| This is a novel of
four parts, the first being set in southern England, circa 4th
century A.D. The main characters are the Merchant, his blonde, blue eyed daughter, Grendl, her lover, Andemus, and Damian, Andemus' fellow Druid priest. The merchant speaks against the Druids, and Damian confronts Andemus about it.. |
"Oh?" was Andemus' only response. Would her father's return prevent Grendl from seeing him? he wondered silently.
"He spoke against us in the village."
Andemus sat down. "That is nothing new, Damian. He makes a habit of doing so. No one listens to him."
"It is time that he be punished," Damian insisted.
"He has been warned - " Andemus reminded the other man.
"But he did not heed the warning. He is a fool, Andemus. A dangerous fool. It must be done without delay."
Rising, Andemus went to the window. But instead of the green fields beyond the stables, he saw Grendl's trusting blue eyes. "Do what you must, Damian. But leave me out of it. I must maintain no connection with Druid activity if I am not to be discovered." Forgive me, Grendl,he thought to himself. I have no choice.
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"You must talk to me," he said. He was dressed in fine clothes, she noted.
"I do not speak to strangers, sir."
"We may not know the names, but we are not strangers. you and I could never be that." Aaron was surprised by his reaction to this blonde beauty. His usual preference was for dark hair and eyes. But something about this woman drew him like the sea drew a sailor.
"You are too forward, sir. Allow me to pass."
Aaron laughed, then reached down with no warning to lift her onto the horse in front of him. "There. That is much better, is it not?"
"No!" she said, struggling to free herself. "You are mad!" she declared. "Release me. If I am seen-"
"You do not care what others think. I can tell that. We are alike in that way."
"Let me down!"
"Ah, spirited as well. I like that in a woman. Allow me to take you to your destination," he said with a smile, trying to charm her out of her anger. "Come now. The sooner you tell me which direction, the sooner you will be rid of my company."
With a deep sigh, Miranda clenched her jaw. "That way."
"It truly troubled you to give in, did it not? We will go." He set the horse in motion, and shortly they came to the house he knew was Judah Zachary's. Aaron slid from the saddle, then lifted the girl down. "You were coming to this house?" he asked her, his eyes narrowed as they looked at her.
"Yes," she said, gathering her skirts to run inside. "I must go before - "
Aaron put a hand on her arm to detain her. "Before what?"
"The door of the house opened, and a tall, dark figure came down the path. He didn't raise his voice, but Miranda could hear the unleashed fury. "Miranda."
"Judah. I was - just going inside." The look he sent the other man set warning bells off inside her head.
Aaron leaned against the gate. "Hello, Zachary."
"Forsythe."
Miranda's blue eyes grew wide. "You are - Captain Forsythe?"
He bowed, humor back in his hazel eyes. "Captain Aaron Forsythe, at your service, Mistress Miranda." He could easily read the confusion in those blue eyes before she turned and dashed into the house. "She's very beautiful, Zachary. Even more so than Elsbeth. Do you plant he same fate for her?" All trace of humor had vanished.
"I explained that it was Elsbeth's decision, Forsythe. I did not force her to participate in that ceremony. She wanted to - "
"Because she knew it was what you wanted her to do."
"She loved me."
"It was not love, Judah. It was fear. As well as the promises you made to her. Did you receive my message?"
Judah blinked, temporarily startled by the change of subject. "The doll? Yes. I received it. A rather - crude warning."
"But effective?"
Judah ignored his questions. "How long will you be in Bedford?"
Aaron swung into the saddle. "As long as it takes for my sister to rest in peace, Judah. Tell Miranda that I will be seeing her." He spurred his horse into a gallop.
Miranda had watched the exhange from a window, and when the Captain rode away and Judah turned toward the house, she hurried to a chair and sat down. Judah wasted no time upon entering. "Where did you meet him?" he demanded to know.
"On the road. I had no idea who he was - "
"Yet you accepted a ride?"
"He gave me no choice, Judah. He would not let me pass, and then he lifted me onto the horse and refused to let me go. Perhaps if I had used my powers - "
"Your powers would have been useless against him. You are not to see him again, my dear. Do you understand?"
"Yes. I have no reason to see Captain Forsythe." And she meant it - in her mind. But her heart kept reminding her of the intense look in Aaron's hazel eyes, and the way his face would become gentle when he smiled. Stop this, she told herself. Aaron Forsythe is Judah's enemy. You owe everything to Judah. Forget the captain. . . .
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"It is probably the closest either of us will come to that place," Aaron comments. "Marie will most likely be at the door, waiting."
Marie Bouchet was not an attractive woman. her features were too sharp, her hair an unbecoming shade of red-brown. But her smile was warm and welcoming. "Capitan. The cards told me you would return today - with a wife."
Aaron lifted Miranda's hand. "The cards were correct - as always, Marie. Allow me to present Miranda Forsythe. My wife. Miranda, Marie Bouchet."
Miranda hid her surprise at his introduction while the woman greeted her. "Madame Forsythe. Welcome to Belle Mer. It is time that M'sieur Capitan brought a woman into this house. And such a beautiful one. You have chosen well, Capitan."
"Thank you, Marie. I am glad you approve. I want you to send for the dressmaker. Miranda must have a new wardrobe. And you and she must make plans for a grand ball."
"Right away. I will have your cases seen to." She paused. "Your business was satisfactorily concluded?"
"He is dead," Aaron told her. Marie turned and left the room. Aaron pulled Miranda into his arms. "Did I not tell you she was priceless?"
She placed a hand on his mouth to silence him. "No. I only want you."
He kissed her fingers. "Then it is settled. Marie can show you around the house later. Do you ride?"
"Yes. Judah - Judah taught me."
"Then we will go to the stables and choose a mount for you. Then I will give you a tour of the plantation." He pulled her behind him into the foyer. "Marie!"
She came to the rail on the landing at the top of the wide stairs. "Oui?"
"Miranda and I are going for a ride. We will have dinner in our room."
"I have already ordered it so, Capitan," she said, smiling indulgently. "Enjoy your ride."
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"Mr. Collins ain't here right now," Willie was saying as she approached the door.
"Will he be back soon? It's imperative that I speak to him."
Julia moved nearer. "Who is it, Willie?"
The man looked past the servant. "I'm Carl Drake - Angelique Rumsen's attorney."
"Of course. Barnabas wrote to your last week."
"I only received his letter two days ago. I've been out of the country. I was going to contact him when I returned anyway - "
"Oh?"
He looked uncertain. "Are you - Mrs. Collins?"
Julia smiled. "No. There is no Mrs. Collins. I'm Dr. Julia Hoffman. Barnabas is a friend."
Since Willie had gone downstairs to warn Barnabas about their visitor, Barnabas entered the house through the front door. "Good evening, Julia."
"Barnabas. This is Carl Drake, from New York."
He shook the lawyer's hand. "Please, be seated, Mr. Drake. Would you care for a drink?"
"No, thank you."
"Do you have news of Angelique Rumsen?"
Draked looked away from him. "I'm afraid so, Mr. Collins. I was just tellng Dr. Hoffman that I had just returned from Europe two days ago." He hesitated, then faced his host. "There's no easy way to tell you this, I suppose. Angelique - Mrs. Rumsen died almost a week ago."
Julia felt Barnabas' reaction from across the room. "She's - dead?"
"I really am sorry, Mr. Collins. She was driving in the South of France when she apparently lost control of her car. It went into a lake. There's been no body recovered, but the authorities searched the area thoroughly. I went over to help, but nothing turned up. They've declared her dead."
Barnabas was at the window, staring unseeingly out into the dark night. Julia spoke into the quiet. "Is that all, Mr. Drake?"
"Not quite. There's her will. Once her husband's debts were paid, she had enough money left to live comfortably. She still owned the estate down the coast."
"Little Windward."
"Yes. The will names Barnabas Collins as her sole beneficiary. I have some papers that need to be witnessed," he said, drawing them from his breifcase, then glancing at the man who stood silent and straight-backed at the window. "I'll leave them here. Just send them back to me in a few days."
"He will," Julia assured him.
The lawyer stood. "I am really sorry to bring you bad news, Mr. Collins, but I thought you should hear it in person and not in a letter."
"Thank you," was Barnabas' brief response.
Julia walked Carl Drake to the door. "Will he be all right, Doctor?"
With more assurance than she felt, Julia answered, "Yes. It was just such a shock. He was really expecting to find her."
"That's understandable. She was certainly a beautiful woman. And I gathered from his letter that she meant a great deal to him."
"A very great deal," Julia agreed.
Willie had overheard the man's news, and entered the parlour at Julia's side. "Julia, he's gone!"
"I expected it, Willie," she said, sounding defeated.
"But Julia, if he goes into town, the way he's feelin'-."
"I know. He doesn't have any reason to care about what happens to him now."
"You're scarin' me, Julia. We gotta stop him."
The sound of glass shattering in the basement sent them both down the stairs and into Julia's laboratory. Equipment was scattered, broken; test tubes and slides lay on the floor in a dust of glass, but of Barnabas there was no sign. Julia felt perilously near tears. "Barnabas."
Willie looked frightened. "I don't know if we can handle him like this, Julia."
"We must, Willie. For his sake if for no other reason. You go into Collinsport and look for him. I have to stop by Collinwood and get Quentin to help."
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Quentin, facing the door, looked in that direction, his handsome features revealed his surprised shock. "I see her - but I don't believe I see her."
Curious, Barnabas turned in his chair to look at the new arrival. "Angelique."
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