Beguiled (33 page)

He trembled with fear. Her gown was ripped, muddied. Her hair was tangled with leaves and twigs. She had never appeared more beautiful to him, as she lay so silent and pale on the bed. Shaking, he touched her lips with the whisper of his own.

Her eyelids flickered. They opened to his. She almost smiled.

Her eyes closed again.

He fell by the side of the bed on his knees, thanking God.

Yes, she would live.

 

H
ER EYES OPENED
. At first, she couldn't quite focus. Then she knew where she was, and that she was alive, though she could have been forgiven for thinking she was lying in some Egyptian tomb, because she was surrounded by busts and urns and papyri. She exhaled, smiling. She was in her room at the castle.

A second later she saw his face, his rugged, terribly handsome face. “For a moment I thought I'd traveled on to meet the long-gone pharaohs,” she whispered.

“No. You're in the castle. Not our castle, I'm afraid, though we do have one, you know.” He caught her hand and kissed it.

“She's awake!” Ally heard someone say. She looked around. It was still a bit painful, and she learned quickly that quick movement made her dizzy. There they were. Violet, Merry and Edith. And then she saw Maggie, Camille and Kat.

Ally smiled and turned to the aunties first. Her godmothers would understand.

“I dreamed of you the whole time,” she whispered. “You were the most darling fairies, flitting about, watching over me.”

“Fairies? Good heavens. We're solid Englishwomen,” Violet said indignantly.

“Ally has always had the most wonderful imagination,” Merry said.

“She's teasing us,” Edith said, and, brushing past Mark, hugged Ally fiercely.

“Hugs all around,” Ally said, and even Violet giggled as Ally somehow managed to hug and kiss all three together, then offer the same to Maggie, Kat and Camille. With sighs of relief, the six women left the room one by one, Camille assuring Mark that tea would come soon, now that Ally was awake.

Ally clutched Mark suddenly. “You—you're not injured? Were you shot?”

He shook his head. “You saved me.”

She managed a smile. “And you saved me.” She frowned. “How? What happened to Sir Andrew? And Angus? And Thane!”

“Thane is conscious and enjoying all kinds of attention next door. Sir Andrew is dead.”

“How?”

“His neck was broken. A fall from the driver's seat of the carriage at a fast speed.”

She nodded and exhaled, then grasped him again. “Jeeter?”

“They only knocked him out. It was expedient, I guess. He's going to be all right. I haven't actually seen him. Our next-door neighbor—the ambassador from Sweden, I now know—awoke and went to tend to him. He had the presence of mind to let the police know he'd found him and was taking him to the hospital. He called and said Jeeter will be fine. Of course, he's going to be distressed, certain he failed us. It will not be an easy task for us to convince him that Sir Angus and Sir Andrew were a lethal pair.”

“What about Sir Angus?” she asked.

“He will hang—if he lives.”

“What happened?”

“I did not madly seek revenge, though…” He cleared his throat and explained, “When he started to come to, apparently he attacked one of Ian's officers. Ian was forced to drag him off. Sir Angus went for Ian, and one of the officers shot him.”

“Where is he now?” she asked.

“In the prison ward at the hospital. It's doubtful he'll pull through.”

She nodded. She couldn't feel sorrow. Angus had been a sheriff, sworn to uphold the law. Instead he had abused it and stolen others' lives.

“It will be all right,” he said softly.

Again she nodded. Then she realized that she was no longer wearing the torn white gown but a soft gold one. Had it been hers? She didn't remember it.

“Lady Maggie,” he said softly, noticing her quizzical look.

“Ah,” she murmured. She shook her head. “So they
were
taking care of me. I did imagine fairies fluttering about.” She frowned. “Mark, it's so horrible, if I really understand all that happened.”

He inhaled. “As we've pieced it together, it seems that something happened to Sir Andrew when he was in the service.”

“And Angus?” she asked.

He nodded. “In the creation of our Empire, there have been many soldiers who thought the Crown had betrayed them, sending them out to fight without enough men or weapons. Though he was knighted, Andrew suffered from a slowly simmering hatred. So he used his charm, made friends with many among the nobility, and gained a firm foothold in society. There he continued to nurture his hatred of the monarchy, a hatred that others shared, due to the times we live in. Many people feel that the government needs vast reform, and wonder if Victoria and her family are an expensive liability rather than a diplomatic asset. Apparently Sir Andrew also had a longstanding lust for his cousin Elizabeth, so he conveniently befriended her husband, who shared his hatred of the monarchy. As well, Jack had money, and as Andrew tended to need more than he had—playing tennis, lunching and drinking at the club, filling his wardrobe—this idea began to grow in his mind. As for Sir Angus, it seems that Andrew was instrumental in getting Angus the job, and, sensing a malleable mind, converted him to the anti-monarchy point of view. I believe Angus is the sort of man who wants more power, and he was ready to believe that power would be his if he could bring about a new world order. They committed murder for two reasons—financial reward and the accomplishment of their political goals. When he was afraid that Elizabeth might betray him, Andrew let expediency override whatever feelings he had for her. If they killed the women, they killed their accomplices, who might have become witnesses against them or given them away in some inadvertent manner.”

“Poor Lord Wittburg could have died for their crimes.” Ally looked at him intently. “I don't understand what happened today. Our plan seemed so foolproof.”

“It seems Sir Angus wasn't in the village today. He had come into the newspaper office on the pretext of advertising a festival in the village. He'd followed you to the post office earlier and knew something of your secret identity. Today, to him, was a stroke of luck. He was able to reach Sir Andrew at the club, and they began to plan.”

“I see,” she murmured.

“I can only be grateful he didn't kill you in London.” She was startled by the tremor in his voice.

“They thought if they killed Thane and me at the cottage, you would believe that Thane had killed me out of jealousy, then himself out of remorse.” She hesitated. “And he knew, Sir Angus knew…about me. I think he would have killed me even if I weren't A. Anonymous. You were supposed to die, as well. I suppose Thane, in his ardent desire to protect the queen, was supposed to have killed all the others, as well.” She swallowed hard, shivering.

He caught her hand tightly. “They never would have succeeded. I knew exactly what had happened the minute we found the coachman, who, I am sorry to say, died in this tragedy, as well.” And yet…just a few more minutes. They were close, so close.

“I bought time.”

“Pardon?”

She smiled, holding his hand, leaning back. “The night that Eleanor put on the bereaved act and cursed me, Kat gave me a gift. A scarab pin. I stabbed Angus in the eye with it.”

“We wondered what had happened to him. Bright girl,” he told her.

She smiled. “Sometimes.” She reached out to him. “Very bright boy,” she teased.

He leaned forward and kissed her again. He tried to be gentle, still worried about the effects of the drug and the attack.

But…

Ally would have her way, and so he scooped her into his arms and lay down beside her.

 

T
HE QUEEN WANTED TO MEET
Ally and Thane, the journalist whose final article on the murders had put everything into perspective and calmed the mood of the entire nation!

Mark escorted them to their audience in the outer chamber of Victoria's personal quarters.

It was evident she had a fondness for Mark. And he was absolutely charming to her.

The queen studied Ally carefully and with affection, Ally thought, and yet with a terrible sadness.

Thane was in ecstasy. Especially when Victoria said they must have tea.

“What now, Mark?” the queen demanded imperiously.

“Will you be able to settle in to being a happy newlywed?”

“Yes,” Mark said, and Ally thought there was far more to the simple exchange than the words said. “I believe so. My wife seems to have a taste for Egyptian adventure. I believe we will head out on next season's expedition with our dear friends the Stirlings and the MacDonalds. Lord Jamie and Lady Maggie just may be convinced to go, as well.”

“Lovely,” the queen said, obviously pleased. She sighed deeply. “I will think of you. And after that, Mark?”

“After that, Your Highness, I will return and serve the Crown as best I may.”

“You're married now,” she reminded him.

“Yes, but to a most remarkable wife. One with whom I do believe I will be able to share all my thoughts, dreams, desires—and adventures.” He smiled at Ally. She took his hand, and she squeezed it.

“An excellent stroke of luck,” the queen said. “And you, Mr. Grier, will go on to a remarkable career as a journalist, I'm quite certain.”

He nodded, blushing.

Shortly afterward tea was finished and the audience was over. The three of them rose, and one of the queen's ladies showed them out.

“Buckingham Palace,” Thane said as they walked out the gates. “And I was a guest.”

“You deserve to shine before royalty,” Ally told him, grinning.

“Shine and return to work,” he said wryly.

“Indeed,” Mark said, and he looked down at Ally, smiling. He offered Thane his hand then. “Well, we're off for the week.”

“Where are you going?”

“North. Ally needs to see the family castle.”

“Enjoy yourselves. Don't forget me,” Thane warned them.

“Never,” Ally promised.

They parted ways. Thane was already thinking of the piece he would do on the Farrows when they headed off on their voyage to Egypt.

He paused, looking back as the two headed off together, hand in hand, smiling at each other every few steps.

He sighed softly.

“And they lived happily ever after,” he said aloud.

Then, with a smile, he headed off down the street for work.