A shriek, just as lightning blazed through the windows. James jumped to his feet, then ran from the study into the hallway. The terriers ran barking alongside him. That had been no banshee. Elspeth. Alarmed, he rounded the corner toward the stairs just as the wolfhound hurtled past him. A ghostly figure in white followed.
He stepped forward and the slender wraith leaped at him, arms looping about his neck. “What in blazes! Elspeth!”
“Oh!” She sank against him, trembling. He gathered her close as another whip crack of lightning flickered through the windows, brightening the hall. She felt good, too good, in his arms. He smoothed her tousled hair, his heart beating fast. “What is it? You’re scared—”
“I am not,” she protested, though she clung to him like a squirrel on a tree.
“Well, I was bloody frightened,” he admitted. He held her tightly, felt her relax. “I thought you were a ghost leaping at me. What happened?”
“I could not sleep, and came down to find you.”
“It was just lightning, my dear.” He had not meant to say it that way.
“I am not a ninny to be scared of such things. I only thought I might sit and do some reading while you worked in the study.” She clutched the lapels of his waistcoat. He had been working in shirtsleeves for comfort, his coat still drying.
James covered her hand in his own. “Nothing mundane would send you flying down here as if demons were after you. I thought you were the resident banshee when you came down in that floaty white thing—”
“Hush!” Her fingers pressed his lips. “Do not summon the ban-sith!”
“It’s only the storm, or creaking hinges, or rain on the roof.”
She took her fingers away, shook her head, clutched his lapel. “It is not that—oh, James, please—”
Then, for no good reason he knew, he was kissing her. Tender and fervent, one kiss melting into another as he tilted his head to hers, caught her face in his hands, pushed his fingers through her hair. She moaned and sank against him, her mouth urgent beneath his, driving him onward when he knew—and surely she knew—this should not happen.
Yet he wanted this so keenly that his mind went foggy. Catching her by the waist, he pulled her hard against him, pressing his body to hers through the thin fabric. The wanting pulsed so hard through him he thought he might go mad with it. He was already a bit lunatic where she was concerned.
Not this way. Stop. The thought sobered him. He took her by the shoulders and put a little distance between them. “Enough, else we both regret it.”
“I do not regret it,” she said, breathless.
“One of us should be practical.”
“Neither of us need be, really.”
“Good God.” He was seriously tempted, but took a quick step away, heart pounding. “If you do not want to stay alone in a thunderstorm, I am working in the study. Sit there if you wish, or in the library. But do cover yourself up, lass, would you,” he added irritably. “I am not that strong a fellow.”
“Oh, but you are,” she said with a little laugh.
He began to answer, stopped. She had a lucent glow, standing there in the dark hallway, her pale oval face, the long whip of her thick black braid, the white billow of his grandmother’s nightrail. His grandmother’s nightdress, he repeated to himself severely. But her eyes, large and luminous as moonlight, entranced him.
“Never look over your shoulder at the fairy ilk,” she said, inexplicably.
“Come along,” he said, and crooked out his elbow. She took his arm and they moved forward. She was barefoot and limping, slap-pat on the wooden floor.
“Where in botheration did the dogs go?” he asked, hoping for a distraction. He was keenly aware that Elspeth wore only the nightrail, dragging a plaid blanket. His hands had found the warm curves of her body beneath soft fabric. Grandmother’s gown, he reminded himself. “Blast and damn,” he muttered.
“Lord Struan, please,” she admonished. She sounded amused, relieved.
“We do not need a banshee in the house with you here,” he said. “You’ve cast your own lunatic spell over the laird.”
“Yet he is acting the gentleman.”
“Is he? He should rather desperately beg your pardon, Miss MacArthur.”
She laughed and held his arm as formally as if they entered a ballroom. Both of them were partly clothed and in disarray, alone in the house in a fierce storm. Her lush allure and her delightful willingness, together with the passion and affection gaining equal influence in him—this had the makings of a disaster.
He truly began to wonder if they would get through this night without an obligation of marriage. He felt drawn to her like iron shavings to a magnet. And she did not seem to mind in the least.
The dogs followed them into the library, and James led the girl through to the small study. The place seemed reassuringly ordinary. He sat at his desk, but Elspeth did not relax. She stood with her head cocked, looking wary, as if listening for something. Thunder boomed. She jumped.
“Sit down,” he said. “Read a book.” He gestured toward the volumes stacked on table surfaces, crammed on shelves. Contrary to the restraint and control he liked, he was not particularly tidy in his work. He would put them away when finished.
“I am fine,” she said, standing with arms folded. He could see the high plump of her breasts through the fabric. The plaid over her shoulders hid little of that.
“Miss MacArthur, I cannot think if you stand there like that.”
She went to the window seat that was tucked beneath a tall window overlooking the back garden. All was darkness, whipping rain, winds. “The roads will flood, the bridge will wash out.”
He cocked a brow. “A prediction?”
“I know the glen. The stone of the old bridges can crumble in very bad storms and the roads may turn to mud. The local men make repairs, but it takes time.”
“New bridges should be built, and the roads resurfaced.”
“Aye. But no one can afford to do that here. Bridges and roads need money.”
Nodding, he wondered again if she believed that the laird of Struan had the generous pockets the glen needed. He scarcely had enough funds to keep his own house and grounds in order, let alone pay for bridges in the glen, or make a wife wealthy. And unless he finished his grandmother’s book and wed a fairy bride, he reminded himself sourly, he would have only a small inheritance.
Fairy bride. He watched her, unable to concentrate when she sat curled on the seat, the thin gown defining the delightful shape of her hips and legs, a blush of skin showing through the fine fabric. Standing, he began to put books away, carrying them to a wrought iron ladder, climbing up to slide the books onto high shelves. His gait made the process slow, but the activity was what he needed.
Had Elspeth MacArthur set this up deliberately, anticipating the weather, hearing the laird was alone? Had she hoped events would lead to marriage that would benefit her family and community? She had been frank about wanting to be ruined. Had she been honest about her grandfather’s plans to marry her off?
He looked down, saw her flipping through the pages of a book. She was lovely, a fey sort with that dark hair, pale features, and delicate frame. Anyone might believe she had fairy blood. Even Sir Walter Scott was intrigued.
If James married her, he could meet the will’s conditions. Preposterous. He and his siblings should dispute the will instead of chasing will-o’-the-wisps.
Still, he was glad to work with his grandmother’s manuscript. Lady Struan felt closer to him as he worked, and he was glad to honor that, and her book, regardless of the subject matter. What was nonsense to him did appeal to many others.
The wolfhound loped toward the girl. She patted his great, unkempt head. “Good lad, Osgar,” she said.
“That dog follows you everywhere now,” James said. “You need not be frightened in this house. He could scare off anything, earthly or unearthly.”
“Oh no, he’d probably let them in.”
“Them?”
“The Fey. They are out riding tonight.”
“Come now, Miss MacArthur. Not even a fairy would be out and about in such a downpour. Nor do dogs open doors. Let us put pretense aside.”
“I would never fool you.” She looked up, her face a pretty oval.
“A nice promise,” he answered, easing another book into place.
“You have closed off your heart from hurt, James MacCarran, Lord Struan,” she said. “You trust no one.”
His heart pounded. “Life is much smoother that way,” he said casually, shoving another book into place. “It eliminates complications and—” And love. He stopped.
“And love?” she asked, watching him from below.
He crammed in another book. “Silly notions and sentiment.”
“Why do you not believe in the Sight, or fairies, or even love?”
He climbed down and went back to the desk. “Because believing,” he said quietly, “requires accepting the fantastical. I am not a fool. Give me good solid rocks to categorize. Those are real.” He stamped his boot heel. “The earth beneath our feet. The air we breathe. What we touch and see. It is real. It makes up our world.”
“You are afraid to believe.” She sat up, the lamplight reflecting in her eyes. “Afraid that you cannot explain everything in your world. Afraid to trust something unseen and powerful.”
“I go to church on occasion. I was taught to trust in that.” He did not, particularly, not as intently as others. “No man trusts other forces easily. Certainly not me.” He picked up more books, headed for the steps.
“You are afraid of me a little, I think.”
“A wee slip of a thing like you? Not at all.”
“I am not frightened of you, or of being alone with you. Nor am I afraid of what might happen…to us. Or to my heart.”
He glanced at her. She did frighten him a little. She was too honest, too damned enticing. She invaded his solitude and stirred up too much. “This situation alarms me, Miss MacArthur, on your behalf. Disgrace is not the best solution to your marriage dilemma.”
“It could be,” she answered.
He set the books down. A decanter of whisky sat on a nearby shelf, and he lifted it to swirl its contents. “Mrs. MacKimmie keeps bottles filled in every room. We can indulge when—under duress.” He could use a good swallow of whisky to fortify him against that fetching little wraith in his grandmother’s nightgown.
Better to keep his wits about him. He set the decanter back.
“Struan House has a good supply,” she said. “It is the laird’s house, after all. The smugglers are always generous so long as we look the other way. My grandfather never wants for free whisky. If you are pouring some, I will have a taste. It is a night for a few drams.”
Very well. He poured a little into a glass and brought it to her. She swallowed, handed it back, liquid gleaming. “And you, sir?”
He sipped, set it down. “Enough. If I am foxed, you might compromise me.”
“I have abandoned the idea. You’re too unwilling.”
“Oh, I am willing. Just too much the gentleman.” The silence pulsed in the air between them.
The wolfhound stood then, whining, and padded toward the door. A distant, eerie shriek drifted overhead. Elspeth stood, grabbing James’s arm, and they turned toward the door together. A cracking glow of lightning split the shadows, and thunder sounded.
“The banshee.” Her fingers tightened on his arm.
“Just an old rusted weathervane, I’m sure.” He was not convinced. “I’ll have Mr. MacKimmie fix it.”
“The banshee is warning us that something is about to happen.”
“Being alone together in these blasted circumstances is enough for me.”
“It warns us that the fairy ilk are riding on Struan grounds.”
James was framing his next denial when a cacophony of thunder and other noises shook the very walls. “What the devil,” he muttered, moving toward the door, Elspeth holding his arm. “It sounds as if the horses have gone loose from their stalls. I’ll check. Wait here,” he said. “Osgar, stay.”
“I am coming with you,” Elspeth said. Wasting no time on argument, James hurried toward the back corridor, then down the steps past the kitchen. The girl and the wolfhound followed him.
“Wait here, Elspeth.” He did not even notice that he used her name. He snatched a coat from a hook and stepped out into a whipping gust.
“Struan!” she called behind him. “James! Please wait!”
He looked back. “I will be fine, lass.”
“Whatever happens,” she called, “do not look back!”
He waved and walked into the storm.
Eilidh. Gasping, Elspeth stepped out into the elements. The Fey were riding that night, and Struan—James, for it sounded more real to her, and he liked what was real and reliable—James had gone out unsuspecting. She knew he would find the horses safe, the stable closed. The sounds had not come from there. He might be in danger—she had to find him, urge him to return to the house. Whoever encountered the fairy cavalcade on Struan lands might vanish, never to be seen again.
Eilidh...come with us. The voices blended with the wind, and the beat of horse hooves seemed part of the thunder. She knew how serious the risks were—Donal MacArthur had fallen to their mystical lure years before, and paid the price of it every seven years. Now she, too, felt the strange pull of their presence. But if she could find James and stay with him, he was so solid and unbelieving that surely even their power would diminish before that strength, and they would both be safe.
She had never feared them before, not like this. Tonight she felt truly wary. Struan had no idea of the dangers involved if he stayed outside. Seeing his cane as she limped over the lawn, she grabbed it up to help her walk, then rushed onward, her nightgown and clutched plaid whipping back, her braid soon damp and stray.
Then the wolfhound was beside her, bumping against her. She took his collar, reassured by his presence. Crossing the soggy grass, limping in bare feet, she felt the pain diminish. The lure of the Fey could make a person feel good, feel healed, even euphoric. Their magic infused the very air. If they were real, she told herself. If.
Something moved ahead, shapes and shadows in the mist that took on a strange blue glow. She heard footfalls and bells. Moments later she saw a line of horses, light and dark, moving through the night mist just beyond a line of trees. She hurried forward and stopped, scarcely daring to breathe, afraid to be heard or seen.
The riders. There. The Sidhe of old, just there, gliding past on horseback.
Her imagination? She breathed out, in, held it. Gripped the dog’s collar. Osgar stood silent and stiff beside her.
Some called them the Seelie Court—a marvel, a vision, she saw them emerge sparkling out of the mist, tall men and slender women who sat their horses elegantly. They were impossibly beautiful, the glitter and spark of their jeweled clothing like webs of light and fire. Their cloaks and garments, a rainbow of color hemmed with gold and gems. The reins in their hands were bejeweled too. Their hair, set with filaments of gold and silver, softly curled, sun-gold or night-black, braided and beribboned. Rings flashed on their fingers, buckles glinted on belts and shoes. Their eyes glowed like crystal, blue, green, amber.
As they approached she saw magical symbols embroidered in shining threads on hems and saddles. Tiny silver bells, dangling on harnesses and braided in the horses’ manes, chimed soft and clear in the night.
In the lead rode a woman, with a man and another woman riding to either side of her. Others followed, seven riders in all, with an empty saddled horse. They meant to bring someone back with them this night.
A cold chill flooded through Elspeth. This was real. She was seeing this. And they had come for her. She knew it like the certainty of stars and sunlight, fire and earth. Shivers plunged through her. A dream? Could it be, and so vivid?
She stepped back into the shadows as the cavalcade headed toward the back gardens of Struan House. They would soon pass the very place where Elspeth stood watching, half-hidden beneath an ancient oak tree. A stone wall stood between her and the riders. They came at a steady pace.
She flattened her back against the oak, sheltered beneath its dripping leaves, and watched the riders pass clean through the stone wall as if it was not there, as if they were nothing but mist. Their gait made a kind of music, clip-clop and bell ring, with the sighing of the wind.
Even as Elspeth shrank against the tree trunk, the fey lady in the lead turned her head, saw her, angled the horse toward her. There! Come to us, Dear One....
They were close now, nearly abreast with her where she stood under the tree, horses passing slowly, the boughs of the oak trees shaking in the storm winds. The lady, beautiful in green and gold, pale hair streaming like moonlight, reached out her arm and beringed hand. Elspeth shrank back.
Yet she felt a strong tug, nearly irresistible. She thought of James, disbelieving and unaware of the threat, and she clung to the tree. The true Sidhe—if such these were—could steal the very soul from a human.
Come with us, they said in a melodious sing-song, and she felt the pull again.
The dark-haired lady, near her now, reached out again. Sweet One, join us!
Unable to stop herself—she felt drawn to this fairy woman, more so than the pale-haired lady—Elspeth lifted her arms. She felt herself losing strength against their thrall. The outdoors was their domain, the earth, the trees, the rain, the wind, the rocks, the air. Here, their power was strong. Her hand was up, the fairy reached out. She heard music in the rain, smelled the scent of flowers despite the storm, and then she felt herself lifting on her toes—
“Elspeth!”
His voice cut briskly through the wind and the music. She looked around to see James running toward her. Forcing herself to step back from the riders, she whirled. And somehow bolted toward him over the wet lawn, crossing just in front of the cavalcade as it moved toward the house.
A moment later she heard horse hooves behind her, beside her as the riders came close. Dear One, wait! Eilidh….
“Elspeth, here!” James was not far now, running, waving. The riders passed Elspeth, and in an almost fickle way, headed for the man. “I’m here!” he called.
“James, no!” She ran toward him. The riders moved, clopping hooves and silver bells. When they reached James, the lady in the lead beckoned to him.
Come with me, she called.
Elspeth saw him pause, look up at the Fey. The wind blew at his coat, his hair. Then he reached up. A mist seemed to envelop him and the horses.
“No!” She ran toward him, reaching out to grab James fervently, so that he stumbled back, turned, wrapped his arms around her. The horses were but an arm’s length away, their riders reaching down toward both of them now. Elspeth spun James around, to turn him away from the riders, wind whipping hard as she tucked her face against his shoulder. Grabbing her plaid, bringing up her arm, she covered both their heads best she could. The Fey lingered in the mist, calling out again.
Come with us.
On impulse, Elspeth took James’s face in her hands to keep him from looking around. Then she kissed him, hard and desperate, gasping against his warm, pliant, responsive lips, pressing against him along the length of her body, as he caught her to him, held her close.
“No, no, you shall not have him,” she whispered frantically.