A Loving Spirit (16 page)

"Oh, you never know about my mother. She has been so eager to get me married off, she may even be willing to cause a scandal to do it."

Cassie peered up at him suspiciously, not sure if he was joking or not. She had never known anyone with such a
dry
sense of humor before.

He just had that same little, maddening half smile on his face.

"But you needn't fear being leg-shackled to me just yet," he said. "I think I hear a carriage. We are rescued."

Indeed they were. The first carriage from Royce Castle, the one that had
not
run away, rounded a bend in the road just ahead and came barreling toward them, driven by a human coachman. Antoinette, Lady Royce, and Chat all hung out of the windows, the wind disarranging their careful coiffures.

"There they are!" Antoinette shouted, and the carriage pulled to a halt. The women tumbled out and ran across the road to them.

"Cassie!" Aunt Chat cried out. "Are you hurt, my dear? What has happened?"

Lady Royce, too, expressed her concern, but Antoinette looked suspiciously sanguine as she took in the scene of Cassie in Lord Royce's arms.

He slowly lowered her to the ground, still holding onto her arm.

"I am not hurt at all, Aunt Chat," Cassie assured her. "But, oh, you will not believe what has happened!"

* * *

For a man whose entire worldview had been turned tip over tail, Phillip was feeling strangely jolly.

They were all crowded into the one carriage now, on their way to Lady Paige's supper at last. Cassie sat beside him, wedged against him as she and Antoinette tried to fix each other's hair into some semblance of tidiness. Even after traipsing about outdoors, her sweet, exotic perfume was still discernible, and she occasionally fell against him as the carriage bounced along the road. She would smile up at him apologetically, then go back to assuring her aunt that no, she was not injured, and yes, she did feel up to going to the supper party.

Her gaze would sometimes meet his, with a little puzzled frown on her brow, but then she would quickly look away. It was clear that his earlier words about being compromised and having to marry were still on her mind. And not necessarily in a good way.

He had tried to convince her he was merely joking when he said that—he tried to convince
himself
he was merely joking. But the truth was he wouldn't half mind marrying Cassandra Richards.

He wouldn't half mind it at all.

He looked down at the top of her dark, shining hair. She laughed at something Antoinette said, and her head tilted back onto his shoulder for the merest second. Her long sapphire drop earrings shimmered in the light from the carriage lamps, then lay still against her white neck.

She was truly the first woman who the thought of marrying did not fill him with some sense of dread. Rather, it filled him with a sense of—anticipation and warmth.

He finally acknowledged to himself that, yes, he was very fond of Cassandra Richards. In fact, he could very well be falling in love with her.

When she first came to Royce Castle, full of fancy and island exoticism, he had been drawn to her, but not at all sure of her. Now he knew that not only was she pretty and vivacious, but she was smart, and caring, and kind to everyone around her.

Even to stubborn old homebodies like himself.

She was also full of life, and she spread that joy in living all about her. He had not realized just how dull and dusty his life had become until she burst into it. Now he never wanted to give up that feeling of being gloriously alive.

He never wanted to give
her
up.

But it was obvious that she could never be happy with the sort of life he could give her, the sort of person he was.

If there was only some way to persuade her otherwise...

"Are
you
quite all right, dear?" his mother said, breaking into his thoughts. "You have been very quiet, and you are rather pale."

He looked back down at Cassie, who now watched him worriedly. "I am quite all right, Mother," he answered. "Quite all right indeed."

* * *

"Oh, that was truly splendid!" Lady Lettice said happily as the ghosts gathered in the East Tower to gloat over the evening's triumph. She clapped her beringed hands as she floated over the floor, her skirts barely brushing the carpet. "I must say I had my doubts about the two of you managing things with the carriage, but you did a fine job."

Louisa bristled indignantly. "What do you mean, you had your
doubts
? This entire thing was our doing, Sir Belvedere's and mine. All you did was give Lord Royce that tiny little push into the carriage."

Lady Lettice planted her hands on her hips. "I was the one who orchestrated the entire thing! You would never have even tried it if not for me. Apparently, all the two of you have been doing in the years of my absence is playing chess and pulling tricks on Lord Royce. Very childish!"

If Louisa had not been a ghost, and therefore pale by nature, her face would have flamed with indignation. "I beg your pardon, lady high-and-mighty, but it was
my
idea...."

"Dear ladies, please!" Sir Belvedere interrupted, stepping between them with a loud clatter, as Angelo laughed in delight at the blossoming quarrel. "We all worked on this scheme, and the triumph belongs to all of us. We must concentrate on Lord Royce and Miss Richards, and not squabble among ourselves. Or all our effort will be for naught."

"You are right, of course, Sir Belvedere," Lady Lettice said slowly. Then she went and sat down in the chair beside the window.

Louisa nodded. Sir Belvedere
was
completely right.

They were dead, after all; their troubles should all be behind them, along with human pettiness. This was all about Lord Royce and Cassie, and helping them to not make the mistakes in life that the ghosts had. Cassie had been so very kind to them, so helpful, that it was only right that they should help her in return.

And
someone
deserved to be happy as Lady Royce in this place, even if that someone had never been Louisa.

Chapter 17

"Psst! Cassie! Are you awake?"

Cassie vaguely heard Antoinette's whispering voice through the haze of sleep. She was still muzzy-headed from the wine at Lady Paige's supper, and from the strange excitement of being carried down the road in Phillip's arms. It felt like she had only just fallen asleep, and now here was Antoinette hissing in her ear and poking at her shoulder.

She rolled over and opened one eye to peer up at Antoinette's silhouette in the darkness. "What is it? It cannot be time to get up. It's still dark outside."

"I just realized I left something in the tunnel last night when we were summoning Lady Lettice," Antoinette said. "I cannot sleep for thinking about it. I just wanted to see if you would go with me to fetch it."

"Now? It been there all this time. Can't it stay just a little longer, until morning?"

Antoinette shook her head. She wore no cap, and her long, thick mane of hair undulated in the shadows. "No, I really think I should fetch it now."

"Why do I have to go with you?"

"Because I don't want to go alone!" Antoinette burst out.

Cassie sat up at that. "You are
scared,"
she said, amazed. She had always thought Antoinette could not be frightened of anything.

"I am not scared," Antoinette protested. "Merely—wary. I saw just how mischievous those ghosts can be tonight, when they took off with you in that carriage."

"They meant no real harm. I think they must get bored, stuck here in the castle all the time."

"Well, I don't want to be walking about by myself in the dark, anyway."

"All right, then, I will go with you. If I can come right back to bed after. I have had enough excitement for one night."

So Cassie found herself leaving her snug, warm room in the middle of the night, following Antoinette down the cliff steps to the shore. The pale silver moon was half-obscured by clouds, sending a diffuse, mysterious light across the sky. It was chilly out, but still, with no wind stirring.

She looked up at the moon and the stars, and thought how romantic it all was. How lovely it would be if Phillip was here, with his arms around her. Perhaps he would even kiss her...

"No!" she whispered, shaking her head to try to clear it of such silly thoughts. It was only the beauty of the night making her feel all romantical again. If he had not kissed her as they walked alone down the deserted lane, he never would. "I will not think of that right now."

Antoinette, several steps ahead, stopped and looked back at her. "Did you say something, Cassie?"

"No. Must be the wind," Cassie answered.

"Hmm." Antoinette walked on.

Cassie waited at the mouth of the tunnel while Antoinette went in and found her lost item. There were rustlings and knockings, and it was several moments before she emerged again, a small muslin packet clutched in her hand.

"All right, I have it now," Antoinette said. "You can go back to your bed."

"Thank goodness!" Cassie said, pulling her cloak hood up. The night, so romantic only moments before, now seemed just cold and rather lonely.

But when they emerged into the moonlight, they found they were no longer alone. Lady Lettice stood on the shore, staring out over the purple-black sea. Angelo, her little dwarf, sat on a large rock nearby, drawing designs in the pebbly sand with a long stick.

Cassie was caught by the sadness on Lady Lettice's pale face. No wonder the night had suddenly turned so melancholy!

"Good evening, Lady Lettice, Angelo," Antoinette said softly.

Lady Lettice looked over at them and gave a little smile. "Good evening." Her gaze dropped to the little packet Antoinette held. "Is that part of the—apparatus you used to summon me here, Miss Duvall?"

"Yes," Antoinette answered, tucking the packet away inside her robes. "I am sorry if you are unhappy here. I could try to send you back, if you like."

Lady Lettice waved her hand in a dismissive little gesture. "It is of no matter. I like it here as well as I did there, in that strange little sitting room. I just went out for a walk, to think about some things without Louisa and Sir Belvedere yammering at me."

Antoinette walked toward Lady Lettice, the scared young woman who came to Cassie's room gone and the Yaumumi priestess in her place. Cassie followed slowly, warily watching the supposedly harmless Angelo. But he paid no attention to her at all, just went on pulling his stick through the sand and muttering something about spiced wine and roast beef.

"What are you thinking about, Lady Lettice?" Antoinette asked.

"Nothing of any import," Lady Lettice replied in a don't-be-impertinent tone of voice.

"She is thinking about Jean-Pierre," Angelo piped up.

"Indeed? Jean-Pierre?" said Antoinette. "Is he the reason we had to look for you in the tunnel and not in the castle? Is Jean-Pierre in the tunnels?"

"Of course not! Jean-Pierre is not anywhere. I have looked and looked..." Then Lady Lettice seemed to realize what she was saying and snapped her mouth shut. Her lips formed a thin little line.

Cassie stared at her, feeling the night become even colder around her. So Lady Lettice had been thwarted in love, just as Louisa had. It was all too sad.

Lady Lettice looked down at them, her head tilted back haughtily. Cassie did not feel as comfortable with her as she did with Louisa. Lady Lettice seemed proud and reserved, not fun-loving and chatty as Louisa was. But now Cassie could see the lurking sadness in her eyes, and she felt sorry for her.

Finally, Lady Lettice looked away from them and said, "Oh, very well. I may as well tell you the tale. Jean-Pierre has been dead for centuries. And so have I, I suppose!" she added with a brittle laugh.

Cassie settled down on the rock next to Angelo to listen to her tale. This was even better than a novel!

"Jean-Pierre was a French nobleman, attached to the retinue of the Due d'Alencon when he came to England to woo Queen Elizabeth. We sat next to each other often at banquets, and danced, and walked in the gardens." Lady Lettice's harsh features softened as she talked, absorbed in her memories. "He was so very handsome. So witty and so accomplished!"