Read Online Secret Reflection by Jennifer Brassel - Free Book Online
Authors: Jennifer Brassel
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if you do not believe me – could you not allow a little time to search?’
He held himself completely still as if his whole world hinged upon how she would react. And yet, his eyes conveyed a silent dignity, which reassured her that whatever her answer was, he would accept his fate with grace. It was almost too difficult to meet his gaze.
Against her better judgement the word ‘Yes’ tumbled almost inaudibly from her lips.
In an instant his blue eyes caught fire and a buoyancy seemed to lift his shoulders till he stood tall and regal before her. His chest appeared to widen and his jaw took on a strength that made him resemble some of the more magnificent portraits that paraded down the staircase outside her room.
‘I do not know how, or even if I can ever repay your kindness, Madam, but as God is my witness, I shall find a way.’
Kelly raised her arms as if she were fending off an unexpected blow. ‘Hang on! – I said I’d look. That’s all. I didn’t say I believed you. Like I said to Tom and Nancy last night, the purpose of my investigation will be to disprove your existence and I haven’t changed my mind about that.’
She turned away and wondered whether she was finally having the nervous breakdown her lawyer, Kyra Goldstern, had warned of as they exited the courthouse almost a month ago. To even contemplate helping an apparition in a mirror – worse! – to allow the slight possibility that he was genuine, was quite insane and she knew it.
But.
But something deep within compelled her to know .
It had always been like that. For as long as she could remember she’d driven her family crazy with her persistent questions. And she was never satisfied with evasions. She needed to know exactly why things happened … why people behaved as they did. Later her obsession included the desire to understand what motivated people in power, or world events – whether momentous or insignificant.
That desperate need to know had been the impetus for her taking up journalism. That, and the profound disgust that so many people seemed to want to cheat each other, hurt each other. It had made her almost manic in her desire to find the truth. That same desire drove her to discover Frank’s infidelity.
And now, more than ever, she needed to find the truth.
‘So,’ she said as she again moved to the door, ‘be prepared. I will uncover this little hoax and I promise you, I’m not easily fooled. If Tom or Nancy come looking for me, tell them I’ve gone to London to find a surveillance expert.’
‘I cannot,’ John said.
‘Why not?’
‘They cannot see me – only you can.’
Convenient . ‘And why is that?’
‘I do not know, precisely. Indeed, I have found through the years, that I can only be seen for a short span of time every twenty or so years, and only by the person who sleeps in my bed.’
She darted a glance at the four-poster – his bed? She slept in his bed? That notion was especially disturbing. But she still didn’t see the significance.
‘Again, I ask, why is that?’
He shrugged. ‘I know not the method or rules of the sorcery that put me here – only the actual ritual, which I witnessed as I was incarcerated. The rest I have learned over time.’
‘All right,’ she crossed her arms and lifted her chin, ‘explain what you do know.’ This should be interesting , she murmured under her breath.
He raised a brow. ‘Indeed it is.’
A slow moment ticked past as Kelly tried to measure his face, to know whether he could be believed. Everything inside her screamed that she was a fool to even listen to his stories, that she was setting herself up for disappointment if not to be tricked.
And yet something vulnerable hid in his dark eyes … something needy that made her body clench with want.
She shook her head, astonished at her own wayward feelings. She couldn’t afford to buy into it. She needed his answers to catch him out – and that was all!
Leaning against the bedpost, she
He held himself completely still as if his whole world hinged upon how she would react. And yet, his eyes conveyed a silent dignity, which reassured her that whatever her answer was, he would accept his fate with grace. It was almost too difficult to meet his gaze.
Against her better judgement the word ‘Yes’ tumbled almost inaudibly from her lips.
In an instant his blue eyes caught fire and a buoyancy seemed to lift his shoulders till he stood tall and regal before her. His chest appeared to widen and his jaw took on a strength that made him resemble some of the more magnificent portraits that paraded down the staircase outside her room.
‘I do not know how, or even if I can ever repay your kindness, Madam, but as God is my witness, I shall find a way.’
Kelly raised her arms as if she were fending off an unexpected blow. ‘Hang on! – I said I’d look. That’s all. I didn’t say I believed you. Like I said to Tom and Nancy last night, the purpose of my investigation will be to disprove your existence and I haven’t changed my mind about that.’
She turned away and wondered whether she was finally having the nervous breakdown her lawyer, Kyra Goldstern, had warned of as they exited the courthouse almost a month ago. To even contemplate helping an apparition in a mirror – worse! – to allow the slight possibility that he was genuine, was quite insane and she knew it.
But.
But something deep within compelled her to know .
It had always been like that. For as long as she could remember she’d driven her family crazy with her persistent questions. And she was never satisfied with evasions. She needed to know exactly why things happened … why people behaved as they did. Later her obsession included the desire to understand what motivated people in power, or world events – whether momentous or insignificant.
That desperate need to know had been the impetus for her taking up journalism. That, and the profound disgust that so many people seemed to want to cheat each other, hurt each other. It had made her almost manic in her desire to find the truth. That same desire drove her to discover Frank’s infidelity.
And now, more than ever, she needed to find the truth.
‘So,’ she said as she again moved to the door, ‘be prepared. I will uncover this little hoax and I promise you, I’m not easily fooled. If Tom or Nancy come looking for me, tell them I’ve gone to London to find a surveillance expert.’
‘I cannot,’ John said.
‘Why not?’
‘They cannot see me – only you can.’
Convenient . ‘And why is that?’
‘I do not know, precisely. Indeed, I have found through the years, that I can only be seen for a short span of time every twenty or so years, and only by the person who sleeps in my bed.’
She darted a glance at the four-poster – his bed? She slept in his bed? That notion was especially disturbing. But she still didn’t see the significance.
‘Again, I ask, why is that?’
He shrugged. ‘I know not the method or rules of the sorcery that put me here – only the actual ritual, which I witnessed as I was incarcerated. The rest I have learned over time.’
‘All right,’ she crossed her arms and lifted her chin, ‘explain what you do know.’ This should be interesting , she murmured under her breath.
He raised a brow. ‘Indeed it is.’
A slow moment ticked past as Kelly tried to measure his face, to know whether he could be believed. Everything inside her screamed that she was a fool to even listen to his stories, that she was setting herself up for disappointment if not to be tricked.
And yet something vulnerable hid in his dark eyes … something needy that made her body clench with want.
She shook her head, astonished at her own wayward feelings. She couldn’t afford to buy into it. She needed his answers to catch him out – and that was all!
Leaning against the bedpost, she
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