Crystal Gardens (38 page)

Molly had prepared a light supper that had included what she called a restorative curry-flavored soup and her astonishing salmon-and-leek pie. She claimed both were good for the nerves. Evangeline was not sure about the curative powers of the soup and the pie but she was starting to grow calmer, although she suspected she would not sleep well that night. The sight of Garrett Willoughby’s bullet-shattered skull had brought back vivid memories of her father’s suicide.

“Tony and I don’t have your sensitivity to the paranormal,” Beth said. “But we are also aware of the change in the atmosphere.”

“The gardens don’t seem quite so luminous,” Tony observed. “There is still an uncanny sensation out here, but it’s not as strong as it was before we dug up the crystals.”

“Look at the surface of the gazebo pond,” Beth said. “Last night it was like a mirror reflecting the moonlight. But it is dimmer this evening.”

Evangeline studied the pond with her senses elevated. It was definitely less ominous. “You’re right. There is still energy in the water but it no longer feels so threatening.”

Lucas moved to stand beside her, just brushing against her arm. She wanted to turn to him and take comfort from his strength. But this was hardly the time or place for such intimacy. Indeed, she thought, there might never be another opportunity to lose herself in Lucas’s arms. The grand adventure was concluded. In the morning they would have to discuss the most discreet way to end their false engagement.

“Tony, you and Beth were right about those crystals,” Lucas said. “They were enhancing the natural energy of the gardens, enhancing and reinforcing the power of the spring.”

“The problem was that the oscillating pattern of the currents was becoming unstable,” Tony said. “Dangerously so. Uncle Chester knew
something was wrong but he didn’t understand that the crystals were the problem. He was convinced that the powers of the Vision Pool had intensified in some fashion.”

“That was why he was so excited to find a woman who could access the chamber,” Lucas said. “The question now is: What the devil do we do with those damn crystals?”

“We could always haul them to the coast and drop them into the sea,” Beth suggested.

Tony’s brow furrowed. “I don’t think they should be destroyed. Their paranormal properties could have great value at some time in the future. I would like the opportunity to study them.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Lucas said.

“According to Uncle Chester’s papers, he found the crystals in a shop that sold mostly fraudulent antiquities,” Tony said. “Evidently they had been sitting around in a crate for years without causing any problem. It was only when he inserted them into the ground here at the abbey that they started to resonate in a dangerous manner.”

“If you do keep them, they will need to be secured,” Evangeline warned. “There will always be others like Chester Sebastian who will be searching for crystals and stones reputed to have paranormal properties. The last thing we need now is for some mad scientist to get hold of them.”

“True,” Lucas said. “But Tony has a point, the crystals might prove important someday. It might be wise to hang on to them until we can learn more about them.”

Beth looked quizzical. “Where do you suggest storing them?”

Lucas looked at the still-luminous foliage. “It strikes me that for the foreseeable future, Crystal Gardens is as secure a hiding place as any. I’ll commission a steel box, a safe, to hold them.” He looked at Tony. “Will that do?”

“Yes, I’m sure steel will be more than adequate to contain the
energy.” Tony pursed his lips. “But it might be best to have the interior of the safe lined with glass as an added precaution. If my theories of paranormal energy are correct, those materials have insulating properties as well.”

“All right,” Lucas said. “That settles it. We’ll keep the crystals, at least for now.”

Beth glanced at him. “But if you keep the stones here at the abbey, you cannot sell the place. Someone will have to reside here permanently to keep an eye on the crystals and the grounds.”

“As it happens, I have decided that it is time I had a country house,” Lucas announced.

They all looked at him.

Tony recovered first. “The devil you say. Since when have you been interested in country life?”

“Since I decided to marry and start a family,” Lucas said. “Everyone knows that the countryside is a healthier environment for children than the city with its smoke and dust.”

Tony and Beth switched their attention to Evangeline. Beth smiled.

“Yes, of course,” she said. “Crystal Gardens will make an excellent country residence for the two of you.”

Evangeline was speechless. Lucas was digging the hole deeper and deeper, she thought. The more he embroidered their fictional future, the harder it would be to end the false engagement. She caught his eye, frantically trying to send a silent message, but he was oblivious.

“When Evangeline and I are in London, Stone will be here to look after things,” he continued.

“Why will Mr. Stone be here?” Beth asked.

“He has informed me that he plans to marry Molly, who has decided to open a tea shop in Little Dixby,” Lucas said. He smiled at their startled expressions. “I will provide financing for the tea shop,
which, from what I know of Molly, will no doubt be very successful. I have a certain talent for identifying excellent investments, you know.”

In spite of her panic, Evangeline experienced a rush of delight. “That’s wonderful news. Molly will be so thrilled.”

“And as for Stone, he will be happy as long as he is with Molly,” Lucas said. “I expect Tony will also be spending a fair amount of time here because he will be conducting research on the crystals. I suggest that he consult with a certain Horace Tolliver, who has a great interest in the science of the paranormal.”

Tony grinned. “I will do that. You may depend on seeing a great deal of me in the future. I would very much like to study the paranormal properties of the gardens, as well.”

Lucas looked at Beth. “If you do decide to marry Mr. Rushton, I am quite sure he will have some interest in the antiquities here at the abbey. You will both be welcome.”

Beth smiled. “As usual, you have come up with a plan to solve all of our problems.”

“Not all of them,” Lucas said. He looked at Evangeline. “There is still one more problem to be sorted out. If you and Tony will be so good as to leave us, I will attempt to do so.”

Tony frowned. “Why must we leave?”

“Because we must,” Beth said. “Come with me, Tony. Now.”

“I don’t see why—” He stopped because she had taken hold of his arm and was propelling him off the terrace and back into the house. He glanced back at Evangeline and Lucas, who had not moved. “Right,” he said. “I should jot down my notes regarding the extraction of the crystals today. Wouldn’t want to forget the details.”

“Exactly,” Beth said.

She and Tony disappeared into the house and closed the door.

Evangeline found herself alone with Lucas.

“You have made a great many plans for everyone,” she said. “But there is one thing you did not consider.”

He moved to stand in front of her and cupped her face in his hands. She was very conscious of the intimate energy of his aura. It whispered to her senses and lifted her spirits. He smiled.

“What is it that I have not considered?” he asked.

“If you make Crystal Gardens your home, what will become of your consulting work? Surely you will not give it up?”

“No,” he said. He stroked his thumbs along the line of her jaw. His eyes heated. “I don’t think I could give it up altogether even if I wished to do so. You understand that better than anyone.”

“Yes,” she said.

“But I am asked to consult only a few times a year and London is not that far away by train. In any event, I intend to keep the town house. It will be convenient for those times when we are in London.”

“Yes, of course, I should have remembered the train schedule.” Actually, she could not seem to think clearly about anything at the moment. Her emotions were in chaos….
When we are in London
.

“You see, I am hoping to have a consulting partner in the future,” Lucas said.

She felt blindsided. “What do you mean?”

“It would be very useful to have a partner who has a talent for finding that which is lost.”

It was as if all the air had gone out of the night. But she did not need to breathe, she thought. She could live quite nicely on the energy that enveloped both of them.

“I was under the impression that you worked alone,” she said.

“I have done so all these years because until you came into my life I never met a woman I could ask to share the burden of knowing the
things I know, of seeing the things I see. But you know me for what I am and you do not turn away. You know the beast in me but you are not afraid.”

“Of course I am not afraid of you, Lucas.” She grasped the lapels of his coat. “Since when did you begin writing melodrama? Good grief, there is no beast inside you. There is a strong, powerful, courageous man who would give his life, if necessary, to protect those in his charge.”

Wicked laughter gleamed in his eyes. “Excellent. You are romanticizing me again. I must convince you to marry me before you discover that I am not suited to play the part of the hero.”

“Ah, but you are my hero.” She smiled and stood on tiptoe to brush her lips across his. “I recognized you the first day I met you. I would very much like to be your partner in your investigations as well as in every other way.”

His amusement was transformed as if by magic into a dark, deep need. He caught her hand and kissed her palm.

“I love you, Evangeline, I have since that first day when we met in the bookshop. That night when I found you running for your life in my garden, I knew that I had to find a way to protect you and make you mine. I am not a normal man and I will never be able to offer you a normal life. But I will give you all that I have, all of my love and all of my trust. My heart is in your hands.”

Joy swept through her.

“I will guard it well,” she vowed. “I love you, Lucas. I always will love you. By now it should be obvious that I am no more normal than you are. But as any author can tell you, normal is not terribly interesting.”

He laughed. The sound rang out across the gardens, riding a wave of energy. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She responded,
as she knew she would for the rest of her life, matching him in heat and energy and the promise of enduring love.

She did not need her psychical intuition to know that it was a promise they would both keep.

Crystal Gardens glowed around them in the moonlit night.

T
he wedding was held in the Day Garden. Evangeline worried that the location might not yet be entirely safe. Only a month had passed since the crystals had been dug out of the ground, after all. But Tony and Beth and their new colleague, Horace Tolliver, assured her that none of the guests would fall victim to a rogue rose or carnivorous creepers.

A fence, however, was erected around the black water pond in front of the gazebo.
Just to be on the safe side
, Tony had explained. There would, after all, be small children present as the entire Gillingham family had been invited.

There were few, if any, whispered remarks on the matter of the couple’s scandalously short engagement. There were a number of reasons for the lack of gossip. The first was that it was obvious to one and all that the bride and groom were deeply in love.

The second reason for so much discretion was equally straightforward:
No one wanted to risk bringing the wrath of the new master of Crystal Gardens down on his or her head. It was understood that Lucas Sebastian would not hesitate to avenge even the tiniest offense to his lady’s honor.

The summer sun shone on a large crowd that included Judith, Lucas’s aunt Florence, Tony and Beth and several other members of the Sebastian family. Tony was best man. Beatrice and Clarissa served as bridesmaids.

Mrs. Flint and Mrs. Marsh, the middle-aged proprietors of the hired companion agency in Lantern Street, sat in the front row on the bride’s side of the aisle. Throughout the ceremony they sniffed and dabbed discreetly at their eyes with small linen hankies.

“They were weeping because they knew that they had lost one of their best inquiry agents,” Clarissa told Evangeline later. “They know it will be hard to replace you.”

“We reminded them that you and Mr. Sebastian would be available for occasional consulting work,” Beatrice added. “They, of course, assured us that the agency would not be involved in any more cases of murder. It sounds as if life will be quite boring for Clarissa and me from now on, but there you have it.”

Following the ceremony the bride and groom and the guests enjoyed an elaborate wedding feast orchestrated by Molly. The crowd was impressed. The long table set up on the terrace was festively decorated. The dishes included a salmon-and-leek pie, a variety of roasted meats and foul, blancmange, lobster salad, a selection of summer fruits topped with whipped cream, ices and jellies.