Invoke

Chapter 20

Scarlett dreamed.... And the dreams were vivid and clearer than ever before. The sound of her even breathing carried in the hushed room. Her slender frame was cradled by Aiden's arms. Both lay there asleep, sated by their lovemaking. Each moment of dream pulled her deeper into the flashes of life from before... A time not her own.

She walked toward the old log cabin where her teacher would be. Not Louisa, God love her, but one of Louisa's kin. Louisa would not approve. She was a healer, leaving the rest to God and the hand of fate. She always reminded Veronica, "The good Lord had a way of working things out and we weren't to be playing with his will."

But she had no other choice. God worked too slowly for her. It was time the matter be solved by her own hand. Josephine was behind it all. Oh, she knew it. She was behind the fall of their crops, behind the sickness on the plantation, behind William's detachment from her. Everything was unraveling because of Josephine.

The wind howled this night. It's cry forcing her to take faster steps. The babe within her kicked, protesting her rushed pace, causing Veronica to place a hand on her belly. She would be quick, and the eyes of no one else, other than her and Josiah, would see her deed and know the truth.

Finally, she made it to the small house, tucked deep in the woods on the plantation. She crested the steps, holding onto the rail, immediately noticing the coarseness of the wood. The door opened, creaking loudly, spilling light onto the front porch, giving Veronica a sense of calm. Josiah greeted her, his dark eyes filled with unknown. He nodded, holding the door open and stepping aside for her.

"No one has followed?" He peered outside making certain.

Veronica shook her head. "Not a soul. William is not home, and Louisa sleeps."

He nodded, shutting the door then.

She handed him the picture, its edges crisp and new. She had found it in William's bureau weeks ago, and it had only brewed her anger more. She loathed the woman. She wanted to know why he had a picture of Josephine, but he swore to her that he didn't place it there. They had fought, cruel words were spoken, and the seed of jealousy planted itself within Veronica.

She knew he had loved that woman before her, and that they were thought to become married. She was no fool. He had always evaded her questioning when it pertained to Josephine. The very home she slept in was once hers. It made her sick knowing that fact.

Oh yes, the whispers of how this house was gifted to her and William was the gossip of the town. Even the workers spoke of it, and looked at her with questions lying in their eyes.

"Before we begin, you must know that what is done cannot be undone. To interfere with someone's free will opens a window for this to come back to you," Josiah interrupted her thoughts.

She swallowed. Of course, she knew! She had been warned by Louisa. But she didn't heed her. No.... She would not listen to her counsel.

Veronica would see that this woman was out of their lives. "Yes, Josiah, I'm aware, but it is not harm I want. It is only to banish her. Her presence has brought nothing but misfortune."

Josiah nodded, his face expressionless. "Sometimes the intentions are not to harm, but the aftermath is the result of the true thoughts that lay inside of your mind. My cousin would not advise what you seek."

Veronica already explained to him that this must be kept secret. What she desired to learn was forbidden. The door to the passage of this magic was something that Louisa refused to teach her. She had told Veronica that it was a gateway, that once opened, you would not be able to close.