by Kristi Jun
“So you are not a widow?”
“I was never married. Everything about me, my past was a lie.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“I am not making excuses for my action. I know what I have done, and I have done everyone here, including the girls, a disservice. I am truly sorry.”
Amelia was speechless.
“I am not proud, but at that point in my life, it was the only way to survive in the streets.”
“Go on.”
“When Johnathan arrived with the news that Ethan was murdered and blamed me, I felt the best course of action was to leave. After seeing what a monster he had become, I knew he would make everyone’s lives miserable as long as I was here and living.” Kate sighed heavily and continued, “While you were away, Mr. Roberts and Johnathan nearly killed each other in a fight.”
“Acting like men, I suspect.” Amelia grinned.
Kate nodded. “Black eyes, bruised ribs, and a sprained ankle. I fear Johnathan was so angry and blind, he’d go after everyone I cared about. Then there were the children and you, and Lord Blackthorn.” She paused. “You were having to live through this because of me, because of my mistakes.”
“And you felt doing what you did was going to solve everyone’s problems?”
Kate nodded.
“We are a family, Kate,” Amelia said. “Family help one another through the difficult times.”
“You…you consider me as family?”
“Of course,” Amelia said, tearing up. “You have been there for me ever since I met you. You helped me through the dark days in my grandmother’s estate.”
Both women were nearly sobbing as they embraced. When they parted, Amelia said, “Am I correct in my summation that you and Mr. Roberts are…”
This was a territory Kate wanted to avoid. There could be nothing between them. Not after the lies and her faking her death. She wouldn’t be surprised if he told her he never wanted to see her again. “Not anymore.”
“Why?”
“A man like him can never truly care for someone like me.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve lied to him about everything, and I have been a thief,” she said. “He spends his life apprehending someone like me. What could possibly become of us after all that has happened?”
“Tell Mr. Roberts everything.” When Kate didn’t respond, Amelia continued, “He is a good, honorable man.”
“And he needs an honorable woman,” she said. “And I am not.”
“You don’t have to make your final decision now,” Amelia said. “We’ll figure this out together.”
There was a knock at the door. Both women wiped their tears away. “Come in,” Amelia said. The runner opened the door and entered.
“I require Ms. McBride for a moment.”
Oh no. Not him. Not now. She was not ready for him. Amelia must have noticed the expression on her face.
“It will be all right,” Amelia whispered in her ear. “Of course, Mr. Roberts.” Amelia watched the two for several seconds with curiosity, then smiled and left the room to give them some privacy.
Kate went still, searching for any indication of hope. But when she saw none, her heart sank. All the scenarios of how this could go wrong played out in her mind. When she was away, alone, she had missed him deeply. More than she had every felt before.
When she first saw him in the study, she wanted to run to him, to kiss him and tell him how sorry she was, but from the look on his face, that was least of her problems.
She was right. How could he possibly care for someone like her? She lied to him and faked her death, not to mention she had a past she wasn’t proud of. His occupation was to put someone like her in prison.
That would never change. Perhaps he already made up his mind that she was guilty.
“I know what I have done, Mr. Roberts,” Kate said. “Go ahead, ask your questions.” He approached her.
He said nothing, which made this all the harder. Scream at her or something, anything. Instead, he stood there looking at her with the most peculiar expression. Not anger. Not happy, either. Just stared at her as if she were a ghost.
“You look…tired,” she said, breaking the silence and noticing the dark circles under his eyes. His hair was in disarray, and she just realized his cravat was crooked, his shirtsleeves stained. In fact, he looked as though he hadn’t changed in days.
“You bloody hell noticed?”
She straightened and looked squarely at him. “Say what you must. I can take it. I know what I’ve done. I staged my own death. Guilty. I was a jewel thief. Guilty of that too. Did I kill Ethan? Not guilty. There you have it.” When he said nothing, she continued. “I’m also sorry that you had to be involved in my affairs.”
When he swiftly approached her, she wasn’t certain what to do. He took her in his arms and held her tight, as if afraid to let go. She didn’t know what to do at first, but when he kissed her temple and whispered, “Don’t you dare do that to me again,” hot tears poured, and her body shook with relief.
The warmth of his body and embrace tore down the walls between them. His heart thumped harder and faster. Tears fell, and she didn’t have the strength to stop them. For several minutes, he held her, not letting her go.
When he finally did, she said, “I am sorry.”
“How could you do that do me, to your friends?”
“I thought I was doing the right thing for everyone.”
“Foolish woman,” Roberts said.
He lifted her chin and kissed her full on her mouth, but instead of passion and lust, there was warmth and tenderness there, and it made her want to cry with joy. Did he care for her as much as she cared for him?
“Are you still angry?” She gazed up at him and looked into his soft eyes. She saw it then—the sunken eyes, the stubble on his jaws, and the lack of sleep in his eyes. He caressed her cheek with his thumb. “Of course, you are angry.”
“I was never angry, love. Still, you are going to make up for it for a long, long time.”
~ ~ ~
Soon after he left Kate to rest in her bedchamber, Roberts and Lord Blackthorn were in the study, while Johnathan Hawk was still speaking with Mr. Harris.
Roberts had been bombarded with emotions when he first saw Kate; he didn’t trust himself to speak. Hell, he had nearly drove himself mad with worry and grief.
“I can see that much has happened while I was away.”
Roberts nodded.
“I can surmise that your relationship with Ms. McBride has…evolved?”
“It has.”
“What do you plan to do?”
“I don’t know,” Roberts said. “Now that Kate is safe, I will need to dedicate my energy to finding the maid who may have witnessed my father’s death.”
“I see,” Blackthorn said. “As to the current predicament, Mr. Harris says she killed Ethan. Ms. McBride says she didn’t. The US marshal never mentioned he had any legal right to take her back or even a formal charge made in Boston. So we are in a precarious situation.”
“I think it is time we spoke to Mr. Harris again.”
The marshal entered and walked over to the hearth. “I will have to escort Ms. McBride back to Boston.” Johnathan leaned against the mantle of the fireplace.
“You must do your duty to your country,” Lord Blackthorn said.
Johnathan pushed away from the mantle and walked over to the two men and sat down opposite Lord Blackthorn. The American looked relieved, much as Roberts had felt.
“I must give Kate due credit.”
There was a moment of silence from all three men in the room. “She surprised all of us.”
There was a hint of dichotomy in Johnathan’s tone. “I will have to be honest. I’ve seen a different Kate, one that I am unfamiliar with.”
“Perhaps if you hadn’t come here with a goal for vengeance, this could all have been prevented.”
Johnathan’s jaw twitched, fighting back
the retort. “Perhaps. Still, someone is lying about my brother’s death.”
“Have you done a postmortem analysis?” Roberts asked.
“Yes. My brother’s body was found in the Charles River near Boston. The patrolman found him and determined there was a shot to the chest and the body was dumped.”
“I am sorry,” Lord Blackthorn said.
There was a long sigh. “In the last few hours, I have told myself to think of this objectively, and I have.”
“What is your conclusion?”
“That the son of a bitch is lying.”
“Well, gentlemen,” Roberts said. “It’s time we bring in Mr. Harris one last time.”
CHAPTER 24
“I’ve already answered your damn questions,” Harris said as he stomped into the study, Johnathan trailing behind him.
“A few more won’t hurt,” Roberts said. “This will only take a moment.”
“Why are you questioning me? Shouldn’t you be questioning that thief?”
Roberts fisted his hands, but he didn’t move.
Harris straightened his jacket and stood there. “I’m glad, actually, I’m here. When I initially agreed to come here, I wasn’t certain if it was McBride that I was going to see. Now that I know it’s her, I intend to make her pay for stealing my jewel.”
“How the hell do you know it was her who actually took it?” Johnathan said. “Do you have proof?”
“I saw her getting her filthy hands in my private drawers in my study. It was locked. I always keep it locked. It was to be a gift to my wife to be, and she stole it.”
“And you witnessed this?” Roberts said.
“I was going up to my study to retrieve something and the door to my study was slightly ajar. I went in and asked why she was in there. She said something about getting lost and I believed her. She left, and when I went into my study, I noticed my locked drawer had been tampered with. I went after her when I saw that the jewel was missing.”
“So, you didn’t physically see her steal it?”
He seemed a bit confused. “No, but I saw her in my study. Why else would she be in there?”
“What happened next?”
“I saw her leave the ball with Ethan. I had my men follow her to retrieve my property. When they returned, I was told there had been an argument in the carriage and a gunshot.”
“Why didn’t they call the police?”
“How the hell should I know?”
“What about the jewel? Didn’t they try to retrieve it?”
“I don’t know why they didn’t. Perhaps they were afraid and decided to leave. I wasn’t there,” he blurted out. “Now, are you going to arrest her or are you going to sit here and waste more of my precious time?”
“We haven’t decided,” Johnathan said.
Harris sighed in frustration. “You are damn blind,” he said to the men. “Go ahead, search her room. I won’t be surprised if she has it with her.”
The three men looked at each other.
Roberts dreaded this. “I will go look,” he said, but his heart pumped with fear at Harris’s new demand.
~ ~ ~
Roberts entered her room and saw it was empty. God, he couldn’t believe he was doing this. Taking no time, he pulled open her dresser, starting from the top. His hands ran though the fabric and laces, but he found nothing.
Then, he moved on to the second drawer and to his relief, he found nothing. Then he moved down to the third, which had papers and letters, which he didn’t bother going through. Frantically, he pulled out the fourth drawer and saw a bonnet and gloves. Just as he was about to close the drawer, he felt something like a box. A velvety box.
He froze.
Heart pumping.
Dread took hold of him, but he slowly pulled it out and looked at the ornate blue box. Slowly he opened it and saw a most stunning necklace with a soft pink stone as big as his knuckle. It looked to be a diamond.
All the strength went out from his legs and he sat down on her bed. Running his hand through his hair, Roberts was stunned. For a moment, he wanted to put it back and never to speak of it again. It took several minutes of stillness, then he got up, took the jewel, put it in his inside coat pocket, and walked downstairs.
Harris instantly saw him enter. “Well? Did you find it?”
“Describe the jewel.” Roberts wanted to punch Harris’s smug face.
“You found it?” Harris said, his eyes wide with excitement.
“I didn’t say that.”
“It’s a necklace and it has a rare pink diamond in the middle. I believe it’s five karats.”
Johnathan watched Roberts suspiciously. “Roberts?”
“What did you find?” Blackthorn said.
Roberts pulled out the necklace and showed it to the men. Everyone’s expression soured with disappointment.
“Please have Ms. McBride join us,” Blackthorn asked Johnathan, who was momentarily stunned.
CHAPTER 25
Kate was stunned to see the jewel that Roberts showed her and the accusation that came with it. She denied it and told him the truth—that she didn’t know why it was in her room. Or who had planted it there.
Yet with everything that had happened to her, she was now returning to Boston to settle this matter once and for all. Why was this happening to her? She was not going to run any longer. She would face her demons in Boston and face the consequences in whatever form it came.
“Please don’t go.” Francis hugged her skirt and held on tight. The three-legged dog whimpered.
The girls had entered her room while she was readying herself for the journey. “Francis, my dear sweet,” Kate said, picking her up in her arms. “I will only be gone a short while.”
“Mamma got sick and died and I don’t want to lose you too.”
“I am not dying, Francis.”
“Who will read to me when I can’t sleep?”
“I know, my sweet girl. I will be back before you know it. I promise.”
Francis buried her face in her neck and wrapped her arms around her. Olivia, the second eldest, caressed her sister’s back, soothing her.
Amelia took Francis in her arms and put her down. “Go upstairs and get ready for bed. The nurse should be waiting for you. Go on, Francis. Olivia, can you go with your sister, please?”
Amelia turned to Kate. “How are you doing?”
Shaking her head, Kate said, “I will be fine.” She paused to look at her friend. “I didn’t do it. I didn’t take the jewel.”
“I know. I trust you,” Amelia said. “I spoke to Emily, and she said she will be here with the girls while we travel with you to Boston.”
“I can’t let you come with me,” Kate said, her voice cracking.
“It’s what family do for each other, Kate.” Amelia smiled. “My husband’s barrister agreed to join us. His lordship informed me last night he has a distant cousin in Boston who may be of influence, so don’t worry.”
Kate wiped the tears off her cheeks.
“Please don’t weep, my friend.”
“I seem to be crying a lot these days.” She was leaving today, and she needed to say her goodbye to Roberts. Yet she was afraid to ask for him. Afraid Amelia would see right through her.
“You’re wondering if Mr. Roberts will be here.”
“Is it that obvious?” She revealed a nervous smile.
“I am certain he will be there to see you off,” Amelia said. “Lord Blackthorn mentioned he had some family matters to attend today.”
“I know about his mother,” Kate said.
“Then you must know, he wants to be there for you.”
“Actually, he hasn’t said anything to me at all.”
“Really?”
Kate nodded. “I don’t blame him. As far as he is concerned, it’s over between us. I can feel it.”
~ ~ ~
The carriage drove away from Blackthorn Hall and she refused to look back.
In the dimness of the carr
iage, she held back tears. Johnathan was quietly watching her, and she turned away.
“The girls really care about you,” Johnathan noted.
“They’ve become my life, not that you’d understand,” she said.
“Just because I don’t have a family doesn’t mean I don’t have a heart.”
There was sadness in his tone. And he looked tired too. Perhaps tired of this existence? Tired of chasing her? She’d been so busy thinking about her own predicament, she failed to see what he’d been through. How cruel could she be? He has lost his entire family in a such short period. She may have lost a friend, but he lost a beloved brother.
“I am sorry,” she said, recalling his wife. “I know losing Ethan and your wife was devastating for you.” She heard him sigh but he did not respond to her comment, so she continued. “Ethan mentioned you left Boston for a while.”
Again, no response.
She didn’t like the silence, so she kept talking to ease the tension. Normally, she wouldn’t, but in the last few days, she understood something about Johnathan that she didn’t even consider before. Perhaps it was her own emotional journey, or the fact that she had friends she didn’t deserve. Either way, she wasn’t going to waste what she had now. She was going to be grateful for the time she had left on this earth.
“I had time to think about everything. I can’t blame you anymore. I brought this upon myself.” She paused and looked at Johnathan, who seemed to have aged several years in just a few weeks. “I never thanked you for all that you and your family did for me, for helping me and making me feel…safe. Especially your mother. She was so kind to me.”
“The truth is…” He paused, as if looking for the right words. “I am partly to blame in all this. I have nothing for me in Boston.” He paused and looked out the window. “For what it’s worth, I thought of you as family, someone dear to me. When you left without telling me, I was angry.”
She was speechless.
“I suppose you didn’t know and it’s my fault,” he breathed heavily. “When I thought you were dead, all I could think about was it was my fault. I had driven you to take desperate measures.”