Page 7 of Moonstone Landing
“Very well.” She waved to them as she hurried off with Marjorie.
She and her maid, who seemed a little uncomfortable walking with her, parted ways as soon as they reached town.
Henleigh realized she might have been too friendly with Marjorie. The girl was not used to conversing with someone of her social standing. Perhaps this would change over time.
As much of it as I have left.
Who could ever know when their time was up?
She shrugged off the thought and went to pay a call on the Moonstone Landing agent who had sold her Captain Arundel’s property. “Mr. Priam, may I have a moment of your time?”
He eyed her warily. “I cannot undo the sale. I warned you about the ghost. I was quite up front with it, and you knew what you were purchasing.”
“I did not come for this reason,” she said with marked impatience. “I have no quarrel with the ghost.”
“You don’t?” He appeared surprised, which meant Captain Arundel usually wasted no time in scaring off visitors to his property. “Please have a seat, Lady Henleigh. Why have you come to see me then?”
“I am here because I wish to know more about my ghost, especially how he died.” She cleared her throat. “You see, I am a bit of a historian, and I thought it would be an interesting project for me to undertake.”
“Ah, then it is the schoolmistress you must ask, for she was there with her class when the unfortunate incident occurred. The schoolhouse is just down the street. Miss Gray usually allows the children outside for a few minutes to run around and have their lunch about now. I would escort you, but I have clients waiting for me, and I am late already. You cannot miss the schoolhouse or Miss Gray. She is a young woman, perhaps a few years older than you. A pretty brunette with a happy countenance.”
“The schoolmistress?” She tried not to sound dismayed, although why should she care if Captain Arundel was sweet on the woman? It was none of her concern at all.
Henleigh rose. “Then I shall be on my way.”
She hurried down the road, quickening her pace when she saw the children already playing outside. “Miss Gray, may I have a word with you?” she asked, easily recognizing the young woman in charge. She was as Mr. Priam had described, dark hair and a lovely smile. He had neglected to mention the emerald sparkle of her eyes. “I am Lady Henleigh Killigrew, and I have just purchased Moonstone Cottage.”
Had Captain Arundel been in love with her?
“Oh, yes. The village is all astir about you. The local bookmaker is taking odds on how long you will last before hurrying back to London and putting the cottage up for sale.” She shook her head. “It is shameful. The captain was a very good man and deserves better than to be the object of such a wager.”
A knot of dismay curled in Henleigh’s belly. “You knew him well, it seems.”
“No, not at all, really. We had never met until he saved my life and those of the children.” She motioned for Henleigh to join her in the shade of a nearby oak tree.
Henleigh blushed.
Had she built up a romance for him in her mind?
Perhaps he had loved Miss Gray from afar and never had the courage to step forward. She silently laughed at the thought. The captain was the sort who went after what he wanted and would let nothing stand in his way.
“This is why I am here,” she said, clearing her head of all other thoughts. “I am an amateur historian and would like to do something at the cottage to commemorate his life. You say he saved you and the children? What happened?”
“There was a fair going on in the village, amusements set up in the village green all week long and boat rides offered. The day was particularly fine, so I took the class down to the dock, and we all got on one of the sloops offering a ride around the harbor. There was no charge for us because…well, I am now betrothed to the young man who owns the vessel.”
“Oh, how lovely. Congratulations. Have you set a wedding date?”
She nodded shyly. “Yes, we are to be married next month. We owe our joy to Captain Arundel. None of us would be here were it not for his bravery. But as I was saying, the day was lovely, so we were quite unprepared when hit by a sudden squall.”
“A squall?”
“Yes, one of those once-in-a-decade violent storms that blows in with torrential force and is gone within twenty minutes, but not before it wreaks havoc upon all in its path. Our sloop was battered and buffeted amid all the thunder and fury, then shoved onto the rocks, damaging the hull so badly, we began to sink.”
Henleigh put a hand to her throat. “Oh, my!”
“The storm had yet to move off, but Captain Arundel did not spare a moment in coming to our rescue. He kept a sailboat in the harbor that I am told he loved to take out at sunset. He ran to it, jumped in with a few other men, and sailed out to rescue us. I was amazed his boat did not capsize, for the waves were high, and the water was a dangerous swirl that formed riptides and whirlpools everywhere. But he was an expert sailor and knew how to handle the wind and the water.”
“Then what happened?”
