Wishes on the Wind (39 page)

    "Other priorities!" David's hand trapped Meg's, holding it against his cheek as he shook his head. "What priorities could possibly come before the love we feel for each other?"

    "Life and death." And then at David's frown, "But you've never felt the threat of either, have you, and you've no understanding of the torment of wondering"

    "Excuses! That's all you're offering me, Meg, when I'm offering you my love."

    Meghan stiffened in his arms and abruptly slipped her hand out from under his. His cheek felt cold and desolate without the warmth of her palm, and he sensed Meg's mental withdrawal as she withdrew herself from him physically as well.

    "Aye, and so your main concern remains with yourself and your feelings when you should be considering the torment of those you profess to love." Pausing, Meg whispered, "Go home, David."

    "Meg"

    "Go home." Extricating herself from his grasp, Meg turned and ran toward the house before David could react to her flight. Cursing as she slipped into the kitchen and out of sight, certain he would never understand her, David turned back into the darkness.

    His haste apparent, Sean walked down the darkened street. His mind working in riotous circles, he recalled the meeting just past in the private room behind Lawler's saloon. He remembered Muff Lawler's sharp eyes upon him as Lenny sang his praises, and he still felt the sting of the fellow's intense scrutiny. But he had weathered it all, and if he was to take Lenny's word as truth, he'd be a Molly before the month was out.

    Tripping over a rut in the road, Sean cursed under his breath and turned the corner. Uncle Timothy's house loomed in the distance, lamplight glowing in the kitchen and upstairs rooms, and he cursed again, for there was little satisfaction inside him at the step just accomplished, distracted as was his mind with the letter he had received a few hours earlier. There'd been no time to face Meg for the truth, but he was determined to root it out now. In his heart he could not believe she would betray her word to him. Deceit was not in Meg's makeup, and she

    His step coming to an abrupt halt, Sean strained his eyes into the shadows beside the house. That tall figure just slipping out of sight, that posture and step arrogant, for all its stealth. Glancing up to the window of the room he shared with his sister, Sean saw darkness flicker into light, and rage suffused him.

    Breaking into a run, he closed the distance between himself and the house and turned into the backyard. Dashing through the kitchen past his aunt without a word, he took the steps two at a time toward the second floor.

    Heavy footsteps in the hallway turned Meg toward the bedroom door the moment before it burst open to slap back against the wall. Striding to her side, his face twisted with rage, Sean grasped her arms. His fingers bit into her soft flesh as he gave her a hard shake.

    "That was David Lang I saw sneaking out of the yard just now, wasn't it?"

    "Sean…"

    "Answer me!"

    "No. I… I don't know what you're talking about."

    Sean's eyes went cold the moment the lie escaped Meg's lips. Silence stretched thin between them before Sean's contemptuous reply knifed deep into her heart.

    "You lie poorly, Meg, because the truth is, you've not had much practice. But if Lang had his way, you'd perfect the art, I've no doubt. Aye, he's taken the first step, proving what I must do."

    Releasing her unexpectedly. Sean started toward the door, only to be halted by Meg's low plea.

    "Sean, please forgive me."

    His body rigid, Sean turned back to face her as Meg continued, her voice laced with pain. "Aye, I lied to you, and the shame of it burns inside me. But you've naught to fear now. I sent David away tonight."

    "Aye, you sent him away! And how many nights were there when you didn't, all the time ignoring your promise to me?"

    Her heart in her voice, Meg whispered, "With Ma as my witness, I'll tell you everything if you'll just listen."

    "What can you tell me that will take away the pain of your lies?"

    His coldness lashing her, Meg responded simply, "Only the truth."

    Silence followed. Taking his silence for assent, Meg sat down on the bed and drew Sean down to sit beside her. Her gaze forged to his, she spoke in a hushed voice that did not cease until the whole story was told.

    Her breathing ragged, Meg did not realize that her face was wet with tears until Sean raised a callused hand to brush them from her cheeks. He questioned softly, "You believed David Lang when he said he loved you?" When she did not respond, he nodded. "Aye, it's clear that you did."

    Abruptly on his feet, his eyes cold once more, Sean turned toward the door. Meg grasped his arm.

    "No, Sean! There's no point to any of this. David will soon be off to school in England."

    Sean shook his head. "Nay, he'll be going nowhere."

    His intention was clear and Meg gasped, "Do you hear yourself, Sean? You're speaking of taking a life! You're speaking of losing your soul!"

    Sean's gaze became startlingly frigid. "Aye, my soul…"

    Desperate, Meg rasped, "You may turn away thoughts of your soul, Sean, but I cannot! Will this be your gift to me the guilt of knowing my brother lost his hope of salvation because of me?"

    "Meg…"

    Suddenly shaken with sobs beyond her control, Meg turned away, only to feel Sean's arms slip around her. Silent for a moment, he whispered, "Meg, stop cryin', please."

    Separating himself from her as her tears drew to a halt, Sean spoke solemnly.

    "All right, Meg, but if we've to put this behind us, we've some promises to make to each other, for I can live with it no other way." Sean's expression hardened. "If you'd have me walk away from servin' David Lang the justice due him, then you must walk away from him as well. You'll not go back to that house again. You'll forget David Lang's lies, and forget him as well. Can you promise me that?"

    Meg's whispered "Aye" was torn from her heart.

    "All right." Sean breathed deeply. "My word is bound to yours, then. I'll leave him be."

    Realizing the gravity of the pact they had made, Meg stared at     the hard, bitter man who had replaced the boy visible in Sean a year earlier. She whispered, almost uncertain, "Is it really you behind those cold eyes, Sean?"

    A joyless laugh escaped Sean's lips. "More's the pity, it's truly I."

Chapter 15

    David's mount responded to his urging, lengthening his stride until the surrounding hillside blended into a blur of brilliant gold. Leaning low over Max's neck, David pushed the powerful animal beneath him to greater effort as the cool morning air rushed against his skin and the brilliant sun flickered rapidly through the branches of the trees overhead.

    Stumbling unexpectedly, Max righted himself a split second before a violent spill, and sanity returned to David's mind. Reining the laboring horse to a more sensible pace, David cursed his own stupidity. He then cursed the frustration which had kept him sleepless through the long night after Meg had left him standing in the darkness of her backyard.

    It was Meg's fault all of it!

    Uncle Martin and he were at an impasse, and he had not bothered to dress for the office upon arising. With one glance at his attire when David arrived in the foyer, Uncle Martin's demeanor had darkened, and in the short conversation that followed, nothing more had been communicated than the confirmation of their differences.

    It had come as no surprise when Uncle Martin informed him that he had already dispatched someone to Meg's house to tell her that her employment at the manor had come to an end. Neither had it been unanticipated when his uncle informed him that he was continuing with arrangements for David's departure for England in two weeks. It had been at the tip of his tongue to tell his uncle that there was not a chance in the world that he would leave Meg, but chafing under strain created by Meg's stubborn attitude the night before, he merely turned and left the house without response.

    Holding Max to a more cautious pace, David ran an impatient hand through his hair. His nerves were as taut as wires and, although he fought acknowledging it, panic had begun making silent inroads into his thoughts.

    Damn it all! He still couldn't fully comprehend what had happened. Meg had told him she loved him, and he knew she meant it. He had felt her love when he held her in his arms. He had felt it in the surrender of her lips, in the melting of her body against his, and in her spontaneous response to his own increasing passion. Their love was a golden glow encircling them, drawing them ever closer. It emanated from within them in a way neither could fully understand or restrain, and he knew Meg was as much at its mercy as was he. He had seen the pain in Meg's eyes when she restated the convoluted reasoning that now kept them apart, but even loving her as he did, and admiring her as he must for the integrity so much a part of her, he knew he still did not understand her.

    Other priorities… What priorities could possibly come before their love? Despite the social barriers between them, the truth was that together they had everything, and apart they had nothing. It was as simple as that, and everything else was secondary. He could see that so clearly. Why couldn't she?

    
Oh, Meg
…

    His throat choking unexpectedly, David rubbed his hand across his forehead in an unconscious gesture of despair. He was tempted to ride up to Meg's front door right now and thrash the whole thing out. Her uncle, the stingy bastard that he was, would be grateful to have Meg off his hands, but he knew Meg's brother would have another reaction entirely. He wasn't afraid of the surly lout, but he knew a confrontation between them would only complicate the situation.

    There was no simple solution to the affair, but he knew he had no chance at all if he didn't find a way to talk to Meg alone. He had already determined that next time he wouldn't let Meg run away from him. He would convince her that their love was worth any sacrifice, because it was a truth he felt deep inside him.

    But the how and where of finding Meg alone was a problem that had plagued him the morning long.

    A sudden thought striking him, David glanced up at the sun as it approached its zenith in the brilliant, cloudless sky. Cursing himself again for his stupidity, he wasted not a moment more before jamming his heels into Max's sides, startling the powerful animal into an abrupt leap forward.

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    ''You're not to worry, Meg." His expression reflecting concern as he stood opposite Meg in his small office, Father Matthew realized his attempted consolation did little to relieve the girl's anxieties. "Your employment on the hill served its purpose. It allowed you time to improve your reading skills while earning a sum that temporarily satisfied your uncle. I've no doubt I'll be able to find another position for you quite easily now."

    "Do you really think so, Father?"

    Father Matthew nodded, dismissing his lie with the excuse that it was necessary.

    Meg had arrived at his office a short time earlier. Obviously distressed, she had told him that a groom from the house on the hill arrived at her door that morning with her wages due and the notification that her services were no longer needed. Her brief description of the events that followed led him to believe that Timothy O'Reilly's reaction to the dismissal had driven her to his door in desperation. However, nagging viciously in the back of his mind was Meg's reluctance to discuss the reason for her discharge. She was holding something back.

    Breaking the silence, Father Matthew spoke, a frown creasing his youthful brow. "It surprises me that the Langs should dispense with your services so suddenly. You have no idea why you were dismissed?"

    Meg's gaze dropped away. She shrugged and Father Matthew felt her growing distress. The silence between them lengthened until she whispered, "Aye, I know the reason. There was talk about David Lang and me."

    A knot in Father Matthew's stomach tightened at the mention of David Lang's name. John Law's warning again returned to mind and he struggled to maintain a level tone.

    "Was there any truth to the talk. Meg?"

    Meg's tormented gaze snapped up to his. "I can't say if there was any truth to the talk, for I was not openly accused."

    Pausing, Father Matthew pressed on quietly. "Then I can only ask you, my dear, if anything transpired between you and David Lang that you now regret."

    Tears sprung into the eyes firmly holding his as Meg responded. "Nay, Father. Nothing happened between David and me that I regret."

    Relieved beyond measure, Father Matthew curved his arm around Meg's shoulders and pulled her briefly against his side in an awkward attempt at consolation.

    "Then find a smile in your heart and put it on your lips, Meg, for your discomfort will be temporary, I promise you. There are few enough in this town who have the natural skill with ciphers you possess. Once that fact is known, there'll be employment for you waiting around the corner. You must have faith."

    Father Matthew reached for the knob and drew the door open. "Try to stay out of your uncle's path for a few days, Meg. I'll find you a position. I'll not let you down."

    Quickly closing the door behind Meg as she started down the steps, Father Matthew could not resist going to the window to follow her slender figure down the street. He frowned as she drew her shawl tighter against the gusting wind and glanced up at a sky that had turned a leaden gray in sharp contrast to the bright sunshine of earlier in the day. Meg took an unexpected turn, and Father Matthew's frown darkened. If she was not careful she would be caught in the storm before she reached home.

    The irony of that thought touched Father Matthew as she turned out of sight. Meg was already caught in a storm that had been brewing long before she was born, and it was up to him to see that she did not suffer permanent injury from it. Aye, the storm that presently darkened the skies over their heads would pass with little damage, but the other that threatened all Meg held dear where would it lead?

    A shiver passed down David's spine as a damp wind gusted through the swaying branches overhead. Unconsciously drawing his jacket closed, he again scanned the uneven rows of the deserted cemetery, then looked up to assess the sky. The dropping temperature was as ominous as the blackening of the swirling clouds. The weather had changed dramatically during the time he had spent waiting, concealed in this particular growth of trees. He was angry, cold, restless, and were he not desperate as well, he knew he would have given up hope hours earlier of seeing Meg.