by Rachel Secor
Everyone forgot Katherine’s mishap, including Katherine herself, as they waited for Garth’s response. Slowly she finished the golden liquid in her cup and placed it on the table.
David, not totally familiar with the Craig family, remained silent but observed the man in question. So this is supposed to be Sir Robert’s son? The one who was supposed to have died. Can this really be him? He grew uncomfortable remembering the tall man’s eyes upon Katherine. What was there between them, he wondered. But then he reasoned that if he were Garth that they probably would have been raised together and played together as children. Was that the look that lay between them, the look of sibling affection? The notion puzzled him.
Studying Garth’s face, Katherine noted that there wasn’t a scowl or a frown to mar his features or betray his thoughts. What would he say now that someone else had questioned his presence there? Could there by legal ramifications? She couldn’t help wondering what she could do to assist him.
“Ye have ta admit,” the old vicar said, frowning, “’tis a puzzle. Though the coffin be sealed, I administered at the funeral. Know that yer father was devastated upon hearin’ of yer death. ‘Tis hard losin’ yer only child.”
A dark flush covered Garth’s countenance, and his eyes narrowed. “Tell me old man,” he spat at Earnan, “did you ever see that ‘devastated’ father sit with me in church? And the final prayer that you said over my mother, his beloved wife, was he here to know whether you said it inside the family vault or out with the common masses? That ‘devastated’ man didn’t love anyone, not my mother, not his confused daughters, and, most of all, not his son!” He rose and stormed from the building, leaving an awkward silence in his wake.
“He were an angry lad an’ seems he has na changed,” the old vicar stated shaking his head.
Inexplicably wanting to go to Garth’s side, Katherine rose, saying, “I thank you for your hospitality, but I’m feeling much better. It’s time for us to get back to the manor.”
“Are you sure?” David asked.
“Yes and thank you again so much for coming to my aid.”
Gently taking her arm, David escorted Katherine from the manse. Nodding her thanks to Vicar Macailean, May-Jewel followed.
As they approached the carriage, Garth moved from the shadows. His anger at the old vicar spread to Katherine. Ignoring Vicar Hawes, he said gruffly to her, “If you want to know about me or the rest of the family, then ask me. Don’t go poking about. Sometimes half-truths can be dangerous.”
“May I remind you,” Katherine snapped, realizing that the very person she had wanted to help was now attacking her, “that we are of this family too. And had Alex not taken every scrap of Sir Robert’s papers from the manor, we would have no need to ‘poke about’!” She started to shake in anger and from embarrassment at being caught in her subterfuge.
“That, Mistress St. Pierre, is what we have solicitors for. I ask you to mind your own business.” Frowning at his other sister to include her in on the warning, he stalked away.
Aware of David’s eyes on her, Katherine stifled her reaction, although she longed to chase after Garth and give him a piece of her mind. But just then her hand was taken by David as he led her to the step of the carriage.
Assisting her up into the driver’s seat, David began, “He seems a troubled fellow. If you ever feel that you need protection,” he glanced sharply at Garth’s retreating back, “please don’t hesitate to come to me. I must tell you that I feel uneasy with the situation you find yourselves in, and I fear for you both.”
“Thank you, David, you are most kind. But I think we’ll be all right. He is, after all, supposed to be our half-brother. I don’t think he’d ever harm us.” Katherine smiled at him.
“I hope you’re right in your discernment of him.”
“Thank you again,” Katherine said as she urged the horse onward.
David waved as the carriage moved off.
As they drew away from the cemetery, Katherine replayed Garth’s angry words in her mind, and she became increasingly furious over his arrogance. Then she broke the silence. “I’ll poke and prod and even tear the manor down if I want too! It’s as much mine as it is his.” She slapped the horse with the reins, and it broke into a gallop.
May-Jewel grasped the iron brace of the hood. “You’re going to kill us first! Rein up!”
The lathered horse was left for Brice to wipe down. Katherine became calmer as they walked toward the manor. But as they approached the steps, she stated, “I’m not going in just yet. I want to think a bit before I go inside.”
“If I had gone through what you just did,” May-Jewel uttered, “I’d want some fresh air too.”
“Now that my mind is clearer, I have to ask, where were you the whole time I was in the vault?”
“Is that an accusation?” she frowned. “What are you implying? That I closed the door on you?”
The shocked expression on May-Jewel’s face made Katherine feel foolish. What was she thinking? She shook her head. “Of course not. I’m sorry.” She took her sister’s hand in apology and felt better as May-Jewel smiled at her.
Suddenly, in the distance, Katherine saw a rider racing along the lower road which ran past Wistmere. The rider sat forward in the saddle, his hands held the reins high as the horse moved with urgency. She watched until he became lost in the trees. For a moment, she thought it was Garth and wondered where he might be going. Then she quickly caught herself and, in her anger, knew that she shouldn’t care.
* * *
The women moved into the garden. The patterned walk was made narrow by avaricious hedges leaning unchallenged over the stones. Wild shafts of pale green, intermingling with dried stems and blighted blossoms, struggled to reach the fading sun. The two sisters made their way to the garden’s hub where the wind-blasted gazebo stood.
May-Jewel’s face brightened momentarily. “Could it have been Selina that closed the door to the crypt?”
An instinctive grimace captured Katherine’s thin face. “That’s very possible. There are so many things that need answering and until we find those answers, let’s not mention anything to Alex about Garth or what happened in the cemetery. Agreed?”
May-Jewel agreed and sat on the shaded side of the structure. “There may be a few answers yet to be had from that old servant. We didn’t ask him about the wine cellar, and he was most evasive when you mentioned Selina’s name.”
The buzzing of an airborne insect drew Katherine’s attention to the gazebo’s under-roof. Sun-waves shimmered over the blue stained boards until they looked like moving water. She relaxed in the warmth of the moment before she replied.
“Why do you always think Charles knows what’s going on? He’s just an old man. He told us everything that he remembered.” But she knew her defense of Charles was weak at best, and she was perturbed by her own disloyal doubts. She, too, felt he knew more than what he was telling. “Still, I suppose you’re right,” she admitted. “There would be no harm in questioning him again.”
“Questioning whom about what?”
The women turned at the sound of Alex’s voice coming from behind the gazebo. How long has he been there, Katherine wondered, and how could he have drawn so close without us hearing him?
“Good afternoon, ladies.” His eyes focused on May-Jewel. “What brings you two to this weed filled oasis?”
May-Jewel couldn’t stop her heartbeat that quickened and the quiver that came over her upon Alex’s sudden presence. She stood blushing under his intensive stare and was at a loss for words.
Irritated by her sister’s school-girl reaction, Katherine replied, “We’re just talking.”
Alex raised his eyebrows in question. “Oh, about what?” He moved around and entered the gazebo.
Katherine couldn’t bare Alex knowing anything that they did or thought and, for that reason alone, she blurted, “Nothing important. May-Jewel lost her brooch, and we’re just searching for it.”
“Oh, so
this isn’t the first time you’ve been out back here?”
The look in his eyes was a direct challenge. One that Katherine couldn’t fail to notice. “Not at all,” she calmly replied. “We were strolling about earlier this morning. The brooch came unclasped then. It has to be here somewhere.” She looked at his chiseled smile. Had Alex come upon them innocently or had he been spying on them, she wondered.
“The brooch was a gift from my mother,” May-Jewel added quickly, giving Katherine’s lie validity.
“Ah, yes,” Alex replied, “your mother. A charming woman…” He stopped mid-sentence and then nervously turned from the women as if to gaze at the garden.
Perplexed, May-Jewel and Katherine exchanged glances. “How would you…” May-Jewel started.
“Charming indeed,” Alex hastily continued, turning back to her, “to have given her daughter a gift she would treasure, something she was afraid to lose.” He took her hand in his. “And to have given the world such a beautiful jewel!”
A weak smile brushed May-Jewel’s lips. “Yes, she was charming,” she said softly, but noting her sister’s disgusted expression, she slid her hand free from his. She was unable to figure out just how she felt about Alex at that moment. His speaking of her mother with such familiarity seemed an invasion of the privacy she held in her heart. He sounded as if he had known her. For a moment, an uncomfortable silence fell over the three.
Alex finally broke the quiet by addressing Katherine. “Well, little governess, how did you sleep after your adventure?”
Katherine, turning her face into the fading rays of the sun, coolly replied, “I’m not your ‘little governess’ and I slept very well, thank you just the same.”
Ignoring her coldness, he sought to trifle with her again and asked, “And have you witnessed any more mysterious apparitions or fires?”
In light of what had taken place in the vault, May-Jewel instantly rebuked him. “Alex! How can you be so insensitive?”
Katherine sternly faced him. “Where have you been for the last two hours?”
Taken back by both their reactions, Alex’s smile disappeared, and he became defensive. “Where have I been? Why do you want to know?”
Katherine took an unwavering stance. “It’s a civil enough question, one which you should have no qualms about answering.”
“Well… why not,” he relented. “If you must know, I was in Aberfrome, looking into buying some cattle. There were some Aberdeen Angus’ for sale. If we purchased some, they would eventually increase the estate’s finances.” Turning his gaze to May-Jewel, he grinned, adding, “Servants cost money, you know.” He hoped she would understand his intentions.
Not wanting to talk to Alex any more, Katherine rose to leave the gazebo. She whispered to her sister, “Keep our agreement in mind.” Approaching the manor, she knew Alex’s story could easily be checked out. Such an arrogant man, trying to impress May-Jewel with his amatory glances and talk of wealth. She shook her head in disgust, chastising herself as a silent conversation of what she wished she had said to him rustled through her mind. Wistmere’s shadow fell across the walk. Katherine stopped. It looked dark and uninviting, so she turned from it to go back the way she had come.
Following the path around the shrubbery and seeing that May-Jewel and Alex were still by the gazebo, Katherine turned in another direction and continued down the walk. All that had happened to her since her arrival invaded her thoughts. She wondered who among the people there was dangerous enough to try to harm her and why. It didn’t seem likely that May-Jewel was in any way responsible for the goings-on that threatened her, and Alex was too obvious in his ‘divide and conquer’ scheme to try another method. Her thoughts turned to Selina. Certainly Selina was her first choice, but Katherine couldn’t understand why the woman would want to hurt her. And why was everyone denying Selina’s existence? Why hadn’t anyone see this woman walking about the manor? Could Alex, Charles and Molly have lied to her about Selina? But what would that accomplish? And what about Charles? He certainly did react when Katherine first mentioned Selina, but she couldn’t put her finger on what that reaction was. Could it have been guilt? What about Brice? No, he’s too simple-minded to manufacture the events that have happened to me. And now another had entered the picture: Garth.
What about him? She shouldn’t feel the way she was feeling when he came to mind. The image of his face shouldn’t linger in her mind like it did. May-Jewel’s personality must be rubbing off on me. I’m a fool to keep thinking about Garth. She chastised herself and reminded herself that he was, after all, her half-brother … if he was Garth. Who was she going to trust? There only appeared to be one person whom she could trust… Vicar Hawes.
The restless wind murmured through the garden as Katherine slowed her steps. The vicar was the only person she knew who didn’t have a hidden agenda, and he truly seemed to like her, seemed genuinely worried about her. Katherine smiled as she pictured his face. Maybe he really can help me. Tomorrow I’ll tell him everything that has happened to me since arriving here and see what he can make of it.
Putting off her thoughts of the vicar, she concentrated on May-Jewel’s growing interest in Alex. She realized that most of the time it took the form of anger and, as long as Alex assumed that because they were women they were incapable of thinking, May-Jewel would stay angry at him. Katherine sat down on a small stone bench. She realized that May-Jewel’s anger could serve her own agenda. It could give her the time she needed to do a little directing of her own. But she needed a ‘wedge’ to put between her sister and Alex. Perhaps Jeremy was it. From what May-Jewel had said Katherine knew that they had a love-hate relationship. There’s a thin line between love and hate, she mused, and everything is mind over matter. A woman wanting to be loved can talk herself into or out of anything… with a little help. Yes, she decided, it was time Jeremy came to Wistmere to separate the growing attachment of May-Jewel to Alex.
Chapter Ten
Weary of thinking, Katherine finally returned to the manor and to her room. She was surprised to see May-Jewel sitting on the bed waiting for her.
“I tried to find you,” May-Jewel said. “Where did you go?”
“I was walking and thinking. What was the result of your conversation with Alex?”
May-Jewel’s sigh was one of exasperation. “Nothing came of it. He’s an aggravating sort.” She played with the lace on the coverlet. “He said some irritating things, and I’m not sure I like the way he looks at me.” She didn’t pursue the rest of that line of conversation.
But Katherine took this opening to begin her plan, and said, “I think it’s disgraceful the way Alex treats us… treats you. He has taken a great deal of freedom with the estate and, it seems, with you. I’m sure that you’ll agree he’s a most insufferable man. There’s an unfavorable likeness between him and Sir Robert in their degrading point of view toward women.” Katherine paused. The pout on May-Jewel’s lips became more pronounced. Katherine knew her sister was upset by her words and couldn’t hide it. But Katherine pushed on with her plan. “From what you told me, Jeremy is more of a gentleman. Isn’t it strange how men can be so different?”
“You of all people can’t tell me anything about men,” May-Jewel commented peevishly.
Katherine ignored her tone and implication, and continued, saying, “I mean there are those men who know the worth of a woman and are strong enough to admit their admiration and their love. And then there are those who have the attitude that women are playthings to be fondled only when the desire strikes them. You know the kind. The ones who think women are good only for one purpose.” Then Katherine set the bait by adding, “I wonder if Jeremy is like that.”
May-Jewel’s eyes widened and she threw her shoulders back as she answered, “By comparison, Alex is crude.” Her voice softened. “Jeremy is refined. And his manners are impeccable. He’s a gentleman from the old school. He would never think of a woman only in that manner!”
“If he’s so wonder
ful, how is it that you left him there to all those beautiful and wealthy Bostonian women?”
“Because I know…” May-Jewel stopped. Did she know? No, she didn’t know Jeremy, not really. She did know that he was fond of her… well, had been before she left. But time changes people, even a few months’ time. She had been in love with him. Did she still love him? She knew that he hadn’t stopped her from leaving America alone, and that had hurt her. Before leaving Boston, she should have told him how she felt. But their last conversation didn’t lend itself to her confessing her feelings for him. She knew, however, that Jeremy of all men could be trusted with her feelings, once he knew them. Perhaps it wasn’t too late. “He’ll come to me when he gets his business settled,” she said with a sudden cool aloofness. “He’s always loved me, and I’ve always needed him. And he’ll come whenever I send for him.”
“But he doesn’t know you need him, and you haven’t sent for him. A man not sure of his beloved, not sure he’s needed, may seek solace in another’s arms.”
May-Jewel became silent and walked toward the door, ruminating about the man she left behind. Jeremy was… Jeremy. He has always been by my side. He’s warm, handsome, sexy… and sought after! She suddenly became anxious. She didn’t like having what belonged to her taken by another. I’ll write to him this very moment, she decided, and tell him of my love. I’ll implore him to come to me. I’ll tell him how much I need him. And he’ll come, I’m sure.
“I believe I’ll rest a bit before dinner,” she said, exiting the room.
Manipulating people was new to Katherine, and she didn’t like the feeling it gave her. She felt guilty and sneaky. She didn’t really care about May-Jewel and her former lover. All she cared about was that Alex didn’t snare her sister with lies and false promises. Katherine tried to erase some guilt she was feeling by believing that she was working in May-Jewel’s best interest. But was she?
Restless, Katherine left her room and returned to the garden. As she walked, she inadvertently found herself drawn from the manor. Before she realized it, she was in front of the cottage again. How different it looked in the last light of day. Its thatched roof mushroomed over two small windows, making the black openings look like half-lowered eyelids. The only sign that someone had once cared for the structure was the whitewash that clung to the deeper crevices of the wind whipped stones.
