A Passion so Strong by Chasity Bowlin

Author:Chasity Bowlin [Bowlin, Chasity]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-11-21T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

The carriage rumbled along the lane toward Alcott Hall. Inside, Squire Benjamin Alcott glowered at his sister who was seated across from him. “Who is this Lord Strong that has come to town and why are the ladies of Evenwold entertaining him?”

Elizabeth frowned at him. “He’s been sent here by the Marquess to assist those women with the estate… Though I daresay that Minerva and Athena will be matchmaking. They have led you a merry chase with their ward. Miss Anne Everleigh has clearly moved on to younger and greener pastures. You should have pressed your suit with Anne when you had the opportunity, brother!”

“I did press it,” he snapped. “She refused me.”

“As most ladies do… it has never swayed you before,” she replied.

“Would you have me force her?” Anne was not some farmer’s daughter who could be silenced with coin. Nor was she some pale and sickly miss who could be easily subdued. She was larger, stronger and when she’d fended him off in the garden, she’d done so far more effectively than he cared to admit.

“I would have you do whatever is necessary to gain access to Evenwold! You know what is hidden there! You know the heavy price we will pay, the price we are already paying, if we do not obtain it!” she hissed.

“We don’t know for certain,” he protested. “Winifred Elliott’s curse can only be lifted when her descendants once again reside at Evenwold. Finding that book will change nothing! As for Anne, you do not know she is a witch!”

“You’ve sensed her power!” Elizabeth insisted. “It isn’t just Winifred’s curse we need to be free of, or have you forgotten? We are practically enslaved to him! Woo her, brother. Woo her and sway her to your side. If need be, we’ll cast a love spell of our own!”

He sneered. “Those foolish women think it was their spell that lured me to her. They have no notion of what is hidden within the walls of that house. Nor do they understand the nature of the curse that Winifred Elliott placed not only on us, but on the entirety of Penwickett.”

“No, they do not. No records of her interrogation were kept for them to access. We need to keep it that way… especially with Lord Strong present. If he asks questions in the village, we need to be certain they are not answered.”

“They will not be,” he said dismissively. “Thanks to Winifred’s curse, everyone in the village is suspicious and paranoid. They will never trust a stranger, especially one staying at Evenwold. It’s a wonder they haven’t burned the place to the ground already.”

“You’d best hope they don’t decide to now. It was your idea, brother dear, to harness the power of Winifred Elliott’s grimoire in combination with that of our own grandmother’s! Had you not boasted of it to him the last time he came to Alcott Hall we would not be in this predicament. Need I remind you what happens to those who disappoint him?” she reminded him imperiously.

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