Garden of the Moon (8 page)

“Wait!” With her heart beating heavily against her bodice, she raced after him. An intense eagerness to speak to him, find out what he wanted, pushed her past any fear of danger.

But, when she entered the room…it was empty.

With a sigh of defeat, Sara set the mug on her bedside table. Needing time to digest what had just happened and not wanting to explain her disheveled state, she refrained from summoning Raina. Instead she stripped out of her gown and then washed away the attic’s dust and grime in the bowl on the washstand. Once clean, she slipped on a pale green nightdress, picked up the mug, then settled into a chair and peered into the darkness beyond the window overlooking the Garden of the Moon.

Below her, the full moon illuminated the white flowers making them appear as tiny ghosts against the dark foliage. While she stared into the night, she caressed the mug. That warmth that now was familiar filled her.

Why was Jonathan taunting her, teasing her? Why didn’t he let her know what he wanted from her? Frustration and confusion besieged her from all sides.

Maddy can tell you
.

Her grandmother’s disembodied voice echoed inside her head. The words undulated through her mind like ripples in a pond and consumed any other thoughts.

“Gran?”

Sara came alert and glanced around for the ball of white light into which Gran had disappeared, but the room remained dark except for the flicker of the candle’s flame on the table beside her. Defeat again weighed heavily on her shoulders.

What could Maddy tell her? Maddy was dead. How was Sara to get those answers if Maddy chose not to appear to her? But if Gran was right and Maddy had the answers…

She
must
speak to Maddy.

Closing her eyes, Sara concentrated. She’d only summoned a spirit once before in the bayou, so she had no idea if it would work again or if she’d just been lucky that one night. But at this point, she had to try. Several minutes of deep concentration passed without results. It was no use. For some reason, she couldn’t communicate with Maddy.

Fatigue suddenly overcame her. Tomorrow was another day. Perhaps when she was refreshed from a good night’s sleep, she would be more successful. Standing, she set the mug on the side table.

Thunk
!

Something hit the floor.

Sara looked down. At her feet lay Maddy’s diary.

Suddenly, her grandmother’s words made sense.

Maddy can tell you
.

The answers Sara sought must lay hidden in Maddy’s diary.

All sleepiness vanished from her body. Sara picked up the book and then returned to her chair in front of the window. Drawing the candle closer to illuminate the pages, her gaze was drawn to Jonathan’s portrait. His expression had changed to one of satisfaction. In her heart, she knew he’d lead her to the source that would satisfy all her unanswered questions. She smiled and nodded, and then opened the diary and began to read.

Much of the first few pages of Maddy’s elegant handwriting documented her day-to-day activities: tea with her mother and their neighbor’s wife and daughter, a trip to New Orleans to do shopping, and her excitement about her upcoming birthday and the barbeque at Candlewick Plantation. The mention of Clarice’s home piqued Sara’s interest. Perhaps now she would learn why Clarice had reacted so strangely.

She turned the page.

June 17, 1805

Momma, Katherine and I went to town for the final fittings of our gowns for tomorrow’s barbeque at Candlewick. Momma and Katherine argued again over the color of Katherine’s gown. Momma said crimson is not what a demure lady wears. However, Katherine, being Katherine, refused to change her mind. I sometimes think my sister takes delight in being obstinate and seeing how deeply she can shock poor Momma’s sensibilities.

I chose a lovely, sky-blue silk. Momma fawned over me and showered compliments on me. She said it would go well with my hair, and all the gentlemen would swoon at the sight of me. Oddly, I found myself feeling bad for Katherine. Momma consistently criticized Katherine’s choices, and warned her that the ladies would all snub her and she would become a social outcast. I wish Momma be nicer to Katherine. She can be trying on one’s nerves, but I think if she were treated differently, she would react differently.

I really chose the color because it’s Jonathan’s favorite. He said the dining room in Harrogate, the house he’s building, will be sky blue. Harrogate is almost complete, and we’re going to stop by to see it on our way home from the Degas’ barbeque tomorrow evening. I can’t wait. I just know it will be breathtaking because Papa’s seen it, and he says it’s truly magnificent, and I believe him. After all, Jonathan designed it. How could it be anything less than grand?

Jonathan will be there. He says he’ll have a special gift for me, but seeing him will be the best birthday present I could ask for. My heart pounds at the mere thought of seeing him again. Because Jonathan is Katherine’s unofficial fiancé, I know I shouldn’t, but I do love him so. I have ever since we were children. He’s so kind and so gentle. I just know, deep down, that he’s my soulmate and if I can’t have him, I would rather spend my life alone.

Warmth invaded Sara. She knew what that special gift was–the locket. She picked it up and clutched it in her hand, then glanced at the portrait of Maddy’s love. Clarice had been right. Maddy had truly loved Jonathan. For a moment, Sara gazed dreamily off into the dark night beyond the window and wondered what it would be like to love someone so passionately and to have them love you likewise in return. It certainly wouldn’t be like the distant friendliness her parents shared. It would have to be more like the forever kind of love that Gran had felt for Ezra Wade.

Perhaps someday, Sara would be lucky enough to find the man who would make her heart sing at the mere thought of him. An image of Jonathan Bradford drifted into her mind’s eye. That now familiar longing to touch him accompanied it.

Shaking herself free of her impossible yearnings, she rubbed her thumb over the engraved roses on the locket and turned to the following day’s diary entry.

June 18, 1805

The day of the barbeque has finally arrived. I primped for hours getting ready. I want to look perfect for Jonathan. I’m so excited I can hardly hold the pen to write this. It’s also my birthday, and I feel as though my heart will burst from my chest at the prospect of celebrating and seeing Jonathan. Katherine, who’s more concerned with how she looks than seeing the man she’s supposed to love, doesn’t seem to care one way or the other, and I fear my suspicions are right. She doesn’t love Jonathan. She never has. Perhaps she will break off their relationship. I can only pray it will be so
.

A blank section separated the first entry from the next.

We’re home and the day was one I will cherish in my heart forever. It’s very late, and I should be exhausted, but I’m not. I’m much too excited to sleep. My heart is singing. On our way home from Candlewick, we stopped to see Jonathan’s house. It’s just as I pictured it—magnificent. While everyone was taking a tour of the rooms, Jonathan and I slipped away to the garden. He told everyone it was to show me the roses, which he knows I love, but it was really to give me my birthday gift.

It was all so very romantic. I remember every second of our time together. The balmy night was enchanting, and Jonathan looked especially handsome in his burgundy coat, white shirt and tan breeches. The moonlight tinted his ebony hair silver. He smiled, and I swear I saw love glowing in his eyes. My heart began to beat triple time. He held a small box out to me. My head grew light and
…

Suddenly, a wave of dizziness overcame Sara. She clutched the locket close. The cold metal became hot against her skin, but she felt no pain.

Her vision blurred. Weightlessness, more intense than she’d experienced in the bayou, lifted her body from the chair. Just as suddenly, she was thrown into a long tunnel that ended in a swirling vortex.

Multi-colored, bright lights flashed all around her.

The air grew thick and heavy, hard to breathe.

She tried to grab something to stop the spinning, but her arms wouldn’t obey.

Round and round she spun.

Intense dizziness made her stomach churn. Nausea rose in her throat from the constant circular motion.

Then as suddenly as it had started, the spinning stopped. To her utter shock, Sara was no longer in her bedroom. Instead she found herself sitting on the bench in the Garden of the Moon.

But the garden was different. The plants were noticeably much younger. The magnolia tree that had towered over her and Julie earlier now barely reached above the back of the bench. Ezra’s Moongate was gone, as were the temple dogs that guarded the garden against evil.

However, though shocking, the changes in the garden did not surprise her half as much as her clothes. The pale green nightdress she’d put on that evening had been replaced by a sky-blue silk, Empire waist dress, a style that had not been in vogue for a very long time.

“What’s happening?” she asked the silent night.

“You’ve come back to me.”

Chapter 6

The deep, male voice coming from the garden’s lengthening shadows startled Sara, yet it also brought with it an overwhelming sense of eager excitement and love. She strained to see the speaker’s face, but a cloud covered the full moon. All around her, everything – the garden, the night, the creatures – were poised…waiting, expectant, as though preparing for…something. Even though there was no moonlight, the white flowers glowed brighter, as if they were straining to illuminate the dark corners of the night. Their inexplicably intensified fragrance permeated the night.

An owl hooted.

A dog barked.

Some nocturnal creature scurried through the bushes.

A soft breeze whispered through the tree tops.

And then a twig snapped.

Sara spun in the direction of the sound.

Nothing.

Then that voice came again.

“I’ve waited a long time for you.” The velvety tones slid over her skin like warm bath water.

Suddenly, she knew she’d been waiting all her life for this moment. All the frustration and confusion that had filled her for days vanished on the gentle breeze.

The bushes rustled. Then very slowly, the source of the voice stepped from the shadows. As if summoned, the moon slipped from behind the cloud cover, revealing the man’s face, a face as familiar to her as her own.

Jonathan Bradford held out a small, black velvet box to her. “Happy birthday, my Maddy.”

Oddly, she felt no need to correct him. In fact, she wasn’t sure if he
should
be corrected. As she stared at his handsome face, Sara Wade faded from her being, and Maddy’s spirit took over. In that soft, quiet moment she unmistakably became Madeline Grayson. Without conscious thought, she held out her hand and took the box.

“Thank you, Jonathan.” Maddy lifted the lid and stared openmouthed at what she found. Nestled against a white silk background was a heart-shaped, gold locket engraved with two roses, their stems tightly entwined, their unity engraved in gold for all eternity.

“Oh, Jonathan, it’s lovely.”

“Open the heart.” He took a seat beside her on the bench.

His nearness, the scent of his cologne, the warmth emanating from his body made her head swim. Taking a moment to regain her balance and using her fingernail, she freed the catch. The front of the locket sprang open. Inside an inscription read
My Love Forever
. Tears burned her eyes.

Jonathan took her free hand. “It’s true, Maddy. No matter what happens, I will love you until time ceases to be.”

Her pounding heart threatened to burst from her chest. She believed him because she felt the same love for him. Yet, despite her joy, a wave of utter sadness washed over her. “Nothing can happen. Nothing will change. You’re betrothed to my sister.”

He shook his head. “I’m going to ask Katherine to release me from the betrothal. Then you and I can get married.”

Maddy gazed into his dear face. For one fleeting moment hope blossomed in her. But it quickly died. She bowed her head. “Katherine will never agree to that.”

Placing his forefinger under her chin, he raised her face so their gazes locked. He smiled and then wiped away the lone tear on her cheek with the pad of his thumb. His touched sent shivers of longing through her.

“We won’t know if we don’t try. Why would she want to marry someone who doesn’t love her?”

Memories of all the times Katherine had taken her toys, pushed her aside for attention, and generally tried to outshine Maddy at every turn, rushed through her mind. “Because Katherine never gives up anything, especially to me.”

Jonathan sighed and pulled her into his arms. She snuggled against his shirtfront, wishing she could stay enclosed in this warm cocoon forever.

He kissed her hair and whispered, “We can’t lose hope. I refuse to let you go.”

“You may not have a choice.”

“There has to be a choice.”

He lowered his head and placed his lips gently on hers. Warmth spread through her every nerve ending. A need rose up in her so strong she felt like she would cry out for wanting…wanting. What was it she wanted so very badly?

The bushes rustled near the garden’s entrance. “Jonathan? Are you there?”

Katherine
!

They sprang apart like naughty children. Jonathan quickly moved to the far side of the path. Maddy nervously smoothed the wrinkles from her gown. She glanced at Jonathan and saw him open his mouth to answer Katherine.

Maddy stared at Jonathan, but was unable to speak. Then she began to feel very strange…lightheaded, unable to focus her muddled thoughts. She could feel the spirit of Maddy weakening while Sara Wade got stronger. Though she fought to retain her existence as Madeline Grayson the connection grew more and more tenuous with each passing moment.