“Why do you want to marry me?” The words were carefully enunciated. Her face felt stiff; she guessed her expression was wary. It would be the perfect revenge, under the circumstances. He could not change the facts of his birth, or wrest love and respect from his father or brothers, but he could marry the widow of the brother he had envied almost to the point of obsession.
Anna couldn’t bear it if he meant to wed her for that.
His eyes narrowed on her face.
“I thought marriage was the logical culmination of what we have together. Obviously you don’t.”
“No—I mean, no, it isn’t that.” Anna took a deep breath. “I mean—Julian, it’s not that I don’t want to marry you, but I have to wonder if you just want to marry me to get back at Paul.”
“What you’re saying is that you’re refusing me because you don’t trust me.” His voice was as hard and cold as granite. Sitting up, he levered himself to his feet and stood glaring down at her, fists on his linen-swathed hips. Tall, wide-chested, black-haired, and muscular, he was a glorious sight—had she been in any mind to appreciate him. But Anna was too miserable to appreciate anything except her own clumsiness in handling a situation that anyone but an idiot would have foreseen.
Kneeling almost at his feet, she looked up at him beseechingly. “Julian, I didn’t mean—”
He didn’t let her finish. “Would you be less distrustful if I were a rich nobleman—say, Lord Ridley? Would a title and a few estates and all the money you could spend tone down your distrust a little? I just bet it would.” He sounded as furious as he looked.
“You know that’s not true! Julian!” But it was too late. He dropped the towel, grabbed his breeches, and pulled them on even as she scrambled to her feet.
“Julian, you’re being ridiculous!” She laid a pleading hand on his arm, only to be shaken off. “I’m not refusing you, I just—”
He was slamming his feet into his boots. “Don’t trust me enough to accept me when I don’t have enough to offer to sweeten the pot. I quite understand. And you, my damnable lady Green Eyes, can go straight to hell.”
“Julian!”
But already he had snatched up his shirt and was storming off. Anna stared after him, feeling sick to her stomach. She had made a terrible mistake, and she knew it. Why, oh why, hadn’t she been quick-witted enough to just say yes, and let his motives go hang? Even if his reasons for wanting to marry her were mixed, did it really matter? Julian was the man she loved, in a far stronger, more mature fashion than she had ever loved Paul. Whatever had prompted his love for her—and she wasn’t sure whether or not he even knew if revenge against his brother figured into his feelings—he was the love of her life.
And he was furious with her. With a sigh, Anna wondered how long it would take her to make amends.
By the time she dressed and made her way back to the house, she had decided that she would grovel, if necessary, that very night. She loved him, she would marry him if he wished, and if it took some persuading to convince him that only an idiotic brainstorm had caused her to question the reasons behind his proposal, why, then she would persuade him very thoroughly. In fact, it would almost be fun.
She had a very specific kind of persuasion in mind. One that she doubted very much Julian would be able to resist.
The path from the pool led past the stable to the back of the house. She spent a few minutes visiting the stable, where she and Chelsea had made a great pet of Baliclava. The little donkey had singed three of his legs and lost most of his tail in the fire, but he was nearly healed now. The treats and lavish attention bestowed on him by his new friends had apparently made up for a great deal: he was growing quite spoiled. As had become his habit, he greeted Anna with a great hee-hawing bray and permitted her to rub his nose and ears. Wishing that she had an apple or some other treat to feed him, she left him at last with a final pat and made her way up to the house.
Chelsea was in the garden with Kirti and Ruby, while Jim hung about on the outskirts of their game, looking sour. Anna suspected that Jim had his eye on Ruby. Certainly he seemed to appear with suspicious regularity wherever she happened to be. Not that it was any of Anna’s business, of course, but she wished Ruby joy of the gloomy little man if that was what she wanted. She waved at the quartet but did not stop.
None of the servants were in sight as she went up to her room to tidy herself and change her dress. When the knock on her door came, she was engaged in vigorously brushing her hair to remove the last traces of dampness from the long tresses.
“Yes?” she called.
“Memsahib, there is a visitor. From England.”
“From England? Who?” Frowning, Anna put down the brush and moved to open the door. Raja Singha stood in the hallway. In response to her question, he spread his hands.
“A gentleman. He asked for you but would not give his name.”
“I’ll be right down.”
Frowning, Anna dismissed Raja Singha with a nod and turned back into her room to pin up her hair. A visitor from England who would not give his name: the prospect smacked of trouble.
A Bow Street runner looking for Julian? Or worse … ?
“Graham!” Anna gasped on a note of loathing as she entered the parlor some few minutes later. Her brother-in-law rose to greet her. In that first lightning glance, Anna saw that, physically, he hadn’t changed a bit.
“Did you think to outwit me forever, Anna? I’m not quite a fool, you know.”
Then, before she could prevent him, he caught her shoulders with both hands and bestowed a smacking kiss on her lips. Even as Anna stepped back, wiping instinctively at her mouth with the back of her hand, he gave her an ominously smirking smile.
XLVIII
“Really, I must say I was surprised when I figured out who had really made off with my emeralds. And you a vicar’s daughter! For shame, Anna.” Graham was clearly enjoying himself.
“What are you doing here?” She spoke through horror-stiffened lips.
“I see you don’t deny it. Very wise of you. I would hardly have traveled all this way had I not proof of your infamy. I have only to contact the nearest authority to have an order issued for your arrest.”
“Anna?” The voice belonged to Ruby, followed seconds later by her entrance. She saw Graham, frowned, then stopped dead, her eyes widening.
“Lord Ridley!” she gasped.
“Mrs. Fisher. Of course, I remember you from our church.” Graham bowed, grinning at them with a well-satisfied air that made Anna long to slap him. “I had heard that you were traveling with my dear sister-in-law as a sort of companion cum partner-in-crime. But the game is over for you both, I’m afraid. Do they hang females for merely being accessories after the fact of a theft, I wonder? If I were you, Mrs. Fisher, I’d make it my business to find out.”
“You’re being ridiculous, Graham. We neither of us know what you’re talking about.” Anna had to force the words out. Her mouth was suddenly so dry that she could not even swallow.
Graham’s lips curled derisively. “Oh, don’t you? Then how, pray, did you come by the funds to purchase this place? Really, it was most ill-advised of you, Anna. Did you think I wouldn’t learn who the purchaser was? That, on top of the incredible coincidence of the timing of when you fled my house and board, made me suspicious. And once I was suspicious, it required very little effort on the part of the men I hired to unravel the whole thing. Tell me, Anna, don’t you ever feel the smallest twinge of conscience that a man was hanged for a crime you committed? No? Well, I’m not surprised. I always thought you were more than ordinarily resilient.”
“Graham.…” But there was nothing left to say. She did not doubt he had the proof of her guilt that he claimed. He would not have traveled all the way from England to confront her without it. But it was equally clear that he believed Julian had died—she had to get Graham away before he set eyes on Julian. Saving herself might be impossible, but perhaps she could still save the man she loved.
“Very well, Graham, you’re quite right in your suppositions, as you must know. I did steal the emeralds, and sold them for enough to get us to Ceylon and buy back Srinagar. I cannot believe you mean to have me arrested and hanged, so what do you want of me?”
“Anna!” Both of them ignored Ruby’s gasp.
Graham’s grin widened. “Why, you must know that.”
“I suppose I have an idea, but why don’t you make it clear.”
An admiring glint showed briefly in Graham’s eyes as they met hers. “I would have thought you would prefer to conduct our business in private, but—”
“There is nothing you can say to me that Ruby can’t hear.”
“Very well. You will return to England with me and live with me as my mistress for as long as I desire. In return, I am prepared to be generous: I will support my brother’s brat during her sojourn in an unexceptional boarding school for young ladies, I’ll provide for you, and I’ll forget that I ever owned jewels called the Queen’s emeralds.”
Anna lifted her chin. The prospect he outlined made her sick to her stomach, but there was no time to give in to emotional megrims. If it was possible, she had to get Graham away before Julian put in an appearance. “Since I have no choice, I agree to your terms. But if I must go, then I would go at once. Ruby can oversee our packing and follow with Chelsea. Perhaps we can wait for them in Colombo.”
“ ’Ave you lost your mind?” Ruby gaped at her.
“No, I have not,” Anna returned fiercely. “If it must be done, ’tis best done quickly. Well, Graham?”
Even he looked surprised. “I must say, I had not expected you to be so reasonable. Certainly we may leave at once, if you wish it.”
“Anna.…” Ruby sounded horrified. “ ’Ave you thought?”
“Yes. I must get my hat, and we’ll go. I’ll leave it to you to tell Chelsea what you must. I’ll explain the rest to her when she joins us in Colombo.” Anna’s voice faltered, and she continued in a lower tone, “Have a care to her, Ruby.”
“You know I will. But what about—?”
“No one else need concern us,” Anna interrupted firmly, and practically pushed Ruby toward the door. Her gaze slid to Graham, who looked to be almost as confused as he was gratified. “I’ll be right back. Pray wait for me here.”
“Certainly. In fact, take your time. I could use a spot of tea—”
“If I must wait, I will likely lose the courage to go,” Anna told him fiercely. “We will leave as soon as I fetch my hat.”
“But …”
The sound of booted feet stalking across the veranda brought Anna’s heart to her throat. Her eyes, wide with horror, flew to the front door, which opened even as she willed it not to. Julian entered, his eyes narrowed as he passed from the bright sunlight to the relative gloom of the hallway. At first he seemed unaware of the two pairs of eyes fixed on him from just inside the parlor door, Graham, who was farther back, was out of his line of vision.
Then Julian saw Anna. His lips parted as if he would say something, but his eyes moved to Ruby and he stopped. Unless severely provoked, he would not quarrel with her in public, for which Anna was suddenly thankful. Graham would surely recognize his voice.
Not that there seemed much hope of keeping him away from Graham. Still, Anna tried. She hurried to him, caught his arm, and tugged him urgently back toward the veranda while Ruby watched with dawning comprehension mixed with horror.
“What the devil ails you?” Julian growled, and when Anna desperately shook her head at him he stopped dead, frowning down at her, refusing to move another step.
“Julian, please,” she whispered frantically, but it was already too late. Graham stood in the doorway beside Ruby, his face paling as he saw his half-brother. Although Julian was no more than a large, dark shape silhouetted by the sunlight streaming through the open door, Graham seemed to have no trouble recognizing him.
“Good God! I thought you were dead!” Graham’s voice was a croak.
Julian’s gaze shot to Graham. After a moment in which midnight eyes clashed with sky blue, Julian began to smile. It was not a pleasant smile, and it fell far short of reaching his eyes. Anna, shivering, was glad to see that it was directed at Graham instead of herself.
“Now I begin to see,” he remarked obscurely, glancing down at Anna, who still clung to his arm, before looking back at Graham. “Well met, brother.”
“Well met? Well met!” Like Julian’s just seconds before, Graham’s eyes shifted to Anna and widened before returning to his half-brother. “Hell and the devil, you’re in league! You were working together, the two of you, to rob me! I don’t believe it! But now you’ll pay. I don’t know how you escaped the hangman the first time, you gypsy bastard, but you won’t be so lucky twice! I’ll—”
“You, little brother, won’t do a bloody damned thing.” The quiet conviction in Julian’s voice dammed Graham’s furious sputters. Anna looked up at Julian in disbelief. That was not the tone to take with a man who held your life in his hands, a man who hated you. But Julian seemed unmoved by any thought of danger to himself. It was almost as if he did not recognize the threat that Graham represented. Very calmly he shut the door and leaned against it. Anna, glancing apprehensively from one man to the other as they stared measuringly at each other, saw that an expression very like triumph lurked in Julian’s eyes, while sheer hatred twisted Graham’s face.
“The hell I won’t! I—”
“I have the emeralds,” Julian said quietly. Anna stiffened, flicked a lightning glance up at him. It must be some kind of bluff.…
“You think you can return them, and I’ll forget the whole thing? Not bloody likely! I’ll see you hang if it’s the last thing I ever do! You—”
“And something else. Something that was secreted behind the lining of the pouch they were in. My mother’s marriage lines—to our father.”
It took a moment for the full import to sink into Julian’s listeners. When it did, Anna gasped in disbelief, Ruby looked bewildered, and Graham came away from the parlor door, fists clenched, face bellicose with rage.
“You lying scum! My father would never have wed your slut of a mother! She was a whore, and a—”
Julian moved so swiftly that Anna never even saw the blow that felled Graham. One minute Graham was ranting in the middle of the hall, and the next he had measured his length on the floor while Julian stood over him, his eyes as black and angry as a storm-tossed sea.
“I have endured all that I mean to of your insults. I won’t put up with another one of them.” It was a quiet warning. Anna, shivering as she looked from the victor to the vanquished, thought that Graham would do well to heed it. There was something in Julian’s eyes that spoke of a man pushed to the wall once too often.
“You’re lying. D’you think I’m such a flat as to take your word for such a thing? If it’s true, then show me those marriage lines. I have a right to see them—if they exist.”
Julian looked no less dangerous, but he stepped a pace or so back from Graham. Then his gaze shifted, moving farther along the hall. Raja Singha stood there, his expression impassive. So involved was she in the drama of what was happening that Anna had not even noticed him before that moment.
“Fetch me the leather case at the bottom of my wardrobe,” Julian said shortly to Raja Singha, who bowed his turbaned head in acquiescence and moved swiftly up the stairs. Julian’s gaze moved back to Graham.
“Get up,” he said brusquely. “You look like the ass you are, lying there.”
Graham, his face contorted with anger, said nothing as he scrambled to his feet.
“I’ll never accept you as my brother. Never!”
Julian shrugged. “Only a stupid man won’t accept the truth.”
Graham’s eyes narrowed at the implied insult, but before he could reply Raja Singha returned with the leather case.
Until she set eyes on it, Anna had not been absolutely sure that Julian was telling the truth. When, and how, had he
regained possession of the emeralds? He had said nothing about it.…
Raja Singha brought the case to Julian, who took it from him, flipped it open, and slid his hand behind the silk lining. He pulled out a yellowed square of paper, which he held up so that Graham could see it.
“Behold the marriage lines of one Nina Rachminov, spinster, to Thomas Harlington Traverne of Gordon Hall, dated January 2, 1797.” As Graham made as if to take the paper, Julian pulled it back and shook his head. “Oh, no, brother. Look but don’t touch.”
Graham did, and his face suddenly went pasty white. “It’s a forgery. It must be!”
“It isn’t.” Julian folded the paper and slid it back inside the case that had held its secret for thirty-five years. “I was born in November of 1797, and my mother died soon afterwards. Our father wed your mother some two years after that. You were born in 1801, and Paul was born in 1807. You do understand what that means? I am our father’s legitimate issue, and I am four years your elder. That makes me—me, Graham, not you—Lord Ridley, with all that that implies.”
As he delivered the blow Julian smiled almost sweetly at his brother.
“It’s not true,” Graham muttered, but from the stricken look on his face Anna knew he was beginning to believe. “It can’t be true! You’re nothing out a bloody gypsy!”
Julian looked dangerous again. “I’d watch my mouth if I were you.”
“I’ll fight it in every court in England!”
“That’s up to you.” Julian shrugged. “There’s something else you should realize. Since I am the rightful Lord Ridley, the Queen’s emeralds were and are mine. Therefore nothing was stolen from you, by myself or Anna or anyone else. So you may as well slink back to England with your tail between your legs and pray that I allow you to keep some part of what you no longer legally possess. Perhaps, when I come to claim my inheritance, I’ll be generous. Who knows? But not if I have to put up with you for a moment longer.”
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