Christmas At Thorncliff Towers by Marina Myles Page A

here!”
    Constantin was about to argue with the earl—insist that he hadn’t a thing to do with Karina’s appearance at Thorncliff Towers—but the altercation would have been a waste of time. Besides, he needed Winthrop to be of service. “My lord. Maybe if we visited my camp on horseback it would be faster—”
    “I despise Gypsies.” Winthrop grunted. “But if it’ll get me out of this weather more quickly . . .”
    The nobleman extended an arm to Constantin. Constantin clasped it and hoisted himself onto Lucifer’s back. The horse protested under the weight of the two, large men. But as its master directed it down a hill and into the forest, Lucifer seemed to find his second wind.
    To be heard over the wailing snowstorm, Constantin yelled directions in Lord Winthrop’s ear. The two finally located the silent Gypsy camp. Since the snowstorm had driven all the tribe members inside their respective wagons, it stood as empty as a beach on a cold winter’s day.
    “This is your territory, Stoica,” Lord Winthrop shouted grimly. “Where could the little girl be?”
    Constantin leapt off the horse. At the same time, he spotted Karina’s red and gold wagon. After putting up a flexed hand to tell Winthrop to stay put, he climbed into it.
    His eyes struggled to focus in the dim light. What if Grace Ann hadn’t made it? What if the wolves had gotten to her and Karina after all?
    Padding forward, Constantin spied Karina hunched over Grace Ann’s body. His heart filled with joy. But when he saw that Grace Ann lay as limp as a rag doll in bed, his spirits plummeted.
    A warm blanket swaddled the child’s small frame. Karina, who was cradling the back of her head, spoke in Romanian. She used her other hand to sweep a possum’s tail over the girl’s bluish face.
    When Karina saw Constantin, she gasped. “Thank God! You made it back!”
    He gulped. “Grace Ann?”
    “I’m doing my best.” She guided the girl to a flat position.
    The inner chamber of the wagon was warm. Moving quietly to Grace Ann, Constantin lifted one of her frozen hands in his. While he rubbed it to create friction, his knees buckled at the feel of her icy skin.
    “She’s not responding to anything,” Karina whispered. “If only she’d waited longer to drink the elixir, its power would have dissipated completely.”
    “What has the potion done to her?”
    “It shut down her system.” Emotion thickened her tone. “I’ll never forgive myself if she doesn’t pull through.”
    Karina began to cry. Her lips quivered, her hair was matted, and her face had been touched by frostbite. Yet she was the most beautiful woman Constantin had ever seen.
    He wrapped his arm around her waist. “You healed your own leg twice, so it seems you can work miracles. Have you tried every treatment with Grace Ann?”
    “Not everything. There’s an antidote for the elixir. But she isn’t conscious enough to swallow it.”
    “She doesn’t have to be conscious.” With a powerful surge, he lifted the child’s torso off the bed and tilted it upward. “Get the antidote ready.”
    Karina nodded. Producing a magenta-colored liquid from a cupboard filled with trinkets, vials, and good luck charms, she brought the tube to Constantin. With his free hand, he poured the liquid into Grace Ann’s mouth. Most of it ran down her chin, but the amount she ingested made her choke and sputter back to life.
    She opened her eyes. “Constantin?”
    “Yes, dear.”
    “Where am I?”
    He smiled gently and gave her a hug. “Do you remember that you wanted to see my Gypsy camp? Well, here you are.”
    Grace Ann’s lashes, as long as spider legs, fluttered against her eyelids. “I am?”
    “Yes.”
    Karina hovered close.
    “And you’re here, too, Karina?” Grace Ann asked. “Are you still mad at each other?”
    “Don’t worry about us,” Constantin replied. “How do you feel?”
    “Groggy.” She pressed three fingers against her temple. “But I don’t want to