THE MIDDAY SUN POURED DOWNfrom a cloudless sky onto a green lawn full of mail-clad knights and giggling, wimple-clad maidens.
High above, in one of Draycott Abbey"s mullioned windows, Kacey Mallory Draycott, the wife of the twelfth Viscount, watched the festivities of the abbey"s first "Medieval Faire," a faint frown tightening her beautiful brow.
"It doesn"t seem right, Nicholas. So much gaiety and life when..."
Behind her Nicholas Draycott frowned. She was still too pale, still too quiet. And he"d so bloody hoped this idea of hers would cheer her up, help her forget.
Long, gentle fingers circled Kacey"s shoulders and swept aside her silky blond hair. Warm lips skimmed her neck. "It wasyour idea, remember? You"ve put Draycott Abbey back on the map." He slanted an ironic glance at the laughing figures below. "Although I"m not sure I"m entirely thrilled at the idea." His hands tightened. "But it"s what Gray would have wanted, I think. Certainly that"s what matters most."
Kacey sighed, staring out at the billowing tents and colorful stalls. Slowly she nodded: "You"re right, of course. You"re always right, you insufferable man." Her hands reached up to clasp her husband close. "Itis what Gray would have wanted. But do you know, sometimes I almost feel as if she"s still here, that I hear her soft laughter drifting over the moat. It"s crazy, I know, but-"
Abruptly she stopped, staring down at the milling figures.
"Look, Nicholas!"
"At what, my love? The dancing bear or the monk who"s rapidly losing his sandals?"
"No,there, just beyond the moat. The woman with the auburn hair. It"s-I could swear it"s Gray!"
Nicholas"s lips tightened. His hands locked about Kacey"s shoulders.
"Oh, I know it can"t be. I know it"s crazy and impossible. But just the same I-"
This time it was Nicholas who gasped, seeing a tall figure in armor and black velvet stride across the green lawns. "Itcan"t be!"
"Can"t be what, Nicholas?"
"Adrian!" He shook his head soundly. "No, of course, it isn"t." Slowly his mouth curved in a dark smile as he watched the two figures fall laughing into each other"s arms, watched the tall, bearded man lift the woman with auburn hair up and spin her around in circles.
A long sleek cat inched from one of the nearby stalls and stood studying the laughing pair.
"By God! Yes, he just might..." Nicholas"s smile grew to a wolfish grin.
"Nicholas?" Kacey turned to stare at her grinning husband. "What are you muttering about?Who can"t it be-"
And then she sputtered as her husband cut her off with a fierce kiss planted fiercely against her still-parted lips.
With a soft sigh Kacey slid closer, twining her hands about her husband"s neck. Abruptly, she pulled back, her eyes wide with worry. "Nicholas, you can"t.We can"t! The mayor and his wife will be here any minute to judge the costume parade. And then there will be a joust and fortune-telling and-"
His hands eased over her silk-clad chest. "I don"t need my fortune told, sweet one. I"m doomed to a life of utter bliss in the arms of my beautiful wife." He angled her a besotted smile. "And Marston will manage all of those things splendidly. He always does. Sometimes I even wonder why I bother to appear at all." His fingers slid the fragile silk straps from his wife"s shoulders. "And Marston will certainly see to it that the mayor and his wife are kept suitably entertained for another hour or so while we-"
"But Nicholas, I-"
His hands eased the wisp of apricot satin lower. "You"re impossibly beautiful, do you know that?"
Kacey"s eyes darkened as his fingers slid over the warm skin he had just bared. "But those two-they were-"
Nicholas tongued the pebbled crest that spilled into his fingers. "Come, love, can"t you leave a pair of lovers to enjoy a moment"s rest?"
"But they weren"t resting, they were-" Her eyes closed as her husband"s lips slid over her aching skin. "Oh, Nicholas."
In the soft, erotic rustle of silk and heated skin that followed, the laughing pair below were entirely forgotten.
OUT IN THE HOME WOOD, where the green leaves whispered and the pool bubbled up crystal from the little glade, two shadows drifted, then shimmered to luminous reality.
Sunlight glinted off auburn hair, spilling forward onto gleaming black.
"Adrian! They saw us, I"m sure of it!"
"Of course they saw us, woman. As guardian spirits, wemust make ourselves visible to the owners of the abbey now and again. Just to keep them on their toes, of course. There, I think I"ve finally mastered the business. First you fix your gaze. Then you draw a slow, steady breath and count backward from twenty." His body swirled, then took on solid form, sunlight gleaming off polished armor.
"Wonderfully done! Twenty, you say?" Gray"s eyes narrowed as she began to count.
A moment later, she, too, shimmered into full form, her long golden gown gleaming about her ankles. "Idid it!"
She looked down and studied the brooch pinned to her dress. "I"m so glad I found your brooch. It must have fallen there in the tunnel all those years go."
Warm fingers slid beneath her long hair. She sighed, easing back against the hard body behind her. "But, Adrian, surely not-nothere? Anyone might come across us!"
"Ah, that"s the beauty of it, love. Only Kacey and Nicholas can see us. And they, I assure you, are far too busy to go out searching for ghosts right now, guardian or any other sort."
His fingers slid lovingly over the sweet curves barely covered by Gray"s tissue silk gown. "Ah, God, Gray, you task me sorely! From morning to night you set me working with no reward.
Had I known our partnership would be like this-"
"You had a kiss at dawn and rather more than a kiss at noon, stubborn man."
Adrian"s lips slid hungrily over her neck. "Bloody less than I wanted," he grumbled.
"Well, there was that kitten to be rescued from the moat. And those wretched men from London were going to chop down that ancient oak beside the road. You couldn"t allow that, could you?"
The man beside her gave a long-suffering sigh and mumbled something about letting the whole damned home woods be hewn down to twigs.
Gray turned and twined her arms about Adrian"s neck, nibbling a path across his hard jaw.
"And there were the roses. Only you seem to be able to work such magic with them." Her tongue teased his ear.
"Stop that! Damn and blast, woman, that"s unfair! Not when I can"t-"
Adrian"s breath caught as he watched her silken gown skim to the ground in an eroticwhoosh.
"Sweet God almighty! Gray-"
"Now who"s too busy to-"
Laughter rang out over the glade, a soft sound formed of birdsong and the sighing of the wind.
And the soft moans that only lovers know.
There beneath the shadows of a giant rowan, one might have sworn two lovers pressed close, eyes like smoke, hands urgent and hungry.
And there in the quiet glade, while the moat bubbled happily and lazy bees droned from rose to rose, the two shadows met and became one.
And the long years of sadness were banished from Draycott Abbey forever.
SEASON OF WISHES.
PROLOGUE.
Mid-October The Marshes Essex, England FOR A BIG MAN, Ian McCall"s hands were amazingly gentle as he eased the dial of the shortwave radio. Inside the crowded van greenish diodes left trails of cold light across his face.
"Any answer yet?"
The man beside him shook his head. "They"re still counting the money."
Ian McCall fought his exhaustion. As Security International"s most seasoned kidnap negotiator, he knew the next decision was his. "They"ve had fifteen minutes to count the money. It"s time to push them. Otherwise, they"ll run-and they"ll put a bullet in that little girl first," he said harshly.
His boss, Sir George Rolland, rubbed his neck impatiently. "It"s your call, Ian. You"ve been mediating with them for three months now. If anyone knows what these animals will do, it"s you."
"They aren"t professionals. They"re unpredictable and probably shot high on drugs. If we don"t act now, we lose our edge. Then there"s no telling what they"ll do to their hostage."
The director nodded grimly. "Take over."
Ian drew a hard breath and flipped on the broadcast switch near his left palm. His voice was precise, but carried the hint of soft Highland cadences. "Largo, are you there?"
There was no answer.
"Largo, this is Baker." The code name rolled smoothly from Ian"s tongue. Field personnel in hostage situations knew better than to use their real names. If they didn"t know that, they didn"t survive for long. "What the hell is taking so long in there? We want the girl out now.
Get her in front of the cottage where we can see her."
Static rose in a sharp wave, followed by a voice rough with exhaustion and raw excitement.
"We"re still checking the money, Baker. Three stacks to go. Your people had better not have left anything out."
"Listen to me, Largo. Get the girl out now, or a team will be in with dogs and infrared tracers.
If that happens, there won"t be enough of you left to enjoy a single bloody pound."
"Threats, Baker? I thought smooth negotiating was your style."
"My style just changed. Something tells me you"ve lost control over your comrades in there. If you"re not careful, you"re going to end up a splotch on a wall." Ian lowered his voice. "You might be interested to know that the Italian has done this before. Both times, he pulled the trigger on his victim minutes after the ransom was paid. Then he vanished with the money. Do you catch my drift, Largo?"
The kidnapper made a low, crude sound. "How do you know that?"
"We"re in touch with Interpol, of course. The Italian"s M.O. was clear from week one. The only one who didn"t know his style was you. Obviously, he"s setting you up for the same trick."
A string of curses filled the wire.
Ian flipped off the transmit button and sat back. Sweat glistened green over his brow in the light of the shifting diodes.
"What happens now?" Rolland asked anxiously.
"Now we pray. The next move is up to Largo." Ian studied a video screen to his left. "Still no movement at the site, dammit."
"You did everything you could, McCall. It looks like you were right on target about that bloody fellow Alberto. Let"s hope Largo gets to the girl first."
Ian swung off his headset and motioned to the officer at his left, who immediately took his place. "It"s finished, Rolland. I can feel it. They"ve got most of their damned money and now they"ll start tidying up." Suddenly he bent over the video screen. "Wait a minute..."
A moment later, the air crackled with the urgent voice of one of Security International"s support team. "Baker, are you there? The door is opening. Someone"s coming out. Hold fire until my order, understood? Baker, do you read me?"
Ian shoved his headphones back in place, responding to his code name. "I"m here, Able. We can see the field. Any ID on who"s coming out?"
"It looks like the girl. It"s-She"s out! Baker, do you copy?She"s out! "
Ian"s hands were not quite steady as he adjusted the grainy video image. "I read you, Able.
Any sign of the Italian?"
"Our people in the rear just picked up a body falling from the porch. Looks like he took a round in the head."
Ian murmured something soft in Gaelic. "What about the girl? Any sign of pursuit?"
"Not yet. She"s almost to the front steps. You can see her red hat."
Ian frowned. "Red hat?"
"That"s it. As soon as she"s beyond the porch, we can rush her. My men will run cover while they get her to safety. Two teams are standing by to close in as soon as she is clear."
Ian"s fingers moved restlessly over the console. He studied each window and door of the dilapidated cottage on the edge of the lonely Essex marshes. "Not yet, Able, do you copy?
Don"t panic these people. They"re jittery and tired, running on pure adrenaline. Largo has followed through so far, so let"s give him a little more time."
A taut silence followed. "Rover, are you in agreement?"
Sir George Rolland spoke into his handheld receiver. "Agent Baker is right. He knows these people. I suggest you do what he says and give them some space."