Chapter 12: The Morning After

 In the shadows,she watched.The stupid woman had spent the night in this house,in his bed….

She looked at her surroundings.Much had changed in the manor.Almost nothing seemed the same,except for a few pieces of the original furniture and the fireplace.She remembered the years she had spent here,how miserable she had been,until he had told her he loved her,wanted to be with her.Like a fool she had believed him,even going so far as to give herself to him.Then he had betrayed her and killed her,as she would soon kill him…..and the woman he bedded.

 “So….how was your first night in this creepy old house?”

Beth felt a slow heat rise in her cheeks as she looked up across the breakfast table into Marcus’ mischievous eyes.Ethan was right.He was a great kid,with a wicked sense of humor.He was practically beaming when Ethan introduced them earlier and now he was making her blush.

“Marcus,behave,”Ethan chided.“Beth is our guest.”

“Its allright Ethan,”Beth said,”he was just asking after my wellbeing.”

Although she was sure he had a pretty good idea of what really happened on her first night in the manor…

“He's baiting you,”Ethan said with a twinkle in his eye.”That’s what he does,the little brat.”

“Oh come on Dad,”Marcus replied,”I just wanted to welcome Beth to the family.”

Beth felt her blush deepen.He knew exactly what happened!

“Be quiet and eat your breakfast,”Ethan said with a tone of mock sternness.”You're making our guest uncomfortable.”

“She doesn’t seem like a guest to me,”Marcus muttered with another mischievous grin lighting up his handsome face.

Ethan exhaled deeply,turning to Beth with an apologetic look in his eyes.

“Please forgive my son,Beth.He must have woken up without his manners today.He's being boorish.”

Beth laughed,they had such an interesting dynamic between them.Not just father and son,but also best friends.

Marcus was indeed a very interesting young man.It seemed as if he didn’t allow his disability to have any great hold over him,his attitude was very positive and he could help himself to some degree,as he had partial movement in his arms.He could eat unaided and do many other things for himself.As Ethan had told her,he just mostly needed help in the shower and to get dressed and for that he had a private nurse.

“Trial by fire,”Ethan muttered wryly.”I have to get to the office.Marcus,play nice.”

“You know me Dad,I’m always nice!”

When they were alone,Marcus’ eyes met hers,the expression on his face earnest and serious.

“I’m glad he has you Beth,”he said.”He needs a woman like you.”

“Marcus,”Beth said,”What did you mean earlier when you said this house is creepy?”

Marcus gently maneuvered his coffee cup to the table,his serious expression from before replaced with the playful twinkle in his eyes she had already grown to adore so much.

“Dad hasn’t said anything to you?”he asked,surprise tinging his voice.

“Well,he told me about the portrait and that the woman in it apparently appeared to your grandmother once, many years ago.”

“Not just once Beth,many times over the years.Grandma Polly saw her an awful lot after that,always in the hallway,except once,and each time she would disappear at the top of the stairs.”

“Oh my God,”Beth said,a chill going down her spine.”Did…..did she ever say anything to Polly? “

Marcus stared off into the distance past her,as if he were remembering something he had forgotten long ago.

The look in his eyes made her tingle all over and the hair on the back of her neck stand up.Could there really be a supernatural presence in the manor?Or was it just Polly's overactive imagination that had set all of this into motion?Either way,it was giving her the creeps.

“She once told Grandma,just after Dad was born,to be careful and keep him safe.”

Now Beth was not just creeped out,but also morbidly intrigued.

“Why would she do that?”she asked.

Marcus shrugged.”Dad was born in this house during a storm,there was no time to get to the hospital and Grandma was alone.As Grandma told me,everyone just assumed it was the trauma of giving birth alone that  made her hallucinate,but she was convinced it really happened.”

“Did she say anything else?”

“Yes,she did.She said the lady had stood in her bedroom,and before she told her to keep Dad safe,she told her that she was not alone.There was another presence in the house too,a lady waiting in the shadows.”