Vision in Faith (Legends of the North Book 3) (15 page)

Vicky didn't miss Emma's look at James's move, nor the raised eyebrow she gave her. "James, Harry was a gardener at Amsall Hall."

"You're kidding."

She shook her head. "That's how they met, at Amsall Hall."

"Oh, my God, that's so sweet," Jess said as she raised her hands over her chest.

"Your mother doesn't think that," Vicky said, "and neither did her parents. Your family tried to put a stop to them seeing each other. I'm sure it was quite the scandal, 'Altenbury girl speaks to lowly gardener.'" Vicky couldn't stop the sarcasm.

"Must be where she gets it from," Matt added.

Vicky rested her head back against the cushion and closed her eyes.

"Come on, I'll take you home. I think we've had enough revelations for one day," James said as he helped Vicky to her feet.

Chapter 16

James held her hand as they made their way back to her house, Teazle's lead grasped in her other. They were both quiet, and if she were honest, she just didn't know what to think. The whole day had given her a lot of information to take in, and she was still reeling from it.

Taking her keys from her bag, she leaned against the front door but didn't open it.

"Do you want me to come in?"

Vicky stared at the keys in her hand, flicking the keyring over and over. "Do you mind…? I just need some time on my own."

James lifted her chin with one finger and gave her a brief kiss. "That's fine. But you know where I am if you want to talk or anything."

Placing a hand on his chest, she gave him a small smile. "Thanks." She pressed her fingertips into his chest before she let herself in through the front door and quietly closed it behind her. Leaning against it, she closed her eyes.

After seeing to Teazle and a long soak in the bath, Vicky climbed into bed. She didn't know why, but the idea of their grandparents being in love creeped her out a bit. Even if nothing happened, it was just weird. And the fact that it was the reason James's mother hated her. Well, that just pissed her off.
 

Restless, she tossed and turned. Turning over to her back, she stared at the ceiling until she could no longer keep her eyes open and sleep finally claimed her.

 
Vicky was standing on the steps of Altenbury Hall as the door slammed shut in her face. She tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. Releasing the handle, she dropped her forehead to the cold, hard wood.
 

The sound of the river had her lifting her head because it was too loud. Turning, she pressed herself back against the door, as though she could will her way through it.

The noise was too loud because it wasn't the river heading for her. A rolling wave towered over the roof of Altenbury Hall. She let out a useless scream as the wave broke, but when she opened her eyes, the water had gone and she was still dry. She even glanced down at herself to check.

When she looked back up, the five of them were standing in the field, staring at her. James's face tore at her heart; he looked like a kid whose world had fallen apart after dropping his ice cream on the floor, but she didn't know why.

Matt had his arms wrapped around Emma's stomach, which was much rounder than the last time she'd seen her. Emma's eyes seemed to plead with her, trying to convey some secret message like when they were teenagers, but Vicky had no idea what it was.

Rob and Jess were standing side by side, their hands clasped. And though they didn't try to express anything, their blank looks tore at her too, like they'd given up all hope.

The sound of the sea started up again, and she could make out the wave behind them. She shouted at them, waving her arms to get them to see, but they just stared at her.
 

Moving to run down the steps, she realised she couldn't. Her feet felt like lead and wouldn't move no matter how much she willed them to, yet nothing she could see was actually holding them down.

When she looked back up, the wave was that much nearer. Riding it were two seahorses and atop of them was a man, bare-chested with what looked like skirts wrapped around his legs. He was muscled but older than she thought when she saw his full beard was mainly grey. His curly hair reached his shoulders and was more grey than brown.

In one hand, he held a trident aloft, and the other gripped a pair of reins that looped around the necks of the seahorses. The wave kept coming, and Vicky was helpless to stop it or to help the others.

It broke beneath the man riding it and swept the five of them away. Vicky let out a strangled cry only for it to be cut off as the water hit her and closed over her head.

Gasping for breath, she sat up, dragging the wet hair out of her eyes. The only sound was her harsh breaths as she made out the familiar shapes of her bedroom.
 

Teazle launched herself onto the bed and began licking at Vicky's face where the water dripped off her. Dropping one hand to the dog's head, she gave her a scratch. "It's okay. I'm okay." Vicky wasn't so sure if it was just Teazle she was trying to reassure.

Her breathing started to slow and she could smell the faintest whiff of seaweed and salt.
 

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Flashes of the vision replayed behind her closed eyes. Why had she been separate from the five of them? And Emma was pregnant?

 
Peeling back the wet sheets, she stumbled to the bathroom on shaky legs, standing under the warm spray of the shower until her body stopped shaking. But the water just reminded her of the sea washing over Altenbury Hall. Was it a premonition? The whole of the Altenbury family was going to be washed out?

 
Turning the shower off, she wrapped herself in her huge fluffy robe and padded back to her bedroom.
 

Checking the time on her phone where it lay on her bedside table, she realised that, at six a.m., it was pointless to try to get any more sleep.

Besides, every time she closed her eyes she saw the wave hitting them. Saw them disappear beneath the grey waters, lost in its swirling depths. Forcing her eyes open, she dressed in her warmest clothes, made herself a coffee, and trundled downstairs.

She tried to lose herself in the paperwork for the salon, but their faces just before they went under kept haunting her. After less than an hour of trying, she gave up and threw the papers across the desk she had been sitting at in the back room. Grabbing her mobile, she gave in and hit the dial icon.

***

James dropped in his office chair and swung it around to look out the window, again. He hadn't been able to sleep after he'd not heard from Vicky that night. He'd sat and watched the sun rise over the river, but as the day lightened he grew more and more restless. It was an odd feeling that he couldn't attribute to anything in particular, and that only seemed to make it worse.

His phone rang, vibrating its way across his desk before he grabbed it. Panic hit him when Vicky's name flashed up. Swiping his finger across the screen, he answered the call and, before she could even say hello, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"I… Nothing. It's just… I had another vision."

"Were you hurt?" He heard a rustling noise and imagined her shaking her head in answer.

"Can you come round? Please."

He'd already grabbed his keys and was moving towards the door before she finished the sentence. "I'll be right there." Hanging up, he slid his mobile into his back pocket and locked the office door behind him. He started jogging towards Vicky's before he even thought about it.

Minutes later, he was knocking on her door before throwing it open. He stopped when he saw her standing in the middle of the salon; she looked so sad and lonely, bundled up like a burrito. He strode over to her and pulled her into his arms as she buried her head against his chest.

Wrapping her arms around his waist, she squeezed him hard, her fingernails digging into him through his thin shirt. Resting his chin on her head, he held her for a few moments then dropped a kiss on her hair, tasting the lemon scent of her shampoo.

Releasing his hold on her, he cradled her jaw and lifted her head so he could look into her eyes. He leaned in and gently pressed his lips to hers. The idea of her being hurt was too much for him to think about. He should have stayed the night with her. If he had, she wouldn't have had to face it alone.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

She nodded, and he guided her upstairs and onto the sofa. Teazle lay on the cushions behind them, the quietest he'd ever seen her.
 

As he sat and listened to Vicky tell him about her vision, the restlessness mixed with anger. Instead of feeling like they were getting somewhere, each new piece of information just seemed to make it that much more confusing.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he rubbed his fingers across his forehead. "What is that even supposed to mean?" He caught her hand when she rubbed her fingers over the heart charm. "Sorry. I didn't mean to shout at you."

"It's okay. I guess the literal meaning could be Armageddon is on its way, and the only one of us who survives is me."

James grabbed her other hand and dragged her gently onto his knee until she was straddling him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly.
I'm never going to let go of her again.
 

"I don't think they're supposed to be taken literally," he said as he rested his forehead against hers.
Fuck, I hope they're not.
"If they were, then I'd have already drowned according to Emma's visions, and Rob would have been stabbed by a spear according to Jess's. And he'd probably be dead too."

Vicky threaded her hands through his hair before she kissed him softly. He pulled her tight to him as she licked his lips, and he opened for her. Her tongue slipped into his mouth, brushing against his, and he dropped his hands to her arse, gripping it tightly.

She ended the kiss far too soon for his liking and buried her head between his neck and shoulder. Rubbing a hand up and down her back, he just held her.

"I'm not going anywhere, snips. You don't get rid of me that easily. We're in this together—you and me, the six of us. And I swear to God, if this thing wants to hurt you? It's going to have to come through me first." He wrapped a hand around her head that was still buried against his shoulder and leaned his head against hers.

I'm not going anywhere without you.

I love you.

He tightened his hold on her at the thought then loosened his grip because it was true. He did.
 

I love her.

Chapter 17

The rest of that week was quiet. James spent a lot of his time at the salon, helping her prepare for the opening at the end of the month. She had also seen a lot more of the others than she normally did, and either Emma, Rob, Jess, or Matt popped in to see her at least once a day. She was pretty sure that was down to James. And didn't that thought put a stupid grin on her face.

That was how James found her when he walked into the salon that Saturday afternoon.

"What's put that look on your face? If it's not me, I'm not sure I want to know."

She sashayed her way over to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him. When she pulled back, she whispered against his lips, "It's you. Just thinking about you put that look on my face."

"Good answer," he said as he bent down to stroke Teazle. "Do you still think you'll be able to open by the end of August?" he asked, looking around.

It was starting to look like a salon, how she imagined
her
salon would look. Mirrors took up most of one wall, surrounded by the painted brickwork. Silver light fittings hung by each mirror, and silver spirals of metal coiled from the wall to hold hairdryers and straighteners. Glass shelves floated in front of the mirrors and black leather chairs were tucked underneath them.

"I hope so. I'm waiting for the desk to arrive so I can put my empty appointment book on it." Her lips curled up in a wry smile and he kissed her temple.

"It's early days still."

"I know. I guess patience is not one of my strong points."

He raised his eyebrows at her comment. "You think?"

She slapped his stomach with the back of her hand and laughed when he winced.
 

He rubbed at where she'd hit him and gave her a wounded look. "I was going to ask if you wanted to come to mine for dinner, but I'm not sure I should after that."

Tilting her head, she looked up at him with a sweet smile. "Really? I'm sure I could make it up to you."

Before he could answer, the ringing of her phone interrupted them.

"I'll meet you at your place as soon as I'm done." He nodded and she watched him leave as she answered her phone.

An hour later, after sorting out a mix-up at the printers, she clipped Teazle's lead on her collar and closed the door behind them. As she reached the end of the street, she stopped to admire the river and let Teazle have a sniff of the grassy bank. She took a deep breath herself and smiled. The smell of freshly mown grass and the ozone wafting from the river spoke of summer to her, and she didn't want it to end.

Tugging on Teazle's lead, she started off towards Altenbury Lane, passing the allotments with chickens that held the dog's attention. Vicky let her watch them as she took off her light jacket, the sun warming her skin. As they carried on down the lane, she saw Altenbury Hall come into view and stopped.

She hadn't paid much attention to it the last time she'd been at James's, but right then, basking in the sunlight, it looked palatial. Stone pillars gave the steps a grand entrance. She tried to picture James at home there, but couldn't.

Teazle let out a whimper, and she started moving, her gaze still on the hall. Distracted by the flag whipping in the wind, it took Vicky a moment to realise how cold the air had turned, even though the sun was still shining. The wind had picked up, and she could hear it whistling through the hedgerow beside her. Teazle tugged on her lead and Vicky picked up her pace.

Vicky looked over her shoulder, the sky had darkened to a steely colour apart from a small sliver where the sun still shone that was cornflower blue. When a terrible wailing began, she started to run. It echoed down the lane and sounded like a tortured animal.