Heart's Delight Page 18

  “What is it?”

  She grasped his arm, breathless from the emotions pounding through her. “Sit down. I know who it is.”

  Sitting tight against him on the straw bale, she told him in a voice scarcely above a whisper what she had figured out.

  “What do you think we should do?” she finished.

  “You’re the one who knows how things function. There’s a wee bit of evidence and lots of conjecture. Is there a militia or a force of some kind we could speak to?”

  121

  Margrett Dawson

  “There’s an RCMP detachment in town. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police,” she added quickly in explanation.

  “I think I’ve heard of them.”

  “I expect you have. They do police work in smaller places that don’t have their own force. I could talk to them.”

  “So here’s the plan. We take turns to guard the horses tonight, then tomorrow you go into town to talk to the police.”

  She nodded. “Maybe we could have dinner on our own tonight. I don’t think I could sit across the table from Jim and swallow my food.”

  “Make a sandwich or whatever you call it,” Quinn said in a low voice. “I think we should stay with the animals. You don’t need darkness to cause mischief.”

  “I’ll go right now.”

  Jim wanted them to eat with him, but Elaine pleaded tiredness and a headache.

  “I guess you didn’t sleep too well out in the barn,” Jim said grudgingly. “You’ll be glad of a proper bed.”

  “I think we’ll continue to stand watch,” she said. “We still don’t know who set fire to the stable or who hired the vandals to wreck the house. Until then we prefer to guard the horses. For our own peace of mind.”

  Elaine took the first watch, pacing under the stars while Quinn slept. He had simply kissed her, whispered good night, then rolled himself into a blanket on the straw bed.

  Within seconds he was asleep.

  She stayed close to the stable, pondering all that had happened in so short a time.

  She had gained a lover but lost a barn. Gained a belief in the supernatural, but lost a friend.

  “Jane was never a true friend in the first place,” she told herself. “You can’t lose what you never had.”

  When she grew tired of wandering around the property, she sat on a bench near the door to the stable. The night was warm, but with no moon. Stars twinkled brightly overhead. The branches of the tall poplars near the entrance swayed and rustled in the slight breeze, casting moving shadows over the grass. It was quiet and peaceful, with no hint of the currents and tensions running underneath.

  For a while she turned her mind to cooking up ideas for her advertising campaign, but her thoughts inevitably returned to Quinn and the mirror.

  The house would be cleaned up within a couple of days. The broken glass of the mirror would have to be replaced. Would that destroy the magic properties? That was a foolish thought because those properties were probably gone, anyway. Who knew what conjunction of moon cycle, date and physical longing had brought about Quinn’s appearance in her life? Or what would put a stop to the mirror’s power?

  122

  Heart’s Delight

  However it had happened, all she needed to do was to accept the wonderful gift she had received.

  She got up from the bench where she sat and peered through the door of the stable.

  The horses shifted in the stalls as they sensed her presence. Quinn was a dark shape in the corner. She longed to snuggle down beside him and feel his arms around her. His cheek against her hair, his mouth so close to her lips…

  She resisted the temptation and made herself do one more circuit of the grounds.

  At one in the morning, she shook Quinn awake.

  “Time to switch places,” she whispered. He was instantly awake and got to his feet.

  He took her in his arms, his rough chin rubbing her forehead.

  “I’d rather lie here with you,” he said.

  “I know, but we daren’t risk it.”

  Steeling herself against the temptation, she pulled away from his arms. A massive yawn overcame her. “Let me sleep for a bit. Then, when this is all over…” She thought of the stimulator Maggie had given her.

  She lay down on the warm straw, fitting herself into the hollow Quinn’s body had made. He tucked the blankets around her and kissed her. “Sweet dreams.”

  The rest of the night passed without incident. Quinn woke her at first light with a gentle kiss. His face was cool from the night air. She stirred and laced her hands behind his neck, fastening her lips to his in greedy abandon. He felt wonderfully solid and reassuring. For two pins she would have pulled him down beside her, but this time it was Quinn who resisted.

  “Time to get up,” he said.

  With a pout of disappointment, she let him go and got to her feet.

  They grabbed bowls of cereal for breakfast. “I like this stuff,” Quinn said, munching away on a mouthful of granola. “Pity we don’t have any at home.”

  Elaine stopped eating and gazed at him. “This is home now,” she said. “I can make granola whenever you want. Or buy it.”

  “Of course, of course.” He chuckled. “Just a lapse of memory. Forgive me.”

  Elaine went into town, leaving Quinn to see to the horses and turn them out.

  Clouds had built up in the early morning and there was a threat of rain in the air.

  She called on the vet who had sent the pellets for analysis.

  “Yes, I have the results,” he said. “Rather strange, actually. They’re a nutritional supplement that’s been off the market for a number of years, that’s why I didn’t recognize it. Nothing dangerous, but the company made a new formula. You know how it is.”

  “Yes, I understand exactly.”

  123

  Margrett Dawson

  She paid the bill and took a copy of the results. Who would have out-of-date feed on the premises? The answer wasn’t hard to find.

  She drove by her property and was pleased to see the cleaning crew hard at work.

  A skip stood by the front door to the house, already half full of soiled carpet.

  One of the men saw her in the doorway and stopped his work to speak to her.

  “Most of the stuff is finished,” he said. “Do you want up to keep any of it?”

  She shook her head. “Salvage what you can, then put everything else in the skip.”

  “Looks as if your computer might be okay, but the TV’s a goner. By the way, I think you should take these.” He handed her the pair of silver candlesticks. “Look as if they might be valuable.”

  “Thank you.” She took hold of the candlesticks by their stems. Her hand tingled where it touched the metal. Imagination, or…?

  The man turned to move away, back to his crew.

  “Wait!”

  He paused, balanced to walk on.

  “I don’t want you to touch the mirror,” she said.

  “That big old thing? The glass is all broken.”

  “I know. But it’s important to me. Leave it where it is.”

  He shrugged. “Just as you please. I think a couple of the guys were talking about taking it down. I’ll check on it.”

  “Leave the broken glass too.”

  “If you say so. I’ll need you to let the insurance company know that you told us to leave it.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  She backed away and turned to go down the steps of the porch. It didn’t feel real, seeing the house stripped of its furnishing, smelling of disinfectant and paint. It was hard to see it as the same place she had known and loved, where she had taken refuge and worked so hard to realize her dreams.

  Her dreams at the time had not included Quinn. Was that what made everything feel so different?

  In town she checked in with the insurance agent and then went to the RCMP office.

  Even she knew her tale sounded thin and unconvincing.

  “So we
think that Jim Burchitt and Jane Simmons are in league with the developer to drive me away,” she finished lamely. There was no point in adding the fact that Jim had fed her horses a harmless but old-fashioned nutritional supplement. Who could find anything criminal in that?

  “So what proof do you have?” The young RCMP officer moved a file on his desk.

  He didn’t seem to want to meet her eye. It was likely his first assignment and he hadn’t 124

  Heart’s Delight

  had much experience with intense women with fanciful stories. She’d bet he hadn’t yet developed a thick enough skin to tell a woman she was crazy.

  “It all ties together,” she insisted.

  He looked up at last. “It does to you,” he said. “But these are serious accusations.

  You’re saying that two upstanding citizens, neither of whom have any criminal past, are in league with each other and possibly a prominent developer to ruin your business.

  You think they’ve burned down your stable and vandalized your house. But then one of them offered shelter for you and your horses. How much did he say he would charge you for that?”

  “Nothing.” She cleared her throat. “He said I needn’t pay him.”

  The officer nodded. “Doesn’t sound like malice to me. And the man you’re with, he comes from—”

  “He’s British.”

  “What is his business here?”

  “He was visiting his sister.”

  “Give me the name and address, just so I can complete the file. If you still want to make a complaint, that is.”

  She stood. “No, there’s no point. I won’t make a complaint after all. Talking it over with you has made me see how weak my case is. I apologize for taking your time.”

  He got to his feet and thrust his hand over the desk. “I’m sure you’ll be able to work out your differences with your neighbors,” he said. “Good luck.”

  She shook his hand. “Thank you.”

  As she drove down the main street she glimpsed Jane talking to a man outside the bank. As she watched, Jane put a hand on the man’s arm. He smiled and took her hand.

  Neither of them noticed Elaine driving by.

  For the last few days she had been insulated from worry and despair by the presence of Quinn. Now suddenly a wave of gloom washed over her. It was hopeless to think she could rebuild a failing business just because she had a strong helper and lots of good ideas. She needed cash and goodwill from the community as well as a strong back and a willing heart.

  The officer’s question about Quinn had disturbed her. Of course he would have to provide ID for medical coverage, for any kind of insurance, for almost anything he might want to do.

  She pulled over to the side of the road in front of a small shopping mall and rooted in her purse for a quarter and a business card.

  She found a phone that was working and put in the call to Victoria.

  To her relief she heard Denman’s voice answering the phone. For a moment she was at a loss for words.

  “Hello?” Denman said. “Is anyone there?”

  125

  Margrett Dawson

  Elaine found her voice. “Mr. Denman,” she said. “It’s Elaine Christie. Forgive me, I half expected to speak to your secretary.”

  “Out with the flu,” he said. “Besides, this is my private number. So what can I do for you, Ms. Christie?”

  “Can I make an appointment with you?”

  “This sounds as if I might be getting good news,” he said. “You can be here in an hour.”

  Three hours later Elaine emerged from his office and drove back to Jim’s place.

  Quinn was sitting outside by the paddock, plaiting his straw rope again, his feet on the lower rail. He stood as the pickup came into sight.

  She pulled up beside him. He opened the driver’s door and grabbed her as she emerged. “Thought you’d had an accident,” he said, burying his face in her hair. “Or changed your mind about me.” His arms were tight around her and he rocked her against his solid body.

  “Never that.” She lifted her face for his kiss and his lips came down hard on hers.

  She was home.

  At long last he relaxed his hold on her and smoothed back her hair. “I couldn’t bear to lose you.”

  She took his hand and led him away from the car.

  “Are the horses all right?”

  “They’re fine.”

  She stopped by the wall of the stable. “I have something to tell you.” She looked around. “Where’s Jim?”

  Quinn shrugged. “I haven’t seen much of him, but I heard his car earlier so I suppose he’s gone out.”

  “Good, then we can talk.” She laced her fingers in his. “I went by the house.”

  “How is the repair work?”

  “They’re doing a good job. They should be finished in a couple of days. But they haven’t started rebuilding the stable yet.”

  Quinn waited, silent, allowing her to tell the story in her own time.

  “I was so sure that I wanted to build my life around the stable…” She sighed and looked down at their entwined hands. “But that was before you came.” She paused again. “I didn’t feel any attachment when I went back. It was just an empty house.

  Rather shabby and old-fashioned.

  “So while I was in town, I went to see Denman, the developer. That is why I took so long.”

  She raised her head and looked him in the eye. “I have a tentative agreement to sell.”

  126

  Heart’s Delight

  “Are you sure?”

  “Not really, that’s why I haven’t signed anything. But he’s offering a good price and he’s agreed not to overbuild. I wanted to ask you what you thought.”

  “My love, I feel inadequate to advise you—”

  She cut in before he finished. “After the house I went to the RCMP.”

  “And?”

  “They didn’t exactly twirl their fingers next to their forehead, but they obviously thought I was nuts. Jim and Jane are well thought of. Law-abiding citizens. Why would they suddenly branch out into crime? And then the officer wanted to know who you were. He asked for your sister’s address.” She laughed. “What could I tell him? The house doesn’t exist. That would certainly raise their interest, if he ever checked. You have no ID, no background, no family. It’s not easy nowadays to create an identity.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I guess what I’m asking is if you want to stay in this time.”

  127

  Margrett Dawson

  Chapter Twelve

  Elaine saw surprise and bewilderment flicker across Quinn’s face.

  Before he could speak, she continued. “I haven’t really thought it all through properly myself, but listen. I wanted you so much when I first saw you, and I longed for you to be with me. I couldn’t believe it when you came back to me through the mirror.

  But now I wonder if that was best for you. You came to this Victoria in the eighteen hundreds to make your father proud of you. Back in your time together we could create something wonderful.”

  He breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought you wanted me to go back and leave you here.”

  “Oh, no, no. Never that.” She placed her palm flat over his thudding heart. “I love you more than anything else, more than my stable, more than all the people I know here. I don’t have many ties. A few friends, that’s all. You have your sister and her family and your father and brother.”

  “They don’t want me.”

  “Maybe not, but you would still like to show them you could make good. Wouldn’t you?”

  His lips curved in a smile. “I most certainly would. You tempt me.”

  “Well, I was thinking. You have your diamond pin, I would have money from the sale of the property. And I would sell Star and Diamond. If we converted to gold, wouldn’t that be enough to start something solid back in your time?”

  She had no conscious recollection of planning
such a thing. Her mind had been working on the possibilities without her realizing it. She lifted her head and watched the play of emotions on his face, the gleam of interest in his eye.

  “It might not be possible to return,” he said. “How do we know it would work after the solstice, with the broken glass? If those were the things that made it work in the first place.”

  “But you’d try? You wouldn’t say no?”

  “I wouldn’t say no, but how would you live in my time?”

  “As your wife. Think of all the knowledge I would bring. I could help you with whatever you wanted to do and it would be easier for me to simplify my life than for you to learn everything that’s happened in the last hundred years.” She moved her hand from his chest to stroke his neck. Oh, the feel of his skin under her fingers set her blood racing again. “I’ve always felt I’d like to live in a slower, gentler time.”

  Still he shook his head. “We need to think about this. Suppose the mirror won’t let us through? Maybe it won’t take two people.”

  128

  Heart’s Delight

  “And maybe it will.” She felt a surge of excitement as the idea took hold of her and the possibilities fired in her mind. “If we go, we go together. Agreed?”

  He seemed to make up his mind and the frown vanished. “Most certainly.”

  “If it won’t let us through we’ll think of something else. I didn’t have much luck when I talked with the police, but I know Jim burned my barn and trashed my house out of revenge for the part my grandfather paid in his wife leaving him. And I thought Jane was my friend and all the time she hated me. If the police won’t prosecute Jim and his niece, then I don’t think I want to live around them, knowing what they did. I would want to move somewhere new.”

  She saw the lift of his head, the spark in his eye as he contemplated the challenge.

  “It’s worth a risk. When would we go?”

  “At the next full moon, so we have almost a month to prepare. I made them leave the mirror untouched. We have the candlesticks and I think they have something to do with the magic. The only thing we don’t know is if the solstice played an important part. That’s a chance we’ll have to take.”