Page 16 of The Beastly Earl

“Yes,” he said with a nod as his face lit up with enthusiasm. “I would have liked to have met the Bruce.”

“And that would have been extremely dangerous.” Louisa shook her head as she smiled. “But there are dangers here too.”

“Dangers, ma’am?”

“If Mrs. Selkirk comes back and catches you here, you will not be as lucky as the Bruce. You will cause a huge scandal, and my family will never forgive me.”

The amusement that had vanished from Ross’s face returned as he grinned at her. For some reason, she was certain it wasn’t an expression he wore often.

“I’d better go then, ma’am.”

“Before you do, I need you to help me to the desk over there. I need to write a note to my family. I’m certain Au…Lady Stewart is wondering why I’ve not presented myself for my position as her companion.” At her words, Ross’s expression crumbled into deep disappointment.

“So you aren’t my governess, ma’am.” The despondency in his voice made Louisa long to scoop him up in her arms and hug him close. She was certain it was a display of affection he rarely, if ever, received. As much as she wanted to give him hope, Louisa refused to be the cause of greater despair. Instead, she smiled gently at him.

“I’m sure whoever your governess is, she will be quite lovely.” She rose from her chair, and braced herself with one hand on Ross’s narrow shoulder as she moved to the desk. When she was seated, she smiled at the boy and nodded toward the hidden door that was still open. “Go on now. You know I cannot afford to be compromised.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Ross returned her smile then turned and moved toward the secret passage.

As he disappeared into the dark, and the door swung softly closed behind him, Louisa sighed at the way her heart ached for the child. The thought of Ross being the pupil of any woman remotely like her own governess, Mrs. Crimwald, horrified her. The child was already in such desperate need of love. How could she abandon him to the possibility of a harsh governess?

She had no idea what Caleb had meant by her destiny, but he was right about Ross. The child needed her. But Charlie and Wills needed her too. Maybe not as much as Ross, but she loved her sons to much too not have them with her. Inside her head, scenario after scenario played out endless possibilities. Her biggest obstacle to overcome was creating a reason for staying here and having the boys with her.

A part of her balked at the thought of bringing Willie and Charlie here. Her visions told her Argaty had seen more of its share of darkness, but she was confident the boys would not be in harm’s way. No, the danger she’d felt during the an dara sealladh would affect her directly, but she wasn’t sure what her vision meant. Louisa bit down on her bottom lip as she contemplated how to attain her goal.

The idea when it came to her was so simple, she almost laughed out loud. Now her only obstacles were her family and the earl. Persuading Sebastian would not be easy, but she would succeed in her efforts to convince him of her plan.

It was the earl who was the unknown quantity in her plan. Deep inside she heard Caleb laugh. Her brother had always found it amusing at how easily she could convince others to go along with one of her schemes. Intrigues Sebastian, and later Devin, usually deemed reckless. Caleb’s laughter echoed again in her head. The sound reassured her that she would succeed in winning the earl over, if only by sheer persistence. A smile on her face, she opened the lid of the secretaire to search for paper and pen.

Chapter 4

Sebastian Rockwood, Earl of Melton, grunted as the small unmarked carriage he was in hit a hole in the muddy road. He opened Louisa’s letter and read it over again as he’d been doing since he’d received the note late yesterday. The relief it had brought him had been like a wave tossing him up onto a beach leaving him gasping for breath.

The past two days had been filled with fear and worry as he’d mounted a search for his sister. Mrs. Bruce’s telegram had arrived late Sunday morning with word that Fergus had been found late the night before, but Louisa was missing. Everyone might not be in a state of panic at the moment if he’d been alone when he received the telegram.

Unfortunately Constance and Aunt Matilda had been with him in his study when the news had arrived. He’d felt the color draining from his face, and his sister and aunt had immediately insisted on knowing what had happened.

Before the fire, he might not have reacted to the telegram the way he had. But that horrific night at Westbrook had changed the entire family. They viewed life and death with different eyes now. The devastating loss they’d experience had made them value each other and their families in a much deeper way than they ever had before the fire.

If something were to happen to Louisa, it would be another terrible blow to the family, but for him the loss would have been even more devastating than Caleb’s death. Louisa had been so young when their parents had died, and in many respects, Sebastian had been both mother and father to her as she grew up. Losing her would be no different than losing Tilly or one of his boys.

He had intended to leave for Callendar Abbey on the first available train, but Aunt Matilda had been adamant in her refusal for him to leave without her. As the telegram had arrived on a Sunday, there were fewer trains running north, and their preparations had delayed their departure until the late afternoon train to Stirling.

The coach made a sharp turn on the road that led to Argaty, and he pulled his pocket watch from his vest to check the time. As he tucked the watch back into place, he smiled as he remembered Helen patting his vest pocket to ensure he’d not forgotten the time piece before she’d kissed him goodbye. The caress had been one of reassurance and comfort as Helen was well aware of his strong feelings where his youngest sister was concerned.

An image of his wife filled his head. As always he realized how fortunate they were to have found each other. All of his siblings had been equally lucky with perhaps the exception of Louisa. Aside from Patience, his youngest sister had experienced far more than the rest of the family. For the past two years, she’d been living not only with Devin’s death, but betrayal and guilt. He now understood why she’d preferred the quiet of Callendar Abbey over London.

The devastation Devin’s death had inflicted on her had been far worse than anyone had realized. His brother-in-law’s secret had made Louisa doubt her husband’s love for her. But he knew Louisa too well not to realize there was more to her pain than she’d shared. He had no idea what else troubled his sister, but Sebastian was certain it had to do with the couple’s argument the night of the fire. Sebastian grimaced as he considered Devin’s behavior.

He was certain his friend had loved Louisa, but perhaps not in the way she’d deserved. The marriage had appeared to be a happy one, but trust was something every marriage required. For his sister it was critical, and he was certain it was why Louisa was questioning the depth of Devin’s feelings for her. The knowledge made him wonder if his friend had ever really understood his wife at all.

Sebastian’s eyes focused on his sister’s note again. It had clearly been written in haste as Louisa’s handwriting was normally far more elegant and sweeping. A reflection of her sometimes dramatic nature that hid beneath her impish streak. She was the only one of his siblings who could charm him into getting her way. Whenever Caleb was witness to her cajoling, he would eye Sebastian in open amusement the moment Sebastian succumbed to her persistence.

The youngest of the Rockwoods, his sister was perhaps the most impulsive of all his siblings. Louisa let her heart lead her in everything she did, and he loved her dearly for it. Unfortunately the trait often ended with Louisa in trouble of some sort, and he was thinking this might be one of those times.

Staring at her missive, he realized he’d given way to her as always by following her instructions. She’d insisted he come to Argaty as soon as possible in an unmarked carriage, and he was to announce himself as Mr. Rockwood to see his sister, Mrs. Morehouse. The cryptic nature of the note only increased his suspicions that his youngest sister was scheming again. Over the years, it had become an art form where Louisa was concerned.

He pushed the note back into his coat pocket, and stared out the window. The rain had stopped shortly before he’d arrived at the abbey, and the burns, while still higher than normal had been fairly easy to cross. As the carriage began to slow, he saw Argaty Keep coming into view. Aunt Matilda had been horrified when she learned Louisa was a guest of the earl while recovering from her night out on the moors.