Ramsay shook his head. “No, we go by foot or by enclosed carriage.”
Lennox frowned. “A carriage will be harder to find.”
“I’m sorry, Lennox.” Jessie looked sheepish. “’Tis my fault. I cannot abide to look down from a height, not since they stood me on that pillar and made me watch...”
Something inside him jolted and he was back there in his mind, kicking and cursing, and he could see them, his twin sisters forced up on the pillars at the Kirk gates, forced to watch their mother being stoned.
“I have coin enough for a carriage,” Ramsay said, which pulled Lennox back to the present moment.
“I, too, have money. We will go by foot until a carriage can be hired or bought.”
“Thank you, both.” Jessie mustered a small smile, but Lennox sensed she was ashamed of her burden—a burden no woman should have to carry.
“Well, now that we are all agreed,” Jessie said, mustering herself, “we must make a plan to loose your Mistress Chloris from her current whereabouts.”
Lennox stared at his sister in amazement. A plan. He was so busy reacting to what went on he hadn’t even considered what he would do once he got to Edinburgh. A plan would be good, he realized, suddenly resigned to the fact that he was not invincible and he needed the guidance of his people, just as much as they needed him to validate what they were doing.
“Tell us more,” she encouraged. “Tell us all that you know of her circumstances, so that we might form our plan.”
“I fear her situation is little better than what you experienced in the tolbooth in Dundee, sister. The difference is that she lives in a life of comfort, but she is unhappy for she is beaten and abused by a husband who does not care for her and seeks to be rid of her.”
“Oh, Lennox,” Jessie whispered, and took his hand in hers.
He stared down at the ground in front of him, the tender gesture threatening to undo him. The need to know that Chloris was safe and not affected at her husband’s hands once again was overwhelming. It also made him wonder if she would ever forgive him. Then came the shame and the regret, for he had dallied with her to undermine his enemy. His emotions were awry, and he could scarcely think straight. “She went back to him in order to protect my coven from discovery, but her sacrifice was useless.”
Gregor’s head lifted, the look in his eyes sharpening.
Lennox nodded his way. “Aye, the soldiers will be swarming after my people as well as the two of you, by now.”
“In that case,” Gregor said, rising to his feet, “we will form the plan as we go. We had better be on our way, and be quick about it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“Mary, I will be out making calls later this afternoon. Would you please lay out my cloak and walking boots?”
“Yes, mistress.” Mary hurried off, leaving Chloris to her embroidery.
It would be her second day of seeking word of a position that she might be suitable for. The previous day had resulted in sympathy from the two good friends she had called upon. The details of her failing marriage were greeted with curiosity, but not with surprise. It seemed she was the only one who was blind to the inevitable turn of events.
It also resulted in one hopeful offer of assistance, a possible post as a companion to an elderly widow whose hearing was failing. Someone else had been recommended, but it was not clear whether the post had yet been filled. If it had, she would keep searching. She would call upon all the women she knew in order to find employment.
She had many skills. Her sewing was good. She could also teach, and she would find a way to forge her own path in this world. Above all it gave her hope and something to occupy her mind, when her aching heart threatened to fill her thoughts with despair. Chloris thought she’d known low spirits before, but she had not. The sense of loss she experienced was like none other.
Moreover, it was only a matter of time until Gavin forced himself upon her, or punished her for her contrary behavior. There was nowhere else for her to go, not immediately, but she feared she could not abide Gavin’s ways now, not since she had tasted something of freedom and respect. She could not return to Saint Andrews for fear of endangering Lennox and those he protected. Previously, she thought her few weeks of happiness would carry her through difficult times ahead. Now she knew it would only make it more difficult to endure.
So she prepared herself for a new life, one that was as yet unknown to her.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.
Mary entered the drawing room and drew her attention. “You have a visitor, mistress.”
“I am not expecting anyone to call.” Chloris frowned, then wondered if it was news of the post mentioned the day before. She rose to her feet. “Is it someone carrying a letter?”
“No. It is a woman.”
Chloris immediately thought of the woman she had discovered with Gavin on her return. “My husband’s night visitor?”
Mary shook her head. “It is a tradeswoman at the door, mistress. She wishes to show you her wares.”
Chloris frowned. Gavin had a strict policy on such things and she was surprised that Mary had not followed his instructions without drawing it to her attention. “The master allows no tradespeople into the house.”
“The woman is most insistent, and she...well, she somehow made me believe you would want to receive her.” Mary frowned. “That is why I thought I ought to mention it.” Mary looked every bit as confused as Chloris felt. “The woman said to tell you she has lace for you, the lace that you purchased from her in the market at Saint Andrews.”
Chloris felt light-headed.
Lace, from the market in Saint Andrews? She cast her mind back. Yes, she had looked at lace with Jean, but her thoughts had been entirely elsewhere, for that was when she had seen Lennox. Then he had stood behind her and whispered to her. She could not even recall the face of the lace maker, and although she had feigned interest in Jean’s purchases, she’d bought none of her own. As she tried to order her thoughts on the matter, one image stayed solid in her mind—the sight of Lennox across Market Street, watching them, smiling her way and making that secret connection with her.
Her heart beat hard and fast. She put her sewing aside and nodded at Mary. “In that case you’d best show her in.”
When Mary disappeared, Chloris stood perfectly still and watched the doorway with great curiosity. A few moments later, Mary showed a young woman in. In her arms the woman carried a basket that was covered over by a lace cloth.
When she entered the room she stared at Chloris with great curiosity. “Thank you for admitting me.” The woman dropped a quick curtsy. “I have brought your lace, and I have some other items that may be of interest to you.”
Chloris felt irresistibly drawn to the young woman, as if a secret would be revealed within the woman’s basket. The young woman’s eyes burned bright blue, as if sunshine was captured there. Chloris pressed her hand to her breastbone in an attempt to remain steady. She felt quite light-headed but suffused with warmth, as she often had when Lennox performed his rituals with her. The significance of the encounter dawned on her. The young woman was one of his kind, a witch.
The visitor seemed to sense her growing awareness and she gave a slight nod.
Chloris could not look away from the young woman, for her vivid blue eyes held Chloris’s attention. Gathering herself, Chloris spoke to the serving girl. “Thank you, Mary, that will be all.”
She could hear the tremble in her own voice. While she waited for the curious girl to leave them alone, she struggled to maintain her composure.
The young woman with the basket observed the servant leave. Then she set her basket down on the floor and walked over to Chloris. Taking Chloris’s hands in hers, she peered at her closely and then broke into a broad smile. “You are just as pretty as my brother told me you were.”
Lennox had told her. Lennox had sent her. Chloris found herself awash with confusion, with hope and with disbelief. But there was su
ch warmth, such welcome in the young woman’s face, and the heat from her hands seemed to reach into Chloris and soothe her troubled soul. “You are Lennox’s sister?”
The woman nodded. “One of them. I am Jessie.”
Chloris struggled to make sense of it. The letter he’d sent confided that he’d had word of his kin. Was this the matter of great urgency that he was called away upon, on that fateful day that he had sent a letter? “He was searching for you.”
“Lennox and I have recently been reunited. He was on his way here, to find you, when our paths crossed.”
“Being reunited with you again will be a huge comfort to him, for he has searched for you all these years.”
Jessie nodded. “Aye, but if he had not been on his way to find you, our paths would not have crossed. There is great significance in that for a man such as Lennox.”
Destiny, he had mentioned it often. Chloris longed to believe in it, too.
“But it is you that he needs now for his comfort,” Jessie continued, “you most of all.”
Chloris withdrew her hands from Jessie’s, difficult though it was to turn away from the succor she offered. “It cannot be. My cousin will have his coven ousted if I dare to see Lennox again.” She picked her words carefully, aware of the pain the young woman had suffered because of her mother’s persecution.
“I do not know the full circumstances of the situation, but Lennox has already sent his people north.”
Chloris was startled. “They have gone from Saint Andrews?”
“They had to leave, your cousin was determined to oust them all, every last one of them.”
Horrified that her worst fears had almost been realized, Chloris struggled to put the pieces into place.
“We must speak quickly in case your servant returns.” Jessie retrieved her basket and withdrew a folded page. “Lennox is here in Edinburgh and he has taken rooms for us just a few streets away. He has written the address for you, and he will remain there until you are able to meet him.”
Chloris stared down at the page, saw that it was written by the same hand, and her heart beat wildly. Lennox was here, in Edinburgh. “He has come here?”
“He’s in love with you, Mistress Chloris.” Jessie laughed softly. “He is in a terrible, sorry state. I must say it is quite endearing to witness.”
Chloris could scarcely breathe.
“Can I tell him you will come?” Jessie asked.
“Yes, I will be there within the hour.”
* * *
Chloris was ready to leave the house immediately, but she forced herself to wait a little longer, lest someone spied her following in Jessie’s footsteps. Her heart was all aflutter, her thoughts dashing this way and that. Lennox had come after her, he had hunted her down. Why hadn’t he gone with his people? How had he found her? The questions spilled through her thoughts as she attempted to bide her time.
Mary entered the drawing room. “I’ve left out your cloak and boots, mistress.”
“Thank you, I will be going out immediately.”
“Shall I order the carriage to be brought round?”
“No. I want to take the air, so I will walk.” She followed Mary out of the room, then hurried to her bedchamber where a cloak hung over the dressing screen next to the armoire. Changing into her boots, she grabbed the cloak and raced downstairs.
Once out in the street she glanced about to check that she wasn’t being observed, and then hurried on her way. It was not far, but every step felt as if she had to make haste, lest she awaken from the dream and discover she had imagined this situation.
As she approached the building where Lennox had taken lodgings, she saw Jessie watching from a window, waiting for her. Before she even knocked at the door, Jessie opened it and directed her up the stairs.
“The first door at the top of the stairs, he’s waiting for you. Hurry, before the landlady sees you.”
“Thank you.” Chloris squeezed Jessie’s hand, then lifted her skirts and darted up the stairs. She almost tripped in her haste, but when she got to the landing and saw the door ajar, she felt suddenly nervous. It was as if it were a dream and if she stepped through the door she would awaken and find herself alone.
A moment later the door opened wide and Lennox was standing there, one hand against the door frame, looking out at her.
Chloris stared at him, almost too nervous to speak and break the spell, for it had to be a spell, this vision of her handsome lover standing here in Edinburgh. He was barely five paces away, and yet she could not believe it was really true. Lennox. His posture was poised and the atmosphere around him filled with his presence—with a sense of anticipation and tension that was palpable. He looked so handsome, so wild and passionate, and the light burning in his eyes was intense.
The frown he wore vanished when he saw it was her who had clattered up the stairs. Chloris could not hold back her joy. She fled across the landing and into his arms, her hands locking around his head as she welcomed his hungry, possessive kiss.
When they drew apart she stared up at him in wonder. “Lennox, oh, Lennox. Why did you risk your safety to follow me when you should be with your people?”
He smiled down at her. “Because I love you, and I promised you I would love you forever. That meant there was only one thing for me to do, to find you and keep you safe.”
Her hand went to his chest, her emotions spinning. All the doubts she had harbored about his intentions—all the fears that it was fanciful nonsense and he felt no lasting affection for her and that she was nothing more than another conquest for a wild libertine—disappeared because she could see it in his eyes. Possessive, proud and filled with desire, he had come to her.
“Oh, Lennox,” she whispered.
“Are you well and safe?” He smoothed back her hair from her forehead as he studied her intently.
She nodded, unable to do more. She knew the real meaning in his question. He wanted to know if Gavin had harmed her.
His finger beneath the chin forced her to look up and meet his gaze. “You look tired.”
“I’ve been worried.” She prayed that he would not press her to say more.
He took her hand and led her into the room beyond, a furnished parlor of some comfort. Closing the door, he shut the world out. Again she found herself held in his arms, held tight and thoroughly kissed.
“I missed you more than I thought possible,” he whispered to her, and his voice was husky with emotion.
“As did I. The thought that I might never see you again made me wish to die.”
“Don’t say that.” He shook his head, as if he could not bear her words.
How deeply he felt, as did she.
Desire shot between them.
She arched in his arms, her body kindling. Memories of their lovemaking flooded her with need to be coupled with him again, to prove this reunion was real.
His hands enclosed the curve of her bosom, cupping her breasts from beneath.
Breathlessly, she responded. Standing on her tiptoes, she pressed her hips to his. His hands roved quickly up and down her back and around her waist, as if he wanted to touch all of her at once.
“Come, sit.” He led her to a long couch. She glanced about and saw a bedchamber through the doorway beyond.
Perching on the seat, she sighed with relief and undid her cloak where it was tied at her neck, letting it fall away. She could not take her gaze from her lover’s face. Here in this furnished parlor he looked like a laird. The gentle ticktock of the clock that stood behind him seemed almost incongruous. It was so calm, when between them their passion for one another was as wild and powerful as it had been out in the bluebell glen.
But he was here, and that very real fact made her afraid for his safety.
Chloris felt the dangers closing in.
If Tamhas knew about Lennox’s action, he might send word to the Edinburgh witch finders. They might already be armed with information that could quickly arrange for her lover to be put to dea
th. Her belly turned over and she felt light-headed, her emotions tangling. “You shouldn’t have taken the risk. Tamhas will be angered you got away, he might—”
Lennox silenced her with one finger on her lips. “My people are safely gone, headed for the Highlands.”
A deep sense of guilt tugged at her innards. “I’m so sorry to have brought this dreadful situation upon you and yours.”
Lennox shook his head. “You did not bring this upon us. The feud between Tamhas Keavey and my coven has gone on for a long while. He has done terrible things, and long before you and I met. One of my men...Keavey stole the use of his arm when he found him picking forage. Broke him by beating him and then trampled him with his horse.”
Chloris shut her eyes, ashamed and horrified by Tamhas’s actions.
“He was set on having us turned away from Saint Andrews, or better still put to death, if he could organize that.”
Chloris whimpered and shuddered. She knew of the witch trials, of the gruesome manner in which they put to death those who were convicted, but she could not bear to hear it on his lips, not about him and his people.
“Hush. What happened between us is not to blame. This was always our destiny. It was only my stubbornness and the need to find my sisters that kept me there. I thought I could change people’s opinions of the old ways, but there are long held grievances and suspicions, and human nature does so like to have someone to persecute.”
Everything he said made her fret all the more. He was trying to comfort her, to reassure her, but guilt weighed heavily. She wrung her hands together, remembering those final words she had exchanged with Tamhas, how angered he had been when she tried to bargain with him. Lennox was too precious to her. She could not put him at risk any more than she already had. “Tamhas might have left you alone, though, if it were not for me.”
“That is not the case.” He cupped her face in his hand. “Chloris, until you came into my life it was as if I were trapped, unable to find anything I needed to find, unable to make a true sanctuary for the people I care about. But you have been a lucky charm, for you unleashed a level of madness in my life that has resulted in good things.” There was affection and humor in his eyes and although she could not fully believe in his convictions, she felt compelled to listen to him.
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