by Claudy Conn
She watched as Elly walked straight to Jack and she winced to see Elly bend over the slumped body and speak quietly to the man as though he were still alive. How awful. How terribly sad to have one’s dreams ripped out from under one in the blink of an eye, Mandy thought and then Elly held the diary up for her inspection.
“You see, miss, m’Jack was mixed up in this…” she went to one of the chests and threw it open. “And it got him killed.”
Mandy gasped to see all that gold. “Oh my goodness.”
Elly suddenly went very rigid and put her fingers to her lips. Elly swung around with the diary and dived to Jack’s body once again, slipping the book under him.
Mandy watched opened-mouthed for a moment before it dawned on her, that they were not alone. A man in a black cape with its hood pulled low over his head stepped forward and as he slipped the hood off and sneered, Mandy gasped again. She never once suspected, really suspected when she listed the possibilities. Here stood her cousin, Alfred Speenham.
“So then, here we are,” Alfred said quietly.
“Indeed, but Alfred, we will soon be joined by the duke and Skip. I left a message where I was going, so do not think you will get away with this,” Mandy bluffed.
His glance was filled with hate, “Nonsense. You left no message, how could you? What? Tell the butler you were going to a waterfall cave?” He shrugged, “And even if you did. They won’t find this easily, will they? I would have enjoyed killing you slowly, Amanda, but we’ll have to do it more quickly now and leave your bodies for them to find away from this cave. I need time to move the gold you see. Can’t take any chances of it being found now, when I am so close to removing all my problems.”
“Beast,” Mandy hissed.
“My father wanted me to marry you, but I shall be rich for all time and no longer need your inheritance.”
“You and Celia?” Mandy decided to stall for time. She needed to find a way out of this. Never, not once, did she imagine that Celia had in any possible way was actually in love with Alfred. Celia had been in love—but Alfred? What had she seen in him? “Alfred, you were the father of Celia’s child?” Mandy could not believe this and it showed.
“And why not?” he took umbrage. “She adored me, and for a time, I did think I could love her, but she made the mistake of threatening me. I couldn’t have that, could I?”
“But…to kill her…your child?”
“She found out about the gold shipment from Aunt Agatha and told me about it. When the gold went missing, she put it together and thought to threaten me into marriage. When I refused, she backed down and asked only for money with which to vanish.” He shrugged. “She knew too much. I couldn’t have that, now could I?”
“But why? You are well off. You have no need to steal?”
“Ah, you are quite wrong. Father is not a wealthy man. He is comfortable, but not wealthy and I have been spending more than I should…gambling and wenching and gambling some more. Debts piled up and debtor’s prison was waiting for me. I had to do something and since you were not interested in my suit…well, this was an answer,” he said waving at the gold. “Now, hand over the diary.”
“It isn’t here,” Elly said. “Why would it be here? I came here looking for Jack…and found him…like this. We hid it.”
“Where the devil is it?” he snapped sharply.
“At the Abbey ruins, in a special place you will never find,” Mandy stuck in quickly. “We hid it before we came here.”
He leveled the gun at Elly and said, “You will take me there, but she has been a great deal of trouble and I think I will end that trouble now.”
“Pull that trigger and I swear, I will let you kill me before ever I show you the diary,” Mandy threatened. “But my brother will find it, because I left Skip a note telling him where it is in case anything happened to Elly and me.”
Alfred walked over to a hook in the wall and produced a length of rope and threw it at Mandy. It fell to the floor and he sneered as he told her, “Pick it up and tie her wrists behind her back. And her ankles…tie them as well.”
A few moments later he shoved Mandy with the pistol in her back and said, “Come on then, walk…we are going to get that diary.”
He kept the reins of her horse tightly in his grip and she was forced to hold her horse’s mane for balance as they made their way to Abbey Road.
It didn’t take them long to get to the abbey and once there, she jumped off her horse and watched as he tethered his nearby, noting that he didn’t bother to tether hers. No doubt, he meant to kill her as soon as he had the diary. She had to think fast.
And she did. She looked at him and said, “We have to take the stairs down under the trap door, do you wish to go first, or shall I?”
“You…first and I would be careful if I were you, as I have this pointed at your back and will be close, very close.”
She took the stairs but as she got to the bottom step, she stumbled and went down, flinging her arms wide.
“Get up, you clumsy bitch!” he shouted at her.
She did as he asked, but this time, she was no longer empty-handed.
Some time back, she had planted a gun, for just such an occasion at the bottom of the stairs. She hid it in the folds of her gown now as she proceeded to lead him down the long dark corridor. She had to bide her time, wait for the right moment.
Only one torch had remained lit in their absence and Alfred didn’t seem to want to waste time getting the others lighted, so they had to slowly make their way through the semi-darkness.
Suddenly Mandy stopped, turned and faced her cousin, “Alfred…the diary isn’t here. I lied.”
He gritted his teeth, reached out and slapped her hard across her cheek. She put a hand to it, shocked at the force he had used. “Damn you for a cockatrice!” he snapped. “Get the damned diary now.”
“I am telling you, this was a ruse to get you away from the gold and Elly. It isn’t here.”
He hauled off and hit her again and this time she reeled sideways and went down. Now, she told herself, shoot the blackguard now.
No, she couldn’t just yet. The duke would come. He would question Sticwell and know that she would take Elly and the diary to the abbey. She had been afraid that Celia’s killer might come back to the waterfall and had meant to get out of there with Elly as fast as they could, however, they had been a few moments too late.
“Get the diary,” he said on a low hard note. “I know that you are stalling…but it is useless. No one knows about the waterfall cave. No one knows you are here. Now get the diary!”
“It isn’t here…it is really in the barn,” she said.
His hand went up to slap her again, but she stepped out of his range and he sneered, “Go on then…out we go.”
She led him back down the corridor and up the stairs, outside and toward the building they had used as a barn. She was stalling for time, but she was nearly out of it. She was going to have to shoot this beast of a man.
Outside he took a step toward her, “No more tricks.”
“Of course not,” she said on a grim note.
He laughed, “You know, I have always wondered what it would be like to bed you, and I think before I put a bullet in your head, that is just what I will do…now, the diary.”
A hard authoritative voice at Alfred’s back said, “You don’t think I will allow you to have either, do you?” He had already put the nozzle of his gun against Alfred’s neck, as he reached and grabbed the gun from the man’s hand.
However, Alfred now desperate whirled and tried to retrieve his weapon. He fought with the duke and they struggled.
Mandy’s held up her gun and had it ready, but they were tightly bound to one another and she couldn’t get a clear shot.
Suddenly, she heard a shot go off, and cried out, “Brock!”
And even as her heart leaped into her throat, she saw that her duke was safely standing as her cousin slumped to the earth.
She ran into th
e duke’s arms, her own pistol against his chest and he looked at it and then her and shook his head. “I suppose I had nothing to worry about…you would have shot him dead, yourself if you had to.”
She burst into tears as she wailed, “Brock…oh Brock.”
Chapter Twenty
MANDY STOOD RIGIDLY before her Uncle Bevis. Her eyes scanned his face, but she was filled with sympathy for him. Alfred had been his only son.
A part of her would never forgive him for his actions against her brother, but even so she felt for him in this instance.
It had been a week since Alfred’s death.
The gold had been recovered and Ned had been totally cleared of all charges. The gossipmongers were in their glory for this was the biggest piece of meat they had had to chew in some years.
Her uncle had decided to take an extended tour of the Highlands in Scotland, but had stopped by Sherborne Halls to make his peace with his niece and nephew.
“I…I can only say, I did what I thought was right,” He spoke sadly and Mandy thought he looked older suddenly and certainly broken.
“I know,” Mandy replied gently. If she had wanted to point out his wrongs, she had gotten over it, for he had already lost so much. She turned to her twin and said, “Come Neddy, wish Uncle Bevis a safe journey.”
Ned glanced sharply at her, for he had told her that this was one relation he wanted to exclude from his memory. He was, however, a kind soul and said good-bye, then Uncle, safe journey.”
Elly came into the parlor at that moment to place a tray of tea and sweet-cakes on the table. Mandy smiled warmly at her. She had been allowed to keep some of the money Jack had changed into currency as a reward, but her plans to leave for America had been put off. Instead, she remained at Sherborne where she was held in great affection.
Their uncle left and Ned drank down his tea and swallowed another small cake before he said, “Damn pleased not to have Aunt Agatha here anymore. That duke, smart as a whip. Knew just how to get rid of her, didn’t he?”
“Hmmm,” Mandy said dreamily.
“He has a surprise for you,” Ned said on a grin.
She perked up, “Does he? What? Tell me at once, you odious boy.”
The duke said on a low note as he came through the door and stood near Mandy, “The odious boy will go meet Chauncey outside for I need them to get a few things done before we leave in the morning.”
Ned grinned, got to his feet, plopped another small cake into his mouth, rubbed his hands, winked at his sister and left her to the duke.
Brock and Mandy smiled at this performance and then he took her into his arms, “You know, my love, I am a cad.”
“Yes, of course you are, but why do you say so?”
He chuckled, “Because you are still my ward and shall be for another few weeks.”
“Ah, yes indeed, I agree, quite a cad.”
“So, we leave for London, where you and Ned will be installed in m’godmother’s house. She means to present you to the haute ton, you see.”
Her face dropped ludicrously; “Oh…” she took a step away from him.
“What? What have I said? Don’t you wish a London Season?” he looked at her with great concern.
“Why, yes…but…”
“Mandy, my dear, my only love, you do see that I can not beg you to marry me, until you have had your choice of London beaus and when I am no longer your guardian…you do see that?”
She brightened, “Will you be jealous, if I take London by storm and men flirt with me?”
“I shall, I think have to dispose of them if they get in my way,” he answered as he scooped her into his arms. “But, tell me love, does my plan not suit you?”
“Well, I am not sure. Are you saying that you plan to ask me to marry you?”
“Damnation woman,” he suddenly got down on one knee. “Will you, Mandy, will you marry me?”
“We shall see,” Mandy said and her musical laugh filled the room.
Epilogue
MANDY’S SEASON TURNED out to be epic. She did, in fact, take London by storm, but after a month’s time, disappointed any number of suitors when she and the duke announced their engagement.
Ned found London suited him immensely and told his sister that although he was installed and committed to the smooth running of their estates at Sherborne, he would be visiting with her and the duke as often as he could.
He and Chauncey’s bond was tighter than ever, and as a net result, they were destined for more adventures.
There was still the matter of Sir Owen.
He too returned to London, and fortunately discovered a fair widow of some means. Within a short span of time, they married and he was once again enjoying the lifestyle that suited him best.
Skippendon and his bride announced their marriage, and although they decided to remain quietly for a time at Wharfdale Manor, he had every intention of bringing her to London for the latter part of the season.
Elly would hurt for a long time, but Mandy had taken her on as her ladies’ maid and was determined to throw as many eligible fellows her way as she could, which kept the duke watchful and quite amused.
He held his bride to be in his arms and kissed her mouth. “I can’t wait my love, to get you into my bed…again.”
“But I was just there this morning…” she teased for she had broken all his rules and was forever creeping into his bedroom.
He laughed, “You are everything I could ever want or need.”
“Oh, did you want to go there now…to your bedroom, I mean?” she continued to tease.
He laughed and pinched her chin, “You beauty you, you outrageous beauty. Wild to a fault, headstrong and stubborn, glorious and kind, you hold my heart, gamine, you hold my heart.”
“Hmmm, I should like to hold a bit more of you, Your Grace,” the naughty lady said.
* * * *
Imagine you were about to attain your majority as a white witch, but your father wants you to marry a dark wizard—someone you dislike. Your mother wants to send you into the past to save you.
LADY X
~ Prelude ~
“There is darkness in light, there is pain in joy, and there are thorns on the rose.”
by Cate Tiernan
EXERILLA RADLEY SHIVERED from her dip in the ocean as she stood in the wet sand. She took a few steps further up the deep white sandy slope to where she had dropped her colorful beach towel. She snapped it in the wind and began drying herself off.
She squeezed water out of her long black hair and tossed it around herself as she looked up at the only home she had ever known.
Spanish red tiles made up its many tiered roof. A soft peach pastel colored the stucco exterior walls. Lush landscaping that incorporated palms and other tropical plants, made her home look as though it belonged in the tropics instead of Wrightsville Beach, NC.
Everything about the house was invitingly warm and Exerilla smiled. She loved her home and was glad that it stood magnificent and strong against all storms. And it did.
Nothing could touch it. Her mother was a powerful white witch and had enacted a protection spell right into its frame when it was being built.
Her life was taking a turn and it should feel exciting, but something was missing. She knew it, but wasn’t sure just what that ‘something’ was.
Her days at UNC at Wilmington were over. She wondered how it passed so quickly. Summer days were ahead. She sighed with a mixture of excited anticipation for the future and melancholy as she let go of the past.
Yup, X told herself--too soon she would leave everything familiar and safe and head for New York to do her graduate work at Columbia. That in itself was a major deal. She had always been a homebody. Now here she was, going off to of all places, New York City.
As she picked up her clogs and headed up the sandy slope for the long wide private boardwalk that led to the upper deck of her home, she suddenly stopped and listened. She listened carefully but could not quite hear the words, t
hough she heard the tone.
Something was wrong.
She could feel a power sweeping into the house. It was like a dark wave; threatening and determined.
Something dangerous had invaded.
She closed her eyes—it was her father and he wasn’t alone.
Galen Debbin was with him.
X’s hands went to her head as her mother’s voice boomed with distress, Don’t come in here, Exerilla.
No other person would hear her mother, not even her father; for their link was that of mother and daughter. No one could tap into their private link with any kind of magic—not even hard dark magic.
Exerilla didn’t listen and her mother sensed it at once as her steps brought her closer. Once again, her mom shouted in her head, Don’t come here. Get in your car and just go! This time, her mom sounded desperate.
Exerilla sighed heavily. She wasn’t afraid of her father. He would never hurt her. Why her mother had fixated on the belief that he would, was beyond her understanding. Even though her parents were separated, she knew that they still loved each other. The only thing standing between her parents was the dark magic he had surrounded himself with these last few years.
She ignored her mother’s command and skipped up the double set of plank stairs to their large deck. She slid the glass doors open and stepped inside.
“Mom?” she said out loud. She could see from her mother’s stance and the scowl covering her lovely face that she was extremely annoyed.
Galen with that ever present and arrogant smirk on his too pretty face, stood next to her father, who had taken a step toward her with a warm and encompassing smile.
She tried to lighten the mood with a bright tone, “Hi Dad, what’s up?” However, she saw what humans couldn’t see; the black aura surrounding Galen Debbin. Her father was also engulfed with the dark aura of tainted magic. She frowned. A hint of darkness had always edged the bright mystique that had been his in his early days, but she knew this meant he was giving in to his dark side.
