Page 62 of Mesmerized

Olivia moved closer to look over Stephen’s shoulder at the multitude of connected lines. “Your ancestors?”

“I guess—no, look—” His voice rose in excitement. “These are the Scorhills. This name is the martyred Lord Scorhill. See the date?”

“How far back does it go?” Olivia asked, peering down to look at it.

Stephen’s forefinger traced the lines back. “Here! Look—Sir Raymond, born 11??, died 1173.”

“No descendents,” Olivia said, “but here are three bars out to the side. These are wives, are they not?”

“Yes.” Stephen pointed to each name. “One unknown, one Gertrude of Rosemont.”

Olivia following his finger, finished for him. “And one Alys.”

A chill went through her as she looked at Stephen. “We have found her.”

Chapter Twelve

THEY STAYED IN the attic for another hour, looking through trunks and boxes in the spots that the housekeeper had deemed likeliest to contain books. They found nothing else significant, although they did come across a history of the county that seemed to date back to the medieval period and another general history book that they thought might have possibilities.

It was getting on toward teatime when they emerged, dusty and disheveled but still excited by their finds. They carried the books down to Stephen’s study and set them on his desk for later perusal.

Olivia looked with a wry smile at her dusty skirts and said, “I fear that first I must clean up a bit.”

“We are not exactly presentable for the tea table,” Stephen agreed.

Just as Olivia turned to leave, there was a quiet knock on the door, and the St. Legers’ butler entered. “There are two gentlemen to see you, my lord,” he began, not betraying by even a twitch of his face that he found Stephen and Olivia’s appearance unusual.

“Now?” Stephen looked surprised. “As you can see, I must clean up before I can meet anyone. Who are they? What do they want?”

“As to what they want, I cannot say. One is a Mr. Rafe McIntyre, an American gentleman, I believe. And the other is the Lord Bellard Moreland.”

“Rafe!” Stephen exclaimed, looking thunderstruck.

“Uncle Bellard!” Olivia gaped at the butler, then ran past him and down the hall to the entryway. Stephen was close on her heels.

“Uncle Bellard!” she cried again when she saw the small man sitting on a bench not far from the front door, gazing about him with interest, his hands resting on his gold-topped cane.

Beside him sat a much larger and younger man with tousled light brown hair, streaked with gold by the sun. Both men rose at Olivia’s entrance, neither of them appearing taken aback by her disheveled appearance or unladylike enthusiasm.

Bellard Moreland smiled in his shy way at his great-niece, setting aside his cane and reaching out his hands to her. “Olivia, my dear.”

Olivia hugged her great-uncle as Stephen came up beside them, saying, “Rafe! I never thought I would see you here.”

The other man laughed and drawled, “Stephen, old son, how’re you doing?”

“Better now that you are here,” Stephen replied, laughing. “Olivia, I want you to meet my friend and partner, Rafe McIntyre.”

Olivia turned and took a longer look at her great-uncle’s companion. He was a tall man, taller even than Stephen, with tanned skin and brilliant blue eyes. He had handsome, even features, and a charming grin that lit up his face when he smiled.

“Mr. McIntyre,” Olivia said, extending her hand.

“How do you do, ma’am?” he replied, taking her hand and bringing it up to his lips. His blue eyes twinkled at her as he went on. “You must be the pretty niece Mr. Moreland here was telling me about.”

Olivia could not help but smile back at him, even as she felt a blush rising in her cheeks. “I—I didn’t know Lord St. Leger had a partner,” she said, then felt hopelessly inept, as she usually did when making conversation with strangers.

Rafe McIntyre, however, was a person who made it difficult to feel inept. He grinned and said, “Yeah, St. Leger tries to keep me hidden.”

“Indeed,” Stephen agreed, smiling. “But it is a losing proposition, I’m afraid.” He turned toward Olivia, explaining, “Rafe and I met in Colorado.”