Gift of Gold

by Jayne Ann Krentz

  “Jonas, for heaven’s sake,” Verity hissed.

  Caitlin waved a dismissing hand. “He’s right. Financially, it will be an interesting move. I still have several unsold paintings left. Their value will probably triple when word gets out that Bloodlust is my final work.”

  “And Bloodlust itself should go for a fortune.” Jonas dug into the eggs Tavi had put in front of him.

  “I fully intend to get as much as I possibly can for it,” Caitlin agreed calmly. “I also plan to make my auction a major event. I have always kept my distance from the artworld but I would like to leave it with a bang. There has always been a certain amount of curiosity about me among art patrons. I have never allowed myself to be photographed, never mingled socially. Call it a whim, but I want to exit with an event that will not only satisfy that curiosity but will be remembered for a time.”

  Verity looked down as Tavi placed a plate in front of her. She noticed that the woman’s fingers were trembling. As she looked up, she caught a tight, pinched, almost desperate look on Tavi’s face. Then it was gone. Tavi moved on toward Caitlin’s end of the table.

  “What are you planning to do to make your auction special?” Verity asked uneasily.

  Caitlin took another sip of coffee. “I have been giving the matter much thought. Jonas, you’re the one who gave me the final inspiration. In three weeks I’m going to hold a Renaissance costume ball here in my home. I’m going to recreate a sixteenth century court setting as closely as possible. We will eat, drink, and converse as any wealthy gathering would have done back at the height of the Renaissance. The ball will be held on Sunday evening. On Monday I will conduct the auction. What do you think?”

  “I think,” Jonas said, “that it sounds like a hell of a lot of work.”

  “Oh, it will be, but Tavi and I have little else to do. The preparations should be amusing. We have already started the research.”

  “It sounds magnificent,” Verity said thoughtfully. “But it’ll cost a lot of money to organize something like that.”

  She didn’t say aloud that the idea was far less appealing today than it might have been yesterday. After last night, Verity was not feeling a great deal of interest in the Renaissance. But then, it wasn’t her party.

  “Money is not a problem,” Caitlin said easily. “I have the freedom to indulge myself. And I’m glad you like my whimsical little notion, because I would very much like for you and Jonas to attend.”

  “No, thanks,” Jonas said mildly. “Sounds too rich for my blood. And Verity has to run the No Bull Cafe on Sunday evenings.”

  “In three weeks we’ll start closing on Sundays,” Verity pointed out, annoyed at the way he had answered for her.

  “I believe Laura Griswald mentioned your winter routine,” Caitlin murmured.

  Verity sighed. “It sounds fantastic, but I’m afraid Jonas is right. You’ll he entertaining people who are accustomed to moving in the social stratosphere. I’d feel out of it, Caitlin. You can understand that. Besides, what you’re planning is going to be basically a business affair. You don’t need me. I’ll come for a visit afterward.”

  Caitlin leaned forward, her cool fingers touching Verity’s hand. Her eyes were deep and filled with urgency. “Please, Verity. I want you to come. It’s important to me. I have no other close friends to invite except Tavi and yourself. The others who will be coming will all be strangers who will be indulging me out of a morbid curiosity. I would like to have you there as my friend. I’ll pay for the rental of your costumes and I’ll cover all your other expenses.”

  “Caitlin, that’s not necessary,” Verity interrupted quickly, flicking a glance at Jonas. She could see the disapproval in him and she felt momentarily trapped between two opposing forces. For an instant she had the unsettling sensation that she was merely a pawn being tossed back and forth between these two. But that was ridiculous.

  “Humor me, Verity. I’m going to need you when I sell Bloodlust.”

  A dish clattered loudly as Tavi moved away from the table. Jonas said nothing but Verity could feel his aggressive anger. She knew he wanted nothing to do with Caitlin’s Renaissance ball or the aftermath.

  Well, he didn’t have to attend, Verity rationalized as she gave in to the appeal she saw in Caitlin’s face. She knew then that, for whatever reason, Caitlin needed her.

  “All right,” Verity said finally. “If you really want me there, I’ll be there.”

  Caitlin closed her eyes and nodded in relieved satisfaction. “Thank you.” She turned to Jonas. “What about you, Jonas? Will you escort your employer?”

  Verity hastened to get Jonas off the hook. “I don’t think this is going to be Jonas’s idea of a fun time,” she said lightly. “I’m sure he’d rather go fishing with my father.”

  “It’s definitely not my idea of a fun time,” Jonas agreed harshly. “But if Verity insists on attending, I’ll come with her.”

  Caitlin looked satisfied. More than satisfied, Verity decided with sudden perception. She looked almost triumphant.

  Two hours later Verity was still trying to work through her astonishment over Jonas’s willingness to accompany her to Caitlin’s party. She got into the passenger seat of her compact while he tossed their bags onto the backseat and slid behind the wheel. She waved at Caitlin and Tavi, framed in the open doorway of the steel-gray house. Tavi did not wave or smile back. Caitlin lifted one hand in farewell and turned to go inside.

  “All right, Jonas, let’s have it. Why are you going to come with me to Caitlin’s party?”

  “For the same reason I came with you on this stupid little jaunt. I don’t want you driving over here alone. I don’t trust that woman. She wants something from you, Verity.”

  “Friendship.”

  Jonas shook his head with great certainty. “Caitlin Evanger doesn’t need anyone’s friendship.”

  “We all need friends, Jonas,” Verity said gently. “Just because she gives the impression of great self-sufficiency, that doesn’t mean Caitlin’s an exception.”

  “She’s got good old Tavi.”

  Verity frowned, thinking about that. “You know, now that you mention it, I don’t quite understand that relationship. I know Tavi is a paid companion, but I get the feeling she’s very attached to Caitlin. Did you notice how nervous she was this morning when she served breakfast? She was very tense.”

  “Maybe she had a bad night.” Jonas was not concerned about Tavi. “Forget those two, Verity. I want to talk about us.”

  “What about us?” she asked warily.

  “Now that you’ve had a few hours to think about what I told you last night, do you still think I’m crazy?” he asked bluntly.

  “I never said you were crazy,” she muttered defensively.

  “You might not have said it, but don’t try telling me the thought hasn’t crossed your mind. Dammit, Verity, tell me the truth. Are you afraid of me?”

  The question took her by surprise. She thought about it. “No, I’m not afraid of you,” she finally said honestly. “I just don’t understand what’s going on.”

  He shot her a searching glance. “I’ll take what I can get for the moment. It’s enough that you don’t think I’m going to turn into a werewolf some night when the moon is full. In the meantime, will you help me?”

  Her head came around in surprise. “Help you do what?”

  “I want to conduct some tests,” he said tersely. “I want to see how far my control extends now that I’ve got you to hold on to. We can use those dueling pistols of your dad’s to start. I only touched one long enough the other night to get a sense of its authenticity. As soon as I felt the emotions attached to it, I dropped it. But not before I felt you in that corridor with me. You were in that corridor again last night, honey. I saw you. You touched me.”

  Verity gave a start. Shock widened her eyes. “What corridor?” Her br
eathless demand gave her away.

  Jonas smiled briefly and ferociously. “I wondered if it would translate into your mind with the same imagery. Apparently it does. Interesting.”

  “Jonas, please…” The plea drifted to a halt. Verity didn’t know what to ask for. She swallowed, her mouth going dry. Until now she had been certain the corridor was merely a quirk of her imagination.

  “I’m talking about a long, maybe an endless tunnel. A corridor that seems to stretch forward and backward into infinity. If there is such a thing as infinity,” he added thoughtfully. “Personally, I’m not so sure there is. At least not on the continuum that links time and space. Maybe there are other continuums that are truly infinite. Or maybe each universe is finite but the potential for the creation of universes is infinite. Or maybe time isn’t on a continuum at all. Maybe it’s more like a foggy sea surrounding us. Or there could be millions of time continuums all existing simultaneously…”

  “Jonas, you’re losing me rapidly,” Verity said with a quiet desperation.

  “No, I’m not. You told me yourself you had an excellent education. You just don’t want to hear what I’m going to say. But you’re going to listen, Verity.” The ancient gold of his eyes burned for an instant, “There’s not much else you can do. After all, like it or not, you’re trapped in this car with a crazy man who just happens to be your lover.”

  Verity flinched. His sardonic remark was far too close to what she had been thinking earlier that morning as she descended the steel staircase. If Jonas was getting to know her well enough to second-guess her thoughts, she was in real trouble. “I never said you were crazy and two nights of sex does not automatically make you my lover. At this point you don’t qualify as anything more than an occasional bed partner.”

  “Your only occasional bed partner.” His long fingers tightened on the wheel. “Tell me something, Verity. Are you using me?”

  “Using you! What a thing to say! If anyone’s using someone in this relationship of ours, it’s you.”

  “I’m not so sure about that. I’ve been wondering why, after twenty-eight years of sleeping alone, you suddenly decided to let me into your bed.”

  “I didn’t exactly let you into bed,” she pointed out carefully. “You sort of muscled your way in.”

  “Bullshit. You let me in. You wanted me there. Don’t you dare imply there was any rape involved, Verity Ames, or so help me, I’ll turn you over my knee.”

  “Threats now, Jonas?” she asked in taunting, liquid tones.

  “You bet your sweet little ass. Now answer my question. Are you using me? I have a right to know just what the basis of this relationship is.”

  His arrogance was breathtaking. “Don’t be absurd. How would I be using you?”

  “As an experiment,” he said succinctly.

  “An experiment!”

  “Sure. I’ve been the subject of enough experiments in my life to know a setup when I see one. It makes a nasty kind of sense. After all, you’re looking at thirty on the horizon and there’s no relationship in sight. Hell, there’s not even a man in sight for a weekend fling. You were a little too picky for a little too long, I guess. Either that or you flayed every man in sight with that sharp tongue. Whatever the reason, you find yourself alone facing spinsterhood. You’re a naturally passionate woman who’s denied herself an outlet for her sensual needs for too long. You begin to wonder if you’ll ever experience sex or have a genuine affair. It’s only natural that you might be getting desperate as you see an important aspect of life passing you by.”

  Verity was incensed. Her hands closed into small fists. “I am not desperate. I may be picky but I am not desperate.”

  “What woman wouldn’t be desperate in your situation?”

  “You egotistical, chauvinistic bastard!”

  “I’m just trying to get at the truth. I want to know if you decided to experiment with me. I want to know if you’re using me to get a taste of what you’ve been missing all these years. After all, I’m convenient, there’s an attraction between us, and I’m willing. What’s more, the relationship probably feels safe to you because you think that ultimately you’re in control of it. Hell, I work for you. How much more in control could you get? You can always fire me if I start boring you in bed.

  “My lady thinks she will command the dance

  She calls the tune and dictates every measure.

  I tread the steps, ensnared with every beat,

  While she sips the rich dark wine of pleasure.”

  Verity wrinkled her nose. “Another rough translation of some Renaissance poem?”

  “Yeah. Some courtier’s humble ode to his beloved who kept him dancing on the end of her string. Translating poetry is not my forte, but you get the point. I’m like the poor courtier who ended up dancing to his beloved’s tune.”

  “Somehow, I don’t see you playing the humble courtier, Jonas. If you do occasionally, it’s for your own purposes. If we’re going to use Renaissance imagery, I would have to say you’re more of a condottiere who’s busy with his own schemes and plans while he pretends to be working for a client.”

  Jonas’s mouth tightened. “You haven’t answered my question.”

  “About whether I’m using you? Experimenting on you? Never mind. It will give you something to think about while I’m wondering why I’m allowing a crazy man to continue washing dishes for me.”

  There was a frozen silence from the other side of the car and then Jonas asked in a too-neutral voice, “Do you really think I’m off my rocker?”

  Verity caught her lower lip between her teeth and gnawed painfully for a moment. “No,” she said finally, thinking of what she had seen in his golden eyes.

  She had seen humor in that gaze as well as intelligence, passion, and anger. She had never seen anything that made her wonder if he was mentally unstable. She had never sensed anything in him that made her think he was dangerously out of control.

  “Thanks for that much, at any rate.”

  “Tell me about this…this corridor,” she ordered tightly.

  His expression gentled as he looked at her. Jonas took one hand off the wheel long enough to squeeze her clenched fingers. His touch was warm and comforting. “Don’t be afraid, honey. Whenever you’re in the corridor, I’ll be there with you. What can scare the living hell out of someone is finding himself alone there, not knowing what’s ahead or behind.”

  Verity looked at him with wide, uncertain eyes. “You see yourself in a corridor whenever you go into one of your trances or whatever you call the condition you were in last night?”

  Jonas nodded once. “A long, dark tunnel, like a tube that connects the past and the present. I didn’t know if, when you joined me there, you would see the same thing, but apparently you do. That should help, Verity. It gives us a point of reference. The experience is similar enough for both of us that we should be able to share certain aspects of it.”

  Verity searched frantically for some logical explanation. “Maybe you’re telepathic or something. Maybe that corridor is a construction you’ve invented in your own mind and you can somehow make me see it, too. Maybe this has nothing to do with psychometry.”

  “You’re telling me it would be easier for you to accept telepathy than psychometry?”

  “Well, there are a lot of instances of people believing they’ve seen or heard things that they couldn’t have sensed in any normal way.” Verity picked her way painfully through the words. “I don’t know, Jonas. As dumb as it sounds, I think it’s easier to believe in some form of telepathy than in psychometry. When you talk about psychometry, you’re talking about the forces of the past. To be honest, that gives me the creeps.”

  He smiled wryly. “Compared to that, telepathy looks normal, right?”

  “More acceptable, maybe,” she admitted. “Were you ever tested for that while you were at Vincent Col
lege?”

  “Yeah. Sorry to disappoint you. I showed absolutely no trace of telepathic ability, not even after the psychometry started getting so strong.”

  Verity sat in silence, trying to come to terms with a host of strange concepts. “You really believe everything you’re telling me, don’t you?”

  “It’s almost killed me, Verity, or worse. And it almost made me kill another man. Yeah, I believe it. I’ve been forced to accept the reality of it.”

  “And now that you’ve got me to hold on to, you want to test yourself and see if the talent is more controllable, is that it?”

  “Yes. I wasn’t going to rush you. To be honest, I didn’t know how to go about explaining the whole thing. But last night you were exposed to everything, so there’s no point pretending any longer.”

  Verity sighed. “By all means, Jonas, let’s stop the pretense.”

  He flexed his fingers on the wheel and glanced over at her. His lashes hooded his narrowed eyes. “You’ll help me run some tests?”

  She must be the crazy one in the car, Verity decided. “All right. I know I’ll probably live to regret this, but good help is hard to get. I don’t want to have to advertise for another dishwasher. I’ll let you run some experiments with me, if that’s what you want.”

  “Gracious as ever, little tyrant.”

  But when she looked over at him, she saw that he was grinning.

  Tavi poured more coffee for her employer and carried it to where Caitlin sat staring out the window. “Do you really think you can control his actions the night of the ball?” she asked.

  “You saw the way the rapier affected him last night.”

  “What we saw was a man who almost collapsed. When he did manage to pull himself together he went charging out of the room as if he intended to murder someone. I think he was close to being out of control, Caitlin. You said he was not a danger as long as the current context did not resemble the past associated with that rapier.”