Lost in Time: His Lady in Green 12

TWELVE

Eve stretched out her hand, but even as she touched the dagger the ground opened beneath her and she was falling, falling into darkness. She screamed, tensing herself ready for the jolt when she hit the ground.

But there was no jolt. She was slumped on the floor, leaning against a solid wall. Opening her eyes, she saw she was back in the bedroom corridor. She looked at the dim wall lights. Electric lights. She closed her eyes. She was back. Had she ever been away?  Maybe she had been hallucinating. She had immersed herself in other people's history for so long, it was perfectly possible that she had imagined everything. Then she realised that she was clutching a dagger in her hand. That couldn't be imagination. Her free hand crept to her neck. The emeralds had gone.

'Eve! Thank God, I have been looking everywhere for you.' Sebastian's voice cut through the fog of fear that was enveloping her and she struggled to her feet, turning to him thankfully. 'What the hell has happened to you, your dress is filthy. Have you been outside…' His voice trailed off as he spotted the dagger in her hand. 'Where did you get that?' When he raised his eyes again they were hard, and he was frowning. 'I'd rather you asked before you start removing artefacts.'

'I – I didn't.'

He took the dagger from her, saying quietly, 'Let's put it back, shall we?'

What could she say? How could she explain what had happened to her? Miserably she followed him through the corridors, away from the party and into a much older part of the castle. He opened the door of the muniments room.  When the lights flickered on she could see that the walls were covered with shields and weapons, pikes, swords and halberds fixed high up out of harm's way.  Suits of armour stood to attention between glass cases displaying the evidence of the Daubenays' bloody past.  Duelling pistols and flintlock rifles jostled for position with wheel-lock guns in one cabinet while in another a huge broadsword was flanked by sabres, rapiers and even a claymore.  Sebastian was heading for a large cabinet that held nothing but wicked looking knives.

'That's funny.' He stopped, his eyes moving from the dagger in his hand to the cabinet, where an identical weapon lay peacefully on its mount. 'So you didn't take it from here.'

'No. He – he gave it to me.' Eve's voice was strained. 'Richard Daubenay.'

Sebastian turned to her, a look she could not interpret in his blue eyes. She knew it sounded crazy and she had no idea if he would believe her. But there was worse to come. She had to tell him.

'And I have…lost…the emeralds.'

Sebastian stared at her, his face pale. Tears burned her throat when he turned away from her.

'You'd better go. I wish I'd never brought you here.'

His quiet words sliced into her heart. He might as well have pushed that dagger between her ribs. She looked at his broad back in its immaculate evening jacket, a solid, immoveable wall of black. She swallowed.

'Y-you want me to leave?'

He swung round.

'No, I don't want you to leave, but you must. It isn't safe for you to be mixed up in this.'

'In what?'

'I – I don't know.' He raked his fingers through his hair. 'I have grown up with all the family legends, so of course I've heard about the Lady in Green but I never believed any of it.  Until tonight, when I couldn't find you, then you reappear, looking as if you've been –' He broke off, his jaw working as if he was struggling for control.  'The legend says the lady must make the ultimate sacrifice to secure the fortunes of the Daubenays.' He looked at the dagger in his hand. 'This is too dangerous for you, Eve. You should go. Now, while you still can.  I'll get one of the staff to drive you back to London.'

'But what about you?'

'I can't leave. This is my home, my heritage.  I must face whatever is coming.'

What she saw in his eyes made her breath catch in her throat.  A thousand years of responsibility. The Daubenays had fought and struggled through the centuries to reach this point and Sebastian would not turn away from what he saw as his duty.

Eve had drawn up family trees, traced forgotten ancestors, pieced together other people's history but always as an observer.  This was different. It was very real – and very frightening.

'Sebastian.' She took his hand. 'We must find those emeralds – '

'Damn the emeralds. Your safety is far more precious than any stones. You have to get away from here.'

He pulled her close, cupping her chin with one hand and tilting it up so that he could kiss her.

A long, lingering, never-to-be-forgotten kiss that reached into her very soul. He was saying goodbye, sacrificing his own happiness and possibly his inheritance to keep her safe.

Eve felt bereft when at last he released her. This was the end. He would walk her to the outer door and hand her over to a servant, who would drive her away from Meryngham forever. She would be safe, but she would never see Sebastian again.

She squared her shoulders and looked him in the eye.

'I'm not leaving you. If I am the Lady in Green then I am as much a part of this as any Daubenay.'

'Eve – '

'I 've made up my mind. I am going to find those emeralds.' She reached out and took the dagger from his hand, saying with a grim little smile, 'Your ancestors are a rough lot, Sebastian. I might need this before I've finished!'

Sarah Mallory
author of historical romantic adventures!
winner of the RoNA Rose Award 2012 & 2013
Beneath the Major's Scars (RoNA Rose winner 2013) - Harlequin Mills & Boon Dec 2012
Behind the Rake's Wicked Wager Harlequin Mills & Boon Jan 2013

HH Advent Calendar: Sarah Mallory

For a chance to win a signed copy of Sarah Mallory's January release Behind the Rake's Wicked Wager  visit her website and answer a simple question about the book. Remember all entries do go into the drawing for the Grand Prize.

THE ILLEGITMATE MONTAGUE

Welcome!

I am so pleased to be part of the Castonbury Park Series, and for my characters I chose to write more about "downstairs" characters - in fact, my main characters are outside the big house altogether!

This book is number 5 in the series and I wanted to tell the housekeeper's story. Hannah Stratton is a much loved figure at Castonbury, she has seen the children grow up and has a son of her own, Adam, whom she has not seen for ten years.  She has never spoken about his father, or told anyone her history, but in this book it is necessary for her to put the record straight.

The Illegitimate Montague features Hannah's son, Adam. He has been away from Castonbury for many years, making a name for himself first as a captain in Nelson's navy, then in the north of England, where he becomes a mill owner. As a manufacturer of cloth, he has plenty in common with Amber Hall, the clothier who owns a warehouse and shop in Castonbury, and I could see them both working well together in the future , making the most of the opportunities that would present themselves in the forthcoming Victorian era – once they have overcome all the obstacles that I throw in their way, of course!

Without giving too much away, I can tell you that there is a disastrous fire at one point in the story, and this started me thinking about insurance. We take if for granted now, but not so in the Regency. However, the idea of fire insurance goes back to the days of the great fire of London in 1666.

One man involved in the rebuilding of London after the fire was a property developer, Nicholas Barbon. In 1667 he set up a mutual society called "The Fire Office" offering fire insurance, this later became known as Phoenix Fire Office.In 1682 it cost 30 shillings for the company to insure a property for £100 for a period of 7 years. The company employed its own men complete with liveries and badges employed to extinguish fires.
 
He is credited with setting up the first of several fire insurance companies formed around that time, others included the Friendly Society (1683), Hand-in-Hand (1696) Sun Fire Office (1710) and Royal Exchange Assurance (1720).
 
To identify that a property was covered by fire insurance, attached to the building, at a height easily seen from the street but out of reach of thieves, was a sign or emblem called a fire mark which was issued by the company. Each company had its own distinctive design which made identification of the property easier for their fire fighters and the company representatives. Designs included, for Sun Fire Office: a large sun with a face (like the image below); the Royal Exchange Assurance: their building; and Phoenix: obviously Phoenix rising from the ashes.

credit: Pauline Eccles [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Of course Castonbury was small village and did not have its own fire engine, but fire insurance companies were beginning to be set up in the larger towns such as Manchester and Buxton, so it is not impossible that businesses in Castonbury would have had insurance. I decided to include it in the plot, together with a rather unpleasant character called Mr Elliot a surveyor for the Twiss Fire Insurance Company (my own invention).I won't say any more, but I do hope you enjoy his part in Adam and Amber's story!

Sarah Mallory.

HH April Release: More than a Governess by Sarah Mallory

Stern and unyielding, Major Damon Collingham was prepared to pay a king’s ransom for someone who could stay the course as governess to his two motherless children. In her straitened circumstances, Miss Juliana Wrenn needed this post and could not allow herself to be intimidated by him—or his colorful reputation. A devil on the battlefield and in the bedroom. Juliana knew what was said about her employer. She would not fall under his spell. But then, those harsh features could sometimes soften to something so much more attractive….

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More Than a Governess

This is Sarah Mallory's debut novel for Harlequin Historical.