The blood drained from her cheeks.
“Were they?”
“I won’t discuss this with you.”
“Were they?” he demanded.
“Yes. They were lovers and for a short time he was quite in love with her. Thankfully it didn’t last long, but our marriage was never the same afterwards.”
Few marriages would be. “I’m sorry for what he did to you, but it isn’t Diana’s fault.”
“She is still that woman’s daughter. How do you know she won’t turn out to be just like her?”
James gaped at his mother as anger surged. How dare she infer Diana was little more than a whore. “It would be wise to hold your tongue in the future because I intend on making Diana my wife.”
She blinked at him, which James suspected was more due to his tone than his words for he’d never issued an order to his mother before. In truth, he avoided her whenever possible because she was so damned difficult and controlling.
“Don’t be hasty. Marriage is so permanent.”
“Only until a spouse is dead.” She had married a duke and when he died, married an earl who happened to be James’ father.
“That is uncalled for,” she hissed.
“Miss Vail will be my wife. I’ve thought of little else since London. You will either make peace with my marriage, or don’t bother to visit us.” With that he strode from the room, detoured around the ballroom and then out into the gardens and called for Diana. Only silence greeted him.
“It is time,” Lady Isolda whispered. “It was good to have known you, Lord Somerton.” And before he could ask where Diana had gone, Lady Isolda disappeared. She didn’t even give him a chance to say goodbye.
Panic rose as the ghosts were running out of time and he called for Diana again before returning to the ballroom. As soon as he spotted one of her younger sisters, he hurried over to her. “Have you seen your sister?”
Miss Cordelia blew out a heavy sigh. “She said something about trying to stop some ghosts from doing something foolish.”
James’ heart nearly stopped. If what Miss Cordelia said was true, then Diana was going to try and stop the knights from fighting.
What if she ended up like Lady Isolda? “Thank you,” he said as he rushed from the castle and headed toward the cliffs. He had to get there before she was the one who did something foolish and got herself killed.
Chapter 15
Diana hatedthat Sir Orwen and Sir Gilbert would have to relive their deaths and she wished she could save them, but when she’d searched for Somerton, he was not to be found.
Not that telling him the truth would have been easy, but she had promised the two, even though it would change nothing, and now it was too late.
Unless she could stop them somehow.
Just because she’d not found love didn’t mean they couldn’t be free. They’d tried for three hundred years so certainly the witches could pardon their grievance if she acknowledged her love for James to the ghosts. Certainly, that should be enough to free them all.
After telling Cordelia that she needed to save two ghosts from doing something foolish, she left the castle and ran to the cliffs.
As much as Sir Orwen and Sir Gilbert had irritated her, she did want this for them. Someone should be happy after what they had endured and as it wouldn’t be her, it should be them.
Diana heard the steel of their blades before their forms were illuminated by the flash of lightning in the distance. The winds whipped around her, pushing Diana back, but she pressed on. She had to bring this curse to an end.
“Stop!” she cried when she drew near enough, but they acted as if they hadn’t even heard her. “Sir Orwen. Sir Gilbert. Stop now!”
Still they continued in battle, their forms more human than ghost, sweat dripping from their brows as if they were alive.
“I love him,” she cried. “Do you hear me? I love Lord Somerton. I have for a very long time so there is no need to continue fighting. You are free.”
Yet they continued, as if she were the ghost and not them.
