For All Time (Nantucket Brides 2)

With a bit of an inner smile of triumph, she pushed him away—and it took more than a little force. There, at last, was that look in his eyes that she’d wanted to see. Heat radiated from him like fire, drawing her to him. He made Daire seem like a boy. At this moment she could see how Graydon’s ancestors had won the kingship.

“No,” she said softly. “I’m not going to give in to you. You’re as good as a married man.”

Graydon fell back against the big newel post. “You thought I didn’t desire you and I showed you that I do, but now you’re saying no?”

“Yes, that’s right. But at least now I know where I stand with you and what all this is about. I’ll tell you something, Graydon Montgomery, I am not going to fall in love with you.” She flung the front door open, then stood back and looked at him, waiting for him to leave.

He looked as though he wanted to say something but couldn’t think of exactly what. Mostly, he looked bewildered.

It took a great deal of discipline on her part, but Toby didn’t comfort him. He’d hidden his true feelings for her since they’d met, which made her very angry. And now that he’d revealed himself he seemed to think she’d give in to him instantly.

No, she valued herself a great deal more than that! Graydon put his hands in his pockets and left the house.

As soon as Graydon was outside, Toby slipped on the rain-soaked marble floor and hit her head on the edge of the door. She caught herself before she reached the floor, and for a moment she stood there, watching Graydon walk down the path toward the lane. Never before had she seen his shoulders slumped, but they were now. The rain was pounding down on him but he seemed oblivious to it.

She watched him until he crossed the road and went inside her house. Part of her hoped he’d turn and look back and see her standing there, but he didn’t.

She closed the front door and leaned against it for a moment. It was going to take a while for the anger inside her to calm down. And she needed to think about everything in her life right now. One thing she knew for sure was that if she had any sense she’d tell all the Lanconians to leave, and this included the almost-married Graydon. Kingsley House was free of guests now so maybe they could stay there.

But she needed time to figure out what to do. A flash of lightning momentarily illuminated the entryway and she looked at the two doorways that led into the rooms. As had happened upstairs, she knew which door to go through. Inside the door on the right was a large room with a big fireplace along one wall. Beside it was a cabinet door. “It’s been built over the old oven,” she said aloud, then frowned. Obviously, she’d been going on too many of the old house tours on Nantucket.

At the back was another door and she went to it. Inside was a small room with a little fireplace along one wall.

Suddenly, she felt dizzy, and when she put her hand to her head, it felt wet. Another burst of lightning showed blood on her fingertips. When she slipped she must have cut her head. She knew she should go home and bandage it, but the thought of confronting Graydon right now made her hesitate. She needed to consider all aspects of this situation. What happened after what had been revealed between them? Was their friendship over? In the coming weeks should she do what Lexie had advised and have a rip-roaring good time in bed with Graydon—even though she now had an idea of the pain she’d feel when he left? And besides, would they carry on this affair with the flirting Daire and sneeri

ng Lorcan downstairs?

The more she thought, the dizzier Toby felt.

She looked about the little room. The only furniture in it was a hard little cot pushed against the wall. “Where’s the card table?” she whispered. And that hard little sofa that her great-aunt Marjorie had needlepointed the upholstery for? But then, she’d had the time to do that, since she’d been widowed at twenty-four.

“The same age as me,” Toby said aloud and again she felt dizzy. How was she making these things up? She really did need to get the cut on her head looked at.

It was as she put her hand on the door that she turned to look at the old paneling on one wall. She couldn’t really see it, but she knew there was a narrow door there. It was hidden by the paneling. In fact, you could look at that wall and not even see that there was a door.

But Toby knew not only that it was there, but how to open it. The brass catch was hidden behind a piece of wood that had to be pushed to one side before you could see that latch.

It was as though she was drawn to that side of the room, pulled toward it, but at the same time she fought against touching it. She knew that inside was something horrible. No! Inside something very bad had happened.

She put her hand on the panel and tried to slide the wood to the side. Over the years—centuries, really—the wood had swollen and shrunk, and the finish that John Kendricks had put on there was gone.

It took both hands to push the wood back, and by the time she got it aside, she was crying—and the blood from the cut on her temple was running down the side of her face.

Here is where I died, she thought, then repeated aloud, “Here is where I died.”

She put her hand out to open the door but she couldn’t make herself do it. She turned away. “I must go home,” she said. “To Garrett.” Lightning struck outside. “No. To Silas.”

She put her hand to her forehead and managed to make it to the cot. Her mind seemed to be twirling about with faces and images that were familiar but at the same time strange. Victoria was there, smiling at her, her red hair pulled high up on her head, and the front of her dress was so low cut that Toby was almost blushing. And Victoria was young, Toby’s age.

“Are you well?” Victoria asked. “Or did you have too much cider? Or too much dancing?”

Toby touched her temple, but it no longer seemed to be bleeding.

“Why don’t you stay in here and rest for a while?” Victoria said, smiling down at Toby. “Come out when you have recovered.”

Toby sat up on the sofa and looked around her. The room seemed familiar, but it took her a moment to place it. “Am I in Kingsley House?”

“Oh, my! You have had too much of that brew the Kingsleys are serving. You don’t remember that this is Captain Caleb’s new house? Not that I’ve met the man, but everyone wonders what he’ll say when he returns and finds his builder has used the house for his own wedding before the captain has so much as spent one night in it. But then, no one seems overly concerned about injuring the pride of a Kingsley. After what I’ve heard, my opinion is that someday a woman should say no to one of them just for the pleasure of it.” Victoria leaned toward Toby. “But I need not tell you that, do I? Do you mean to tell the family tonight?”