Ravenwood(61)

Jonah turned back to Elinore and she felt the weight of his gaze settle across her entire body. “I wouldn’t like to be long in the woods with Mr. Hayter.”

Thinking of her long meals with Hayter, of the way his presence loomed, of how the denizens of Ravenwood feared him, Elinore could only nod herself in agreement.

“Nor I.”

“Best you go inside, miss, just in case. This attack… the blood was left here, right on Ravenwood grounds, but no body. I don’t know what we’ll find in the forest, if anything, but I’d feel better knowing you were in the manor.”

Dread filled her heart at the thought of going back inside the manor where Hayter was, but she knew the sense of Jonah’s words.

“I’ll speak to both Mrs. Thistlewaite and Mrs. Davenport. We can prepare you some traveling satchels of food and provisions. Once you’ve gathered the men, please stop by the manor before you leave.”

He took his leave of her and she started the walk back to the manor, her thoughts heavy as she walked. This must be the work of the wolf that bit her, still roaming the countryside. She wished Caleb would return from whatever work he was doing. Though Elinore felt safe from the feral wolf inside the manor, there was still Hayter. She felt as though there were no peace to be had anywhere - neither outside Ravenwood, nor within.

Mrs. Thistlewaite and Mrs. Davenport, along with Alice and one of the serving girls, were all more than happy to prepare items for the men for their hunting. Elinore felt a burst of camaraderie working in the kitchen with the women, their voices soft and easy with one another. Jonah and the men came by the back kitchen door before they set out, their faces grim. Elinore was surprised when Jonah addressed her before they left, informing her that should they be unsuccessful, half the men would be back before nightfall, but the other half would remain out, searching or hunting. He seemed to wait for some kind of gesture from her at his words and she nodded and said she thought that was a fine plan. Satisfied with her response, the men set out. Mrs. Davenport stood behind Elinore in the doorway, watching the men leave.

“It’s good of you to give your approval to them,” the housekeeper said.

Surprised by her words, Elinore turned her head to face her. Mrs. Davenport’s eyes were far away and distant as she watched the men make their way to the forest. “They hardly need my approval.”

“I wonder.”

The day passed long and slowly, like watching molasses pour out on a cold day. The feeling in the manor itself was also thick. Her limbs feeling restless, Elinore ended up in the staff’s living area, darning some freshly laundered socks, happy for something to do. Night finally fell and with it, as Jonah promised, half of the men returned, young George with them. He asked to speak to Elinore privately in the kitchen and she obliged.

“John Moran up the hill is missing three sheep, but we found no other… remains,” he said slowly, as though he’d searched for a better word to use, but had not been able to find one. Elinore nodded gravely at his words, again unsure if he was waiting for some kind of sign from her, as Jonah had previously that morning.

“And will you go out again tomorrow, if nothing is found tonight?”

George looked unsure, his young face solemn.

“Would it be better to wait for Caleb to return if you’re not successful?”

“That it might be, miss.”

Feeling empowered, Elinore said, “That’s what we shall do. I… dislike the thought of you all out there for an interminable amount of time.”

He looked relieved at her words, taking his leave from her with a small nod, going back to speak to the other men. Elinore wished she could go with them, but she was no doubt expected at dinner. With Hayter.

Hayter was entirely unconcerned with where part of his staff was, if he noticed at all. Elinore thought he probably did not, having no inclination, it seemed, to know any of the staff by name. He inquired after Elinore’s day, his sharp eyes watchful of her. Not knowing how to answer, she simply replied it had been as many other before and surely many others would be after - she spent the day enjoying Ravenwood. He looked pleased at her answer before launching into his dinner, cutting his meat into large pieces, his steak still bloody and red on the inside. Elinore had requested hers cooked longer and thought she saw disappointment flash over Hayter’s eyes when she did. His came out from the kitchen nearly raw with red juices flowing out with each press of his utensils. Hayter caught Elinore staring at his plate and smiled, his teeth slightly red.

“Perhaps you find yours cooked too well?”

“Not at all. Mrs. Thistlewaite has done an excellent job,” Elinore answered truthfully, turning her eyes away from Hayter.

“And how is your arm,” he asked, apropos of nothing.

“Fine, Uncle. It hardly pains me at all.”

“That is indeed excellent news.” His smile was sharp and his visage accompanied by the scrape of his knife against his plate caused her to shiver. “And again, you need not call me ‘uncle.’ I’m hardly your elder. Many girls your age have husbands older than me.”

His comment scraped across her already frazzled nerves. The thought of being with Hayter, as a wife, was not only preposterous to her, but offensive.

After dinner, she again was pressed into playing the piano. Not only had her playing not improved at all, she also found her mind wandering as she sat at the bench. Her thoughts were focused on the blood she’d stepped in that morning, the lack of any remains and the other missing animals. She thought of the staff of Ravenwood - how they all seemed to be waiting for something - something dire or fortuitous, she could not tell. But the sense of something ‘imminent’ pervaded the manor. Elinore wanted to pace - indeed she wished she could not only pace throughout Ravenwood, but pace the grounds, as though she needed to survey he land.