A strong wave crashed through the chamber, booming and spraying water high. "We'd better get out of here," Abigail cautioned. There was no talking to him. If what he said was the truth, it broke her heart. If what he said was a lie, it was broken anyway. She wanted to go home and be comforted by the warmth and love of her sisters. "We still have to get to the harbor, Sasha. It's getting late. At least you know this is where they hid that night."
"It isn't where they keep the boat. We have to find the boat."
Abigail frowned, trying to remember every detail of the coastline she'd traveled. She snapped her fingers. "Wait a minute. I don't know why I didn't think about this before, but there is a place south of here. It's a distance, but if I were going to hide a boat from everyone, that's where I'd hide it. It isn't a cave, Sasha, but you see how the tide comes in and the waves can be rough. This is calm for this coastline. Hiding a boat in a cave is dangerous even for a short time. I'll bet they hid here and then moved the boat as soon as they thought it safe."
"They'd want someplace not easily seen from either a beach or the sea."
"There's a cove just north of the town of Elk. It sits between two fingers of Cuffeys Cove. The beach is sandy and stays dry at high tides unless there's a storm. A boat could be hauled back up into the brush and trees. Sport fishermen might see it, but a coast guard cutter wouldn't because the cove faces south. Even the highway curves away from the shore and that would make it possible to hide it there. Normally they have a caretaker who runs anyone off when they try to go through private property, but Inez told me a couple of weeks ago that they found him injured and he's in the hospital."
"Let's go check it out."
"You know we can't do it today. Look at the swells." She gestured out to sea. "This coastline can be very rough. Let's head in and we'll do it another day."
"I still need you tonight. I'm heading over to the Caspar Inn and will need you to go with me."
"Why would I have to go with you? The inn is perfectly safe. Everyone goes there just to hang out."
"I need you to go with me. I don't have a partner, remember?"
"Take Jonas," she hissed through her teeth, paddling furiously to try to get away from him.
He easily kept pace. "Everyone knows Jonas. I think I've located Ilya Prakenskii. He works for a man named Sergei Nikitin and I told you, he's a very dangerous man. If you're with me, it might be a peaceful meeting. Without you there, they'll think I've come hunting them and someone could get hurt."
She scowled at him with open suspicion. "I cannot imagine you wanting me with you if there's the least chance of danger."
"Ordinarily, that would be true, but I think your presence will deter violence and there are too many innocents there."
"Do you think Prakenskii and Nikitin are involved in the theft of artifacts?"
"That's what I intend to find out."
Abigail sighed. She should just say no. It should be easy, but instead she shrugged, trying to still her pounding heart. "What time?"
9
ABIGAIL could hear a loud chorus of giggles as she walked down the stairs. Her aunt's voice said something and then a solemn chant followed. Her sisters were definitely casting and not one of them had called her in on the fun. Irritated, she stomped into the living room.
Hundreds of candles flickered, throwing dancing shadows on the walls. Her sisters and her aunt formed a circle in the middle of the floor where seven red candles were arranged, one in front of each of them. Abigail gasped. "Oh, no! What are you doing?" She took a step closer and to her horror a pair of red lace panties lay in the exact center of the circle. "Those had better not be mine!" They looked like hers. They looked exactly like hers. "You wouldn't dare!"
The women looked up, grinning from ear to ear, dissolving into laughter at her outraged expression.
"I know you didn't steal my underwear out of my drawer!"
"Of course not," Hannah said righteously. "We'd never go into your room."
Abigail put her hands on her hips and glared. "I've never worn them. I bought them months ago when I was determined to get over Aleksandr, but I decided I wasn't ready. You can't claim you found them in the laundry."
"We're almost finished." Hannah held up her finger and turned back to the circle. Six of the seven red candles were lit. Only the one in front of Hannah remained. The women intoned the ritual words solemnly.
Scarlet lace fans passion's flame
Summons the man of studly fame
Lusty love on floor and chair
Tabletop and vixen's lair
The fires engulf, set senses aflame
With pulsing desire, he calls your name
As their voices rose in harmonic accord, Hannah lit the last red candle so that seven flames burned around the sexy lace underwear.
Abigail briefly covered her face with her hands. "I don't believe this. I really don't believe this." She glowered at her youngest sister. "I can understand the others--Hannah and Joley especially and even Aunt Carol--but Elle, you?"
Elle grinned, clearly unrepentant. "You don't have to wear them, Abbey, but just in case, you have them."
Hannah completed the ceremony by rolling a scroll containing the words and symbols of the chant around the red panties and sealing the scroll with a drop of wax from each of the red candles. "Here you go, Abbey," she said brightly. "Just remember to be very careful when you wear them. Anything can happen."
Abigail put her hands behind her back. "All of you are in so much trouble. I intend to retaliate. This is so wrong! How did you get my brand-new underwear when I hid them even from myself?"
Hannah shrugged. "They floated down the stairs right into the circle."
Abigail scowled at Joley. "You! You treacherous witch. You did this with your spell singing. Those things"--she indicated Hannah's outstretched hand--"are lethal especially since I'm going out with him tonight."
Hannah dropped her arm to her side, retaining possession of the lace underwear. Laughter faded from her eyes. "What do you mean you're going out with him? Him? Aleksandr? The rotter who made you cry? That him? The ceremony was for when you go on a date with someone else. Not for him."
"It isn't exactly a date," Abigail corrected her. "He needs me to go with him to the Caspar Inn."
"Really? Dancing is always fun." Joley raised her eyebrow and glanced at Hannah. "I feel like a night out, what about you?"
"You can't go," Abigail said. "None of you. It might be dangerous. Joley, you were already shot at and forced to swim through an underwater cave."
"I'm totally with Aunt Carol. Memories are great. I'm taking pictures of the cove and journaling the experience," Joley said, winking at her aunt. "I told you I think scrapbooking is the best way to go."
"I'm forbidding any of you to go to the Caspar Inn."
"They do have great music there," Sarah pointed out.
"You're supposed to be helping me," Abigail wailed. "What's wrong with all of you? This could be really, really dangerous."
"Which is exactly why we should be there," Joley said. "Aleksandr the Great did not look after you properly so we're going to make certain it gets done."
"It's not like we don't go dancing at the inn all the time," Kate added. "It's normal for us to go. People expect it. Matt will probably suggest to his brother Danny to bring Trudy Garret. They're engaged. I forgot to tell you all that. She'll have to find a sitter for her little boy, Davy, but if I call now, she'll be able to go."
"The more the merrier," Joley said. "What about you, Aunt Carol? Would some of the ladies in your Red Hat Club want to come?"
"That sounds lovely, dear. And I might ask Reginald as well," Carol said.
"Reginald?" The Drake sisters exchanged puzzled looks.
"I believe you refer to him as old man Mars," Carol said, a small bite in her voice.
The silence lengthened and grew. Candlelight flickered. The sisters looked to Sarah. She cleared her throat carefully. "Aunt Carol. Hon. You aren't considerin
g taking a romantic interest in old...er...Mr. Mars, are you?"
"And why not? He's quite dashing and in his youth he had a wonderful sense of humor. I saw him at his fruit stand and we chatted for an hour. He was quite charming and very happy to see me."
"But Aunt Carol," Kate protested.
"He was extremely interested in Creative Memories and made an appointment with me to host a workshop at his home. He's inviting the ladies of the Red Hat Club and we're going to make up several pages for their albums."
"I didn't know he had a home," Joley said.
Carol smacked her over the head with a rolled-up newspaper. "That isn't funny, young lady. Reginald is a wonderful man and his home is lovely."
"Are you telling us that old man Mars is going to invite a bunch of people into his home and do scrapbooking?" Abigail asked incredulously.
"I don't see why you're all being so silly over this," Carol said. "I dated him years ago, even before Jefferson. I broke his heart, although I didn't mean to. It was a difficult decision which one of them to stay with. I was engaged to both but of course had to make up my mind when my mother found out. I cried for days."
Abigail sank down onto the floor beside Hannah. "You actually dated him?"
"And cried over him?" Joley asked.
"I'm feeling faint," Hannah said.
Abigail took the rolled-up red panties from Hannah. "Maybe we should give these to you, Aunt Carol."
Joley gripped her leg hard. "Abbey! Bite your tongue. Aunt Carol, you cannot sleep with that man. I mean it. He has repressed hostility issues. He could murder you and throw your body into the ocean."
"His hostility is hardly repressed," Sarah said. "He throws fruit at people."
"That hardly makes him a serial killer," Carol said.
"Wait a minute." Libby held up her hand. "You were engaged to both men? At the same time?"
Carol sighed and patted her hair. "I know, I know. It was wrong of me, but they were so wonderful. Two handsome, strong men utterly devoted to me. I couldn't resist either of them."
"Aunt Carol." Libby chose her words carefully. "Have you set up any other Creative Memories workshops?"
"Well, Inez wants to have a class at her home and of course so does Donna. I did stop by Irene's just to say hello and Drew was interested in his own small album so I said I'd help him with that. And I ran into Frank Warner." She looked at their faces. "It was purely an accident. He was coming up the sidewalk and it was such a good thing. I stepped in a crack and nearly fell. I turned my ankle, but fortunately he prevented me from falling and helped me hobble down to the Sidewalk Cafe. We had coffee and chatted."
"Jonas told you to stay away from him," Sarah reprimanded her.
"Should I have been rude when he helped me?" Carol looked pleased with herself. "In any case it turned out superbly. Reginald went by and saw us together and that will definitely get his attention, and Frank invited me to his home to see his collection."
"And why would he do that?" Kate asked suspiciously. "He's never invited any of us to see his collection."
"Well, dear, he knew I shared his interest and he was being polite. I told him my hobby was photography and asked if he'd mind me practicing on his art. It's much more difficult than people think to take great pictures of art objects. I told him I'd give him the photographs in an album along with the negatives. He was very cooperative."
"You know, Aunt Carol," Hannah said, "you think you're safe from Jonas's lectures because you're his favorite aunt, but that won't stop him. He'll be awful. He'll get all snarly and make you feel guilty."
Carol smiled serenely. "That's just not possible, dear. I rarely allow myself to feel guilt. It's such an exhausting and wasteful emotion. It can actually be self-indulgent and some people get caught up in wallowing in guilt. I prefer to move forward and live my life. Jonas can snarl all he likes, but the fact is, I'm reacquainting myself with Sea Haven and I rather like Frank."
Joley put her hand over her ears. "I don't want to hear this. We have to go to his freakin' parties every single time we come home. In fact, I think he only has them when we come home so we can be his celebrities on display. I detest going to those parties. We have to dress up and mingle with tons of people we don't know and will never meet again."
"Your language is atrocious, Joley. And in your business you should be used to dealing with strangers," Carol admonished. "Helping your community is a must for anyone, not just a Drake."
Joley grinned impishly. "Fine, if you want to date the man, go right ahead. I'll show up at his posh open house and poke around a little myself."
"You will not!" Carol and Sarah said at the same time.
"Why is it everyone else can play sleuth and have fun, but not me? In fact, maybe I will take those red panties. Abbey doesn't need them." She snapped her fingers and held out her hand.
"Back off, sister!" Abbey found herself laughing again. It was just that way in her family. When they were together, no matter how bad she felt, her sisters managed to make her laugh. "Speaking of the red panties, Aunt Carol, there is no way that spell came from a spell book. It's too silly. Where in the world did it come from?"
Carol joined in the laughter as her gaze rested on Hannah. "I'll bet you try new things all the time, don't you, dear?"
Hannah held up her hands. "This time, I'm totally innocent. It wasn't me."
"No, it wasn't you. It was your aunt Blythe. She has your talent and one of our dearest friends was over one night, in tears. Her life was so difficult, you know. She took care of her father, who was quite ill, and she hadn't had a romantic encounter for quite some time. Years, actually. So we wanted to make her laugh and boost her confidence and Blythe came up with the red panty ceremony. Of course we laughed hysterically and made our friend laugh and all in all it was a great evening."
"But it works."
"Well, of course it does. Hannah will tell you she can take something very silly and still make it work. Women need confidence at times; just as many people carry a talisman and think it brings luck, the extra boost made our friend, and anyone using the ritual, as silly as it is, feel beautiful and confident. Every time you put on the red lace underwear you can't help but remember the ceremony and it makes you laugh, so you glow and that's attractive as well. It all works on a woman's confidence."
"Go, Aunt Blythe!" Joley said.
"Hannah, can you really do that?" Abbey asked. "Create spells?"
Hannah shrugged and looked at Joley, and the two burst out laughing. "We do it all the time, but sometimes it backfires." Hannah nudged Abigail. "What time are you supposed to be ready for your big date? It's getting late."
"It's not a date," Abigail insisted. "I'm helping him."
"Is he picking you up or are you taking your own car?" Sarah asked.
"Oh, for Pete's sake, he's picking me up, but we're supposed to look like we're on a date. That's the point."
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kate asked. "I know it hurts you to be in his company."
"It hurts me when I think about him, which is all the time," Abigail admitted. "I'd rather help him, make certain he doesn't get killed, and get him out of Sea Haven fast. I always enjoy going to the Caspar Inn. I know everyone there and I'll have fun." She glanced at her watch. "I'd better get ready. And all of you stop with the ceremonies."
Hannah held out her hand. "I'll lock those up until he's long gone."
"No, you won't. And none of my other stuff had better start floating through the house," Abigail warned.
"Jonas is coming up the drive," Sarah announced.
"I don't want to talk to him," Abigail said hastily. "He's left a couple of messages and I don't have anything to tell him."
"I'm not answering the door," Hannah said. "Someone else get it."
"Abbey," Sarah protested, "it's Jonas. You can't just ignore him."
"I'm not exactly ignoring him, I'm busy. There's a big difference." She raced back up the stairs as Carol opened the front door. Her si
sters stared after her in dismay.
ABIGAIL sat on the edge of her bed for a long time wrapped in a bath sheet after her shower. She slowly broke the seal on the scroll. The spell didn't have to work and she told herself she just wanted to feel beautiful. She needed to feel beautiful. She couldn't face being in a roomful of women with Aleksandr, feeling like plain old Abigail Drake.
The Caspar Inn wasn't fancy, she didn't have to dress in elegant clothes, but she wanted something feminine and attractive. The inn was all about great music and dancing, a place where many of the residents from several of the coastal towns met to visit. She touched the red lace with a small sigh. It wasn't as if she and Aleksandr had taken a room at the inn, or anywhere else for that matter.
"Hey!" Hannah poked her head in the room. "Do you want company?"
Abigail nodded and waited until Hannah had firmly closed the door. "Jonas is still down there, isn't he?"
"Oh, yeah," Hannah admitted. "Sarah and Kate diverted him by giving up Aunt Carol. She's handling him quite nicely, but I know if he can't make her do everything he says, Jonas will jump all over me. He always does when he's angry with one of the others. I'm an easy target apparently, so I'm hiding up here with you." She looked curiously at the red lace panties. "What are you doing?"
"I don't know. Sitting here. Deciding if I'm going to be good and dress in blue jeans and a nice, demure top, or wear the red lace and a dress to make him squirm. Should I be the good girl or the bad one?"
"Which do you want to be?"
"Bad. Very, very bad. I want him to look at me and wish he'd never given me up. I want him to dream about me and remember every time he touched me."
"You want to torture him?"
"Absolutely torture him. And I want it to last a very long time," Abigail admitted.
"Torture can be a two-edged sword, Abbey," Hannah counseled. "Are you certain you want to take the chance? What if you fall in love with him all over again?"
Abigail looked around her as if the walls might have ears. She lowered her voice. "I never fell out of love with him. I'm so far in love with him it makes me sick, but I'll never admit it to him again."