Haunted Knights (Montbryce~The Next Generation Historical Romance) by Anna Markland Page A
Authors: Anna Markland
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the fire scorched her legs. “ Non ! Help! Au secours !”
~~~
“Maudine!” Marc Lallement’s heart leapt into his throat at the sight of his wife frantically swatting the burning nightshift. Scorched bits of fabric from the banners drifted in the air. He looked up at the fire taking hold in the upper reaches of the roof timbers. Finally, he acknowledged the depth of the madness that held her in its thrall.
“My children,” he rasped.
Tendrils of smoke crept down the stairway, teasing the floor on which they stood. Thank God his sons’ chambers were on the lower floor.
Anger surged through him. He rushed to the screeching human torch before him. Her demented eyes burned into his soul. He lunged for her, consumed with a desire to end her agony and his own. “You have murdered our beautiful children,” he shouted.
Screaming maniacally, she collapsed against him. He locked his arms around her, his heart at peace with what he suddenly recognised as his duty. The flames seared his flesh, but they would never burn away his sin. He embraced the agony, shoved her up against the railing and pushed with all his might, sending them both careening into nothingness.
“Devil’s spawn!” Maudine screamed with her last breath.
“May God forgive me,” Marc Lallement prayed as his body broke on the chequered flooring he loathed.
CHAPTER TEN
Adam, Denis and the Lallement brothers rushed into the smoke-filled entryway.
“ Mon Dieu !” Vincent fell to his knees and made the sign of the crucifix across his body as he stared at the smouldering, broken bodies of his parents, locked together in a fatal embrace.
“ Que diable ?” Denis shouted.
Lucien retched.
Adam shuddered, coughing as smoke constricted his throat. The scene unfolding around him seemed more horrific because he heard nothing.
Servants ran hither and thither, some obviously frantic, others apparently in command. A human chain formed and buckets of water were quickly passed from hand to hand. Adam took his place in the line, relieved to be doing something useful.
He glanced up. The rafters were alight, the thatch beginning to smoulder. Water would be a waste of time. Kingston Gorse was doomed.
Lucien seemed rooted to the spot as he stared at his dead parents. Suddenly he too looked up into the burning rafters. “My sisters,” he wailed.
~~~
Denis’ gut clenched. He hurried to Adam, holding up two fingers as he pointed to the upper floors. “We were right, and wrong. There may be two women up there. Come on. I’ll be damned if I’ll allow them to burn to death.”
He tore off the shirt he had donned hastily moments before, ripped off a length of it, soaked it in one of the buckets, and tied it around his face.
Adam followed his example.
Vincent put a hand on Adam’s arm. “It’s too dangerous. It’s our responsibility, mine and Lucien’s.”
Denis shoved him, his blood boiling. Two women might die, perhaps because they were afflicted with some sort of deformity. It was too close to his heart. “You should have thought of that before you allowed them to be kept up there.”
Denis and Adam hastened to the lower flight of stairs, Adam taking them two at a time. Burning thatch fell here and there, but the planked floor of the second storey was still mostly intact.
Denis heard a choked scream and the sound of a door banging. “They are still alive,” he yelled.
~~~
It was not the smell of smoke that awoke Paulina, but the demented screams of her mother. She pulled the linens up to her chin, biting her quivering lip.
For the second time in a day voices were raised in anger and confusion. Her father was shouting foul murder.
The glow of embers in the grate illuminated Rosamunda as she stirred, then sat up. She frowned, pinching her nostrils.
Paulina sniffed. Smoke! And not from the grate. “Fire!” she exclaimed, leaping from the bed, gooseflesh crawling over her skin. She hurried to the door, thrusting it open. The landing was
~~~
“Maudine!” Marc Lallement’s heart leapt into his throat at the sight of his wife frantically swatting the burning nightshift. Scorched bits of fabric from the banners drifted in the air. He looked up at the fire taking hold in the upper reaches of the roof timbers. Finally, he acknowledged the depth of the madness that held her in its thrall.
“My children,” he rasped.
Tendrils of smoke crept down the stairway, teasing the floor on which they stood. Thank God his sons’ chambers were on the lower floor.
Anger surged through him. He rushed to the screeching human torch before him. Her demented eyes burned into his soul. He lunged for her, consumed with a desire to end her agony and his own. “You have murdered our beautiful children,” he shouted.
Screaming maniacally, she collapsed against him. He locked his arms around her, his heart at peace with what he suddenly recognised as his duty. The flames seared his flesh, but they would never burn away his sin. He embraced the agony, shoved her up against the railing and pushed with all his might, sending them both careening into nothingness.
“Devil’s spawn!” Maudine screamed with her last breath.
“May God forgive me,” Marc Lallement prayed as his body broke on the chequered flooring he loathed.
CHAPTER TEN
Adam, Denis and the Lallement brothers rushed into the smoke-filled entryway.
“ Mon Dieu !” Vincent fell to his knees and made the sign of the crucifix across his body as he stared at the smouldering, broken bodies of his parents, locked together in a fatal embrace.
“ Que diable ?” Denis shouted.
Lucien retched.
Adam shuddered, coughing as smoke constricted his throat. The scene unfolding around him seemed more horrific because he heard nothing.
Servants ran hither and thither, some obviously frantic, others apparently in command. A human chain formed and buckets of water were quickly passed from hand to hand. Adam took his place in the line, relieved to be doing something useful.
He glanced up. The rafters were alight, the thatch beginning to smoulder. Water would be a waste of time. Kingston Gorse was doomed.
Lucien seemed rooted to the spot as he stared at his dead parents. Suddenly he too looked up into the burning rafters. “My sisters,” he wailed.
~~~
Denis’ gut clenched. He hurried to Adam, holding up two fingers as he pointed to the upper floors. “We were right, and wrong. There may be two women up there. Come on. I’ll be damned if I’ll allow them to burn to death.”
He tore off the shirt he had donned hastily moments before, ripped off a length of it, soaked it in one of the buckets, and tied it around his face.
Adam followed his example.
Vincent put a hand on Adam’s arm. “It’s too dangerous. It’s our responsibility, mine and Lucien’s.”
Denis shoved him, his blood boiling. Two women might die, perhaps because they were afflicted with some sort of deformity. It was too close to his heart. “You should have thought of that before you allowed them to be kept up there.”
Denis and Adam hastened to the lower flight of stairs, Adam taking them two at a time. Burning thatch fell here and there, but the planked floor of the second storey was still mostly intact.
Denis heard a choked scream and the sound of a door banging. “They are still alive,” he yelled.
~~~
It was not the smell of smoke that awoke Paulina, but the demented screams of her mother. She pulled the linens up to her chin, biting her quivering lip.
For the second time in a day voices were raised in anger and confusion. Her father was shouting foul murder.
The glow of embers in the grate illuminated Rosamunda as she stirred, then sat up. She frowned, pinching her nostrils.
Paulina sniffed. Smoke! And not from the grate. “Fire!” she exclaimed, leaping from the bed, gooseflesh crawling over her skin. She hurried to the door, thrusting it open. The landing was
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