Claire Delacroix (38 page)

To her mind, Aurelia had done nothing to deserve such esteem.

And Ursilla had been right when she declared Aurelia’s father to be closer than she believed. Aurelia looked to the groundskeeper with new eyes, seeing an echo of her sire in his gruff demeanor and flashing blue eyes.

Talorc carried the soul of Hekod. His travelling, his distaste of war, the intense blue of his eyes all told Aurelia as much as Ursilla’s teasing nickname.

But Talorc had only the faintest recollection of any of this, a single ache in the loss of his mother that heated the old wound of losing Gemma. No more than that.

Perhaps it was a blessing to remember so little.

“And what does your heart bid you do?” Aurelia asked softly.

Talorc shed a single tear. “It aches so that I cannot hear anything else it might say.” He caught his breath and shook his head, his manner turning gruff. “Ah, you must be thinking me an old fool, Miss Aurelia. A grown man weeping for his mother as though there was something unnatural between them.”

His glance quelled any protest Aurelia might have made. “She was a fine woman, a woman of rare intellect and insight. I respected her as never I have respected another and there was nothing more than that between us. In truth, it seemed that no other woman could measure up to her standard. We had an uncommonly close bond, more like powerful friends than mother and son. We were good company each for the other and I shall miss her sorely.”

“Miss Aurelia?” Elizabeth’s call carried from the terrace and both she and Talorc turned to look. The woman’s wave was more tentative than usual and Aurelia thought there was an uncertainty in her voice. “Would you have some dinner?”

“That woman is always cooking,” Talorc muttered and shook his head. “Every time I turn around, she is trying to stuff some food or another upon me. By the heavens above, she will make me fat yet!”

“She is worried about you.”

Talorc looked to Aurelia, his somber glance speaking volumes. His concession was gruff. “She is a good-hearted woman, Elizabeth is.”

“Is that what your heart says?”

Talorc snorted. “You have a measure of my mother’s insight, that much is for certain.” He squared his shoulders and looked towards an obviously anxious Elizabeth. “What do you think she has been cooking all this day?”

Aurelia smiled. “Whatever is your favorite dish.”

He stared at her for a long moment, then shrugged again. “You have caught me in a rare mood this day, that much is for certain. And there is no need to hurt a good woman’s feelings over foolishness.” He cleared his throat. “But, before we go and eat whatever it is Elizabeth has been busying herself with making, there’s one thing I would say to you, Miss Aurelia.”

Talorc fidgeted, awkward with such confessions, and Aurelia simply waited.

“I have never had a child, and at this point, I sorely doubt that I ever will. But there is a spark in you, Miss Aurelia, that warms an old man’s heart. If ever I were to have a daughter, I would be proud beyond all if she had the good fortune to be like you.”

They stared at each other for a long moment as the sea crashed far below their feet.

Aurelia finally managed to coax the words past the lump in her throat. “You remind me most vividly of my own sire,” she admitted softly.

“Is that the truth of it? Well, then I was not such a fool to say such a thing.” Talorc jammed his old felt hat on his head and waved to Elizabeth. “Are you coming along to eat?”

“No. Not just now.”

Aurelia watched as Talorc strode back towards the hall, a definite bounce in his step. “Elizabeth, you’ve not been cooking all the day long just for the two of us, have you? By the saints above, woman, how many people are you thinking you’ll be feeding in this place?”

Elizabeth laughed, then her scolding tones carried to Aurelia’s ears though her words were not clear. Aurelia knew that she did not imagine the other woman’s relief.

And what of her own? Aurelia turned to pace the length of the cliff face. Baird’s dreams had been right, though it was no consolation to think of that now. The tangle of their fates compelled them all to return to Dunhelm, to try and fix a muddle gone sorely amiss.

This time, things had changed. Aurelia had been awakened but Baird was gone, no longer her lover true. He was lost to her, as surely as he had been each time he died within the walls of the ritual well.

Men seldom wed their whores.
Gemma’s voice rang in her ears and Aurelia hated that she had made such an old mistake.

Had she truly been no more than that to Baird?

* * *

Julian slipped into the tiny church wearing a suit with too much of a hint of burgundy to be truly called black. His white shirt was crisp and his golden tie remarkably sedate in what was obviously a concession to the occasion.

When the funeral service was over and Ursilla had been walked to the cemetery, Julian fell into step beside Aurelia. “Nothing more fun than a funeral,” he muttered.

Aurelia glanced pointedly to him but kept up her brisk pace. “I was surprised to see you here. Did you know Ursilla?”

Julian shook his head. “Corporate presence. Boss’s request.” He met Aurelia’s gaze with a glance so knowing that she had to look away. “Got to wonder why the man isn’t here to do such things himself.”

Aurelia stared at the ground.

Julian’s tone was idle. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about his sudden departure, would you?”

Aurelia’s cheeks flamed and Julian pounced.

“Aha! I should have known. You two had a tiff, and I was left holding the bag in this godforsaken place!” He positively bounced alongside Aurelia, showing an annoying contentment at solving the puzzle. “So, what you fight about? Anything meaty?”

Thord had done that all the time. As endearing as her brother had been, he showed an irritating tendency to ignore any hurt that was not his own. Of all the things she had tried to change...

Aurelia turned and stared at Julian in sudden understanding. Julian was Thord. She had been so busy dismissing her earlier conclusion that Baird had been trying to affect her dreaming that she had forgotten all about Baird’s dream comparing the two.

And now it seemed so painfully obvious. Julian was Thord, drawn to the site of his own murder to see this matter set to rest. Aurelia’s heart swelled in sudden understanding of why Julian found Scotland so offensive.

It had nothing to do with the weather or the food.

She could trust Julian with the very secrets of her heart. The fact that he had come back again was yet another testament of the old link between the two of them.

And he was friends with Baird, which meant he might be able to answer something that had been bothering Aurelia.

“What does it mean to be a Jessica?” she asked.

Julian winced. “He called you that?”

“Yes, but I do not understand.”

“Oh, but I do. That explains everything. No wonder he took off like a bat out of hell.” Julian clucked his teeth and walked ahead, pausing to glance back at Aurelia. “So, what? You want his money?”

Aurelia stiffened. “I care nothing for hard coin.”

“What is it, then? The fancy lifestyle? Lavish accomodations? You want him to introduce you to fatter fish?”

Aurelia treated Julian to her most scathing glance. “Baird and I ware destined to be together.”

“Uh-huh.” Julian’s skepticism was tangible.

“It is true!”

“Whatever.” Julian made a face. “So, what did you do to him? Why did he compare you to Jessica?”

Aurelia shrugged. “I do not know.”

Julian studied her for a long moment, then nodded to himself. “You know, maybe I should tell you about this Jessica bitch. She kind of spoiled Baird for anyone else, if you know what I mean.”

“No, I do not understand.”

“Well, Jessica was a piece of work, probably still is.” Julian shoved his hands into his pockets and started to walk, Aurelia fast on his heels. “Gorgeous woman, all curves and auburn hair and come-hither glances. She laid one of those on Baird once she decided he was a man with a future.” Julian shook his head. “You know, anyone else might have seen right through her, but Baird...well, Baird had been alone so long that he fell for her like a ton of bricks.”

Aurelia’s mouth went dry. “He loves this woman?”

“He thought he did.” Julian fired a bright glance Aurelia’s way. “It wasn’t as though he’d had a lot of experience in all that.”

She nodded, aching for the loneliness Baird had known. “He told me of his fostering.”

Julian ran a hand over his bald pate. “Well, yeah, he hasn’t had it easy, that’s for sure. And Jessica was good, you know. The Manipulation Queen. She knew when to push and when to leave it alone. It wasn’t long before Baird was completely in her pocket.” Julain stuck out his tongue. “It was really a drag, because everyone else could see that she was playing him for a fool, but our noble Baird wouldn’t listen to a word against his lady.”

Aurelia’s heart clenched. Did Baird still love this woman? Had Aurelia inadvertently reminded him of this lost love?

Julian scuffed his toe. “Problem was, Jessica was no lady.”

“What happened?”

To Aurelia’s surprise, Julian looked sheepish. “Well, he wouldn’t listen. I didn’t want him to get hurt - you know, that’s what friends are for.”

Had they been discussing anything else, the lawyer’s defensive manner would have made Aurelia smile. As a child, she had always admired the way Thord would squirm when caught in an awkward situation.

“What did you do?” she demanded with no small trace of sisterly affection.

Julian colored. “Well, I set her up. She deserved it!”

“How?”

“I, uh, happened to come by some information about a little liaison Jessica was planning. Purely by coincidence, Baird was heading home early from some overseas meeting -”

“Coincidence?”

“Well, maybe I helped speed things up a bit. He’s my friend!” Julian hurried on as though he did not want another interruption. “And so, I suggested that instead of calling ahead, he should just surprise Jessica. After all, didn’t he have a key to her place?”

Aurelia gasped. “He walked in on them?”

“
Flagrante delicto
,” Julian confirmed with gusto. “Worst thing was, she had hopped into the sack with some business associate of Baird’s, a highflying type that Baird had introduced Jessica to. What a slap in the face! It must have been some kind of show.” He whistled through his teeth. “I wish I could have been there.”

Aurelia knew her eyes were wide. “Did he spurn this woman for her faithlessness?”

Julian grimaced. “You know, I’m not sure he would have. Baird was really smitten, maybe he would have been able to forgive and forget or take it as a one-off, but Jessica made a big mistake that night.”

“What did she do?”

“She laughed at him.” Julian’s gaze was sober. “She told him flat out that she had used him to meet wealthier men, that Baird was taking too long to make his millions. This guy she was with was busy setting her up in style as his mistress -”

Aurelia was incredulous. “He was not going to wed her?”

Julian’s tone was dry. “He already was married.”

“Such a man is no better than vermin!”

“I tell you, they were two of a kind.” He cleared his throat. “Then she invited Baird to visit her penthouse, just to play.”

Aurelia could well understand how hurt Baird would be by this betrayal. He would have put everything into the first loving relationship of his days, and to find himself used and decieved would burn deeply.

She was astonished that he had come to trust her the way he had. It could not have been easy for him to grant his heart to Aurelia - if only she had known more of Jessica before! Never would she had admitted to summoning the Dreaming - or at least, she would have made her role in the generation of those dreams more clear.

But now, Aurelia did not know whether she would ever have the chance to explain.

Julian walked more quickly. “Well, she showed her true colors there and Baird was out of there. And funny thing, Beauforte Resorts doesn’t buy linens from Carson Quality Supply any more.”

They walked in silence for a long moment, but Aurelia had to ask. “Baird still loves this woman, despite her faithlessness?”

“No! He’s not an idiot, you know.” Julian shrugged. “He just thinks women in general are manipulative and self-serving. He’s steered a pretty wide path of romance since Jessica.”

“But to deny your own happiness because of one foul person is not idiocy?” Aurelia asked impatiently.

Julian stopped, then jingled the change in his pockets and surveyed Aurelia. “Not learning from your mistakes is. I’ve got to wonder why he turned and ran all of a sudden. It’s not like Baird to leave something half done.” He leaned closer. “Were you manipulating him, Aurelia?”

Trust Thord to make her face an awkward truth.

She swallowed carefully. “I fear he saw it as such,” Aurelia admitted softly. “I only used the power of my dreams to show him the truth of our shared destiny.” She felt her tears rise but fought against them valiantly. “And now I have sent him away forever. I wish - I wish that I could have the opportunity to explain the truth to him.”

Julian’s stern expression eased as he stared at her, obviously seeing her discomfort. He reached out and patted Aurelia on the shoulder, urging her to continue walking towards the resort.

“I never thought you were cut from the same cloth as Jessica,” he admitted with an encouraging smile. “I’m going back to the States this afternoon - let me see what I can do.”

“I would greatly appreciate the chance to talk to Baird again.”

“Well, I’ll try, but he can be pretty stubborn.” Julian forced a smile and pointedly changed the subject. “You know, Aurelia, I’ve had a good feeling about you for a while. I know you’re really stuck on this eighth century thing, but is there any chance we met somewhere before? Maybe you were friends with my sister or something?”

Aurelia slanted a smile at the lawyer. “Maybe I knew you in the eighth century.”

Julian looked momentarily startled, then met her glance and grinned back. “Yeah, could be. I mean, why not?”