Heart of Stone Ch. 05

"That's a generous offer, but I don't think I would be very good at magic. I'm far too much of a modern girl." Mary laughed softly. "I am pleased to know more about Ambrose though. Does his skill have something to do with my statue?"

"As a matter of fact it does." He waved his hand and the candles went out. Mary realized too late that she should have looked impressed again. His eyes narrowed slightly and he continued. "Your statue has been cursed."

"Cursed?" She was genuinely curious now.

"Yes. I know that must sound like something out of bad movie, but I assure you that it's quite true." His eyes were sharply appraising and in direct conflict with the jovial tone of his voice. "It's nothing that happened recently of course and it has nothing to do with you or your family, but I would hate for you to be hurt by it."

"Why would anyone curse a statue?" Mary managed a small laugh, interested to see how he might spin the story.

"That is a very good question, dear Mary. The fact of the matter is that your statue is actually a demon." He picked up the cup of cold tea and held it for a moment. Mary saw steam begin to rise and he took a sip.

"I'm sorry, that sounds unbelievable." She said, still watching him curiously.

"I know that such things are relegated to the realms of fantasy. Allow me to tell you the story." He sat back in the chair and templed his bony fingers under his chin. "There was a time before the light of Christianity spread and solidified that demons threatened good men on a regular basis. They were a blight upon the world. No one was safe, innocents were slaughtered and maimed, crops were incinerated in the fields and the soil salted to bring famine. Wells were poisoned and plagues spread to incite chaos among good folk. When the sun dipped below the horizon evil stalked the Earth with impunity, but, since no evil thing can tolerate the light of the sun, the demons became as statues at every sunrise."

"It would seem like that would make it easy to fix the problem." Mary said, holding her anger in check. She found that the more time she spent with this man the more nauseated she became.

"Quite true, quite true. Of course, there were a few men who were touched by Satan himself who provided them with safety during the day. For years, magicians labored tirelessly to find some way to rid the world of this menace. Finally, after years of trying, one man found a way prevent the waking of the demons, giving those who were charged with ridding the world of this menace time to do so. They were largely successful, but there were a few that escaped, and over time, they were forgotten. The statue sitting in your garden is one of those." He smiled benignly, but somehow the expression looked more threatening on him than a snarl would on Aiden.

"Alright," Mary's thoughts were racing. "Let's say I believe that the statue in my garden IS a demon as you say. What does it matter? I mean, it's still stone, this enchantment you were talking about is obviously still working."

"So far." He had begun speaking like a school teacher. "Enchantments, like anything else, are not eternal things. This one is beginning to fracture after all these years. I'm only trying to protect you from what would happen if the spell should shatter completely." Another hideously benign smile.

"Please Mary, sell me the statue and buy yourself two or three others that are merely objects of stone. I will see to it that the one in your garden is properly blessed and destroyed." His voice was cajoling and she felt an uncomfortable pressure against her mind.

"No. I'm sorry, frankly I find all of this a little hard to accept." Mary stood up and rang for Maureen, unsure how much longer she would be able to retain her composure.

"Mary I-" He began.

"You'll have to excuse me now Mr. Rathbun."

"Yes, Miss?" The housekeeper had appeared at the door.

"If you would get Mr. Rathbun's coat and hat please Maureen. He's leaving." Mary said.

"Very good, Miss." She left the door open again, but withdrew.

"At least take my card." She could tell he was shocked. "Just in case you change your mind."

"Leave it on the tea tray. If I change my mind once all of this has had a chance to settle I will call you." Frustrated he placed the card on the tray. "It was a pleasure meeting you." She said with a smile.

"And you, Mary." He grabbed his coat and hat and walked angrily out of the room. She heard the door close and she repeated a protection spell before Maureen appeared again.

"Is he gone?" Mary asked.

"Yes Miss-" Mary rushed past the older woman and into the downstairs bathroom, barely making it before beginning to vomit. Aiden appeared in the door but the room was too small for him to squeeze into. Maureen shooed him away and closed the door. She held Mary's hair and stroked her back as she wretched. Finally, when her stomach was empty Mary sat back on her heels. Maureen handed her a cool cloth for her face.

"Thanks, I'm sorry." Mary accepted the cloth gratefully.

"Think nothing of it Miss. I don't know who he was, but he certainly wasn't a friend of Mr. Ambrose's." Mary got up and rinsed her mouth. "Let me make you a cup of tea, I'm sure Mr. Aiden's worried about you."

"Tea sounds nice, thank you Maureen." Mary stayed in the bathroom and tried to stop trembling. She brushed her teeth before trusting herself to leave the small room. Her head was still spinning when she stepped out into Aiden's waiting arms.

"Did you hear?" Her voice was scratchy.

"Hush." He picked her up and Mary let herself go limp in his arms. Her eyes were closed but she recognized the sensation of being carried up the stairs. He held her in his lap in the small sitting room. Maureen tapped softly on the door and then came in. She handed Mary a mug of sweet mint tea and set a small plate of toast on the side table.

"It's a good thing you don't take cream miss." She said softly.

"Why?" Mary took the cup and sipped gratefully. She felt her stomach settling and her trembling easing.

"Because all the milk and cream we have in the house has gone off. I don't understand it. Everything was fresh this morning and now it's all curdled. I didn't think to ask before, did you want anything Mr. Aiden? The water's already hot."

"Nothing, thank you." He stroked Mary's back gently. "Would you like me to walk you back to the cottage?"

"No, I've called Colin and he'll be over with his rifle. Is there anything else you need before I leave for the night?"

"Burn his card. Make sure it's nothing but ashes and then scatter them." Mary said, trusting her voice again. "Then you can go."

"Of course Miss."

"Thank you Maureen, for everything." Mary managed a small smile.

"You're welcome, Miss." She smiled in her motherly way and left.

"What was he?" Mary asked, seeing the 'demon' in Aiden's features for the first time in along time.

"I do not know." Aiden's arms tightened around her and that association evaporated, replaced by a sensation of complete safety. "Whatever he was, I feel safe in saying that he was not human, and in saying that you handled him with a skill that was impressive for one so young."

Mary blushed and felt some of the tension leaving her body.

"Thanks, but I didn't really have a choice." He handed her the toast but she shook her head. "No, I don't think I could."

"Just a bit. You should not try to sleep with your stomach so empty." His voice was soft and Mary took the toast off the plate and took small nibble, more to appease him than anything else. After a few minutes though she discovered that she was beginning to feel a little hungry. She ate it slowly, snuggled against Aiden's chest.