didn't matter, for Christen continued to refuse. When Manus came outside and announced that his wife needed to rest and that it was time for Gillian to leave, Christen looked relieved, as though she'd just been given a stay of execution, and that broke Gillian's heart.
Overwhelmed with disappointment, she stood up and slowly walked down the path. Tears streamed down her face as she thought about her uncle. What a fool she had been to believe that she could save him.
Suddenly enraged by her sister's attitude, she whirled around and shouted, 'Christen, when did you become such a coward? You shame our father, and I thank God he's not alive to see what you've become.'
Gillian's disdain slashed through Christen like a knife. Bursting into tears, she called out, 'Wait. Don't leave.' Pulling away from her husband, she hurried toward Gillian. 'Please forgive me,' she sobbed.
And suddenly her sister was there and not a stranger, and they embraced and wept for what they had lost. 'I never forgot you,' Christen whispered. 'I never forgot my baby sister. Do you forgive me?' Christen asked as she mopped at her eyes with the backs of her hands. 'For so many years I've lived with the guilt, and I knew it wasn't my fault, but I couldn't-'
'You have nothing to feel guilty about,' Gillian said. 'None of it was your doing.'
'But I got away and you were trapped.'
'Oh, Christen, you cannot blame yourself. You were just a little girl. You couldn't have changed what happened.'
'I remember that night as though it happened yesterday. God knows I tried to forget. I remember father kissing us good-bye. He smelled of leather and soap. His hands were rough with calluses, but I remember liking it when he would stroke my face.'
'I don't have many memories of our father.'
'It's funny. I don't remember the color of his eyes or hair, but I remember his scent and his touch.'
'You remember Liese, don't you?'
'Yes, I do,' she replied, smiling.
'She kept my memory of you alive. She told me the soldiers called you Golden Girl.'
Christen laughed. 'They did, and my hair was golden then. It's turned dark over the years.'
'Christen, tell me what happened that night.'
'The soldiers were going to take us away because it wasn't safe. One of our father's enemies had attacked.'
'Baron Alford and his troops,' Gillian supplied.
'I don't remember being afraid. Father gave me a present, and you were upset because he didn't have one for you.'
'The jeweled box,' Gillian whispered. 'He gave you the king's treasure. The soldiers told Liese that your guards were supposed to help you keep it safe until the battle was over and Father could come for you. Do you have it hidden away, Christen?'
'No,' her sister answered. 'And I don't know what happened to it.'
Gillian's disappointment was wrenching. 'I… had… hoped…'
A sudden burst of wind stirred the leaves at their feet. It was warm and sunny, but Christen began to rub her arms as though she could ward off the chill that came with the memories.
'I'm sorry,' she whispered. 'I don't know where the treasure is.'
Gillian didn't say a word for a long time, for she was battling her despair and panic. How could she save her uncle now? Without the box or her sister, he was doomed.
'Father died that night, didn't he?'
'Yes,' Gillian whispered.
'Were you there?'
She had to force herself to concentrate on what her sister was asking. 'Yes, I was there, but my memories from that night are so hazy.'
'Father wrapped the box in a cloth.'
'Who was there in the chamber with us?'
'There were four soldiers and father,' Christen answered. 'Tom and Lawrence were to go with me, but I don't remember the names of the men assigned to take you to safety.'
'Liese told me their names. They were William and Spencer, and they died trying to protect me. I pray for their souls every night.'
'I don't know what happened to Lawrence and Tom. I was given to one of Tom's relatives and told that Father would come for me. Both he and Lawrence left me, and I can only guess that they returned to our father. I never saw them again.'
'Did you have the box with you then?'
'No, I didn't.'
'Then what happened to it?' Gillian asked, gripping her hands in frustration. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down, and then said, 'Tell me exactly what happened after Father gave you the treasure.'
'I dropped it,' she said. 'I was so afraid I'd broken it and I'd be scolded, but Liese's husband picked it up. Father wrapped it and gave it to me. Then he left.'
'Ector was there?'
'Yes, that was his name. He was there, but only for a minute or two. He must have died that night too in the battle.'
Gillian shook her head. 'No, he didn't die, but he lost his mind. He frightened me,' she added. 'I heard stories about him over the years. He lived like an animal in the corner of the old stables, and he carried an old knapsack filled with dirt. Liese told me it was cowardice that broke his mind, and she didn't cry at all when she heard he died.'
'And Liese? What happened to her?'
'She lived with me and Uncle Morgan, and I think she was very happy. She died in her sleep,' she added, 'and she hadn't been ill long at all. She didn't suffer. She knew about the passage door between our chambers, but she never let on that she did.'
'But we didn't go through that doorway the night of the attack. We were in father's room, weren't we?'
'Yes, and the soldiers lit torches to take us out.'
'We fell down the steps,' Gillian said then. 'It was very steep. I had nightmares for years, and I cannot stand to look down from a great height even now.'
'But we didn't fall down the steps. We were pushed. I remember it clearly,' Christen said, her voice shaking with emotion. 'You were behind me, and you were trying to get the box away from me. I turned around to tell you to stop, and I saw him then. He jumped out of the shadows and threw himself at us. I think he must have taken the box then too. The soldiers lost their footing and we went flying down the steps. There was terrible screaming and then I struck my head on the stones, and when I awoke, I was in Lawrence 's arms on his horse and we were well away from the holding.'
Gillian's nightmares came back to her with a new clarity and understanding. 'In my dreams there were monsters who leapt from the wall and chased us. I must have seen him too.'
'I never saw his face,' Christen said. 'But whoever it was got away with the treasure.'
'Then it must still be there… somewhere… unless whoever took it got away before the baron sealed off the holding. Oh, God, I don't know what to do.'
'Stay here,' Christen urged. 'Don't go back to England. You're married to a laird and your life is here.'
'Christen, could you turn your back on the family you've come to love?'
'No, of course not.'
'Uncle Morgan is depending on me.'
'He would want you to be happy.'
'He raised me,' Gillian cried out. 'And he was loving and kind and generous. I would die for him. I must go back.'
'I wish I could help you, but I don't know how. Perhaps if I put my mind to it, I can think of something I've forgotten about that night. I'll try,' Christen promised.
They continued to sit together and talk about the past until Gillian noticed how weary her sister was. She kissed her on the cheek and promised to come and see her again.
