by Amanda Quick
Sebastian hefted the pistol. “Then they will not be a problem for us tonight.” He went to the window and looked down. The fog swirled, providing a brief glimpse of Curling’s boots on the stones below the tower.
“We’ll have to rouse the magistrate,” Garrick said.
“Who’s going to tell him about Lillian’s ghost?” Prudence asked.
“I think we’ll leave the ghost out of it,” Sebastian said. “I, for one, never actually saw her. And neither did either of you.”
“No,” Garrick said, sounding relieved. “I never saw anything resembling a ghost.”
“I’m not so certain of that,” Prudence said. A look of speculation appeared in her eyes. “I believe I may have witnessed some significant evidence of spectral phenomena.”
“I believe you are mistaken, my dear,” Sebastian said. “This is my investigation and I am the one who will discuss it with the magistrate. And I saw no ghost.”
Prudence’s brows rose. “As you wish, my lord. I cannot help but notice, however, that the curse Lillian placed on The Princes of Virtue has come true. All four of them have been destroyed, one way or another. Even Bloomfield has paid a price for what he did to her.”
Sebastian started to argue and then thought better about it. There was no denying that for all intents and purposes, Lillian had been avenged.
It was nearly three in the morning before the explanations had been made to the local magistrate. Mr. Lewell was a large, bluff man who took his duties seriously. He seemed deeply awed at finding himself dealing with an earl. He asked very few questions, which was just as well because Sebastian had decided to alter a few facts to suit his own purposes.
As he had explained to Prudence and Garrick, there was no reason to drag Jeremy into the matter at this juncture. And no way to prove that the deaths of Ringcross and Oxenham had been anything other than what they had appeared, an accident and a suicide.
“So Curling committed suicide.” Lewell shook his head when Sebastian had concluded the tale. “Well, he was an odd one. There have been rumors of some strange doings up at the castle from time to time.”
“Is that so?” Sebastian said politely.
“Aye. Servant gossip, you know; nevertheless, one wondered. There was a young girl who went missing a few years ago. Some said that Curling and his friends had …” Lewell let the sentence trail off into thin air. “Well, that’s neither here nor there now. The man is dead.”
“Quite dead,” Sebastian said.
Lewell nodded sagely. “I regret to tell you that he will not be missed around these parts.”
“Because of the strange doings up at the castle?” Sebastian asked.
“Not exactly,” Lewell admitted. “Curling, I fear, was in the habit of bringing his fancy friends up from London at every opportunity. Unfortunately for the local shops, he brought his supplies along with him. Claimed he couldn’t get good quality in the village. Never spent so much as a penny here.”
“I see.” Sebastian smiled.
When the interview was over, Garrick opted to spend what remained of the night at a nearby inn. “My head hurts too much to even contemplate a carriage ride. I’ll make arrangements to return to Town tomorrow. What about you two?”
Prudence patted away a wide yawn. “I could fall asleep right where I stand.”
Sebastian looked at her. He wanted to take her home, where he knew she would be safe. He wanted to put her into his bed, where he could hold her so close that nothing, not even a ghost, could take her away from him. He wanted to protect her, shield her, keep her next to his heart for the rest of his life.
“You can sleep in the carriage on the way home,” he said quietly.
“Of course, my lord,” she said equably.
It did not take Sebastian long to make the arrangements. Half an hour later he and Prudence set off for London in a hired post chaise.
“I do believe the fog is beginning to lift.” Prudence yawned delicately once more and adjusted the carriage rug over her knees. “We should make good time, Sebastian.”
Sebastian put his arm around her and drew her against him. He gazed out into the night. “We shall be home by dawn.”
“Very likely. It has all been terribly exciting, but I vow I cannot keep my eyes open another minute.” Prudence nestled into the curve of his arm.
“Prue?”
“Umm?” Her voice was thick with impending sleep.
“I wish I could have introduced you to my parents. They would have liked you very much.”
“I wish you could have met mine,” she whispered. “They would have been most pleased to have you for a son-in-law.”
Sebastian struggled to find words for what he wanted to say. He probed warily inside himself, testing the deep, hidden place that had been frozen for so long.
The ice was definitely gone, he realized, but he was still uneasy about looking too closely at the place where it had been. It was like trying to peer through the fog outside the carriage. He was not certain what he would discover. The fear of finding nothing at all where the cold had been made him hesitate.
“I did not take very good care of you tonight, Prue,” he said finally. “Things will be different in the future.”
She did not respond. Sebastian looked down and saw that her lashes were closed. She was sound asleep. He was left to wonder if she had even heard him.
They made excellent time. When the carriage halted in front of the town house, Sebastian lifted Prudence out and carried her straight upstairs. He put her carefully into the bed. She did not awaken when he got in beside her.
Sebastian gathered her close, and for the first time in four years he fell sound asleep before the first gray light of dawn had appeared.
A month later Sebastian pushed aside a journal of accounts that he had been perusing, stretched out his legs, and leaned back in his chair. Lucifer rose from the back of the sofa, bounded onto the desk, and strolled across a pile of papers. He jumped down into Sebastian’s lap.
Sebastian glanced at the ormolu clock as he stroked the cat. “She’ll be home any minute now and we shall see what my aunt has done to her.”
Lucifer curled his tail around himself and rumbled in response.
“I hope my poor Prudence has survived the experience.” Sebastian smiled. “She was certainly dreading it. Put it off as long as she could, you know. But in the end Aunt Drucilla got her.”
Lucifer twitched his ears and gave another rumbling purr in response.
A few minutes later the loud commotion in the hall announced Prudence’s return from the shopping expedition.
“Ah, here we are.” Sebastian watched the door expectantly, “fll wager my aunt has done her over in emerald greens and deep yellows.”
The library door opened abruptly and Prudence rushed into the room. She was still wearing the heavily flounced lavender gown she had left in earlier. Her bonnet, a ridiculously oversized concoction decorated with massive lavender flowers, flopped wildly. Behind the lenses of her spectacles, her eyes were alight with excitement.
“Sebastian, you will never guess what has happened.”
Sebastian dumped Lucifer on the floor and rose to greet his wife. “Please be seated, my dear. I am curious to hear all the details of your shopping trip.”
“My shopping trip?” She gave him a puzzled look as she perched on a chair.
“Perhaps you will recall it if you try very hard. I believe you left a little more than three hours ago in the company of my aunt.” Sebastian sat down again. “You were going to be redone from head to toe.”
“Oh, yes. The shopping trip.” Prudence took off her bonnet and tossed it to one side. “I believe it was quite successful. Your aunt seemed very pleased, at any rate. I hope you like green and yellow because I fear I shall be wearing a great deal of it.”
Sebastian smiled.
“But that is not what I wanted to tell you about.” Prudence smiled with satisfaction. “I have got us another client, my lord.�
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Sebastian stopped smiling. “Bloody hell.”
“Now, Sebastian, you must not take that attitude. Perhaps I should make it clear that this will be one of my investigations. I shall be looking into a matter involving spectral phenomena. I thought you would enjoy assisting me this time.”
Sebastian eyed her warily. “I do not want you taking any risks, madam, and that is final.”
“If you are worrying about your heir, you may relax.” Prudence patted her still-flat stomach. “I am certain he is made of sturdy stuff. He will take no notice of a ghost or two.”
“Now, Prue—”
“Calm yourself, my lord.” She smiled serenely. “There will not be any risks at all. This is a matter involving a very old family ghost. Apparently it has been seen of late at the Cranshaws’ country house. They would like me to verify whether or not it actually exists.”
“And if it does?”
“Why, then, they would like me to find a way to get rid of it. Apparently it is terrifying the staff. The Cranshaws have been forced to hire three new maids and a new cook in the past two months. That sort of turnover among one’s staff is very annoying, Mrs. Cranshaw tells me.”
Sebastian heard the anticipation in her voice. He saw it sparkling in her eyes. He was also ruefully aware of the familiar sense of controlled excitement bubbling to life deep inside himself. “I suppose there would not be much harm in conducting a small investigation.”
“None at all,” Prudence agreed cheerfully.
Sebastian got to his feet again and stalked over to the window. “You are quite certain this is merely a matter of spectral phenomena?”
“Absolutely certain.”
“There is no question of murder, mayhem, or criminal schemes here?”
“Of course not.”
“There is absolutely nothing of a dangerous nature involved?” he persisted.
Prudence chuckled indulgently. “Really, Sebastian. It’s perfectly ridiculous to even think that this investigation could involve any dangerous criminal activity. We are talking about a very old ghost.”
“Well,” Sebastian said cautiously, “I suppose it will be all right for you to look into the matter. I shall, of course, accompany you. It will give me an opportunity to observe your methods.”
“Of course.”
He smiled. “It might be somewhat amusing.”
“I hoped you might find it so, my lord,” Prudence said demurely.
She was laughing at him, he thought. The little baggage had known that he would be as intrigued as she was by the opportunity to investigate another interesting puzzle. She knew him too well. Hardly surprising, he reflected. She was, after all, the other half of himself.
Sebastian gazed out into the sunlit garden. “I have only one stipulation to make before I agree to pursue this investigation with you.”
“Yes, my lord?”
“I want you to tell me again that you love me,” Sebastian said very quietly.
One could have heard a feather drop in the silence that ensued. Sebastian held his breath. He steeled himself and turned slowly around to face Prudence.
She was on her feet, her hands clasped in front of her. Her eyes were very bright and a little wary. “So you did hear me that night.”
“I heard you. But I have not heard you say those words again. Have you changed your mind?”
“No, my lord. I have loved you since the moment I met you. I shall love you all the days of my life.” She smiled wistfully. “I did not say the words again because I thought perhaps you found them at best merely amusing.”
“Knowing that you love me is not a source of amusement.” Sebastian realized that his hands were shaking with the force of the emotion that was pouring through him. “It is my salvation.”
“Oh, Sebastian.” Prudence flew into his arms.
“I love you, Prue.” He crushed her close. “Always. Forever.”
It was safe, after all, to look into the dark place inside himself that had once been so very cold, Sebastian thought. It was not empty, as he had feared. Love filled the part of him that had been locked in ice for so long.
He held Prudence very close for a long time. Her warmth poured into him, filling him completely.
“There are a few small details about our next investigation that I should perhaps mention,” Prudence mumbled at last into his shirt.
“Details?” Sebastian raised his head.
Prudence smiled her most winning smile. “Well, according to my client, there is some question of a diamond necklace that has recently gone missing.”
“Diamonds? We’re talking about missing diamonds? Now, hold on just one minute, here. It has been my experience that where there is a question of missing jewelry, there is likely to be a question of foul play.”
Prudence cleared her throat with a discreet little cough. “Well, apparently there have been one or two indications— small ones, mind you—that someone may have attempted to search the Cranshaws’ house.”
“Damnation, Prue, I said nothing dangerous this time.”
“I’m sure there is nothing in the least bit dangerous about this investigation, my lord. Just some rather intriguing elements that I know will amuse you. I would not wish you to become bored.” Sebastian smiled wryly. “You think you can wrap me around your little finger, don’t you, my sweet?”
“Just as you can wrap me around yours.” She stood on tiptoe and put her arms about his neck. “I think, my dearest Sebastian, that you and I were meant for each other.”
He looked into her glowing eyes and felt the warm fires of love burning inside himself. “There is no question about that.”
He threaded his fingers through her hair and covered her mouth with his own. He knew he would never again be cold.
About the Author
AMANDA QUICK, a pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz, is a bestselling, award-winning author of contemporary and historical romances. There are over twenty-five million copies of her books in print, including Seduction Surrender Scandal Rendezvous, Ravished, Reckless, Dangerous, Deception, Desire, Mistress, Mystique, Mischief, Affair, With This Ring, I Thee Wed, Wicked Widow, and Slightly Shady. She makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Frank.
Visit her website at www.amandaquick.com.
Dear Reader:
Any man who is dangerous enough to become a living legend is probably best avoided by a sensible, intelligent lady who has determined to live a quiet, cloistered life. But some-times a woman has to work with what’s available. And as it happens, the man they call Hugh the Relentless is available … for a price.
Lady Alice, the heroine of my next book, Mystique, does not hesitate to do what must be done. She requires the services of a strong knight to help her escape her uncle’s clutches and to assist her in the hunt for a missing gemstone. Hugh, on the other hand, requires a woman who is willing to masquerade as his betrothed.
Alice decides that she and this dark legend of a man can do business together. She strikes a bold bargain with him. But you know what they say about the risks of bargaining with the devil …
Mystique is the fast-paced tale of a man and a woman who form an alliance, one that puts them on a collision course with passion, danger—and each other. It is the story of a ruthless man who is bent on vengeance and a lady who has her heart set on a studious, contemplative life—a life that definitely does not include a husband.
These two were made for each other.
I hope you will enjoy Mystique. When it comes to romance, there is something very special about the medieval setting, don’t you think? It was a time that saw the first full flowering of some of the best-loved and most romantic legends, tales that we still enjoy in many forms today. Hugh and Alice are part of that larger-than-life period in history, but their story is timeless. When it comes to affairs of the human heart, the era does not really matter. But then, as a reader of romance, you already know that.
Until the next book.
Love,
Look for Amanda Quick’s
newest historical romance
Slightly, Shady
available now
from Bantam Books
DANGEROUS
A Bantam Book / May 1993
All rights reserved
Copyright © 1993 by Jayne A Krentz
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eISBN: 978-0-307-57561-6
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