Page 76 of Wild Hearts

He looked puzzled. "It contains papers, not jewels," he said in disgust.

She urged, "Read them."

He took the broken casket to the table and sat down to peruse its contents. She watched him carefully to gauge his smallest reaction, any sign that would give her hope. His brow lowered dangerously as he scanned the first paper. He went a shade paler as-he read the second, and his shoulders slumped visibly as he noted the third and last. His eyes narrowed as he almost hissed, "How did these come into your possession?"

Hope soared within her breast, but she answered him courteously. "I am the widow of Maxwell Abrahams. They now belong to me."

"They are only copies," he exclaimed, clutching at straws.

"That is true. The originals are safe in the vault of the Bank of Scotland," she admitted quietly.

The room trapped him; he got up from the table to pace while he considered all the implications of what had just been revealed. He caught sight of two ships in full sail and easily recognized the one in the lead as the Sea Witch. He spun on his heel to face her. "Does Cockburn know of these papers?"

"If you will stop to consider for a moment, milord, you will know that he does not. If he had known, he would have acted upon them before now."

He took a grip on himself, determined not to let her know he had seen Cockburn's ship returning to Cockburnspath. He said carefully, "If I let you go, unharmed, what are you prepared to offer?"

She considered for a moment, quietly weighing her advantages, "The mortgage in your own name I am prepared to cancel."

He shook his head. "All three mortgages! Even then, how do I know you will keep your word?" he demanded.

She looked at him evenly. "You don't!"

"You will sign these copies and mark them paid in full," he demanded.

She shrugged. "They are worthless; signed under coercion."

"I will take my chances and let a court of law decide," he countered.

"We are at an impasse, milord, and the only way to resolve it is for you and I to trust each other. A few months ago, your son Adam came to me about a mortgage he had taken out on a property in Dufftown. He feared your discovery, so I canceled the debt, no strings attached."

He sneered his disbelief.

"Hear me out," she said quietly. "I know I can give you no proof of this at the moment, but I know Adam will tell you the truth if you question him because he is an honorable man. I will cancel your debts, if you give me your oath that you will inform my husband where he can find me."

It did not take him long to decide. He knew the moment Cockburn found his note he would search the surrounding area. He was probably familiar with the ruined castle of Dunbar, and it was conceivable that luck alone could bring him to the ruins. He smiled to himself as a diabolical idea came to him.. He took the eagle's feather from his bonnet, took his knife and fashioned a quill, but he lacked ink. He beckoned her to the table. "I will untie your hands so you may sign the mortgages."

She nodded. He took the rope from her wrists, and she rubbed the chafed skin carefully.

"There is no ink. We will have to use blood," he threatened, fingering his sharp knife.

She raised amethyst eyes to his, and he saw their color deepen with hatred. "If you spill one drop of my blood, your son will become the new Lord Gordon before the next full moon."

Her words sounded so much like a witch's prophecy, he quickly nicked the back of his hand, dipped in the quill and offered it to her.

Stubbornly, she said, "When you have dispatched your man with the note to my husband, I will sign off the debts, and not one moment before."

He called his man upstairs, only following her commands because he had one command of his own she would have to obey shortly. He wrote:"I am finished with your wife. She is at Dunbar. John Gordon."

She scanned the insolent words but made no protest. She had accomplished nothing until John Gordon quit this place without harming her.

He gave his man instructions to give the note to the first person he saw on Cockburn land, then head for Huntly. Once again he dipped the quill into his blood and offered it to her. She wrote across each paper, "This debt is canceled," then affixed the date and her signature to each. The moment she laid down the pen, he twisted her arms behind her back and rebound them.

A new fear sprang into her eyes as his hands began to roam her body freely.

"The bargain was that you let me go unharmed!" she flared.

He smiled slowly. "Without harming a hair on your head, I can destroy Cockburn's peace of mind for the rest of his life." He began to laugh ominously.

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