Damon took the chain from her and opened the clasp and draped it around her neck. "I have my sources. I'm also hoping I'll come across that ugly little jewel merchant who absconded with the real one. So, does this get me out of wearing armor to the ball?"
"Sorry, lovey, but our costumes are already in the making. Besides, Napoleon was a short squat man with a prominent belly that he had to hold in place by tucking his hand into his coat, and I want to be escorted to the ball by a king. It's become a tradition, Lord Ravencroft arriving at balls as royalty."
Damon smiled in amusement. Then turning Elizabeth around to face him, he kissed her and said, "So then the Lady of the Lake will wear the opal, which we'll name The Fire in the Lake, and maybe someday it too will go down in history as the legendary opal King Arthur gave the Lady of the Lake in gratitude for securing his birthright, along with his magical sword."
"About The Fire in the Lake becoming legendary." Elizabeth wrapped her arms around Damon's neck. "What better place to start the legend than at a masquerade ball in which half of London will be attending?"
Damon gave a hearty laugh. "I'm beginning to look forward to this ball, and after I parade you around the floor while you display the famous Fire in the Lake opal, I suspect there'll be a lot of conjecture, especially since I'm making a name as a jewel merchant, as well as a collector of fine gems. So, you've convinced me to go as Arthur, but I'll carry my sword."
Elizabeth grinned. "You wish is my command, Your Highness."
AUTHOR'S FINAL NOTE: Immediately following World War I, when the Austrian capital city of Vienna was experiencing severe financial distress, officials there valued the Burning of Troy opal so highly they refused to sell the stone for any price. At the outbreak of World War II, however, the opal once belonging to Empress Josephine disappeared yet again, and has never resurfaced. Perhaps, in time, it will again make itself known.
Thanks so much for reading.
If you enjoyed this story please consider leaving an online review to help spread the word about my books, then email me at [email protected] and let me know so I can personally thank you. Here's the link to Amazon for TWILIGHT OF MEMORY. Also, I want to introduce you to another of my historical romances and hope you'll want to keep reading. Below are the first three chapters of COME BE MY LOVE to get you started.
SARAH AND JON'S STORY: When Sarah Ashley arrives in Victoria, B.C. to open a mercantile for the manufacture of bloomer costumes she turns Governor Jonathan Cromwell's colony topsy turvy and Jon can't decide whether to seduce the stunning suffragette into sweet submission or send her away to preserve his colony. But Sarah didn't liquidate her savings and sail all the way to Victoria to have her dreams dashed. She will establish her business despite Jon's unfairly imposed obstacles... and a longing heart that tempts her to surrender her principles for one night of passion with the insufferably-handsome rogue.
PROLOGUE
San Francisco - August 1864
Her mother's lips stilled, and Sarah Ashley knew she was dead. She stared at her lifeless face, eyes blank in their sunken sockets, and thought, Why did you leave me now with this terrible burden? The weeks leading up to this moment had been filled with hours of sitting by the bedside and watching the life slowly draining away as her mother slept off the effects of the laudanum, but then, in a moment that had taken Sarah by surprise, her mother opened her eyes, and with a clarity that took Sarah by surprise, her mother said in a voice that held purpose, "There's something I must tell you."
"Save your strength, Mother. We can talk later," Sarah said.
Her mother rolled her head back and forth on the pillow. "No, it must be now." She pinched her lips together, as if reconsidering, then she drew in a long rattling breath, and said, "Your father is not your father. Your real father was a captain in the British navy—a man with fiery red hair and restless green eyes." There was no trace of emotion in her voice, only the harsh reality of cold facts that needed to be said. "I fancied myself in love, but by the time your stepfather came along I realized my captain wasn't coming back, so I accepted your stepfather's proposal. But just before we were to marry, your father sailed into port. It was a brief affair—I had to know how I truly felt—and your stepfather found out."
Sarah placed her hand on her mother's arm to stop the words she didn't want to hear, but her mother ignored the gesture, sucked in a breath that wheezed in her chest, and said, "Your stepfather took me back because he needed someone to look after Hollis and Lester. Soon afterwards I realized I was with child, but I didn't know which man was your father. When you were born, your green eyes and coppery hair... there was no question."
"Rest, Mother. Talking is sapping your strength," Sarah said.
Ignoring Sarah's request, her mother said, "I'm telling you this because you need to know why your stepfather always resented you. You were a constant reminder of my betrayal. It was never your fault. It was mine."
Sarah's throat tightened and a deep dull ache settled in her chest. All her life she'd reached out to a man she could never touch, for a love that was never returned, and while Hollis and Lester were gambling away the proceeds from their father's clothing manufactory, she'd worked long hours with him, but the harder she tried, the more he resented her presence.
"Your stepfather and I lived as man and wife, but we never married because he didn't want my bastard child to be his heir, but knowing you'd never inherit from him, I saved money over the years. It's in an account at Wells Fargo in my name and you are sole beneficiary." Her mother's face became pensive, as if a great burden had been lifted from her soul. But then her eyes sharpened, and she said, with the last vestiges of her strength, "Hollis and Lester must never know, or they'll find a way to take it from you..."
The words trailed off, and then she was still.
Sarah gazed down at her mother. Such a heavy burden she'd held over the years, but now, at last she was free. Reaching out, she gently placed her hand over her mother's eyes and dragged her eyelids shut, then kissed her immobile cheek. But when she turned to go, she saw Hollis standing in the doorway, and from the look on his face, she knew he'd heard.
CHAPTER 1
Victoria, Vancouver Island – six weeks later
The rusty cries of gulls announced the arrival of the clipper ship, Mariah. As the tall vessel glided into Victoria Harbor, raucous birds swooped down and dipped into the murky water, snatching debris that rolled in the wake.
Bracing her hands on the rail, Sarah inhaled the sea air and felt the sting of the wind on her cheeks. All day a thick mist enveloped the ship, then shortly before it sailed into the harbor the mist lifted, like a curtain opening to a bright new world, and a fresh new life.
She had no idea what Hollis and Lester would do when they learned she'd liquidated her account and fled from San Francisco, but she prayed they wouldn't come looking for her in Victoria. Lester she didn't fear, but Hollis was not one to issue idle threats. If he found her, his revenge would be swift and unmerciful.
Gazing at the scene before her, she was almost too excited to breathe. Everywhere, she saw signs of growth. In the distance, vast areas recently cleared of woods bordered patchwork fields of homesteads. Closer in, stores, hotels, saloons and other businesses lined an orderly network of streets, a city on the threshold of prosperity, but in the foreground the scene changed dramatically. On the quayside between the aging palisade of Fort Victoria and the warehouses at the water's edge, ragtag tents and makeshift hovels housed prospectors waiting for passage to the Cariboo goldfields. Shabby-looking men carrying knapsacks laden with picks and shovels crowded the wharf, and hacks, carts and peddlers' wagons, all come to profit from the gold seekers, jammed the thoroughfares.
Anxiously fingering the handles of her reticule, Sarah scanned the passengers on deck for her maid, and caught sight of the young colored woman sashaying past a seaman with skin as black as pitch, his grin coaxing a demure smile from Mandi. It wasn't the first time a man had rested appreciative eyes on he
r. With beautifully sculpted lips the color of burgundy, a smooth complexion the shade of walnut, and mirthful black eyes fringed with long curling lashes, Mandi possessed uncommon beauty. Still, she'd turned down several offers of marriage because she carried in her heart hopes of one day finding her ideal man.
As Mandi approached, Sarah gave her a sharp look, and said, "Where have you been? It's almost time to disembark."
Mandi's eyes flicked over the passengers on deck, then she leaned toward Sarah and said, in a hushed voice, "Ah heard Miz Galbraith sayin' to one of the ladies aboard some things about you and the captain, so Ah had to keep on listenin'."
"For heaven's sake," Sarah said. "Captain Sweeney's old enough to be my father. You must have heard wrong."
"No," Mandi insisted. "Miz Galbraith was sayin' you is one of them loose women from San Francisco. Ah hope she don't do like Mister Hollis and Mister Lester did and spread ugly lies about you. She seems a right spiteful woman for a preacher's wife."
Sarah pursed her lips. "She may be a preacher's wife, but she's also a harridan, a snoop and a busybody, and I'm sure the people in Victoria will disavow anything she might say."
"Not accordin' to Ida—that's Miz Cromwell's maid. Ida says the ladies of Victoria have nothin' better to do but sit around and gossip, that word spreads so fast, a lady can start a rumor one day, and by the next it's bein' talked about in every parlor in Victoria."
Sarah chuckled. "Then think how quickly word of our business venture will spread."
"But that's not all," Mandi said. "Ah heard Miz Galbraith sayin' loud enough so's other folks could hear, that the guv'nor's sister ought not be in your company, her traveling with the guv'nor's daughters, and that's apt to get back to the guv'nor's mother, since Ida said Lady Cromwell and Miz Galbraith are special good friends."
Sarah felt a twinge of uncertainty. If Lady Cromwell, the woman at the pinnacle of Victoria's polite society, believed such gossip it could be a repeat of what happened in San Francisco. Glancing beyond Mandi, she saw Esther Cromwell, the governor's sister, walking toward them, the skirt of her plain brown traveling dress swishing back and forth with each step.
Esther and Governor Cromwell's teenage daughters, Louella and Josephine, were returning to Victoria after a holiday in San Francisco. During the voyage, Sarah and Esther had become friends. A spinster in her early forties, Esther wore her mouse-brown hair parted in the middle and dragged back into an unadorned bun at her nape, her brown eyes were without bistre, and her cheeks and lips were devoid of rouge. On first seeing Esther, Sarah felt sorry for the woman, being so plain, and suspected her personality was as lackluster as her appearance. Instead, Sarah found a warm, humorous lady hidden beneath the colorless exterior.
As Esther approached, her face held a look of grave concern. "I insist you and your maid stay with us." She looked toward the wharf and the multitude of bearded, hard-looking men milling about, most armed with revolvers and bowie knives. "Look at them, the absolute dregs of society. It's not safe for an unmarried woman to stay at the hotel."
Sarah appreciated Esther's concern, but she expected to be so busy setting up her business she didn't anticipate spending much time at the hotel. "I'm sure we'll be fine."
Esther's eyes sparked with concern. "You don't understand. Several women have disappeared and no one knows what happened to them. Jon suspects they've been carried off to the goldfields and sold to the prospectors."
Sarah stared at Esther, incredulous. "Sold? Like... slaves?"
"Precisely. The women here are afraid to go out in groups of less than three. So far, all the women who disappeared have been prostitutes, but one never knows when a decent woman might be snatched and hauled off."
Sarah eyed the disreputable-looking throng. Until now she hadn't realized how untamed the city was. The thought of staying in a hotel crowded with these men for even the short time she anticipated before finding permanent residence was becoming increasingly unappealing. She looked askance at Esther. "If it's really no imposition."
"I assure you, it's not. So it's settled. Now I must find Louella and Josephine."
As Esther walked off, Sarah had second thoughts about staying with the Cromwell's. Esther mentioned earlier that her brother, Jon, the governor of Vancouver Island, was opposed to the influx of Americans coming to Victoria to make their fortunes, and there was no question, she was another American doing just that.
Thirty minutes later, as Sarah stood on the wharf with Esther, Mandi, Ida, and the two girls, a great commotion arose among the crowd, then shouts erupted and a horse reared, breaking its ties. The horse bolted forward, toppling a vegetable wagon, and rushed headlong toward a child. Suddenly, a horseman on a blood bay soared over the toppled wagon, overtaking the riderless horse, and in one fluid motion leaned low astride his horse and scooped up the child. Reining to an abrupt halt, the horseman comforted the crying child for a few moments then lowered him into the upraised arms of his distressed mother.
Esther slapped both hands to her face. "Good gracious! It's Jon!"
Sarah stared at the man, too stunned to speak. Tall and powerfully built, with a crop of unkempt dark hair, a thick chest and broad shoulders, and muscular thighs evident beneath his tight breeches, the man looked nothing like a governor, at least not in the sense Sarah would have expected. But then, Jonathan Cromwell governed a wild, untamed frontier, a land that seemed as raw and rugged as the man himself.
For a moment he looked directly at her, and in that instant Sarah's cheeks grew warm and her entire body seemed to respond. The sight of him awakened something deep inside, something that stirred and warmed her, and scared her too. Never had she seen a man who exuded so much strength, a bold strength evident in the firm angle of his jaw and the almost brutal line of his mouth. Then his mouth softened and his eyes brightened, and she knew he'd spotted his daughters running toward him. Swinging his leg over the horse, he leapt to the ground and gathered Josephine and Louella to him in a fierce embrace.
Esther took her arm. "Come on," she said. "I'll introduce you to Jon."
Only then did Sarah realize she'd been holding her breath.
Feeling a vague uncertainty, she walked with Esther to meet the man.
"Jon," Esther said, tugging Sarah toward him, "may I introduce Miss Sarah Ashley. I've taken the liberty of inviting her to be a guest in our home, and she has agreed."
Captivated by the dark eyes that seemed to be assessing her, Sarah extended her hand. "I'm very pleased to meet you," she said, in a voice she hoped was steady.
Jonathan Cromwell's broad hand curved around hers. "This is indeed a pleasure," he replied, his eyes reflecting the lazy grin on his face as he held her hand a shade longer than propriety allowed. "Am I to assume you have no friends or relatives here?"
"Well... yes," Sarah replied. "That is, I have no relatives in Victoria. Most of my family live in the east, except my two bro..." she paused. After what Hollis and Lester had done, she found it difficult to consider them family. Trying to dismiss the anger and bitterness, she said, "Two stepbrothers live in San Francisco."
The long pause that followed led Sarah to believe Governor Cromwell was trying to adjust to the idea of his sister he Cromwell asked.
"Well, no," Sarah replied. "I'm moving here. I've heard the town offers many opportunities."
Governor Cromwell's expression hardened. "I suppose it does. I understand many Americans are deserting families, jobs, and country in favor of gold."
Sarah couldn't dispute that. She'd heard talk of merchants and farmers quitting work, husbands abandoning wives and family, lumber mills shutting down, even Union and Confederate soldiers fleeing from battle, all swarming to outfitting stores and steamship ticket offices, before funneling up the Fraser river to the goldfields.
Fourteen-year-old Louella, a pretty child with golden-brown hair and a delicate face, fixed anxious blue eyes on her father, and said, "Please, Papa, may we go home? It's been dreadfully long since I've seen Taffy and he
r kittens."
Jon gave his younger daughter a warm smile. "Yes, poppet." He curved his arm about Louella's shoulders, took his horse by the bridle, and motioned for everyone to follow.
Sarah gathered her skirt and petticoats. Lifting them clear of the dirt on the wharf, she and Mandi traipsed behind the governor and his entourage as they marched up the plank roadway ascending the quay. On the street, two carriages waited—a dark green depot wagon drawn by a pair of mismatched browns, and an elegant town coach bearing a crest on the door, its team of four whites prancing nervously in place. A mark of prosperity. Only a colony with wealth could afford to provide its governor with such refinement. Sarah smiled inwardly. Victoria would indeed bring her prosperity, and with it, the security she needed to maintain her independence.
Mandi, Ida, and the girls climbed into the depot wagon. Then, to Sarah's surprise, the governor turned his horse over to one of the footmen, and said, "Tie him behind the coach, Hayworth. I'll be joining Miss Cromwell and Miss Ashley for the ride home. But first, I have to talk to Mayor Harris." With little more than a nod to the women, he left.
Esther climbed into the coach, but Sarah remained outside where she could peruse her new surroundings. She scanned the buildings lining the waterfront. A small brick building, the kind she envisioned as housing her clothing business, caught her eye. It also appeared to be unoccupied. Curious, she wandered over to where a man stood just outside the front door. Smiling politely, she said to the man, "Is this building by any chance for let?"
The man's gaze meandered down the length of her, as he replied, "For you, little lady, it could be arranged."
Twilight 0f Memory (Historical Regency Romance) Page 20
