The Gazing Globe by Candace Sams Page A

Shayla would like to meet some of your neighbors before they go back to England. You could use the diversion yourself, and there's always Ms. Stone to think of. You haven't seen much of her lately and…"
    "All right, all right, Hugh. You're looking for an excuse to have a party. Go ahead I'm afraid I won't have time to help you plan much, but it sounds like a good idea. And this is your home, too, you know.
    You don't have to ask for permission to entertain." Blain smiled and was gratified to see his uncle's answering grin.
    "Thank you, lad. I'll take care of everything. You won't have to lift a finger. It'll be something you'll never forget. I guarantee it."
    Blain watched Hugh walk away. Maybe bringing Rhiannon to the farm and letting her seeAftonwasn't a good idea. He'd thought that given a little time his feelings forAftonmight change, but they'd only grown stronger. He'd stayed away from her knowing she would go back toEnglandsoon and be out of his life forever. Still, he found himself wanting her more every time he saw her. The only time he could forget the constant feeling of doom was when she was near. And when he didn't think about whatever secrets she harbored.
    When his mare gently nudged him, Blain went back to work. He still wanted to make amends to Rhiannon for his behavior, but he also wantedAftonto stay in his life. She had him absolutely beguiled.
    But Hugh had just reminded him that she would leave soon. He couldn't go to her and express his feelings. Even if it was possible to work out a way to be together, he was afraid of the future and whatever horrible darkness lurked there. He could be slowly going insane, imagining horrors where none existed. He could be delusional. He couldn't ask anyone to share a life with a man whose mind was being torn apart. Some demon kept eating away at his rationality, and he didn't know how to articulate what was wrong, let along how to stop it.

    ***
    Later that evening, Blain took his flute into the garden and began playing again. Since the garden had been redesigned, it was his favorite place to rest. The gazing globe's reflective surface calmed him. But when he looked at his own image in the orb, all he could see was a blur. No matter how he changed positions or how good the light. Something was there but it wasn't distinguishable. And that reflection compounded his fears about what was coming. The former urge to run nude in the night air seemed to be satisfied by sitting near the globe, however, so perhaps it could help him hold onto his sanity. For what else could be wrong with a man who had suffered so many physical ailments no doctor could diagnose?
    The cool evening breeze blew as he played. He poured his heart into every note, just as his mother had taught him. He wished his parents were alive, and that they'd told him about Hugh earlier in his life He wanted to know more about where they came from and why they never spoke of their home. Most of all, he wanted to end the terrible fear in his heart. If he had to pinpoint the exact time it had begun, he'd swear it was on the day Shayla Gallagher andAftonO'Malley arrived here. Life had been pretty ordinary up until then. Now, there was only the past to hold onto. The future was a threat he didn't want to think about. He stopped playing, listened to the night sounds, and stared at the orb. It glittered in the darkness.
    "You play as beautifully as your mother did," Shayla said as she joined him. He moved over to let her sit on the stone bench beside him.
    Although he'd been deep in thought, her presence hadn't come as a surprise. It was as if he sensed her before actually seeing her. Again, it was another indication that something that wasn't right with him.
    "Hello, Shayla I thought everyone would be in bed by now."
    "I was up helping Hugh with his party arrangements It's grand of you to have a get-together so we can meet your friends."
    "You can thank Hugh. It was his idea. But I suppose I've neglected some of my