by Candace Camp
“Thank you, sir,” Desmond inserted before Thisbe could respond, taking her arm and pulling her away.
“That man!” she fumed. “It’s typical of the sort of narrow-minded, antiquated, so-called teachers at universities. It’s no wonder they turn out so many students reading for perfectly useless fields, yet pay scant attention to something important. Something up-to-date.”
“Yes, yes, I know that they should have more courses in chemistry and physics,” Desmond said, trying, without much success, to suppress his grin. “But it would be a waste of our time to carry on the argument.”
“I know. No one will ever be able to change that locked mind of his. And you’re right—our time is better spent on planning our next step. We can go back to Broughton House, and—”
Desmond’s eyebrows shot up. “Your home? I doubt your family would welcome my presence.”
Thisbe waved off his worries. “It’s probably better that you not run in to Grandmother. But as for the others... Mother is certain the effects of social inequality are to blame for your misdeeds. Uncle Bellard hasn’t yet realized you’re no longer around. And Olivia is rather on your side.”
He followed her into the carriage. “I notice you didn’t mention your other siblings or your father.”
Thisbe shrugged. “They are a bit more protective, but we want to avoid Kyria, anyway, as there are bound to be gentlemen hanging about her. Papa is happily fussing with some new artifacts. And my brothers will be out of the house most of the day doing last-minute things for Theo’s trip. Reed came down from Oxford to see him off.” Unconsciously, she sighed. “Theo’s leaving for Southampton tomorrow afternoon, and the next day he’ll set sail for Brazil.”
“You will miss him.”
Thisbe nodded. “It isn’t as if he’s around a great deal, but I always know he’s not completely out of reach. But the Amazon... He’ll be gone for months and months. He’s never gone that far away before.”
It was easy to talk with Desmond, just as it used to be. Unlike her voluble family, he didn’t jump in immediately with plans or opinions, but listened, was calm and intelligent and understanding. Which, come to think of it, was probably why he had been so popular with her relatives. It was nice to have a calm center in the middle of the Moreland vortex.
When they walked into the house, Thisbe heard voices coming from the sultan room, one of which was her grandmother’s. She made an abrupt right turn into the formal drawing room. “Let’s sit in here with Old Eldric. It’s quieter.”
“Old who?” Desmond glanced around the stately room.
“The first duke.” Thisbe pointed to the portrait over the fireplace. “One of the ghosts Grandmother claims to talk to.”
Desmond studied the portrait. “If I were able to speak to spirits, I don’t think I’d choose him.”
Thisbe laughed. “Nor me. It’s cold in here, I’m afraid—we never use it. I’ll ring for Smeggars to lay a fire in here.”
“No need. I can do it.” Desmond squatted down by the enormous fireplace and began to arrange coals on the grate. “Do you suppose Gordon really went to his sister’s?”
“Does he even have one?”
“Yes, that much at least is true. She lives in Chelmsford. But it’s rather suspicious, don’t you think, that his sister should fall ill and require his presence at precisely the same time the Eye disappears?”
“Very much so. However, it doesn’t mean that he didn’t go to visit her. This would be a good time for him to get out of the city. Or he could hide the thing at his sister’s and return, so that any search of his rooms would turn up nothing.”
“Unfortunately, he could also have hidden the Eye anywhere in the city,” Desmond pointed out as he lit the fire.
There was the sound of footsteps and male voices in the hall. Theo and Reed. Thisbe sighed and turned toward the door just as Theo poked his head into the room. “I say, Thiz, why are you in here?” His gaze went past her to Desmond, still crouched by the fireplace, and he scowled. “What the devil is he doing here?”
* * *
DESMOND SUPPRESSED A sigh and rose to his feet. He wasn’t looking forward to more bruises from Thisbe’s brother. Desmond had always been able to hold his own with the lads in the village, but Theo Moreland was another matter altogether. Not only was Theo apparently some sort of school champion in the “gentlemanly art” of boxing, but Desmond also couldn’t help but feel that the other man was on the right side of the matter. Besides, Desmond was already on thin ice with Thisbe, especially after grabbing and kissing her last night. Hitting her beloved twin was certainly no way to mend things. As if Theo weren’t bad enough, Thisbe’s other brother came up behind Theo.
“Theo.” Thisbe rose to her feet. “Don’t you dare start a brawl in here.”
“I won’t.” Theo strode into the room, Reed following. “I plan to haul him outside.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Don’t be so primitive. Reed...control him.”
“That’s easier said than done,” Reed commented, but he gripped his brother’s arm. “She’s right, Theo. You’ll bring Mother and Grandmother down on your head if you don’t watch out.”
“Oh, leave off. I’m not going to hit him,” Theo said in disgust and jerked his arm from Reed’s grasp, turning to Thisbe. “But I cannot fathom why you would take up with this scoundrel again.”
“I am not ‘taking up’ with him again. I am trying to recover Grandmother’s possession.”
Desmond noticed Thisbe didn’t dispute that he was a scoundrel.
“Which he stole,” Theo reminded her. “It’s a damned stupid thing, anyway. Annie’s blue eye? What the devil’s that?”
“Annie Blue’s Eye,” Thisbe corrected. “It’s part of a legend, and it may be stupid, but you know how Grandmother feels about it. Besides, I don’t believe Desmond took it. We’re trying to figure out who did and how to get it back.”
“What legend?” Theo asked.
“Who stole it?” Reed queried. Her brothers sat down, their suspicious expressions turning to interest.
“Desmond, you tell them,” Thisbe said. “You know it much better than I.”
Desmond launched into his tale, certain that Thisbe’s brothers would scoff at the story of Anne Ballew and the instrument she invented, but they listened intently. Clearly, any Moreland found it difficult to pass up a mystery.
When Desmond finished, Reed said, “Your tutor sounds a bit off his head to me, but I’d put my money on the patron taking this Eye.”
“Why is this Wallace fellow so obsessed with the thing, anyway?” Theo asked. “I understand that your professor thinks he’ll win back his tattered reputation, but what does Wallace have to gain from it?”
“Fame, I suppose,” Thisbe offered. “Maybe some acceptance in scientific circles.”
Theo looked skeptical. “Sponsoring their experiments is enough to make him popular with scientists. He must want something more than that if he’s willing to steal an object from a duke’s house.”
“I believed he was eager to move up the social ladder,” Thisbe said. “But now I see that his interest in meeting Grandmother may have been due only to the Eye.”
“He’d like to enter a more exclusive circle,” Desmond agreed. “But he’s been fascinated by the spiritual world since his wife died. I think that’s why he’s looking for the Eye.”
“He wants to talk to his dead wife?” Reed asked. “Very well. I can understand one becoming obsessed with that.”
Theo snorted. “That’s because you’re a bloody romantic.”
“Ha! Who is it that’s always coming to the rescue of some damsel in distress?” Reed countered.
“Boys, please,” Thisbe interjected, staving off an argument.
Desmond covered a smile at the way Thisbe addressed the two men like children. But, now that he thought about it
, though Theo was but three or so years younger than Desmond himself and Reed only two years behind Theo, the two of them seemed far younger than he. Certainly younger than he felt.
However large they were, however intelligent, wealthy and titled, the two of them had been raised in privilege, sheltered from most of the harshness of the world. They had never faced adversity or heartache, never come up against a thing they could not do, a barrier they were unable to cross. They were not yet the men they would become.
This new understanding subtly altered his view of her brothers. Fond as Desmond had become of the Morelands, he had felt no bond with these two. It wasn’t just that he had been around them less. The truth was he hadn’t thought of them as actual people; he’d just viewed them as members of the aristocracy, to be regarded with wariness, vague enmity and a certain contempt. He had made an effort to avoid them rather than come to know them. And, perhaps, deep down he had been a little jealous of the close ties between Theo and Thisbe.
Thisbe went on crisply, “Back to the matter at hand—Desmond and I are considering whether we should pursue Mr. Wallace or Mr. Gordon. They’re both mysteriously missing.”
“Together, you think?” Theo asked.
“It could be,” Thisbe agreed. “But even if they’re in league with each other, they might have gone their separate ways, and we don’t know which one has possession of the Eye.”
“The patron’s more likely to have it,” Theo said. “He’s the one paying for it.”
Reed nodded. “They’re either together or Wallace has it. He’s not likely to show up at Gordon’s sister’s house, with or without Gordon. If they’ve gone to ground, I’d warrant it’s at Wallace’s. Does he have a manor house? A shooting lodge?”
“I don’t know.” Thisbe sighed. “I asked Grandmother last night, but she knows nothing about the man.”
“That must have vexed her.” Theo grinned. “But I’m sure she’ll soon find out.”
“Still, it may take some time for her tentacles to spread that far. Smeggars is after the information, too, but even servant gossip can be slow.”
Desmond, who had remained quiet amidst the Moreland chatter, spoke up somewhat tentatively. “It occurs to me...we’ve already established that it’s not likely that either Gordon or Wallace actually broke into the house and stole the Eye. Yes?”
“Either one would have hired a professional,” Thisbe agreed.
“Wouldn’t it be likely that Wallace would again hire the same man who threatened you?” Desmond went on.
“What? Threatened Thisbe?” Theo leaned forward. “What do you mean? Who threatened you, Thiz?”
“No one actually threatened me,” Thisbe assured him. “He tried to coerce Desmond by saying he would hurt me if Desmond didn’t get the Eye for him.”
So Thisbe believed him about that. Desmond’s spirits picked up. “He told me he wasn’t a thief, but he would have been the one Wallace went to, and I’d bet that he decided he was a robber after all when Wallace offered him money. Or he hired one. Unfortunately, I doubt he still has the Eye—he would have turned it over to Wallace.”
“I’d still like to talk to him,” Theo said grimly.
“Now, him you’re welcome to knock about,” Thisbe interjected.
“My thought was, he might know where Wallace has taken it,” Desmond added.
“So what we need to do is find this fellow,” Theo said.
“How?” Thisbe asked practically. “Desmond, do you know his name?”
“No,” he admitted.
“Well, we’ll scour the disreputable taverns until we find him.” Theo rose to his feet.
“That should take some time,” Reed commented drily, but he stood up, as well.
“I’m going with you,” Desmond said with quiet determination, also rising.
Theo frowned at him. “We don’t ne—”
Desmond met his gaze levelly. “I’m the one who knows what he looks like.”
Theo’s scowl deepened, but Reed said lightly, “Don’t be an ass, Theo.”
“Oh, all right.”
“Wait a moment. You’re not going without me,” Thisbe said.
All three men swung to her. “No.”
She rolled her eyes. “This is my quest, and if you think you’re going to cut me out, you’d best think again.”
“You’re not going,” Theo said flatly.
“It’s too dangerous,” Reed added.
Desmond said mildly, “You’ll stick out like a lighthouse in that sort of place, Thisbe. Remember how it was at the university? Just think what attention you’d garner in a tavern of ruffians. It would ruin any chance of anyone talking to us.”
Thisbe set her jaw, glaring at Desmond for a moment, but then sighed, deflated. “I suppose you’re right.” She added crossly, “But you must promise to come back and tell me as soon as you find out anything.”
“Of course.”
“And be careful.” She looked at her brothers. “You, too. Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Why do you look at me when you say that?” Theo laughed. “You didn’t tell him not to be stupid.” He jerked his thumb toward Desmond.
“I don’t have to tell Desmond,” she retorted.
Theo and Reed left to put on their coats and order the carriage brought round, leaving Thisbe and Desmond alone. Thisbe put her hand on his arm. “You will take care, won’t you? Not do anything rash?”
“I promise.”
“And keep Theo and Reed safe?”
He raised his eyebrows. “I wouldn’t think they’d listen to me.”
“Maybe not. Theo is the kind who likes to run toward danger, not away. Reed is more practical, but he’ll do anything Theo does. He can’t resist the challenge. But they will listen to reason.” She smiled and knocked her knuckles lightly against her head. “You just have to get through that Moreland bullheadedness.”
“You’re not bullheaded.” Desmond moved closer. “You’re beautifully unafraid and passionate.”
Thisbe’s green eyes pulled him in. He wanted to kiss her again, even though it would be irredeemably foolish. The echo of footsteps in the hallway broke his trance, and Desmond released her hand, stepping away.
Thisbe followed the men into the hallway. “How are you planning to find this man? You have no idea who he is or what places he frequents.”
“True.” Reed grinned. “Fortunately, I know someone who will.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
DESMOND FOLLOWED THE other men out of the house and into the waiting carriage. In his opinion, their carriage would stick out as much as Thisbe would, but he said nothing. As long as Thisbe was safely uninvolved, it didn’t matter how little chance they had of succeeding. At least he was doing something, and there was the possibility, however slight, that they might come across Wallace’s man.
Theo took the seat across from Desmond, and Reed sat beside him—the better, Desmond supposed, to keep him under control, though he couldn’t imagine what they thought he might do.
“How did you do that?” Reed asked. He was the friendlier, or at least the less hostile, of Thisbe’s brothers.
“Do what?”
“Persuade Thisbe not to come with us.”
“Why wouldn’t she agree?” Desmond shrugged. “It was logical. Thisbe always listens to reason.”
Theo snorted. “Clearly, you didn’t grow up with her.”
“Well, no,” Desmond admitted.
Theo drummed his fingers on his knee for a few moments, then said, “Did this man really threaten to harm Thisbe?”
“Yes, of course. I don’t remember his exact words, but his meaning was clear. The next day, Thisbe fell on the street, and this man was right there. He said she should be more careful, that she might have fallen in front of a carriage.”
“Bloody bast
ard.”
“You’re saying that’s why you stole the Eye?”
“I didn’t steal it. I can see what Thisbe meant about Moreland bullheadedness.” Perhaps it was not the wisest thing to say, but Desmond was growing increasingly weary of being accused of theft. “But that was why I stopped calling on Thisbe. I wanted them to believe that they had no control over me that way.” He looked at Theo. “Your visit to my workshop did a pretty thorough job of convincing them.”
“Happy to oblige.” Theo sighed and leaned back in his seat. “Though I suppose I should apologize if you were trying to protect Thisbe. It’s just... I hate for Thisbe to be unhappy.”
“So do I,” Desmond replied simply. “I never wanted to cause Thisbe distress. But I wanted even less to expose her to physical harm. Perhaps there was some other way, but I couldn’t think of one.”
Both men continued to study him. Their steady, assessing gazes reminded Desmond of the rather disconcerting stare with which the young twins sometimes regarded one, as if they could see things inside you that no one else could. The Moreland men, he thought, were an odd lot. Well, the women were, too, he supposed. But they were tremendously hard not to like. Even these two.
“I know I’m not the sort of man you’d want for your sister. I’ve no title or money. I don’t expect you to approve of me, but you’re dead wrong if you think I used Thisbe for my own ends.” Desmond wasn’t sure why it was important to him that they believe him, but somehow it was. “I did not pursue her because of the Eye. Obviously she was a lady, but I never dreamed she was the granddaughter of the dowager duchess. I admit I was wrong not to tell Thisbe about the Eye and our interest in it from the moment I realized who she was. But I was afraid of losing her. I was a fool. Haven’t you ever acted the fool over a woman?”
Theo snorted and looked at Reed, his eyes dancing. “Remember that tavern girl in Little Biddenton? You always were a soft touch.”
Reed’s cheeks turned red, but he smiled. “And what of the don’s daughter at Oxford?”
“Don’t remind me.” Theo’s smile faded as he turned to Desmond. “Men have always been fools over women at one time or another. I don’t care unless it touches one of my sisters. I don’t give a damn whether you’re poor as a church mouse or rich as Croesus, and titles are nothing but chains. Maybe I’m inclined to believe you didn’t set out to hurt Thisbe. But you deal wrongly with her again, and I’ll snap you like a twig.”
