Heart of Stone

9. The Guest

“Miss, there's a Mr. Darren Rathbun here to see you.” Mary put her needlepoint down. It was a new hobby, but one that she found enjoyable.

“What does he want?” She asked.

“I don't know. He says that it has something to do with your new statue.” Maureen stepped into the room and closed the door behind herself. She lowered her voice. “If you ask me, he seems a rather strange sort.”

Mary glanced outside and noticed it was nearly dark. Over the past six months, the Marches had guarded the secret of Aiden's existence as fiercely as Mary herself did. They had also gotten very comfortable with Aiden and he seemed to like feeling as though he had both of them to take care of as well.

“Please show him in, but Aiden should be waking soon. Go up and let him know I have a guest here in the library and that he's a stranger.”

“Yes Miss.” Maureen slipped out of the room quietly. The library was on the ground floor, Aiden's height meant that he would easily be able to see in. Mary told herself that she was doing it only so that he would have no misgivings about her meeting with this stranger, but the fact was, she was nervous. At least with Aiden nearby she hoped she would be able to hold onto the appearance of composure.

“Mr.-” Maureen started.

“Darren Rathbun.” Her guest finished. He was a tall, gaunt man with oily-looking hair and an equally oily smile. Immediately Mary knew that she didn't like this man. “Such a pleasure to meet the beautiful great-granddaughter of my dearest friend, Ambrose.” He swept into the room with a flourish. Mary caught the surprised look Maureen gave him. Mary stepped back when he reached out to take her hands.

“I'm pleased to meet you Mr. Rathbun, but I don't shake hands. It's a peculiarity of mine.” She thought she saw a cloud drift across his unnaturally animated face, but he recovered quickly. “Would you like some tea? Or perhaps coffee?” She indicated a wing-chair near the fire and sat in the other one. Her guest had little choice but to sit.

“Tea would be lovely.” His smile that twisted his thin lips stopped well before it reached his gray eyes.

“Maureen, if you would please.” Mary didn't like the prospect of being alone with this man, but there was not good reason for the housekeeper to remain. Besides, this would give a chance to alert Aiden. The older woman left silently.

“So you knew Ambrose?” Mary asked, shattering the silence and her strange guest's stare.

“Oh yes, we were constant companions. He was a great deal older than myself of course, but that hardly mattered. I am sure we will be good friends as well, I believe that we have many things in common.” There was a predatory glint in his eye, but the rest of his face seemed friendly and open. It was a disparity that unsettled Mary.

“You've only just met me Mr. Rathbun.” There was a soft knock at the door and Maureen entered. She set the tea tray on a low table between them and left silently. Mary poured a cup for her guest. “Cream, sugar or lemon?”

“Lemon.” His grin grew hungrier as he reached for the cup and saucer. Mary's skin crawled at the idea of those long fingers touching her, even casually. She set the cup in front of him and was rewarded with a fleeting disappointed look. Mary pretended not to notice and prepared a cup for herself with sugar.

“Maureen told me that you wanted to talk about my statue.” She sipped the tea.

“You Americans are all business.” He laughed softly and took a sip of his tea. “You recently purchased a rather large statue at auction, didn't you?”

“A number of months ago, yes.” Mary smiled and fought the urge to produce some plausible explanation as to why she wanted it. Her guest was doing enough lying for the both of them.

“I was bidding against you.” He smiled his oily smile and Mary began to notice other things about him too, like the fact that the suit he wore was obviously new, but it was so out of fashion she didn't even want to venture a guess as to what century the style came from. “I already own a similar statue you see, and I wanted another to go along with it. Is that why you bought it?” His eyes sharpened. Mary wished there was some way to have Aiden in the room with her. She sipped her tea, taking great care to keep her body still.

“No.” The lie was a calculated risk. She was certain this man hadn't known Ambrose from Maureen's reaction, but it was possible that he knew about Aiden. “But you can see the Hall is covered in gargoyles. I thought I would continue the theme through to the garden.”

“There were several available, did you buy others?” Mary refilled his cup. “One statue hardly makes a theme in a garden.”

“That one happened to be the only one I liked.” His manner had shifted, and the change put Mary on edge.

“Oh now Mary,” he chuckled and the sound reminded Mary of the sounds dry leaves made when they scuttled on pavement. “It's a statue. An object. Now, if I were to reimburse you the purchase price, and the cost of having it brought all the way out here, you could easily buy several others. Begin a proper collection, as it were.”

“That's a very generous offer, Mr. Rathbun, but I'm not interested.” Mary was certain that she saw a flash of anger in his eyes. His hand closed into a tight fist before he forced himself to relax.

“Please, call me Darren.” He said, attempting to keep his tone even. “Of course, you want something for your time and trouble. I can arrange that.”

“Thank you, but I won't be changing my mind. You know how girls are, we get attached to silly objects.” She smiled slightly and she could sense him appraising her. The tea was completely forgotten. Mary didn't even let herself think about where he was going to get the money to pay her off. If he had ready assets he wouldn't have lost the auction in the first place. Her guest seemed to be considering his position.

“I can see that you are a very astute young woman, so I will be honest with you. Do you know anything about your great-grandfather?” He asked.

“Not much.” It was the truth, but it left him open to interpret it as he wished. His eyes lit up and he sipped the cold tea. She could almost see him thinking about what he would say.

“He was a very powerful magician.” His eyes were intense and Mary returned his gaze with perfect innocence.

“You mean he pulled rabbits out of hats?” She said, knowing perfectly will that isn't what he meant. He sighed.

“I suppose that is what most people think about the practice today. I don't mean the illusions practiced for the amusement of children, I mean the manipulation of and control of the physical environment by purely metaphysical means.” Now Mary knew why she had been so adamant that this man not touch her. If he had contact with her skin, even for a moment, he would know the level of her skill.

“It seems there are a great many things I didn't know about Ambrose. Are there others who have these same abilities?” Mary knew she was treading on thin ice.

“Powerful knowledge is rarely lost completely.” He waved his hand and flames grew on the candles scattered around the room. It was impressive, but it was a simple enchantment. The gesture was a flourish made entirely for her benefit. She played her part and looked suitably awestruck. He smiled benignly. “Your family has quite a long history of magical skill, I'm certain Ambrose would be pleased if you were to allow me to train you.” The predatory glint was back in his eye.

“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 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, and wells were poisoned spreading disease. 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 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. 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 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, trying 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.