The Hands of Time (6 page)

Alec nearly groaned with disgust, but the girl seemed to respond to Finlay and smiled up at him with gratitude.  He was obviously on the right track, that devil.  Finlay was not about to stop.

“This tomb of a castle is in desperate need of a woman’s beauty.  You have lit up the dining room like the morning sun.”  Alec wanted to point out that the dining room was indeed lit up by the morning sun, but looked down instead to hide his grin.  Finn was certainly having better results than he was.  Valerie was looking at him with open admiration, the fear in her eyes replaced for the moment with wonder.

“I wonder have you seen anything of the grounds? 
I have an errand to see to this morning, but I would be honored if you would permit me to give you a tour when I get back after luncheon.  Would that suit?”  He gave the girl such a charming smile that she had no choice but to smile back.

“Thank you, Mr. Whitfield,” she began, but Finlay
interrupted
her.

“Finn, please.  Mr. Whitfield was my father, and that crashing bore over there across the table is Mr. Whitfield as well.  I am just Finn.”

“All right, Finn.  I
’
d
be
happy to have you show me the grounds.”  She picked up her teacup
,
and Alec noticed that her hands were no longer trembling. 
Well done,
b
rother
, he thought as he picked up his own cup.  In the meantime, Finn settled himself into a chair next to Miss Crane and poured her a fresh cup of tea like the best of hostesses, offering her a sausage roll before putting one on his plate.  He seemed so at ease that the girl began to relax and even
took a bite of the roll
. 

“Finn, is Mr. Willis still asleep?”  He didn’t like Finn’s guest and would be glad to see the back of him.  There was something shifty about the man
,
and he worried about Finlay talking in front of the man so openly last night.  Some things his brother said could be called treasonous
,
and he worried about his lack of discretion.

“He left at dawn.  He had business in Plymouth.”  Finn reached for another roll and offered the plate to Miss Crane, who declined, but gave him a charming smile which he returned tenfold.

“Speaking of Plymouth, I had a message yesterday. 
Morning Star
is due to dock on the evening tide tomorrow.  I think both of us are required.”

“I will be ready to leave by noon on the morrow,” with that Finlay rose from the table and gave Miss Crane a
courteous
bow before excusing himself and
walking
out the door. 

Miss Crane watched Finlay go and her look of fear instantly returned.  Alec wanted to put her at ease, but he
was not the flirt his brother was and small talk did not come easily to him.

“There is a lovely walled garden behind the castle.  Perhaps you would
care
to see it?  My mother used to love sitting there on summer mornings.”  The thought of his mother made his chest
constrict
for a moment, but he continued.  “I have some work to do this morning, but I
would be happy to
show you the garden first.”

“That would be lovely, Mr. Whitfield,” she answered without enthusiasm.  No doubt she thought he would question her about her past
,
and she obviously
had
things to hide.

“Please call me Alec and I will call you Valerie, if I may.  I give you my word that you are safe here with us
,
and I will not ask another thing. 
You can tell me only what you wish. 
You can stay here
indefinitely
if you wish.  We certainly have the room and as my brother pointed out, we are in sore need of beauty and wit.”  He sounded pompous, even to
himself
, but that seemed to put her a
t ease
slightly
,
and she smiled at him.

“Thank you, Alec.  That’s very kind.   I
would
love to see the garden with you."

Chapter 7

Alec Whitfield was true to his word
and
did
n’
t ask me any more questions
as we
strolled around the lovely garden
,
pointing out the different flowers that his mother had planted before her death.  On this warm, June morning, the garden was a riot of color with everything busting into bloom around us
,
and birds singing their hearts out delirious with joy over the gorgeous weather
.  The smell of roses filled the air
,
and the bees hovered over the fragrant blooms buzzing contentedly.  The idyll of the garden made
me feel
slightly
more peaceful th
a
n I did this morning
,
as I followed Alexander Whitfield from flower bed to flower bed
. 
We made small talk for a little while
, but neither one
of us
was a natural gardener
,
and the topic was soon exhausted.  Eventually
Alec excused himself
,
and went back inside to work, leaving me alone in the garden with my thoughts. 

I sat down on a stone bench next to a particularly fragrant bush of primroses and closed my eyes, turning my face to the morning sun.  I felt
slightly
less hysterical knowing that the Whitfields
weren’t
going to put me out any time soon.  At least
,
I was relatively safe for now until I came up with some kind of plan.  I smiled
,
thinking
of Finn.  He was certainly a surprise.  Tall and lean like his brother, he had darker hair and eyes of a brilliant shade of green, brought out by his moss
-
colored doublet, purchased no doubt for that purpose.  I think Finlay was
very much aware of his charms
,
and didn
’
t lack for female
companionship
.  He went out of his way to put me at ease this
morning
,
and I was grateful to him for that kindness.  He must have realized how frightened I was
,
and tried to reassure me that my presence at the castle wasn
’
t a burden.  I had to admit that he was one of the best
-
looking men I had ever seen
,
and I had seen plenty. 

Alec was handsome too, but in a different way.  He was obviously older by a few years and there was a maturity in him that wasn’t apparent in his brother.  His brown eyes were thoughtful and intelligent, but also a trifle melancholy, especially when he spoke of his mother.
  Finn was the charmer, but Alec was the one with authority
,
and he made me feel strangely safe in a situation where safety was as elusive as the moon.  He
’
d promised me his protection
,
and I
believed
he took his promises seriously.

I was startled out of my reverie by
the
sound of footsteps crunching on the gravel path
,
and opened my eyes to find a young girl
standing
in front of me, gaping with
curiosity
.  She was about fourteen with wispy blond hair trying to escape the confines of her cap
,
and watery blue eyes, round with wonder.  She gave me an awkward
curtsey
and blurted out, “It’s almost lunchtime, Miss.  Mr. Alec sent me to fetch y
e
.”

“Thank you.  You must be Nell.”  The girl gaped at me as if I was clairvoyant and nodded vigorously.  “Betty told me about you.  It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise, Miss.”  She
curtsied
again and opened her mouth as if to say something, closing it again and turning to walk back up the path.  I followed her reluctantly, not
wanting to leave the
sanctuary
of the garden.  Finlay would be back soon
,
and although I looked forward to our walk
,
I was also a little apprehensive.  I wondered if I should be asking for a chaperone. 

Chapter 8

Finlay presented himself to me in the drawing room shortly after
lunch
,
ready
for our walk.  He was still wearing the same clothes, but his hair had been pulled back into a ponytail and tied back with a thong
,
and a sword was hanging at his left hip, the hilt
glinting in
the sunlight.  He followed
m
y gaze and smiled.  “Just a precaution, Mistress Crane.  Nothing to concern
yourself
with.  Shall we?” 

Betty had brought me a wide
-
brimmed straw hat for walking out
, so
I put this on and followed Finn out the door. 
He led me down the hill toward the river Yealm, never touching me, but always near enough to let me feel his solid presence at my side. 

“Has your family lived at this castle for a long time?”  I asked
,
to distract him from gazing at me so intently. 

“
Less than one hundred years, which is not that long compared to some families. 
Our
grandfather
was gifted the castle by Henry VIII in 1544
,
after
distinguishing
himself at the
Siege
of Boulogne. 
It seems he had some grand idea of digging a tunnel under the walls of the city and packing them with explosives. 
Unfortunately, Henry did not give him a title to go with it.  It would have been quit
e
useful,” he said with a chuckle.  “Titles go a long way at Court.  The castle is actually called Yealm Castle after
the river.  The main part was built in the
fifteenth century,
and improvements made in later years by the nobleman who lived here before displeasing Henry and losing his head.
”

“What was he guilty of?”  I shuddered at the thought of someone being beheaded. 

“He tried to prevent Cromwell’s men from destroying the Abbey and the Monastery during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. 
Of course, he did not succeed and they were
ransacked
anyway.  He was arrested for treason and executed in 1541
;
his family turned out
,
and the castle seized by Henry.  I
cannot
seem to recall the man’s name
at the present
.”

I tried to remember what the Dissolution of the Monasteries was, but had to admit that my English history was very hazy.  

“Why did they destroy the
m
onastery?” 

Finn gave me a strange look, as if wondering how anyone could ask that question, but then proceeded to answer.  “Henry
wanted
to divorce his wife, Queen
C
atherine
,
and marry
his mistress,
Anne
Boleyn
, but the Church would not grant him
a
divorce. 
C
atherine was a good and pious woman
,
and he had no valid reason to put her aside
as far as the Church was concerned
.  Henry petitioned the Pope
,
claiming that the marriage was not valid
,
since
C
atherine had been married to his brother before him, but the Pope would still not grant an annulment, forcing Henry’s hand.  He passed the Act of Supremacy in 1534 declaring himself the Head of the Church
,
and forcing
everyone to swear allegiance to him. 
Those who didn’t swear suffered greatly. 

After a few years
Henry broke with Rome for good and
decided to
weed out Catholicism altogether
, accepting
his minister
Thomas Cromwell’s proposal to
dissolve
all monastic institutions
.  Cromwell’s men went around the country destroying all
Catholic houses of worship
, seizing their wealth and driving out the inhabitants.  Those who resisted were either killed outright or arrested for treason.  The monastery of St. Mary of the Mount was very close to here.  The ruins are still there in the woods.”