Page 8 of Moon Craving

trained Abigail to speak that none of the servants had discovered her secret in more than

two years since her sister had gone to Scotland, however.

Abigail lived for the day she would join her sister and be able to escape the

Hamilton Keep.

Sir Reuben's attitude had softened toward her once he had seen that she would

not embarrass him by making her affliction known, but her mother made it clear that she

considered Abigail a stone around her neck. She pinned all her hopes of a progressive

marriage match on Jolenta.

Yet Sybil had refused Emily's initial petition to send Abigail to the Highlands for an

extended visit.

Abigail did not understand why. Unless her mother simply hated her so much that

Sybil could not stand the idea of Abigail happy, as she surely would be, reunited with the

one person in the world who loved her and truly desired her presence.

Abigail spent most of her days in her own company. Thankfully, Emily had taught

her to read letters as well as lips. Though few and far between, letters from her sister had

been her only link to Emily since going north to marry her Highlander. Abigail studied the

books Sir Reuben allowed her to read and the letters Emily had left behind from her

friend, the abbess. In the past six months, Abigail had begun her own correspondence

with the learned woman as well. Her inability to hear had no power to tarnish a friendship

carried out in writing.

Their housekeeper, Anna, was kind, but she was a busy woman, and Abigail did

not like to be a bother. She only continued to work on improving her Gaelic with the old

woman born in Scotland because she refused to give up hope. Eventually Sybil would

allow the daughter she considered useless to join Emily in the Highlands. She had to.

Indeed, Abigail had been sure that time had come when Sybil had taken her aside

these seven days past and told her that she would be leaving the keep with Sir Reuben

and Sybil on a trip. Abigail believed Sybil had finally acceded to Emily's entreaties and

thrown herself into preparations for the trip with excitement she had not felt since her

sister had been taken from her.

Of course, Abigail had experienced some trepidation at the prospect that she was