by Maya Banks
She stood up, shoving aside her half-finished coffee. In a whirl of skirts, she strode back into the house, calling for her butler.
“Summon the carriage at once. I have a call to make,” she announced.
Thirty minutes later, she rolled up to Robert’s townhouse. Her stride determined, she smoothed her skirts and marched up the walkway to the front door.
She knocked forcefully and waited for an answer. Robert’s butler opened the door, his mouth curving into a welcoming smile when he saw her standing there.
“Lady Drysedale, it is a pleasure to see you as always.”
She returned his smile. Stanford had long been a member of her husband’s staff. “Is Mrs. Hadley receiving callers?”
The butler’s expression sobered. “I’m afraid she isn’t. Hasn’t for days, my lady.”
Caroline’s lips pressed together. “You go tell her I want to see her immediately. I’ll wait in the sitting room.”
The butler’s eyes twinkled as he opened the door for Caroline to pass through. “I will inform Mrs. Hadley at once.”
Caroline paced the floor of the sitting room waiting for Lucinda to arrive. Finally the younger woman walked in. When she saw Caroline, her eyes became guarded.
Lucinda dipped an awkward curtsey. “How very nice of you to call, Lady Dryesdale.”
Lucinda’s demeanor told Caroline she was anything but pleased with the unexpected visit.
But then Lucinda looked up, her eyes wide with fear. “Have you heard anything from Robert?”
Caroline was taken aback by the apparent concern. “I would have thought you could tell me more about Robert than I could tell you.”
Lucinda flushed uncomfortably. Then as if remembering her manners, she gestured at Caroline. “Please do sit, my lady. I’ll have a tray of tea brought around.”
Caroline waved it off. “I’m afraid my visit is not a social one, my dear.”
Lucinda looked at her with dread-filled eyes. But she said nothing.
“Since subtlety is not one of my strong points, I’ll come straight to the point,” Caroline began.
Lucinda, as if expecting the question to be difficult, sank to the settee, her fingers curled into fists at her sides.
“Why did you marry my son?”
Lucinda closed her eyes.
Caroline tried to keep a leash on her anger, but it was boiling out of control. Anger at the hopelessness of the situation, the need to lash out someone, anyone. To place blame where she could. Something had to make sense in this twisted chain of events.
“I loved Ridge,” Lucinda said in a low voice.
Of all the things she might have said, this surprised Caroline the most. Her mouth fell open and she emitted a gasp of shock.
“Ridge? You loved Ridge? Then why...”
“Why did I marry Robert?” Lucinda finished.
“That’s a good place to start.”
“You hate me,” Lucinda said softly. “Just as Ridge does.”
Caroline wanted to scream in frustration. She didn’t want to talk about Ridge. Not now. She wanted to talk about Robby. Her baby. The son she may never even see again.
“What I think of you shouldn’t matter, should it? Nor should Ridge. You married Robert. Surely, he is who you should concern yourself with.”
Lucinda laughed softly and ended it with a sob.
“I loved Ridge. But he didn’t feel the same about me. I told him of my feelings the night of our engagement ball.” She twisted her lips in scorn. “He looked so uncomfortable, as if I had just told him I had an incurable disease. I realized then that I was merely a duty, something he was performing, not something he wanted.
“I wanted to hurt him as he had hurt me,” she said in a cracked voice.
Caroline wanted to retch. She wanted to yell. She wanted to take Lucinda by the shoulders and shake some sense into her.
“Is that why you married Robert? To get back at Ridge?” She asked the question, but she knew it was so. She needed confirmation.
“Yes.”
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Caroline whispered. “No one marries for love. It’s foolish nonsense. Stuff of a young girl’s dreams, not a woman full grown. You passed on a life with a good man. A good man. And for what? Childhood dreams of stuff and nonsense?”
Tears rolled down Lucinda’s cheeks. “I was a fool.”
Some of the anger left Caroline at the sight of Lucinda looking so dejected. But she wouldn’t leave until Lucinda knew the full extent of the misery she had caused.
“Robert is dying, Lucinda.”
Lucinda whipped her head up to look at Caroline. “What do you mean?”
Caroline yanked the crumpled letter from her reticule and shoved it at Lucinda.
Lucinda took it and bent her head to read. Her hands began to shake, and she dropped it to the floor.
“No. No,” she cried. Tears fell in earnest now. She turned tortured eyes to Caroline. “I told him not to come back.” She was crying hysterically now. “I told him that if he left not to bother ever coming back.”
She buried her face in her hands, rocking back and forth as her sobs echoed through the room.
Caroline stood frozen for a long moment. Then, stiffly, she turned and walked from the room, Lucinda’s sobs following her into the foyer.
“God help us all,” she whispered.
Chapter Twenty-Five
India reached forward and grabbed Juan Miguel’s wrist. He flinched in surprise but made no effort to wrest his hand from her grasp.
She stared at the tattoo wondering why it was familiar. In England, she had never been able to get more than a passing glimpse. She had been much more involved with escaping the man’s clutches.
Now, as she gazed at it, it took on a different meaning. A mountain with the sun high over head. Her mouth fell open in shock then she looked at Juan Miguel who regarded her with a calm expression.
“Your knowledge is great, Senorita. The most we have ever come across.”
She let his hand fall from hers and stepped back. “I don’t understand.”
He smiled at her. “You understand far more than you give yourself credit for. But come. We still have far to travel. We will only be safe when we reach the city.”
She frowned at his enigmatic words. Numbly, she mounted her horse and fell in behind Juan Miguel.
Guardian. The tattoo was the symbol for guardian. In Pagorian. The man who had broken into her home wore the same symbol. Somehow he was connected to Pagoria. As was Juan Miguel.
She urged her horse forward until she drew abreast of Juan Miguel. “I have questions.”
He nodded. “I expect you do. But I am unable to give you the answers you seek. Have patience. In the end, you will be rewarded.”
India sat back, emitting a sigh of frustration. She would get nothing from this man. And patience had never been her strong suit.
###
“They aren’t far ahead of us now,” Ridge said as he examined the tracks in the dusty terrain.
From his perch atop his horse, Robby grunted.
“Do you need to stop and rest?” Ridge asked, as he rose from his squatting position.
“No, we can go on. I’ll rest once we’ve overtaken India.”
Ridge searched his brother for any sign of weakness, but other than the fatigue etched into his face, he saw no attempt to hide pain.
They had ridden all night, setting as quick a pace as their horses allowed. Thanks to the late-night patrons at the tavern at the inn, Ridge knew India’s approximate departure time, and to his relief, she had only gained a two hour head start.
“We’ll rest the horses and water them here. Then we’ll set off again,” Ridge said.
As Robby dismounted, Ridge stared ahead to the snow-capped mountain peaks to the north. Everything about the terrain was familiar, as if he had indeed traveled this path before.
He didn
’t give a whole lot of credence to India’s reincarnation beliefs, but he had to admit, he couldn’t come up with a better, more logical, conclusion.
He shook his head, despair settling over him like a heavy winter cloak. He missed her already, and she had only been gone a few short hours.
But had he ever known her at all? Did the woman he had fallen in love with even exist? How could she have faked everything? No one was that good of an actress. Which begged the question. Just which parts had she faked?
She was attracted to him. There was no mistaking her passionate reaction to his love making. But he wanted her to love him. And if she truly loved him, could she have so easily betrayed him?
He patted the horse as it drank, giving it a few more minutes to linger at the stream. He gazed northward one more time. What he would do when he found her, he wasn’t sure.
And he wasn’t sure he wanted the answers to all his questions anyway.
“Are you ready?” he called out to Robby.
At Robby’s answering call, he led the horses back to where his brother sat in the grass. He extended a hand to help Robby up.
“Any idea when we’ll catch up to them?” Robby asked as they set out again.
Ridge shook his head. “I don’t think they’ve stopped otherwise we would have caught them by now. Our best bet is to continue on and hope they stop soon.”
They rode in silence as the sun rose higher above them. It beat down on them, and Ridge pulled his hat lower over his eyes. In other circumstances, he would enjoy the picture he presented, trekking across the landscape on a grand adventure.
It was what he had longed for since he was a child.
The clean open air, the rugged land, the raw beauty of nature was a huge change from the stifling, overly populated city he made his home in.
“It’s beautiful,” Robby said as if reading Ridge’s mind.
“Yes, it is,” Ridge agreed.
“Ridge?”
Ridge turned to look at his brother. “Yes?”
Robby looked ahead, not meeting Ridge’s gaze.
“Do you think...do you think you can ever forgive me?”
Ridge smiled. “I’ve already forgiven you, Robby.”
“It’s just that I couldn’t...well, you know, die until I knew things were well between us.”
Ridge’s chest tightened, and he struggled to keep his emotions in check. “You’re my brother, Robby. That bond goes beyond any silly misunderstanding.”
Ridge could hear Robby’s sigh of relief. How long had his brother carried such a burden? He should have talked to him long ago, but his stubborn pride had prevented him from doing so.
“I want you to promise me something, Ridge.”
Ridge looked at Robby and lifted a brow in question.
Robby fixed his eyes on Ridge. “Promise me that you’ll talk to Father. Make things right. He will only have you when I go.”
Ridge sucked in his breath, surprised at the pain he still felt at the mention of his father. “I won’t lie to you, Robby. I’m not sure I can keep that promise. Father...Father has not exactly been open to talking to me about anything.”
“He loves you,” Robby said, sadness creeping into his voice. “He always thought I should be more like you. I tried. God knows I tried, but in the end, I could only be myself.”
Ridge reined in his horse and stared at his brother in shock. “What the hell are you saying, Robby? Father has despised me ever since I entered Cambridge to pursue studies in ancient civilization.”
Robby shook his head. “He’s always admired you. Hell, I’ve always admired you. I wanted to be more like you. Strong. Has it ever occurred to you that the reason you two are at each other’s throats is because you’re so much alike?”
Ridge shook his head in disbelief. What a waste. His brother had spent years feeling second rate to him, and he, well, he had spent years feeling second rate to everyone. What a mess. And to think India envied him his family.
He nudged his horse forward again, not really knowing what to say to Robby.
“You are strong,” Ridge finally said. “How you’ve managed to carry on in the face of such adversity. It’s astonishing. I could learn much from you.”
“Thank you for saying that,” Robby said, his voice cracking suspiciously.
Robby rubbed his sleeve over his face and looked ahead.
Ridge watched him, a hollow ache building in his heart. How could he be without Robby? Robby had always been around, a buffer between Ridge and their father.
What would he do when Robby was gone?
He squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to dwell on it. Robby wanted an adventure, and in order to provide it, he was going to have to catch up to India.
And then she could damn well apologize to both of them for her despicable lies.
###
“We camp here for the night, Senorita,” Juan Miguel called out as he pulled in his horse.
She strained her eyes in the dim light to view their surroundings. She could smell pine and knew they were closer to the mountains. The terrain had begun sloping upward over the last several miles.
Grateful to stop after nearly twenty-four hours in the saddle, she slid down, her knees buckling beneath her. She held on to the horse’s neck until the painful tingling had left her limbs.
A few feet away, light flared as Juan Miguel started a fire. The cool night air blew over her skin, and she moved closer to the fire, seeking its warmth.
“It’s not much, but it will fill you up,” Juan Miguel said as he tossed her a small bundle.
She unwrapped it to find bread and cheese. She bit hungrily into it, enjoying the tangy taste of the cheese. She watched as Juan Miguel rolled out several blankets for them to sleep on.
“You’re nothing like I envisioned,” she said.
He looked up from his task. “And what did you envision, Senorita?”
She shrugged. “More sinister. After all, you hold my father. You threatened his life.”
He frowned but said nothing for a long while. “Much is not as it seems. But you will find out soon enough.”
“There’s one thing I don’t understand though,” she said, as she broke off another piece of bread. She took a bite before she continued.
Juan Miguel stared at her and waited.
“Your friend, the one with a tattoo like yours. Why did he try so hard to steal what you asked me to bring? Why even bother to involve me if you knew where the bracelet was and how to get it?”
“Perhaps he did not try to steal it, Senorita. Ours is not a mission of violence. Rather of peace. He was sent to protect you.”
She laughed. “Protect? Is that what you call breaking into my house, threatening me, hitting me over the head then chasing me down the street?”
Juan Miguel regarded her somberly. “Perhaps you have more enemies than you think.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she demanded.
But he remained silent, going about his task once more.
She blew out her breath in irritation. Protection? This was growing more bizarre and more confusing by the minute. Was he trying to say that the tattooed man she had come across in England had meant no harm?
She thought back to their last encounter. When he had dashed down the street after her. He had called to her. Used her name and asked her to wait.
She frowned. Hardly characteristics of a thug bent on injuring her. She rubbed her temples, weariness buzzing about her head like a swarm of locusts. God, she was tired. And more disheartened than she could ever remember being. Even when she was stuck in a hole, naked and alone.
Her eyes flew open at that revelation. To her amazement, she realized it was true. Not even her three-month-long captivity had affected her as badly as having betrayed Ridge.
I love him. I love him.
She chanted it over and over in her mind. The fire blurred before her as her eyes swam with unshed tear
s.
She couldn’t do this.
“Juan Miguel, I have to go back,” she said.
“Senorita?”
She stood up. “I have to go back to San Sebastian. There is someone I must talk to.”
He stuck out a hand in a placating manner. “We can’t do that. We would risk too much by going back.”
“I risk too much by going on.”
“I understand your agony, Senorita, but too many lives are at stake. I cannot allow you to return until we have done what we have come to do.”
“And what is that exactly?” she challenged. Her hands went to her hips and she stared at the Spaniard. “I don’t believe all this nonsense about my father being threatened. You’re too bloody nice. You could have killed me long ago and taken the bracelet. Yet, you haven’t even asked to see it.”
Juan Miguel sighed. “It is true that your father is in no real danger...from me or the others, but what I’ve said about many lives being at stake. It is very true. We must hasten to the city.”
“Is he really alive?” she demanded. “Or was this a ruse to get me here.”
Distant hoofbeats sounded and Juan Miguel whirled around, his eyes searching the darkness.
“Quick!” he hissed. “Help me douse the fire.”
She scrambled over and they began stomping on the fire to extinguish it.
Before they could complete the job, two men on horseback rode into view, their outlines just visible in the waning light of the fire.
One slid down and strode forward.
“Get behind me, Senorita,” Juan Miguel whispered, pulling her with one arm.
“She doesn’t need your protection. Yet,” the man said through clenched teeth.
Ridge! But how had he known where to find her?
He moved closer to the fire, the light bathing his face. His angry face.
“Surprised to see me, India?”
Chapter Twenty-Six
India’s heart started hammering double time as a very large, very angry Ridge stood before her, his stare not wavering for an instant.
