Solstice at Stonewylde (22 page)

Yul felt the moment when she understood his intent. She thrashed and squealed, digging the heels of her pretty suede boots into the earth. The scarlet cloak was driving him mad for he kept getting tangled in it. With a snarl of anger he wrenched open the fastening at the neck and ripped it off her. It was
suddenly much easier to grab her bodily and lift her off the ground, especially with her arms bound to her. Despite her height, she was very light. He shoved her forcefully through the gap between the trunks of the tree cage, bundling her in and trying to avoid her kicking feet. He no longer worried about hurting her.

He knew she bashed her head on the trunk and scraped her leg as he thrust her through the gap, but he was beyond caring. He pushed her in hard and she fell down in a heap inside the small cage, giving him time to frantically bind the thick rope around the two trunks and seal the opening. His hands shook as he wrapped the rope around and around, leaving no gap she could escape through.

‘Try getting out of that!’ he snapped triumphantly, breathless with anger and exertion. His head was really painful and he gingerly explored the lump growing there. She hadn’t tried to get up from the crumpled heap where she lay, but he knew she was conscious because she was watching him, glaring at him in the murky dusk. Yul turned his back on her and went to sit some distance away, drinking from the water bottle he’d brought up earlier. He was shaking and made a conscious effort to calm himself. He was so angry he felt like leaving her bound and gagged in that cage all night, just to teach her a lesson.

Eventually his breathing returned to normal and the anger evaporated. All he felt now was a dull throb on the temple where she’d hit him, and a weariness in his heart. Miserably he got up and went over to the tree cage. Sylvie was hunched over uncomfortably, her hands still tied to her stomach, a huddled black figure with the gag tight around her mouth. Her hair was all tangled up around the gag, spilling into her eyes in a silver mass and covering her face where she couldn’t brush it away. She looked like a small wild animal, caught in a trap and waiting to be killed.

In the gloom, he saw that her eyes were desperate. She was pitiful and his desire to hurt and punish her vanished in an instant. She trembled almost convulsively and he realised her
cloak was still lying outside the cage where he’d flung it in anger. Yul tried to push it through the gaps to cover her but it just fell in beside her. He put his hands through and pulled it over her, but she wriggled away from him and it fell off again. He wondered if the moon was rising yet, for her eyes were unfocused now, enormous and shining, gazing at nothing. She must be incredibly uncomfortable but she didn’t seem to notice anything. Sighing, he sat down with his back to the cage and hung his head guiltily, not wanting to watch her captive misery.

B
ack at the Hall, all hell had broken loose. Earlier in the afternoon Magus had called in to their rooms and Miranda had assured him that Sylvie was fast asleep in her bedroom. He was pleased to hear it and stopped to chat for a few minutes.

‘How are you? Everything alright?’

‘I’m fine thank you, Magus. I missed you while you were away. I never seem to spend any time with you nowadays.’

‘I know,’ he replied, perching on the arm of the sofa where she sat knitting baby-clothes. He stroked her long red hair absentmindedly. ‘There’s so much on at the moment. I’ve got a lot of business deals going through, which will mean greater revenue for Stonewylde. I’m also trying to set up the new building projects that I want to start after the Solstice and there aren’t enough hours in the day right now.’

‘Poor you,’ she said softly, rubbing his leg where it lay, long and muscular, next to her along the arm of the sofa. She was desperate for his company. ‘Is there anything I can do to help? I can write letters and reports, things like that.’

He laughed at this and shook his head.

‘No, it’s not the sort of thing anyone can help with. It’s all up here.’ He tapped his forehead. ‘How you can help is by looking after that daughter of yours and making sure she dances up at Mooncliffe every Moon Fullness. You have no idea how vital it is to me, Miranda. You must make sure she’s fit and healthy for it every month so you need to keep her weight up and not let
her roam about wasting energy. I want her healthy and strong and I’m counting on you to make sure she is.’

‘Of course,’ she smiled. ‘I know you have her best interests at heart. She’s sleeping now, as you wanted, and she’ll be fine for her dancing tonight. She certainly seems to love it.’

‘Good – I’m really pleased she’s taken to her new regime of healthy eating and more sleep so readily, and well done for your part in it, Miranda. I’ll try and spend some time with you in December if I can fit it in.’

‘Oh yes!’ she said breathlessly. ‘That’d be wonderful. I miss you so much.’

She laid her head against his thigh and sighed. He chuckled and reached down to caress her, feeling her melt against him.

‘Not that long until the baby’s due, is it? Less than three months? Then I shall have to make you pregnant all over again.’

She tipped her head back and gazed up at him adoringly, wanting nothing more than to bear his children.

‘Anyway, I’ll be back at about four o’clock to collect Sylvie. Make sure she’s ready for me and wrapped up warmly in that new cloak, won’t you?’

He patted her swollen belly and stood up, stretching. He paused to smile at her, then left purposefully.

But when he returned later he found Miranda white and trembling with fear.

‘What’s happened?’ he asked, gripping her shoulders to make her look at him.

‘She’s not in her room.’

‘Where is she then? In the bathroom?’

‘No. Magus, she’s … she’s gone.’

‘GONE? What do you mean, gone?’

‘She’s not in her room.’

‘You’ve already said that! Where is she?’

‘I don’t know!’

She burst into tears, screwing her eyes up like a child and crying pitifully. With a rough shake Magus released her shoulders,
making her stumble, and strode past her into Sylvie’s bedroom. He let out a roar of rage just as Clip came into the sitting room, wanting to check Sylvie would be warm enough up at Mooncliffe.

‘What’s going on?’ he asked, glancing nervously towards the open door of Sylvie’s room. ‘What’s happened?’

Miranda stood in the sitting room sobbing into her hands, her red hair falling over her face. Clip stared at her, his face suddenly white as if he’d seen something from the grave. Magus marched furiously back into the room, his face dark as thunder.

‘I’ll tell you what’s happened! This stupid bloody woman has let Sylvie escape! WHERE IS SHE?’

‘I don’t know, Magus!’ she sobbed. ‘I’d tell you if I knew. I thought she was asleep but she was playing a trick. I’m so sorry.’

‘You will be! The
one
thing I ask you to do – the
only
thing I want from you – is to look after that girl. And you’re too bloody stupid to even manage that!’

His deep voice was frighteningly loud and his face almost purple as the blood pumped to his head. Miranda was terrified.

‘Come on, Sol …’ said Clip in a conciliatory tone, but Magus turned on him angrily, lips quivering with rage.

‘Keep out of it, you drugged-up, useless bastard! This is your fault too – I thought you’d got Sylvie back under control again!’

He turned back to Miranda and advanced on her, his head lowered belligerently.

‘When
exactly
did you last see her?’

As Magus stepped forward menacingly she stepped away from him, backing towards the sofa.

‘I … I don’t know for sure. I think … maybe about half past two? But …’

‘What do you mean you don’t know for sure?’ he roared. ‘Think! THINK! I need to know exactly! I need to work out how much time she’s had to get away and where she could be now. THINK!’

‘I don’t know!’ she sobbed. ‘I thought she was in there but …’

‘You stupid bitch! Stop bloody snivelling and answer me properly!’

Miranda had backed away until her legs were against the sofa and she could go no further. He towered over her aggressively, his breathing heavy, hands clenching with fury. Staring at her blotchy, distraught face he suddenly snapped completely. With a snarl he took another step forward, his hand raised as if he’d strike her, and she fell back onto the sofa in an ungainly heap, curling up to protect the baby. Magus glared down as if he’d like to throttle her, his chest heaving and his face utterly remorseless.

‘Have you any idea what you’ve done this afternoon?’ he raged. ‘Of the consequences of your stupidity and ineptitude? No, I don’t suppose so. You’re too busy fawning all over me and gushing on about your bloody pregnancy. I told you how vital it was that I took Sylvie to Mooncliffe tonight – I’ve stressed it again and again. And you’ve failed to do the one simple thing I want from you …’

He turned away from her, his hands shaking with fury, his mouth a thin white line.

‘I can’t bear the sight of you!’ he hissed. ‘I tell you, Miranda, if you weren’t pregnant …’

‘But you love me!’ she cried. ‘You said I was special to you. You said only this afternoon that you wanted more children with me.’

He turned back to her and laughed harshly at this.

‘
Love you? Special
?’ His voice dropped to venomous calm. ‘There’s only one reason for making you pregnant and keeping you at Stonewylde. Think about it, Miranda – work it out. Goddess, how someone as dreary as you ever gave birth to a girl as magical as Sylvie is beyond me.’

She shrivelled into herself at his cruelty, shrinking from the vitriol of his vicious tongue.

‘Please, Magus!’ she sobbed, her voice high and strangled with tears. ‘Please don’t do this to me. I love you!’

His face twisted into a sneer of contempt and he laughed again. His eyes were black diamonds, glittering hard and cold.

‘You love me? Of course you do! You and every other woman I take. But you’re the only one fool enough to imagine I love
them in return. Why on earth would I love
you
?’

She stared up at him and finally understood. In that beat of a second, something inside Miranda quietly died and she bowed her head.

‘You’ve gone too far this time, Sol!’ cried Clip. He’d stood aghast as his brother destroyed the poor woman’s dreams, but now he stepped forward, his thin face pinched with shock. ‘Get out of here and leave her alone!’

‘With pleasure!’ spat Magus. ‘I want nothing more to do with her. You’re welcome to her, not that an impotent fool like you is of any use to a woman!’

He lashed them both with a look of scornful disgust and turned on his heel, storming out of the room and almost smashing the door from its hinges. Clip shut the door properly behind him and went to comfort Miranda. She was so distressed that she even allowed Clip to bathe her swollen eyes and hold her gently while she cried as if her world had ended.

Magus raced to the stables and bellowed at Tom to saddle Nightwing. While he stood impatiently, kicking at the cobbles in the stable yard, Magus yanked the radio from his pocket. Tom and the other stable lads heard him yelling at Jackdaw.

‘She’s bloody gone missing! She’s not with you at Mooncliffe? No, I thought not. It’s that little shit Yul – he must’ve taken her somewhere! If you see him, kill him! I mean it, Jack, forget what I said yesterday, just kill him! What? The reception’s bloody useless on this damn thing! No, I’m riding up to the stone on the hill to look for them. You hurry down and look round the Village, and try his cottage. See if his bloody mother knows where they are and keep me informed.’

He thrust the gadget back in his pocket and yelled at Tom.

‘Come on, man! Get a bloody move on!’

He snatched the reins from the ostler and leapt up into the saddle. Nightwing rolled his eyes and reared at the rough handling, and Magus pulled viciously on the reins, shouting abuse until he got the stallion under control. He grabbed the whip
from Tom’s outstretched hand and slashing at his horse’s flank, clattered out of the yard.

Tom quickly saddled another horse and called to the stable boys to hurry down to the Village behind him.

‘Where are you going, sir?’ called one of the boys, scared by the frightening turn of events. None of them had ever seen Magus like this before.

‘To Maizie’s cottage – I don’t want that brute Jackdaw turning up and terrorizing the poor woman. One of you lads take a horse quick and go and find Edward. Bring him to the Village too – there’s going to be trouble tonight.’

He rode out of the stables and the boys ran after him.

The light was almost gone as Magus reached Hare Stone. Sylvie wasn’t there and he roared his pure white-hot fury to the cloudy sky. Nightwing reared again, maddened by his ill treatment. His delicate mouth had been cut by Magus’ aggressive handling and his flank slashed again and again by the whip. But Magus was a superb horseman and managed to keep his seat, curbing Nightwing with brutal skill. Wheeling him around, he kicked the stallion down towards the Village, cursing everything that lived and breathed as he went.

The scene in Yul’s cottage was ugly. Jackdaw stood in the parlour with Maizie before him, her chin raised and defiance in her eye, whilst Tom stood beside her protectively. All six children were crowded into the kitchen where she’d pushed them, frightened for their safety. The scene was reminiscent of something from Alwyn’s reign of terror.