by Sahara Kelly
“She is quite something, isn’t she?” Finn allowed himself a grin.
Edmund nodded and put his glass aside. “She is unique. One of a kind. She used to be an innocent but that bastard ripped her that away from her. She suffered too, more than any of us could imagine. But to our surprise, she emerged from that experience not changed…just more mature.”
“No more itches?”
The Baron grinned. “No more itches. But the gifts are still there, Finn. You’re going to marry a woman the likes of which you’ll not find anywhere else, or possibly even in this lifetime. Do you understand that?”
“I do, Edmund. I could not love Hecate the way I do if I didn’t accept that unusual part of who she is. I may never fully comprehend it, but I am not afraid of it. She saved my life with it. Did she tell you that?”
Edmund shook his head. “No. She hasn’t mentioned it at all.”
Finn finished his whiskey. “I was dying. Wait, let me correct that. I was not only dying, I was ready to let it happen. The circumstances are hazy, but that night, when I had prayed to God to take me and end it all, she came to me in some strange way, taking my hand, talking to me and telling me it wasn’t time for me to leave.” He stared at the empty glass in his hand, turning it around, wondering how to explain the inexplicable.
“Go on,” encouraged Edmund.
“To this day I do not know how or where, but her voice, her words…it was enough to draw me back down into my body. I thought it was an angel talking to me.” He looked up and smiled. “Now, I’m sure it was.”
“You’ll take care of her?”
“Always.” Finn sighed. “And before you ask, I will love her until at least five minutes after I’m dead.”
“A brother could not ask for more than that from the man who will marry his sister.” Edmund stood and held out his hand. “Welcome to the family, Finn Casey.”
They shook, Finn with the sensation of a large weight lifted off his shoulders, and Edmund with a warm smile.
“One thing, Finn.” Edmund crossed the room to a small bureau and opened the drawer, returning to his seat with a small box. “This belonged to Hecate’s mother. Rosaline found it a few months ago, and we’ve kept it until she returned. I think now would be a good time to give it to her, and I think you would be the right person to do so.”
Finn took the box and opened it. Inside was a ring, but not just any ring. The stone was almost square with slightly rounded corners, a good size, and the deepest blue-green shade he’d ever seen. “How…magnificent,” he breathed, staring at it. “It’s like her eyes.”
“Hecate’s? Yes, I suppose it is,” replied Edmund.
“No, I meant Moira’s.”
Edmund frowned. “Moira? Hecate’s mother? You knew her?”
“She came to look after us when I was a wee thing.” Finn smiled as Edmund’s jaw dropped. “I could never forget Miss Moira’s eyes.”
Edmund simply stared. “Rosaline will never believe this.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
‘We’ll be off first thing,” said Finn as he undressed that night in Hecate’s tower room.
She sighed. “It will be sad to say goodbye.” She folded her gown carefully, and tucked one or two more things into her valise for the journey.
“You’ll miss them.” It was a statement.
“Of course.” She nodded. “But that is offset by the pleasure I find in Doireann Vale. I miss that too. And Dal and Augusta and the others.”
He smiled as he slipped beneath the blankets. “You are lucky to have people to miss, Hecate. The ones I miss the most are gone forever.”
She looked at her nightgown, and then at what she could see of Finn’s shoulders, bare against the pillows. She tossed the garment into her case, then hurried to join him, tucking herself into his side. “You have me now.”
“I do indeed,” he pulled her into his arms. “But you know what I mean.”
“I do, Finn. I truly do.”
“I spent some time with Edmund this afternoon. I asked if he’d be kind enough to send a letter over to Ireland for me. The last remaining relatives I might have—and I’m not sure if I even have them anymore—are from the Casey side of the family. In Derrynane. I thought it only right to see if any were left.”
“You did the right thing,” approved Hecate. “I would be the first to encourage you to find out. After all, just look around you here at Ridlington. Family is so important.”
“Edmund has given us his blessing.”
She eased back a little and stared at Finn. “He has? When? He didn’t say anything to me…”
“It was a discussion between men, Hecate.”
“Involving my marrying you. I fail to see why I wasn’t included.” She sounded irate.
Visions of itches swam through Finn’s mind. “Did you really give your siblings rashes?”
She snuggled back into him. “Of course not. What a thing to say.” She was quiet for a moment or two. “Well, maybe not a rash, as such, just an itch here or there.” She chuckled. “I’d forgotten about that.”
“Your brother hasn’t,” observed Finn. “There was something else he didn’t forget either.” He reached out to his jacket which lay across the table by the bed. “Here.” He passed her the small box.
She pushed herself up a little, and moved the box into the light. “What’s this?”
“Open it and see.”
She did. And sucked in a breath of air that nearly choked her. “Finn…”
“It was your mother’s, Hecate. It was Moira’s.” He took it out of the box. “Rosaline found it a while ago and they’ve been holding on to it until you came back to visit. Edmund allowed me the honour of returning it to you.”
“Oh…I…” Tears filled her eyes.
“I think your brother senses how I feel about not being able to buy you a ring, love.” A thread of distress wove through his words. “I have nothing to offer you but myself. And for a man, that’s a damn hard thing to say.”
“But for a woman, it’s the best thing she could ever hear,” Hecate leaned into him. “Put the ring on my finger, Finn. Let my mother’s jewel bind us together. It makes her a part of this, a part of us, don’t you see? You knew her before I did. It’s just…right.”
Finn slid the ring onto Hecate’s left hand, where it rested as if it had been made for her.
She moved it, letting the light dance through the stone. “What kind of gem is it? I’ve never seen the like,” she whispered.
“Edmund believes it’s some kind of topaz. Apparently on one of his voyages he sailed to Russia and was briefly treated to a glimpse of some of those incredible jewels we hear about. He saw a tiara made from a similar stone and was told it was topaz. He had believed it to be sapphire, but was corrected. Quite rudely, he told me.”
Hecate chuckled. “Yes, I can’t see Edmund liking that sort of conversation at all. He doesn’t mind being wrong, but he would prefer to correct himself, not have someone do it for him.”
“Well, I am in his debt, so you can be sure I won’t be correcting him any time soon. About anything.” Finn sighed and leaned back down on the pillow. “We have his blessing, and now we have your ring. And a new memory of your mama that will be always with us.”
She sighed happily and snuggled in against his warmth. “So all that’s left is to take care of the Faversill matter, and then we’ll be on our way home.”
“Any ideas on that? I know you’ve been thinking about it a lot,” said Finn.
“A few.”
“Any you’d care to share?” He turned to look at her.
She looked back, then moved even closer, her arm sliding around his neck, her leg lifting to rest on his hip. “Later,” she murmured, her body moving languorously against his.
“All right,” he sighed. “Later…”
And after she had loved him with her hands, her mouth and her body, and then straddled him, taking him deep inside and riding him slowly to the point of mad
ness, they collapsed next to each other, sated once more.
“Will it always be like this?” she panted.
“Yes,” he groaned. “Always. Perhaps even better…”
“Impossible.” Rolling to one side she tucked her buttocks into Finn, encouraging him to hold her, spooned into her favourite position for sleeping.
“Nothing’s impossible for us, love,” he mumbled into her neck.
She was silent until she heard his breathing deepen and knew he slept. “That’s what I’m counting on, my darling Finn.”
*~~*~~*
Saying their farewells was difficult for Hecate. She knew it had been a momentous visit, although a short one. Finn had been officially accepted, she had her mother’s ring on her finger, and any doubts she’d had about her family standing behind her decisions…well, those had faded into nothingness.
There was a catch in the breath she drew as the carriage rolled away from Ridlington Chase.
Finn heard it. “We’ll be back, love. Never doubt it.”
“I know,” she nodded. “And it’s time to look forward now. To London and what we must do.”
“You’re sure that your sister and her husband won’t mind us staying?”
Hecate snorted. “Finn, Max Seton-Mowbray could settle the nation’s debts in one fell swoop if he felt so inclined.”
Finn raised an eyebrow.
“All right, maybe not all the debts, but he is certainly comfortably situated. Mowbray House, I’m told, has almost as many rooms as Carlton House, so I don’t think there’s any fear of us all tripping over each other.”
“And then?” He looked out of the window, but she could tell his thoughts were not on the passing scenery. “What do we do then? Do we find Faversill and corner him? Tell him I saw what he did?”
“He’d laugh at you, wouldn’t he?” she said sadly. “He believes all the cards are in his hands now. He thinks he’s infallible.”
Finn’s hands clenched into fists. “He’s not.”
“No, he isn’t. But much as I know you’d like to corner him in some remote London alley, that’s not the way. Too many questions would be asked if a man of his stature and position in Society was murdered by unknown assassins. That’s the stuff of gossip and innuendo.” She touched his fist. “And the first people the authorities would question would be the Marchvilles, since the lad could still be next in line to inherit.”
“We should find that out,” said Finn. “That’s an excellent point. Even if we do manage to destroy him in some way—” he unclenched his fingers and turned his hand to grasp hers, “without violence, we have to make sure that the right family inherits their rightful title and estate.”
“Yes, we don’t want everything going to a distant DeWitt.”
Finn leaned back in the carriage. “You have an idea, don’t you?”
She turned and glanced at him. “What makes you say that?”
“Just a feeling.” He met her gaze with smiling eyes. “I get them quite a bit around you.”
“Really? You do?” she teased. “And what kind of feelings might those be, Mr. Casey?”
“These kind, Miss Ridlington.”
He moved close, and began whispering in her ear all the exciting things he wanted to do to and with her. By the time he’d finished, Hecate was aware that she had drops of sweat on her forehead, and other places were just as damp.
She swallowed. “Goodness. I…er….blindfold?”
He nodded. “But of course, I wouldn’t dream of actually doing any of these things with a woman who doesn’t trust me enough to share her innermost thoughts. And ideas…”
“You rogue,” chuckled Hecate. “I should turn you into a toad for that.”
Finn roared with delighted laughter. “That’s my witch.”
She waited for him to settle. “Well, now you come to mention it, there are no toads or brooms involved, but my plan for Faversill’s downfall may seem a bit out-of-the-ordinary…I’m going to need a portrait of Johnny Marchville…”
And she finally told him her idea.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Arriving at Mowbray House, Finn admitted to himself that yes, he was impressed.
It felt like a country estate, a beautiful mansion surrounded by trees, lawns and impeccable gardens. And yet it was less than half an hour or so from London’s busiest streets.
Elegant and stately though it was, their welcome was anything but.
“Hecate,” shrieked an attractive woman, running out of the front door to the carriage. It had to be Kitty, since she had the feminine equivalent of Richard Ridlington’s handsome features.
She was followed by a tall gentleman, who would have been impeccably dressed but for the lack of a jacket and the colourful towel over his shoulder. Apparently he’d forgotten it was there.
“Kitty,” exclaimed Hecate, scrambling to get out of the carriage. She nearly tripped in her haste, but both Kitty and Max were there to catch her.
“Careful,” muttered Finn, a bit intimidated by the surroundings and the assurance of Kitty and her husband. The aura of the Ton lingered around them.
Finn was not of the Ton.
“Come inside. Please…” Kitty let Max give Hecate his arm, and held her hand out to Finn. “We’ve been dying for you to arrive so that we could meet you. Richard’s spoken of you so I feel as if/ I know you already.” She linked her arm through his as he dismounted from the carriage, and smiled up at him with such friendliness that any lingering nerves he felt immediately dissipated.
“Did you have a good journey? Were the roads all right? We’ve had some snow, but not much yet. Our nanny says it’s going to be a bad winter, because there are a lot of caterpillars on the ground. Did you ever hear such a thing?”
“Kitty, my love.” Max stood at the door waiting for them to enter. “Give the man a chance to catch his breath?”
Finn smiled. “It’s a fine welcome, and I thank you both for allowing me to stay.”
Hecate rolled her eyes. “Of course they’re allowing us to stay.” She shook her head. “Kitty, Max, this is Finn Casey. My fiancé. And now we’re all formally introduced, I’d like to see my niece?”
Kitty’s mouth had opened in surprise, but she turned it into a grin. “Well, you’ve gone and shocked me to my slippers. But I am so very happy for you…” She flew at Hecate, hugging her fiercely.
Then it was Finn’s turn to be ruthlessly crushed in her embrace.
“Married. By God. Max, did you hear? My baby sister is going to marry this fine man.”
“I heard,” he grinned, rolling his eyes. “So did everyone else in the surrounding acres.” He turned to Finn and Hecate. “You’d better settle in or we’ll be spending your entire visit here in the hall.”
Fortunately, the Seton-Mowbrays weren’t a family that held to a strict timetable, so it was early afternoon when they finally had a chance to sit down together for a late lunch.
Finn knew that Hecate had spent the appropriate amount of time cuddling baby Margaret, but had surrendered her to her Nanny, so that she could nap. Reluctantly, said Hecate, she had done as she was told. But not before a final kiss on the soft skin and a stroke of the hair that looked as if it was going to be as dark as her father’s.
The conversation around the table was general, with Kitty offering the latest London news, and Hecate filling her sister in on Richard and Cressida’s wait for the babies, and the most recent goings-on at Ridlington.
“I haven’t seen Letitia, yet,” she mentioned as they finished their meal. “Are she and James here in town?”
“Yes indeed, and they will be joining us for dinner,” announced Kitty. “As soon as she heard you were coming up, she demanded we get together. Since driving in to London and their townhouse can be a bit challenging this late in the year, we thought it would be nice if they came out here. They’ll stay the night so we have plenty of time to talk.”
“How wonderful,” Hecate clapped her hands. “I so look forwa
rd to seeing them again.”
Finn, who had remained silent during most of the meal, wondered how it must feel to have such a large family and to be assured of a welcome at any of their homes.
“All right then, Hecate.” Max leaned back in his chair. “Tell us why you’re here.”
She looked at Finn, then at Max. “I’m not sure if there was any mention of it in the Ridlington messages, Max, and I don’t want to repeat what you already know.” She paused.
Max shook his head. “Very little. Just that you had an urgent reason to come to London and could we put you up.”
“We should, of course, tell you the entire story. But since it’s powerful and distressing, perhaps we should wait until James and Letitia get here? I think both Finn and I would rather tell it only once.”
Finn nodded at Hecate’s suggestion. “I agree. This is a complex situation and we’ll welcome all your suggestions. The lass here has an idea about how to resolve it.” He sighed. “And the less said about that, the better.”
The “lass” narrowed her eyes and shot her fiancé a stern look. “Don’t you suddenly become a bossy Irishman. We discussed this in the carriage, Finn. And you yourself acknowledged the logic of it…”
“I did,” he nodded. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it. And we don’t even know for sure it will work.”
Hecate’s chin rose. “It will work. I know it. So that’s that.”
*~~*~~*
Overjoyed to see Letitia and James again, Hecate did her best to hug them both at once, tears in her eyes as she realised how precious her family was.
They’d come to her rescue when she was close to death and here they were, once again gathering at her side. This time, she had Finn beside her, and as they sat around the dinner table that night, she couldn’t help being proud to be a Ridlington.
The realisation hit her like a mental brick.
Never before had she looked at her family in quite that fashion. She’d always felt a bit of an outsider, and her gifts had fostered that emotion. Although they’d been kind, patient and affectionate in their own way, she knew she was a puzzle to them, no matter how much they accepted her strange talents.
