Return to Summerhouse (The Summerhouse 2)

William, still tightly holding the girl to him, moved aside and Faith saw Tristan. His eyes were open and, best of all, there was no blood on him.

Faith ran to him. “Are you all right?” Her hands were running over his chest, down his legs. “Did she hurt you?”

“I am fine,” he said, looking a bit dazed. “I fell asleep. The sun and…” He waved his hand about the beautiful room, then looked at his uncle. “What is wrong with her? She looks mad.”

Faith stood up and looked at the girl William was holding, his face white from the exertion. She took the knife out of the girl’s hand.

“I think someone has fed her a mushroom that’s made her temporarily crazy,” she said as she pulled the girl out of William’s arms.

“But why?” Tristan asked.

“My guess is sex,” Faith said. “Someone found out about a certain mushroom’s ability to get rid of a girl’s inhibitions.”

William and Tristan were looking at her in puzzlement. “You know,” Faith said, “candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker?”

That made the men nod in understanding. Faith led the girl to the door and called to Thomas to come and get her.

“Take her into the house and keep her in a room until her reason returns,” she told him. “Don’t hurt her and don’t let her hurt herself.”

In the next minute Amy came up on Tristan’s big black horse, jumped to the ground, and pushed past Faith to get to Tristan. As soon as she saw him as he had been in her dream, wearing the same clothes, on the same bed, with the windows behind him, she burst into loud tears.

“I knew it all. It was all in my head,” she said, crying copiously and holding on to Tristan’s hands as he sat on the edge of the bed. “I didn’t put it together. In the dream I saw you and I saw the men around you. I even saw Beth. This place is so different from my dream that I thought you’d be safe. And you were so well guarded. You—”

“Amy,” Tristan said as he pulled her up from the floor.

William put his arm around Faith’s shoulders and led her outside. “How did you know?”

“The mushrooms,” Faith said. “I saw them by the tower, but in my vanity I thought no one but I knew what they could do. Amy begged us to help her with Tristan, but I paid no attention to her. But if I hadn’t come back with her, and if I hadn’t taken you from that room, Tristan would have died.”

“Sssssh,” William said and pulled her into his arms so she could cry on his shoulder. “It has worked out as it should. It is his destiny to live.”

“Yes,” Faith said against his shoulder. “Maybe Tristan’s destiny is back on its rails again.” She smiled when William looked at her in question. “It doesn’t matter. Tristan is safe now.” Behind them, they could hear Amy and Tristan talking quietly inside the orangery.

“What say you that we spend tonight in the house?” William said.

“Yes,” Faith said. “I think we should. Let them have their time alone. But I’m going to send them a huge supper. Amy needs to eat.”

William laughed. “I think you would like to feed the world. Tell me, in your time, do they still have poverty?”

“I have no idea what you mean by ‘my time,’” she said with all the innocence she could muster. “I grew up in…”

“Quick!” William said. “Give me the name of an English county.”

“California,” Faith said. She looked around them and they were in the parkland that had been designed by Capability Brown. In just a very short time, she’d never again see this place, this time, or these people.

She looked at William. He was still many pounds under what he should weigh and there were still circles under his eyes, but he was freshly shaven and his shirt was so white it sparkled.

“Ah,” he said, “I have seen that look before, but thought never to see it again.”

“Do stop talking,” she said.

He put his arms around her and kissed her, then held her against him. “I might not have the strength to…”

“That’s okay, Faith said. “I’m good on top.”

He laughed and they walked to the house hand in hand.

Twenty-three