“Now what will we dae?” She wailed in a near-panic. “We finally hae our appointment an’ you’re bein’ called away! Inverness is at least a day’s ride if th’ weather holds, an’ how long will they keep ye?”
“With any luck it will only be for a day or two and I’ll be back in time for the meeting,” he soothed, not certain if he spoke the truth.
“An’ if nae?” She countered. “What then? Ah must gae inform Aunt Lily, perhaps th’ Admiral might be able tae help somehow. Och, blast!” Without another look in his direction, she stormed out of the room.
Daniel fisted his hands at his sides. He sent an angry glare in the direction of the whiskey decanter, but with what restraint remained in him he forced his legs to carry him in the direction of his room. The sooner he left, the sooner he could return.
Chapter 12
The forgotten cup of tea languished stone-cold on the place setting in front of Lenore’s empty seat. Too preoccupied to sit, she paced across the small, carpeted area in front of the hearth instead. A jolly fire blazed in the sitting room fireplace despite the season. A rainstorm had come in, bringing with it a damp chill and the smattering of harsh raindrops outside, which worked to amplify the shivers of uneasiness plaguing her since Daniel left.
She harbored some guilt over not allowing him to speak his mind in the study, but her heart couldn’t take the message she knew he planned to impart. He would ask for her hand, officially, but that request came under duress. She held no lofty hopes that Daniel’s feelings for her changed so significantly in such a short amount of time. He admitted to desire and the need to feel comforted, and for only those reasons she would never regret her actions, but though he professed needing her, he had not indicated loving her. And that was what she wanted.
But now they had worked themselves into a marriage of necessity, something neither of them desired, and which could only lead to their misery. Hers, because she would be married to a man she truly loved but who would never love her in return, and his for being shackled to an unwanted bride. She must find a compromise to offer before he made his proposal, but what compromise existed?
Between the uncertain circumstances of her heart and the ongoing stresses of the land dispute and witchcraft allegations, the option which included the possibility of her hanging seemed far easier to deal with.
“Ah dinnae like it,” she mumbled aloud in the direction of her aunt, who sat on the other side of the table with her own cooling tea, intent on a hefty piece of correspondence which arrived the day before from the admiral. She couldn’t say if she addressed her own thoughts or the situation they shared, but she felt it necessary to make some sort of commentary to avoid the silence gnawing at her. She tried to refocus her thoughts on the issue at hand. “We huvenae heard a thing frae th’ Baron, nae fur days. After he haunted this place practically every day, sitting on th’ door stoop tae argue wi’ me. In fact, he’s barely been seen since Daniel arrived.”
“Well, ‘at’s tae be expected, don’t ye think?” Lily mumbled in return, never lifting her eyes from the packet of papers. “Th’ man was always a coward, an’ Captain Langdon strikes an imposin’ figure. Aside frae ‘at, what else is there fur him tae dae? Th’ dispute is movin’ forward an’ only lacks th’ review ay evidence on both sides.”
“’At’s just it,” Lenore began. “He must hae realized by now we found out his plan an’ will be able tae prove our family’s ownership ay this land. But fur how much he argued fur it, Ah cannae comprehend him giving up ‘at easily. Even as a child, he always resorted tae underhanded tricks in games when he knew he was losin’.”
“Uh-hmmm,” Lily acknowledged, though with such lack of enthusiasm Lenore had to wonder if her aunt had heard a word she said.
“An’ why did Daniel hae tae get called away now?” She continued, aggravated. “Ay all times? What if somethin’ comes up which Aam nae able tae prepare fur? Ah don’t like Mr. Brown standin’ in fur us. Without Daniel here, we’re back tae th’ same problem as before. Ye an’ Ah willnae be allowed tae even sit in on th’ sequence ay events, an’ we must trust Mr. Brown tae defend our point. He cannae possibly hae th’ same emotional investment in this as we dae.”
“Mmm,” sounded from Lily’s direction. Lenore swung around in irritation, noting her aunt still just as absorbed in her reading. “Hae ye even heard a word Ah said, Aunt Lily?” Lenore huffed, marching over to her aunt and setting a palm down on top of her letter, preventing Lily from reading any further.
Lily looked up, a spark of anger lighting in her eyes. “Ah heard what ye said, but Ah dinnae ken what ye expect me tae dae about it. We’ve done th’ best we can, an’ now it’s up tae fate. With any luck, Daniel will return before th’ appointment wi’ th’ magistrate. We hae tae trust ‘at’s th’ way it will go. Until then, there’s nae point in upsettin’ ourselves over potentialities.” She snatched her passel of papers out from under Lenore’s hand and began folding them together again, shoving them haphazardly into a book beside her on the table.
“What is ‘at anyway?” Lenore asked. “What could th’ admiral hae tae say ‘at would encompass sae many sheets ay paper? Th’ man must hae a fortune tae spend.”
“It’s none ay yer concern, an’ if Ah were ye Ah would—”
A crash sounded from somewhere in the front hall, distracting them both. In an instant, Lily was up on her feet, and they both raced to the front hall. Atop the floorboards a short distance from a broken window beside the front entryway lay a sizable rock, a trail of glittering glass in various shapes and sizes from dust-like in consistency to large shards marking its path into the home. Lenore charged up to the window, peeking outside and catching a glimpse of what looked like a small group of older boys or young men running off in the direction of town. “Disrespectful hoodlums,” she murmured, before turning back into the hall to find her aunt crouched down beside the rock which had caused the damage.
“Perhaps,” Lily whispered, “or we may hae some additional problems.”
“What dae ye mean?”
Lily held up the stone with a clearly visible hole through the middle. “A hag stone.”
“An’ what does ‘at mean?”
“It means someone took Tyrsdale’s accusation ay witchcraft too seriously,” Lily sighed, rising to her feet.
Lenore’s jaw dropped. “Surely nae. More likely th’ local boys are using it as an excuse tae cause mischief.”
“We’ll hope sae, but either way we’d best gae tae th’ Magistrate in th’ mornin’ tae report th’ damage.” She set the rock on a side table and wandered closer, reaching out to pat Lenore’s arm. “Why don’t ye try tae rest a bit before dinner? You’ll put yerself intae th’ sick bed wi’ all this worry. Ah suppose Ah ought tae find a footman tae cover up ‘at window until we get it fixed.”
Nodding, Lenore hesitated long enough to watch her aunt approach the window, arms crossed in front of her and tsking. The dark of the storm outside gave away her reflection, brow furrowed with a good deal more concern than she let on. Lenore caught her lower lip between her teeth, deciding her best course of action might be to keep quiet. She made her way up the stairs, silently reiterating her hopes for Daniel to return quickly.
“What dae ye mean there’s nothin’ tae be done?” Lily shouted at the beleaguered magistrate as Lenore looked on. The women made their way into town first thing in the morning to report the vandalism to their home, despite continued murky weather. After Lenore described the young men to her aunt, Lily decided a passel of local boys known for causing upset when they got bored were responsible and determined to have the magistrate extract the funds for repairing the window from the boys’ families.
“Ah mean just ‘at.” The magistrate repeated with a weary sigh. Ye said yerself ye didnae lay eyes on th’ boys at all, an’ Miss. MacAllister only saw them runnin’ off wi’ their heads mostly covered against th’ rain. Aside frae that, if Ah might be sae bold, dae ye think right now is th’ time fur ye ladies ta
e begin causin’ upset wi’ yer neighbors?”
“Ye may nae,” Lily insisted. “An’ what are ye gettin’ at?” she crossed her arms in front of her. “Th dispute wi’ one neighbor does nae automatically absolve others frae their wrongdoin’ if there is any. Someone broke our window, an’ Ah mean tae see it repaired. An’ nae frae mah ain funds.”
Lenore turned toward the office window, knowing her aunt had the situation far more in hand than she did, and she wasn’t likely to improve matters by joining in. For all her visits to this town through her lifetime, it was her aunt who could boast having been born and raised here, despite her decades-long absence during and after her marriage. A certain authority accompanied having been born in a place, which Lenore couldn’t make as great a claim to. Though she hailed from here, she had little early memory of the place as her family moved to England with her still in leading strings. Her main connection existed in less and less frequent visits throughout her lifetime. Gavin could claim a better association, given he’d spent more of his early years here.
She stared out the window, taking in the dark gray of the stone buildings. The rain had eased at some point in the night, but the sun had not yet made its appearance and the roadways remained inundated with water. Puddles resembling small ponds ran in a necklace-chain along the streets, and unevaporated water on the walls stained the sides of all the buildings nearly black.
She questioned their haste to go to town the moment the carriage set out. More than once the drag of mud on the wheels sent her into silent prayers they would reach their destination. The All Mighty favored them for one leg of the journey at least, but the return trip still loomed, and the last thing Lenore wished to experience was a trek through the mud on foot with her ruffled aunt. She craned her neck to get a better view of the road they traveled, in case by some miracle the conditions had improved.
What landscape could be seen consisted of small patches of grass between the buildings and glimpses of larger grassy areas out past the end of the street where the town opened up into common land. Not many chose to make their errands or otherwise traverse the town this morning, given the chill lingering in the air and the less than hospitable walkways.
Even so, Lenore noted a small passel of housewives gathering under the eaves of a nearby shop. They must have arrived after she and her aunt stopped at the magistrate’s office, because she distinctly recalled the barrenness of the streets as they left the coach to enter the legal building. As a matter of fact...
Lenore faced the window more fully and squinted her eyes in an attempt to get a better look at the women across the way. Three stood there, all huddled together in a small cluster, heads leaning in toward each other. As she watched, one of the women glanced in her direction, then returned her attention to her companions and brought up the hand not holding onto her market basket to hide her mouth as she spoke. The other two nodded enthusiastically before also sending furtive glances toward the magistrate’s office.
Lenore straightened, remembering the concern with which Lily announced the hag stone. She had no way to prove it, but an absolute certainty erupted in her that those women were talking about her and her aunt. Uneasy, she turned her back to the window and looked again at the argument still in process. Inspecting the magistrate in greater detail, Lenore noted he too appeared a bit uneasy, his responses metered, his eyes never quite meeting Lily’s. The more she watched, the more Lenore became convinced this man too would rather not have the two of them his presence.
Lily didn’t seem to notice, but this odd and disconcerting sentiment worried Lenore. Reversing her earlier decision to avoid the business at hand, she stomped purposely toward the pair, her attention fixed on the magistrate. The man, normally imposing enough to justify his post, took a step back at her approach, his eyes widening just a hair before he resumed a neutral stance.
“As Ah told ye,” he insisted, angling toward aunt Lily, “given ye hae a dispute wi’ one neighbor which is, as ye ken, th’ most noteworthy thing tae happen in this town since yer great-grandparents time, Ah dinnae think it wise at th’ moment tae start additional scuffles. Ye can rest assured I’ll nae forget about this issue wi’ th’ window, but Ah highly recommend ye leave it off until after th’ completion ay th’ land dispute.”
“What’s got ye sae flustered?” Lenore challenged.
“An’ just what dae ye mean by—” The magistrate attempted and outraged response but, to Lenore’s newly inquisitive gaze, he failed.
“Ye ken what Ah mean,” she continued, not allowing him to complete his sentence. “Why is it ye huvnae th’ gumption tae look mah aunt in th’ eye, or me fur ‘at matter. You’re lookin’ more skittish than a cat. What’s going on?”
“Aam sure Ah dinnae—”
“Go tak’ a look out th’ window, “Lenore indicated with a tilt of her head as she pointed toward the window. “Th’ busybodies are over there cacklin’ about somethin’ an’ Ah wager ‘at somethin’ pertains tae us. First, we’ve got a broken window, an’ now this,” she nodded again in the direction of the window. “What else is going on?”
During her speech, Lily wandered over to the window to inspect things for herself.
“Aye, she’s right, Angus, explain yerself.”
The magistrate pulled himself up to his full height and glowered at both of them, but seemed to realize he wouldn’t win this argument against two MacAllister women. “What dae ye think’s going on?” He spat. “Everyone in town has heard at some point about th’ dispute between yer family an’ the Baron’s. Did ye think there wouldnae be rumors going around at this renewal?”
“Rumors started by whom?” Lenore pressed. “Th’ only people in town with any real interest in the story are few an’ far between, an’ closer tae their meetin’ with their Savior than keepin’ company in th’ hen house. If there are rumors going around, ye can bet it’s Tyrsdale who’s startin’ them.”
“Hae ye any evidence ay ‘at?” The magistrate countered, raising a brow.
Lenore offered a scathing glare in response.
“’At’s what Ah thought,” the man continued, gaining back a hint of his normal bluster. “Now I’ll say it once more, an’ Ah willnae hear anythin’ else about it frae either ay ye. Aam advisin’ ye, fur yer own good at th’ moment, nae tae start any more arguments. I’ll see tae th’ window after th’ dispute hearin’.” He ended his statement by crossing his arms over his chest and lifting his chin, daring either Lenore or Lily to argue.
The air in the office crackled as it might with the approach of a lightning storm, but only the cyclone of Aunt Lily’s anger swirled in her eyes as she stared down the magistrate. “Very well,” she hissed. “Ye can expect tae see me bright an’ early th’ mornin’ after. Come on, Lenore.”
Lenore followed her aunt out of the building and back to their carriage. “What does this mean?” She hazarded once the conveyance took up movement. “Th’ people here wouldnae actually dae us any harm, would they? They ken us. Ye especially, an’ yer sisters an’ their families. We’re nae strangers here.”
Lily darted a glance out the window, noting one of the gossiping wives cross herself as they rolled by. “It means,” she heaved a sigh. “We had better hope Daniel arrives back soon.”
Chapter 13
The hushed hum of whispers and the harsh scratching of a quill against paper grated on Daniel’s ears as he stood at attention in front of the ramshackle panel. His grip on his hat by his side strengthened, and he brought to mind images of Lenore in the hopes of soothing his ever-tightening muscles.
The rain delayed him much longer than anticipated. He arrived at the port town within a day of receiving his summons, only for an Admiralty lackey to inform him the investigation proceedings were delayed due to the weather. Apparently, one of the panel members sitting in front of him had gotten caught in it and forced to wait out the storm. The additional wait time only served to heighten Daniel’s anxiety toward the event.
Soon after arrivi
ng, he found out this panel meant to investigate him for events leading up to the loss of the Opal and to evaluate his mental capacity. As insulting as it was, especially since he’d long since been cleared of any wrongdoing in that event, at least by his superiors, he had to endure a psychological examination by a locally based doctor assigned to the Admiralty. He underwent the inquisition with no warning and having no one he could turn to for support. Not that he expected any, but a bit of preparation time would have been appreciated. Luckily, it appeared the doctor’s findings, while not completely favorable, were at least ambiguous enough to negate the apparent claim that Daniel lacked mental fitness.
Where this claim came from, he could easily guess. This would explain Tyrsdale’s suspicious quiet and absence in the past few days. Though, he still couldn’t understand how the man managed to pull together an impromptu investigation panel on such short notice.
Not for the first time, Daniel found himself eyeing the men in front of him, all of whom were relatively low-ranking officers, at least one of whom likely had some sort of debt or personal skeletons Tyrsdale played on to accelerate his cause. Their mission, it seemed, consisted of collecting evidence which could warrant getting the admiralty to begin official proceedings to strip Daniel of his rank and possibly his career. One of them, at least, had enough clout to summon him with an official seal.
None of that, however, helped Daniel at the moment. He’d been subject to uncomfortable questions about events leading up to not only the loss of the ship, but of its captain, his former commander, all morning. He hoped they might soon at least adjourn and prayed he could keep enough semblance of strength until that point to not embarrass himself further by collapsing into a chair.
The Captain's Surrender (Currents of Love Book 6) Page 11
