Summer of the Moon Flower (The de Vargas Family) (14 page)

Were they interfering with nature?
Should they continue their research or now let it go?

Now that lives were in jeopardy, it was
time to rethink their plans, their ambitions, and their quest. Almost as though
he had read her thoughts, Dougal continued in a softer tone.

“Sofia.” She looked up into his face and
was surprised to see sympathy on his face.

“What? What has happened? Is my family
safe?”

Dougal took her hand. “There has been
an…incident. In Vienna.”

She looked from Dougal to Edward. “Tell
me.”

“I have been to Vienna carrying out a task
for the Earl of Rothmore.” Edward spoke slowly. “I have spoken with your
Professor and with your manservant Henri.”

He looked at her intently and Dougal held her
hand tightly. “The laboratory has been burned to the ground and all of the work
destroyed.”

“The work? Does anything remain?” she asked
urgently. Confused thoughts filled her mind. Just as she was wondering about
the reason for their quest…to receive this news.

“The research notes, the elixir…all
burned.” Edward’s voice was solemn.

“The staff?” She looked to Edward as she
thought of the professor and how much time he spent at the university.

“All safe,” replied Edward. “The professor is
down in Cornwall with Captain Thoreau and your sister. I delivered him there
myself. Henri is keeping watch at your salon where business continues as usual.
The other staff are still on their holiday.”

She turned to Dougal as despair filled her
chest. It seemed as though she was no longer needed anywhere. “Please, can I
leave here now? Can I go to my sister?”

He looked at her for a long moment before
speaking.

“No, I am sorry. It is still not safe. It
is essential they believe you are dead. There are too many spies in Cornwall.
The influence and the money of the Knights have corrupted many across the
country.”

Sofia stamped her foot in anger and the
wolfhound gave a low growl. “When? How much longer?”

Edward turned away as Dougal reached for
her and held her close wrapping his strong arms around her.

“Sofia, I beg of you to be patient. Edward
and I are very close to achieving our goal. You have to trust. It is much more
than your research and your life that is at stake.” She let her cheek rest on
his shoulder and his warmth comforted her which surprised her. He was her
captor, he had staged her death and would not let her free, but the simple
touch of his skin on hers was enough to make her want to stay in his arms
forever.

She pulled away reluctantly. “So what now?”

“We continue as we were. You will stay here
and Edward and I will continue to work against the Council.”

Sofia looked up and caught such a look of
naked longing on Dougal’s’ face, she shivered and goose bumps skittered down
her arms. She shook herself angrily.

It is the cold wind that makes me
shiver, not this man.

She turned her back to the two men and
snapped her fingers at the wolfhound. “Come Zeus, we will go to the kitchen
where it is warm and we can have a sensible conversation with Mary.”

* * * *

“Come, Edward, we too shall go in from this
cold and partake of some wine.” Dougal spoke to the young man as they watched
Sofia cross the courtyard. Despite the homespun wool dress, she still carried
herself like a lady of quality and her beauty shone through the plain garb. Her
hair had lightened from spending so much time outside. He knew she roamed the
coast each day searching for a way to escape and he fully understood her
desire.

Dougal looked up at his castle, an awesome
grey stone silhouette against the darkening September sky. It was time to
finish what they had to do and end the Council’s influence forever. The next
few days were critical; Edward had gathered support from the local knights and
they were about to make their move.

Although Dougal was longing to stay in his
castle without the constant trips to the mainland, it would be a lonely place
once Sofia returned to Vienna. He turned abruptly and went to call his hound,
before he remembered the dog’s allegiance was now with Sofia. He smiled grimly;
she had bewitched the whole castle, servants and animals alike. Edward opened
the gate and they crossed the courtyard to the castle where they would make the
final plans to remove the Council.

Mary and Sofia had prepared a special meal
in honor of Edward’s visit. Sofia and the two men sat at the large trestle
table on the dais to partake of the meal as Mary served and cleared the
courses.

Edward belched and then blushed his usual
bright red. “Oh… please forgive me, Madame.”

Sofia laughed at his embarrassment. “I will
take it as a compliment, Edward. Mary has taught me much about preparing
meals.”

Dougal sat back and watched the candlelight
play on her face. Shimmering silver light shot from her hair which was bound
tightly in braids around her high forehead. Her deep brown eyes looked back at
him unwaveringly and it was almost as though he could read her thoughts.

“I am going to turn in for the night,”
Edward said. “If I may be excused?”

“Certainly,” Dougal replied. “You will need
a clear head for tomorrow.”

Edward bid Sofia goodnight and wandered out
through the kitchen. The crackling of the flames in the huge fireplace filled
the silence in the cavernous room. There had been a shift between them since he
had held Sofia this afternoon in the courtyard and even with Edward between
them at the table, the tension filled the room.

No doubt the reason for his hasty exit.

He sat back and sipped his wine, conscious
of Sofia’s unwavering stare fixed on him.

“Dougal, would you walk with me?” she asked
suddenly.

“Can I trust you not to assault me and try
to escape?” He smiled trying to lighten the tense atmosphere between them.

“I think you can trust me,” she replied. “I
have come to trust you over the course of these weeks.”

He stood and came around the table to her
and held his arm out to her. “We shall walk on the ramparts. It is a clear
night.” He looked down at her as she stood and took his arm. There was
something about the tilt of her head, the sudden smile that took Dougal by
surprise. All antagonism had left her and he sensed her confidence in him was
growing.

“You do know it is almost over?” he asked
in a low voice. Sofia’s eyes narrowed as she took his arm and rose to her feet.

“I believe so,” she replied.

“You will be free to go.”

They walked silently across the large room
and into the corridor at the base of the steps leading to the ramparts.

Sofia chuckled softly and the happy sound
filled Dougal’s chest with warmth.

“I have become accustomed to walking up
stairs and not having the convenience of my automated devices in Vienna.”

“I do not think we will ever have them in
Scotland,” replied Dougal. “Even with the death of Queen Victoria and the
change in government, the Scottish parliament remains adamant we will not turn
to what they call the ‘new fangled’ contraptions.”

“Not so ‘new fangled’ in England.” Sofia
smiled up at him and his heart kicked up a notch as she leaned into him. “One
day, I shall take you to visit my sister and you will be quite happy to do
without them. The English models are so archaic it is necessary to wear ear
muffs to ride in their perambulators.”

“Their dirigibles are comfortable,” he
replied and then he chuckled. “But the poor automaton I took as my wife when I
visited your salon in Vienna ended up a pile of springs in the airship. Poor
Edward was quite distraught.”

Their silence was companionable as they
climbed the stairs, each lost in their own thoughts. Dougal pushed open the
heavy door at the top of the stairs and they stepped onto the rampart that circled
the entire castle.

Sofia’s quick gasp filled him with pride in
his home. The full moon was rising across the firth and a silver path of
moonlight lay on the still sea. The wind had dropped at dusk and the sea was
like a rippling sheet of silver cloth, a long slow and heavy swell rising and
falling with the tide. Despite the lack of wind, there was a chill in the air
and Dougal pulled Sofia close to him.

Sofia was taut with apprehension; for many
weeks she had searched ceaselessly with one goal in mind—to escape this island.
Now the time to leave was coming close, she was filled with regret and longing
for this man holding her. He was a good and righteous man and she would miss
him. She very much wanted to believe that he would miss her as well. Just a few
months ago, she would have been appalled by the need consuming her. It was time
to leave and return to her old life, before she changed her mind.

But they had one last night.

Dougal watched he without speaking, his
eyes grave and wary. She lifted her hand and placed it against the rough
stubble on his cheek. He held her gaze and turned his lips into her palm.
Warmth shot through her skin and she pressed against his hard body. With a
muffled groan he dropped his head and captured her lips with his. The need that
rose in her was ripe and so huge it overwhelmed her. She wanted no more than to
fall into it and wished suddenly they could just be two people who could stand
and kiss in the moonlight while the shadows grew long and deep.

“Just one night,” she murmured against his
lips.

“Need me as I need you, Sofia.” His breath
was warm as it mingled with hers.

She couldn’t deny him as he deepened the
kiss and she closed her eyes losing herself in her feelings as the moment spun
around them. He pulled back and looked at her for a long moment.

“Come to bed with me,” he said softly as
the shadows played across his face. Turning to the stairs, she held her hand
out for him to follow and led him to the small solar where she had spent the
past six weeks.

He sat upon the soft feather bed and she
placed her fingers on his lips.

“No words,” she murmured stepping back into
the moonlight. The rough wool dress fell to the floor and she reached up and
unbound her braids. Her hair fell to her waist as she turned to him. His breath
was warm on her skin and she pulled his head closer and rested her forehead on
his hair as his tongue flicked at the tips of her breasts.

He pulled her to the bed and quickly shed his
breeches and shirt. He rolled on top of her, capturing her mouth with his and
she clung tightly to his bare shoulders, kneading her fingers into the tight
muscles of his broad back. His skin was wondrously smooth and hot and she
opened to him.

* * * *

Dawn light spilled across the bed through
the open casements. Sofia lay on her back staring up at the timber beams high
above them. Next to her, Dougal breathed slow and even. A night of passion lay
behind them and she stretched remembering the feel of him against her and
inside her. She caught her breath on a muffled sob and a solitary tear ran down
her cheek as she looked at him trying to imprint his face on her mind.

He lay sprawled on his back, only partially
covered with the sheet and his chest rose and fell with each breath as he
slept. It would be dangerous, he had spoken of what would come today and she
was fearful. A small white scar, just faintly visible sat above his top lip.
Her eyes lingered on his strong face and she traced the raised skin with a
light touch.

This life was not for her and she could
take no joy in the feelings she had for this man. She had to return to Vienna
and continue in her quest, despite her doubts; there was a laboratory to
rebuild and staff to care for. It was time to return to her own life and she
would get there however she could. The bed moved beside her and she smiled as
Dougal’s hand tangled in her hair and pulled her down to him.

The next time Sofia woke the room was full
of flickering sunlight and Dougal was gone. He had kissed her farewell and
promised to return within two days and she’d drifted back to sleep. Dressing
with nervous haste, she reached for a warmer dress as the scurrying of the
clouds across the sun warned of a chill wind. Today, she vowed she would find a
way off the island and be gone when Dougal returned.

After she had breakfasted with Mary, she
headed out for a walk. Breasting the slope of the hill furthest from the
castle, she paused as a small flock of bleating ewes crossed beneath her.
Shading her eyes with her hand, she looked down at the small shingly beach
below. The tide was low and the entrance to a cave was exposed. A cairn of
rocks was piled at the entrance and it appeared there had been a rock fall
which explained why she had not noticed it before. Setting off down the cliff
path, small pebbles slipped underfoot and rolled down the path ahead of her,
disturbing the birds nesting in the cliff. They rose high above her, squawking
and complaining as she disturbed their morning slumber.