CHAPTER TWOJacina hurried down the stairs. In the Great Hall, the servants were gathering to greet the new master of Castle Ruven. Jacina saw her father and ran to his side. He glanced down at her and smiled but his eyes betrayed anxiety.
How would everyone respond to the sight of the blinded Earl?
The huge front door stood open. Jarrold the butler stood at the top of the flight of wide steps that led down to the driveway. He would be the first to greet the new Earl. He stood very upright as should befit his position.
The coach had drawn to a halt. The white horses pawed the ground and champed at the bit. They knew they were at the end of their journey and looked forward to mashed oats and the comfortable straw of their stables.
A footman, dressed in the Ruven colours of deep maroon an
