Bradley grabbed my hand. “You know, for the art collection?”
He said it like having a gallery was perfectly normal. I was way, way out of my depth here. Mrs. Fairfax gave me a wave as Bradley tugged me deeper into the bowels of the house, talking as if words were going out of fashion.
“So, what do you want to do? There’s a movie theatre in the basement and a library on the second floor. I don’t imagine you’ll want to use the gym, but sitting in the Jacuzzi might help your aches and pains. Or are you hungry?” He glanced at his watch, and diamonds glinted in the glimmer from a flaming sconce high up on the wall. “It’s just past noon. Mrs. Fairfax’ll serve lunch soon in the Lincoln Room.”
It felt like much later. “If it’s okay, I’d prefer to rest. All of a sudden I’m exhausted.”
“Sure thing, doll. I’ll show you where Nick’s room is—it’s best you sleep in there. I can introduce you to Logan afterwards.”
The room was on the third floor and bore a worrying resemblance to Adler House before the dumpster arrived. I tried to ignore the mountain of laundry and peered out the window instead. Beyond the tennis court, three horses grazed in an expanse of fields, and a man worked on the fencing, hunched over with a pair of black dogs playing around his feet. Except one of them moved strangely.
“Bradley, what’s wrong with that dog?”
“What dog?”
I pointed. “The one on the right.”
“Oh, that’s not a dog. It’s a jaguar.”
“A...a...jaguar?”
“You know, like a big cat. He’s Emmy’s pet. She inherited him.”
I guess I must have as gone pale as I felt because Bradley pushed me down onto a chair.
“Don’t worry, Kitty won’t hurt you. He likes women.”
This truly was a House of Horrors. Nick had promised I’d be safe here, but between the dark atmosphere and the wild animal outside, I didn’t feel it. This house had a black heart. If not for Bradley’s presence, I’d have run screaming.
But for now, I was stuck here.
After Bradley slipped out, I kicked off my shoes—or rather, Emmy’s shoes—then pulled off the wig and climbed under the quilt. I was sure I wouldn’t be able to sleep, but the pillow smelled of Nick, and curling up and inhaling deeply were the last things I remembered.
CHAPTER 49
I MUST HAVE been more tired than I thought because when I opened my eyes, a sliver of moon hung in the dark sky beyond the open drapes. I’d lived in towns my whole life, and the street lamps meant it never got pitch black. Or quiet. There were always people coming and going, plus the constant hum of traffic in the background. Here in the country, the isolation made Riverley Hall seem even eerier.
The glow from a small lamp on the nightstand showed a stack of clothes had appeared on the end of the bed. Did Bradley bring them? Or Mrs. Fairfax? Either way, I was grateful I’d have something to wear. My stomach grumbled as I realised the last thing I’d eaten was a slice of rubbery toast at breakfast. What were the chances of me finding the kitchen in this place without falling into a dungeon?
Bradley must have picked out the clothes because the pair of jeans I pulled on fitted perfectly, and the sweater that went with them was the prettiest shade of deep pink. I slipped out of the room barefoot and found myself in a dimly lit hallway filled with almost identical doors. How would I ever find my way back? I needed to leave a trail of breadcrumbs. Or cake. Cake trumped bread. Counting the doors, I followed the hallway until I came to some stairs. Were these the ones I’d come up earlier? Portraits of old men in period costume glowered down from the walls, but the faces all looked the same to me.
I crept downstairs and ended up in a hallway I didn’t recognise. How big was this place? I figured the kitchen would be towards the rear of the house, but I’d lost my bearings, and I didn’t know whether I was at the front, back, or somewhere in the middle. Left or right? I was never right, so I picked left, slipping through a heavy wooden door that belonged in Dracula’s castle. The dark walls seemed to close in around me, and I began to fear I’d be stuck there, destined to wander around the maze forever, when the