The Master Finale | manxman | (Book Four: The Master Collection)

IV - Whispers in the Night

A/N: You should definitely listen to the rain in the video above during this chapter! :)

___

The storm outside hadn't let up since it started, and while Jasper was particularly exhausted from the day, all he wanted was to shut his eyes in peace and go to sleep. Instead, however, he was damned to lie beneath his covers with the disturbance of Mother Nature all around him. He did not fear the loud, thunderous crashes, or flinch from the sudden flashes of distant light, but the ruckus of it all made it difficult for him not to feel irritable towards the weather. If only he could shut the curtains to mute the sounds.

If only.

Jasper hadn't been lying in bed for long, he knew that, but he wasn't too sure what time of night it was at the moment. Dressed in just a white nightgown with a lace-like trim and a slender midsection to accommodate his mature, yet petite size, Master Jasper also had his blond tresses secured back into a ponytail. There were few strands in his face, and when he sat up in the center of his featherbed, he knew it would be a while before he could get some proper shut-eye in his own home. Usually if he couldn't sleep at night, he would go down to his library and dive into a work of fiction, but with the intensity of the storm, he was sure his focus would be disrupted as well.

For a moment he wondered just how anyone could sleep during such an annoyance. Darcy never complained, Juliette didn't seem to be bothered, and then he put a thought towards his current house guest. How was Timothy faring? Could he sleep at this time?

Seeing as he wouldn't be falling asleep anytime soon, Jasper got out of bed and neared his chamber door. His bared feet were chilled by the wooden foundation beneath him, and a minor chill ran down his spine. Not wanting to disturb his new staff, the Master grabbed a lantern from a stand beside the door and lit it. He stepped into the dark hall, the soft glow of the lantern radiating around him as he descended the wide walkway.

The walls lit up abruptly every couple of seconds from the lightening, and Jasper could feel as the strong structures of the manor shook from the booming echoes outside. As he passed the bedroom Darcy and Juliette called their own, he prayed they wouldn't wake up, or if they were not asleep, that they didn't take notice to the light as he progressed further on.

When Jasper reached the stairwell, he trekked down to the first floor. The sound of the storm was much louder on the lower level of the manor, and when his feet touched down on the white tile flooring, he almost wished he'd stepped into a pair of slippers before coming down. It was so cold.

Jasper headed for the kitchen in the rear portion of the manor. The place was spotless when he entered, and the first thing he saw on the center counter was the glass dish of left over macaroons from earlier in the evening. They were covered by a top piece and when Jasper removed it, he set the lantern down beside it. Alone in the kitchen, he finished off the remaining four mouthwatering sweets. Nowadays he didn't eat as many sugary treats as he used to when he was younger, but when there were plates of them prepared in the kitchen, the Master liked to indulge himself in them. There was no harm in it.

With the last macaroon in hand, Jasper took the lantern with him back out into the corridor. The rooms bordering him on both sides had their doors shut, and at the very end was the glass doors to the back patio outside. It resembled a guiding light in the dark, and the rain could be seen spattering all over the clear exit. Downing the last delectable sweet, Jasper touched his fingers to the cold glass. He was illuminated all by himself, probably the only person awake at this hour, and a ghost in his own home as he watched the droplets of rain race down the surface.

A brilliant flash of lightning lit the sky then and Jasper met the gaze of his reflection for a split-second. He counted to three in his mind before the thunder came, and just when he was about to turn around and head back up to his room, another flash brightened the surroundings of his home and his breath caught at what he thought he saw outside.