She nodded, but somehow felt safer not meeting his piercing gaze. Instead she risked only fleeting glances in his direction, remembering what Tamhas had said about his eyes, and what she thought she had seen in the market. Was it true? She meant to proceed quickly, lest they be discovered conversing in secret in the midnight hour. However, curiosity had its hold on her. “You seem to know your way about the place. You found my chamber quickly.”
“Aye, I have been inside the house before. Not that Tamhas Keavey knows of it, I warrant. Your cousin’s wife invited me here, secretly.” He observed her as he spoke, almost as if he wanted to study her reaction. “It was shortly after she became mistress of the house.”
Chloris was startled on several accounts and found herself unable to respond with an appropriate answer. It appeared that he’d known all along that Tamhas was her cousin. It would not take much investigation, she supposed. Perhaps she had even given it away the night before. She’d been taken by surprise on meeting him and had not thought clearly. The fact that there was some previous involvement between him and Jean made her unbearably curious. It went some way in explaining Jean’s response to him in the marketplace that morning. Most of all it unnerved Chloris that Jean had apparently invited him here, just as she had. Why?
Unbidden, Jean’s words of warning ran through her mind again—her comments about his immoral nature, his ability to seduce. Chloris’s face heated as she recalled Jean’s flustered state while she explained why they had to avoid him. She’d said it was because of his reputation. Was there more to it? Had Jean herself been involved with him?
Her visitor gave a soft laugh, as if he sensed his statement had confused her. “Mistress Jean is a kindly woman, but somewhat gullible. As a young bride,” he continued, sidling closer as he spoke, “Mistress Jean was convinced of a ghostly presence in the west wing. She asked me here to seek it out and send it on its way. Alas, it was a wasted visit, for I could not discern any such presence.”
“Ah, yes.” Chloris nodded, relieved to get to a reason for his previous visitation. “The illusive wandering spirit, there has always been talk of it amongst the servants. As my cousin’s ward I spent several years living here at Torquil House, before I left for Edinburgh, and there were no sightings while I was resident. I suspected it was a fanciful tale woven by one of the servants.”
He did not seem surprised. “Oftentimes we are called upon when there is no real reason for our intervention.”
The way he said it—with careful emphasis—made her wonder.
“Superstition, hearsay, fear, mistaken assumptions...all of these things bring troubled ones to us.” He gave a wry smile. He had drawn to a halt an arm’s length away from her. “And the very same things are often turned and used against us.” There was a bitter undercurrent to his tone, but he quickly gestured with his hands, breaking the tension. “So, you have given thought to our discussion?”
Questions still flitted through her mind. Making haste was imperative, though. The threat of discovery made her uncomfortable. Especially now that she knew the real reason for Jean’s concern. Jean had kept a secret from Tamhas all these years, and his mood at dinner was some indication why. “I have made my decision. I want you to undertake the ritual tonight.”
He cocked his head on one side, considering her. “I’m surprised. I wasn’t expecting you to agree so soon.”
For a moment she felt he was disappointed by her eagerness. Every time he spoke, he surprised her.
“I thought I might have to convince you,” he added. He looked her over with an appreciative glance.
The way he studied her made her feel unsteady. The man was a force of nature, to be sure. “I considered your words carefully, and although I am somewhat nervous about the ritual itself, I want to proceed.”
He quirked an eyebrow.
Apparently it was necessary to give him just cause. Her gaze lowered. “I would not have come to you if I had not been convinced of my need for help. I have long since known that I am flawed, as a woman.”
She paused in order to swallow down the shame she felt. It was not in her nature to discuss her problems openly with a man, let alone a stranger. She was a proud woman and this had taken some effort on her behalf. “If you can help me I would be most grateful.”
“No one is perfect, Mistress Chloris. Keep that in mind.” His mouth twitched in amusement. “We each strive to be more able and useful. It was brave of you to come to us, under the circumstances.”
She lifted her chin, meeting his gaze directly. “And it was brave of you to come here to this house.”
Once the comment was out, the exchange affected her oddly. Was it because they considered each other silently? A moment of mutual respect, she assumed. Chloris wasn’t used to a man like him, one who could so easily control a situation—either by mastery, seductive magic or surprising moments of respect. As a woman, she rarely encountered any of those things in her husband, who was an altogether different type of man.
Why am I even thinking like this, comparing them? It was wrong of her and she clutched her fisted hand to her breastbone, ashamed of her wayward thoughts.
She turned away and picked up the pouch of coins she had readied, offering it to him. “Please, tell me if this is enough for your fee.”
He weighed the pouch in his hand and then set it back down on the table without looking inside or counting the coins. “I suggest you determine how much the fee should be when we complete our endeavor. If you are pleased with the results, you can decide the amount.”
Was that because he was so sure of his magic? “If that is what you would prefer.”
He nodded.
His poise was breathtaking. The way he stood, so still yet so apparently ready to pounce into action, made her feel restless. “And now we begin?”
She asked the question and yet she did not know what she was doing.
His mouth lifted at one corner. “The ideal situation would be to perform the ritual in nature’s bower, at first dawn or shortly afterward, when we could engage with the ebb and flow of the natural world more readily. But we can initiate it here, now.”
Her level of concern rose. “Initiate?”
“It may need more than one meeting.”