The Baroness Misbehaves
Chapter 140: The Heebie-jeebies

Chapter 140: The Heebie-jeebies

Back in their home, Madeline quickly changed from her wet dress into something more light and comfortable before stepping out of her room. She joined Cassian in the open library, who was presently busy going through the boxes of Late uncle William’s, bringing out a thick book and blowing off the dust that surfaced the hard brown cover.

"What are you doing?" Sitting beside a chair that faced him, Madeline’s gaze lingered on his unreadable expression for a few seconds before shifting to the book he opened. Quietly moving closer, Madeline stole a glance at the page, and it was the same book that had the names of missing / dead people written on it - the strange book that was owned by uncle William’s.

"Do you have a clue regarding everything that has happened?" She asked softly, and Cassian sighed to himself, he remained quiet for three seconds before turning his head to meet her inquiring gaze. "The puzzles aren’t fixed currently, but I’m hoping to get to the bottom of it before tonight."

He answered before burying his attention back into the book. No matter how hard he tried to rid of the feeling that Jeremy’s death might have something to do with the ’supernaturals’ as agent red would say, the stronger he believed in it, most especially the sudden fall his wife would have faced today if he hadn’t been by her side to catch her.

Elian’s words were another trouble regarding Elijah and the missing people, and he wondered what Elian meant by saying ’things have changed.’ The more he thinks he’s close to solving it, the more complicated and diverse the case becomes, and it was giving him a serious headache.

Not to his expectations, he suddenly felt someone’s light touch on his temple, and instinctively closed his eyes when he became aware of the familiar touch that tingled his heart. Madeline ran her fingers through Cas’s soft silky-like hair, applying just the right amount of pressure to his scalp in an attempt to ease him.

It was a comforting gesture that she knew he was going to love and need in order to calm his nerves. Sensing how tense he had become and the way his face scrunched pain as though he was feeling a terrible headache, Madeline couldn’t restrict herself from doing all she could to ease him.

She slowly worked her way around his head in circular motions to stimulate his scalp and ease the tension he was feeling. Her sweet scent that reminded the young lad of freshly blooming flowers made him feel even more relaxed as he succumbed to the head massage she was giving him.

Madeline focused on the areas where Cassian carried the most stress. She could feel him starting to relax, his breathing becoming deeper and more even.

"Feeling better?" She asked in a soothing voice, and Cassian only nodded his head slightly, not having the strength to answer audibly as he just wanted to dive into this amazing feeling that his wife’s magic hands were doing to him, and that earned a smile of triumph from Madeline.

"Should I stop?"

He shook his head, and his expression already showed his disapproval with that question as he wanted her to continue, and Madeline had to admit that he looked too cute whenever he acted like a child.

She knew that sometimes all Cas needed was for someone to be by his side, to help him relax and let go of the things that were weighing him down, and she felt glad that he let her feel that spot, but most times, she wished she could do more as she doesn’t derive joy in seeing him work himself out like this, but what can she do when he refuses to let her in on the details?

Madeline’s gaze shifted to the book in his hand, and a pitiful feeling intruded her heart to know that the names of those people written on the book were either missing or dead, but she prayed that wasn’t the actual case. Her gaze scrolled down to the last name on the book, and her brows knitted puzzledly when only one letter was written there, as though William had forgotten to complete the name of the last person he wanted to write.

"Letter M?" She muttered, curiously wondering who’s name William wanted to write but couldn’t.

~~~

Locking herself in her room, Catherine sat on the bed with her eyes still reddened from all the crying. The littlest sound she heard was enough to nearly make her jump out of her own skin, and her gaze rapidly shifted from side to side, as though she could sense the ominous presence of someone in her room, yet hoped it was just her head messing with her.

Her lamplight began to twitch, making her heart jump in fear as she bristled back away from it. She watched it for several shocking seconds before the light finally went off, enveloping her room in a shadowy darkness that triggered her fear and anxiousness.

She quickly opened her drawer and brought out a cross and a Bible, hugging it to her chest as she cried and prayed for every evil to leave her alone, but she suddenly stopped when she heard a dark chuckle as if someone was laughing at her predicament.

Slowly raising her head up to see who had entered her room, her eyes horrifically widened when a stranger dressed in all black and wearing a black cloak watched her from under the hoodie of his cloak, and she heard him tsk in pity at her devastating situation before crossing his leg above the other while sitting on her study table.

"As always, you mortals are weak and disgusting." Elijah relaxed his back on the chair, feeling at ease and enjoying the sight before him. "What are you doing? Shedding tears and blowing up our cover? Do you want to die?"

"No! Please!" Catherine begged as she shook her head, and she watched his pale lips curve into a menacing smile as he tilted his head to the side. "You don’t want to die? Then why are you shedding tears? Be a good girl and wipe it off, I heard you have a fine smile, I want to see that instead."

His every word sounded calm like he was speaking to a friend, yet every chill in his words was enough to make Catherine go cold as she tried to grope around for her handkerchief.

"And put that thing away." He said, gesturing to the Bible on the bed. "A sinner like yourself shouldn’t be holding something so pure, am I right? Put it away before I lose my patience."

Reluctantly, Catherine picked it up and put it away back in her drawer. She sniffled back her tears and wiped the ones that were about to drop from her eyes again.

"Good girl." Elijah praised before leaning forward. "You haven’t told anyone what you saw, have you? What you witnessed, it’s still our little secret right?"

Catherine nodded her head, and Elijah relaxed back on the chair. "Don’t be afraid, as long as you keep our secret, you’ll be safe and alive. You tried to kill someone yourself, we are the same, so why should we be enemies."

"W...why....why did you kill him?" Catherine forced herself to ask the one question that had been troubling her, and Elijah took out one of his twin blades, scaring Catherine to her wits as her gaze lingered on the blade that had been used to stab Jeremy, but it looked more sharpened today.

"It is your punishment." Elijah answered before rising to his feet. "Never ask me such silly questions, you are not in the position to question me when your life is in my palms. Only one interesting human has that right, are we clear?"

"Please, I won’t tell anyone, just let me be." Catherine begged as more tears escaped her eyes. "I know I did what I shouldn’t...but...but...why do you keep tormenting me?"

"Ignorant fool, what did I just say about questioning me." He began to head towards her, and Catherine immediately panicked when he headed for her direction with his blade.

"No no!! Stay back! Please!" Catherine knew she had nowhere to run, and when he inched closer to her bed, the door to her room suddenly opened, gaining her attention, and when she whipped her head to the door, Orson was standing at the entrance.

"What are you screaming about?"