Loves' Conqueror. Renee Hand

said Lord Hammil, frustrated by the interruption.

      “Forgive the intrusion, milord, but your guests are arriving,” said a servant with short brown hair and glasses.

      “Very good, thank you.” He then turned to face Miranda again.

      “Shall we?” he asked as he lifted Miranda from her chair by her hand, not waiting for a response from her, and walked to the door. Standing in the hallway was Davy. He followed quietly behind the pair as they entered into the Hall, their eyes falling upon the people waiting for them.

      Hours had passed and Miranda was still in conversation with many of Lord Hammil’s guests. He had already made the announcement of their engagement to the masses. The smile on her face felt permanent, and she would have given anything to be alone so she could act like herself instead of this stranger she was becoming. It frustrated her immensely. Miranda knew that if anyone saw her act inappropriately that she would bring shame to Lord Hammil, and from his behavior earlier, she didn’t want to do that. Miranda felt her feet becoming sore in her tight shoes and knew she had to sit in a chair quickly before she lost all patience and threw them across the room. “That would surely be a spectacle,” Miranda whispered to herself as she gave an unladylike snort, excusing herself from the stranger before her and sitting longfully into a chair.

      Miranda could see Madam Fairaday glancing over at her from a group of women she was talking with. She waved for her to join them. Miranda stood and walked over to the group, her feet still aching.

      “You all know Miss Smyth, Lord Hammil’s fiancé?” The women glanced over at Miranda kindly, except for a few who snubbed her. Miranda tried not to let her smile falter.

      “You are very fortunate to be marrying Lord Hammil,” said a woman who had a slightly crooked nose, pale complexion and bright red lips. She also had bright colored feathers peeking out from her hair and looked very similar to a peacock in her blue dress.

      “Yes, he’s quite a catch. I’m indeed fortunate.” The woman pressed her lips tightly as she took a sip from her drink. The rest of the women kept eyeing her tersely but Madam Fairaday guided the conversation to all of the topics she knew Miranda was aware of. Miranda seemed quite intelligent to the women before her, but soon she was getting tired and her feet started bothering her again.

      “Please excuse me ladies, but I believe my fiancé is looking for me. It was nice to meet all of you.” Miranda winked at Madam Fairaday and left the circle of women. She then moved back toward the hallway and sat into another chair, her hands instantly moving to massage her feet.

      Davy remained in the room and watched over her as usual. There were a few times when his eyes didn’t fall upon Miranda during the evening and that was because he was entertaining a beautiful woman. Her name was Lady Eleanor and Davy was quite fond of her as she was of him. He was currently leading her around the dance floor making friendly conversation, hoping that he could lure her into his bed for the night. He smiled as he remembered the last time he had done so. Though Davy was always aware of Miranda’s movements, he also had needs that he had to look after as well. At that moment though, his eyes were focused on Miranda and he noticed when she suddenly rose from her chair and left the room unattended. Davy quickly made his apologies as he hastily kissed Lady Eleanor’s hand leaving her on the dance floor. Not paying much attention to the disappointment that covered Lady Eleanor’s features as he left, Davy kept his attention upon Miranda. When he caught up with her he grabbed her arm in a light grasp stopping her.

      “Where are you going, Miry?” Miranda turned around at the familiar voice and replied curtly, “I need to fix my appearance, but can’t remember where that blasted powder room is.” Irritation was in her voice as she placed her hand on her chin and looked down the hallway. “Oh, who cares where that damn room is, there are so many rooms in this house that one could get lost, and he expects me to run it?” Miranda pointed toward the large hall where she knew that Lord Hammil was entertaining his guests. “My first order of business would be to down size.” Davy looked quickly around them, and thankfully saw no one who could overhear their conversation. He placed his hands upon Miranda’s shoulders to calm her.

      “Relax, Miry, relax. There is no reason to get upset.” Miranda brought her fingers to her face as she let out a tear. She tried to regain her composure, and without looking into Davy’s eyes, was able to manage it. She breathed deeply several times before her eyes found Davy’s concerned ones. “What’s wrong with you?” Miranda shook her head knowing that if she talked about her sorrows of the evening that she would cry full force, so she shook her head. “We will talk about this on the way home, Miry.” Davy’s statement brought a nod out of Miranda. “The room you are searching for is down the hallway on the left. Do you wish me to accompany you?” Davy placed his hand on her cheek and made her look at him.

      “No, Davy, I will be fine. Thank you.” Miranda gave her friend a quick smile before she made her way down the hallway.

      “I will wait for you then,” replied Davy, his voice rising slightly in order for her to hear him. Miranda gave him a wave of her hand as she moved closer to the end of the hallway. The wall, which had a beautiful painting of the house hanging on it, loomed closer and closer. She noticed that the hallway turned left, and as she made the turn, realized there was not just one room hidden back there, but six. Miranda stopped and was about to break into tears when she found her strength inside her and removed the urge to cry. She was determined not to break down over something so foolish. She took a deep breath and opened the first door she came to.

      As she turned the knob, she realized the door wasn’t locked—that was a good sign. But as she opened the door she realized that the room she was in was not the one she was looking for. The room was made for comfort. There were long burgundy drapes covering the windows with matching furniture and many dark wooden tables littered with tapers. Some lit, some not. As she glanced around the room the light revealed the many books that were resting upon the bookshelves on the wall. Some were dusty and some were clean from being read often. Miranda was about to leave the room when out of the corner of her eye she noticed a bright piece of parchment staring at her. She turned back around and faced the parchment laying tantalizingly on the chair to her right.

      Miranda then remembered Lord Hammil telling her how he disapproved of people looking at his things without his permission. She wanted to turn and run out the door, but couldn’t move. Her eyes focused on the parchment in front of her. She quickly walked to the chair and looked down at the parchment glaring at her. As she read the parchment what she learned amazed her. There was a drawing of her crystal on the page in front of her with some writing scribbled to the side of it numbered like a list. She read it to herself.

      One: Captain Ditarius missing in the Caribbean

      Two: Find a crystal that he has in his possession

      Three: Knows where the mate of it is there are two pieces.

      Four: Member of crew caught and being held at Port Royal. Might know of his whereabouts?

      Five: Treasure hidden at Nombre de Dios, buried in the side of a mountain. Danger surrounds it!

      Six: Cannot open the vault without the key. Needs crystal to open it, crystal is the key.

      Seven: Get married!

      Miranda’s eyes widened with shock at the words she had read. Captain Ditarius was a name that most people called her father, especially now when his true identity was hidden. He had spent years building up the name’s reputation. He was missing? The news brought instant fear to her chest. Her father always told her that if he was hiding from the law that he could be found on Eleuthera Island. He had said that it would always be his sanctuary. She must find him and make sure he was safe and unharmed. She would kill anyone who tried to harm him. So, this was the business that Lord Hammil was going down to the Caribbean to take care of? Well, it is good that she would be going with him then. She needed to find her father first and then hide him, keeping Lord Hammil away from him for as long as she could.

      The knowledge that her crystal opened a secret vault hidden in Nombre de Dios surprised her immensely. She wondered if her father knew of the treasure.