by Maya Banks
When she looked up, fear was vivid in her eyes. “I do not know what to say, Sahib. That she would do this...” Her voice trailed off, thick with sorrow.
She held out the letter and Ridge took it, dread knotting in his throat. Somehow he knew the news would not be good. He no longer feared India had come to harm. No, he feared what she had done.
He would not allow these strangers, friends to India, to see him bleed. One more glance at Udaya’s fearful gaze, and he turned and walked out the door. Down the hall he walked, afraid to look, afraid that he made the biggest mistake of his life. Udaya’s expression had said it all.
In the confines of his room, he lit a candle and sat down on the edge of his bed. His hands shook as he opened the letter and focused on India’s neat script.
Ridge crumbled the note in his hand and threw it across the room. He shoved a hand in his hair and stood up, stalking to the window and resting his elbow on the cool panes. He cradled his forehead in his hand, his elbow digging painfully into the glass.
Damn her. Damn her conniving soul. She had pulled the wool completely over his eyes. Once again, he had been duped by a faithless woman. Would he ever learn?
She had lied to him from the very beginning. Her father wasn’t dead. He was very much alive, and apparently, had found his way to the city already.
Why hadn’t she confided in him? Did she think him such an ogre that he would refuse to help her recover her father? Or was there a much simpler reason?
She and her father had searched countless years for the city, and maybe, she had no intention of sharing that find with anyone else.
God. What a monumental misjudgment he had made about her. She hadn’t even addressed the letter to him. Was he that meaningless to her?
He groaned. All the things he had shared with her. He had bared his soul in a way he had never done. He had uttered things to her he had never said to another person.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Had she been laughing at him the entire time? This certainly explained the guilt he had seen flashing in her beautiful eyes on occasion.
He stared over the city, the moon illuminating the ruined remains of the burned out buildings, some in the process of rebuilding, others left in shambles. Much the way he felt at the moment. Complete shambles.
He hadn’t loved Lucinda. He knew that now. But India. He loved her in a way he hadn’t imagined being able to feel about another person. He had trusted her. Offered himself on a silver platter.
He turned from the window, rage building within him. Not only had she utterly betrayed his faith in her, but she had stolen his dream from him. Something he had thought little else about since his childhood.
How did he even know she was telling the truth about her father being alive? He paced back and forth in front of his bed, his fists clenched at his sides.
Why even leave a note of explanation? Why not just leave?
Tell Ridge I’m sorry.
“You can very well tell me yourself,” he ground out.
He wasn’t going to sit idly by while she reached the city. Maybe he had underestimated her, but he knew damn well she had underestimated him.
And he knew one thing she didn’t. He knew the city didn’t lie to the south. No doubt she had imagined that he would travel to Madrid in an effort to overtake her knowing the entire time he was on a wild goose chase.
If he weren’t so unbelievably angry, he might have admired her ingenuity.
She couldn’t have more than a few hours head start, and she might be traveling leisurely if she thought he would head south. He could conceivably overtake her in short order. And then she was damn well going to level with him. Right after he throttled her.
He threw open his trunk and yanked a few changes of clothes out. He mentally went over a list of necessities for his impending journey. He would hire horses from the posting inn a few blocks down and secure food from the tavern.
Castelonia. The name simmered in his memory like a beacon shining in the night. He would inquire as to the fastest route to the isolated country. He knew that’s where she was headed. He prayed he was right.
“What’s going on?” Robby’s sleepy voice filtered to him from the doorway.
Ridge turned to see his brother standing inside his room, his clothes rumpled, his face bleary with fatigue.
“I’m sorry, Robby. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“It’s all right. I don’t sleep much these days.”
Ridge cocked an eyebrow but he didn’t have time to venture into his brother’s idiosyncrasies. He had to move fast if he was going to catch India.
“I don’t have a lot of time to explain, Robby, but I’ll be leaving for Castelonia. I’ll leave money for you, Udaya and Kavi to travel back to England.”
Robby cleared his throat. “What’s in Castelonia?”
Ridge sighed in exasperation and turned back to finish packing his clothing in something lighter than his trunk. He glanced over his shoulder to see Robby still standing there.
“India deceived us. She had no intention of leading me to the city. She lied about the location, and she’s on her way there now. Without us. I plan to catch up to her.”
“I want to come.”
Ridge turned around again. “Robby, no. You can’t. I need to hurry. She’s already gained a significant head start. I would appreciate you escorting Udaya and Kavi back to England for me.”
Robby shifted, his face drawing as if he were in pain. He looked away for a moment and when he returned his gaze to Ridge, Ridge could swear there were tears in his eyes.
“There’s something I need to tell you, Ridge.”
“Can it wait until I return?” he asked.
“No.”
The raw agony in Robby’s expression stopped Ridge cold. Never had he seen suck a look on his brother’s face. Dread slammed hard into his chest, and his breathing sped up.
“What is it, Robby?”
Robby let out a long, shaky breath, the sound a sharp staccato in the otherwise silent room. He closed his eyes and rubbed his fingers over his hair down to grip the back of his neck. His chin hung to his chest for a long moment, and when he looked back up his haunted stare bore into Ridge.
“I’m dying, Ridge.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
The seconds ticked away as Ridge stared in shock at his younger brother.
“What?”
Robby shifted uncomfortably. “I’m dying.”
Ridge’s heart thudded painfully in his chest. His mind sought to make sense of his brother’s declaration. Was this a jest? That he could receive two such shocks, first India’s betrayal and this, in one night was incomprehensible.
“I don’t understand,” Ridge finally whispered.
“Neither do I,” Robby said, fatigue echoing in his voice. Helpless and hopelessness rimmed Robby’s eyes, and Ridge realized his brother was deadly serious.
“Oh my God. How?”
He closed the distance between them and enfolded Robby into his embrace. They gripped each other tightly, and the sounds of muffled sobs rent the air.
Robby was dying?
Don’t let it be.
Ridge raised his eyes, seeking something beyond the room they stood in. “If you’re listening,” he whispered fiercely. “Don’t let this happen. Not to him.”
He pulled away from Robby, gripping him by the shoulders. “How long have you known? What’s wrong with you? Have you seen a doctor?” He bit his lip to keep more questions from stumbling forward. His impatience tightened his stomach, and his fingers tightening around Robby’s shoulders.
Robby smiled crookedly. “I’ve seen four different doctors. None of them know what exactly is wrong, but they all agree that it’s only a matter of time.”
Ridge swore. How could they make such a judgement without knowing what was wrong?
“I know what you’re thinking,” Robby said in a low voice. “But
they’re right. I can feel it.” His voice quivered and he took a deep breath. “I grow weaker all the time, and the pain...”
He bit his lip, and Ridge’s chest tightened painfully.
“It’s bad,” Robby finished.
“There must be something we can do,” Ridge said crisply.
He dropped his hands from Robby’s shoulders and walked past him to the window. He wouldn’t allow that there was nothing to be done. No way of saving his brother.
He whirled around to look at Robby again. “Does Father know?”
“He does now,” Robby said with a shrug. “I left a letter for him just before we departed England.”
Ridge closed his eyes. His father would take it hard. Robby represented his only hope of a sterling heir. And their mother. He sighed.
“I don’t know what to say, Robby,” he said hoarsely. “What do you want me to do? What can I do to make it better?” He continued, his earlier woes paling in the shadow of Robby’s misery. “We’ll set sail for England as soon as I can procure passage for us. You should be at home where Mother can fuss and Father can hire the best physicians.”
Robby held up his hand. “No, Ridge, that isn’t why I told you. I have no desire to return home.”
Ridge wrinkled his brow in confusion. “I don’t understand. Surely you don’t want to...die in some God forsaken place, miles from the people who love you.”
Robby sank onto the bed, his hand on either side of his hips, his fists digging into the mattress. “I didn’t tell you so that you could wrap me in a blanket and ship me home to mother’s bosom.”
He drew in another shaky breath. He seemed to battle every word. “I wanted...I wanted to spend my last time with you. Wanted us to be together. I told you so I could go with you, so you wouldn’t leave me behind.”
Ridge stared at him in shocked silence. Then he slowly walked over and sat down beside Robby on the bed. They didn’t look at one another.
Hesitantly, Ridge slid his hand over to grip Robby’s. “Tell me what you want me to do, Robby. I swear I’ll do it. For you.”
Robby turned his head to look at him. “I want you to find that damn city, and I want to see it with you. I don’t want to go home and die a ninny. I want my last days to mean something, and if I can in some small way participate in this great find of yours, then maybe history will remember me kindly.”
“There are some things you should know first,” Ridge muttered. He related the contents of the letter India had left.
“Christ, Ridge. I’m sorry. You love her, don’t you?”
Ridge swung his head upwards in surprise. His first thought was to deny it. But there was little point.
“Yes, I suppose I did. I do.”
“What a terribly position for India to be in,” Robby murmured.
Ridge bristled. “Surely you don’t condone her deception. Damn it, Robby, she lied to me. From the very beginning. She’s dragged us on a wild goose chase, one she never had any intention of ending. You should be at home, and because of her, we’re all over here sitting on our thumbs.”
Robby nodded. “I know how much you loathe being lied to, but still, it must have been hard for her. Her father is all the family she has left isn’t he?”
“She damn well could have had me.”
The words hurt as they fell, but he couldn’t recall them. He could hear the bitterness and knew Robby heard as well.
“I’m sorry,” Robby said softly.
Ridge shook his head. “She isn’t what is important anymore.” He winced at the outright lie. “What’s important is doing what’s best for you.”
Robby inched forward until he sat on the very edge of the bed. “You were going after her, weren’t you?”
Ridge nodded.
“Then we should go together. Do you know where she’s gone? How to get to the city without her?”
Ridge smiled. “Yes, as a matter of fact I do.”
“Then all is not lost yet, correct?”
“No, not if we leave at once.”
Robby stood. “I can be ready in a few minutes.”
Ridge stood beside Robby and laid a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Robby, are you sure? This will be an arduous journey. We’re going into the mountains. It isn’t too late for us to return to England.”
Robby grinned crookedly. “Somewhere along the way, your dream has become my dream. For the first time in my life, I have focus, a goal. I want to achieve it before I die. And since I’ve been assured I don’t have much time remaining, it would be best if we make haste.”
A hard knot swelled and throbbed in Ridge’s throat. Tears stung the corners of his eyes.
“Don’t be upset for me,” Robby said quietly. “I’ve accepted it.”
“I don’t want to lose you.”
Not like he’d already lost his father. He didn’t want to lose the last hold he had on his family. The knot grew bigger. He turned away, not wanting to burden Robby with his grief.
And suddenly it struck him how India must have felt given the prospect of losing her father.
Robby put a hand on his shoulder, and the absurdity of Robby offering comfort shamed him.
Dashing aside the moisture in his eyes, he turned back to Robby. “Well then, if that’s settled, shall we head out?”
Robby smiled. “I’ll get my bag.”
###
India yawned and stretched in the saddle, trying to uncoil her stiff muscles. She had traveled all night, following Juan Miguel closer to the mountains of Castelonia.
He glanced back at her. “Do you need to rest, Senorita?”
She hesitated a moment then nodded. What was to gain by charging ahead? A few more moments wouldn’t make any difference.
Juan Miguel halted, and she slid from her horse. Her legs protested as she put her full weight on them. She walked around in a circle, stomping and flexing in an attempt to bring back the feeling.
“There is water near here,” Juan Miguel said as he claimed the reins to her horse. “I’ll take the horses. You stay here.”
She shrugged as he led them away. He wouldn’t have led her all this way if he had any intention of deserting her. Besides, she still had the bracelet.
She reached into her pocket, reassuring herself that she did indeed still possess the key. It was the only bargaining tool she had in her bid to free her father.
The morning sun shone on her face, and she glanced around for a place to retreat into the shade. She walked over to a large oak tree and hunkered down against the base of the trunk, allowing the branches to shade her from the bright sun.
She squinted and looked northward, to the peaks of the majestic mountains jutting skyward. Was Pagoria nestled within those peaks? Had the mountains protected her all this time?
She had tried to speak to Juan Miguel during their journey. Asked him countless questions, but he had remained silent, refusing to answer even one. She didn’t know any more now than when she had begun this whole affair.
Her heart sank, and she closed her eyes. She would give anything to be experiencing Ridge’s excitement as they looked toward the mountains. His eyes would gleam with anticipation, with eagerness to unfold this most prestigious find.
Instead, he sat back at the inn, probably cursing her perfidy.
A tear trickled down her cheek, and when she wiped it away, it made a muddy streak on her hand. She untied the scarf from her neck and used it to wipe the dust from her face.
“I wish you were here,” she whispered.
Was there a chance he could ever forgive her? Probably not. He wasn’t man who could easily forgive deception. And she had lied to him about everything. Not just the location of the city, or that her father was still alive. She had let him believe the city was a thing of the past. Buried rubble. An historical find.
She could imagine the look of wonder should he know the truth. He had a scholarly mind. Someone that in other circumstances she wou
ld be drawn to.
She snorted in derision. Who was she kidding? She was drawn to him now. She loved him. Longed for him with her every breath. And it was killing her to leave him.
She scrubbed at her face one more time as she saw Juan Miguel approach with the horses.
“Are you ready to continue, Senorita?” he called out.
She stood and dusted the back of her trousers off. She walked toward Juan Miguel and reached for the reins. As she gripped the leather straps, her eyes lighted on Juan Miguel’s wrist and she froze.
Tattooed on the top of his wrist was the same symbol she had seen on her pursuer in London.
Chapter Twenty-Four
London
Caroline Hadley sipped at her morning coffee then set the cup down on the breakfast table she’d had positioned in the garden. In years past they had all breakfasted here amidst the flowers she had lovingly planted. When they were still a family.
Her hand shook as she raised her cup again. They would never be a family again. Not in the same way. She closed her eyes then winced as the hot liquid sloshed over the rim of her cup onto her hand.
She slammed the cup down then wiped the injured skin with a napkin. Tears swam in her eyes, blurring her vision. Damn the waiting. She couldn’t sit here while her sons were in another country, one of them dying.
She had remained in London, wanting to be as close as possible for when her husband returned from Spain. She prayed he’d be successful. She couldn’t countenance an alternative. He had to bring them home again. So they could start over and enjoy Robert’s remaining time.
Where was Lucinda in all of this?
The thought struck her like a bolt of lightning. Once she had approved of the young woman, welcomed her into her family. But that was before she had played with the affections of two brothers.
Caroline hadn’t wanted Robert to marry Lucinda, but she had never said as much. Maybe she should have.
She sighed and dabbed at her eyes. There were so many should haves. Would she be haunted by them for the rest of her life?
Did that vain young woman even know of the havoc she had wreaked? Anger hummed in Caroline’s veins. Sitting here was driving her mad. She had to do something, even if it was just insuring Robert’s happiness when—if he returned home.
