Books by Maggie Shayne (261 page)

I was quite the opposite in my feelings about the Sunday meetings. Oh, the make-believe friendship of those backbiting locals riled me every bit as much as it did Arianna. But for me there was reason to stay. For I’d grown to cherish every moment I could spend near Duncan, even those moments when we had to pretend there was nothing between us. For he would shower love on me all the same—in a single glance sent my way and filled with fire, even as he spoke to one crowd of parishioners and I to another. In an accidental touch. In the very way his voice changed when he spoke to me. I knew I was always on his mind, in his thoughts, just as he lingered constantly in mine.

There were, of course, unpleasant experiences awaiting me each time I attended services. For Elias Stanton tended to pay nearly as much mind to me as Duncan did. Only his glances were dirty somehow, leaving me feeling stained when I chanced to meet his lecherous gaze, and even more so when he touched me “accidentally,” which happened more and more often.

I was blessed today, though, because Elias did not attend services. Aunt Eleanor, too, had stayed at home, having awoken this morn with a crushing headache that kept her abed. And since Arianna had already gone with our wagon, I was to walk back to the cabin alone. Not that I minded. I was, in fact, looking forward to the walk, for the leaves were turning and beautiful, and Duncan was on my mind.

He’d tried several times to speak with me, and there was a new urgency in his eyes when they caught mine, but each time he’d been swept away by someone else begging a word or asking advice. No matter. He would come to me tonight. In the forest, beneath the stars, we’d make tender love. I’d spend my walk home dreaming of the evening to come.

It did not turn out that way at all.

I’d trekked only halfway, walking slowly along the worn track, singing to myself, bursting with the joy of the changing seasons, the scent of the autumn leaves and the sea at my side. But I was jolted out of my pleasure at the sound of a horse’s clopping gait, and the rattling of the wagon it pulled. And when I turned, expecting to see Duncan coming to see me home, I caught my breath. For ’twas Elias Stanton manning the reins. He looked ragged, and there was a vacant look to his eyes that chilled me.

“Good morn, Mistress St. James,” he called, drawing the rig to a halt right beside me.

“Good morn,” I replied, my voice stiff. “We missed you at the meeting hall this morn.” I hadn’t missed him at all, but ’twas something to say.

“I had some thinking to do,” he said. “Thinking… that was best done alone.”

Something quivered inside me. Some sense of danger. I kept walking. But he snapped the reins to keep pace.

“I be on my way to call on your aunt,” he announced, as if I might care where he were going.

“How thoughtful of you.”

“Perhaps you’d care to ride the rest of the way in comfort, rather than taxing yourself by walking?”“

I met his eyes, cold and menacing, revealing the lie of his voice, and I gave a quick shake of my head. “I thank you, sir, but I am enjoying my walk too much to end it so soon.“

“Nonsense,” he said. “A woman walking alone is unsafe. Come, ride with me.”

“I walk this way often and never see another soul, Mister Stan ton. I assure you, I’m perfectly safe.”

Grunting deep in his throat, he stopped the wagon again, only this time he climbed down. Walking toward the horse, he took its halter in one hand. “I’ll walk with you, then. Lord forbid some harm befall you while I ride safely away, unaware.”

I lowered my head as my stomach clenched tight. “I prefer to walk alone.“ I blurted it, not softening the words or the tone in any way. There should be no mistake, I thought. I did not wish to walk with this man.

He understood all right, for his face darkened. He released the horse, and turned fully toward me. “The attentions of a man offend you, do they?”

I did not know what to say. “You are a married man. Mister Stanton. Surely you should not speak to me in such a way.”

“Married, yes, and pious to a fault, but still subjected to the charms of a sorceress. Just as our preacher seems to be.”

“I know nothing of sorcery! And the Reverend Wallace has never been anything but kind and perfectly polite toward me.”

“That is not what I see in his eyes when they meet your own, lady. No. I see lust. The same lust that rears up in my own heart with each toss of your head.”

“You’re being ridiculous!” I backed away, but he caught my wrists in his cruel hands.

“I know of but one means to rid myself of your allure, Raven. And that is to sate this lust once and for all.”

“Let go of me! Have you gone insane? Let me go!”

“No, mistress. I won’t let you go.”

He jerked me closer and mashed his face to mine. His mouth open and wet, his tongue lapping at my lips though I pressed them tight. I pulled backward, but he clung to me, held me fast to his body so that as I moved he moved as well, until my back was pressed to the trunk of a tree, and his flaccid body held me pinned there. I struggled frantically, but his perverted desire had caused him to have an overpowering strength, and I could not free myself, despite my own enhanced Witchly strength. He groped at the front of my dress, pawed at my breasts.

“Stop fighting, wench! You’ve brought this on yourself— visiting me in my dreams nightly as you do, tempting me to sin. I no longer rest at night. I cannpt eat by day. You’re draining the very life from me, woman, and now you’ll pay!”

I had to stop him or be raped. The knowledge came clear to me just that quickly. I had no choice in the matter, and since I couldn’t reach my dagger, I knew only one way. But it would take all of my focus.

Calm. I willed myself to go utterly calm. Forced my body to relax, and my mind to ignore what he was doing to me. I went inside myself, deep inside, to a place where his grunting and groping did not exist—as if they were happening to someone else and I was but a witness.

Closing my eyes, I whispered, chanted to Mother Earth, attuned to her, felt her strength beneath me and behind me and around me and, finally, surging from within me. I drew her energy up from the ground, centered that power until it thrummed in my veins, and then opened my eyes to find a focus for it.

The limb, above Elias Stanton’s head.

With a shout of release, I sent the power shooting forth, and the limb cracked and split. It crashed down, smiting the man and knocking him to his knees, and then flat to the ground, with the limb heavy atop him. He did not move.

I had no wish to stay to see whether he was dead or alive. I ran, leaping into his wagon and snapping the reins hard. His horse reared up and raced forward, and in moments the brute was behind me, and my home, my haven, loomed ahead.

Arianna was waiting when I arrived. She stared at me as I wheeled the wagon to a stop. Then her face paled, and she ran forward even as I tried to climb down.

“Sweet Mother, what’s happened!”

She gathered me gently into her arms, helping me down. And only as she stared aghast did I realize my dress was torn, my hair askew, my face hot and damp.

“This is Elias Stanton’s rig,” Arianna all but hissed. “He did this, didn’t he? Raven?”

Trembling, beyond words, I merely nodded.

“I’ll kill him.” And even as she said it her dagger appeared in her hand. “Where is he? I’ll cut out his liver!”

And finally coherent thought returned. Pushing my hair out of my face, head bowed, I said, “No, Arianna. Wait.”

“For what?” Her face had reddened clear to her ears. “Did he rape you, Raven? Did he—”

“No. I’m… I’m all right. But Arianna, we mustn’t speak of this. Not to anyone.”

“And what should we do? Keep quiet and wait for that beast to try again?”

Drawing a deep steadying breath, I shook my head. “We should take the rig back into town. We should say the horse brought it in with no one inside, and that we’re concerned about Elias. They’ll send men out looking, and they’ll find him in the woods, beneath a fallen limb. Alive… or, I think he was, when I left him there.”

She scowled at me so intently I felt her anger washing over me. “So we cover for him, lie for him?”

“No, Arianna. For
us.
You know what they think of me in this town. No one would accept my word over his. Let them believe it an accident.“ Again, I glanced down at my dress. ”Aunt Eleanor mustn’t see me like this.“

Lowering her head, Arianna blew a sigh. “Here, take my cloak.“ And she removed the cloak from her shoulders to cover mine, then gently smoothed my hair. ”I’ll do as you ask. But I still think he deserves to be drawn and quartered.“

“He accused me of bewitching him,” I muttered. “Of visiting him in dreams and driving him to… to this.”

“His own lechery has driven him. Nothing more.” She shook her head, eyeing the rig. “I’ll bring Duncan.”

“He must never know of this, Arianna. Please, don’t tell him. He’d kill Elias, I know he would.”

“The man
needs
killing.”

“Please…”

She sighed, lowering her head. “You ask a lot of me, my friend.”

“I know.” I lifted my head. “Have I told you how grateful I am that you came to me, Arianna? I haven’t, have I? But I should. You… you’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”

She blinked, looking away as if slightly irritated. “I would die for you, you know.”

I frowned, confused by the power in that simple statement. “But why?”

She shrugged. “You did for me once.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

Meeting my eyes, smiling gently, she said, “Perhaps it’s time I told you the truth, Raven. You have this gift, this immortality, because in some previous life you died while trying to save the life of another Witch.”

“I understand that, but—”

“That Witch… was me.”

And before I could say another word, she leaped into Elias Stanton’s wagon and snapped the reins.

There had been no love lost between Duncan and the mysterious, mischievous-eyed pixie who seemed to have become Raven’s closest friend. They were polite to each other, but cool, and he sensed the smaller woman’s disapproval. Understood it, even.

But when he saw Arianna driving Elias Stanton’s rig into town that morn, her face expressionless and pale, he immediately felt his stomach tie in knots. He’d been steadily working to free himself of the people who seemed determined to have a word with him—and only now had he succeeded. He’d been about to start out to Raven’s cottage on the cliffs.

The pace at which the wagon moved was enough to tell him something was wrong. Terribly wrong. When it stopped in a cloud of dust, Duncan joined the crowd gathering around Arianna, but her eyes were on him alone, and he sensed a silent message in them.

“Mister Stanton’s horse arrived at our cabin with no driver,” she said, calmly, as slowly as if she’d rehearsed her words. “We’re concerned about his safety.” She climbed down with grace, nimble as a sprite, ignoring all the shouted questions. “Perhaps some of you might wish to travel the Coast Road and search for him,” she suggested.

Several men immediately shouted agreement and as they grouped off, and began making their plan, Duncan took Arianna aside. “What has truly happened?” he asked.

She averted her eyes. “Nothing good, Duncan. But I can say no more. I gave my promise to Raven, and I’ll not break my word to her.”

“Is she all right?” He nearly held his breath awaiting her answer.

“She’s unharmed.” Finally she met his eyes again, and he saw the concern there for her friend. “I’d have stayed with her myself and let that animal Elias rot. But it is you she needs, Duncan. Go to her.”

He nodded quickly. Let the others search for Elias. He needed to see Raven, to assure himself she was well, and find out what this was all about. And then he had to take steps to get her away from here, to somewhere safe.

What the hell had happened out there? God, he knew she’d been walking alone. But he hadn’t seen her leave, and by the time he realized she’d gone it had been too late to prevent it. He should have gone after her, right then. Should have escorted her home, and to hell with what the town gossips would make of that. Damn Elias to hell if he’d touched her, frightened her in any way. He’d kill the bastard. He’d kill him with his bare hands.

“Come,” he said to Arianna through clenched teeth. “We’ll go together.” They were not friends, nay, yet he still wouldn’t like the thought of her alone in this town should something rile the locals—should something turn them against her.

“I think I should linger in town. See what the vermin has to say when they find him. If he’s still alive, that is.“ Her frown was worried, more now than ever. And Duncan knew too well that Elias might speak his suspicions about her and Raven if he’d been provoked.

“I think it a bad notion, lass,” he said.

She tilted her head, studied him. “Is that worry in your eyes, Duncan? For me?” Her smile was small and brief. “I’m grateful for the thought, but believe me when I tell you I can take care of myself.”

He lowered his head. “Stay, then, if you’re certain,” he told her, speaking lower now. “But keep out of sight, Arianna. You might be judged guilty by association, does anythin‘ come of this.“

She nodded, but when he turned to go, she clutched his arm. He faced her again, and she stared straight into his eyes. “So might you, Duncan. You should be well aware of that. Well aware of the risk involved.”

“The only risk I’m concerned about is the risk to Raven,” he told her. And meant it. “But I’m aware of it, aye. And willin’ to face it. I’ll have no regrets, no matter the outcome.“

“You truly do love her, don’t you?” Arianna whispered.

“Aye, with everythin’ in me,“ he told her. Then he looked at her face, at the force of the emotions in her eyes, and added, ”As much as you do, I’ll wager.“

“You must love her a great deal, then,” she said softly.

Nodding, Duncan clasped Arianna’s shoulder briefly, a gesture of friendship he thought long overdue. They’d reached an understanding between them, he thought. He and Arianna had one thing in common. They were both utterly devoted to Raven and determined to protect her at any cost. ’Twas a powerful bond they shared, and he thought they’d both finally realized that.