The Departed - J A Templeton

by J. A. Templeton

  What I hated more than anything was that Dad had just sprang her on us. It was one thing to keep her in a hotel room in Edinburgh, but to bring her home to your family, that was too much, too soon in my book.

  I glanced up at Shane. His jaw was clenched and he stabbed at the spaghetti. For someone who had been pretty accepting of Dad’s new girlfriend to begin with, he didn’t seem too thrilled to see her now.

  Miss Akin was her jovial self, going out of her way to make everyone comfortable. The spaghetti may as well have been sawdust for all I tasted of it. Dad was trying his best to be a comic. I actually had forgotten how funny he could be. Kade and Cait genuinely laughed at what he said. I hadn’t seen this side of my dad for so long, it kind of surprised me.

  Cheryl ate the salad and took a few bites of spaghetti before setting her fork down. She wiped her lips and looked up at me. “I am glad you are recovered from your fall, Riley. What a terrifying experience. Your dad has been so concerned about you.”

  My throat tightened. How much had Dad told her? I wondered. I waited for her gaze to shift to my arms…but she held eye contact. Then again, why would he tell his new girlfriend that his almost seventeen-year-old daughter was a cutter? No doubt Cheryl’s perfect boarding school raised son would never do something so rash and horrifying as harm himself.

  “Thanks for your concern.” I reached for the bread and nearly knocked my milk over.

  Kade steadied the glass and gave me a reassuring smile.

  I felt Dad’s gaze boring into me.

  “Tomorrow Cheryl and I are going to Loch Ness. I thought maybe you kids would like to come along. We’re even taking a boat ride…rain or shine.” His gaze jumped between me and Shane. “Cait and Kade, you’re welcome to come as well.”

  “Sorry, I have homework,” Shane said, taking another bite and chewing slowly.

  Dad’s gaze shifted to me.

  “Yeah, I have homework, too.”

  Cheryl actually looked disappointed. She sat up a bit straighter and pressed the napkin to her lips. “Miss Akin, would you like to come with us?”

  Miss A nodded. “Indeed, I would like very much to go. It’s been years since I’ve visited the loch.”

  If the weather was crappy again tomorrow, then there was no way we’d be able to head up the hill…but I had no desire to take a boat ride around Loch Ness with my dad and Cheryl in the rain and fog.

  Dad proceeded to tell a story about when Shane was six and I was seven, when we’d gotten on the wrong city bus as my mom’s back was turned. “For some reason, they were under the impression she was going to meet up with them at home.”

  “That’s what happens when you have a couple of blonde-haired kids,” Shane said flippantly.

  Cait laughed. “Didn’t you think it was strange when your mom wasn’t with you?”

  Shane shook his head. “I was too busy with my Game Boy, and Cait had discovered her iPod, so she wasn’t paying attention either.”

  “Their poor mother was beside herself,” Dad said. “She ran ten blocks after that bus. Damn near caught up with it, too.” His smile faded and he looked down at his plate. “Those were good years.”

  Maybe he missed Mom more than we knew.

  “She was an incredible mom,” I said. Shane met my gaze and smiled.

  “She sounds like quite a woman.” There wasn’t a tinge of jealousy in Cheryl’s eyes. “I know what it’s like to lose someone you love. My husband died of cancer a couple of years ago. He was a good dad, and I like to think that he’s watching me. That he’s with our son, and that he realizes we’re doing our best without him.”

  Dad reached out and squeezed Cheryl’s hand. She smiled at him. I saw so much pass between them in that stare, and felt the comfort Cheryl had given him. There was no denying they had both suffered tragic losses.

  As silence fell over the table, Dad pushed back his chair. “Well, that was wonderful, Miss Akin. Thank you.”

  Shane met my gaze, lips quirked. Dad was definitely on his best behavior tonight. Normally he left the dinner table without saying much of anything. Miss A seemed pleased with the compliment, though, as she stood and started clearing the table.

  Dad and Cheryl followed us into the parlor and sat down on the loveseat.

  Kade and I sat on the couch beside Shane and Cait.

  Kade slid an arm around my shoulders. He must have sensed my uneasiness because his thumb brushed along the back of my neck.

  “What are we watching?” Dad asked, remote in hand, browsing the channels. He ended up on a documentary about Stonehenge.

  Shane glanced at Cait and they laughed under their breath, and promptly excused themselves.

  “So, Kade, I understand you’re on the football team with Shane,” Cheryl said, hands folded in front of her. Dad put a hand on her thigh and I had to look away. It would take some time to get used to seeing him with a woman other than my mom. And intimate touches and kisses were just too much to stomach.

  Kade nodded. “I am. We’re doing very well this year. Undefeated so far.”

  Even Dad seemed surprised by that bit of news.

  “I’ll have to make the next game,” he said absently, settling back against the loveseat.

  Shane passed by, headed toward the door with Cait in tow.

  “Where are you going?” Dad asked.

  Shane stopped in mid-step. “Milo’s here to pick us up.”

  Dad checked his watch. “It’s seven-twenty.”

  “We’ll be back by nine.” Shane glanced at Kade, who seemed surprised his sister was leaving with him.

  “I’ll be back by nine,” Cait said reassuringly.

  Kade opened his mouth to say something, but closed it a second later.

  I looked at him and smiled. “It’s okay. They’ll be back.”

  The door closed and silence fell over the room.

  Miss Akin checked in with us a few times, but ultimately said goodnight and went to her room.

  I watched the show…but I wasn’t really seeing it. Instead, in the reflection of the screen I saw a glow, and what appeared to be a blemish on the screen. The blemish grew larger, until it was the size of a softball, moving a foot back and forth on the screen.

  “Do you see that?” I whispered in Kade’s ear.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s behind me.” I glanced over my shoulder but there was nothing behind us. Not a lamp on a table or anything that would cause a reflection on the screen.

  In my right ear, I heard a loud pop, followed by a high-pitched sound.

  Behind me I felt movement. Someone stood directly in back of me. On the television’s reflection I made out a silhouette of someone. They were dressed in a black robe with a cowl.

  Then there was another figure, dressed the same, and then another. One by one, as the seconds ticked by, until the room filled up. I couldn’t even make out the furniture in the room behind me. And then Laria stepped forward, cowl down about her shoulders, face pale, malicious smile on her lips. She was behind us, and I saw her reach out and touch Kade, her fingers grazing the top of his head and moving slowly down, onto his shoulder.

  I waited for him to react, but he didn’t move.

  Did he not feel her? Could he not see her in the television’s reflection?

  Was I just imagining things?

  The ringing grew louder and higher.

  The picture brightened up on the screen and I couldn’t see the reflection. From the corner of my eye I saw Laria’s hand, sliding down over Kade’s chest.

  Laughter sounded in my ear.

  I was ready to lose it, to stand up and scream, when Anne Marie stood in front of the television set. She put a finger to her lips. Mentally I could hear her tell me to calm down. “She wants you to react. Don’t let her see that she’s affecting you.”

  It was impossible to pretend like Laria didn’t exist. How could anyone expect me to ignore what was happening to me? They had to experience it firsthand to fully appreciate the
pure terror involved.

  Kade glanced at me, his eyes were dark—the slate color I was becoming far too familiar with of late.

  He felt cool to the touch.

  Leaning his head against mine, he breathed in my ear, “I am everywhere. There is nowhere I can’t go, nowhere you can escape to, because I will find you.”

  Chapter 14

  “Miss Murray, do you wish me to tie the stays for you?”

  Laria stood at the door to my room, a freshly pressed dress in her hands that she quickly hung up in the wardrobe. “I’d be happy to assist you.”

  I had just awoken. Ian had asked me to take a walk in the village today. I yearned to be with him. The days had passed far too quickly, and it was as though I expected my father to arrive and announce that he, or my mother, needed me home. I could think of nothing worse than leaving Braemar.

  “Yes, thank you,” I said, glancing at Laria. Her eyes were such a dark brown, it was difficult to make out the pupils. I smiled and presented my back to her. Something aside from those nearly black eyes made me nervous.

  I felt her watch me closely, and had watched Ian’s reaction around her. I was not so naive to believe that servants and their employers did not share beds. I knew the whisperings in my own household, but I found it difficult to accept that there was more going on between Ian and Laria than a mutual friendship or perhaps a touch of flirtation, at least by what I had seen pass between them.

  “You are up early today,” Laria said, pulling hard at the strings. I barely had time to draw breath before my ribs were crushed beneath the corset’s stays.

  “Aye, I am.” I did not feel the need to explain myself. An awkward silence followed, and the moment I slid into the pale yellow day dress, I turned to her. “Thank you for your assistance.”

  She nodded curtly, and left the room.

  I met Ian in the courtyard, and as I walked beside him down the long drive, the sensation of being watched was so strong that I could not resist the urge to glance over my shoulder. I saw Laria standing in my room. She abruptly stepped away from the window, but not before I saw her.

  “Come, Margot,” Ian said, and I fell into step beside him.

  “You are so pensive today,” Ian said, tilting his head slightly as he watched me closely.

  “Sorry, I was just thinking.”

  “About?” he asked inquisitively, and then laughed, the sound making me smile. To be around him every single day of my life—that is what I wished for. We got on well together, and I could only hope he felt the same way. Though at the time I hadn’t liked my family’s decision to send me to Braemar, I was now grateful they had.

  “About how happy I am here,” I said, before I could stop myself.

  He reached out and smoothed a curl over my ear. The touch sent a jolt of pleasure up my spine.

  “I am so glad you are happy here, Margot.” His thumb brushed along my jaw, before he dropped his hand back to his side.

  My heart pounded so loud in my chest, I wondered if he could hear it.

  “May I ask…do you miss your home?”

  “No,” I was quick to answer.

  “Surely you miss your family and friends.” There was an inquisitive tone to his words.

  Had my father told his father about Thomas? I wondered. They were good friends, so perhaps he had been honest, and in my father’s mind, he believed I was hopelessly in love with the footman.

  Suddenly it was very important that Ian know the truth.

  “My father thinks I am in love with a servant,” I blurted.

  Ian didn’t miss a beat. He glanced at me, stepped over a puddle and surprised me by lifting me by the waist, up and over the puddle. His hands lingered on my hips. “And are you in love with a servant?”

  “No, of course not. Thomas is my friend.”

  His lips quirked. “A very lucky friend, indeed.” He dropped his hands and began walking.

  I followed behind him, wishing he would ask more questions, but he said nothing. I had to assume that someone had mentioned Thomas to him. I hated how people could judge so easily, so harshly, without realizing the truth. No doubt, since I had been whisked away from my home so quickly, people would gossip and believe the absolute worst.

  “Ian, I fear you do not understand.”

  “You owe me no explanation.” His strides were so long, I had to run to keep up with him.

  I reached out, grabbed his shirt.

  He glanced at me, and then the shirt. He arched a dark brow.

  I dropped my hand. “I apologize, I did not mean…I just wanted you to know…the truth.”

  His eyes were suddenly so intense, and I saw a nerve twitch in his jaw. “And what is the truth, Margot?”

  I licked lips that had suddenly gone dry. “Thomas is in love with another, and he has planned a life with that person.”

  “Do you wish that person were you?” he asked matter-of-factly.

  “When first we met, when I was a girl, I thought him very handsome,” I said truthfully. “Indeed, I thought we would be a good match, but then he shared his feelings about another. All it took was seeing them together one time and I knew that we would only ever be friends. And, whether you choose to believe it or not, close friends is all we have ever been and will ever be.”

  He stared at me for a long moment. “You were in love with him?”

  “I love him, but I am not in love with him…if that is what you are asking.”

  His lips quirked.

  I was tired with this game. It was enough that my own family did not believe me, but I had honestly thought Ian was different. I expected him to believe me.

  Foolish, foolish girl, I thought to myself.

  Frustrated, I turned on my heel and started walking toward the castle.

  “Margot, come back.”

  I didn’t stop. I was so angry, the blood in my veins boiled. Here I had bared my soul and he still questioned me. How dare he? I did not interrogate him on his past or his escapades with the Duchess of Lancaster, or God knew how many other conquests.

  I heard footsteps behind me, and then felt a hand at my wrist. He pulled me toward him, and before I could speak, I was in his arms and he was staring down at me with those beautiful blue eyes and a smile that melted my heart. “I did not intend to make you angry. I only wanted the truth.”

  I dropped my gaze to his chest, and I could see a wide slice of skin where his shirt opened at the throat. The pulse fluttered there and I ached to press my lips against that olive skin, to taste it.

  “Margot,” he said, lifting my chin with gentle fingers. “Thank you for telling me the truth. I wanted—nay, I needed—to know,” he said, entwining the fingers of his free hand with mine.

  He lowered his head and kissed me.

  I had never before been kissed and I liked it.

  Actually, I more than liked it.

  “I am glad you came to Braemar,” he whispered.

  My pulse skittered.

  He leaned in again, and this time the kiss was deeper, a sweep of his tongue across my lips, asking for entry. I opened to him, and I was not disappointed. Never could I have imagined that this is how it could be. True, I knew there would be passion, but I had not expected this deep ache that welled within me.

  When we returned to the house, my cheeks were flushed. I had never been so happy. Ian’s kiss had ignited something inside me—something I wished to further explore.

  That night before dinner, I had tea brought to my room. It was Laria who served it. Those dark eyes followed me around the room as she poured.

  “Do you wish me to help you change, Miss Murray?”

  Unease worked its way up my spine. “No, thank you.”

  Her brow furrowed, but she nodded and left me.

  I drank the tea, and by the time the dinner hour came around, I was nauseous.

  A knock sounded at my door.

  “Come in,” I called.

  It was Ian’s youngest sister. Seeing me lying down in my
shift, she frowned. “Dinner is in quarter of an hour.”

  “I fear I do not feel at all well.”

  She placed a hand on my forehead. “You do not feel fevered.”

  “Please tell your mother I am unable to make it to dinner this evening, and how very sorry I am.”

  “Should I summon a doctor?”

  I shook my head. “Nay, I am sure tomorrow I will be fine. It could have been something I ate.”

  I closed my eyes and when I woke, I found Ian sitting in a rocking chair beside the bed. He had fallen asleep with his elbow on the arm of the chair, chin propped on hand. His dark hair fell across his forehead, and long eyelashes cast shadows against high cheekbones.

  My stomach clenched. I could not get over how beautiful he was. How every time I looked at him, my heart would race, and when he kissed me—oh dear God, when he kissed me, I went weak at the knees and felt a flush race through my body, making me come to life.

  I had read enough books to know what happened between a man and a woman. I was well aware that a woman was expected to be chaste when she exchanged her marriage vows…but I could honestly say that I understood why some could not resist temptation.

  Ian MacKinnon most certainly was a temptation.

  He must have felt my stare because he opened his eyes and smiled. “You’re awake,” he said, and surprised me when he stood and sat on the edge of the bed, his weight making the mattress shift beneath me. “I was alarmed when you did not come down to dinner last night.”

  I sat up abruptly. “Last night?”

  “Indeed, you have been asleep ever since.”

  He lay down beside me, going up on an elbow.

  My eyes widened.

  His laughter was at once teasing and mischievous. “No one will come in.” He flashed a wolfish smile. “Mother and the girls are in town, and my father and Duncan are at the river, hoping to catch tonight’s meal.”

  “What if a servant comes in?”

  “They would not enter without knocking first. Plus, I can always slip beneath the bed if need be.”

  “You’re dangerous,” I said before I could stop myself.

  He cocked his head. “Dangerous…how so?”