Mary turned her attention to Kestrel. ‘The main reason I’m here, Kestrel, is because the sale of the castle has fallen through. The trustees have been trying to get in touch with you but of course you’ve been as uncontactable, drunk and hopeless as ever. The lawyers say you’re in real financial trouble. You can’t ignore them for ever, you fool! It’sserious– you may now have to sell this place, too. You’d better take your ostrich neck out of the sand for once in your life. You’re pathetic.’
Sage listened to the tirade in dismay, her focus returning and her temper flaring. The entire evening had been uncomfortable and she had watched Mary’s merciless bullying of Kestrel for long enough. It had gone too far. Sage would show him that he did not deserve to be treated so badly. She wished, fervently, that someone had helped her in Panama, but it was easier to protect Kestrel than it ever had been to stand up for herself. She slowly pushed back her chair, knock-kneed and wobbling slightly, but her protective lioness instincts had kicked in, giving her the strength to draw herself up to her full height and look Mary straight in the eye.
‘You have lashed and jabbed at Kestrel from the moment you arrived, belittling him and pulling him apart at every possible moment. Your brother is the kindest, most generous, sweetest man – but if you carry on at him like this, you will damage him irrevocably and very likely lose him for ever. What is thepointof being so cruel? Why be so vicious and nasty? Why take suchobvious delight in trying to kick a man when he’s down? It’s revolting.’ Sage smiled reassuringly at Kestrel. ‘Don’t worry, darling. We’ll find a way through this mess. If a problem can be solved with money then it’s not a real problem. It’s the ones that can’t be solved by throwing cash at them that you have to panic about.’ She turned back to a slack-jawed Mary and hurled her parting thoughts across the table in fury. ‘I very much hope that I won’t have to see you in the morning. I have neither the need nor the inclination to know you.’
As she turned on her heel to stalk out, a slow clap sounded out from the shadows in the doorway.
‘Bravo, my love.’ It was Rafe.
He had come.
CHAPTER TWENTY
…a wise little, plain little, grey little head looked in through the open door … [he] patted the Maltese Cat on the flank, and he limped in to the blaze of light and the glittering uniforms … He was used to messes, and men’s bedrooms, and places where ponies are not usually encouraged … So he behaved himself very politely and ate bread dipped in salt…
Rudyard Kipling,The Maltese Cat
Rafe stepped into the flickering candlelight, moving to fold an astonished Sage into his arms. He was wearing his tweed suit that meant he had come directly from racing. His dark hair was wet from the rain, his seraph beauty heightened by his fierce countenance.
‘I know that we have all come to expect you to be bloody, Mary. But you still surprise me. Your father would be deeply ashamed.’
Like most bullies, Mary could not hold up under the pressure of confrontation; on seeing Rafe, she visibly crumpled and silently slunk out of the room.
Sage was clamped against Rafe’s chest by his strong arms. ‘Howare you here?’
‘Well, I couldn’t get through to you on your bloody mobile and I didn’t like the way we’d left things. So I flew up. I’ll have to leave again at four tomorrow morning, but I needed to see you.’His eyes were filled with tenderness. ‘I won’t lose you, Sage.’ He leant down and kissed her. The weight of the world floated away, all the angst and trauma of thinking he no longer wanted her now appeared ridiculous. How could she have thought him so mercurial as to change his mind so easily? She chastised herself for being so feeble.
Kestrel’s chair shrieked as he pushed it back and got to his feet.
‘Well, old boy, it’s very good to see you. I will leave you two love birds to it though. See, I told you, Sage. Once that vigorous mind is made up, it does not waver.’ He made to leave the room, shooting them a rueful smile, and Rafe let go of Sage to take hold of his cousin’s arm.
‘Hey, hey. Cousin of mine. Steady on. Sit down, please.’ Rafe steered him back into his chair.
Excusing herself, Sage ran up to their room and was surprised at the relief she felt on finding Hal, safe and fast asleep, in the dressing room. Mary’s words had rattled her and unease fluttered in her stomach. How did Mary fit into the picture with Santiago? She couldn’t make the pieces of the puzzle fit together.
She leant down, careful not to wake Hal, and placed a feather-light kiss on his forehead. Breathing in his comforting scent, she kissed him again and then returned to the dining room. The two men were leaning against the fireplace but when she entered the room, Rafe gestured for them all to sit down. Rafe and Sage took seats either side of Kestrel. The desolate expression on his face wrenched at both of their hearts.
‘I was just assuring Kestrel that there will be a way through this situation.’ Rafe gave his cousin’s shoulder a squeeze, as if to punctuate his certainty.
Sage was curious. ‘I may have got the wrong end of the stick. Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t you have a large pile of bricks in Belgravia that you could sell?’
‘I can’t sell it, Sage. I promised Papa that I would provide for Mary and that’s her home.’
‘We-ell,’ said Rafe slowly, ‘providing for Mary does not mean that she has to live in that enormous house, in one of the most exclusive real-estate locations in the world, rattling about on her own. You could get Mary another, more appropriate, house somewhere else with some of the proceeds. Couldn’t you?’
‘She said, last time, that she would not give it up.’ Kestrel was morose. ‘We had a terrific row about it at Papa’s funeral. She said she’d never speak to me again if I sold the London house. She even threatened to kill herself.’
‘Mary hasn’t got anyone else to use as a punchbag, so she takes everything out on you – she always has done. As for topping herself, that’s just her old dirty trick. She’s been threatening to do that since she was three years old. Buy her a nice house in Chelsea or somewhere, and save Dunbarton Castle. Let’s not pretend for a moment that Mary would spare a thought about doing the same thing to you if the situation were reversed.’
‘Do you really think so? I was just trying to do the right thing, the thing Papa would have wanted me to do.’
‘He would not have wanted you to lose the castle though, would he? He would have understood about selling the London house, he often talked of doing it himself.’
‘That’s true.’ Kestrel sat up a little straighter.
‘And I wish you’d spoken to me sooner, Kestrel. You could have saved yourself a huge amount of heartache.’
‘It all seems much simpler now that you’re here.’ Kestrel had some colour back in his cheeks. Remembering his manners, he placed a grateful hand on Sage’s arm and asked Rafe, ‘Would you like a drink?’
