The Devil's Daughter by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 26

There wasn't much of the village to see, and within only a short time, Bradley and Janet had wandered their way through, returning to the church. Bradley had entertained the idea of going back to check on the old mans' progress as he continued his repairs on the wagon, but decided against it, believing that doing so would only irritate him, and the last thing he wanted were delays. As they approached the church, Janet released her gentle grip from Bradley's arm, and standing in front of the church, held his hand.

“Let's get some lunch,” she said.

Although he was living in constant fear that they might never return home, the two things that could always put him at ease were his daughter's face and Janet's gentle smile.

“Of course, darling,” he replied. “Whatever you desire.” Holding one of the church doors open, Bradley let her in ahead of him and entering the church, they walked up the back stairs to the priest's chamber. There, Bradley searched through their luggage, looking for what he needed to organize a light lunch, while Janet, again, sat nursing their baby.

“Ah, here we are,” he said.

From their wanderings across Europe, they had acquired some unusual food items and now seemed to be a good time to make use of them.

“Let's see,” he continued. “We have a bit of cheese from Paris, some smoked sausage from Germany, a tin of chocolate from Belgium, and some haggis from Scotland. Janet cringed with disgust at the idea of eating the entrails of a sheep but Bradley somehow convinced her to, at least, sample it, and after carefully carving it into slices, Bradley cooked it thoroughly on the wood stove. Aizic had been gracious enough to restock their supply of firewood while they had been out, so they would be amply supplied for the night.

With lunch ready, a picnic blanket was laid out on the bed, as Bradley and Janet prepared to consume a rather unusual meal – crackers, cheese, and fried haggis. Without the nauseating sight of raw haggis, floating in a canning jar, Janet found the cooked delicacy much tastier than she had imagined. Out of caution, or perhaps, the fear of some sudden illness, she held her nose as the first small forkful passed her lips. Chewing slowly, she expected to be retching within moments. However, as its flavor began to stand out, Janet soon discovered why the Scots still ate it. “It's delicious,” she said.

She looked at Bradley with wide, excited eyes as she touched a silk napkin to the corners of her mouth. “Why didn't we try this before?”

Bradley was greatly amused by her reaction and grinned broadly as he answered.

“Because you always said the sight of it made you sick, but I purchased it anyway thinking that I would be the one to eat it. Maybe, on our way back, we can get some more. Would you like that?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Janet replied. “I so love Scotland.”

Finishing their lunch, Janet put their baby down for a nap and tucked her in against the cold mountain air. Bradley and Janet, once again, sat near the window and having it slightly open, enjoyed the smell of the Carpathian breeze. Shortly, Janet began to feel the effects of the day's activities and nodded off. With his wife and child asleep, Bradley sat wondering about their future – if and when they would be able to return home, but tried to remain positive. After their night in the woods, he wondered what other dark things lurked in the surrounding forest. But during his contemplation of their circumstances, Bradley heard something faint echoing from the mountains. It didn't sound like howling, but a scream. He had already heard the cries of wolves while camped along the only road to Gura Haith and putting his hands on the arms of the chair, leaned towards the window and strained his ears against the silence. Moments later, the sound drifted in again and from the window, Bradley noticed a sudden whirl of activity as people fled from the roads, taking up children as they ran. He saw men gathering with rifles, organizing themselves, and fanning out into the woods. Now, the village took on a ghostly appearance, with empty roads and locked doors. Bradley quickly assessed that the village seemed to be under attack by something that sounded neither animal nor human.

Watching the unfolding chaos, Bradley glanced back at Janet, who still lay drowsing deeply, her eyes darting from side to side, as her mind drifted in a serene mist of unconscious fancy. But something shook loose her drowsing mind, and she woke with a sudden start. Seeing Bradley at the window, she rose to her feet and stepping up to her husband's side, stared out at the village. “Where is everyone?” she asked.

With some hesitation, Bradley decided to keep secret what he had seen, concealing it in an attempt to protect her from both the fear and panic of seeing their daughter threatened by something he could not readily explain. “I think maybe a wolf may have wandered near the village. It probably happens all the time.” Moments later, both Bradley and Janet were startled by the sound of gunshots. They were already too familiar with the crack of a hunting rifle, but it was its suddenness that took them by surprise. Within a few minutes, the men returned, dragging the carcass of a large wolf. One might think there would be a celebration at having brought down what, in their minds, could be stalking the village since shortly after Alina's arrival. The men stood crowded around the dead animal, examining it closely. They looked up into the woods, wondering if their prize had finally been taken and with the air free of the frightful chaos, the people of Gura Haith unlocked their doors and slowly made their way out into the open.

“You see,” Bradley continued. “I would guess this happens quite often. It probably scared off the others.

Now, with Bradley's assurance, Janet expressed a need to go outside.

“Hey,” she began. “Shall we go out for a stroll?” Bradley managed to hide his fear but did not want to leave the security of the church.

“Why don't we simply stay in today?” he asked. Janet glanced out the window and seeing the cloudless blue sky, pressed him with a sweet, passive voice. “You did say the shots probably scared off the rest of the wolves, so they're gone by now, right?” Janet's sense of logic was flawless, and Bradley hesitantly gave in to his wife's request.

“Alright,” he replied. “But only a short walk.” Janet was overjoyed at her husband's agreement and waking their baby, she wrapped her tightly, with one corner of the blanket draped over her head.

Leaving the church, Bradley and Janet walked at a modest pace, until reaching the edge of the village. Near the entrance road, Janet saw a familiar form from the corner of her eye and with her attention drawn to it, recognized Alina standing away from the road with a smile. Nudging Bradley with an elbow, she pointed her out, commenting on her previous encounter.

“Bradley,” she began. “There's that odd child again. Does she seem at all strange to you?”

Bradley looked over, as Alina still stood with an innocent smile stretched across her face.

“She seems perfectly fine to me,” he replied. He turned his attention back to their walk, as Janet made eye contact with her. But as she continued her gaze, Alina's expression turned sinister as her eyes took on an angry look. Janet moved closer to Bradley's side while expressing her discomfort.

“I don't know why that little girl scares me so much,” she continued. “It's as if we're being followed by a wild animal.”

Bradley grinned and remarked on her overactive imagination.

“I just see a little girl. Perhaps you're just reading into something that could just as well be explained.” Janet gave his words a moment of thought to consider what might explain Alina's strange behavior. “Alright Mister Holmes,” she said. Her tone carried an obvious curiosity, yet she was also teasing him for his pretentious assumption of analytical skills.

“What is your assessment?”

Bradley cleared his throat while he prepared to deliver his ad-hoc diagnosis.

“Well,” he began. “Since this is a rather isolated place, it seems to me that people living in conditions like this might develop some...issues.”

“But she's just a child, isn't she?” Janet asked. “So how could a child end up this way? There must be something else.”

Bradley paused to consider another possibility. “Well, there could be another explanation,” he said. “This is a relatively small village and not many marital choices. So I'm guessing that over the years, certain...problems have occurred from such a small population. I would bet my uncle's entire fortune that all these people are related to each other.”

He didn't say it in so many words but was implying that some of the villages' children may not have been born from truly innocent relations. Janet's initial response was one of disgust. However, able to put these feelings aside, she expressed an objective opinion.

“Oh well, that would explain a great deal, wouldn't it?” She thought about, not only Alina but others in the village, who seemed likely to have been affected by the narrow range of reproductive opportunity. But while Bradley may have been right, to some small degree, his was largely the opinion of arrogance and privilege, holding a similar opinion of people, regardless of where they went.

Continuing their walk, Janet led Bradley to the place where she was left stunned by the view of the Carpathian's rocky peaks. Once near that spot, Janet directed his eyes and pointed to the broad, rocky vista. Bradley's eyes widened with amazement, as the mid-afternoon light broke through the clouds, splashing the mountain slopes with a warm hue. “That is magnificent,” he said. “I don't think even the Alps could hold a candle to this.”

They stood, marveling at the rugged mountain-scape when Janet was grabbed by her romantic sense of adventure and turned to Bradley with an impulsive idea. “Bradley,” she began.

She pointed out a place that lay about a tenth of a mile away.

“There's a small clearing right there. Do you see it?” Squinting slightly, Bradley saw the small patch of ground, blanketed by pine needles and the reddening light of the afternoon sun.

“Yes,” he replied.

With a child-like glimmer in her eyes, Janet asked if they could make the short walk to the clearing, in order to better view the mountains. But Bradley was hesitant and having seen how the village people reacted to the sound that, so quickly, drove armed men into the woods, tried to discourage her from the desire to stray from the village. “Bradley,” she began.

Her tone was sweet and almost begging. She knew what moved Bradley's emotions, and when she wanted something enough, she usually got it. “We'd see so much more of the mountains, and we'll never see this place again. Just a few minutes, please?” Unable to resist, Bradley gave in to his wife's request. “Alright,” he replied. “But only a few minutes.” Janet's girlish expression remained as she reached up and kissed him on the cheek.

“Thank you, darling,” she said.

Clutching their baby, Janet started for the clearing, as Bradley ran to catch up.

“Now wait, dear,” he said. “We don't want you taking a fall now, do we?”

Coming up behind her, he gently grabbed her arm. Not only could her safety be at risk, but so could that of the baby. One hard fall on a large rock might kill either of them. With Bradley having slowed her pace, they continued their brief walk to the clearing. Once they arrived, they found themselves standing on a slight slope looking out over the vast expanse of pine trees, towards the broad mountain vista. Both stood speechless as they gazed at the magnificence of the Carpathian's rocky giants, standing as silent guardians over Gura Haith, a place that knew nothing of the troubles of the world. Standing on the sloped ground, Janet's legs soon grew tired and she began to sit, Bradley turned and taking her by the arm, helped her down to the ground. Stretching out a hand, Janet asked him to sit with her.

“C'mon, I'm sure it's okay if you get a little dirt on your backside.”

Reluctantly agreeing, he found a flat rock next to Janet and believing it would not be nearly as dirty, lowered himself down on it.

“Ah, you know, that does feel quite nice,” he said. They sat, looking out over the treetops, through the cool clear air as the sun began its slow jog toward the western horizon.

Alone in the woods, Janet felt its beauty and solitude, but also something else. She had always harbored a fantasy of a romantic encounter outdoors, preferably at night, but never told Bradley. Until now.

“Hey,” she said.

Leaning over to him, Janet brought up a hand and turning Bradley's face towards her, kissed him passionately on the mouth. As their tongues met, Janet moved her hand down and began caressing what had quickly become aroused by her gentle grip. However, realizing the absence of privacy, Bradley quickly removed her hand. “Janet, really,” he began. “Out here? Where anyone can see us?”

His words reflected his Victorian sentiments, but his arousal spoke louder.

Janet kissed him again near his ear, as her hand made its way beneath his clothes, wrapping itself around the object of her desire.

“No one's going to see anything and Emily will never know.”

Taking a deep breath, Bradley glanced down at his wife's breasts and noticing her swelling nipples let out a passionate sigh. It took only moments for him to lose control, but Janet was forced to stop him in order to carefully lay their baby on the ground. Although she carried the responsibilities of a new mother, she was somewhat ignorant to the degree of judgment necessary for proper motherhood. Now, with their baby asleep, Bradley and Janet entered the sensual playground of each other’s bodies as Janet forced his suit pants down around his knees. Pushing him onto his back, she slid down, rolled over on her stomach and replaced her hand with the softness of her mouth. Bradley was in ecstasy but occasionally glanced over at their baby, who still lay wrapped against the cool air, and deeply asleep. Overcome with passion, Bradley sat up and reaching under Janet's blouse, began fondling her breasts. He had always known her to be highly sensitive, and the movement of his warm hands soon drove Janet into a sexual frenzy.

“Lie down,” Bradley whispered.

They changed places as he aggressively stripped off her clothes and as he exposed her, she raised her blouse, allowing Bradley to draw one of her swollen nipples between his lips.