Free Mariel by Jo Ann Ferguson Page A

enemies?”
    She laughed coldly. “You were at the meeting tonight!”
    â€œThose are adversaries, not enemies. There is a difference.” He refused to let her escape from his hands as they grasped her shoulders again. “Mariel, if it is true that the fire was intentionally set, you must contact the constable. There may be a madman in the Cloister. Who knows what such a person would do next?”
    Terror wiped all other emotions from her face. Ian stared at her in disbelief. He had seen Mariel sparkling with happiness and fiery-eyed with rage, but not totally incapacitated like this, quivering in fear. When he asked her to tell him what was wrong, she did not move. Not knowing what else to do, he drew her into his arms.
    As her face pressed to his chest, she blindly sought for comfort. Her arms went around him as she buried her eyes against his waistcoat. She did not cry as the unforgotten screams soared through her memory. In the past, she cried, but she learned that nothing could soothe the pain and the impotence, which raced over her when this bolted door in her mind chanced to open.
    Ian’s broad hands clasped her face and raised it to meet his concerned eyes. She saw a small portion of the pain she felt mirrored in them. The shivers ceased racing through her as she let his silent compassion flow over her. He did not need to speak. She was sure he had no idea what to say. Just knowing that he cared was enough, and more than enough.
    â€œMariel?”
    â€œI am fine,” she whispered. As she spoke, she knew the words were the truth. The horror had been submerged again to allow her to pretend it had never existed. “I think I will go home now.”
    He released her as she stepped away. Juggling the book, the candle, and his cane, he called after her, “Do you want me to drive to the Cloister with you?”
    â€œNo, but thank you.” She turned to look at him. “You still have not accepted my invitation to dinner. Tomorrow night?”
    â€œTomorrow night will be fine.”
    A sad smile could not erase the shadows of the more horrible emotions that had overwhelmed her.
    â€œAt least we did not part snarling at one another tonight, Ian. I will see you tomorrow.”
    Leaning his cane against the pews, he listened to the sound of her footfalls and the closing of the heavy door at the back of the church. What he had said had hurt her, but he could not understand why. When she discussed the damage at the Cloister previously, she had expressed rage against whatever whim of fate had destroyed her beloved home. This reaction was so different. It showed him he had learned too little about her.
    That was something he intended to remedy soon. He never wanted to view such naked terror on her face again.

Chapter Four
    Mariel smiled as Walter emerged from the shadows of the barn, wiping his blackened hands on an oily cloth. Her nose wrinkled as she smelled the heavy scent of machinery. A gasp of dismay emerged from her lips when she saw pieces of the automobile scattered on the floor.
    â€œWhat happened to it?”
    â€œNothing, Lady Mariel.” His eyes roved along the machine affectionately. “I am adjusting the chains, which drive it. If they aren’t oiled regularly, they could bind and break. That might leave you stranded again.”
    â€œI didn’t know.” Again she was awed by his innate knowledge for dealing with the vehicle. She never had been interested in mechanical things. While other children took apart their toys to see how they worked, she had been busy reading and creating a world within her imagination.
    â€œI hope you didn’t want to use it today.”
    She shook her head. “It deserves a day of rest. I have been scurrying all over the countryside the past week. I will take the buggy.”
    Instantly his face fell. As if she had reprimanded him, youthful sorrow wiped the years from him. In a small voice, he apologized, “Lady