If He's Wild by Hannah Howell Read Free Book Online Page A

finishing some task or be seeking justice for a wrong done to it? And, once one accepts that there is a soul or a spirit, why would it be so illogical for some people to be able to see it?”
    “You have argued this many times.”
    “Many, many times.”
    “But how do you make visions sound logical?”
    “Intuition that is simply more finely honed than that possessed by others.” She almost smiled at the sardonic look he gave her. “I have no wonderfully logical or scientific explanation for my gift. It just is. It has been with me for my whole life. I cannot rid myself of it and, sometimes, cannot even control it. I prefer to see it as a gift, inconvenient, sometimes annoying, and occasionally terrifying, but still a gift. Since it was given to me, I feel it is my duty to heed it. It told me that you were going to be kidnapped, tortured, and murdered. From what little I have learned this night, I still believe in what I saw. Since, I suspect, you know more than we do, I would think you would at least consider the possibility that I am right. If you will not, it does not signify. If you will do nothing, it is still my responsibility to try to ensure that my vision does not prove to be an accurate prophecy.”
    “Makes sense to me,” said Aldus as he and Gifford retook their seats.
    “You believe in all of this?” asked Hartley, astonished at the ease with which his friends accepted the idea of visions.
    “Yes. And, even if I doubted, she is right. Everything we know adds weight to her warning, no matter how she came by the knowledge of the threat.”
    “And the ghosts?”
    “Ah, I do…but I do not. Truth is, I do not want to believe. Then again, I have to agree with what Alethea said about souls and spirits. There are many things we believe in that we have no proof of, things that might even defy logic. God, Satan, angels, the soul, heaven, and hell. I have seen no proof of any of that, but I do believe. And, as was said by Shakespeare in Hamlet, ‘ There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.’ Aldus frowned at Iago. “I had heard that ghosts tended to stay where they died, however.”
    Iago nodded. “Quite true for the most part, hence so many haunted castles and dungeons. Some, however, can become attached to a person instead of a place. Some seem to just come round for a visit, the bonds of affection too strong for death to break completely.”
    Although Hartley did not want to have this discussion, he could not resist saying, “You did not see loved ones around Claudette, did you?”
    “No. I saw fury, hatred, and a need for justice,” replied Iago. “In truth, I heard the whispers demanding retribution. I did wonder if she had simply been very close at hand when the people had died, but, no, she had blood on her hands. Their blood.”
    “You think her guilty of murder?”
    “Not by her own hand, perhaps, but she had a large part in the deed. She may even have been close at hand when the deed was done.” Iago looked at Alethea. “Although you did not mention seeing a woman in your vision.”
    “No, I saw no woman,” replied Alethea, “but in the end I could smell roses.”
    “But you did not see her get into the carriage, did you?” asked Hartley, a part of him astounded that he was speaking with her as if her talk of visions was perfectly acceptable, dependable, even reasonable.
    “No, but that does not mean that she did not come to the place where you were taken,” Alethea replied. “I was not shown that she was there, did not hear her voice, but there was that strong scent of roses. That could mean any number of things. I took it to mean she was part of the crime done against you, and, after what Iago saw, I truly believe that she is. However, it could mean only that there are roses near the place you were taken to, or it is a repetition of the warning that your presence at her house leads you into danger. Or it could even be that the first