. She suspected something was amiss, and for her sake, I hoped all would be sorted before the truth was revealed. I didn’t know whether I would be able to keep lying to her face.

The fiend was soon riding into the compound, without Mr. Vlad in sight. This could mean two things. One; that the villain had been exposed and two; that the villain had not been exposed, and Mr. Vlad had used his teleportation ability to infiltrate the Devereux compound.

I stood up just as Tristan walked onto the terrace. “What about Mr. Vlad?”

“Must be here, working already.” His steps were urgent as he marched into the house, his face set in a hard grim expression. “Is Lea within?”

“Lea has nothing to do with this,” I hissed, following him inside.

“The faster we interrogate her, the quicker you can relinquish this.”

I scoffed. “Relinquish that you believe your own sister-in-law is an attempted murderer?”

He turned to face me with a cold glare. “I never said that.”

“You insinuate it,” I argued. “I simply do not understand how you even doubt her.”

“It is because you are naive that you don’t understand,” he countered. “Matters such as this cannot be looked at through rose-coloured glasses. They must be dissected with precaution and objectivity until no stone is left unturned. It is the only way to prevent disastrous, regrettable outcomes.”

His eyes narrowed, a tic passing through his sharp jaw. “Since we’re on the subject, how dare you speak to Adrian like that yesterday? You are not at all related to him. It wasn’t your place.”

I challenged his glare with unwavering resolve, my stance anchored. “When someone needs to be taught a lesson, it doesn’t matter to me who or what they are. Your brother infuriates me, and I only let him know why he infuriates me. If Lea will not stand up to him, then I shall on her behalf.”

His lips twisted in a sardonic smirk. “Yet you cannot take the hypnosis on her behalf now, can you? Now where is she?”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “She went to the temple with Rebecca and your mother. Can’t possibly cast any spells over there.”

Tristan rubbed his forehead. “For goodness’ sake, fraudster—”

“I have more names for The List,” I interjected, deciding against entertaining his views to focus on more urgent matters. “I spoke to Lea, and she brought up the possibility of the villain being among her previous suitors.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Did she now?”

“Yes, because she is worried for Adrian,” I stated in a clipped tone. “She did shield him from the cursed goblin with her own body after all. Since then, she’s had concerns of him still being in danger. She noticed Adrian acting strangely and suspects something is amiss. Call it a wife’s intuition.”

Tristan’s eyes flashed with irritation.

“Anyway, I had Ari recreate her list of suitors.” I handed him the piece of paper. “Sixteen of these have motive, and three of those are Adrian’s business rivals. The villain could be one of them.”

“Or it could simply be Lea’s attempt to throw you off her trail.”

I exploded. “For goodness’ sake, fiend! Do you honestly believe that? Considering how long you’ve known her, do you really think she has been putting on an act? Pretending to be understanding, caring and nice when she truly wishes to kill Adrian? What on earth would she gain from that?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Tristan pretended to ponder. “More wealth? Power? A new marriage based on love?”

I laughed humourlessly. “I hope she never hears you say those words.”

He ignored me and paid attention to the list. “There’s only four here that we know nothing about. Isaac Greene was our first visit. He’s clean.”

Pity. I would have enjoyed disfiguring his face.

Looking up, Tristan said, “Vlad. Vlad can you hear me? We need you here.”

Within three seconds, Mr. Vlad was in our midst. Startled, I shuffled back as my lungs swallowed my heart.

“Heavens!” I shrieked, ogling at the blond man dressed in an all black suit with a black overcoat. He lacked his signature tobacco pipe, but his icy blue eyes were as emotionless as ever. “You heard him?”

“Hello, little girl.”

“Mavis, thank you. Just how good is your hearing?”

I side of his lips quirked up. “Impeccable.”

I scooted closer in fascination, my anger melted by the new intrusion. “And your hypnosis?”

He didn’t reply me. His eyes drifted elsewhere, and he called out, “Excuse me.”

A maid who had been passing by scurried towards us, offering greetings.
Mr. Vlad gazed into her eyes, and suddenly she seemed to be in a trance.

In a low, smooth voice, he enunciated each word as he asked, “Tell me. Are you the one who cast the Curse of Verthen?”

Her face had fallen slack, with a faraway look in her eyes. She replied in a monotone. “No. I am not.”

I watched with intrigue as he asked again, “Do you know who did or who wishes Adrian Devereux dead?”

She replied, her eyes still glassy. “No, I do not.”

“You shall forget all I have asked you, except my request for a cup of coffee. No sugar, no honey. Go now.”

Without another word, she bowed and turned, heading towards the kitchen.

I stared at Mr. Vlad, wide-eyed. “Wow, that was—!”

Tristan interrupted me. “Seeing as you had to hypnotise her as well, I presume you have not found our culprit yet, Vlad.”

My patience was running awfully thin with the fiend today.

Author’s remarks.

You suspect who to be the villain?

Stay tuned and  find out in the next chapter.....I think 🙃

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