Professor MacCleod seemed like weeks ago. I chewed the inside of my lip. What would Ian say if I asked him to take me back after coming all this way? There was nothing else to do but tell him how I felt.
Opening my eyes, I spoke directly. “I want to go back to Traquair, Ian. There is nothing here at Blair-Atholl.”
He frowned. “How do you know?”
I hesitated. How much would he accept?
“Christina.” He knelt beside me, his blue eyes very intent. “I’m not as skeptical as you believe. Trust me.”
My eyes moved over his face. It was a strong face, confident and sincere. A muscle throbbed at the corner of his mouth.
“Mairi hid the stone at Traquair,” I blurted out. “Katrine found the passageway, but she went into labor before she could explore it.”
His voice was very controlled. “You’ve been dreaming again.”
“They aren’t dreams. They’re visions. Katrine Murray died at Cumberland’s hands. She had a child. A boy.” I could hear the hysterical quality to my voice. “She had diabetes, and she saw everything exactly as I’ve seen it.” Sitting up, I clutched his sleeve. “I’ve got to find the stone, Ian. Don’t you see? If Mairi’s name is cleared, the curse will end.”
Perspiration beaded his forehead. “Haven’t you forgotten something?”
“What?”
“If, as you say, the pattern holds true and you believe everything you’re telling me, you are in considerable danger, Christina.”
A cold prickling sensation made its way up my spine. He had voiced what I’d refused to admit for some time now. “I know,” I whispered.
Errant raindrops dripped down the chimney and fell into the flames of the fire. A log hissed and sputtered and then broke in two. Ian spoke softly, but his eyes never left my face. “Mairi and Katrine died at the hands of their enemies.” He reached over to the desk and picked up Professor MacCleod’s envelope. “I think you’d better read this. It’s the biography of Jeanne Maxwell, compiled from letters found after her death.”
“She’s the one I know nothing about. Why is that, I wonder?” I looked inquiringly at Ian.
He shrugged. “Maybe something we know nothing about triggers a particular association or maybe the mind can only take in so much information at a time.”
“Or maybe Mairi is controlling us all, allowing only so much to happen at a time.” I shivered and ran my fingers over the envelope. “Have you read this?”
He nodded and brushed his hand against my cheek. “I have. And if you come to the same conclusion I did, we’re in this together.”
My mouth felt dry. “Why?” I whispered.
He smiled, and once again I felt a tiny flutter of pleasure in my stomach. “Let’s just say that I’ve a small stake in your future. You’ll know more when you’ve finished reading.” He stood up, pulling me with him. “Shall we take a break and go down to dinner?”
Apparently dinner at Blair was never informal, even when the host was absent. I counted seven courses in all, from the salmon in wine sauce and clear dill soup to the dessert, which was a custard-filled bread pudding.
“Excuse me, Miss Murray.” The butler bowed slightly. “I called Traquair as you requested and explained that you and Mr. Douglas would not be returning this evening. Mrs. Ferguson wanted me to tell you that your father called from America. She said his message was urgent.”
I could feel myself pale. “Did she mention why?”
“No, miss.” He shook his head. “Would you like to use the phone in the library?”
“Yes, please.” I pushed back my chair and stood. “If you’ll excuse me, Ian, I’ll be right back.”
He stood. “Of course. I hope there’s nothing wrong.”
“So do I,” I muttered.
My hands shook as I dialed the operator for instructions on how to complete a trans-Atlantic call. Within seconds, the sound of my parents’ telephone rang in my ear. Two rings, three, four. Where were they? It was eleven o’clock in the morning in California. They always ate an early lunch on the patio after walking the dogs. The answering machine picked up the call, and my father’s familiar recorded voice explained that no one could come to the phone and to please leave a message. After hearing the beep, I explained where I was and that I would be returning to Traquair in the morning. Hanging up the phone, I walked back into the dining room.
Ian held out my chair, and I sat down. The fragrant smell of hot coffee coming from the shining silver coffee service was