with a touch.
Hush, darling. I have to go reassure
your maid. I will be right back."
He went to the door and opened it
to find Nan hovering nervously in the
hall.
I was on the stairs, startin" for my
bed, when I heard her ladyship scream."
Nan looked up at him, her eyes faintly
suspicious in the glow of the candle she
held. Is all well?"
She is fine. Nan. It was my fault. I
awakened her in the middle of a bad
dream."
Oh, I wondered if that might be it."
Nan's eyes lost their trace of accusation.
Poor thing. She's been havin" some trouble
with bad dreams for the past few months.
I think it is one o" the reasons she's taken
such a likin" for the parties and nightlife
o" London this Season. Keeps her busy
till dawn. But looks like she'll be sufferin'
with those plaguey dreams again now that
we're all keepin" country hours. Mayhap I
should sleep a little closer to her."
You needn't worry about her. Nan.
She's got a husband now, remember? I
will take good care of her. I am much
closer than you are."
Nan flushed and nodded quickly. Yes,
sir. Well, I'll be off, then." She bobbed
a quick curtsy and hurried back down
the hall.
Lucas closed the door and turned back
to the bed. Victoria was watching him from
the shadows, her arms wrapped around her
updrawn knees. Her eyes were huge in the
dim light.
My apologies, Vicky. I did not mean
to startle you awake so abruptly," Lucas
said.
What were you doing sneaking about
in my room in the first place?" she asked
tartly.
He sighed, aware that the few moments
of vulnerability had already passed. I know
this will come as something of a shock,
Vicky, but you have a husband now and
husbands have a right to sneak around
their wives" bedchambers." He crossed the
room and sat down on the side of the bed,
ignoring her hostile gaze. Your maid says
you suffer from bad dreams frequently of
late. Is there a particular reason, do you
think?"
No."
I only ask because I, too, have had
the occasional unpleasant dream," he said
softly.
I imagine everyone does from time to
time."
Yes, but my dream is a very specific
one and it is always the same. Is yours?"
She hesitated. Yes." Then, probably in
an effort to change the focus of the
conversation, she asked quickly, What do
you dream of, my lord?"
Of being trapped beneath a dead horse
in the middle of a field of dead and
dying men." Lucas drew a deep breath
and looked at the flickering candle. Some
of those men took a very long time to die.
Every time I have the dream I have to
listen to them in their agony. And I have
to live through the torment of wondering
whether or not I shall also die, wondering
whether one of the human vermin who
come out to loot the dead after a battle
will simply slit my throat for me and end
the matter once and for all."
Her small, anguished gasp and the
fleeting touch of her fingers on the sleeve
of his dressing gown brought his eyes back
to her face.
How terrible," Victoria whispered. Dear
God, Lucas, how ghastly. Your dream is
even worse than mine."
Of what do you dream, Vicky?"
Her fingers clenched around the sheet
and she looked down. In my dream I am
always standing at the top of a staircase.
A a man is coming toward me. He holds
a candle in one hand and a dagger in the
other."
Lucas waited, sensing there was more.
Something about the way she had hesitated
over the phrase a man" gave him the
impression her nightmare figure had a face
she recognized. But it was obvious she did
not intend to add to the description of the
dream and he was unwilling to jeopardize
their new intimacy by prodding her for
details.
In fact, Lucas decided, he had already
gotten closer to her tonight than he had
at any time since the fateful night he had
made love to her. If he was wise, he would
not push too far, too fast.
Strategy, he reminded himself. In the
long run, a man always got farther with
strategy than he did with force.
He suppressed a groan and got to his
feet. Are you all right now?"
She nodded quickly, not quite meeting
his eyes. Yes, thank you. I shall be fine."
Then I will say good night. Call me if
you need me, Vicky."
Forcing himself to walk back to his own
chamber was one of the hardest things
Lucas had done of late.
The following afternoon Victoria sought
relief from the tension of the ever-so
civilized, now-silent battle raging between
herself and Lucas by fleeing into the
nearby woods with her sketchbook.
She walked for some time before
coming to a halt. Eventually she chose
a comfortable spot on a hill beneath some
trees where she could sit gazing out over
the uninspiring view of the depressed
farming community. From here she could
see the cottages that needed patching, the
rutted lanes that needed repair, and the
nearly empty fields. Lucas was out there
somewhere in one of those fields, she
knew. He'd made plans to ride out on
an inspection tour with his steward this
afternoon.
There was certainly much to be done
here, Victoria was forced to acknowledge.
Whatever else one could say about her
husband, at least he apparently intended
to put her money to good use. There was
no evidence yet that he was going to pour
it into wine, women, and song.
But, then, Lucas was not a frivolous
man, in spite of his reputation as an
accomplished game ster.
Frowning at her uneasy, chaotic thoughts,
she bent her attention to the small plants
and grasses around her. With a practiced
eye she picked out several familiar species.
But then she spotted a rather unusual
cluster of mushrooms and her interest was
immediately piqued in spite of her mood.
She opened her sketchbook.
This was what she needed, she thought.
She wanted the temporary peace of mind
her sketching and painting could bring
her.
Victoria spent a long time detailing
the delicate mushrooms, losing herself in
her work, Time passed quickly and the
pressures of her new marriage faded, at
least for the moment.
&n
bsp; When she was finished with the mush
rooms, she went on to draw several
interesting dead leaves that had fallen
nearby in a graceful heap. After the
leaves she discovered a quite fascinating
puffball. Puffballs always presented a
serious challenge. It was difficult to get just
the right airy appearance without sacrificing
the tiny details. Botanical drawing was an
exhilarating combination of art and science.
Victoria loved it.
Two hours later she finally closed the
sketchbook and leaned back against the
tree trunk. She discovered she was feeling
much better. Calmer and more steadied.
The warm afternoon sun felt good and
somehow the fields and farms below did
not look quite so bleak. There was hope
for stone vale, she thought suddenly. Lucas
would be able to salvage these lands. If any
man could do it, Lucas could.
With her money, of course.
But even that thought was not as
irritating as it had been earlier. An insidious
notion occurred to her. Perhaps Lucas had
had a point last night at dinner. What had
she ever done that was so terribly useful
with her money in the past?
Nevertheless, it was her money. Victoria
scowled at that notion and got to her
feet, brushing leaves from her walking
dress. She must remember that she was
the innocent victim in this situation.
Three days later Victoria made her first
trip into the village. She had wanted to
ride on horseback, the better to explore
her new home, but Lucas had put his
foot down immediately.
I will not have the new Countess of
stone vale make her first public appearance
on horseback. A certain amount of pro
priety is demanded in this instance,
madam. You will go in a carriage
together with a maid and a groom or
you will not go at all," he stated.
As her relationship with Lucas could
only be described as precariously balanced
at best, Victoria had decided not to argue
the point.
In choosing that course of action, she
realized she was fast becoming as prudent
as the rest of the household. She was
learning that it was decidedly easier on
both herself and the staff of stone vale if
she refrained from challenging her husband
at each and every turn.
It irked her to think she might be
surrendering some small stretch of ground
to him. But the truth was, it was difficult
to maintain her bristling defenses twenty
four hours a day. She was accustomed
to being happy with Lucas, not at war
with him.
And there were definitely a few distinct
benefits to maintaining some semblance of
peace in the household, she grudgingly
admitted to herself There was no denying
that in response to her newfound discretion,
Lucas, in turn, refrained from letting
everyone feel the chill of his shockingly
cold temper. The man had an air of
absolute authority about him, which, when
he chose to exercise it, got attention in a
hurry.
His capacity for leadership and command
was, Victoria had decided, in part a product
of his military background. But she also
suspected that a good portion of it came
very naturally to Lucas. He was a born
leader.
And the arrogance of a natural leader was
no doubt bred in the bone. Without such
arrogance and the accompanying leadership
characteristics, Lucas would not have had a
chance of salvaging stone vale and the land
around it.
Victoria reflected on that unpalatable
notion as the carriage jolted uncomfortably
over the bad road into the village.
She had to admit that she had caught
an occasional glimpse of the hard steel core
of Lucas's character before her marriage.
Indeed, it was probably part of what had
drawn her to him. But the truth was, she
had rarely been forced to confront that
steel directly. Lucas had, after all, been
deliberately wooing her. Naturally he had
hidden the more unpleasant elements of
his nature from her.
You cannot really be meanin" to shop
in this drab place, ma'am," Nan said as
the carriage entered the main street of the
village. Hardly the likes o" Bond Street or
Oxford Street, is it?"
No, it certainly isn't. But we aren't
here to find a ball gown. My goal is just
to have a look around and perhaps meet
some of the people with whom stone vale
does business on a daily basis. This is
our new home, Nan. We must meet our
neighbors."
If you say so, ma'am." Nan did not look
convinced of the wisdom of the idea.
Victoria smiled faintly and decided to
make the appeal on a more practical basis.
You have seen the conditions at stone vale.
The house is in a terrible state. Utterly
deplorable. His lordship is too busy with
his farmers to worry about the running of
the household, and being a military man,
I doubt he would know how to run it, even
if he tried."
That be true enough, I reckon. Runnin'
a household the size o" stone vale is a lady's
job, beggin" your pardon, ma'am."
Unfortunately, I fear you are correct Nan.
And I appear to be the lady who
is stuck with the task. As long as we
must live there, we might as well make
the place habitable. And if we are going
to spend money to make it comfortable,
we may as well spend as much as possible
here in the village. These people rely on
stone vale for their incomes."
Nan brightened somewhat at this bit of
logic. I see your point, ma'am."
People came out of the shops and the
small, decrepit taverns to watch as the
stone vale carriage made its way sedately
down the rutted street. Victoria smiled and
waved.
There were one or two tentative waves
in response, but the general lack of
enthusiasm for the new mistress of Stone
vale was rather daunting. Victoria won
dered if it was her, personally, they found
unappealing, or if their attitude was simply
an extension of the local feeling toward
stone vale in general. She could not blame
the villagers for being less than optimistic
about their futures, given the obvious
neglect they had endured from the past
master of the great house.
These poor people, she thought, nibbling
on her lower lip. They had suffered a great
deal. This was a place where money could
accomplish much.
In the middle of the village, Victoria
spotted a tiny dry-goo
ds shop. I think
here would be an excellent place to begin
our shopping."
Nan managed to keep her mouth shut,
although her opinion of the place was
plain.
Victoria was smiling in amusement at
her maid's superior attitude when she
stepped down from the carriage with the
aid of her footman.
The warmth of a bright spring sun
fell on her full force, highlighting the
deep amber yellow shade of her gown
and glinting off her honey-colored hair.
The amber feather in her tiny, yellow
hat bobbed in the small breeze and the
amber pendant she wore around her throat
caught the sunlight and glowed with a life
of its own. Everyone on the street stared
as if momentarily transfixed.
Then a little girl, who had been watching
from behind the safety of her mother's
skirts, suddenly crowed in delight and ran
out into the street, making a beeline for
Victoria.
Amber Lady, Amber Lady," the child
shouted merrily as she raced forward on
bare feet. Pretty Amber Lady. You came
back. My granny always said you would.
She said you'd have hair the color of
gold and honey all mixed up and you'd
be wearin" a golden dress."
Here now," Nan snapped not unkindly
as she moved to intercept the youngster.
We don't want to get mud all over her
ladyship, now, do we? Shoo, child. Go on
back to your ma."
The girl ignored her, darting swiftly
around the obstacle to grab hold of
Victoria's yellow skirts with grubby fingers.
Hello," Victoria said with a welcoming
smile. What would your name be?"
Lucy awkins," the child said proudly,
looking up at her with eyes full of wonder.
And that's my ma. And over there's my
big sis."
The woman Lucy had pointed out as her
mother was already hurrying forward with
a horrified grimace on her worn-looking
face. She could not have been more than
five years older than Victoria, but she
appeared to be at least twenty years her
senior.
I'm so sorry, mum. She's just a child.
She didn't mean nothin". Don't know her
manners around her betters. She ain't seen
that many of em. Betters, I mean."
It is quite all right. She's done no
harm."
She ain't?" The woman's face held an
expression of honest bewilderment. She
dirtied your dress, mum," she pointed
out in case Victoria had failed to notice
the muddy fingerprints on the fine amber
muslin.
Victoria did not bother to glance down at
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