A New Estate - Crimson Peak

Chapter Forty

The trip down to the mines was terrifying, my nerves were wrecked and my entire being was shaking beyond my control.

China wandered behind me and Thomas lingered behind her.

I had tried to make her stay behind in the bedroom, but she had blatantly refused and I didn't have the heart nor the time to stand there and make commands to a dog that wouldn't listen, not without risking waking Robert up.

Even worse was the limited hours I had to complete my self-assigned mission.

I wanted the task done by sunrise, before the men would wake and continue on with the next course of action they needed to take, pushing aside any mourning that would still weigh heavily on their hearts to return to work.

I pitied them of this.

China's gentle whines as we walked down the corridor tugged at my heart and every so often, I would reach back and give her head a reassuring ruffle, though I didn't feel any more confident myself.

Occasionally, I would catch Sir Sharpe's eye and we would share a faint smile, encouraging one another to continue forward.

My nerves had heightened my senses and everything, from my footsteps to Thomas' non-existent breaths, seemed to echo off the manor's drab walls.

Though I had ventured out with Robert just nights prior and knew there to be nothing to fear, within reason, I couldn't achieve the same sense of security that I had achieved in his company.

Granted, I had China and Thomas who did offer company and comfort, but I felt no safer than if I were alone. It was peculiar, finding comfort in the company of a dead man who could, most likely, offer me no more protection than the borrowed trousers I was adorning.

As we neared the lift, China's whines increased and I noticed that her ears had flattened against her head, which she had also lowered as she slowed down to cower behind me.

"It is Lucille," Thomas said, "she has been here recently."

"How can you tell?"

He gave me a wry smile.

"Us spirits appear to have severely altered senses."

"I see, how intriguing, considering that you seemingly couldn't detect her before."

"She has become angrier, thus making it harder for her to hide her presence as she so likes to do."

I hummed and nodded, taking a deep breath.

"And what of you saying that she will live again?"

His expression briefly turned guilty as his eyes turned to the floor.

"Was it not best to appear to be on her side? Advantageous to be with her rather than opposed."

Looking at him, I felt a slight weight lift from my shoulders at finally having the answer, an overbearing concern finally being relieved.

As the lift came into sight, I started to worry my lip as unease set in harder than before.

"Is she still nearby?"

"No, she doesn't appear to be anywhere close."

"Excellent," I breathed out.

"Is everything all right?"

Looking to Thomas, I offered a brief nod and a weak smile.

"Yes, the nerves are just starting to kick in, I've never faced an adversary before, let alone one of supernatural origin."

"It seems it's true when they say there is a first time for everything."

"Unfortunately so."

With China still whining at me heel, I stepped up to the lift and took a deep, shuddering breath as Thomas walked in after me.

The aged metal was cold beneath my palm and the lightest touch of my fingers seemed to cause an unholy amount of rickety sound, causing my heart to leap into my throat despite my common sense telling me that the darkness and my anxiousness was causing mere illusions of hypersensitivity, making every sound seem worse than it was.

After taking a moment to brace myself, I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes while pulling the lift door open as quickly as I could manage with the stiff metal framework working against me.

As the sound rang into the darkness, I stepped back into the corridor and waited for any sign of a disturbance from the nearby worker's rooms.

When, after a few slow heartbeats, no one came out to investigate, I turned back and ushered China into the lift, just as quickly and noisily closing the gate behind us.

Taking another deep breath to steel myself, I glanced around our small ragtag group then nodded and activated the lift.

Truthfully, I was pleased that it moved at all, what with Lucille's hinted fiddling, I now just had to hope that we didn't suddenly crash.

China didn't appear confident in the metallic trap any more than I, my heart stopping nearly every time the jittery contraption gave the smallest of shudders or jolts.

I near counted my blessings when we jolted to a stop, thankful to still have my life.

Even the dead man beside me let out an audible sigh of relief.

My heart continued to beat erratically, the adrenaline making my arms and legs shake and my bottom lip quiver.

Thomas' fingers brushed against mine, the web-like touch tickling my knuckles and drawing my attention to him.

"Are you certain about this?"

I glanced to our fingers and then met his sunken eyes again, my mouth set in a grim line as I nodded.

"It must be done."

With my face set in a hard expression, I wrenched the gate open and stepped into the colder air of the mines, China hot on my heels and eager to pass me to begin her own investigation.

Thomas scanned over the room, his face managing falling into something more sombre than it had been before, no doubt memories of his living years plaguing him.

"You don't have to stay here."

"Do you recall which one you had perched upon?" He asked, ignoring my suggestion.

With a faint sigh, I looked towards the side I had ventured too nights prior.

"I vaguely remember, but I am not against going through each one if I must."

The chill in the air was seeping into my bones, near freezing me on the spot, as I watched China venture further between the vats while sniffing the floor in hopes of finding something to pique her canine interest.

"I wish I was that carefree," I mumbled, barely mustering up the courage to follow in her paw prints.

It appeared as though the sudden drop in temperature from cold to freezing had aided in snatching away my adrenaline, in seconds I found myself feeling drained as if it had never been there to begin with.

Shaking my head to try and alleviate the onslaught of heaviness in my eyes, I finally mustered up enough strength to step onto the path between the brick vats and carefully made my way down to the one I vaguely remembered sitting on.

"What is your plan?" Thomas asked, trailing behind me once again.

"Simple enough," I replied, looking at him over my shoulder. "I'm going to find her bones, take them to the fireplace and then I'm going to burn her."