The Witch's Thief Read Online Free

the rapid beat of her heart and took a step back before turning to face Mrs. Prescott’s butler rushing to meet her.
    He arrived with shirttails bunched hastily around his waist and held a candle at arm’s length in front of him.
    “I heard a crash,” Parker said on arrival, taking in the sight of the man and the broken table bits scattered around. “Is it an intruder, Miss Grey?”
    “No, no,” she said, shaking her head. A guilty flush crept up her neck as though she had been caught doing something improper, like caressing the cheek of a handsome, unconscious man. “It’s Mr. Merriweather.”
    “Mr. Merriweather?”
    “Yes, Mr. Basil Merriweather,” Julia clarified. “Apparently, he has returned.” She turned back to the man on the floor, wondering what had finally compelled him to return home after so long.
    “By my word, it is Mr. Merriweather!” Parker said and knelt down to see for himself. “How did he come to be on the floor?”
    “I don’t know. Whatever mishap has occurred, he is in need of assistance. Would you help me bring him into the library? We can settle him by the fire. Then you must rouse Mrs. Prescott. We might have to send for the doctor.”
    “It’s snowing fiercely now, Miss Grey,” Parker said. “The doctor will have to wait until morning. It’s not fit for beast nor man.”
    Blast! The blizzard. She’d forgotten. Being ensconced in the library for most of the night, the storm raging outside was the least of her worries. Just how did Basil manage to get into the house without a sound? Especially with wind that howled like a monster? It surely would have shook the doors when he opened them…
    The corner of Julia’s eye caught the sight of firelight from the hearth reflected in the full-length mirror hanging in the hall.
    Of course. That explained it. He’d come through the mirror.
    “Never mind the doctor, then,” Julia said, kneeling down beside Parker. “Help me move him closer to the fire so we can ascertain his injuries.”
    “Very well.”
    Parker lifted Basil from under his arms while Julia gathered his legs. Together they hefted him carefully into the library. Thankfully, it was not a far distance. The man might not be huge of stomach, but he was tall and muscular, making his weight a great deal for a woman and elderly servant to carry. They managed to get him to the carpet by the fireplace where Parker lowered his charge.
    “Are you all right?” Julia asked the butler, worried to see his face flushed red from exertion.
    “Fine, fine,” he muttered, catching his breath.
    Julia took a moment to do the same. Then she peeled back Basil’s coat, and looked for any signs of injury. Finding none, she took his head in her hands and searched for a wound that might be the cause for his unconsciousness. There was slight swelling at the back, which might explain why he did not wake. Other than that, she could see no obvious sign of any distress.
    “Fetch Mrs. Prescott,” Julia said at last. “She’ll know what needs to be done.”
    “Of course, ma’am.”
    She watched Parker exit the room, wishing she could go in his stead. But she found it difficult to pull away from Basil. Her gaze wandered back to him. She knelt at his side, looking into his sleeping face.
    “Is it really you?” she whispered in disbelief. Again, her hand wandered to his cheek, touching him there to be sure he was real. How many nights had she dreamed of him coming home? How many days had he invaded her thoughts? Now he was here and she didn’t know what to think.
    He’d been gone for so long. Ten years and two months to be exact. The last moment she’d seen him had been seared into her memory. He had met her in the garden that day. When he approached, she’d noticed the stiff set to his shoulders and something dark in his eyes she had never before seen. She had commented on it. He’d smiled, laughed at her worry and assured her all was well. Then he had kissed her. The sweetest, most