But Alistair yawned suddenly and stood. “Well, I’m for bed,” he said quite casually.
“Alistair, wait a minute?—”
“You should go to bed, cousin. Did you know that the castle has eyes? They watch you all the time. Ears, too, for it seems that the castle listens…” He cocked his head as if he, too, listened.
“Wait a minute, Alistair, you just said that you want to root the evil out. What are you talking about?”
“Strength,” he said after a moment.
“Alistair, please, talk to me?—”
“I’m wandering, Shawna, nothing more. Come on, I’ll walk you back to your room.”
“I’m fine. I can walk back on my own.”
“I shall sleep better if I know you are safely in bed.”
Shawna sighed. “Fine.”
As they walked up the steps together, Shawna studied his face. “You came down just for brandy?” she inquired.
“Aye,” he said, then shrugged, flushing. “Nay, I thought I heard something downstairs, something more than the usual creaks and groans.”
“What did you hear?”
“Ghosts, I don’t know.”
“But—”
“Maybe I was dreaming. I heard sounds coming from the chapel, or so I thought.”
“Did you go there?”
“I did.”
“And?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all. Christ stared down at me from the old crucifix above the altar and silently bade me go in peace. Thechapel was quite empty, and the door to the crypts was securely closed. There. Now you know that I have carefully looked downstairs, and you must go to bed and stay there.”
They had come to the door of her tower room. He gave her a cousinly kiss upon the forehead. “Go to bed, cousin.”
“Aye. Good night, Alistair.”
“And stay in there!” he admonished her.
“Aye, cousin. Good night.”
The door closed. She waited until she heard his footsteps receding down the hallway, going down the stairs to the floor below.
Then she hesitated.
Wanting to go out again.
And suddenly, very afraid to do so.
The chapelin Castle Rock was exceptionally beautiful. Situated off the great hall and down a flight of circular stone stairs, it was half above ground level and half below. Massive stained-glass windows that just caught the light of day rose on the upper half of the walls. They had been added during the fifteenth century. Otherwise, the chapel remained just as it had been originally, with old Norman stone design and great archways. The altar top was marble brought from Italy, the beautiful wooden crucifix hanging above it had been carved in Germany in 1256.
Church services hadn’t been held there, other than an occasional christening or family event, since Scotland had embraced the new religion years ago—except, of course, in the days when the Stuart “pretenders” to the throne of Great Britain had still held out hopes of returning to rule in glory and the Stuart Catholicism had still held many Highlanders—andLowlanders, at that—in secret communication. Prince Charles—the son of Charles I, one day to be welcomed back as Charles II—had found haven at Castle Rock along with a number of his supporters. He had sat in the chapel the night he had been hidden here by the Highlanders.