Moira squeezed Vanessa’s hand.
“Thank you for the ring.” Vanessa came to her feet. It was then that she noticed the painting hanging over Moira’s bed. It was a simple watercolor landscape of a pond with a large tree off to the side. The image looked vaguely familiar.
Vanessa walked over to it for a closer look.
“I haven’t painted in years,” Moira said. “But that was always my favorite.”
Vanessa closed her eyes, and pictures came vividly to her mind. She and Graeme sitting beneath that very tree, having a picnic, their children running in the grass beside them. Her heart stopped. She opened her eyes and examined the painting. It was precisely the image from her dream.
Vanessa reached out, but stopped herself before she touched the painting. “Where is this?” she asked.
“The Rothmore country estate in Nottingham. I’m certain Graeme will take you there sometime. It’s quite beautiful in the summertime,” Moira said.
But Vanessa didn’t hear all of Moira’s words, because all she could think about was the dream she’d had upon the Stone of Destiny.
* * *
The Raven sat in the darkened room at the pub waiting for his young protégé to arrive. It didn’t take him long. It never did. They had met here, at a pub on the edge of the small village, on occasion since the day he’d invited Dougal to tea.
Dougal entered the room and made his way immediately to the table. The Raven inhaled slowly on his cigar, then exhaled right into the boy’s face as he sat. He crossed his legs and eyed the boy. Dirty, with shaggy hair; he would never amount to anything.
“How do you fare today, Dougal?” he asked, feigning interest.
Dougal exhaled loudly. “My brother told me who you are. Told me that you are dangerous and not to be trusted.”
“Did he indeed? He warned you to stay away from me, didn’t he?” The Raven asked. He was intrigued that Graeme hadn’t sought him out. Hadn’t called the authorities to pick him up. “I warned you about sharing too much with your brother.”
Dougal paled a little. “I didn’t tell him anything about you. Only that we’d met.”
“Indeed.” Of course, Graeme was fully aware of what The Raven was capable of. He’d seen, firsthand, what The Raven did to those who betrayed him, or those who simply had worn out their usefulness. Poor stupid Sam.
The Raven took another lengthy drag on his cigar, pulling the smoke through his teeth. “I can honestly say, Dougal my boy, that I have barely met your brother. So whatever he thinks he knows about me, he’s mistaken. I am a gentleman. More than I can say for those renegades your brother associates with in that club of his.”
Dougal’s eyes widened. “Solomon’s? But they are affiliated with Her Majesty.”
The Raven laughed, a true and hearty laugh that he didn’t even have to conjure. “Is that what he told you?”
This time, the boy did not speak. He merely nodded his head, and his tangled mop of hair bobbed.
The Raven leaned forward, lowering his voice. “That is a lie. Let me tell you a little something about Solomon’s. My brother was also a member, and they got him killed. He left behind a young son and daughter. Very tragic.” He shook his head and clucked his tongue.
The Raven waited a moment before continuing. “It is true that they have, on occasion, assisted the crown, but they are not affiliated with Her Majesty. Quite the contrary, they work for their own means, their own purposes.” He stopped, annoyed with the discussion of Solomon’s.
“Some of his friends from Solomon’s are here. We met them for dinner last evening,” Dougal said. “I overheard them talking last night, and Fielding has come for you.” The boy had the impertinence to look smug. He thought the mention of Fielding would threaten The Raven.
So Graeme had called for Fielding. Did he think simply because Fielding and The Raven were related that he would have a better time getting rid of him? Well, The Raven would not allow that to happen. But he knew that he needed to leave sooner rather than later. Fielding would find him and would stop at nothing to bring him in. Damnation, but he needed Niall to find that bloody stone!
The Raven met the boy’s gaze. He raised his eyebrows. A pity Fielding had come all this way right before The Raven planned to leave this desolate country. He would have enjoyed another confrontation with the man.
Nothing could ever be regained once in the possession of Solomon’s. Their security was like no other. Of course, The Raven had his ways, such as kidnapping a member’s family. But that took so much time and organization. And even then, the results were hardly guaranteed, as was evidenced by Niall’s lack of success. It would be far easier were he to find the treasure himself.
“Would you like to know a secret?”
Dougal shrugged.
“Your brother’s search is for naught. I stole the Stone of Destiny from Westminster shortly before I left London.” There was no reason not to tell him. He would be dead before too long, as soon as his usefulness wore out. They always ended up that way.
A crease slid between Dougal’s eyes. “That cannot be.”