“No, in a cottage out on the point. She is an artist.”
“An artist! How wonderful.”
“With your interest in art you may find common ground.”
“How does Miss Gain come to live at Wolfram?”
“We knew each other years ago. She arrived one day and asked me if she could turn one of the empty cottages into a studio. She isn’t well off, so I allow her to live there.”
“How generous, Nathaniel,” Laura said with a warm rush of feeling. “Is she from these parts?”
He patted her cheek. “All these questions. I’ll allow her to tell you her story herself.”
“I can’t wait to meet her.”
Laura gazed at her husband. She was getting to know this man slowly, which didn’t suit her impatient nature, but she loved all that she’d learned abouthim.
Some hours later, Laura woke to find Nathaniel’s side of the bed empty. Her head swam a little when she raised it from the pillow. He’d refilled her glass more than once before she’d fallen asleep. Brilliant moonlight shone through a gap in the curtains. Laura donned her nightgown. She had no need for a candle when she rose to use the chamber pot. A privy was one convenience she sorely missed and was determined to rectify. Pouring water from the jug, she washed in the basin. As she dried her hands, she thought she heard a soft footfall in the corridor outside. She paused, hoping Nathaniel would return. When he didn’t, she went to open her door. The corridor was dark where the moonlight couldn’t reach and chilly.
She cleared her throat. “Is someone there?”
No answer. Her skin prickled as she searched the shadows. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she found it empty, the only movement a huge tapestry on the wall stirring in thedraft.
With a shiver, Laura returned to her room. She ran her fingers along the panels in the wall hoping to open the secret door. Failing to find the catch, she grabbed a shawl and slipped into the corridor again. She hesitated outside Nathaniel’s room wondering whether to knock. How ridiculous. She was his wife! She needed warmth and reassurance. Surely that wasn’t unreasonable. Opening the door, she found the room in darkness, the curtainsclosed.
Laura paused, not wishing to wake him, but there was no soft snore, no sign of movement. She groped her way over to the bed and reached down to touch his pillow. The sheets were cold, the bedempty.
“Nathaniel?” Even as she said it, she knew Nathaniel wasn’t there. He must have gonedownstairs.
Stumbling to the window, she scraped her knee painfully against what must have been the corner of the bureau. She pulled back the curtains. Moonlight swept into the room, confirming that the bed was indeed empty. The pillow was smooth, the bedclothes unrumpled. It had never been slept in. Where was hethen?
She paused to catch her breath, and then hurried from the room. Farther down the corridor, candlelight flowed from beneath a door. Laura crept towardit.
Hadn’t Nathaniel told her that the staff was on the floor above? As she reached for the doorknob, a shadow crossed the light. Laura hesitated. She could hardly enter someone’s bedroom in the middle of the night. Knocking would be embarrassing to say the least. Have you seen my lost husband? She grinned despite her discomfort. It would be such a bad beginning. But why hadn’t he mentioned someone was just down the corridor? Had she mistaken him when he’d said only guest chambers were in thiswing?
She trailed her hand along the wall to hasten her walk back to her room. Odd to feel a trespasser in her own home. Her bedroom seemed a haven of warmth as she hurriedinside.
Shivering, more from unease than cold, Laura climbed back into bed and pulled the coverlet up to her chin. She sank down and closed her eyes, with the hope that sleep would ease her concerns, at least until daylight. An hour passed. She thrashed about unable to quiet her mind, alert for any sound. Could it have been Nathaniel in that room? If not, then who was it? And if not Nathaniel, where had he gone?
***
There was nothing to make Nathaniel suspect danger still lurked at Wolfram. Yet he could not discount it. Surefooted, he ran over the grounds. If he had to, he could negotiate the land blindfolded, but tonight a moonlit sky made his way easier. Not just him, perhaps, for it was on a night like that that… He shook the dispiriting thoughts from his head and glanced up at Laura’s window. It remained in darkness, making him confident she still slept safely in her bed. He had stayed longer than he intended, watching her sleep. Such an innocent with her thick golden lashes resting on her creamy cheek. She had spirit though. Those remarkable green eyes of hers could flash, and she was a passionate, generous lover. He admired her intelligence and her curiosity, while at the same time, felt discomfited bythem.
Cilla’s friendship might prevent Laura from becoming too lonely here. But he had no idea what she would make of the artist. Cilla was, well,Cilla.
An owl hooted. The shrubbery along the wall shook, probably a badger or a fox. A brisk, salt-laden breeze blew into his face, helping to clear his fatigue. Moving slowly, ever on the alert, Nathaniel reached thewater.
Nothing but the slap of waves against the seawall.
Chapter Nine
The following morning, the weather changed dramatically. Gazing from her window, Laura saw a clear azure blue sky and sunlight sparkling on an indigo sea. She was happy and eager to see more of her new home despite her restless night. On the way to the staircase, even the stone corridors appeared more welcoming than on the previousday.
Nathaniel had returned at daylight and told her he’d gone to check on something in his study and had fallen asleep. He was often restless at night. It seemed so plausible she was ashamed of herself and decided to delay questioning him about the candlelight in the room down fromhers.
At the breakfast table, the warmth of his smile echoed in his voice as he suggested they ride over the estate. Laura returned his smile and agreed, while being a little uneasy about her riding skills. She was good at sport, but her riding had been restricted to a pony when she was a child. She was determined to master it. In her bedroom, she adjusted her riding hat before the mirror. It was a handsome green-gold felt adorned with net and a graceful feather. Her mother had chosen it for Laura’s trousseau to match her new riding habit. Laura smiled to herself. They might not always agree, but in matters of fashion, her mother’s taste wasunerring.
Laura raised the watch that hung on a slender gold chain at her breast. Half past ten. Nathaniel had left the house after breakfast to attend to business. He promised to return at eleven o’clock for their ride. With half an hour to spare, she wandered about restlessly. Should she go downstairs and seek out Rudge? There was still so much of the house to view. She wanted to learn her duties and begin as soon aspossible.
