Gothick

Chapter Eighteen

Foam clung to the edges of crashing waves. The sea sparkled, as though it were made of a million sapphires. Emma sat at the edge of a cliff, the same one she and Anthony visited, wondering about the lands beyond the line where sea met sky.

He was out there somewhere.

Anthony could be flirting with women in America as she sat there staring at the water, thinking of him. It was for the best though, Emma reminded herself. Lord help her had they gotten married and she had received word he was lost in battle or to the sea. Still, an ache rested in her bosom she couldn't explain away, no matter how hard she tried.

"There you...is!" A voice said from behind.

Dominick staggered toward her. Something about his waistcoat, overcoat, and top hat seemed out of place in the setting. Emma stifled a giggle. His narrow, youthful face reddened as he stumbled forward.

"Are."

Dominick stopped.

"Entschuldigen sie?"He asked.

Emma smiled and patted the spot beside her.

"It is 'there you are'," she said as the young man walked over, lifted his coattails, and sat on the grass.

"I know only little," Dominick said, screwing up his face as he thought of the words. Emma laughed. He always said that.

"It's alright," she said. "You are learning rather quickly."

"I have...good teacher."

A strand of Dominick's brown hair fell over his forehead. Emma brushed it back. Dominick's face flushed, and he quickly turned toward the ocean.

"I...have never seen it," he said, gesturing toward the water. "It is...large."

"Yes," Emma said. So large. Filled with horrible possibilities.

Waves rolled over the water's surface. All she could think of was one crashing over Anthony's ship. Emma breathed in sharply.

"Are you well?" Dominick said.

"Of course. Perfectly fine."

The hansom shook, jolting Emma from her slumber.

"Have a nice nap?" Annabelle said from the opposite seat, smirking.

"Lovely," Emma said, wiping her eyes. She looked around for Dominick, expecting to see those youthful bright eyes, but she remembered he was back at the manor. Emma felt a shiver run through her. "Annabelle," she said. "Did you say once that Dominick studied abroad?"

"I did say that," Annabelle said. "For about ten months, I believe."

Emma stared out the window, her eyebrows pressed together.

"What are you thinking about?" Annabelle said.

"Nothing," Emma replied, just as the carriage jarred to a stop. The day was the brightest she had seen in a long time, yet a nip still hung in the air. Emma pulled her coat more tightly around her. She held out a hand, and Annabelle grabbed it. Daniel Tower stood like a mountain above the sloped shops-maybe half a mile away.

"Ah, I love the winter," Annabelle said, taking a deep breath. "The air-it smells so crisp and sharp and clear. It's as though the inside of one's lungs freeze over, isn't it?"

"Yes, I suppose," Emma said as they entered Jasper Boutique and Hats. Upon entering, all Emma saw was fabric. Pink, gold, blue with silver rhinestones. Lavish dresses made in flowing silk or coarse wool jackets. Wide-brimmed hats made of wicker and adorned with fresh roses, and lilies sat upon the crowns of wooden mannequins.