"And miss a night with my most divertingly lovely wife? Not a chance in this world." He kissed her hard and got up into the coach.
She tucked the hot water bottles on the seat next to him and closed the door. Elizabeth waved goodbye as he headed off in the carriage. "Be safe!"
She went into the house and stepped into the front parlor to get her embroidery hoop. She was about to go upstairs when a rattling noise coming from one of the rooms caught her attention.
Elizabeth followed the noise to the darkened drawing room, and peered in. She stepped through the portal, all her senses alert, looking at each of the French windows in turn. The door at the far end rattled and blew open.
At the frigid gust of wind she ran quickly to close it. She was tugging the handle inwards when rough hands seized her. She could feel herself being yanked outside into the freezing open air.
Elizabeth had only a few seconds as she was dragged away from her home, but it was enough. She not only dropped her hoop, she snapped her needle from the thread, then slipped off one bracelet, and then her wedding ring, scattering them along the path as she was hauled away from her home to the gods only knew where.
Stewart watched with a fond smile as Vevina slept. At last. She'd been so restless and importunate for the past few weeks he had begun to wonder if she were suffering from some sort of peculiar malady.
Ever since All Hallow's Eve she had been so unsettled. The only thing which seemed to allow her to fall at last into an exhausted slumber were the longest and most ardent episodes of lovemaking.
Not that he was complaining of course, for they had always been a most passionate couple. But it was getting more and more difficult for him to keep up with her, and since October he had allowed her to get the better of him on more than one occasion.
Of course he would love to have more children some day, but he had never been able to get the picture of Vevina nearly dying in childbirth at Salamanca out of his mind. Four children was an awfully big burden on a woman not even twenty-three.
But it would be as fate decreed. He had long ago stopped trying to control his life where Vevina was concerned. He just surrendered all his love to her and worshipped her unreservedly as the best thing that had ever happened in his life.
Stewart was about to get in bed beside his wife when her hand snaked out to grab his wrist in a bone-crushing grip which brought tears to his eyes and left him struggling to breathe.
Her violet eyes were wide, unfocused, staring at a spot in the distance. For a moment he could have sworn he saw a flash of golden fire in the irises.
Then she spoke. "It's begun."
Will was thrown forward hard as the carriage lurched to a halt. The horses screamed in terror. He could hear a huge cracking as if the vehicle were being split in two.
He pushed himself off the seat opposite and sat back. Tugging the sash until the glass dropped, he stuck his head out the window.
A huge oak tree had tumbled right onto the road. Its gnarled roots and vast trunk towered over the horses as they plunged and reared. He dragged off his greatcoat and hastened out of the coach. He took two steps forward and halted mid-stride. There weren't any trees on this stretch of the road…. It was all hedgerow.
A prickle along the back of his neck made him turn to look in the direction of his home. The entire slate-gray sky was clear apart from one huge cloud black as night louring over Ardmore.
Will ran now to the right-hand horse, flinging his coat over its head. He secured it by tying the sleeves together. Before the driver could even offer to help he snapped the leather tracers with his bare hands, freeing the beast from its harness.
"Take the other one and go to the Castle, Griffiths. Tell the Duke to pass the word up and down the line to muster the militia."
"The militia? But why?
"Don't ask, just trust me and do it!"
"But it's Christmas leave. They'll all be—"
"Do what you can, and hurry," he said as he swung onto the horse's back. "And may the gods help us all." He gathered the reins and rode like the wind for home.
Parks and Monroe cowered under their hats and cloaks, trying to get some respite from the driving rain.
"So whose idea was it again to ride ahead of the baggage?" Monroe complained.
"Mine, I admit it. But I'm eager to get there."
"Surely you don't believe those rumours?"
Parks shrugged one shoulder. "Why not. I've found even more bizarre ones to be true."
"But it's the shortest day of the year tomorrow. And Andre knows his job."
Parks nodded. "But Andre can only know what he's told, and even then, messages can fail to arrive in a timely manner, or go astray. As for the winter solstice, it will give them time to land all the troops under cover of darkness before anyone even knows what happened. They can also take advantage of Christmas leave.