McCann's Manor (60 page)

"Well, I suppose I deserve that,” he confessed. “
Have
things been all right?"

"They are now, thanks. It was a bit sketchy for a while, but we pulled through, even without you here to help."

"What? What happened?"

She put the roses into a large vase, set it on the coffee table before she answered his question. “I just finished writing the whole thing up. You can read all about it in the morning."

"In the morning?"

"Well, yes. It is a quarter to eleven and I was about to go to bed,” she said.

"Oh."

"Oh, what?"

"Just oh. I guess I should have called before barging in on you. I couldn't wait to see you, though. I really
did
miss you. I didn't even think about the time. All I could think of was seeing you again."

Liz turned off the light in the kitchen and then proceeded to turn off the lights all the way up the hall to the front stairs. “So—you coming?"

"Coming where?” he asked.

"To bed, of course."

"I—uh—won't Kim mind if I—?"

"She's not here,” she said.

"You mean, you have been here alone all evening?” he asked.

"All weekend, actually,” she said.

"What? She left you here while she is away for the weekend?"

"Yep."

"I can't believe it!” he exclaimed. “So where is she?"

"Camping out—with Mark."

"Mark? She's seeing Mark?” he asked.

"Yep. Now tell me, are you going to stand here gassing all night, or are you coming to bed?"

A slow grin spread across his face as he started up the stairs behind her. “I should have gone away sooner, if this is the way you greet me when I get home,” he said.

She arched her brow, shook her head. “Don't push your luck,
mister
,” she warned.

"I wouldn't
presume
. Come here, you!” he said as he pulled her to him.

She giggled, broke from his grasp and ran toward the bedroom with him close behind. She wanted to tell him all about what had happened after he left. She wanted to tell him what Benjamin had told her about being his past life. She wanted to make him tell her something to prove he really knew, in the back of his mind at least, who he had been and that he recognized her from their past life together. Then again, she couldn't say anything that would prove to him she had been Constance or that
she
had recognized
him
, so she let it go for tonight, because more than she wanted anything else, right now she wanted to hold him. She deserved it and she was going to indulge herself, just this once....

The
entity
watched the lovers in the silence of the early morning. Poor simpletons believed it was over, thought the threat of Ptarmigan was behind them. He was content to wait a bit. Let them have their little celebration, for now. The woman
was
his. He'd waited an eternity to reclaim her; he could wait a while longer. Better for his purposes to let them think they had the victory; more interesting in the long run for them drop their vigilant caution against the spirits of the manor—Elizabeth had almost glimpsed the true nature of the mystery when she considered another entity might be orchestrating control over the rest, but then she conveniently let the thought escape from her consciousness. She'd not expect his next attack.

He rather liked the game he'd been playing, though he wasn't happy to have lost his hard-won servants. Thanks to Moira, he at least still had the dolt, Ian, though the bungling fool was not much of a prize. He still might prove useful, though; one could never be sure. The time had come to plan his next assault, and he knew exactly what that assault would entail. Yes, he liked this game a lot....