Dark Rider

by Iris Johansen

  “Send a message to have them ready the Josephine.” He stared blindly at Kapu. “We’ll leave as soon as we talk to Josette.”

  “If the little devil comes back,” Bradford said. “She may decide to go with them.”

  “She’ll come back. She promised. Besides, Cassie wouldn’t let her endanger herself any more than necessary.” But there would be danger for Cassie and Lani. Two women alone in an enemy land with no papers or friends. Panic tore through Jared as he realized they might already be facing danger while he stood here helpless. How would he even find them when he reached France?

  Josette. She might know something, and, by God, he would force her to tell him.

  But she could not possibly be here before nightfall, perhaps later if the winds weren’t with her. So he would be forced to wait, going mad with worry.

  He had to keep busy. He whirled and headed for the stable door. “I’m going to order our luggage readied and tell Mrs. Blakely to pack clothing for Cassie and Lani. They can’t have taken very much on the sailboat.”

  As he crossed the courtyard, he was barely aware of Bradford beside him.

  It was only a little after eight in the morning, but the sun was shining brightly, not a cloud in the sky.

  Let there be good winds. Jesus, let them all be safe.

  “You knew this was bound to come,” Bradford said quietly.

  “Not like this.” He knew now he had deliberately kept himself from thinking about the reason Cassie was here. The time at Morland was a time apart. He had not wanted to remember Deville, because then he would have to remember Cassie would never belong to him.

  But she did belong to him.

  “They’re intelligent women,” Bradford said. “They’ll be careful.”

  “Is that supposed to comfort me?” he asked savagely.

  “No, it’s supposed to comfort me. I really don’t give a damn about your feelings at the moment.”

  Jared glanced at Bradford’s face and for the first time realized it was both pale and drawn. Any other time he would have had a twinge of compassion, but not now. “Because you think this is my fault?”

  “No, you could no more stop yourself from going after Deville than they could stop trying to save him.” He smiled crookedly. “Destiny, my lad.”

  Destiny. Jared didn’t argue with him as he had the last time. For the first time in his life he felt as if he had no control, that he was being sucked helplessly into a giant whirlpool of circumstance.

  “I beg pardon, Your Grace.” Mrs. Blakely met them as they came in the front door. “But a messenger came a few minutes ago and brought this.” She proffered an envelope. “He said I should give it to you at once.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Blakely.” He took the envelope and waved her away. “I have a few tasks for you to perform. Please come to the library in a quarter of an hour.”

  “Certainly, Your Grace.”

  He broke the seal, ripped open the envelope, and scanned the letter. He felt the blood drain from his face as he finished it. Then he read it again.

  “What is it?” Bradford’s alarmed gaze was fastened on his face. “For God’s sake, who is it from?”

  “Guillaume.”

  Jared was standing on the dock when Josette sailed into the small harbor just after darkness had fallen.

  Her expression was wary and became even more so when she saw his face illuminated by the lantern in his hand. “I had to do it. They needed me,” she called. She jumped out of the sailboat and secured it before turning to face him. “So you needn’t shout at me.”

  “I’m not going to shout at you.”

  “You’re not?” She said uncertainly, “That’s very understanding of you. I didn’t think you’d—”

  “Where are they?”

  “France.”

  Jared drew a long breath. “Josette, I’m trying to be patient with you. Where in France?”

  “You know I can’t tell you that. They trusted me. It wouldn’t be honorable.”

  “Would it be honorable to let them have their throats cut and be thrown into the Seine?”

  Her eyes widened. “What!”

  “Would it?”

  “No, of course not, but they won’t—” She frowned. “Are you trying to trick me?”

  “I’m trying to tell you that you may have taken them to a place that will only bring them death.”

  “I knew there was danger, but Cassie has to find her father.” She added with a touch of defiance, “Before you do.”

  “Charles Deville is dead.”

  She stared at him in shock. “You can’t know that’s true.”

  “I received a message from Guillaume, my contact in Paris, this morning.” His lips curled bitterly. “It was my morning to receive unpleasant correspondence.”

  “It shouldn’t have been unpleasant for you. You wanted him dead.”

  “I didn’t want him murdered by Raoul Cambre. I wanted him to lead me to Cambre.”

  “And did he do it? How else would this Guillaume know that Cambre had killed Deville?”

  “By following Cambre himself. Guillaume was watching an artist, Jacques-Louis David, who went scurrying to a Raoul Bonille after being visited by a man Guillaume suspected was Deville. Bonille met with Deville one evening at a cafe near the Seine. It was Deville’s last meeting on earth.”

  Josette shivered. “You’re sure?”

  “Guillaume is sure.”

  “And this David had something to do with it?”

  “Directly or indirectly. He did know Raoul Bonille. And Guillaume is almost certain that Bonille is Cambre.” His gaze narrowed on her face. “You’re very interested in David.”

  Josette turned to face him. “You’re telling me the truth? You’re not trying to trick me into betraying Cassie and Lani?”

  “Have I ever lied to you?”

  “No.” She moistened her lips. “But this is different. I know you’ve always hated Deville.”

  “Do you want to see Guillaume’s note?”

  She met his gaze, then slowly shook her head. “But I had to be certain.”

  “They mentioned this David?”

  She nodded. “They talked about him on the boat. Cassie said that her father would go to him first. She planned on contacting him as soon as she reached Paris.”

  “Christ.”

  “You think he’ll tell Cambre?”

  “There’s not much doubt.” His lips tightened. “And Cambre doesn’t want to be found. He’s already killed one man to prevent it.”

  “But Cassie doesn’t want to find anyone but her father.” Then Josette nodded as she thought it through. “But one will lead to the other.”

  “As day follows night. Do you know where they’re planning on staying?”

  “They had no idea. A pension near David’s residence …”

  He turned and strode down the dock.

  Josette trotted beside him. “Where are you going?”

  “Where do you think I’m going? Paris. Bradford is waiting for me on the ship now.”

  “I want to go with you.”

  “You’ll stay here.”

  “You’re blaming me for their being in danger. Well, maybe I am to blame, but all this hatred seemed wrong. I didn’t know this would happen—”

  “I know you didn’t.” He wearily looked at her. “I don’t blame you. Maybe Bradford is right and it’s just fate.” His jaw clenched. “But I won’t have you running about Paris in danger, too. You’ll stay here and take care of Kapu and Morgana. Cassie wouldn’t thank you for leaving her horses to the stable boys, would she?”

  “No, I guess not.” A frown wrinkled her forehead. “But I don’t like being left behind. I’ll be frightened for you.”

  “Good—then maybe you won’t act so hastily again.”

  “You’re not being kind.”

  “I don’t feel kind.” His stride lengthened as they approached the stable. “If I wasn’t more frightened than you ever dreamed of being, I�
�d have tanned your hide until you couldn’t sit down for a month.”

  “You’re frightened?” She gave up trying to match his stride and called after him, “I’ve never known you to be frightened of anything, Jared.”

  “Then enjoy the experience. I certainly don’t.” He disappeared into the stable.

  “I’m sorry, mademoiselle.” David gave Cassie an entirely winning smile. “I regret I’ve not had the opportunity of renewing my acquaintance with your father. It’s not surprising, since we did not know each other well.”

  “But you did know Raoul Cambre very well,” Lani said. “And we have reason to believe Charles will want to find Monsieur Cambre.”

  “Impossible.” David sighed. “Alas, Raoul and I drifted apart after your father left for Tahiti. Raoul was always a solitary man.”

  “Then you have no idea where he is?” Cassie asked.

  “Not the slightest.” His gaze shifted quickly to Lani, and he changed the subject. “You’re quite lovely. Did Charles ever paint you?”

  “No, Charles was interested only in painting landscapes.”

  “A great mistake. I’ve done one landscape in my entire career. An artist has a duty to himself and history to mirror life. I have all the great men of France begging me to paint them.”

  “How fortunate for you,” Lani said without expression.

  “Not fortune, genius.” He added quickly, “Or so I’m told. Even Napoleon praises my—”

  “If my father has not contacted you yet, he will do so soon,” Cassie interrupted. “You’ll advise us when that happens.”

  “Please,” Lani interjected, changing the demand to a plea. “It’s very important, monsieur.”

  “He will not come to me,” he said peevishly. “I told you he would not. I’m a very busy man. Why must you all bother—” He broke off and forced a smile. “You must understand my impatience if you reside with my friend Charles. Artists pay heed to the demands of the soul, not of the world.”

  “Except when Napoleon beckons you back to the world,” Cassie said dryly. She rose to her feet and moved toward the door. “We’ll be waiting for word from you.”

  Lani followed Cassie to the door. “Thank you for your time, monsieur.”

  “It’s very valuable time,” he said pointedly. “I have no desire to waste it.”

  Lani gave him another dazzling smile. “We’ll try not to trouble you.”

  He grunted and had turned away before she shut the door.

  “I think from now on I’ll do the talking,” Lani told Cassie. “You were less than courteous.”

  “He was lying.” Cassie strode toward the hired carriage. “I know it.”

  “You wouldn’t have to be a seer,” Lani said. “He does not lie well.”

  “I think Papa was here.”

  Lani nodded as she seated herself in the carriage. “Which means that David was lying either at Charles’s request … or that of someone else.”

  Cassie absently motioned for the driver to go. “You mean Raoul Cambre.”

  “Possibly.”

  Fear iced through Cassie. “Dear God, I hope not.” She stuck her head out the window and called to the coachman, “Pull around the corner and stop.”

  “What are you doing?” Lani asked.

  “David may go to Papa to warn him we’re inquiring after him.” She didn’t want to voice the other alternative. “We’ll wait here and see if he does.”

  “And then follow him?”

  Cassie hopped out of the carriage. “I’ll go to the café across the street from David’s residence and watch the front door. You stay here in the carriage. When he comes out, I’ll join you.”

  She didn’t wait for an answer but moved quickly toward the corner.

  “I’d forgotten what abominable taste Guillaume has in drinking establishments,” Bradford said, looking around the crowded waterfront tavern. “There’s so much smoke one can’t even see the ceiling.”

  “Or the man at the next table,” Jared said. “Which is the point when you don’t want your presence noted.” His gaze searched the room. “Where the devil is he? His note said he’d be here every evening until I contacted him.”

  “Then he’ll be here. Guillaume may be a trifle crude, but he’s very reliable.”

  “Crude? You call me crude?” Jared turned to see Guillaume a few feet away. The potbellied Frenchman belched with deliberate loudness. “I’m not crude—I’m merely too honest to comply with your fancy English manners.”

  “Where have you been?” Jared asked impatiently.

  Guillaume glowered at Bradford. “Finding out information from my crude associates.”

  “What information?”

  Guillaume waited, staring hard at Bradford.

  “My abject apologies,” Bradford said with a sigh.

  Guillaume shrugged. “It’s only what one would expect of the English.”

  “One also expects them to pay through the nose for information,” Jared said. “What news of Cambre?”

  “He had another visit from David today. According to my man, Valbain, he appeared very annoyed.”

  “David was his only visitor?”

  Guillaume nodded. “And he stayed only a few minutes before returning to his home. Then Cambre left and visited a small pension on the rue de Lyon.”

  “Why?”

  “He inquired after a Mademoiselle Deville.”

  Jared went tense. “And?”

  “She was not there, so he left.”

  Jared’s breath expelled explosively. “Thank God.”

  Guillaume chuckled. “But he could have retraced his steps two blocks and found her. Valbain said two ladies followed Cambre from his home to the pension. They waited until he left before dismissing their carriage and going to their chambers.”

  “Christ,” Bradford said.

  “You know these ladies?” Guillaume asked.

  “We know them,” Jared said. “Did Cambre return to the pension later?”

  “Not before I came to meet you.” He glanced resentfully at Bradford and belched again. “Of course, I stopped to have a bit of bread and cheese first. I knew you wouldn’t want me to starve for want of a paltry meal.”

  Jared barely heard anything but the first sentence. “How long ago?”

  “Two hours, perhaps.”

  He pushed back his chair. “Take me there.”

  “Now?” Guillaume shrugged. “I thought you’d want to go to Cambre. I think there’s little doubt the man is your old enemy. He matches your description, and the friendship with David is—”

  “Later.” He had to make sure Cassie and Lani were out of danger before he moved on Cambre. During the entire journey from Morland he had been imagining Cassie hurt, even dead, and he would not take any chances.

  Guillaume gave him a curious look. “After all these years of searching for him? I’d not believe— Oh, well, it’s not my business.” He pushed back his chair and stood up. “Come along. The pension’s only a ten-minute carriage ride from here.”

  Cassie was a mere ten minutes away, and Guillaume had kept them waiting for two hours? Rage suddenly flared through Jared, and he was tempted to bang the Frenchman’s head against the wall.

  “He didn’t know they were of any importance,” Bradford said in a low voice. “Don’t waste time on him, Jared.”

  Important? In the whole world Cassie was of the utmost importance to him, and Guillaume had left her unprotected with Cambre hovering over her like a vulture.

  And she was still unprotected. His anger was submerged in panic. Bradford was right, there was no time to waste.

  He picked up his hat and gloves from the table and strode after Guillaume.

  “I don’t want to just sit here and wait.” Cassie prowled back and forth across the tiny chamber. “Let’s go back to Cambre’s house and talk to him.”

  “It’s safer to have him come to us.”

  “Papa could be in that house.”

  “Do you think Cambr
e offered him his hospitality?” Lani shook her head. “Not if he’s as evil as you believe.”

  “Perhaps Papa is a prisoner.”

  “Or perhaps he was too clever to let Cambre fool him.” She paused. “Charles isn’t stupid. We’re not even certain that he went to Cambre’s house.”

  “Why are you arguing with me?” Cassie’s hands clenched into fists. “Anything could happen. Jared must be in Paris by now. If Cambre doesn’t find Papa, Jared will.”

  “I’m not arguing with you. I’m trying to make you see reason.”

  “We should have met Cambre as he was coming out of the pension. I should never have let you stop me.”

  “And what would you have done? It would have been foolish to confront him with no plan. We didn’t even have a weapon. Evidently he’s concerned with our presence here, or he wouldn’t have set out immediately for our pension. When he returns, we’ll question him in safety here and see if we can learn anything.” She was sitting in the window seat and wearily leaned her head back against the sill. “Now, will you stop pacing? You’re making my head ache.”

  “I’m sorry.” She stopped in the middle of the room. “It’s just—we’re so close— I’m afraid for Papa.”

  “We can do nothing if we don’t ensure our own safety.”

  Cassie knew she was right, but it didn’t still the anxiety pounding through her. Ever since they had arrived in Paris, she had felt a constant sense of panic, as if they were living under a threatening cloud that was turning the world darker with every passing second.

  She crossed the room and dropped down onto the floor before Lani. “What if we don’t find Papa before Jared does?” she whispered. “I couldn’t bear it, Lani.”

  Lani’s gaze searched Cassie’s face. “Oh, no.”

  Lani knew, Cassie realized. She wanted to deny it, to tell Lani she was concerned only about Papa. She couldn’t do it. “What I feel for Jared will make no difference. If I was going to let it matter, do you think I would have come?”

  “Poor Kanoa.” She gently cradled Cassie’s cheek in her palm. “It’s a cruel path you’ve chosen.”

  “I didn’t choose it. I didn’t want it to happen.” She closed her eyes. “It’s not fair that I love them both. God shouldn’t have let this happen to me. What will I do if I can’t keep Jared from killing Papa?”