The Lightkeeper's Ball by Colleen Coble Read Free Book Online Page A

knocked Olivia over as she struggled to see through the downpour that instantly drenched her. A huge crash sounded behind them, and she whirled to see the lighthouse collapsing. Every window in the house had been blown out. The tower toppled to the ground.

S IX

    W IND AND RAIN lashed Harrison’s motorcar as his driver navigated the flooded road from Ferndale to Mercy Falls. It was a wonder the driver could see, though this Cadillac model had a windshield. Still, sheets of rain came in all around the canvas top. Harrison couldn’t even see the beacon from the lighthouse in the storm. They were on the outskirts of town. He had responded to a call to help transport a family driven from their home by a flash flood to a relative in Ferndale.
    Thurman braked abruptly, and Harrison leaned forward. “What’s wrong?”
    “Look, sir.” The driver indicated a bedraggled column of people out in the storm.
    “Good heavens, it’s the Jespersons,” Harrison said when he saw the man’s face. He got out into the drenching rain. “Get in!” he shouted above the din of the storm.
    He ushered them into the backseat, then realized there were three adults plus Jennie. Lady Devonworth was with them. He climbed into the front beside his driver. He put his arm on the seat back and turned around to stare at his passengers. Lady Devonworth wore only a nightgown. She shivered in the soaked garment.
    “This isn’t any drier, but it might warm you,” he said as he shrugged off his wet jacket. He handed it back to her, and she murmured her thanks as she slid her arms into it.
    Even with dripping hair, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Those gypsy black eyes were exotic and compelling, even with her lashes dripping wet and water running down her cheeks.
    “What’s happened?” he asked.
    “The storm blew down the lighthouse,” Will said. “I knew it had some weak areas, but I hadn’t been able to get money from the Bureau of Lighthouses for repairs.”
    “Totally gone?” Harrison asked. Will nodded. “No wonder I couldn’t see the beacon. I thought it was because the storm was so bad.”
    “I just pray no ships were grounded out there without it. I think the Lucy had already gone past.”
    “Thank God you were all uninjured. You were in the building when it came down?”
    Will nodded. “I was in the tower and barely escaped. I got the women out, and the next gust caved in the roof. It’s totally destroyed.”
    “You’re all unhurt. That’s the important thing.” Harrison glanced at Thurman. “Let’s get everyone to my house.”
    His driver nodded. “We’ll be home in five minutes.”
    “Turn up the heat,” Harrison told Will. “The gas burner is by your feet.”
    Will complied, and the burner sputtered. The rain blew in on everyone in the backseat. He tucked his coat around his daughter, then slipped his arm around his wife. “I’ve never seen a storm like this. The wind speeds topped a hundred miles an hour.”
    “You’re welcome to spend the night at my house,” Harrison said. “You too, Lady Devonworth. Unless you’d rather I have my driver take you to the Stewart manor?”
    She hesitated. A wary expression crossed her face, then she shook her head. “I don’t want to rouse the household at this hour. Thank you for your kind offer. I shall take you up on it.”
    The car reached his home, and Thurman braked at the sidewalk. “I have an umbrella, sir,” he said.
    “I think we’re all too wet for it to matter,” Harrison said. “Don’t trouble yourself. The rain is slowing. Ready to make a run for it?” he asked his guests.
    When they nodded, he got out, then helped Lady Devonworth out while Will lifted Katie and Jennie from the motorcar. They all ran for the front door. Harrison held on to Lady Devonworth’s elbow and hurried her toward the haven inside. They burst into the warmth of the foyer and shook water all over the floor.
    He saw Lady Devonworth take in the opulent hall and