A New Estate - Crimson Peak

Chapter Thirty Four

Thomas stepped out of the lift and trailed a few silent steps ahead, still holding my hand delicately, before stopping to look over his shoulder towards me.

"Please," he said at my hesitance, "this is important."

"I have already come this far, I can hardly turn back now," I replied, both for his reassurance and to spur myself on.

China had already raced out ahead of Thomas and now she stood, watching us expectantly with her tail wagging behind her.

I kept my attention on her as I stepped out of the lift, feeling my nerves beginning to spike as Thomas' hands squeezed mine before he continued down the dark corridor.

Silently, he led me down the hall, towards the room that I dreaded to re-enter.

Every now and then he would look over his shoulder, almost as if he were checking that I was still there and hadn't managed to slip out of his grip without his noticing.

Given what he was he had a surprisingly strong grip, growing up listening to horror stories and learning the difference between poltergeists and spirits led me to wholly believe that I would have phases straight through him.

Perhaps he wasn't as peaceful as I was allowing myself to believe, but Sir Sharpe appeared to pose no current threat unlike his darker sister.

Not that it mattered, I had already walked into his trap if he had harder intentions.

I was trapped by a cold touch that sent shivers throughout my body, though in the strangest way that I couldn't explain it was also somehow comforting.

There was something about Sir Thomas Sharpe that put me at ease, even in situations where rationally I shouldn't feel comfortable.

Perhaps he was an aid and helped in making it easier for me to take everything in my stride when others would rightfully be terrified?

We came to a stop outside the closed door.

A daunting quiet lingered and neither of us spoke as we stared at the door, almost as if it would magically open by pure longing alone.

As the moment lingered, I started to wonder if perhaps he couldn't physically open the door for reasons I didn't understand.

Was that why he was hesitating?

My uncertainty came from what I last witnessed in this room, but had he been unable to enter this room since his death?

Had he not wanted to for emotional reasons?

Or was this all purely because of what was so important that he needed to show me?

Eventually it all became too much, just standing there motionless was driving my inner monologue insane and I stepped forward, reaching out with my free hand to grasp the door handle.

"Don't," he said softly, causing my hand to jolt mid-reach. "Please, allow me."

The expression on his face was heart wrenching, his hollow eyes seemed sad and lost to the point where I would have felt terrible denying his request, so I gave a small nod and lowered my hand again, resting it on the back of China's neck as she sat patiently beside me.

The silence grew thicker as Thomas stared at the door, beats passed and nothing happened while he continued fighting with his inner turmoil.

Slowly, my hand moved closer to his and my fingers twitched experimentally against his colder ones, testing the waters.

When he elicited to reaction to my light touches, I took it further and slid my hand into his, clasping our hands together in reassurance, lacing our fingers together.

He jolted, as if a simple touch had shaken him back from his reverie, if he still needed to breathe then I was certain he would have gasped in surprise and he ever so briefly glanced at me with a broken smile.

Now that he had been brought back to the present, Thomas finally pulled himself together and reached for the doorknob.

My heart felt as if it were in my throat as it beat uncomfortably fast, my adrenaline spiking at the ridiculous thought that there was still a body waiting for us inside.

The door opened slowly, the faintest of creaks just barely noticeable in the otherwise quiet.

Before the door had opened fully, China had nudged it open faster with her nose and ran inside.

Unsurprisingly, the room inside remained unchanged beyond the exclusion of the skeletal remains that had been removed.

China let out a bark that echoed around the room as her tail wagged and she bounded onto the bed, sniffing at Robert who was lying motionless on top of the cover.

A gasped cry of his name caught in my throat as I let go of Thomas' hand and raced to the bed, every terrible thought of what could have happened to him hit me like a horse and carriage, Thomas stayed lingering in the doorway.

I managed to refrain myself from yelling in panic and accusing the Sharpe's of any wrongdoing outright, even if that was my initial assumption upon seeing Robert abandoned on the bed.

Thankfully, once I was close enough, it was easy to see Robert's chest rising and falling slowly.

"What happened?" I asked sharply, taking his head while snapping my head towards Sir Sharpe.

"That is why I have brought you here, but don't fret, he is merely sleeping."

"He should be working."

"He should, but my matter is of more importance."

"I sincerely hope so."

Thomas' expression was still somber as he stepped inside and moved towards the bed, the door falling closed behind him and slamming, making China jump.

He comes to a stop a few feet from the bed, his sunken eyes meeting mine as his lips pull into a tight line.

"I believe it's time I explained."