Mrs. Knole shrugged. “She is never mentioned in records of the house later in the century,” she said.“She seems to have disappeared—whether to anotherhome and a husband or whether to join her lover, noone knows. I rather think she did not go with him.”
Dinah’s heart was thumping suddenly. “The dark rider,” she said. “Is he one of the outside ghosts?”
“Aye, madam,” Mrs. Knole said. “He does not appear often. But the fact that he appears at all makesme think that he never succeeded. Why would he keepcoming back else?”
Dinah was wide-eyed. “And why is she still here?” she said. “Her presence is faint, as if she is about togive up the struggle, but she is still here. And she isstill sad.”
“Perhaps she needs someone to give her the courage to leave,” the housekeeper said. “Perhaps even at this late date she can span time and go with him. Whoknows? She did not disturb your sleep, madam? I canhave you moved to a different room if you wish.”
Dinah shook her head. “No,” she said. “Oh, no, please don’t do that, Mrs. Knole. Have you ever seenthe dark rider?”
“Once, madam,” Mrs. Knole said. “It was on this day many years ago. Galloping toward the cliffs, hewas, his dark cloak billowing out behind him. But thegardener and his wife, whom I was with at the time,laughed at me and swore it was a swirl of black dust.It was a stormy night.”
“Oh,” Dinah said. “And he was bareheaded, Mrs. Knole?”
“That he was,” the housekeeper said. “Though I daresay his hat might have been blown away on sucha night anyway. Her ladyship will be thinking that Ihave got lost with you this morning, madam.”
“Then we must go down,” Dinah said, preceding her guide out of the room. “Though I know my waydownstairs very well now. When you have time, Mrs.Knole, will you tell me about the other outside ghosts?”
Her heart was thumping with excitement. And perhaps with something else too. Terror? No, it was not quite that. But more than just excitement certainly.
She had seen two men the night before. She had seen Edgar, cloaked and wearing a hat and on foot.And she had seen the dark rider, cloaked and bareheaded and astride his black stallion. It was his sadand timid lady love to whom he had been beckoning,not her.
“But the sun is shining at last, Edgar,” Lady Asquith protested to her son at the breakfast table. “And she was cooped up inside here all day yesterday aftera rather lengthy journey the day before. A drive intothe village and a browse around the shops seems justthe thing for today.”
“Mama,” Lord Asquith said, trying to keep the exasperation from his voice, “you know it is dangerous to venture beyond the limits of our own grounds. Andnot even quite safe within our own walls, perhaps. Youcannot have forgotten about Prewett.”
“It would be difficult to forget a gardener who met with such a tragic accident only a week ago, Edgar,”she said tartly. “But it was an accident. It is foolishto become oversuspicious.”
“But there are strangers wandering about,” he said. “One of them was even foolish enough to ask at theinn about tides and moons. No, you must keep herhere, Mama.”
“For four more days?” his mother said. “Be reasonable, Edgar. We cannot keep her incarcerated here all that time.”
“I went to talk with my men last night,” Lord Asquith said. “Everything has been brought forward to tonight. The tide will not be as favorable or the light,especially if the sky remains clear. But we will be justwalking into an ambush if we wait until the appointednight. Fournier agrees too. Sitting around doing nothing is trying his nerves to the limit. He was quite agitated when Dinah almost came upon him yesterdaymorning. By tomorrow, Mama, we will be able to begin to relax.”
“Until the next time,” Lady Asquith said with a sigh. “I wish—”
But Dinah’s entrance at that moment, followed by the butler, put an end to her words. She smiled affectionately at the girl while her son rose to seat her.
“What a beautiful day it is,” Dinah said when the morning greetings had been made. “I think I will gowalking outside.” She looked at Lord Asquith a littleself-consciously. “If no one has any objection, thatis.”
“I have certain household tasks that must be performed today, Dinah,” Lady Asquith said, “or I would have been delighted to take you into the village. It isa very pretty little fishing community. Perhaps tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry about entertaining me,” Dinah said with a smile. “I shall be quite happy to explore closeto the house and perhaps as far as the cliffs. They areclose by and on Malvern land? I have not seen the seafor a long time.”
Her face was glowing with youthful energy, Lord Asquith thought. Her remarkable eyes were wide withanticipated pleasure. She was not after all a timid littlething, he had discovered rather to his regret. He stillfound it hard to believe that she had had the courage— and the foolhardiness—to leave the house the night before merely because she had seen him standing belowher window and had thought he needed her. In realityit was the white tower he had been standing below. Hewas making very sure that no suggestion of light wasshowing from Fournier’s window, though he had justleft him and knew that at least one candle would stillbe burning.
He had been wrong about Dinah, it seemed. Except about one thing. His gaze strayed to her lips, whichwere curved into a smile. They were quite as kissableas he had thought they would be. More so. He hadremoved his own from them the night before with thegreatest reluctance.
“Perhaps you would care to see the stables,” he suggested. “You asked me yesterday about my horse.Do you have one of your own?”
“Oh, yes,” she said eagerly—he wondered if she knew the power of her eyes and guessed not. Womenwho knew themselves to have fine eyes invariablydrooped their lashes over them in conscious invitation.Dinah’s eyes were wide and dreamy and eager all atthe same time—and quite irresistible. “In the countrybut not in town. I love riding. Will we ride this morning too?”
He had not intended to. Although he did not imagine that the house was ringed with marksmen ready to pick off anyone who was foolish enough to set footoutside the courtyard, he nevertheless was convincedthat there were prowlers. And he did not subscribe tothe theory that Prewett’s death had been accidental.
But she looked very eager. And he was as eager to have an excuse to spend an hour with her. “I thinkthat might be arranged,” he said, smiling back at her. ‘‘But just a short ride. I have business to attend to,unfortunately. Perhaps later in the week I can take youwalking along the beach.”
But this time it was his mother who was anxious. ‘‘Edgar,” she said after breakfast when Dinah hadgone upstairs to change into her riding habit, “is itwise, dear? Oh, I wish you had not become involvedin this life, proud as I am of you.”
