Page 8 of Once Upon a Haunted Cave
She nodded. “He seems very nice.”
“Unlike me?” They were both nephews to Lady Audley, a woman who was impossible to tolerate. His cousin came from the poor side of the MacArran family and was a gentle, good-hearted soul. However, he also had the MacArran pride, and for this reason had yet to accept Ruarke’s offers of a loan or other infusion of capital to help him out.
Yes, pride was a trait that ran strong in all MacArran men.
However, his cousin was obviously willing to marry an heiress such as Lady Sylvia to save his holdings. Well, he would be a good husband to that silly lady, and would not come completely empty handed to the marriage, since he had a title and several good parcels of land to offer in exchange for her dowry that would be put toward improving them.
“No one would ever mistake you for nice, Your Grace.” Miss Alwyn cast him an impish smile, her gaze sweet and soft as she looked up at him. “I think it is because you do not dare showanyone this honorable part of you. But I have seen it and wish to thank you again. I had better return to your aunt.”
“Wait.” He caught her by the wrist, careful to keep his grasp gentle. “Before you go, I need to see you again.”
She paled.
What was wrong with him? His usual prowess with women seemed to be failing him with this girl. “Do not work yourself into a state. I am not going to kiss you, Miss Alwyn. I have no intention of doing anything untoward. But I must learn more about you.”
She glanced at his hand still holding her fast. “Why?”
“To be perfectly honest, I’m not certain yet. Specifically, I wish to know more about your mother’s family. Did she ever reside here?”
“At MacArran Grange? How could she? Has it not been owned by your family for over a century, and much of that time in faded grandeur until you came along and restored it?”
“You seem to know my family history.”
“Your aunt constantly speaks of it. She enjoys flaunting her family connections, and is especially pleased by how magnificently you have improved the family fortunes.”
“But she is not pleased with me at the moment,” he said.
She glanced at her wrist again, for he was still holding on to it. “Because you are paying me too much attention. She has noticed and does not like it.”
“I am interested in you, but not for the reason you and she believe. Do not laugh at me, Miss Alwyn. There is a connection between you and MacArran Grange. It is a palpable bond, as though a string ties you to my home. I cannot shake the feeling that you belong here…or are in some way important to this house. Am I making any sense?”
She stared at him with those big green eyes of hers.
By heaven, she could lure a man to drowning in those emerald pools.
“I do feel it.” She released a breath. “I wanted to tell you, but did not think you would ever believe me. These past two weeks, I thought I was going mad. How can I know this place when I have never been here before? The house. The grounds. The Singing Caves. All of it is so familiar. Even the song of those caves. I was humming it before I had ever heard it.”
“Then my concerns are founded, Miss Alwyn. Do you have any idea why you are having these recollections and how they are significant?”
She shook her head. “No, not at all. It is a puzzle I would like to solve.”
“Let us figure it out together. This is why I want to meet you again. Tomorrow, all right? Do not put me off until next Wednesday. This is too important. You know it is.”
“All right.” She nibbled her lip, once more drawing his attention to the lovely shape of her mouth. “These evening entertainments, much as your aunt enjoys them, will tire her out. She always sleeps in after an active night like this one. We ought to meet in the morning.”
“How about sunrise at the grove of trees where we sat yesterday?”
“Yes, that is perfect. Everyone ought to be abed at that hour. I’ll be there, Your Grace.”
He released her wrist and watched as she hurried back inside the parlor.
He glanced up at the ceiling. “Lord, help me.”
It was an odd request for a man who had lost faith years ago. But something strange was going on. Miss Alwyn had seen the ghost and now admitted the MacArran estate was familiar to her. How was this possible?
That ghost.
The smart thing to do was send the girl back to London and never allow her to return. Was this why she could tell him nothing of her mother’s family when he’d asked yesterday? Had her father purposely kept his daughter in the dark?
