Free Colton Manor by Francene Carroll Page B

expected that it would take her a very long time to fall back asleep, but as she climbed into bed she was overcome with a feeling of deep exhaustion and she was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow.
     

Chapter Six
    When she awoke in the morning Ursula still felt exhausted and it took a real effort to get out of bed. She’d had a few strange dreams, including one that she was a child again and she was being chased through a labyrinth by a dark shadow. As she frantically tried to find a way out of the maze she came across two other frightened little girls. For some reason they began playing the game Ring Around the Rosie, holding hands and turning in circles until she was dizzy. As they turned faster and faster what looked like sparks of electricity began to fly off them. When they shadow tried to reach out for them there was a loud bang like an explosion and then it just melted away right before their eyes.
    She was surprised when she checked the time on her phone to see that it was well after ten o’clock. She was usually an early riser and she’d gone to bed very early the night before. Despite her rude awakening during the night she should have felt more rested, but all she wanted to do was crawl back into bed.
    As she stood at the window looking out at another g rey, rainy day she thought about the noise outside her door. Both times she’d been awoken in the dead of night it had been by the voice of a very angry sounding man. It seemed like a huge coincidence that she was having these experiences in a house that was rumoured to be haunted by a murderer. Was it really the house, and not a fever which had caused Damien to act so strangely after all?
    The only other explanation was that the strain of the last few days had gotten to her, causing her to have the same dream again. There was also the possibility she was coming down with a fever too. The doctor had said the bug was going around, and she’d been into town when she first arrived and eaten at a local café where she could have picked it up. He said it could take up to five days to incubate, and Damien began sleep walking before he knew he was sick, so it was possible the same thing was happening to her.
    With a sigh she turned from the window and went to check on Damien. Despite the late hour she expected he would still be in bed, and she was surprised when she looked into his room and saw that it was empty. It was with some apprehension that she made her way downstairs. She found him in the kitchen, looking every bit like his old self as he tended to a frying pan of bacon and eggs sizzling on the stove.
    “Hey there, lazy bones. I was wondering when you were going to get up. I thought I might have to bring you breakfast in bed.” He gave her a wink.
    “I can’t believe you, Damien. The doctor said you needed to rest for at least a day or two. You shouldn’t be down here fixing breakfast. Here, let me do that.” She tried to take over the cooking, but he gently pushed her towards the table and pulled out a chair.
    “When I woke up this morning I felt as fit as a fiddle. It was obviously just a minor bug, and now I’ m fine. Actually I’m better than fine. I wanted to make you breakfast to say thanks for letting me stay here. Most people wouldn’t have done that for someone they hardly know.”
    Ursula blushed and she couldn’t help feeling a little guilty that he thought she’d let him stay purely out of the goodness of her heart. She wasn’t sure she would have been quite as prepared to nurse him through his sickness if he wasn’t so darn attractive.
    “Well you might be feeling better , but you still need to take it easy for a while. Your temperature was very high, and you could have a relapse or something.”
    “Don’t worry about me. Just sit down, relax and enjoy this delicious breakfast I’m making for you and forget all about yesterday.”
    “Since you’ve gone to all this trouble I guess I should a t least taste it,” she