Darkest Dreams (12 page)

“What?” Sean asked, stirred from his brown study.

Both Mr. Drayson and Lord Ashton repeated themselves.

My mind raced at the news and ran through Rebecca's nightmare last night. Mary had accused some man of compromising a woman. Could that man have been Mr. Drayson or Lord Ashton? Could either of them have been the “horseman” who had attacked Mary? I dropped my fork, and it clattered noisily onto my plate. Everyone looked at me.

“Pardon me. I must be more exhausted than I thought.” No! I told myself. I'd spent the summer going on a number of outings with both of these men, and never once did I have any doubts about their kindness and respectability. They'd at all times kept gentlemanly distances and never made a move or a suggestion toward anything improper. In fact, the only man in Dartmoor's End who'd ever been improper in any way had been…Alexander today.

“You do appear rather pale,” Mr. Drayson said. He sat to my right. “Maybe you've taken on a task you shouldn't have.”

“I agree,” Lord Ashton chimed in. “I must admit that I was more than surprised to learn from Gemini today that you've taken a post. Even if it is only listing artifacts for Blackmoor, it's too much. Women of quality aren't meant to work.” He sounded as if the very act of doing so lowered a woman's worth and respectability.

I stiffened my back and drew my brows together, unbelieving of his attitude. “Forgive me for saying, Lord Ashton, but that school of thought is changing.”

Cassie leaned forward and narrowed her eyes. “Lord Ashton, can you not see that attitudes such as yours completely demean a woman? Why should she not be allowed to apply her skill and intelligence toward any profitable endeavor just as a man can?”

Lord Ashton's brows arched as he gasped for air. He looked at Sean before addressing Cassie. “I mean no disrespect. Men are more adept than women at certain tasks, and women should accept that as fact, just as I lay no claims to womanly duties. Besides, for a woman of quality to work, it reflects badly upon those who are in a position of responsibility to provide for her.”

“I'm in agreement with you, Ashton,” Sean said softly.

Cassie turned a wide-eyed, hurt gaze toward Sean. “So you're of the opinion that a woman has no identity apart from her ‘provider'?”

Sean sighed. “I did not say that.”

“Yes, you did,” Cassie replied, emotion thick in her throat. I knew tears were only moments behind. She looked at her plate for a long moment, paled and stood. “Forgive me,” she said to the table at large. “I'm feeling a little unwell at the moment.” She quickly left the room. Sean stood, as did the other gentlemen. I rose as well and went to follow after Cassie but Prudence grabbed my arm, pulling me back. I read her mind before her whispered words escaped. “She's his now. They must work things out alone.”

Sean excused himself curtly and quit the room.

I bit my lip, blinking back my tears and concern. Cassie had enough to worry about right now; she didn't need to be arguing with Sean. Why couldn't he just accept her for the gifted and giving woman she was?

“Perhaps you shouldn't have stated your opinion so strongly, Ashton,” Mr. Drayson said.

Lord Ashton turned shocked eyes my way. “Please accept my apologies and convey them to your sister, Miss Andrews. It was not my intent to upset her.”

“I will let her know. Meanwhile, gentlemen, let's continue with our meal.” Though it was the last thing I wanted to do, I reseated myself and steered the conversation to less treacherous waters by mentioning my parents' return to their archeological expedition in Greece and their search for the ruins of the temple Alexander the Great built for Apollo.

“Speaking of ruins,” Mr. Drayson said. “I chanced by the old Kennedy Mansion today. The site made my skin crawl. I've no doubt the place is haunted.”

Prudence gasped and grabbed my arm. From the images whirling in her mind, I instantly knew everything about the place, and it scared me to death. Mr. Drayson referred to what was once Lady Helen Kennedy's ancestral home. She was the woman Sean and Alexander fell in love with, fought over, and were under the vague suspicion of murdering eight years ago. A week after Lady Helen was killed, her father committed suicide in the home. It had been empty ever since.

“A haunted mansion close enough to explore? Really? I've heard nothing about this rumor. You must tell me.” Gemini's enthusiasm nearly made me faint.

“Good God! Miss Andrews. You completely misunderstood me. Don't ever consider doing such a thing. I'm not a man who scares easily, and I must tell you the sense of evil lurking within the broken and abandon ruins is overwhelming. Most likely Lady Helen's father is still wandering the halls, crazed over his daughter's death. No telling what a spirit like that will do.”

“Lady Helen?” Gemini squeaked. “Oh! Good heavens. I didn't make the connection.”

The dinner had gone from bad to worse, and everyone's appetite lagged. At the first opportunity Lord Ashton and Mr. Drayson begged off any evening entertainment to return to Seafarer's Inn. Prudence went immediately to see to Rebecca, who was in the competent and loving care of Bridget. Bridget had even brought her younger brother, Timmy, to play with Rebecca. I hoped having a child her own age with her would help, and thought I would check before retiring. I could then question Bridget to see if she'd had any news from Flora, though I knew she hadn't. If she had, everyone would be giddy with relief and I would have sensed it.

We climbed the stairs to our rooms and Gemini sighed heavily. “I knew it was too good to last.”

“What, Gemmi?”

“The happiness.”

“Life isn't that way,” I said.

“No, but it isn't this dark either. And I fear things are going to get much darker. Do you want me to sleep in your room tonight? In case you have another dream like last night?”

All I wanted to do was to pull the covers over my head and forget the world existed, but I could hear the loneliness in Gemini's voice, and I realized she was just as unhappy and unsettled as I was. “Your company would be most welcomed,” I told her.

“Really?” she asked, clearly surprised.

“Absolutely.” I set my arm across her shoulders, hugging her to me. In her mind I read a swirl of thoughts and confusion, going from what she felt about Lord Ashton, imagining being kissed for the first time by him—which in no way matched the wild attraction Alexander stirred in me—to a niggling curiosity about the haunted mansion. I shuddered, wanting to pull her close and protect her from all harm. It seemed the safe little circle we had known in Oxford had disappeared forever.

Tensions had flamed high in just days and then hovered at that level for the rest of the week. Gemini, who'd been at loose ends, came with me to Dragon's Cove for two of the days, but quickly lost interest in cataloguing the antiquities. The enormity of what had to be accomplished overwhelmed her, and the dreadful scene upon the entry doors disturbed her greatly. She decided to spend the rest of the week at Killdaren's Castle.

I'd ascertained the day after the diner fiasco that Bridget had yet to hear from Flora. Cassie had been upset and withdrawn since the dinner, only saying that she and Sean were trying to come to terms with a difference of philosophy. I offered to secure rooms in town if my employment at Dragon's Cove was a difficulty, and not only did she refuse to hear of such a thing, but she'd gone off crying.

Sean appeared shortly afterward, harried and unshaven.
 
He informed me curtly that while he disapproved of my employment, I had to immediately discard any notion of ever considering not being a guest in his house.

He also informed me—and I was absolutely under no circumstances to tell Cassie this—that he was seeking to relocate everyone far from Dartmoor's End, Killdaren's Castle and Dragon's Cove. He feared the curse between him and his brother was reaching out to steal away his one chance at happiness with Cassie, and he wasn't going to let it happen.

By the end of the week I reeled from how much our lives had unraveled in so short a time. And deep inside of myself, I longed for Alexander to return. Every night I slept wrapped in his cloak, smelling him, remembering him…aching to know more of the passion he'd ignited inside of me.

When Friday, the day Alexander was expected back, passed, and he failed to show, I left Dragon's Cove in my own dark mood. I would have taken a tray in my room instead of joining the family for dinner, except it was Sir Warwick's birthday, and Cassie had planned a special meal for him, which said a lot for her determination to be the perfect hostess. Sir Warwick's prickly wit often served to increase tensions rather than ease them.

As it turned out, Sir Warwick was on his best behavior, and dinner was the most pleasant it had been in a week. He seemed genuinely touched by the gesture and had softened his barbs enough to laugh. We'd just entered the drawing room for our evening's entertainment when the sounds of a disturbance in the center hall alerted everyone to a problem.

“Father! Where are you?”

My pulse raced at the sound of Alexander's angry voice. He was back.

“Bloody hell,” Sean yelled, standing so quickly that he overturned the chess set, sending the pieces scattering upon the floor. Alexander appeared in the doorway at that moment, making my heart tumble. His tan had deepened and he was unshaven, looking as wild and dangerous as any fabled king of the sea.

Frightened and clutching her rag doll, Rebecca screamed and frantically searched for her mother. She tripped and fell after just one step. Amazingly, the earl, who was the closest to the child, reached down and picked her up. I believe he did it without thinking, because he just looked at the girl, wondering what to do. But when she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her tear-streaked face into his snowy cravat, crying harder, he held her closer to him and told her not to be frightened. It was the first time I'd ever seen the earl interact in any way with his daughter. Prudence, who'd been rushing to Rebecca, grabbed her heart and I think would have fallen had not Bridget been right beside her to steady her. The way Prudence stared at the earl holding their daughter ripped into my heart; her every hope, her every desire was shimmering in her eyes.

Cassie stood and took control. The undercurrents between everyone had reached an explosive point. “Gemini, help Prudence and Bridget get Rebecca up the stairs and settled down. I'll be up as soon as I can.”

Gemini gave her warm cloak to Bridget and then caught Prudence's hand. Bridget wrapped the cloak around Rebecca's shoulders and gathered the child from the earl. As they passed by Sean, he reached out and gently touched Rebecca's head. “Sorry, Becca,” he said softly.

The minute they left the room, Sean faced his brother. Two men exactly alike, one pale, one dark from the sun, and both deadly, two dragons breathing fire at each other. “You are not welcome here, Alex! Leave now!”

Alexander crossed his arms and widened his stance to an I-will-not-be-moved position. “I will after I get a bloody explanation from our father! There are things more important than you or me, and they take precedence over our individual feelings.”

Sean stepped toward Alexander with one hand clutching his cane for balance and one hand fisted. “What?”

I could tell the effort to restrain his anger cost him. The room seethed with a hellish tension so intense it almost burned my mind.

“Are you ready to tell Sean what you told me, Dr. Luden?”

“Yes,” came a voice from behind Alexander.

Alexander stepped aside, and Cassie and I gasped to see the kindly town doctor.

“Christ,” the earl said and sank quickly into a chair. “What's the point in telling now, William?”

“Unfortunately, it has become essential. Another woman died with the same marking.”

“What's going on?” Sean demanded. Cassie moved to Sean's side, giving him her silent support.

I wanted to go to Alexander. I could feel his pain and anger. His face twisted with disgust as he glared at the earl. “Our father has…God, I can't even begin to describe it.”

Dr. Luden stepped farther into the room. “I'm sorry, Seamus,” he said to the earl before he faced Sean. “Eight years ago, I was called to a woman's murder scene in the gazebo here at Killdaren's Castle. Her name was Lady Helen Kennedy. I'd determined at the scene that the cause of her death was from multiple blows to the head and chest by a blunt object. It wasn't until later, when it was necessary to examine her completely for my report, that I discovered a symbol carved upon—” He coughed, looking uncomfortably at Cassie and then at me. “Let just say it was carved over her heart and had been done crudely with the blade of a knife. There was so much village unrest against you and Alex over the murder that I kept this bit of information private, only telling the earl and Constable Poole. By that time Lady Helen's father had already killed himself, and there were no other relatives.”

Alexander made an impatient movement. “What he's trying to tell you, Sean is that—”

“I paid the doctor and the constable to keep that secret,” said the earl, almost shouting out his confession.

Sean looked stricken. He swung to face his father.

“Why?” Alexander demanded, moving closer to Sean to face the earl. “Did you think Sean or I would do such a thing?”

“No! But I damn well wasn't going to leave your futures up to fate! The villagers would have thought the markings over the heart pointed to a scorned lover being the murderer,” the earl said bitterly. He stood and ran an agitated hand through his hair as he paced across the room. “Do either of you know what it is like to have someone you desperately love die? To have fate snatch away your very heart? Your mother's greatest wish on this earth was to give me a son, and she died doing it. For a long, long time I couldn't face that, nor accept the fact that twins had been born to me. The precious sons she'd left for me to love were cursed. One of you was destined to kill the other.