“Cameron.” She pulled on the back of his overcoat. “She’s in the attic bedroom.”
He turned his head and looked at her with a creased brow. “How do you know?”
“Because I remembered the vision I had with her by the window. The tops of the tree were visible.”
Slowly, a smile stretched across his mouth. He grabbed her hand. “You are utterly amazing.”
She motioned toward the steps even though his compliment made her heart flutter again. “Now let’s go.”
He set his foot on the first step, and she quickly pulled on his hand, stopping him. “The second and third steps creak.”
“That’s right, they do.”
He eyed the stairs again before taking his leg and skipping those two steps. Once he had both feet planted on the fourth step, he reached down and lifted Madison, as if she weighed no more than a feather, and brought her up with him.
“I now remember where the other creaky stairs are, so follow me.”
She nodded as she monitored where he stepped, repeating his actions. It wasn’t until they reached the top when she released the breath she’d been holding. So far, they hadn’t alerted the old servant of their presence.
Madison glanced back down the stairs. And what about Mr. Bailey’s cousin? When would he return? Nervously, she twisted her hands against her middle, praying they wouldn’t get caught.
Cameron slowed as he neared a bedroom. He motioned his hand to the door and mouthed the servant’s room. She tiptoed past the room, heading toward the back staircase. By the time they reached the steps, her heartbeat hammered like a cannon blast. She must trust that Cameron would protect her. After all, he had a pistol.
Carefully, they made their way up the stairs. The steps creaked more than the others, and she tried to tread softly, just as Cameron was doing. When they reached the top, she placed her hand on his chest and whispered, “Now let me go first so I can feel the doorknobs to see if I get a vision.”
He nodded and allowed her to pass. There were only a few rooms up this hall, and it wasn’t lit very well. There were also no windows in this hall, so she couldn’t rely on the moon’s glow to assist her.
Taking a deep breath for courage, she slid her hands along the wall until she reached the first door. Madison placed her hand on the knob, but nothing stimulated her mind. Trying to be extra quiet, she moved her hands along the wall until she reached another door. That, too, didn’t bring her any revelations.
She moved across the hall and tried that side. Mere seconds before she reached the door, a noise came from inside. Cameron hitched a breath and pressed his ear against the wall. Madison placed her hand on the knob, and soon her mind opened. Rosie was curled up on the bed, crying.
“She’s in there,” she whispered as she glanced over her shoulder at Cameron. “But be quiet so you don’t wake the servant.”
Cameron turned back toward the door and moved the door knob. Locked! Madison feared he would try to break it down, so she reached and placed her hand on his again.
“Let me try opening it.”
“How?”
She couldn’t stop the grin tugging on her mouth as she moved in front of him. “Let’s just say I have another hidden talent.”
She fished through her hair and pulled out a hairpin. Her hidden talent stemmed back from when she was younger and first living with her aunt and uncle. She was restricted to her room quite often as a form of punishment. She’d learned quickly how to pick the lock on her bedroom door.
Cameron moved aside as she knelt in front of the door knob. Although it was still quite dark in the hall, she used her fingertips to help locate the exact point of where she needed to place the hairpin. She concentrated on turning it a certain way until there was a soft click.
She stood and Cameron leaned down to her ear. “You are truly an amazing woman.”
Madison didn’t want to tell him I know again, so she just smiled, even though he probably couldn’t see it very well.
He opened the door slowly and peeked inside. Thankfully, the moonlight pouring in through the window helped light the way.
Cameron hitched a breath and hurried inside. She smiled, knowing that he’d found his sister. Maybe he’d believe in Madison’s visions from now on. She could only hope.
She moved inside the room. Cameron bent over the bed and placed a hand over Rosie’s mouth.
“It’s me. Cam.”
Rosie’s watery eyes widened and she sprang into her brother’s arms. He buried his face in her hair, holding her tight. Madison’s heart leapt with happiness. Now, if they could only get her out of here without being caught...then her night would be perfect. Well, at least close to it.
CAMERON TRIED HOLDING back tears of joy, but they leaked from his eyes, regardless. Thankfully, his sister appeared fine. Then again, whoever held her prisoner had struck his sister, and he was not going to let that go unnoticed when he finally caught the man.
“We need to leave quickly,” he whispered.
“But...what about Heath? He’ll stop you—”
“Shhh...” He pressed his finger to Rosie’s mouth. “I won’t let that happen.” At least he knew who’d taken her. He also hoped Heath Langston was the man who killed Mr. Bailey. But then he’d have to present himself to Captain Owrood and convince the man that he was innocent. Cameron shook the thought away. He’d worry about that later.
He helped Rosie off the bed and took her hand. She took one step and froze, staring at Madison with wide eyes.
“Rosie, this is Miss Haywood. She’s been helping me find you.”
“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Madison said. “But let’s wait until we can get out of here before we get to know each other.”
Rosie nodded.
He led the trio out of the bedroom and to the stairs. He grasped his pistol from the holster, just in case. For some reason, he didn’t take the stairs as slowly as he had when they were climbing them. Urgency to get Rosie home guided his legs, and he wouldn’t let anything stop him. Not a near-deaf old servant, and especially not a cocky man who would commit murder for an inheritance.
Once they reached the second floor, he stopped, peered down the hall, and listened for any sounds. When he was satisfied they hadn’t been detected, he crept toward the first set of stairs, only slowing as they passed the servant’s room. From behind the door, the old man’s loud snoring bounced off the walls. At least Cameron knew they didn’t have to worry about this man. Still...that left one more man to watch out for.
He motioned his hand to the others to keep following him as he led them down the stairs. He didn’t skip those creaky steps as he’d done before. Finally, they made it to the bottom level, so he took them toward the back of the house. His heart thumped wildly as he kept a sharp eye—and listened closely—for Heath Langston.
As Cameron opened the back door to prepare for their escape, he wondered why he hadn’t seen Heath yet. But maybe it was a good thing. As angry as Cameron was right now, he would tear off the other man’s head for what he’d done to Rosie.
Once he closed the back door, they broke into a run. He pulled Rosie one way, and Madison darted in the opposite direction. He stopped, searching the trees for her horse.
“Madison? Where are you going?”
She pointed up the lane. “I left my horse to graze in the fields. I didn’t dare bring him this close to the house.”
“Come with me to my horse. It’s closer.”
She arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “And you expect three people to ride your steed?”
“No. You and Rosie will ride. I’ll walk.” He reached his hand for her to take. “Let’s go. I don’t want to be here when Langston comes back.”
Madison hesitated for only a moment before clasping his hand with hers. He led her and his sister to his horse and placed his sister on top first. Now that he could see her better, her face was still damp from her tears. Her hair was unkempt, but it was the dark shadow of a bruise around
her eye that made him want to pummel Heath Langston over and over again.
Her gaze silently pleaded for forgiveness. He squeezed her hand and gave her his best smile. “You’re going to be all right now.”
“I know,” she muttered in a tight voice.
Cameron turned to Madison and placed his hands on her small waist. Looking deep into her eyes, he could see her hesitation. This definitely wasn’t the time to take her in his arms and beg her for forgiveness, so he fought the urge as he lifted her behind his sister.
His heart tugged with emotion as he took the reins and moved them away from the house. He really needed to tell Madison how sorry he was. Explaining his feelings were a little more complicated, but it needed to be done soon. If only she’d allow him back into her life.
Within minutes, he found Madison’s horse. Without a word, she jumped down and smoothed out her cloak.
“I thank you, Mr. Westland. I don’t—”
“Madison.” He slipped his hands over hers and moved closer. She wouldn’t meet his gaze now. “We really need to talk.”
She slowly pulled her hands away. “Please, Mr. Westland. We don’t have anything to talk about. Not anymore.” She inhaled deeply and released her breath slowly as she raised her eyes to his. “You need to be with your sister now. Take care of her.”
The faux smile she offered him before hurrying to her horse broke his heart. He refused to let those be the last words they say to each other. But she was right. He needed to take care of Rosie. He only hoped he could talk to his sister without raising the roof with his temper.
FIFTEEN
Cameron paced back and forth in his study, trying to calm his wrath as he waited for Rosie. After they’d arrived home last night, he sent her directly to her room to rest. Alice was overjoyed, but her sobs of gratitude for Madison’s help gnawed on his already frayed nerves. As much as he needed to set things right with Madison, he needed to set things right with Rosie first.
He’d not slept well, only because he tried to think of ways to keep Rosie’s scandal from spreading through the gossipmongers. He tried to convince himself that Rosie must have been kidnapped by Heath Langston, but he just couldn’t believe that’s what truly happened. Hopefully, Rosie would clear up his doubts.
When a soft knock sounded on the door, he swung around to face his sister. “Enter.”
Rosie walked in with her eyes downcast, her hand clutched against her middle. She wore a plain gray dress, and her brownish-blonde hair was loosely piled into a bun at the back of her head. The bruised skin around her eye looked darker today. He’d make certain Mrs. Trumble rubbed some cream on the bruise, and maybe he’d have her place a cold slab of steak on there as well.
“Please sit.” He pointed to the nearest chair.
Without a word, she did as he asked, still not meeting his eyes.
“As you are probably aware, I’m trying really hard not to lose my temper. However, I still need the truth from you, Rosie. I know by now that you were not madly in love with Mr. Bailey and he had not wanted to court you. So please, tell me everything that happened.”
She nodded, finally looking him straight in the eyes. The bruise made her face appear paler.
“I made up the story about Mr. Bailey wanting to court me.” Her voice cracked. “I met him when I was visiting Annie Trent a few weeks ago. I also met his cousin, Gaynor. I could tell Mr. Bailey took an interest in me, but it was Gaynor who’d caught my eye.”
Cameron fisted his hands, but didn’t interrupt her.
“Gaynor and I decided to meet secretly at Mr. Bailey’s house while we planned our...” she paused and sucked in a quick breath of air as her gaze fell to her lap.
Cameron arched a brow. “Your what?”
“Elopement.” She peeked at him from under her lashes.
Just as he’d thought. “Then what happened?”
“On the day we’d decided to elope, Gaynor sent a buggy to take me to Mr. Bailey’s house, but his other cousin, Heath Langston, was there to greet me, instead.” Tears gathered in her eyes and her body shook. She wrapped her slender arms around her waist as if she were trying to keep warm. “He told me that Gaynor was waiting for me in the attic bedroom. I didn’t know why he’d want to meet me there, but I followed Heath. He shoved me inside and locked the door.” A tear slid down her cheek. “I never saw Gaynor after that. Heath threatened that if I wasn’t quiet, he’d kill you and Alice. I had no other choice but to follow his commands.”
Cameron sat on the edge of his desk and folded his arms. “Why did you choose Mr. Bailey’s house to meet secretly?”
“Because Gaynor asked his cousin to help us, and...” She licked her lips and her gaze dropped to her lap. “Gaynor doesn’t have a place to live at the moment. He was hoping Mr. Bailey would give him some money to help us start out our new life together.”
“So you’re telling me that my once-intelligent sister forgot her upbringing and decided to elope with a man who had no money?” His voice lifted in anger, but this time he couldn’t control it.
She nodded as another tear slid down her face. “I...love Gaynor, but I didn’t think you would approve of him.”
“And rightly so!” Growling, he moved away from his desk and resumed his pacing. “Tell me, Rosie. Why didn’t you think I would approve?”
“Because he is penniless.”
“And why,” he continued as he linked his hands behind him, “would money stop me from approving of a suitor for one of my sisters?”
“I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do,” he urged.
She expelled a deep breath. “Because we might not have a place to live?”
He nodded. “How do you expect a man to provide for you if he doesn’t have any money? Pray tell, where did you expect to live? With Mr. Bailey?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “Or...here.”
He rolled his eyes. “Absolutely not!”
“Cam, there’s enough room in the attic. I was up there not too long ago, and I cleared out the main room. Gaynor and I—”
“Over my dead body,” Cameron yelled.
Her frown deepened and she rubbed a thumb roughly against the knuckles of her other hand. “That’s exactly why I chose to keep the truth from you.”
Growling, he pushed his fingers through his hair. Although shaking his sister would probably make him feel better, it wouldn’t help her to think clearly. He stopped next to the window and leaned back against the pane.
“Rosie, I just don’t understand you. For years you’ve walked around the house as though you are the queen. And yet when a man pays you some attention, you forget everything about what our father—and I—have taught you. Not only that, but did you ever think of what kind of scandal your poor choice of eloping would create to our family?” He shook his head. “I don’t think it crossed your mind at all.”
She huffed and rose to her feet, glaring at him. “You’ve always talked to me as though I were still a child. Not once have you treated me like a mature woman.”
“You are only sixteen!” His voice boomed through the air. “And your actions certainly haven’t shown me you are a mature woman.”
“Whether you want to believe this or not, Cam, I do have my own opinions, and I can think for myself.”
He released a rueful chuckle. “And running away with a penniless man is thinking? Creating a scandal that could possibly ruin your sister’s chance of marrying well didn’t even occur to you?”
“Augh!” She flipped her hands in the air. “There you go again, making me feel like a child.”
“Then stop acting like one!” Cameron pinched the bridge of his nose and slowly blew out a frustrated breath. For some time now, he and Rosie communicated by yelling at each other, which wasn’t very good at all.
“Forgive me if I’m not like most women you know,” she continued in a tirade, “but I refuse to live like the women in England.”
He nodded. “I can honestly say you are not like mos
t women. The women I know would want their future husband to have employment or at least have the funds to support a wife and their children.”
“Honestly, Cam. I don’t believe it’ll come to that.” She twirled a lock of brownish blonde hair around her finger. “I believe in Gaynor.”
“After only knowing him for a few short weeks, how do you know he’s a decent fellow?” He rolled his eyes. “Rosie, I must say, I’m quite surprised at your attitude shift. Ever since Father died, you have wanted things beyond your means. And now you want to lower yourself and marry a penniless man?”
She pouted. “Because I’m in love. I know you’ve never been in love, Cam, but it can change your heart. I’m proof of that.”
He bunched his hands into fists. “That’s understandable, but love can’t put food on the table and it certainly can’t pay the bills,” he snapped. “And as much as you prance around the house pretending to be royalty, the plain and simple truth is that you’ll never be rich.”
Tears filled her eyes again. “You know, Cam, I honestly don’t know why I’m in this family. I have never felt as if I belonged here.”
He arched an eyebrow. “And why is that, may I ask?”
“Because we are so very different. Alice and I don’t even have the same interests.” She folded her arms across her bosom. “Sometimes I think I’m really not your sister at all.”
“Pray tell...whose sister would you be?”
“I don’t know, but not yours!”
The pulsing vein in his forehead throbbed harder, so he rubbed his temples. At least once a year, they’d had this type of conversation. This was just Rosie’s spoiled way of trying to get what she wanted. Sometimes Cameron wished he could wash his hands of her. She wanted to be an adult, so he might as well let her be one. He really needed to stop catching her every time she started to fall. Rosie needed to experience the pitfalls of being grown up and responsible. Perhaps he should just push her toward Gaynor...
Madison's Gift Page 17
