Dark Ruby (Ransomed Jewels)

by Laura Landon

  She slowly turned her head and let her eyes focus on him. “You owe me nothing, Alex. I almost got you killed. It’s my fault you were shot. If I hadn’t allowed you to become involved in my problems, none of this would have happened.”

  A stabbing of anger raged inside him. How dare she think she was responsible for what had happened to him. “You didn’t attack me. You didn’t fire the pistol that pumped three bullets into my flesh. Nor did you give the order to kill me. Your father did. He is the only person who will pay for what happened. Not only to me. But to Lord Harbinger. And to Lord Springton. He will be brought to justice before he can harm anyone else.”

  “It grieves me that my father could be so evil. I’m tormented by what he—”

  A soft knock on the door stopped Belle’s words. The door opened, and his sister entered carrying a tray. A smile covered her face the second she looked at him. “You look much improved, Alex,” she said. She placed the tray on the bedside table, then leaned over to kiss his cheek.

  “That’s due to the excellent care Belle has given me.”

  “I agree,” Claire added. “And I have news that will make you feel even better.”

  “What?”

  “A message just arrived from Barn and Sam. They’ll be here within the hour . . . with a guest.”

  Belle’s hand flew to her mouth to stifle a cry, and when she turned her gaze to him, the first tear spilled from her eyes. “They found him,” she cried. “Oh, I have to tell Vanessa.”

  She rose and rushed to the door, then stopped. “Will you be all right until I return?”

  Alex couldn’t help but laugh. Claire laughed with him. “It will be difficult, my lady, but with Claire’s help, I might manage.”

  “Oh yes. How silly of me. I was just so excited.”

  “Go, Belle.”

  He watched her leave the room and lowered his head into the pillow and smiled.

  . . .

  Isobel waited in the receiving room for Lord Barnaby and Major Bennett to arrive. She wasn’t sure who was more nervous, she or Vanessa.

  “What if Jeremy is injured like Lord Halverston was?”

  Isobel placed her arm around her sister’s waist and gave her a reassuring hug. “Lord Barnaby would have ordered us to have a room ready and send for a doctor if Lord Partmoore had been injured.”

  “Of course.” Vanessa peered out the window again, then turned back to Isobel. “Why would Father kidnap Jeremy? Why did he think he had to threaten his life?”

  “Because Lord Partmoore was a threat to Father getting what he wanted. He was determined to marry one of us to the Duke of Balsam to gain admittance in the Fortune Club.”

  “But Father wanted ownership in Jeremy’s shipping company, too.”

  “But he wanted to belong to the esteemed Fortune Club more. He intended to use me to gain membership in the Fortune Club and you to gain control of a portion of Lord Partmoore’s shipping company. When I ran away, Father had to choose which one he wanted more. He chose the Fortune Club.”

  Vanessa looked out the window again. “I wouldn’t have married His Grace,” she said beneath her breath. “I would have done whatever I needed to, to avoid being tied to that monster.”

  Isobel gave her sister another hug, then released her when a carriage came to a stop on the street in front of the house.

  “They’re here,” Vanessa squealed, then stepped to the center of the room to await Lord Partmoore’s arrival.

  Isobel heard a commotion in the foyer, then the sound of footsteps nearing the receiving room. The door opened, and the Marquess of Partmoore stood inside the room.

  “Vanessa?” he said, staring at Isobel’s sister. The tenderness Isobel saw in his eyes caused tears to swell in her own.

  “Jeremy?” Vanessa answered.

  The marquess opened his arms, and Vanessa ran to him.

  “Oh, my love. Are you all right? You aren’t hurt, are you?”

  “No, Vanessa. I’m not injured. I was taken care of adequately.”

  “Oh, my love,” Vanessa cried again, then Lord Partmoore pulled her into his arms and held her tight.

  Their reunion left little doubt as to how they felt about each other. Isobel recognized true love when she saw it, and that’s what she was witnessing.

  Lord Barnaby and Major Bennett gave the couple time to themselves, then Lord Barnaby cleared his throat. “I believe you have something you wish to ask Lady Vanessa, my lord.”

  “Yes,” Lord Partmoore stammered. “I do, my lady.”

  The Marquess of Partmoore reached for Vanessa’s hands and took them in his. Then, he went down on one knee. “My love, this isn’t how I envisioned this moment, but nothing that has recently happened has been anything I anticipated.”

  Isobel knew what Lord Partmoore intended, and her heart filled with joy.

  “I love you, Vanessa. With my whole heart. And I want to have you at my side for the rest of my life. Vanessa, will you marry me?”

  Vanessa gasped. “Oh, Jeremy. Of course I’ll marry you. I love you.”

  The Marquess of Partmoore lowered his head and kissed Vanessa’s fingers. Then, he rose and kissed his bride-to-be on the lips. When he gave Vanessa a light kiss on the forehead, he turned to Isobel. “Since I consider you Vanessa’s only family, I believe I should have asked your permission first. Do you give your permission for us to marry?”

  Tears clogged Isobel’s throat, and though she tried to speak, no words would come. She nodded her head in agreement as Lady Claire wrapped an arm around her to support her. “Yes,” she finally managed to say. “Of course I give my permission, with one condition.”

  The Marquess of Partmoore turned his attention to her. “Anything, my lady. What is it?”

  “I demand that you promise to always love Vanessa with your whole heart and take care of her as if she is your most precious possession.”

  Lord Partmoore smiled. “That is an easy promise to make. I already love Vanessa with my whole heart and will continue to do so until my dying breath.”

  Isobel stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Vanessa. “Be happy, Vanessa.”

  Vanessa returned her embrace. “I am, Isobel. I can’t imagine being happier.”

  Then, Isobel gave Lord Partmoore a warm embrace. “Take care of her.”

  “I will.”

  With tears in her eyes, Isobel turned to face Lord Barnaby and the major. “I have a feeling that you already have a plan.”

  “We do,” the major said. “It’s important that Lord Partmoore and Lady Vanessa marry as soon as possible. It’s the only way they’ll be safe from your father.”

  Isobel nodded. She knew the major was right.

  Lord Barnaby stepped to the window and looked out. “Lord Partmoore’s valet should arrive shortly with his trunks, and Lady Claire’s lady’s maid should follow with a wardrobe for Lady Vanessa. Lady Vanessa and Lord Partmoore will travel to Scotland, where they will marry.”

  A score or more questions popped into her mind. Equally as many fears. “Will they be safe? What if Father discovers where they went and sends men after them?”

  “The major has hired guards to escort them to Scotland and make sure they’re safe.”

  Isobel sat on the nearest chair and tried to wrap her mind around everything that was happening.

  “We’ll be fine, Isobel,” Vanessa said. She sat beside Isobel and reached for her hands. “Jeremy will make sure nothing happens to us.”

  Isobel lifted her gaze and looked at the confidence in her sister’s eyes. “Yes, Vanessa. You will be fine. You will be more than fine. You will be happy.”

  Isobel stood and pulled Vanessa to her feet. “Get ready now. I’ll have Cook make up a basket for you so you won’t have to stop until nightfall.”

  Vanessa rushed to Lord Partmoore and let him hold her, while Isobel left the room to go to the kitchen. Yes, Vanessa would be happy. But more important . . .

  . . . she would be safe.

  Ch
apter 27

  Isobel had reached her majority.

  She wasn’t sure how she felt. Relieved? Free? Safe?

  She’d anticipated this day since she’d run away to Scotland to escape the unbearable future her father had planned for her. Now that she’d reached her majority, she couldn’t believe she was finally free of her father’s machinations. She wanted to celebrate, yet knowing her father as she did, she knew celebrating would be tempting fate.

  She clasped her hands in her lap and worried her bottom lip.

  “Why the frown, Belle? There should be a smile on your face.”

  She lifted her head and let her gaze rest on Alex where he sat on the edge of the bed. He was gaining strength, but he wasn’t strong enough to stand on his own yet. “I was thinking, that’s all.”

  “About what?”

  She rose from her chair and sat beside him on the bed. When she was settled, she reached for his hand and held it. “About Vanessa and Lord Partmoore. Do you think they’ve arrived in Scotland yet? Do you think they’re married?”

  Alex squeezed her fingers. “Yes, and yes. It’s been more than a week, so they should have arrived in Scotland several days ago. You’ll know soon enough if they’re wed. Lord Partmoore promised he’d send word as soon as they were married. You could get a letter as early as today.”

  The thought of Vanessa married to the man of her dreams almost managed to put a smile on her face.

  “What else has you concerned?”

  “Nothing, really.”

  “That’s not what the frown on your face indicates.”

  “I’m being silly, really. I’ve been terrified for so long that Father would force me to marry the Duke of Balsam, that even though he no longer has control over me, I can’t help but think that he’ll do something to ruin everything.”

  “That won’t happen, Belle. There’s nothing he can do. You are free of his hold.”

  Isobel stepped into the embrace Alex offered and rested her head on his shoulder. She breathed a sigh of contentment when he wrapped his uninjured arm around her and held her close. “You’re right, of course. I’m worrying over nothing.”

  The words were barely out of Belle’s mouth when Channing knocked on the door, then entered. “This just arrived for you, my lady.”

  The butler held out a salver containing two notes. The top she recognized immediately. It was from Vanessa.

  “Good news?” Alex asked.

  Isobel opened the message and scanned the words. Her heart swelled with joy, and the words swam before her. “Vanessa is safe,” she whispered past the lump in her throat. “She and the Marquess of Partmoore are married.” Belle lifted her gaze and focused on Alex. “She’s so happy,” Belle said, brushing at a tear that spilled from her eye. “You can hear it in her words.”

  “All brides are happy,” Alex answered. “Just as you’ll be when we marry.”

  Isobel’s heart skipped a beat. This was the first time Alex had mentioned marriage. Oh, she had been certain he meant for them to marry. He’d told her that he loved her, and his actions indicated that he did. And more importantly, they’d made love enough times that it was possible that she was carrying his child. The Halverston heir. But hearing him speak the words filled her with an emotion so intense that her breath caught.

  A frown covered his forehead, and the worry was evident in his eyes. “Aren’t you pleased?”

  “I couldn’t be more pleased, my lord.”

  His features relaxed, and a smile brightened his face. “Good,” he said. “Because I’ve instructed Barn to get a special license so we can marry as soon as possible.” He leaned over, then opened a drawer on the table next to his bed and took out a small box. When he had it in his hand, he reached for her hand and placed the velvet jewel box in her palm.

  Isobel stared at the box for several long seconds.

  “Aren’t you going to open it?” he asked.

  She nodded, then gently lifted the lid from the box. She stared at the beautiful diamond-encrusted ruby ring nestled against the soft satin pillow inside the box.

  Isobel lifted her tear-filled gaze. “Oh, Alex, it’s beautiful. I would be proud to wear it.”

  Alex turned the box slowly, watching the ruby catch the morning light. As it revolved, its dark, cold surface seemed to literally absorb the light. As he freed it from the box and slipped it onto Isobel’s finger, it fairly leaped with ebullient color, thriving in the light much as his own heart thrived in the nearness of his beautiful Belle.

  Alex wrapped an arm around her and held her close. “Your sister isn’t the only one who needs a husband’s name to protect her from your father’s devices.”

  Isobel pressed a kiss to Alex’s cheek. He lowered his head and kissed her on the lips.

  It had been so long since he’d kissed her. There had even been a time when she feared he would die and that she might never be held by him or kissed by him again.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he deepened his kiss. His mouth opened atop hers, and she followed his lead. When his tongue sought hers, she met his with eagerness. They touched, they teased, and emotions she hadn’t experienced in too long erupted inside her.

  Alex lifted his mouth from hers, and she placed her cheek against his chest. The rapid beating of his heart told her how much of his strength it had taken to kiss her once.

  She lifted her hand and placed her palm against his cheek. His flesh was damp and his breathing labored. She was consumed by guilt. “We shouldn’t have done that. You’re not strong enough to be sitting up this long. Lie down now and rest.”

  He didn’t argue but lay back down.

  She pulled the covers over him and made sure he was comfortable. “Do you need something for the pain?”

  He attempted a smile. “No, I just need to rest for a bit.”

  She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. “Sleep now. I’ll be back before you wake.”

  Isobel picked up the second letter from the tray and walked to the door.

  “Belle?”

  She turned.

  “I love you.”

  Her heart danced inside her breast. “I love you more,” she answered.

  She held his gaze for several wonderful seconds, then left the room with her heart singing for joy.

  . . .

  Isobel wasn’t sure how long she’d stared at the words on the paper she still held in her trembling hands, but no matter how long she focused on what was written, or as often as she blinked through the tears, the terrifying threats refused to go away.

  Halverston is a dead man. I may have failed the last time, but I won’t fail the next.

  There’s only one way to save him. You know what that is.

  Isobel let the paper flutter to the floor as she rose stumbling to her feet. Her legs threatened to buckle beneath her, but somehow she managed to make her way to the desk beneath a window and write a note. Then, she retrieved her reticule and a cloak and made her way down the stairs to where Channing met her in the foyer.

  “Channing, I have an errand. Please have a carriage brought round for me.”

  “Are you quite sure, my lady? Perhaps you should wait for Lord Barnaby to return, or the major. I’m certain they would insist on accompanying you.”

  A frown covered the butler’s usually unreadable expression, and Isobel attempted her most winning smile to dispel his concern. “No, Channing. I don’t need anyone to accompany me.”

  “But—”

  “See to Lord Halverston while I’m away, will you?” Isobel laid a hand on the butler’s arm. “I’m counting on you.”

  The butler hesitated, then answered. “Of course, my lady. Very well.”

  When the carriage stopped in front of the house, Channing opened the door. Isobel stepped across the threshold, then turned back. “Please don’t disturb him until dinner. Then have a tray sent to his room. Send Mary in to help him eat.”

  “Yes, my lady. Are you sure you don’t want to take someone
with you?”

  “No, Channing. I must do this myself.”

  . . .

  A cold chill traveled up and down her spine the second she stepped into the house where she’d lived with her father.

  “Lady Isobel,” Grady, Gilchrist’s butler, said when he saw her. His eyes opened wide and his bushy eyebrows arched. There was fear in his expression, and Isobel felt more anxious than she had since she’d read her father’s letter.

  “You shouldn’t be here, my lady,” he whispered.

  Isobel intended to give their longtime butler a reassuring smile, but a movement at the top of the stairs stopped anything resembling a smile.

  “I’ve been expecting you, daughter.” Her father took one threatening step after another toward her. His hostile glare refused to shift from hers until he reached the bottom of the stairs. Then, the expression on his face turned more savage. “I’m so glad you realized how important it was that you come.”

  He crossed the foyer and walked past her. Isobel followed. She didn’t have a choice.

  A footman opened the door when they reached her father’s study.

  Her father entered first, and she kept pace behind him. When the door closed, her father turned. Without warning, he swung out his arm and slapped her hard across the face.

  Isobel staggered, then lost her balance. She caught herself on a nearby table.

  Her cheek stung and her stomach churned. She’d anticipated his anger, but not such a violent show of his hatred for her. This was the first time he’d actually struck her.

  With one hand pressed against her cheek, she pushed herself to her feet and turned to face him. “Does striking a female make you feel more superior, my lord?”

  His surprise was obvious. “Striking you gives me a great deal of satisfaction. Beating you until you screamed in pain would satisfy me even more.”

  “You’re sick,” she said.

  He took an angry step toward her with a raised hand.

  Isobel had no doubt that he intended to strike her again. She lifted her chin and faced him squarely. She refused to allow him to think he’d gotten the best of her. Refused to let him think she was frightened of him—even though deep inside she was.