Page 25 of Laird of Twilight
“Crystal and agate, I think he mentioned.”
“Agate? What color is this stone you want to find?”
“Blue,” she said.
“Truly! Agate is a bit unusual in this region of Scotland, and the blue sort is rare anywhere. Did your grandfather find this stone nearby?”
She nodded. “On the hill behind the house, before the gardens were altered.”
“A long while ago?”
“The property belonged to the MacArthurs when my grandfather was a young man. He kept the stone here, among the rocks, but...it all looks different there now. He left it, but would like to find it, and keep it if is agreeable to you.”
“Of course, if it holds sentimental value for him. We will find it if we can. On my walks around the estate, I have seen massive beds of sedimentary rock, granite and sandstone with crystalline deposits. But agate is mostly found in volcanic rock.”
“Volcanic?” She looked surprised. “There are no volcanoes here.”
“Not currently, but there may have been thousands of years ago. My own research addresses that question. Layers of volcanic rock imply tremendous heat long ago in the terrestrial past. Geologists are only beginning to investigate Scotland’s mountains, and indeed much of Europe, for signs of the history of the earth.”
“Oh,” she said, impressed by his knowledge. But he was a professor of such things. She nodded. “I did not realize there was such history to rocks. I suppose I never thought of it, though of course, it makes sense.”
“It is a newer field of study. I find it quite fascinating. My sister is also studying the formation of rock beds in Scotland. Miss MacArthur, why did you come back here today to look for it?” he asked quickly.
“My grandfather mentioned the stone. I wanted to find it. To surprise him.” She could hardly explain that Grandda needed the thing to open a gate to the fairy world.
“I see. So Struan House once belonged to your family?”
She sipped her tea, then nodded. “The estate and much of the glen belonged to my great-grandfather. When Grandda was young, he spent much of his time here. The grotto in your garden was once part of a large hill with a precipice.”
“I know my grandfather had the stone wall extended up the slope for the grotto. Unfortunately, he died, and my grandmother did not live to enjoy it for long either. But why not come to the door and just ask about your missing stone?”
“I thought no one was here. It is the time of the fairy riding.”
“Ah. So you believe in the legend too?”
“It is a local tradition.” She shrugged. “I thought to look for myself and be quick about it. I did not count on the rain. I did not mean to disturb you, Lord Struan.”
He waved a hand to dismiss her concern, and sipped his tea. The cup looked small and delicate cradled in his hand. She imagined those long, nimble fingers turning a beautiful rock over, holding it up to sunlight… then imagined his hands on her, warm and agile and caressing. She shivered, but not from chill.
“You are writing a book about volcanic rock,” she blurted. A strange word sounded clearly in her head. “Geo…nosey. What is that?”
He lifted his eyebrows. “Geognosy? It means earth knowledge—the study of the earth as a complete structure, interior and exterior. I did not realize that you were familiar with the work of Werner, who coined the term.”
“I never heard of him. It just came to me.”
He stared at her, cup halfway to his lips. “Good God, how do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Echo my thoughts. I am working on a book about geognostic science. A few years ago I studied in Freiburg with Abraham Werner, who developed the theory of geognosy, which looks at the earth as a whole. Either someone told you, or—”
“Or I just knew,” she explained softly.
He seemed about to say something, but poured more tea, and added to her cup. “While I’m here, I want to explore the rock formations in these hills. If your grandfather found agate nearby, that could be meaningful for my work.”
“If you wander these hills, be careful. You may encounter theDaoine Síth.”
“The dowin-shee?” He looked puzzled.
