Summer of the Moon Flower (The de Vargas Family) (15 page)

Reaching the bottom of the path, she held
her dress above her ankles and jumped the last few feet onto the wet sand. A
small cave had been exposed by the rock fall and Sofia stepped inside and
waited for her eyes to become accustomed to the dark. Rotting wooden boxes and
small kegs covered in glistening seaweed littered the floor. The cave was under
the high tide mark and water had filled it just a few short hours ago. She
shivered—it would be very easy to get caught here by the waves. Hesitantly she
stepped further into the cave and to her delight, her gaze fixed on a small
wooden boat. Hurrying over, she ran her hands along the sides—it was intact and
the oars were still fixed in the rowlocks. If she could drag it to the water,
it was but a short distance to the mainland, even less with the tide out.

She recognized the old boat for what is was
and for a fleeting moment wondered if Dougal was involved in smuggling. Many
stories of smuggling on the Cornish coast had graced the dinner table when she’d
lived with Indigo and Zane. Now in, she knew he despaired in his role of
sheriff of ever defeating the smugglers

Sofia had no money and no other clothes and
there were none of her possessions to retrieve. For a brief moment, she
considered bidding Mary farewell, but she shook her head. The wind would come
up even more as the day got later and it would be too rough to row the short
mile to the mainland. She would worry about what she would do once she got
there. Of immediate concern was the manner in which she would pull the boat out
of the cave and down to the sea. The shoreline was pitted with rock pools and
the beach was a mix of shingle and sand.

Sofia stepped from the cave and searched
the shore line for the clearest route to the water. She raised her hand and
shaded her eyes from the morning sun glinting off the narrow channel of water
between the small island and the mainland. The beach circled around the bay in
a deep horseshoe shape and piles of fallen rocks covered the sand. The shingle
at the south end of the beach was clearer and Sofia tied her skirt up into a
loose knot and set to work. It took more than  half an hour of tugging and
pushing before she grunted with satisfaction when the bow of the small boat
reached the low tide mark. She took off her shoes and put them in the boat as
small waves washed around her bare feet. Allowing the boat to float for a few
minutes in the chilly water, she checked it was intact and free of leaks before
she gave it one huge shove and clambered into it. Using one oar, she pushed at
the shingly bottom and the boat scraped and floated in the deeper water. The
wash of the outgoing tide pulled it into the channel and Sofia dipped both oars
into the firth and started to row.

A shrill cry from the shore caught her
attention and she turned her head swiftly, half expecting to see Mary on the
beach calling her back She breathed a sigh of relief as the kittiwakes circled
above the cliff returning to their nests on the side of the cliff.

It took only ten minutes of gentle rowing
before she reached the mainland and euphoria swept over her. Putting one oar
aside she pushed to the right to turn the boat to the rocky shoreline but the
euphoria disappeared as a rogue wave caught the boat and spun it around. Sofia
fought to control the direction of the boat as the current picked it up and
carried it toward the rocks ahead. The front of the small boat slammed into the
jagged edge of a large black rock close to the shore.

Sofia screamed as the boat tipped to the
side and she slid into the icy water. She grabbed the rock with both hands and
scrabbled to find a foothold in the shingle in the knee- deep water. Once her
feet were firmly in the shingle, she turned and held the boat steady beside
her. Pulling it behind her, she made her way to the shore as she looked back at
the Isle of Rothmore and a pang of regret settled in her chest.

A cloud passed over the sun and the castle
where she’d spent the last few weeks stood dark and shadowed. A sense of
foreboding overwhelmed her and she prayed Dougal and Edward were safe.

After safely stowing the boat behind a
large rock above the high water mark, she squeezed the water from her skirts
and put on her shoes. For a few moments she sat in the sun trying to get warm,
but when her body began to shake from the cold, she decided movement would warm
her more quickly. She climbed to the top of the low cliff cresting the edge of
the beach and looked to the east.

* * * *

Dougal placed the Astrolaberors safely in
its bag and stowed it in the bag slung around his neck. They had arrived on the
edge of the small town of Kilmarnock in the year of 1861 and were expected at
Castle Dean at sunrise. Now he stood at the window of the small inn staring out
into the rain-drenched dark. A sudden squall had swept in from the sea as they
had arrived and most were still abed. Not only was the weather keeping them
inside; the innkeeper informed Dougal word of the uprising had run through the
town like wildfire and the townspeople would turn a blind eye

They had tolerated the Knights Templar in
Castle Dean for many years and would be pleased to see the Castle empty, he
said. If all went to plan, the uprising of the local knights would forever
banish the Council of Five and disband the order. Dougal fingered the sharp
dirk tucked into the waistband of this kilt hoping fervently the rising would
not result in bloodshed. But he knew the Council would resist.

With all their might.

His thoughts turned to Sofia. Using the
Astrolaberors to navigate through time had never bothered him before, but today
uneasiness settled in his bones; leaving her in a previous time worried him. He
shook it off— it was the anticipation of the quest they were about to complete
after the passion of the night he had spent with her causing this feeling of impending
doom.

Nothing to do with Sofia
.

He ran his fingers over the black jewel he
carried next to his heart. Edward followed Dougal from the inn and they walked
through the woods toward Castle Dean. The woods were alive with the morning
rustling of wildlife and the trills of birds anticipating the sunrise.

The sudden scream was shrill and disturbed
the peace of the woods. Edward ran ahead of Dougal heading for the Castle,
drawing their knives as they ran. Jumping the small stone wall which formed the
western boundary of the grounds, they encountered a group of men milling around
the side of the castle.

Dougal recognized each of them as local
knights. A cheer went up as they saw Edward and they ran forward and lifted him
onto their shoulders. Dougal hung back in the shadows of the castle wall and
waited.

“They are gone, my Lord.” One of the older
knights, a wealthy landowner from Cumnock known to Dougal, slapped Edward
enthusiastically on the back.

“The Castle is deserted and the servant advises
they have sought retreat in St Mary's Chapel Lodge in Edinburgh. They left in
the middle of the night.”

The men cheered as Edward turned to Dougal
with a huge grin in his face.

“Aye, breakfast, man, and then you can go
home to your woman.” Edward laughed and winked at Dougal.

* * * *

Sofia kept to the edge of the road from
Troon. Her feet were cold and her wet skirts flapped about her ankles. If any
traffic passed by, she would shelter in the forest and remain unseen. Until she
was sure Dougal and Edward had disposed of those threatening her in Kilmarnock,
she would look out for her safety. The further she walked from the coast, the
deeper the sadness settled in her chest. The physical ache of yearning for
Dougal had grown as her journey continued and she chastised herself. It was one
she would have to live with. He had no place in her life and she certainly
couldn’t live in that cold lump of stone. Once she was back in her own world,
she would forget all about him.

She would.

Trying to control the shaking on her limbs
from the cold devouring her body, she concentrated on her immediate problem.
Her main worry was to find a way to get home...or first to Indigo in Cornwall.
She would beg lodgings here for a day or two and get a message to Indigo to send
Mr. Grimoult to collect her in the airship.

If only she had the necklace. It would
be so easy.

The distress Indigo must have endured for
the past six weeks was unthinkable. Sofia put her sister’s grief from her mind;
there was nothing to be gained by dwelling on it.

As long as the boys were safe.

Dougal had assured her repeatedly they had
come to no harm and Mr. Grimoult would have seen them safely back to their
parents. Once she was home, she would make amends, but never would she trust herself
to look after the children again.

Not until they were grown up anyway.

Distant voices and clanging from a
blacksmith’s forge brought a smile to her face. Not only did Dougal reside in a
cold and draughty lump of stone, he lived in a country where technology was not
welcomed. Queen Victoria’s reign had seen the resurgence of technology in
England, Wales and Cornwall but the stodgy Scottish parliament refused to
accept any of the steam-powered machinery seen as essential in the rest of the
country.

Sofia crept along quietly, not wanting to
draw undue attention to herself until absolutely necessary. The watery sun was
high in the sky; she had been on the road for a considerable time and her wet
feet and skirts were made worse by the chill wind blowing at her back. A small
bridge crossed the river that wound its way from Kilmarnock to the Firth—the
path through the forest had taken her close to the water as she had walked and
she had stopped to take a drink. Now she walked cautiously across the bridge and
her attention was caught by the noise of a small fair ahead. Her stomach
growled as the aroma of roasting chestnuts assailed her nostrils.

No matter, she had no coin.

Sofia stood shivering behind a large oak
tree and observed the crowd milling on the green to ensure all was safe.
Patting her braided hear and straightening her wet skirts as best she could,
she joined the throng

Wandering past the vendors selling a
variety of foods and wares, she observed the odd dress of the women. Compared
to the fashion of Vienna and the continent, their dress was very old fashioned
and plain. Excited chatter surrounded her as she pushed unnoticed through the
crowd.

“Her majesty has arrived in Edinburgh!” The
shrill voice of a stout woman called across the crowd. “They say the crowds in
Edinburgh are huge and most of the town duly turned out to greet her and Prince
Albert.”

Sofia turned slowly.

Who was she talking about?
Queen Victoria has been dead for three months. She shook her head
in confusion?

What new Queen was this?

Perhaps the Princess Royal had taken over
the throne on the death of Victoria, her mother, but Sofia knew that to be high
unlikely as Princess Victoria had married Prince Frederick William of Prussia
three years ago. Sofia and Indigo had followed their love match with interest
as the royal couple had first met at the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace in
1851 and Indigo swore to this day, the Princess Royal had purchased some of her
cosmecuticals.

Sofia pushed through the crowd holding her
wet skirts high to avoid the mud trampled on each side of the path.

“May I trouble you, madam?” she asked
quietly with her head bowed. “Who is visiting Edinburgh?”

“Why the Queen and her Prince of course.”
The woman looked at her with interest. “It has been the talk of the country
since the trip was planned. They disembarked at Leith only yesterday.”

Sofia raised her head slowly. “Her Royal
Highness, the Princess Frederick?”

The woman was no longer listening. The
crowds parted and a hush fell over the assembly as a group of six men walked
though the fair. Sofia shrank into the crowd, and hurried to step behind a
tented stall.

Merde.

The men wore the cross of the Knights
Templar on their tunic.

They were still here, so it seemed Dougal
and Edward had been unsuccessful.

Oh, God. Let them be unhurt.

The stout woman followed her behind the
tent and held out a bag of chestnuts.

“You are a trifle pale, my sweet. Would you
like to try one of my chestnuts?” She gestured to the tent.”I have the best
stall at the market.”

“Please tell me, is it the Princess Royal
in Edinburgh?”

The woman walked over to where Sofia was
leaning against the stone wall at the edge of the grassed area, and reached out
to Sofia’s forehead. “Have you had a wee bit too much sun, lovey?” Her voice
was concerned. “Although it’s nought been a hot day? And you are shivering.”

“Please?” Sofia’s voice was rising and
heads turned. “Who is in Edinburgh.” The foreboding in her chest was making in
difficult to breathe.

“It is our Queen Victoria and her beloved
Prince Albert, of course,” replied the woman. “They are touring Scotland.”

“But… but she’d dead?” Sofia’s voice rose
even further. “She was poisoned in May.”