Moonstruck Madness (32 page)

Taking this explanation as a dismissal, they shuffled out, their faces wearing expressions of mixed emotions at her words.

"I'll be polishing the silver in the hall, Lady Sabrina," Sims added as he left the room, a warning glint in his eye as he watched the Duke, who by now had released the squirming Richard.

Mary stood silent, her face drained of emotion as Lucien's shoulders began to shake and he gave a deep rumble of laughter. Richard moved out of reach quickly and stared from the protection of Mary's arms at Lucien's grinning face, while Sabrina and Mary exchanged curious glances.

"I
haven't laughed so hard in years. You certainly have-
a
loyal staff," he laughed again, "and who was the buxom harridan with the rolling pin?" His chest shook with mirth.
"God, what a household.
I've never taken such abuse in my life.
Assaulted first by a wild-eyed wench, spitting like
a
ruffled kitten, then a tadpole hardly out of swaddling clothes brandishing
a
loaded pistol, and now to top it off, the servants wielding pokers and rolling pins.
Well, who's next?
Some mangy mutt to snarl at my ankles?
Not a very hospitable welcome for your husband-to-be."

Lucien climbed from the
bed,
and with a sweeping bow to them all he left the room, his deep laughter ringing in their ears.

"I don't like him," Richard said gruffly. "Who is he, and why is he here?" He looked into Sabrina's violet eyes,
a
puzzled frown on his childish features. "What did he mean, husband-to-be, Rina?" Richard asked trustingly as he left Mary's arms and climbed back onto the bed beside Sabrina.

Sabrina rested her chin on top of Richard's red head thoughtfully. "I wish I could explain everything to you, Dickie, but I am so unsure of what I am doing."

"The Duke spells trouble, Rina. He won't be put off this time."

"The Duke!
A real Duke, Rina?" Richard gasped aloud, looking up at her in awe.

"Yes, he is very much the arrogant Duke," Sabrina answered simply, "and he makes the most of his title."

"Are you going to marry him?"

Sabrina closed her eyes and took
a
deep breath. "No," she said softly, yet firmly.

Richard's mouth opened soundlessly and his eyes widened in fear. "But Rina, he'll beat you if you don't. Did you see that scar? He must be ever so mean." He straightened his shoulders manfully. "I'll protect you from him, Rina. Ill
get
rid of him if you don't want to marry him."

Sabrina hugged Richard to her tightly. "Thank you, love, but it won't be necessary. I hate abandoning you two to the mercies of the Duke, but I must leave here if I'm to stay free and be able to get the rest of the money we need. Look, if you need me, leave a note in the church under our pew. You know the loose stone. Slip it in there and 111
check
every so often, all right?"

"Where will you stay?" Mary asked worriedly, not caring for this plan. "Can't you stay with the Taylors and send Will or John for news?"

"Lucien might see them; he knows them well enough by now. Their size would make him suspicious, and I might be seen leaving the Taylors', either as myself or Bonnie Charlie, neither of which would go without comment," Sabrina explained practically. "We've a hut in the marsh and that will suffice. After all, I don't plan on an extended visit. Lucien is so arrogant that he cannot imagine that I will not fall in with his plans, and he doesn't have the time to waste searching the countryside for me; so it's just a matter of out-waiting him, and then we can return to normal. Just wait and see," Sabrina said with growing excitement, her eyes bright with unshed tears as she masked the hurt within her with pretended exuberance. "We'll go on picnics again, and this time Richard shall go riding with us, and we can have so much fun. We'll forget all of this soon. You'll see it'll all end soon."

Mary lowered her eyes, hiding her expression from Sabrina's sharp gaze, hiding the doubt and fears that she knew for a certainty would come true.

"I thought I might be ostracized at dinner this evening," Lucien said dryly as Mary entered the salon, the first of the family to appear since afternoon.

Mary curtsied and approached the Duke, an earnest look on her face as she stood before him, "I would like to speak honestly with you, if I may?"

Lucien smiled cynically. "By all means, it would be a pleasure and like
a
breath of fresh air to hear the truth around here."

They sat down in facing chairs and Mary began haltingly, "You must have a very poor opinion indeed, Your Grace, of our family, but you see us in unusual circumstances." She nervously twisted her lace handkerchief as Lucien watched and listened while sipping a brandy, having made himself perfectly at home.

"You are privileged to know our family secret, but
I
wonder if you've fully realized the extent of it?" she asked timidly.

Lucien smiled. "Had I not personally discovered the secret of the highwayman's identity I would not believe it if told."

"Did you know that we fled Scotland for our lives one cold, very bleak and terrible day? We had no future, no real plans, just a memory of this house where we were born, but which we had not seen in over six or seven years. We'd lived since our mother's death with her father in Scotland."

Lucien's interest had been caught, and he commented, "Bonnie Charlie now makes more sense."

Mary nodded sadly. "Yes, we are part Scots, although Sabrina bears the most resemblance to our English side of the family, Richard and I obviously showing our Scots heritage. Sabrina was, however, influenced the most by our grandfather. Richard was too young, and I," she paused almost apologetically, "well, I had not the wild spirit of Rina. Grandfather and she were kindred spirits."

Lucien shook his head. "
Raised
by a highland chieftain, no wonder she's an unprincipled little wildcat."

Mary looked down at her hands in her lap. "Sabrina saw him die. I did too, but in my dreams. Rina was actually there at Culloden."

"Sabrina was witness to that battle? My God," Lucien breathed, "she must have only been a child."

"She still carries the scars. She has nightmares and will not to this day wear red."

"The nightmares, of course," Lucien remembered.

"Can you imagine what that was like?
The killing, the blood?
Grandfather died in her arms in a crofter's hut in the hills," Mary told him softly, her voice edged with tears. "I'll never forget her face when she came back to the castle. It was like porcelain. I thought at the time if I stretched my hand out my fingers would touch cold china. She had seemed to age a century in a couple of hours."

Mary looked up into Lucien's thoughtful eyes, then looking around the room she gestured, encompassing it all, including herself. "All that you see, both here and on the estate, is because of Rina. Do you think this house was as it is now when we arrived? The whole estate had gone to seed. Our tenants were
starving,
the commons had been eaten up by the larger landowners, especially Lords Malton and Newley who have bought up most of the land in this valley, including a great portion of ours. When we arrived here in England we were virtually penniless. How could we live? Taxes had increased exorbitantly and the Marquis' solicitors were being forced into selling unless we came up with the money. The Marquis was living in Europe and could not have cared less.

"We had no other choice but to get the money any way that we could. So we paid our taxes, and then fixed up Verrick House and the estate so that we could begin to support ourselves, and gradually as our finances increased we began to help the villagers."

Mary stared at the Duke unashamedly. "I'm not excusing our actions. I'm not saying we've had the right to steal, but it was from those who had cheated others out of what they'd earned and was rightfully theirs. And we would've stopped soon, but then you had to catch Rina, and then the Marquis showed up and blackmailed us into trying to catch rich husbands. Everything started going wrong." She shook her head helplessly. "I think things are changing, but Sabrina will not admit it."

"She will not accept it, or me. Is that what you are trying to tell me?" Lucien asked. "Are you warning me?"

"I just wanted you to understand everything about us, so you would be kind to Rina. I thought if you knew why she has done what she has, then you would treat her differently. She isn't bad, but you've wounded her pride and she is not one to forgive that. If you intend to win her, Your Grace, you will have to get her to forgive you first."

"I already have won her," Lucien replied arrogantly, "but I'm glad that you confided in me, for it does explain many things to me, and I will act accordingly."

Mary shook her head. He was just as arrogant and stubborn as Sabrina. How could they ever work their problems out? Should she warn him that Sabrina was planning to escape him yet again? Wouldn't it be far better to end it all right now? The outcome would be the same whether today or next week; for Sabrina could no longer change things, regardless of how hard she tried. Mary realized that Sabrina would never forgive her for telling Lucien, but she was worried about her health, and would have to risk Sabrina's anger.

"She is leaving," she told him quietly.

Lucien looked startled. "When?" he demanded, getting to his feet quickly.

"Now, at least that is what she has planned, and she intends to stay away until she has enough money to buy you off or you run out of time."

"Buy me off, eh?" Lucien said angrily. "Well see about that."

"I think you should not wait any longer than necessary to marry her. Take her away from here right now. Kidnap her if necessary, but get her away from here. I feel that it is urgent that you do," Mary pleaded with him.

"You needn't fear, Lady Mary, for I shall have Sabrina under hand soon enough," he promised as he strode purposefully from the room.

Mary sat silently staring for a few minutes, looking up a§ Aunt Margaret entered the room, a vague smile on her face as she drifted to the settee.

"He will not find her," Aunt Margaret
whispered,
a con-spiratorial smile on her lips as she took a chair near the window and began to separate her tapestry threads.

Lucien strode unceremoniously back into the room, his scar livid across his cheek. "Damn her, she's gone," he swore, then upon seeing Aunt Margaret sitting complacently in the corner, apologized, "My pardon, ladies."

"This is our aunt, Lady Margaret Verrick," Mary said automatically, her eyes on Lucien, "and this is the Duke of Camareigh, Aunt Margaret."

Aunt Margaret looked up, her faded violet-blue eyes dreamy as she stared at Lucien. "We know a secret, don't
we
, Mary? Did you know that I once had a lover who looked much as you do?" She paused thoughtfully, her eyes unfocused. "No, I think maybe his eyes were a different color." She looked up at Lucien expectantly for a moment, then returned to her sorting of colors.

Lucien frowned and turned back to Mary. "The little fool, I thought she would see sense by now. What can she hope to do?"

"Sabrina is very proud, and you have humiliated her. She will not forget that, Your Grace," Mary told him. "She intends to give all of the money she has acquired to the Marquis."

Lucien smiled grimly. "The Marquis is probably in France by now," he informed Mary, who looked up startled. "I paid the Marquis and the Contessa a considerable sum for the honor of marrying Sabrina. What she is doing now is com-pletely useless and putting her in unnecessary danger," Lucien spoke angrily as he came to stand before Mary, a glint in his eyes. "Will you tell me, Lady Mary, where she is?"

"If I knew, I would," Mary told him honestly, "but she has so many hiding places that you will not find her until she desires it." Mary watched the Duke uncertainly,
then
added reluctantly, "I think we've another problem as well."

Lucien
raised
 
an
 
eyebrow inquiringly.
 
"Indeed? I wouldn't have thought there could be anything else to complicate matters?"

"There is a Colonel Fletcher who has been sent from London especially to catch Bonnie Charlie."

Lucien shrugged in unconcern. "Surely that poses no threat for little Sabrina? She has successfully eluded capture until now. I doubt this colonel will have any more luck than his fellow officers."