Page 59 of A Rogue in Twilight
“Go on, sir,” James replied, intrigued.
Dear God, notall the truth, Elspeth thought in a panic. “Grandda—”
“Long ago, they do say,” Donal began, “theDaoine Síthof this glen had a treasure so fine, it shone like the sun inside their hillside palaces. They had gold and silver and precious stones from deep in the earth, from mines tended only by the Fey, and treasure more precious than we can imagine. Every glen has its fairies, and every fairy clan has its treasure. And this was marvelous to behold.”
Elspeth watched James as he listened intently, one shoulder leaned against the mantelpiece, letting her have his chair. Hewas relaxed and so handsome, looking as if he belonged here. Her heart quickened.
“Long ago, my MacArthur ancestor found their hidden cache,” Donal continued. “MacArthurs are the oldest clan in the Highlands, and it must be true or we would not claim it, aye?”
James laughed, and Elspeth smiled. Just being near him made her feel so good, warm and happy, with a precious excitement sparkling within her.
She could marry him, she thought, and feel this way for a lifetime. It would be like a dream come true. All she had to do was accept.
But the power of the Fey made that almost impossible.
She wished her gift of Sight would show her the reason he was so determined, but she could not penetrate his inscrutable thoughts. Why did he insist on a bride? She felt he cared for her now, yet he had not acknowledged it. She knew how she felt. But if it was true that she was fairy-born—as her grandfather insisted—she could not draw James into her life.
“This MacArthur found the fairy treasure,” Donal was saying, “and he hid it away to ransom his kinsman, a piper who had been stolen away by the fairies. They would not give the piper back, for they liked his music. They demanded the return of their treasure. He refused. So they played havoc in the glen, stealing away humans, playing tricks. The thief himself took a fairy bolt in his leg and died, and so the secret hiding place was never found.
“Ever since,” he continued, “they have stolen glen folk and made wicked bargains. And they will do mischief until their gold is returned.”
“The fairy riding,” James said. “Is that why some are frightened of it?”
“They fear the fairies will take them away in revenge, aye.”
“How long ago was this treasure taken, if it really happened?”
“Three hundred years, and aye, it happened.”
“Can it be found? Are there any clues, or maps?”
“I have looked. Many have searched. If it is located, two keys are needed to open it. One key is a certain stone. The other—” He looked toward Elspeth.
She shook her head to silence her grandfather from saying she herself was the other key—or so Donal claimed.
“Miss MacArthur was looking for a stone in the garden at Struan House,” James said. “The blue agate in the library case, is that the one in this legend?”
“You found the bonny blue stone?” MacArthur demanded.
“There is one like that at Struan House,” she admitted. “But we do not know if it is the key in the tale about the treasure.”
“Likely it is. I want to see it.”
“Gold, silver, some gemstones are found now and again in the Highlands, either naturally formed in the earth, or buried by ancient people,” James said. “It could be called fairy gold. It is easy to see how such legends come about.”
“But this is real,” Donal said.
“How would you know it was fairy gold? How could you ever return it?”
“I know how,” Donal replied.
Elspeth hoped her grandfather would move on. He clearly had more than enough whisky in him. “Grandda,” she began.
“Are there clues in family lore, since this fellow was an ancestor? Maps, anything in writing?” James asked.
“He was a farmer, not a scholar. This is all we know. The treasure is somewhere in this glen, and needs two keys, a blue stone, and…well, we know what the second key is. The Fey need human help to find the missing treasure. My ancestor outwitted them, see,” Donal said. “They will not be happy until it is found. Without it, they are not at ease.”
“A fairy’s aim is to be happy, in harmony with nature and the earth,” Elspeth added. “Living is an art to them, pleasure and delight and enchantment. They cannot fulfill that if they are uneasy over something stolen from them.”
