Amanda Quick - With This Ring

by With This Ring (lit)

  She snatched up the small embroidered pillow she kept behind her on her chair and hurled it straight at his head.

  ap le r IS

  The door at the end of the passageway closed

  abruptly, shutting off the pale beam of moonlight.

  Darkness closed in upon her.

  FRom CHAPTER EiGHTEEN oF The Ruin BY MRs. AmELLA YoRK

  he following evening Finch came to the doorway of Leo's study and coughed discreetly. "I beg your pardon, m'lord. The carriage is here. It is nearly eight-thirty. You are expected at the home of Mrs. Poole and her relatives at a quarter to nine, if you will recall."

  "Thank you, Finch. I have not forgotten." Leo made one last note and then closed Cox's journal of accounts.

  He was already dressed in formal attire for the evening's mandatory appearances. There were any number of other things he would rather do that night. A quiet dinner at home with Beatrice leaped to mind.

  Given his announcement of an impending engagement, however, he knew he had little choice but to make certain

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  that he and Beatrice were seen together publicly for the next few evenings. Any other course of action would only invite more gossip and speculation, neither of which they needed at the moment.

  He was halfway across the study when he paused. "Did you forget something, m'lord?" Finch asked. "Yes, I believe I did. I'll be along in a moment."

  Finch inclined his head and retreated into the front hall. Leo waited until he was alone before he walked to the opposite wall and eased aside the heavy gilded mirror that hung there.

  For a long while he studied the lock of the concealed safe. Then, very deliberately, he opened it, pulled the door wide, and reached inside for the small inlaid box.

  He took it out and turned it slowly between his fingers. He still did not know what wild impulse had made him bring it along on this strange venture. It had not been removed from the safe at Monkcrest Abbey since the death of his parents. He had not looked inside the box for sever'al years. At one time he had planned to give it to his wife on the occasion of their first anniversary. But by then he had realized that she could never return his love and affection.

  The object in the box represented a part of the Monkcrest family legend he had come to believe he would never fulfill.

  He carried the box with him into the hall, where Finch held his greatcoat and gloves.

  "I trust you will enjoy your evening, m'lord."

  "If nothing else, it will no doubt prove interesting." Leo dropped the little box into one of the pockets of his greatcoat. The other pocket was already weighted down with a small pistol. "Things are rarely dull when Mrs. Poole is in the vicinity."

  Ydindeed." Finch drew himself up to his full height. Y'M'Iord, on behalf of the staff and myself, allow me to extend

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  our felicitations and congratulations on your recent engagement to Mrs. Poole."

  "Thank you, Finch." Leo saw no need to point out that it was a pending engagement, not an actual engagement.

  He went through the door and down the front steps to where the hired coach waited, lights flickering, in the swirling fog.

  The massive ballroom chandeliers cast a warm glow onto the terrace where Beatrice stood with Leo. The heat of the overcrowded room poured through the open doors together with the music and the muffled roar of a hundred conversations.

  "Aunt Winifred was correct." Beatrice put her gloved hand on the low stone wall that surrounded the terrace. "We seem to be the chief topic of conversation at every social affair in Town."

  "Only to be expected." Leo put one booted foot on the stone barrier that marked the edge of the terrace. He braced his forearm on his thigh and followed her gaze into the fogshrouded gardens. "The talk of our engagement will fade quickly."

  "Pending engagement, you mean," she said. "I know how much you must dislike being on everyone's lips.'

  He made a small, dismissive movement with his hand. "It's not the first time that a Mad Monk has been the subject of idle speculation."

  He was brooding, she thought. He had been like this since he had arrived at the town house two hours earlier. She wanted to believe that it was the deepening puzzle of the Forbidden Rings that had induced his dark mood tonight. Unfortunately, she feared that it was the gossip of their pending engagement that was responsible.

  Of all the damnable luck. She squeezed her hand into a small fist. If only Pearson Burnby had not issued his stupid

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  challenge in the first place. Things were already complicated enough as it was. Neither she nor Leo needed this additional problem.

  The worst of it was that she could not tell how disgusted or angry Leo truly was about the unexpected turn of events. He was securely barricaded behind his most enigmatic facade.

  "Has there been any sign of Mr. Sibson or Mr. Saltmarsh?" she asked in what she hoped was a businesslike fashion.

  "None. The Runner I employed this morning gave me a report late this afternoon. Thus far he has had no luck locating them. None of their housekeepers, neighbors, or servants know where they went."

  "If we assume that Sibson is the mastermind behind this thing, it's easy to understand why he decamped for a while after murdering Dr. Cox." Beatrice frowned. "But why would Mr. Saltmarsh leave town?"

  "Unlike you, I do not assume that Saltmarsh is an ihnocent victim in this conspiracy. I believe that all three of them were united in this affair to find the Rings. But something has gone wrong with their partnership. Now one of them is dead."

  Beatrice unclenched her hand and absently drummed her fingers on the stone. "Have you had any luck with Dr. Cox's journal?"

  "Not much. I spent a good portion of the day on it. You already know that your uncle was one of Cox's patrons." "Yes.'

  "Clarinda was right when she mentioned that Sibson also bought quantities of the Elixir of Manly Vigor. He had done so for years."

  Beatrice pondered the implications. "That explains how those two became closely acquainted. Was there anything else of interest in the journal?"

  "No.' Leo's mouth curved slightly. "Although it has

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  been fascinating to note which high-ranking members of the ton sought out Cox's elixir."

  Beatrice heard the music soar in another waltz. She was intensely aware of Leo beside her. It was always like this when she was near him, she thought. A deep sense of recognition coursed through her, a sense of having waited all of her life for this man.

  In an attempt to step back from the emotional ledge she had been walking since the night she met him, she tried to analyze his impact on her. It would be so much easier to deal with her chaotic feelings if she could attribute them to the effects of fleeting passions.

  Manly vigor and physical strength pleased her as much as they pleased any other woman of her acquaintance. But she had met other gentlemen who looked as interesting in their evening clothes as Leo did. Justin had been very handsome, if a bit on the slight side compared to Leo. Graham Saltmarsh had an attractive physique, although next to Leo he seemed somewhat foppish.

  And therein lay the problem, she decided. She now compared every man she met to Leo and found them wanting.

  None of them stirred the hair on the nape of her neck and caused her insides to turn warm and weightless. None of them made her want to move closer so that she could inhale his scent.

  She became acutely aware of the hard stones beneath her fingers. Glancing down, she was startled to see that she was gripping the edge of the terrace wall with both hands.

  "Is something wrong?" Leo's eyes went to her clutching fingers.

  "No. No, of course not." She made herself unclench her hands.

  She turned her head to give him a cool, polite smile and promptly had to take a deep breath to steady herself.

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&nbs
p; He was her lover. And in the eyes of the ton she was practically engaged to him.

  "Are you certain that you are all right?" he asked. "Yes." She frowned. "I was just thinking about the Rings."

  He hesitated and then gave an almost invisible shrug. "So was L"

  Only to be expected, Beatrice told herself bracingly. Just because she was suddenly weak-kneed and breathless and about to dissolve into a warm puddle did not mean that he experienced any sensations that were even remotely similar.

  "What else are you thinking, my lord?"' she asked politely.

  "That we must find a way to take advantage of the fact that both Sibson and Saltmarsh are oift of Town. There is no way of knowing how long they will be gone."

  His announcement had an effect remarkably akin to a bucket of cold water poured over her head. Somuch for thoughts of passion, fleeting or otherwise.

  "What else can we do that we have not already done?" "There is one other piece of this puzzle we have not yet examined," Leo said softly.

  "What do you mean? We have searched the lodgings of all three men. You have hired a Runner to make inquiries and you have examined Dr. Cox's journal of accounts. I do not see what else we can do."

  "We can take a closer look at Trull's Museum."

  She suppressed the trickle of dread that teased her spine. 'But you said it has been closed since the afternoon Mr. Saltmarsh and I were trapped inside."

  "I have had a watch kept on the place. There has been no sign of activity inside. But that damned establishment seems to play a central role in this thing. I think it warrants a closer inspection.-

  "You plan to pay a visit?" She paused when she saw

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  Arabella and Pearson Burnby emerge from the ballroom. Pearson had a gentle, possessive grip on Arabella's arm, she noticed.

  The couple walked across the terrace to join Beatrice and Leo.

  "Hello, Arabella." Beatrice smiled. "Did you and Mr. Burnby come out to get some air?"

  "We came to tell you something.' Arabella glowed. Pearson brought her to a halt a short distance away. He inclined his head with stiff respect. "Mrs. Poole. Monkcrest." "Burnby." Leo looked both bored and irritated.

  "Before we tell you and Mrs. Poole our great news, sir," Pearson continued gamely, "I wish to apologize for what occurred between us yesterday. I hope you will accept that it was prompted by a gross misunderstanding on my part."

  Leo's brows rose. "Of course. I have already forgotten the incident."

  A tiny frown puckered Arabella's smooth brow. "I do not understand. Why are you apologizing to his lordship, Pearson?"

  "I made a mistake," Pearson said steadily. He held Leo's gaze. "I acted hastily. My only excuse is that I was overcome by strong emotion."

  "It is never wise to be guided by strong emotion," Leo said dryly. "Unfortunately, one seldom learns that lesson until one is well advanced in years. By then one generally need not concern oneself with the results."

  Beatrice did not trust Leo's mood. She moved swiftly to change the course of the conversation. "Well then, Arabella, what is your grand announcement?"

  Arabella's expression cleared. "Pearson has asked me to marry him and I have accepted his proposal."

  "I see." Beatrice glanced uneasily at Pearson. "I am very happy for you both. I trust your parents are equally pleased?" , ,

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  "I shall inform them of my decision later tonight," Pearson said calmly. "I am certain they will be delighted."

  Arabella had been right in her estimation of Pearson, Beatrice thought. For better or worse, he had made his decision without waiting for his parents' approval. She could only hope that they would not explode when they heard the news.

  "Allow me to be the first to congratulate you, Burnby," Leo said.

  "Thank you, sir." Pearson looked at Arabella. "Let us go find Mama."

  "Yes, of course." Arabella smiled at Beatrice. "Pearson and I have agreed to keep our announcement quiet for a while. We do not want to trample on your own wonderful news."

  "Pray don't let the announcement of our pending engagement keep you from making your own plans public. At our ages, Monkcrest and I are far too mature to allow ourselves to get overexcited about that sort of thing. Is that not right, my lord?"

  His eyes glittered. "Quite right, my dear. We are both long past the point where one indulges in grand romantic gestures. High passions are for the young."

  "When one need not worry excessively about suffering a fit of apoplexy after experiencing them," Beatrice concluded in liquid tones.

  Leo gave her a laconic smile. "Indeed."

  She resisted the temptation to kick him, but it was not easy.

  Pearson looked at Leo. "You're quite certain you won't mind if word gets out about our engagement this evening?" "Trust me, Burnby, it will not bother me in the least." "Very well, then." Pearson nodded once more and swept Arabella off in the direction of the ballroom.

  With a thoughtful expression Leo watched them go.

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  "With any luck, their announcement will divert some of the attention of the ton."

  "Do you think so?" Beatrice was dubious. "Surely you hold more interest for most people than Mr. Burnby does." "I assure you, today the Polite World finds young

  Burnby a good deal more fascinating than it did yesterday, before he issued his challenge."

  Beatrice was briefly startled. Then she understood. "Yes, of course. Mr. Burnby no doubt enjoys considerable cachet tonight. He issued a challenge to the Earl of Monkcrest and lived to tell the tale."

  "Just so."

  "Little does Society know, of course, that the notorious Monkcrest has slipped into his dotage while rusticating in Devon. I doubt that anyone realizes that the Mad Monk no longer presents much of a threat to a young, vigorous man such as Mr. Burnby."

  Leo's teeth flashed wickedly in the shadows. "The only thing that matters to me, madam, is that you still consider me a threat to your virtue."

  "You are incorrigible, sir."

  "At my age, it is one of the few pleasures left." The rakish amusement faded from his face, leaving behind the familiar raptor-sharp gleam. "Shall we return to those plans that we were about to make when Arabella and young Burnby interrupted us?"

  "A visit to Trull's?"

  "Yes. I think we should have a look around the place as soon as possible."

  "As I started to say earlier, I am free in the morning." She halted abruptly when he shook his head. "Ah, I collect you mean tonight?"

  "We can arrange for your aunt and Arabella to go on to the Ballinger affair in the carriage I hired for the evening. You and I will find a hackney to take us back to your town

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  house so that you can change into your trousers. And then on to Trull's."

  She pushed aside the memories of her reaction to the disturbing atmosphere in the underground chamber and pasted what she hoped was an enthusiastic smile on her face. "How do you intend for us to enter the establishment?"

  He took her arm to lead her back into the ballroom. "We shall use the hidden passageway that you discovered the last time you were there."

  Which opened straight into the dreadful underground chamber, Beatrice thought. "Excellent notion. And Elf ?" "We must leave him behind again this evening. During

  the day most people can see that he is only a very large hound. But at night he is too easily mistaken for a wolf." Beatrice glanced at him. "Especially after the recent

  reports in the papers of a great slavering beast seen prowling the streets of London at night."

  "Indeed." Leo inclined his head politely to a couple who had iust emeraed from the ballroom. "Anyone who chanced to see us with Elf would likely send up the alarm. And that includes hackney coachmen who are usually well into their gin by ten o'clock on a damp evening such as this."

  They slipped away from the ball shortly a
fter midnight. Beatrice considered taking a glass or two of champagne first to fortify herself for another experience of Trull's underground chamber. In the end, she resisted.

  This time she would have Leo with her, she reminded herself as a footman assisted her into her cloak. If anyone could fend off the unsettling aura of that room, he could.

  "Ready?" Leo held out his arm to take her dowfi the front steps of the mansion. There was an unmistakable shimmer of dark anticipation in the air around him.

  He was looking forward to the night's adventure, she thought as she put her arm into his. The Earl of Monkcrest was readying himself for the hunt.

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  He handed her up into the carriage and followed her into the cab. His eyes met hers as he settled onto the seat across from her. She thought he was going to outline more details of the plan for the night's venture.

  He reached into the pocket of his greatcoat instead. "There is something I wish to give you," he said quietly. "You have a gift for me?" Surprise temporarily doused

  the cold sparks of unease that flickered along her spine. "Leo, that is very kind of you, but I have nothing for you." "On the contrary." He handed her a small engraved box

  fashioned of highly polished dark wood. "You have given me many things in the short time we have known each other. All of them quite valuable."

  "But, my lord-" She broke off as he took her hand and placed the box on her palm. She stared at the elaborate inlay work. "It is quite lovely. And rather old."

  "That which is inside is older. Open the box, Beatrice." She looked up and saw that he was watching her with a curious intensity. The box was very warm in her hand. Slowly she unlatched the lid and raised it.

  A ring lay inside, a large, heavily worked band of gold crowned with a huge bloodred ruby. The great stone was surrounded by an intricate array of diamonds. The ruby glowed with an inner light that compelled the eye.

  The box had felt warm in her hand. The ring nearly scorched her skin.