Page 15 of Moonstone Angel
He wanted to reach out and caress her cheek, brush back a stray curl of her lush hair as it blew gently in the wind, but quickly suppressed the urge. “My grandmother trusts you.”
“She’s a wonderful woman. I will feel such an emptiness in my heart when she is gone. Perhaps this is why I let her talk me into bringing her here. I needed her to see a little of me, of where I came from and where I’ll probably live out my days. Her approval is important to me. And the lovely thing about your grandmother is that even if she does not approve, she has the kindest way of telling you so.”
She cast him a sincerely warm smile. “I think she would have made an excellent army general. Like you, she has an inspiring confidence about her. Perhaps you inherited those qualities from her.”
“Perhaps.” He followed her gaze as she looked out across the water again. “She likes it here,” he murmured. “I can see she is happy despite the constraints of her health. The sea air and sunshine have done her much good. And this view is spectacular.”
“This is why I could not ever sell this place. Where shall I find anything so lovely again?”
“How is the water at this time of the year? Warm enough to swim?”
“Yes, Your Grace. Are you an able swimmer? It is generally calm, but one must always be on the lookout for riptides. Have you ever been caught in one?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“They can be frightening. If ever you are, do not try to fight it. Just swim along with its current until you can break free. You will never win against the water. It is merciless and will claim even the strongest swimmers…as the former owner of Moonstone Cottage found out. Have you heard of it? It is quite the legend in this area of Cornwall. Look over there, it’s the lovely house on the cliff overlook.”
She pointed into the distance.
There were several stately homes visible on the rise, the finest one no doubt belonging to his friend, Cain St. Austell, the Duke of Malvern, and the one beside it no doubt the one Cara meant.
“The Killigrew sisters now own Moonstone Cottage, but it once belonged to Captain Brioc Arundel. He was a respected sea captain and a strong swimmer.”
“I saw a commemorative marker with his name on it as I rode through town. Something about his dying valiantly while saving schoolchildren.”
She nodded. “I was one of the children he saved. We were trapped on a sloop damaged and sinking during a sudden squall. As you can imagine, we were frightened out of our wits and huddled together knowing we were about to plunge to our watery graves.”
“Cara…” He did not know what to say other than he was grateful she had been rescued. But that near-death experience must have impacted her deeply.
“He gave up his life to save ours.” Tears clouded her eyes. “I still cannot think of that day without my heart breaking for his loss. From that moment on, I vowed to make something of myself as a way of honoring him.”
She wiped a stray tear off her cheek. “But I haven’t managed to do anything worthwhile yet. And that debacle over my betrothal to Harlan still weighs on me. I don’t know how to make things right about that either.”
“If your former beau is happily married as you mentioned earlier, then you have already made things right with him. He is with the woman who will give him a good life. As for everyone else, it is none of their business. I expect they keep that minor scandal alive because nothing else of interest has happened here since then.”
“Until you came along and pounded on my door.” But she was smiling at him, not in the least irritated with the highhanded manner of his arrival. “Now they will have this new scandal to occupy them.”
“A duke at your door is hardly a scandal. Ah, I think my grandmother is stirring.”
Cara hurried to her side. “Shall we go in now, Duchess Anne?”
“Yes, dear. Help me prepare for bed.” She turned to her grandson. “I shall see you in the morning, my darling Rowan. I am so happy you are here.”
He cast her a soft smile. “Take my arm, sweetheart. I’ll help you to your bedchamber, then will leave the two of you alone to gossip about me.”
He stood on one side of her and Cara on the other.
After helping her in and seeing her safely seated on her bed, he left the ladies. The night was still young, and he had no desire to retire yet. He returned to the veranda, fascinated by the sight of the moon rising over the water.
This place stirred one’s soul even in the inky darkness of night.
He lost track of time as he caught himself up in philosophical thoughts about his existence and the reasons he had been led here. Was there a purpose to his meeting Cara? To being drawn away from the glitter of London ballrooms and elegant debutantes eager to gain his attention.
“There you are,” Cara said, rejoining him. “Why are you standing alone in the dark?”
She had a lamp in her hand, for night had fallen quite rapidly. He had been too entranced with the sky’s shifting display to bother seeking out so much as a candle for himself.
“Can’t seem to draw my gaze away from the stars.” But he did take a moment to glance at her. She looked so pretty by lamplight, her features soft despite its fiery glare.
