Page 86 of Single Desire
The brick beneath his heel moved. Alec dropped to one knee. His pulse quickened, drumming in his ears. The brick was loose; what mortar remained was pitted with age. He tried to grasp it, only to scrape his nails and fingertips. He didn’t give up. Caught fast in the grip of some inexplicable, unseen force, he glanced around, looking for something he could use to dig away what remained of the mortar. Seizing a remnant of brick that hadfallen away from the other side, he scraped at the mortar holding the brick in place.
There! It was free. He didn’t know what possessed him. It was as if he’d been seized by some outside force. He pulled the brick away, then reached inside the hole.
There was something there.
His pulse leaped. Lord above, was Maura right? Could this possibly be her Circle of Light?
Fingers straining, he caught hold of it and pulled it out.
It was a small book, the binding tattered, the pages yellowed. He opened it with painstaking care, then sucked in a breath.
His heart stumbled. It was a diary, he realized.
The diary of James McBride, seventh Duke of Gleneden.
Maura wandered down the path that led to the wishing well. She had tried to nap, but her mind would not quiet. Alec filled her mind, to the exclusion of all else. One kiss. One touch. One look from those heated blue eyes and she trembled with desire. She despaired over her weakness, despaired over what their lovemaking meant.
Her heart twisted. It meant the world to her. Where Alec was concerned, she had no resolve—no will to resist him!
She couldn’t trust her feelings for him. They were too colored by want. By need.
By passion.
Oh, yes, her thoughts were filled with torment.
Her heart with love.
But she wouldn’t admit it. No, not to him. Despite the fact that she yielded her body, her pride was still too strong.
But she couldn’t stay here at Gleneden forever.
And she couldn’t forsake her quest for the Circle.
Her promise to her father. She was needed back in Ireland.
Thinking to soothe her unsettled mood, to distract her mind, she had brought a book of poetry from the library room with her. At the well, she placed the book on the stone bench. She didn’t understand why Alec didn’t find it charming. Indeed, she would go a step further and call it charmingly enchanted. Aye, perhaps it was a trifle plain. But all it needed was a dash of color here and there. She could well imagine how pretty it would be with roses scenting the air.
A faint smile on her lips, Maura moved to the wall of the well. She had no coins with which to wish, but she closed her eyes, inhaled deeply…and made a most fervent wish nevertheless.
All at once there was an eerie sense of quiet. The sunlight faded. She glanced up, stunned to see a thick black cloud.
She sat down and too late realized that the stones were not secure. They shifted beneath her weight and she felt herself tumble, plummeting down…She cried out as she landed jarringly on her side.
Maura tried to push to her feet, then stumbled. Her head ached. She felt battered and bruised to the bone. Gritting her teeth, she managed to struggle upright.
She steadied her nerves. She was lucky. She wasn’t hurt, not really. Scraped up and bruised, perhaps, but it could have been much worse. But she knew she could not climb out under her own power. It was perhaps twenty feet to the top, and the walls of the well were slick with moss.
She called out. Her voice echoed back at her.
She wouldn’t be alarmed, she told herself. Not yet, anyway. Until someone realized she was missing, she could only wait. There was little point in screaming herself hoarse if there was no one near.
An hour later, the dark cloud had passed, yet it was difficult to see. She glanced down and it was then she felt it—
There was water seeping into her shoes. Within seconds it began to rush around her ankles. For the first time, fear took root.
The water was rising.
Fast.
