Chapter 29

Ralph's POV continued....

I can feel her already. I don’t know what it is but, every time I am near her, I can smell her vanilla jasmine scent, I can feel her essence like he’s wrapped around my body and never wants to leave me. It stirs me inside.

I begin to involuntarily walk to her. Like a moth being drawn a flame. I see her tense, she smells the air, that’s my girl, feel me, know I am here now. I will her in my mind. The need to ravage her builds in me. It’s been too long since I have seen her, felt her, tasted her. She turns around and I duck out of sight. I don’t want to make it obvious. She has a friend with her. If she were alone, I would pin her against this wall and have my way with her. She feels it. I smell her arousal. Her body is sensing me close.

“Maybe I’ll surprise her” I tease in a low voice as I continue walking silently towards her.

“Rudolph, she wouldn’t understand how you know where she lives. Does she even know you’re Lord Hofer?”

“No, she doesn’t, you’re right. I just can’t resist her.” I tell him honestly.

“You were the same with Gabrielle, and look what happened. We need to be smart about this.” He tries to caution me. I know he’s right but my need for her is so strong. I know more than getting a taste of her body again. I need to protect her.

“you’re right.” I say in defeat. I turn to leave at the same moment I see her and her friend leaving. I begin to drive. I hear her friend asked to come over to her place.

“She’s heading home with a friend.” I tell him as I climb back into my car. I take a more scenic route getting to the mansion. I don’t want her to see my headlights. When I arrive, I cut the lights and quietly drive past her house towards the estate.

Thankfully the huge iron gate that once hung in front of the property making it a fortress is no long standing. During the French revolution, when Gabrielle’s remaining family were fleeing the estate, the invaders tore it down. That was a dark time. I did my best to get everyone to safety even if Gabrielle had been dead for some decades, I didn’t want to abandon her family. When her father caught on to what I truly was. He was fearful but, also knew I loved his daughter and never hurt her. He was the one who made me swear to keep the estate in the family name so her spirit could live on and find her way back to me and the mansion.

“I am arriving at the estate. I sense her.”

“I am thankful she made it home. She needs friends, giving up her life in New York, it has to be hard on her.”

“I am going to the mansion.” I say as I cut the call.

I have been here only a few times over the years. All the memories get to me. I need to see if I can move beyond them. I intend to be with Katherine, and I intend to restore this place to life and bring back her home. The home that Gabrielle once loved so much.

I walk inside and all the fond old memories flood back to me. I am walking in the upper floor when I hear a bang from downstairs at first, I am about to become protective. I have no idea if Conrad or Edgar could be creeping in here. I can smell their scent in here. They continue to come here and look for something Gabrielle hid, something she was going to tell me about after our wedding.

I drift through the halls like a wraith. That is until I smell her scent. That bang I heard was the old slave and servants doors in the kitchen to the tunnel where they used to keep food and also an escape route. I wait upstairs; I watch as she and her friend begin to walk around the place. I sense something off with Katherine, she’s not herself.

“Has that ever happened before?” her friend asks.

“Not while I am awake. I get dreams” she says and leaves her friend hanging. I watch and wait, if she comes past me. I am not sure if I will take her or stand by. Her friend walks into a different part of the house leaving her alone.

“Oh, hey, I completely forgot I have the EVP stuff in my purse right here. Let’s set it up.” Her friends says.

“Katherine? Katherine? Fuck are you going weird again?” she says in a panic. I look to see what she means. Katherine is standing there like she’s in a daze.

“Katherine where are you going? You’re walking like you know where to go?” her friend says as Katherine just walks off by herself. She walks up the stairs towards me. I can see her eyes glazed over. She’s definitely in a trance.”

“Katherine!” her friend yells, she doesn’t even respond. Her friend is standing there like she doesn’t know what to do.

“Good day sir, she says to nothing in front of her. She walks my way; I grab her and pull her into a room. I relish the feeling of her body but, I am more concerned with what is going on with her.

“Rudolph my love! Coming to call on me? Father said you wouldn’t be here until later?”  she says in a voice that I thought I would never hear again.  I look into her mind; this is not Katherine. She’s living in Gabrielle’s memories. I can see in her mind. She’s mentally in the past. She’s in the year 1725. The first year I started to court Gabrielle. This is alarming. What is Gabrielle trying to do? Is this her? Or something else entirely?