Marblestone Mansion, Book 10 Read online

  At long last, she found a place in the thick bushes to hide, sat down and rested. The twine around her wrists was knotted on the back of her left hand and try as she might, she could not reach it with the fingers of her right hand. She brought her hands up to her mouth and tried to untie the knot with her teeth. Little by little, she managed to pull the knot apart until she was finally able to unwrap it. Her wrists were cut, but when she exercised her fingers, the numbness in her hands began to subside.

  She hadn’t even thought about the dog until Traitor came through the bushes and nearly scared her to death. As soon as she saw him, she took a relieved breath and rubbed the dog’s ears. Determined to keep going, she started off again. The sound of the water was getting louder and the hooting owl sounded farther away. The thicker bushes slowed her progress. Several times Traitor got in front of her, and then came back. Pine trees sometimes blocked the moonlight completely. Rocks and twigs constantly hurt her feet and the brambles on the bushes again scratched her legs. Twice her skirt got caught and she had to stop to free herself.

  Just as she was climbing over a fallen log, Traitor scrambled into the bushes and made a large bird abruptly take flight. In sheer terror, Leesil let out an alarmed cry and lost her balance. Suddenly, she was rolling down an embankment.

  *

  In his downtown Colorado Springs office, newspaper reporter, Mr. Skip Jackson, was burning the midnight oil, so to speak, writing and proofreading the biggest story he’d had in a long time. Of course, the story was not yet finished, but installments were a big splash in the newspaper industry. He printed the names of the kidnappers, how they found out who the men were, and a moment by moment account of exactly what happened.

  Pleased with what he had written, he began to start setting the type, hoping to get it in the morning edition.

  *

  “Over there,” said Pete, pointing to a light in a Manitou Springs window. He walked his horse that direction, dismounted, and started to tie it to a post.

  Reluctantly, Willis did the same. “You said we would go back.”

  “Willis, wouldn’t you rather sleep in a bed?”

  “But we left Earl alone with the woman. What if she escapes?”

  “We took the horses, remember. If she escapes, she will have a long walk back and we will have the money before she gets home. It is dark. She will probably get lost anyway.”

  Willis finally got his and Earl’s horse tied to the post. “What if she comes down here?”

  “She will not. She will be afraid of running into us.” Pete opened the door and walked into the boarding house receiving room. Sound asleep, the owner woke with a start. Pete said, “Two rooms, or one room with two beds, if you have it.”

  “Two dollars per room,” the man said as he stood up. “All we got is single rooms.”

  With their ill-gotten gains, Willis and Pete paid the price.

  *

  At Marblestone, Hannish almost fell asleep. Ashamed of himself, he got up from his place near the telephone in the parlor and went to the kitchen. To his surprise, Jessie was still awake and sitting at the table with Provost MacGreagor.

  Jessie got up and gave her employer a quick hug. “What might you be wantin’?”

  “Do we have any coffee?”

  “Aye, and the water is hot.”

  “Good. I have nearly fallen asleep twice.”

  “Worry takes a terrible toll on the mind and the body,” said the Provost.

  “Indeed it does. I canna remember being this tired, yet...”

  “Yet, you feel you must stay awake for Leesil’s sake?”

  “Aye.”

  “Asleep or awake, the outcome will be the same. Even a laird canna prevent what is to happen.”

  “You believe in predestination?”

  “Nay, but I do believe in divine intervention. Too many times we are saved from that which should have killed or at least maimed us.”

  “I believe in it too,” said Jessie as she set the cup of coffee down in front of Hannish. “Somethin’ makes you go a different way than you intended, or draws your attention to that which is about to fall on you. You dinna see it, even out of the corner of your eye, but…”

  “Somethin made you look,” said the Provost.

  “You are sayin that Leesil might be granted divine intervention?”

  “I pray she is,” said the Provost.

  “Thank you, I pray you are right.” Hannish picked up his cup of coffee. “I shall try to hold on to that possibility.” He left the room and went back to his place next to the telephone in the parlor. Before, he had not given that much thought to divine intervention, but when he considered the painting of the castle on the wall, it occurred to him that not one member of his immediate family was in it when it burned. It proved nothing, but it was worth considering.

  CHAPTER 8

  Leesil heard herself cry out a second time before she rolled several more feet. She heard a splash and found herself lying in a shallow creek bed with water soaking into her clothes. Everything hurt. Her first impulse was to get out of the water, but she was so tired she wasn’t certain she could manage it. Instead, she slowly moved her arms and legs trying to determine if she broke any bones. If not, she was sure to have some large bruises. Fortunately, everything still worked.

  Traitor tried to lick her face. She pushed him aside and struggled to sit up. Somehow, she had to keep going, but her feet were so sore and the creek bed was filled with rocks. All the same, she managed to stand up and took a long stride toward the shore, only to painfully step on more sharp rocks. She took another step and finally felt the dirt, but when she looked, she could not see the moon. Now she wasn’t sure where she was at all. “I am lost,” she whispered.

  Leesil sat down and wept.

  At length, she wiped the tears off her cheeks, stood back up and looked for the moon. It was there after all, but it was almost completely obscured by something. Leesil leaned to the right just enough to see the silhouette of a horse’s ears and neck.

  “I have gone daft,” she muttered. “I dinna hear you. Are you real?” Her eyes widened when the horse nodded. Leesil slowly reached out her hand and touched its neck. It felt real. “Steady,” she whispered. She slowly ran her hand down the length of the horse’s neck until she found the bottom of its mane and grabbed hold. With all the strength she had left, she tried to pull herself up. It was no use and when she let go, she once more fell into the dirt. Traitor whined and tried to nuzzle her up again, but she couldn’t seem to find the energy.

  Suddenly, the horse came toward her. Afraid she would be trampled, she scooted away until her back touched a large rock. The horse stopped and now that it was closer, she could see all of it. It was the biggest horse she had ever seen. No wonder she couldn’t mount it. Leesil got up, turned around and felt the smoothness of the large rock. It seemed flat and smooth enough to stand on. There was only one way to find out, and when she at last climbed on the rock, stood, and turned around, the horse had moved even closer. She grabbed its mane again, threw her leg over, and righted herself.

  Leesil laid her head against the side of the horse’s neck and hugged him. “Thank you.”

  Slowly, the horse began to walk beside the creek. She was so exhausted and grateful, she cared not where the horse was taking her. Anywhere was better than where she had been. She hung on tight as the horse climbed the side of a slope, and was relieved when it reached the top and she was again going toward the moon.

  “Home,” she whispered.

  *

  At close to four a.m., Hannish insisted Justin go to bed, but Justin couldn’t sleep and instead, sat at the top of the stairs waiting for news of his mother. The telephone had completely stopped ringing, everyone had gone to bed, and his father stood in the parlor window looking out into the darkness. He heard the doctor open and close doors on the second floor, but Doctor McCormick did not come to make an announcement. Justin had never known the house to be so quiet. All he could hear
was the clicking of the grandfather clock.

  Before he went to join Hannish in the parlor to wait for news, Alistair checked every door and window to make certain it was locked, something Justin had never seen him do before. Provost MacGreagor was staying the night too, which was fine with Justin. He liked and looked up to the elder of the clan.

  It was faint at first, but Justin thought he heard a dog bark. Quietly, he got up, hurried down the second floor hallway, opened the door, and then went down the back stairs to the first floor. He carefully opened the door in the back of the house and peeked out.

  The bark was getting louder. “Traitor?” he whispered as he stepped outside and let the door close. When Traitor raced to him, and put his paws on Justin’s leg, he automatically reached down to rub the dog’s neck, yet he kept his eyes on the darkness. Traitor suddenly remembered the baseball, raced to the side of the house, found it, and lay down to chew on it some more. With all the hope he had left in him, Justin longed to see his mother coming too. He waited and waited, but there was no sign of her.

  The boy wanted to cry, but he remembered his father telling him that tears would keep him from seeing clearly, and just now, seeing clearly might help his mother. He looked in every possible direction hoping to see any movement at all, and when there wasn’t any, he hung his head.

  Justin was about to go back inside when a black horse slowly walked into the backyard. On the horse’s back, there appeared to be a slumped over rider. He strained to see who it was, and when the figure started to sit up, his eyes suddenly widened. “MOTHER!” He yelled.

  His shout alerted the men in the parlor. Alistair made it out the door first and then abruptly stopped. He caught Hannish’s arm just in time. “Dinna spook him.”

  “Aye,” Hannish agreed. In soft tones he said, “Easy….easy now, no one means to harm you.” His movements were slow and cautious as he approached and to his relief, the horse did not move. As soon as he could, he reached up, and pulled Leesil down. He put one arm under her legs, lifted her, and quickly carried her through the door and into the parlor.

  “She is wet and shivering. Find a blanket.” He watched as Alistair dashed into the sitting room and brought back a knitted throw blanket.

  As soon as Alistair helped wrap Leesil up, Hannish whispered. “Wake the doctor.”

  “‘Tis not that bad,” she tried to say, but Alistair was already heading up the stairs. Before he could reach the top, the doctor started to come down with half the household behind him, all still dressed in their nightclothes.

  “Leesil!” Cathleen joyfully shouted.

  Hannish carefully set his wife down on the settee in the parlor, and then knelt down beside her and took her hand. Her clothes were wet, her hair was caked with mud and her face was streaked with dirt, but he leaned forward and kissed her on the lips anyway. “I shall never let you out of my sight again.”

  She reached out her hand. All she wanted was to touch his face. “I love you so.”

  “I was so frightened for you,” he said, as he once more kissed her.

  Behind him, the doctor cleared his throat. “Perhaps I best look at her.”

  “Of course,” Hannish said as he moved out of the way.

  “Where do you hurt?” the doctor asked.

  “Nearly everywhere, but mostly…” She lifted her right foot and showed him the still bleeding cuts.

  “You lost your shoes?” Cathleen asked, taking a seat beside her and hugging her sister, mud and all. “Dear me, look at your wrist. They tied you up?”

  “Sweetheart,” said Cameron from behind the settee, “there is time to hear what happened later.”

  “Indeed,” said the doctor. “I suggest a warm bath so I can see how much damage there is.” He didn’t notice as two of the lady’s maids dashed back upstairs to run a bath for Leesil. “Mrs. MacGreagor, are you bleeding anywhere else?”

  “I dinna think so.”

  “Good, then we have time to clean her up first before I bandage her feet.”

  “Will you be needin’ more hot water from the kitchen?” Cook Jessie asked.

  “Not until morning,” the doctor answered. He moved out of the way too.

  “Is Prescot…?” Leesil managed to ask her sister.

  “He lives.”

  “Beverly and the children?”

  At that, Cathleen smiled. “All are safe and Beverly has given Dugan a son.”

  Leesil closed her eyes, leaned her head back and finally let herself believe she was home. With tears in her eyes, she whispered, “I dinna think I would ever see home again.”

  *

  Standing in front of the backdoor, Justin kept his eyes on the horse. It still had not moved, but the light of the moon was in its eyes and it was looking right at him. The boy thought to pet the horse and thank it somehow for bringing his mother home, but when he started to approach, the horse turned and walked to the edge of the backyard. Then, with a single glance back, the stallion disappeared into the night.

  *

  “I best call McKenna,” Cameron said as he walked to the telephone and picked it up. As soon as he finished telling her the good news, McKenna called Loretta and soon the entire switchboard lit up.

  Leesil MacGreagor had been found alive.

  Nearly the entire household was awake and shouting for joy, by the time her bath was ready and Hannish carried his wife up the stairs. When she saw Justin waiting in the hallway, she reached out and lovingly touched her son’s cheek. He in turn, kissed her hand. He supposed it was alright now, and let a tear roll down his cheek as he watched his father take his mother into their bedroom.

  In the blue room, Prescot stirred. Millie quickly took his hand to quiet him.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  Millie smiled. “Leesil is home.”

  “Home from where?”

  “Never mind, my darling. I shall tell you all about it in the morning.” She was relieved when he went back to sleep.

  *

  Cathleen pulled all the pins out of her sister’s hair, and then helped her get in the bathtub. The warm water felt both painful and glorious as her sister and her lady’s maid quickly washed her, and got her out. They helped her into a nightgown, wrapped her wet hair in a towel and then told Hannish she was ready. Once more, he lifted her and carried her to the bed. Her feet were still bleeding, so Cathleen wrapped a clean towel around them too.

  “I shall fetch the doctor,” said the lady’s maid.

  “Thank you, Ethel,” said Leesil. “You have done all you can. Please go back to bed.”

  Ethel nodded and shortly after she left, the doctor and nurse Julia came in.

  First, the doctor sent everyone out except the nurse. After they were gone, Doctor McCormick looked at the cuts around her wrists, wrapped both in bandages, and then examined the bottom of her feet. “Tell me if it feels as though something is still in there.” One by one, he pushed on the cuts, and watched her wince each time.

  Leesil wiped more tears away. “I dinna think so.”

  “Well, I will be surprised if there isn’t a sticker or two. I shall come back in a day or two to check on Prescott, so I will see you then. You will not be chasing children for a week or two, but I see no need to take any stitches. Take care not to let the cuts get infected and stay off your feet as much as possible.”

  “Thank you,” Leesil said.

  “Are you certain you have no other injuries?” he asked.

  “Perhaps a few bruises. I rolled down a hill.”

  “I see.” The doctor dipped a cloth in the bowl of water the nurse held for him, carefully cleaned her feet a second time, and then bandaged them. When Leesil began to weep, the doctor came around, sat next to her on the bed, and then asked what upset her most. He did not think much would surprise him these days, but Leesil’s answer did.

  After the doctor left, Cathleen came back in, gently washed a few more tears off her sister’s face, and asked her not to cry anymore, although Cathleen couldn�
��t keep the tears of joy out of her own eyes. It made them both laugh.

  In the kitchen, the cooks were making something in case Leesil was hungry, and giggling about the fact that even with all the noise, neither the Whitfields nor the Provost woke up. Reports were, they each could be heard snoring.

  By the time the doctor came down to the parlor where Hannish, Cameron and the sheriff were waiting, the sun was beginning to brighten the sky. He sat down and then looked at the clock. It was past five a.m. Like everyone else, he hadn’t been able to sleep much anyway and he looked as tired as he felt. “She is very upset,” he told Hannish.

  “I am certain she is,” Hannish hesitated to ask, but he had to know. “Did they assault her?”

  “She says not.” The doctor took a sip of tea from the cup Alistair handed him. “You wouldn’t happen to have something stronger, would you? I’m thinking of going back to bed after I check on Prescot and the baby.”

  From behind his back, Alistair produced a bottle and poured the golden liquid into the doctor’s half cup of tea.

  The doctor grinned, took a long drink and set the cup down. “Your wife is upset because she thinks she killed one of them.”

  “Good,” said Cameron. “She saves me the trouble.”

  “I’d rather you let me save all of you the trouble,” said the sheriff. “Did she say where they took her?”

  “They took her to an abandoned shack in the woods above Manitou Springs.”

  “North or south side of Manitou?” the sheriff asked.

  “South, I believe. She said two of them left in the night and took all the horses.”

  “Then they do not know she escaped,” the sheriff thoughtfully guessed.

  “Probably not,” said the doctor.

  “Then they still might call demanding the Ransom.” The sheriff got up and started for the front door. “We shall head out to find the shack first.” He grabbed his hat off the table and just as Alistair opened the door, he whispered, “Call my office if you hear anything from the thieves…anything at all.” He waited for Alistair’s nod, and then walked out.

  The doctor turned his attention back to the brothers. “Have you ever killed a man?” he asked. Cameron and Hannish both shook their heads. “I have. Expect her to be haunted by it, to have nightmares and to cry often. I cried a few times myself. It is a terrible thing to take a life, even if it is to save your own.”