The Arrangement (The Witches of Cleopatra Hill Book 10) Read online

  “I will never marry again,” she said quietly.

  “Lorena, you mustn’t — ”

  But she only shook her head. “What is the point? I cannot have a family. My late husband left me very well off, so I have no need to seek out a man for security. As for companionship” — she shrugged — “I have a very busy social calendar, let me assure you. My days are quite full. And if we can do this….”

  “This?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  By his silence, she could tell that he did know, quite well, although he wouldn’t comment aloud on the topic. For a long moment, he remained that way, staring pensively at a landscape that hung on the wall opposite the bed as he toyed with a loose lock of her hair. “But you will be going on to New York.”

  “Of course,” she said blithely, even though maintaining such a tone took a good deal of effort. “I will spend a few days here, but my mother and my nieces and nephews are already expecting me. They all want to play up to Auntie Lorena, you know, for my fortune will go to them when I am gone.”

  At once he frowned. She had forgotten how forbidding he could look when his brows drew together that way. “You should not speak of such things.”

  “I don’t mind. It is all a part of life, after all.”

  “A part that should not come to you until many years from now.”

  “That is my intention.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Now, what were you saying about that lamb stew simmering on the stove?”

  She did not press him. She kept to her word. Four days in Flagstaff, two nights of which were spent in his arms, and then she was gone, this time headed east. He wondered about her house there. Probably a large brownstone in the most fashionable part of town. His family had spent a week in New York after they had been driven from Connecticut, and so he thought he could imagine the sort of place where she might live. In an odd way, he found some comfort in that, in envisioning her at home, surrounded by the things she loved, even though his body ached at the thought of losing her, of knowing she would not be there for him to hold…but she was safe. That was more important than any passing physical need. At any rate, she had said she would be back in October. Because she had given her word, he saw no reason to doubt her.

  Emma invited him to dinner, but could not speak with him privately until the dishes had been cleared and the children sent upstairs. She gave her husband Aaron a significant look, and he announced that he was going to retire to the sitting room, and if Jeremiah would care to join him later, there was a new bottle of bourbon that Levi Crouch, one of the owners of the Hotel San Francisco, had brought with him after his last trip back to Kentucky.

  “So, once again Lorena Simms has escaped unscathed,” Emma said as she and Jeremiah lingered at the dining room table.

  “Yes,” he replied. “And I intend to keep it that way. I believe we have determined a way to see each other without the curse intervening. As long as she keeps her visits short, and makes sure to continue on her way, rather than linger here, then we should do passably well.”

  “And she does not mind this arrangement?”

  “For her, as it is for me, it is better than nothing. She loved her late husband very much, and since she cannot have a family of her own, she sees no reason to replace him. We are both…a diversion to one another.”

  A pause, as Emma tilted her head to one side and regarded him carefully. “And you do not mind?”

  “Not at all,” he said. It was only the truth. Somehow, it was a relief to know that he was second in Lorena’s heart. Perhaps that small distance was enough to confuse the curse, to make it uncertain as to her place in Jeremiah’s life…which was just as it should be. He could not admit to himself how much he cared for her. That was dangerous. At any rate, despite what she had done to him, his own heart was still given just as much, even more, to his late wife Nizhoni, to all her passion and beauty and brilliance. If only….

  The speculation in Emma’s eyes seemed to indicate she had noted his ambivalence. To his relief, however, she did not press him. “And how long do you intend for this arrangement to continue?”

  “As long as Lorena allows it,” Jeremiah replied. “Or as long as it is safe.”

  And to that comment, Emma made no reply. She only reached out and touched her brother’s hand, letting him know that she understood, and would do what she could to stand by him.

  He nodded, and hoped it would be enough.

  Epilogue

  Autumn followed spring, and spring came after fall. Flowers bloomed and leaves fell, and each time she and Jeremiah would have a few stolen days together before she headed west, or east, depending on the season. Then on one visit, Lorena was startled to see the first glint of silver in her lover’s hair…how many years had they been doing this? Seven now, and then ten, and gray began to show in her own dark locks. She knew women of her circle who tinted their hair, desperately trying to keep the passage of time at bay, but she would never bother. Jeremiah certainly didn’t care, and if he didn’t, then why should she?

  His son knew of their liaisons, but stayed resolutely away, making sure their paths did not cross. She had never exchanged a single word with Jacob, and never would. Once or twice she caught a glimpse of him as he went about town, a tall young man now, broad-shouldered and perhaps even more handsome than his father, with even, regular features and dark-lashed, exotic eyes that must have made all the young ladies in Flagstaff swoon. But she made no attempt to speak to him. What could she possibly say? He resented her presence in his father’s life, even while he kept himself from interfering. It was better to stay away. After all, she was never in Flagstaff long enough to make any kind of a difference…save, perhaps, in Jeremiah’s happiness.

  Lorena thought Jeremiah was happy, or at least as happy as he could be, knowing that she could never be his wife, that he would never have any more children. They spoke of what had happened in their lives, of marriages and births among her lover’s nieces and nephews, of how she and Jeremiah had passed their time apart. She saw how Flagstaff grew, and the Wilcox clan thrived, expanding their little empire in the mountain town they called home. The two of them made love, and shared dinner and breakfast on the nights she stayed over at his house — nights where Jacob was always conspicuously absent. Neither of them ever discussed the reason why Lorena must get on the train and leave so soon after they had been reunited, for to do so was to make the curse seem too real, to give it even more power over them. This way, they could pretend that there was nothing so terribly extraordinary about their relationship, or the arrangement they had made to ensure it would continue for as long as possible.

  Fifteen years, twenty. The world moved along, and fashions changed, and Lorena’s nieces and nephews grew up as well, became fine young men and women. They married, and had children of their own. By then everyone knew of her stops in Flagstaff, even if they had never been able to discover the real reason behind them. Certainly she would never tell anyone the truth. Not that any of her family members would believe her. A clan of witches and warlocks, living in the wilds of Arizona Territory? Such a confession would only make them think that she must have begun to lose her mind to age, even though she knew her wits were still sharp enough, and the passion that drove her into Jeremiah’s arms unfaded with the passing of time.

  And she and Jeremiah grew older and grayer, and yet they still met with the same ardor, the same need to drown their loneliness in the other’s embrace. But never for too long. Just enough so they would have the strength to endure until the next time they met.

  And then….

  September 20th, 1908. A Sunday. She had just returned from church, had accompanied her niece Sophy and her family. A mild breeze blew at the lace curtains at the windows, and the house was scented faintly from the lilies in their extravagant chinoiserie vase on the parlor piano.

  Sarah, her current maid, had helped to remove the pins from the enormous hat Lorena wore, then took it away to the wardrob
e. Josie was long gone, having married her bartender and remained in Flagstaff many years earlier. At the time, although she had wished Josie well, Lorena could not help but experience a twinge of jealousy, for her maid had gotten her dream, even if Lorena’s still had not come true.

  A knock came at the door, and Joseph, the butler went to answer it. He came upstairs, a letter in his hands. “For you, ma’am,” he said, and handed it to her.

  She took it, somewhat mystified. In general, she did not receive mail on Sundays, although from time to time, letters of certain importance were delivered on that day. “Thank you, Joseph,” she said, and he nodded and left the room.

  The writing was not any she recognized — strong like Jeremiah’s, but not as heavily slanted, more legible. There was no return address on the envelope. Not bothering to fetch a letter opener, she ran a finger under the envelope’s flap, loosening the glue. Inside was a single sheet of heavy paper with a few lines of writing in the same hand as that on the outside of the envelope.

  Mrs. Simms,

  I am writing to let you know that my father, Jeremiah Wilcox, passed away on the 10th of September. He was not ill, but went peacefully in his sleep. He was laid to rest two days later.

  I thought you would want to know.

  Best regards,

  Jacob Wilcox

  The letter fell from Lorena’s hand, drifting with a dry-leaf rustle to the floor. For a very long moment, she stood there, not moving, staring out the window at the elm tree that stood outside, its foliage just barely beginning to be touched with gold.

  How Jacob had known to reach her, she wasn’t sure. But if he was anything like his father, he would be intelligent and resourceful, which meant he could have conducted his own investigations, reaching out to private investigators here in New York. After all, she had never hidden her name, or her origins. Probably all it had required were a few letters to the local branch of the Pinkerton Agency, and the necessary information would be sent back to Jacob Wilcox, to be used when necessary. Lorena somehow doubted Jacob had ever asked his father about her. Not that Jeremiah could have helped his son in this matter. He had never inquired after her address, whether here or in the San Francisco house. Sometimes she had wondered as to the reason for his reticence, but then she realized he was only doing whatever he could to make sure the curse had no easy way of seeking her out. Always his first thought had been to protect her.

  She had known this day might come. Jeremiah was almost eight years older than she. And yet…and yet he had seemed hale and hearty enough the last time she had seen him, had made love to her with the same ardor that he’d shown when they first came together, that cold October night so many years ago. Her gray hair and the lines on her face had meant nothing to him.

  And now…he was gone.

  No reason to stop in Flagstaff on her way to San Francisco. The house there was being readied against her arrival. She had intended to leave in ten days. Was there any point in making such a journey, now that he would no longer be there to greet her? Her bones ached just as much in San Francisco as they did here in New York. Long ago, she’d realized the only true reason for shuttling back and forth between these two houses was that she would be able to see Jeremiah again, would be able to put aside her loneliness for those few stolen moments in his strong arms.

  The world blurred, and she blinked, knowing she could not let herself weep now. Later yes, when she was safely in her room and no one would be a witness to her grief.

  She realized that yes, of course she must go, one last time. She would stop in Flagstaff, and she would find his grave. The season might be too late for flowers, but she would lay a spray of autumn leaves on the earth there and make her final goodbye.

  And then — and then she would finally say the words she had held back all these years. She would say them out loud, because she no longer had any need to fear the consequences. The curse could not touch her now.

  …I love you, Jeremiah Wilcox.

  The End

  The Witches of Cleopatra Hill series will continue with Defender, due out in May 2017. Sign up here to be notified about all of Christine Pope’s new releases!

  Author’s Note

  When I finished writing Spellbound, I didn’t have any intention of revisiting the past of the Wilcox family. I had given Danica her happy ending with Robert Rowe, and that was the end of the story. However, Jeremiah Wilcox began to haunt me. Because of the way I had set up the Wilcox curse, and because of the way Angela and Connor’s story had to play out in Darkangel, Darknight, and Darkmoon, I knew that Jeremiah couldn’t get any such happy ending — at least not until the very end of Darkmoon. Even then, though, it seemed that I’d doomed him to a lonely, tragic life. Unlike some of his descendants, he was not a bad man, only a complicated person who became the victim of a very unfortunate circumstance.

  And that was when I decided that, while I couldn’t exactly give him a happily-ever-after, I could at least attempt to give him a “happy-for-now.” That was how The Arrangement came to me — a way to trick the curse, and give the man a little happiness, without changing the timeline of the books that are set in the present day.

  I hope you enjoyed this short trip back in time. It’s my intention to write more of these books, novella-length pieces that give some insight into the history of the witch clans and people who might have been mentioned only peripherally in the modern-day novels.

  I hope you’ll take that journey with me.

  Christine Pope

  Santa Fe, New Mexico

  December 2016

  Also by Christine Pope

  THE WITCHES OF CLEOPATRA HILL

  (Paranormal Romance)

  Darkangel

  Darknight

  Darkmoon

  Sympathetic Magic

  Protector

  Spellbound

  A Cleopatra Hill Christmas

  Impractical Magic

  Strange Magic

  The Arrangement

  The first three books of this series are also available in an omnibus edition at a special low price!

  THE DJINN WARS

  (Paranormal Romance)

  Chosen

  Taken

  Fallen

  Broken

  Forsaken

  Forbidden

  The first three books of this series are also available in an omnibus edition at a special low price!

  THE SEDONA FILES *

  (Paranormal Romance)

  Bad Vibrations

  Desert Hearts

  Angel Fire

  Star Crossed

  Falling Angels

  Enemy Mine

  The first three books of this series are also available in an omnibus edition at a special low price!

  TALES OF THE LATTER KINGDOMS *

  (Fantasy Romance)

  All Fall Down

  Dragon Rose

  Binding Spell

  Ashes of Roses

  One Thousand Nights

  Threads of Gold

  The Wolf of Harrow Hall

  Moon Dance

  THE GAIAN CONSORTIUM SERIES *

  (Science Fiction Romance)

  Blood Will Tell

  Breath of Life

  The Gaia Gambit

  The Mandala Maneuver

  The Titan Trap

  The Zhore Deception

  * These series are complete.

  About the Author

  Christine Pope has been writing stories ever since she commandeered her family’s Smith-Corona typewriter back in the sixth grade. Her work includes paranormal romance, fantasy romance, and science fiction/space opera romance. The Land of Enchantment cast its spell on her while she was researching her Djinn Wars series, and she now makes her home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

  To be notified of new releases by Christine Pope, please sign up here.

  Christine Pope on the Web:

  @ChristineJPope

  ChristinePopeAuthor

  www.christinepope.com<
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