by Monica Burns
The dismay in his voice made Louisa wince at having teased the child. Only a tyrant could make a child fear reprisal. She’d seen it so often whenever a child was brought into White Willow House. The Rockwood-sponsored orphanage saw far too many children terrified of abusive fathers passing through its doors. Louisa immediately caught his hand in hers and squeezed it gently.
“Well, unless you decide to tell him, I’m not sure how he will find out. I could never admit to having a man in my bedroom. It would be scandalous.” Louisa smiled mischievously at the boy and tilted her head toward him in a conspiratorial manner. The boy rewarded her with a soft laugh.
“I won’t tell him, Mrs. Morehouse.”
“Good, I have acted quite scandalously far too often in my life, and I’m afraid my family wouldn’t be happy with me if I were to create new scuttlebutt.” At her reply, the boy chuckled again and Louisa smiled. “That’s better. If you scowl so much your face is apt to freeze in that position.”
“Does this mean you will stay?”
“Stay?” She frowned as she eyed Ross in puzzlement.
“Aren’t you the new governess my father was supposed to send for from London?”
The last few words of the boy’s question faded away as the an dara sealladh swept over Louisa. The darkness fell down around her, and it pulsated with fear, pain, and secrets that seemed to rip the fabric of the space around her. Stark and savage, the emotions twisted their way around her as if the roots of a tree were grasping at her, pulling her down into the earth.
The atmosphere changed in a split second as the darkness retreated and she found herself in a dimly lit room. Somewhere in the barely lit room she sensed a familiar mix of emotions. The man. He was here. Suddenly the one-eyed beast with its hideous, steel fingers materialized in front of her. The instant she recoiled, the beast grew still. Anger charged the air between them, but beneath that anger was a deep anguish.
The beast turned away from her, and his body slowly took on the form of a man. Like a ghost materializing out of the ether, Ross appeared next to the man. The deep sadness on the child’s face as he looked up at the beast was heartbreaking. In a hesitant movement, the man reached out to the boy then abruptly dropped his hand and walked away. From out of the darkness another figure took shape.
As the dowager countess appeared, she eyed the child with vicious contempt, and the child shrank away from her. The dark emotions surrounding Louisa grew in density until the air contained nothing but malevolence. The intensity of it terrified her, and she whirled around trying to escape. Behind her the ominous sound of stone grinding against stone filled the air. Her heart pounded with the intense fear engulfing her. The soft glow of a light broke through the darkness, and Caleb walked toward her. A tender smile on his face, he kissed her cheek.
“Don’t walk away from your destiny, Louisa. They need you. He needs you.”
Caleb began to fade into the darkness, and she reached out to stop him. Silently she pleaded with him not to leave her. Once more she was left alone in the darkness. Another brighter light appeared, and from a distance she heard the frantic voice of a child.
“Mrs. Morehouse. Mrs. Morehouse.”
The darkness receded, and her body jerked as if she’d fallen from a great height to the ground. Her eyes fluttered open, and Ross’s face came into focus. The boy was patting her hand rapidly a look of intense fear on his face. Slightly dazed, she straightened in her chair and lifted her hand to rub her forehead. The child’s fear made Louisa take his hand and squeeze it in a reassuring manner.
“It’s all right, Ross,” she murmured. “I simply fainted for a moment. I’ve had spells like this all my life. I’ve grown accustomed to them.”
“You looked just like old Mrs. Dunmore does when the an dara sealladh comes over her.” Ross’s troubled observation startled Louisa for a moment before she remembered how common it was in Scotland for people to accept the an dara sealladh for the gift it was.
“Did I?” She forced a smile to her lips. “Well, I’m quite all right now, so there’s nothing to be afraid of. And you really must stop looking like a dour old Scotsman.”
Ross offered her a slight smile, but remained silent, and she saw the uncertainty in his gaze. In an effort to divert his attention away for any further inquiry, she remembered how the child had appeared in her room as if he’d been a ghost.
“How did you get into my room?” The question caused the corner of the boy’s mouth to quirk upward and for the first time she saw a mischievous look cross his face.
“There are hidden passageways that go to different rooms in the house. There are some that even lead outdoors.”
The boy quickly walked to the spot where he’d first appeared, and pressed a small place in the coat of arms engraved in the paneling. A second later, a hidden door silently swung outward. Ross looked back at her with a smile and his face lit up with excitement.
“Mrs. Selkirk says Robert the Bruce stayed in this room once. It’s why we call it the King’s Chamber. He used the hidden corridors to avoid capture by the English.”
The look of fascination on the child’s face made Louisa think he might enjoy learning history lessons. It was a subject she had excelled at in her own studies.
“That sounds quite exciting.”
“Yes,” he said with a nod as his face lit up with enthusiasm. “I would have liked to have met the Bruce.”
“And that would have been extremely dangerous.” Louisa shook her head as she smiled. “But there are dangers here too.”
“Dangers, ma’am?”
“If Mrs. Selkirk comes back and catches you here, you will not be as lucky as the Bruce. You will cause a huge scandal, and my family will never forgive me.”
The amusement that had vanished from Ross’s face returned as he grinned at her. For some reason, she was certain it wasn’t an expression he wore often.
“I’d better go then, ma’am.”
“Before you do, I need you to help me to the desk over there. I need to write a note to my family. I’m certain Au…Lady Stewart is wondering why I’ve not presented myself for my position as her companion.” At her words, Ross’s expression crumbled into deep disappointment.
“So you aren’t my governess, ma’am.” The despondency in his voice made Louisa long to scoop him up in her arms and hug him close. She was certain it was a display of affection he rarely, if ever, received. As much as she wanted to give him hope, Louisa refused to be the cause of greater despair. Instead, she smiled gently at him.
“I’m sure whoever your governess is, she will be quite lovely.” She rose from her chair, and braced herself with one hand on Ross’s narrow shoulder as she moved to the desk. When she was seated, she smiled at the boy and nodded toward the hidden door that was still open. “Go on now. You know I cannot afford to be compromised.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Ross returned her smile then turned and moved toward the secret passage.
As he disappeared into the dark, and the door swung softly closed behind him, Louisa sighed at the way her heart ached for the child. The thought of Ross being the pupil of any woman remotely like her own governess, Mrs. Crimwald, horrified her. The child was already in such desperate need of love. How could she abandon him to the possibility of a harsh governess?
She had no idea what Caleb had meant by her destiny, but he was right about Ross. The child needed her. But Charlie and Wills needed her too. Maybe not as much as Ross, but she loved her sons to much too not have them with her. Inside her head, scenario after scenario played out endless possibilities. Her biggest obstacle to overcome was creating a reason for staying here and having the boys with her.
A part of her balked at the thought of bringing Willie and Charlie here. Her visions told her Argaty had seen more of its share of darkness, but she was confident the boys would not be in harm’s way. No, the danger she’d felt during the an dara sealladh would affect her directly, but she wasn’t sure what her vision meant. Louisa bit do
wn on her bottom lip as she contemplated how to attain her goal.
The idea when it came to her was so simple, she almost laughed out loud. Now her only obstacles were her family and the earl. Persuading Sebastian would not be easy, but she would succeed in her efforts to convince him of her plan.
It was the earl who was the unknown quantity in her plan. Deep inside she heard Caleb laugh. Her brother had always found it amusing at how easily she could convince others to go along with one of her schemes. Intrigues Sebastian, and later Devin, usually deemed reckless. Caleb’s laughter echoed again in her head. The sound reassured her that she would succeed in winning the earl over, if only by sheer persistence. A smile on her face, she opened the lid of the secretaire to search for paper and pen.
Chapter 4
Sebastian Rockwood, Earl of Melton, grunted as the small unmarked carriage he was in hit a hole in the muddy road. He opened Louisa’s letter and read it over again as he’d been doing since he’d received the note late yesterday. The relief it had brought him had been like a wave tossing him up onto a beach leaving him gasping for breath.
The past two days had been filled with fear and worry as he’d mounted a search for his sister. Mrs. Bruce’s telegram had arrived late Sunday morning with word that Fergus had been found late the night before, but Louisa was missing. Everyone might not be in a state of panic at the moment if he’d been alone when he received the telegram.
Unfortunately Constance and Aunt Matilda had been with him in his study when the news had arrived. He’d felt the color draining from his face, and his sister and aunt had immediately insisted on knowing what had happened.
Before the fire, he might not have reacted to the telegram the way he had. But that horrific night at Westbrook had changed the entire family. They viewed life and death with different eyes now. The devastating loss they’d experience had made them value each other and their families in a much deeper way than they ever had before the fire.
If something were to happen to Louisa, it would be another terrible blow to the family, but for him the loss would have been even more devastating than Caleb’s death. Louisa had been so young when their parents had died, and in many respects, Sebastian had been both mother and father to her as she grew up. Losing her would be no different than losing Tilly or one of his boys.
He had intended to leave for Callendar Abbey on the first available train, but Aunt Matilda had been adamant in her refusal for him to leave without her. As the telegram had arrived on a Sunday, there were fewer trains running north, and their preparations had delayed their departure until the late afternoon train to Stirling.
The coach made a sharp turn on the road that led to Argaty, and he pulled his pocket watch from his vest to check the time. As he tucked the watch back into place, he smiled as he remembered Helen patting his vest pocket to ensure he’d not forgotten the time piece before she’d kissed him goodbye. The caress had been one of reassurance and comfort as Helen was well aware of his strong feelings where his youngest sister was concerned.
An image of his wife filled his head. As always he realized how fortunate they were to have found each other. All of his siblings had been equally lucky with perhaps the exception of Louisa. Aside from Patience, his youngest sister had experienced far more than the rest of the family. For the past two years, she’d been living not only with Devin’s death, but betrayal and guilt. He now understood why she’d preferred the quiet of Callendar Abbey over London.
The devastation Devin’s death had inflicted on her had been far worse than anyone had realized. His brother-in-law’s secret had made Louisa doubt her husband’s love for her. But he knew Louisa too well not to realize there was more to her pain than she’d shared. He had no idea what else troubled his sister, but Sebastian was certain it had to do with the couple’s argument the night of the fire. Sebastian grimaced as he considered Devin’s behavior.
He was certain his friend had loved Louisa, but perhaps not in the way she’d deserved. The marriage had appeared to be a happy one, but trust was something every marriage required. For his sister it was critical, and he was certain it was why Louisa was questioning the depth of Devin’s feelings for her. The knowledge made him wonder if his friend had ever really understood his wife at all.
Sebastian’s eyes focused on his sister’s note again. It had clearly been written in haste as Louisa’s handwriting was normally far more elegant and sweeping. A reflection of her sometimes dramatic nature that hid beneath her impish streak. She was the only one of his siblings who could charm him into getting her way. Whenever Caleb was witness to her cajoling, he would eye Sebastian in open amusement the moment Sebastian succumbed to her persistence.
The youngest of the Rockwoods, his sister was perhaps the most impulsive of all his siblings. Louisa let her heart lead her in everything she did, and he loved her dearly for it. Unfortunately the trait often ended with Louisa in trouble of some sort, and he was thinking this might be one of those times.
Staring at her missive, he realized he’d given way to her as always by following her instructions. She’d insisted he come to Argaty as soon as possible in an unmarked carriage, and he was to announce himself as Mr. Rockwood to see his sister, Mrs. Morehouse. The cryptic nature of the note only increased his suspicions that his youngest sister was scheming again. Over the years, it had become an art form where Louisa was concerned.
He pushed the note back into his coat pocket, and stared out the window. The rain had stopped shortly before he’d arrived at the abbey, and the burns, while still higher than normal had been fairly easy to cross. As the carriage began to slow, he saw Argaty Keep coming into view. Aunt Matilda had been horrified when she learned Louisa was a guest of the earl while recovering from her night out on the moors.
The Scotswoman had uttered a few choice words about the dowager countess before she’d demanded, quite emphatically, that Sebastian was to bring her niece home immediately. He was convinced Louisa would not be heeding the demand of the Rockwood matriarch. He knew his youngest sister too well. She was up to something, and God only knew what. The carriage rolled to a stop, and a stocky-built man in a dark brown work kilt hurried out to greet the vehicle.
“I’ve come to see…” Sebastian stumbled over his words slightly as he almost referred to Louisa as Lady Westbrook. “Mrs. Morehouse. I’m her brother, Sebastian Rockwood.”
“Aye, sir, she’s expecting ye. She’s still a mite unsteady on her feet so it will take her a moment to come down to meet ye.”
“I’ve brought a small trunk of clothes for her in the event she’s not yet able to travel.” Sebastian nodded toward the baggage attached to the back of the carriage.
“Aye, sir. I’ll see tae it the lady gets it right away.” The man hesitated, and Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “Forgive me sir, but I was wondering how the young man who was injured is doing. I know Mrs. Morehouse was quite worried about him.”
“The young man was found by Lady Stewart’s staff a few hours after the accident.” He suddenly frowned as he realized how Louisa’s reckless nature had almost killed her. “If my sister had not been so impulsive she would not be imposing on the earl’s hospitality.”
“Aye, the lass does have a stubborn streak in her, and she will be relieved tae hear the young man is well.”
The Scotsman chuckled, and Sebastian’s heart sank. His sister had already caused a stir, not to mention she’d obviously charmed the man in front of him. Who else in the household had she managed to put under her spell? The man nodded toward the house.
“If you would, sir.”
With a nod, Sebastian followed the Scotsman into the house and was shown into a large room that doubled as a salon and library. He quietly perused the titles on the shelves as he waited for his sister. The earl, or someone else, had an obvious love for writings of ancient Roman generals and other military greats. Sebastian had just found a small volume of Marcus Aurelius’s writings when a small cry of happiness made him turn around to see L
ouisa hurrying toward him.
“Oh, Sebastian. I’m so happy to see you,” she exclaimed as she hugged him tight then looked up at him with a worried frown. “How are the boys? Are they behaving? I’m certain the family is terribly worried. I’m so sorry to have made everyone fear something horrible had happened to me.”
As always when she was excited, Louisa didn’t allow anyone to answer a question without barreling on to the next. Patiently he waited for her to stop speaking and smiled as her questions died away, and she eyed him with a look that demanded his immediate answer.
“I’m delighted and greatly relieved to see you as well. And yes, everyone has been quite worried about you,” he said as he kissed her forehead. “In fact, I had to put my foot down when the lot of them demanded to come to Callendar Abbey with Aunt Matilda and me. Although I’m certain they began to make preparations to come north the moment they received my telegram stating you had been found safe, but a bit under the weather.”
“Oh no, they mustn’t.” A crestfallen expression fell over his sister’s face. Sebastian sighed with resignation. He’d been correct in his assumptions.
“What scheme or plot are you hatching now, Louisa?”
“I do not hatch plots,” she harrumphed then laughed softly as he eyed her with mocking disbelief. He recognized her lively expression as one he’d known before the fire. This was the mischievous Louisa of old, and it lightened his heart as she chuckled. “All right, sometimes I do, but you know they’re always for a worthy cause.”
“Sometimes,” he murmured ruefully. “Now then, as you can see, I’ve followed your instructions to the letter, and I’d like to know what this intrigue is all about?”
A secretive look crossed Louisa’s face as she quickly turned and went to the door to ensure it was closed. The minute Sebastian saw the sparkle in his sister's hazel eyes he suppressed a groan of dismay. The Louisa who’d been missing for so long had returned, and he knew without a doubt he wasn’t going to like whatever she was about to propose. Despite that fact, Sebastian knew he would give way to her simply to ensure Louisa didn’t retreat into the shell she’d lived in for more than two years. He wasn’t about to lose her a second time.
