Almost in a run, Leigh rushed back to her room. She did not know what to think about what she had witnessed. It sounded terrible, but she could be mistaken. After last night with him, she had to be mistaken! Leigh cautioned herself not to jump to hasty conclusions. She would ask Jace to explain the incident. If only they hadn’t appeared so close and his words didn’t plague her so …
At lunchtime, Leigh’s body and nerves were taut. She could not allow this incident to prey on her mind. She had to find Jace and get an explanation. She didn’t care if he was upset with her for spying on him and questioning him. Misunderstandings were stupid and costly. She left her room and headed for the stairs. Just as she reached the first corner, she heard Jace’s voice and came to alert. She did not round the bend, because she heard another voice: Louisa’s.
“Hurry inside, Jace,” the redhead was telling him, “before someone sees you. This will be like old times. Chad is out for the—”
Leigh couldn’t hear more because the door to Louisa’s new room closed and the lock clicked loudly. She fumed at this new discovery. Jace had said he would have nothing to do with that redhead, then sneaked into her room. After a cozy rendezvous with another beauty! Two curious episodes in one day were too much for her to accept as innocent. It was clear now why Louisa had found a way to have privacy. But who was the first woman and what did she mean to Jace Elliott?
Leigh concealed herself around the corner and waited to see how long Jace would remain inside Louisa’s room. If it was only a talk to set the woman straight about his lack of interest and about her wanton note, it wouldn’t take long. If Chad caught Jace fooling around with his ward and his mistress …
Leigh didn’t like the suspicions that thought inspired. She leaned against the wall. Time passed and her tension mounted, along with her painful doubts. She tried to keep her mind blank and alert. She had to give Jace the benefit of trust. The way the rooms and halls were arranged, only someone coming to her suite would pass her. If that happened, she could pretend she was taking a stroll. Louisa’s door didn’t open again. Jace didn’t leave.
When over three hours passed, she returned to her suite, dejected and infuriated. No talk, she concluded, personal or business, could take that long, only “old times,” as Louisa had said in her sultry voice. Even if he was trying to romance clues about Chad from the redhead, this was a cruel betrayal.
“Damn you, Jace Elliott,” she murmured.
Obviously Jace had lied to her. Worse, she had allowed him, encouraged him, to do so. He had seemed so sincere, so honest, so …
“So what, you stupid girl?” Leigh scoffed in anger. “In love with you? How easily and skillfully you tricked me, you sorry bastard. All those accusations about Chad were only a cunning ruse to turn me against him. You see, Mr. Traitorous Elliott, there are a few things you don’t know. Such as, Chad has nothing to gain by getting rid of me, but you do. In fact, because of that reckless wager I made with you, you stand to win a lot, either by snaring me in your clever trap or by slaying me. You know you can win with the wager, but do you know you can win without it if anything happened to me? No doubt you only want to use me to spite Grandfather and Chad. Curse you and your rivalry! If it’s revenge you’re after, two can play at your game,” Leigh vowed.
A horrible thought came to mind, and she voiced it in alarm. “Oh, God, what if you two are in collusion? What if Louisa was the reason you were in London? What if Louisa is working on Chad for you, trying to help you pin those crimes on him? What if you enticed her to lure Chad here? Merciful heavens, what if you and Louisa are after me because of the will? Louisa sent that note in London; you were at the waterfront. Louisa knew I was going to the fort; you were there. Coincidence? How else could those men have set a trap for me? Or did both attacks simply play into your greedy claws, you jungle beast? No, that can’t be true, not the way she greeted you!”
Leigh vigorously brushed her hair, checked her clothes, and left her room. She walked past Louisa’s door with her head held high. She was only half glad Jace didn’t bump into her leaving his wanton love nest. She went to Chad’s room and knocked persistently on the door. When it opened, she stalked past him and took a seat. Her mind was in a turmoil. She was tempted to tell her guardian that his lover was being unfaithful with his enemy. Her dislike and distrust of Louisa had increased with the redhead’s daring conduct. But exposing the tryst was none of her business. In time, Louisa and Jace would expose themselves; villains always got cocky and made mistakes.
“No more secrets, Chad,” she stated in response to his quizzical expression. “No more stalling, half-explanations, and none-of-your-business or it’s-pri-vate excuses. I don’t like what I’m feeling and thinking about you and Jace. I want to know what happened between you and Jace Elliott years ago, and I want to know right now. I don’t like feeling trapped between you two. Tell me, or I’m going home.”
“What in heaven’s name brought on this fit?” he asked.
“Hints from both of you without clear answers. In London, you acted like Jace was a near stranger. I come here and discover he isn’t. You two hate each other, but you offer him a job and he takes it. How can you make a truce without having waged a war? And a war makes bitter enemies. I can’t relax until I know the truth.”
“What did Jace tell you to upset you like this?” he probed.
“He’s as secretive and bitter as you are, Chad. Why?”
“Are you afraid of him?” the handsome man asked.
“Why should I be? You said he doesn’t know about the will, and I certainly haven’t told him anything. You also implied he was innocent of those charges in London. Why should he be a threat to me? Yet I get the impression you think he is. I find that odd and distressing. I keep recalling his accusations at Mr. Johnston’s party about being your bait and accomplice, about you using me to get at him, to spite him.”
“Jace and I talked everything out that night, Leigh. It was mostly a terrible misunderstanding between us long ago. We both thought it was best if we didn’t mention it again, because we both acted like bastards and we didn’t want you to think badly of us. If I tell you what he did, you’ll think he’s awful. If I tell you what I did, you’ll think I’m awful. It was a crazy and stupid situation.”
“What was?” she persisted, her expression stubborn. “Tell me!”
Chad inhaled deeply and took a seat near her. To satisfy and fool her, he would reveal part of the truth. “Jace and I have known each other since our early teens. We went to school together and after, we joined the Royal Navy together. We shared plenty of adventures around the world. Later, we hired on as sailors on private ships, choosing whichever one was heading where we wanted to go. We’ve saved each other’s lives and shared each other’s good and bad days. We wound up in South Africa in ’89. The diamond fields caught our attention. We gathered a fortune. Then I was captured by warring Matabeles. I was tortured and enslaved. When I escaped, I was told Jace hadn’t tried to find me, that he’d taken our diamonds and left Cape Colony. I was sent back to London to heal. That’s when I met William Webster. My father had been killed while settling a dock strike that was crippling William’s shipments. William felt compassion for me. He befriended me, hired me, and trained me. But that’s off the subject. When Jace came to London in ‘92, he was shocked to find me there. He had believed me dead. I accused him of treachery. We fought, did spiteful things to each other, and made enemies. Once a friendship is mistreated, Leigh, it’s over forever.”
“How did Jace explain what happened in South Africa?”
“He claimed innocence. He said he searched for me for weeks and presumed I was dead. He came here to work and live. He purchased his plantation with the profit from part of my diamonds. To be honest, he offered to repay me for my losses, but I was too proud and bitter to accept. He visited again in ‘93 and ‘94, but we couldn’t forgive each other or make a truce. Both of us had done too many bad things to the other. After his father died, I figured
Jace had suffered as much as I had. It seemed foolish to go on hating him. By then, I had myself and my life back together. Trouble was, Jace believed William and I were out to get him. I tried to tell him there was no way we could have framed him, but he wouldn’t believe me. We went from best friends to worst enemies. That was sad and stupid on both our parts,” he murmured, using Jace’s words. “Now that William’s dead, part of Jace’s resentment is gone. The other night, I took the blame for our past trouble, so he agreed to drop the matter. It’s only a business deal, Leigh; he needs money and we need a guide.”
“What if you were right, Chad? What if he did leave you to die and stole your diamonds? What if he’s still dangerous?”
“We were young and reckless in those days, Leigh. If he did betray me, it was on impulse. Jace and I had our share of them, and they got us into plenty of mischief.”
Leigh added up the time span. It was seven years since the two friends docked in Africa. Twenty-five was not “young” and “wild.” Nor were they reckless children during the ensuing years, during which they had battled bitterly.
Chad continued. “Frankly, as much as I hate to admit it, I don’t believe he did leave me to die. At the time, I was too weak in mind and body to think clearly. By the time I saw Jace again, I had convinced myself those men at Kimberley had told the truth. Looking back now, they always were troublemakers. I think they lied because Jace had quarreled with them several times, verbally and physically.”
Chad took in a deep breath. “Don’t you see how terrible this makes me look, Leigh? I should have trusted him. I shouldn’t have spited him. He had good reason to retaliate. Just like he has good reason to be suspicious of me today. He’ll find out differently while we’re on safari. Maybe that will soften him toward both of us. I have to make peace with him to protect you. Once he sees that I’m sorry, he won’t want to spite me again.”
“Please don’t think badly of me,” Chad urged. “I was very ill. I had been terrified and abused for months. I had lived under the threat of torture and death every moment of every day I was their prisoner. I came home broke and weak, to learn my father was dead and my home was lost. I hate to admit it to you or myself, but I was at the pit’s bottom, Leigh, ready to break. William saved me from myself and a dire fate. He gave me back my strength, my pride—my life. I loved him, Leigh, and I miss him. You’re a lot like your grandfather. That’s why I know we’ll make a good team. I owe you, because I owe him. And I’m very fond of you.”
He stood and paced the room. “Jace should have been patient and understanding; he should have given me time to get ahold of myself; he knew what a terrible ordeal I had endured and what I had been told. He knew my father had been killed while I was enslaved, and that I’d lost everything. Once we got into a fistfight and I was hurt badly. He was arrested, and I let him sit in jail for a month where he had it rough with the guards and other prisoners. He never forgave me.”
Chad halted and met her gaze. “I told you he wasn’t the reason I came here. Maybe I was fooling myself. Maybe somewhere in the back of my mind I wanted to make peace with him. We had been a big part of each other’s lives. Maybe I thought it would prevent him from ever wanting to harm you. He is bitter over his family’s losses to William, so it was a good precaution for him to get to know you and like you. He has to get himself and his life back together, as I have, Leigh. Only then will the past be over.”
Leigh had remained silent and alert. If Chad had endured such a “terrible ordeal” in Africa, why would he come back?
As if reading her thoughts, he absently remarked, “Maybe I had something to prove to myself by coming here. Maybe I needed to pit myself against the jungle and its perils again; maybe that’s the only way I can accept what happened years ago. Sometimes I still have nightmares about it.”
That sounded more like the truth than anything Chad had told her. Yet there were contradictions in his words. “Are you sure you want to go on this safari, and with Jace Elliott?”
“They are the only two unresolved problems in my life, Leigh. I’m thirty-two. I want to settle down in the near future. I have to get rid of all my ghosts before I can be free and happy.”
Leigh eyed her handsome guardian closely. For the first time, Chadwick Hamilton looked young and vulnerable to her. He looked like a man who had suffered greatly in the past. She had nothing firm to hold against him, and what he had told her did explain the feud between the two men, though she needed more details. She smiled and said, “Thank you for trusting me with this information, Chad. I can see that mistakes were made on both sides. Perhaps this trip will settle everything for everyone. I hope so. What do you say to a glass of wine and an early dinner? I skipped lunch and I’m starved.”
“If you’d like to question Jace and tell him what I’ve told you, I don’t mind. I just don’t want you upset and scared.”
“Let’s make this another one of our secrets. Jace might get nervous if he discovers I know the truth about his past.”
“Whatever you think best, Leigh. Let’s go eat. I can use a drink. This was hard. Even Louisa doesn’t know the truth.”
“I’m sorry, Chad, but I had to know.”
“I should have told you that day in my office. I was afraid you’d think I’m a sorry bastard for being so weak and rash.”
“I don’t think any such thing, Chad Hamilton. We’re friends.”
“Please don’t let me do or say anything to destroy that bond. If something troubles you, come and discuss it with me. I won’t keep any more secrets from you. You don’t know how much you mean to me, Leigh. These past few weeks have been good for me. I didn’t realize a woman like you existed.”
When Leigh tensed, Chad frowned and said, “I’m sorry. That was a little too personal. Let’s go eat before I get into trouble again.”
Leigh and Chad took a small table in the tranquil garden. Verdant trees and lush vegetation made a semicircle of their secluded area. A cooling breeze swayed the greenery around them. The sun was setting, creating colorful streaks on the horizon. Fragrant flowers blossomed in the private location and sent forth heady smells. Musicians played softly in the adjoining room. It was quite a romantic setting. Chad and Leigh both noticed but pretended not to.
A waiter took their order for two wines. When he returned, Chad toasted her. “To a most unique woman, my beautiful ward.”
Leigh smiled and replied, “To my special friend and guardian.”
As they dined, Leigh asked, “I’d like to ask one more question, Chad. Why did you give me that necklace on Friday?”
Chad realized Jace must have told her about it. “Actually I brought it to give to Jace. It belonged to his mother. I figured, if we ran into him and he caused trouble, it might soothe his ire against us. Then, I decided that was foolish. William earned it legally and fairly, and it was your property. I had no right to make it a peace offering. I wasn’t truthful with you about it, Leigh, and I’m sorry.”
“Jace was furious when he saw it on me that night. When he came to my room to discuss our wager, he told me why. I offered it to him, but he refused to accept it. He seemed to think it was odd that I was wearing it that night. Now that I know about the trouble between you two, it makes sense.”
“If it hadn’t matched your gown, you wouldn’t have worn it and he wouldn’t have gotten suspicious. I didn’t know what you were wearing, and I didn’t know he had arrived and would be at the party. It wasn’t a trick on my part, Leigh, honest.”
Leigh didn’t doubt his speculations. “I believe you, Chad, but I’m sure Jace wouldn’t.”
“Why don’t we forget about Jace tonight? He’s only our hired man. If things can’t be worked out, I’ll call off the safari. I don’t want you unhappy or frightened, Leigh.”
Leigh recalled the contract she had created and signed with Jace Elliott. If she let Chad call off the safari, Jace would win his bet with her. If she refused to honor her wager, he would show it to Chad. Her guardian would wonder
why she had made such a rash and intimate bet, and she would be humiliated. Then, Jace would delight in exposing her wanton deed to Chad and others. If not for the paper, it was her word against his. She had to go on the safari and she had to win. Afterward, she would refuse his plantation—purchased with part of Chad’s blood, sweat, and pain—and sail home, a place where Jace couldn’t pursue her. If he still wanted to do so.
“What are you thinking?” he probed her pensive silence.
She lied convincingly. “About the safari. I want to go, Chad. I want to best that arrogant beast. You promised to make certain I didn’t lose. It’s not the money, it’s my pride at stake. I’m holding you to your word. Don’t let him make it extra tough to break me.”
Chad grinned and suggested, “If you get weak or have a problem, let me know. I’ll find a way to help you. I’ll take the blame so you’ll be in the clear. We make a good team, Leigh. I’m looking forward to many years with you.”
His tone and gaze told Leigh what kind of years he had in mind. Jace was right about one thing: Chad did want her. Was it the money, she fretted, her, or both he craved? She was a desirable woman, so why couldn’t it be only her?
“Would you like to take a stroll?” Chad hinted, after their dinner was finished. “The garden trail is lovely this time of night. It’s well-lit with torches.”
Feeling brave and bold and spiteful to Jace and Louisa, Leigh smiled and said, “That sounds very nice, Chad. But what about the others? We were to meet them at eight for dinner. They’ll be down soon.”
He shrugged. “I’ll tell the waiter inside to give them a message that we’ve already eaten and left for a walk.”
“Somebody will be angry,” she teased in a playful tone.
“That’s too bad. I can’t spend my life trying to appease a willful woman. After the safari, Louisa and I will part ways.”
Whispered Kisses Page 20