Moonstruck Madness (47 page)

"So beautifully fragile and perfect," she murmured.

"I've never seen such a pretty little mite in all of my days of caring for little ones," the nanny confessed.

Mary looked at her penetratingly, liking what she saw in the friendly face. "She is precious. Look after her carefully, for she means everything to Sabrina."

"Her Grace was in here yesterday morning, her eyes red from crying and I knew she hated to leave little Rhea," the nanny said sadly.

"Did she give you any idea how long she'd be gone?" Mary asked quickly.

But the nanny shook her head. "She just tells me to take good care of her little girl, that's all."

Mary sighed, and with a last glance at the sleeping child leaned over and kissed her soft cheek lightly.

She found Terence eating hungrily from a tray when she returned, and accepted a cup of freshly steaming tea.

"You saw the child?" he asked, knowing the answer by the soft look in her eyes.

"Yes, and Terence, she is the sweetest thing in the world. She looks like a little angel. I shall be a very doting aunt."

"I look forward to our child, Mary," Terence spoke quietly.

Mary smiled, basking in his love. "I know, so do I, and our child shall be the most precious to us, to me," she told him, "because he is yours."

Taking her hand he held it enclosed in his while they waited, neither saying much until he felt Mary's head fall against his shoulder and heard her deep, even breathing. With a contented smile he rested his chin on the top ofher red curls and closed his own eyes—just for
a
moment to rest them, he reassured himself.

Lucien hadn't arrived by evening, even though the letter Terence had written and sent earlier in the day would have reached London by afternoon. Terence persuaded Mary to go to bed, and finally as he heard the clock chime twelve times he gave up his vigil and retired to their bedchamber.

It was still dark when Terence was rudely awakened by voices. Being a light sleeper he had lighted a candle and was sitting up in bed when the door of their bedchamber was thrown open and the Duke of Camareigh came stalking in, his face lined with worry and fatigue as he stared down at Terence and a sleepy-eyed Mary, no apology on his face for his abrupt entrance.

"What the devil is this?" he demanded angrily as he withdrew Terence's letter from his waistcoat pocket and waved it in front of them. "And what in blazes is going on around here? I've been to Sabrina's room, but it's empty. Where is she? I can't believe she would go off and leave Rhea."

Mary stared in amazement at the Duke's haggard appearance. His golden hair looked as though he'd raked his hands through it numerous times, and his face was thinner and had a strained look to it causing his scar to stand out vividly.

"Sabrina is in danger," Mary blurted out, unable to control herself despite Terence's look of warning. "She and Richard have left Camareigh and gone to Scotland."

"Scotland?" Lucien
repeated,
his eyes dazed-looking as he sat down on the edge of the bed, his shoulders slumped. "Why?"

Mary shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know why,
I
only know that they are in horrible danger."

Lucien looked at her silently, then at Terence, and getting to his feet came to a decision. "Thank you for telling me. I will of course go after them."

"Listen, you don't even know where to look. I do," Terence offered, climbing from bed. "I'll go with you, Lucien, you will need me," he told him abruptly.

Lucien nodded his head. "Thanks, Terence, you might as well be in on the final scene with Sabrina, since you were there at the beginning. Maybe she will listen to you," Lucien said with a cynical twist to his lips. "I'll have my best horses saddled and we will get an early start in the morning. It will be quicker traveling on horseback than by coach, and as an old campaigner you shouldn't mind a couple of nights under the stars, or a few hours in the saddle."

Lucien strode to the door, but before he left the room he turned.
"My
apologies
for
disturbing you," he said and with
a
casual
nod of
his
head
left the room.

Terence
stared
at the closed door thoughtfully, and lying back
down
he
took Mary
in his arms and murmured, "There goes a very troubled man."

"What bekc'ning ghost, along the moonlight shade

Invites my steps, and points to yonder glade?

Alexander Pope

Chapter
15

S
ABRINA overtook Richard just inside the Scottish border when her coach pulled into an inn courtyard and found the big, black, nail-studded stagecoach just unloading its half a dozen or more passengers. She watched, disappointment marring her features as the passengers left the coach and Richard was not among the group, and was about to turn away when she suddenly caught a movement on the top of the coach and saw a red head appear amongst the stack of luggage piled high. Richard scampered across the top and was given a hand down by the guard who'd ridden beside the coachman on the narrow boot.

Sabrina left her coach and followed Richard into the inn, looking around the large room of milling people until she spotted his short figure in the corner. He was standing forlornly by himself, his eyes lingering on the food being served the paying customers at a long table before a crackling fire.

He shoved a hand in his pocket and pulled out a couple of coins as a tray loaded with roast duck, meat pies, eggs and tarts passed in front of him, the mouth-watering aroma drifting tantalizingly under his nose. He hunched his shoulders in dejection as he counted the small pile of coins and put them regretfully back into his pocket.

Sabrina moved into the room and quietly approached Richard, the busy chatter of the dining guests drowning out any sound the rustle of her skirts made. "Richard," Sabrina spoke softly.

Richard's red head jerked around and his eyes grew round behind his eyeglasses as he stared up at Sabrina as if seeing a ghost. "Rina?" he gasped,
then
hugged her tightly as he read the relieved smile in her eyes. "Oh, Rina, you always show up when I need you. I was wishing so bad you were here with me," he admitted thickly, his face pressed against her shoulder thankfully.

"Are you hungry?" she asked as he drew back and bravely controlled the trembling of his lower lip.

"I could eat a coach full of that baked pudding," he answered eagerly, his dejection forgotten now that Sabrina was there to take charge.

She hired a private room and watched in amusement as Richard helped himself to a third portion of apple and orange pudding, his eyes bright as he complacently spooned the dessert into his mouth. Sabrina pushed her plate aside and took a sip of wine as she decided what to say. She had been so relieved to find Richard that she'd hesitated in voicing the anger that had been caused by her fear for him.

"You know that you pulled a very foolish act by running off without a word to me. How do you think I felt, Richard, when one of the grooms told me you'd sneaked off in the night and then caught a coach for Scotland?" Sabrina asked him quietly, yet with a firm note of displeasure in her voice. "Didn't you stop to think how worried I'd be? You knew I would not allow you to go, so you defied me by running away instead."

Richard hung his head as she reprimanded him, his cheeks fiery with chagrin. He finally raised his head as two big tears rolled down his face. "I really didn't think, Rina.
I
was only doing it for us. Don't be mad at me, please," he begged, getting up and coming to stand beside her chair, his fingers pulling nervously at the lace of her sleeve.

Sabrina put an arm around his waist and gave him
a
squeeze. "I'm sorry
I
had to scold you, but you had to know what
I
felt like when you disappeared. You have to think of other people too, Dickie."

"But
I
was, Rina.
I
was going to get the treasure for us," he explained hopefully, then gave her a puzzled look as he said, "You never treat Lucien very nicely, Rina, and yet he's your husband."

Sabrina felt a wave of heat flush her face uncomfortably as she replied, "That's different."

"I don't see how. I wish sometimes you'd be friends again like before, and we could all be happy together. I wish you wouldn't hurt each other the way you do," he told her, a wistful look in his blue eyes as he stared at her, trying to understand adults.

Sabrina bit her lip. "I wish we could too, but Lucien doesn't want it that way, Dickie, and
I
didn't either."

"But you do now?" he asked hopefully.

Sabrina smiled sadly. "I don't really know what I want. And even if
I
did, well, I don't think it would be possible. Now," she said briskly, changing the subject, "we will stay here tonight, and then go back to Camareigh in the morning."

Richard pulled away from her abruptly, bristling like a growling puppy. "No!
I
won't go, Rina. We're so
close,
can't we go on and look for the treasure? Please. If we find it then we'll be rich and can leave Camareigh."

And she would not have to be dependent on a man who did not love her, Sabrina thought grimly. She would not have to ask Lucien for anything when she left him. And she would take Rhea as well. She wasn't a male heir for him, so why should he care, although she had to admit that he'd shown a great deal of attention to her.

Why not continue on and look for Grandfather's treasure? It was Richard's inheritance, after all, and he should be independent and not have to worry about the Marquis coming back and threatening him. She disliked leaving Rhea for any length of time, but they would not be gone for long and she was safe and well cared for at Camareigh.

"All right, Richard, we'll continue," she told him, her voice drowned out by Richard's shout of joy.

They were tired and homesick when they finally reached the Highlands of Scotland almost a fortnight later. The narrow, sometimes impassable roads often washed away completely by flooding slowed them down and made their journey almost a nightmare. The optimistic excitement that had been so evident on Richard's face when they'd begun the journey had now faded as the time dragged on and he was forced to sit quietly in the confines of the swaying coach day after day.

Sabrina watched the countryside pass in silence. Never had she believed that one day she would feel like a stranger in the Highlands—but she did. She no longer belonged here, and it was completely foreign to Richard, for he'd been far too young to remember them clearly.

They entered the small village of Timere and put up at the only inn, a small establishment that offered only a few rooms and no private dining room. The landlord welcomed them suspiciously, having little liking for the English, but more for their gold. Sabrina would have been concerned about the coachman and grooms abandoning them in this inhospitable area, their grumbles of dissatisfaction not having gone unnoticed by her, but they were in the employ of the Duke of Camareigh and valued their position—along with a healthy fear of reprisal from him should they abandon the Duchess.

As they settled in their room for the evening, Sabrina tried to rally Richard's drooping spirits. "Tomorrow we'll leave early and ride into the hills. The castle is in a glen north of here and sits on a small finger of land that juts out into the loch. Let's draw a smaller map of the area from the tapestry so it will be easier to carry and refer to," she suggested practically, glad that it also would give them something to do.

"I can hardly wait, Rina," Richard said happily,
a
dreamy look in his eyes as he thought of tomorrow's adventure.

If the landlord was curious as he rented them their Shetland ponies, he managed to contain himself as he stood curiously watching Sabrina and Richard ride off on the small, shaggy ponies towards the pines dotting the slope in the distance.

From the top of the rise they stared in silence across the dead brown heather of Culloden Moor, and at the snowcapped mountains against the Moray Firth and Great Glen that cut through the heart of the Highlands. Sabrina urged her horse away from the moor, her eyes filling with tears of memory as she avoided the bog with its treacherous holes, the land marshy and crisscrossed with small brooks feeding moisture into its spongy surface. Richard kept his pony close behind Sabrina as they entered the narrow passage to the glen. They rode through wooded areas and their attention was constantly drawn to the sound of waterfalls cascading from the crags, the outcropping of rocks that had been carved by nature out of the side of the valley. Sabrina felt a shiver as they traveled deeper into the wooded glen, her eyes lingering worriedly on the mists that clung to the mountain peaks. It could sweep low into the valley without a warning, entrapping the unwary in a sea of impenetrable fog.

Every so often Sabrina would halt her pony and, straining her ears, try to catch the elusive sound that drifted through the glen.

"What's that noise, Rina?" Richard asked as she stopped the second time and he stopped to listen, too.

Sabrina gave a nervous chuckle. "I must be
crazed,
I thought it was a bagpipe."

"I thought those had been outlawed, Rina?"

"I
know,
so did I," Sabrina murmured thoughtfully.

The sun was blocked out as they rode through the forest of pine and oak and Sabrina felt the chill enter her bones, thankful that she had been wise enough to wear her velvet cloak with a hood covering her hair and partially concealing her face.

"It's creepy, Rina," Richard said uneasily.

Sabrina glanced back at him over her shoulder with a reassuring smile. His small body was snuggly wrapped in a duffle surcoat, the coarse woolen cloth keeping him warm against the cool breeze off the snowy peaks.

"Are you sure, Sabrina, that this is the right valley?" Richard called to her above the roar from a stream boiling against the rocks beside the narrow and twisting path.

Sabrina hid any doubts she might feel as she called back. "Come on, we're almost there. Just a little further,
I
hope," she added beneath her breath.

The path suddenly rounded an outcropping of rock and Sabrina and Richard came to an abrupt halt. Before them, glinting silvery, was the loch, and on its shore the ruins of the castle.

"Oh, Rina," Richard breathed in awe mingled with disappointment, "it's been destroyed. Do you think they found the gold, too?"

Sabrina urged her pony down the rocky descent to the shore of the lake, her eyes unblinkingly focused on the ruined castle, not even hearing Richard's question.

"Why would they do this? Why destroy it?" she asked as they rode along the lake towards the castle, the waves lapping gently on the shore. Sabrina dismounted and walked towards the crumbling walls, large stones of what had once been a watchtower now strewn across the old courtyard. Only a skeleton structure remained of the stone stairwell, and the roof had long ago fallen in on the great hall. Sabrina looked around her in dismay, holding Richard's hand tightly as he slipped it into hers. "It was another lifetime, Richard," she said sadly, hearing the sound of her grandfather's voice echoing through the ruins.

"I
remember the day we left here and hurried down those stairs," Richard said disbelievingly as he stared around the hall overgrown with weeds and overrun by nesting gulls raucously crying out at their trespass in the castle.

He pulled out the map they'd made and stared at it in puzzlement. "I think the cave is over there," he said, pointing vaguely towards the far shore, "but how do we get there? The path isn't marked."

Sabrina looked down at the map and then at the far shore. "The path is hard to find. Come on," she urged, feeling suddenly strange as they stood exposed in the center of the ruins. "We want to get back before that mist decides to move down the mountain."

Richard followed Sabrina's sure steps along the shoreline and then up through the big boulders that edged the loch in large clumps. They walked along the uneven path, still clear of weeds as though the feet of the clan still trod upon it.

Sabrina stopped abruptly as the path disappeared into the lake, and cried out in disappointment. "I had forgotten that this path only goes halfway around the lake. I don't think we'll be able to get across, Dickie. We don't have a boat."

They were silently staring at their reflections in the water, when Richard gasped, his mouth opening soundlessly as a third image was reflected in the water behind them. Sabrina swallowed hard and turned, her eyes widening as she stared at the specter that had quietly sneaked up behind them. Richard gave a small whimper and pressed close to Sabrina's side.