Deception (32 page)

He silenced her by putting his fingers against her mouth. “Not another word, siren. No good can come of it. Nothing can change what happened. It is best left in the past where it belongs.”

“Yes, Jared.” Olympia fell silent. She rested her head against his shoulder. Her mind swirled with visions of how terrible that night had been for Jared.

He was an intelligent man, she thought, a man of strong emotions and refined sensibilities. Such a man could not escape unscathed from an act of violence. The worst scars would always lie beneath the surface.

Jared stirred. “About Robert.”

Olympia frowned as her thoughts immediately
shifted back to the present. “Yes, poor Robert. Perhaps it is time we discussed what happened at Vauxhall Gardens tonight.”

“There is actually not much to discuss, Olympia.”

“On the contrary. We must reason out who kidnapped him and why. I know you do not think much of my theory about the Guardian being after the Lightbourne diary, but I really do feel you should consider the possibility.”

“Damnation.” Jared sat up reluctantly, adjusted the opening of his breeches and rested his arm on one upraised knee. He pondered Olympia’s concerned face for a long moment. “Just what do you think is going on here? Do you actually believe that some ghost from the time of Captain Jack is hanging about, searching for the treasure?”

“Do not be ridiculous.” Olympia pushed her hair out of her eyes and fumbled with her wrapper. “Of course I do not believe in ghosts. But it has been my experience that there is usually a grain of truth behind even the most bizarre legend.”

“No one is after the secret of the Lightbourne diary except yourself, madam.”

“What about Mr. Torbert?” she demanded.

“Torbert undoubtedly knows that you are investigating an old legend, but he cannot know which one. Furthermore, I do not believe that he would resort to kidnapping. He is not short of funds.
And he is certainly not the Guardian.”

Olympia thought about that. “Well, I grant you that he does not appear to be the sort who would be involved in a legend.”

“An astute observation,” Jared said dryly.

“But whoever took Robert tonight must have had a reason for doing so.”

“Of course he had a reason and it was no doubt a very simple one. Money.”

“Money?” Olympia gazed at him in dismay. “You mean someone knows about the three thousand pounds I received from Uncle Artemis’s shipment of goods?”

“No,” Jared said quite forcefully, “I do not.” He got to his feet and drew Olympia up to stand in front of him. “Olympia, I do not believe that whoever kidnapped Robert was after your three thousand pounds any more than he was after the diary.”

She searched his face anxiously. “Then why would anyone bother to kidnap Robert? He is not connected to a wealthy family.”

“He is now,” Jared said simply.

Olympia was stunned into momentary silence. She swallowed quickly. “Your family?”

“The Flamecrest fortune is doing quite nicely, thank you, even without the addition of Captain Jack’s lost treasure. It is more than likely that Robert was spirited off tonight in hopes of forcing me to pay a considerable ransom.”

“Good heavens.” Olympia groped for the chair and sat down very suddenly. “I had not thought about that. I had not realized that someone might assume you would feel responsible for Robert now that you have been obliged to marry me.”

“Olympia, I give you fair warning. If you ever again imply that I was forced to marry you against my will, I shall very likely lose my temper. I married you because it suited me to do so. Is that quite clear?”

She glanced up at his unyielding expression. “Yes, my lord.”

“Very well, then.” Jared reached for his watch and swore softly when he found the pocket empty. He glanced at the tall clock. “I suggest we go upstairs to
bed. It has been a very long night and I find that I am more than ready for bed.”

“Yes, of course.” Olympia rose. She felt oddly deflated. The exuberant happiness she had known a short while ago when she and Jared had made love had dissolved.

Jared watched closely as he picked up the candle. “Olympia, you are my wife but that changes nothing in our relationship. Do you comprehend? I will continue to manage the household affairs and see to Robert, Ethan, and Hugh. You need not concern yourself with the bothersome details of such matters. I will take care of all of you.”

Olympia smiled wistfully. “Yes, Jared.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed his taut jaw. “But there is one detail that will not be as it was before.”

He arched one brow. “And what is that?”

Olympia blushed but she did not look away from his challenging gaze. “I was referring to the matter of our sleeping arrangement, sir. It has occurred to me that there is no longer any need for us to, ah, use the study for the sort of thing we used it for just now.”

Jared smiled his buccaneer’s smile. “No, madam, there is no longer any reason for us to skulk about in your study. It is high time we experimented with the traditional English custom of making love in a bed.”

He gave her the candle to hold and swept her up into his arms. Then he carried her out the door and up the stairs.

Olympia frowned intently over the most recent clue she had uncovered in the Lightbourne diary. The master
of the
Siryn
could only refer to Captain Jack, she knew. The master of the
Serpent
would no doubt be his erstwhile friend and partner, Edward Yorke.

Claire Lightbourne had not known much about the quarrel that had taken place between the two men. It had occurred in the West Indies, long before she had met her Mr. Ryder in England. She had, however, recorded the fact that her new husband had vowed never to have dealings with Yorke or any of his clan.

But both men had long since passed on to whatever heavenly rewards awaited a pair of buccaneers. There was no way for the two to meet and make their peace.

No way for the two halves of the map to be joined together.

“Damnation,” Olympia whispered under her breath. She had the feeling she was very close to the answer she sought. But she had to find the missing half of the map. She wondered if it had descended down through the Yorke family, just as the Flamecrest half had come down through the Ryders.

How did one go about finding a descendent of a long-dead buccaneer?

Olympia tapped her pen thoughtfully on the polished surface of her desk. She wished that Jared would show more interest in the search for the lost treasure. She badly wanted to talk to someone intelligent about the matter. But on that point, he remained adament. He would not become involved in the search.

She sensed that Jared’s refusal to discuss the diary was his way of showing her that he had not married her in order to learn the secret. Nevertheless, it was making her study difficult.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

“Enter,” she called impatiently.

The small parade that marched into her study consisted of Ethan, Hugh, Mrs. Bird, and Minotaur. Olympia
could not help but note that even the dog appeared morose.

“Is there something wrong?” she inquired uneasily.

Hugh stepped forward. “Robert cost too much.”

Olympia put down her pen. “I beg your pardon?”

“We fear that Robert cost too much,” Ethan explained soberly. “Lord Chillhurst had to pay for him with his beautiful gold watch. Now Robert is receiving a terrible thrashing in the dining room and very soon we shall all likely be asked to leave.”

“Oh, I really do not think that Chillhurst will thrash Robert because of what happened last night,” Olympia said. “And we certainly will not be leaving.”

“Some of us will be leaving right enough.” Mrs. Bird looked defeated but defiant. “His lordship told me so himself.”

Olympia was shocked. “He did?”

“Aye, that he did. Says we’ll all be movin’ into a big townhouse tomorrow. Says we’ll be takin’ on staff.” Mrs. Bird’s defiant expression crumpled without warning and her voice cracked with anguish. “He’s going to hire a
butler
, Miss Olympia. A real butler. What’ll become of me, I ask ye? His lordship won’t be needin’ an ordinary housekeeper like me once he hires himself town staff.”

“And his lordship will not be wanting us around, either,” Hugh muttered. “Especially not after he had to give up his watch on account of Robert. He’s going to ship us all off to our relatives in Yorkshire.”

Ethan stepped forward. “Do you think we could afford to buy his lordship a new watch, Aunt Olympia? I’ve got sixpence.”

Hugh glared at him. “Don’t be a fool, Ethan. Sixpence ain’t near enough blunt to buy a watch like the one his lordship had to trade for Robert.”

Mrs. Bird burst into noisy tears. “He won’t be wanting any of us, least of all me.”

Olympia jumped to her feet, thoroughly exasperated. “That is quite enough. I do not want to hear any more of this nonsense. I do not know about this business of moving into a large townhouse, but it does not matter a jot if we do. Nothing is going to change around here. Chillhurst told me so himself last night.”

Mrs. Bird gave her a morbid look. “Then he deceived ye again, Miss Olympia. Everything’s changed now that yer married to him.”

“That is not true.” Olympia faced her small family with stout conviction. “He said everything will continue to function just as it has functioned since he came to us. Chillhurst will not thrash Robert. He will not replace you, Mrs. Bird. And he will not be shipping anyone off to Yorkshire.”

“How do ye know that, Miss Olympia?” Mrs. Bird demanded. She still sounded like a doomed soul, but there was a small spark of hope in her eyes.

“Because I trust him to keep his word,” Olympia said calmly. “Furthermore, you are all part of my family and Chillhurst knows that. He would never try to separate us. He knows very well that I would not permit it.”

The flicker of hope died in Mrs. Bird’s eyes. “Yer talkin’ as if ye was still his employer, Miss Olympia. Truth is, ye ain’t the one givin’ the orders around here any longer. Ye be Chillhurst’s wife and that changes everything. He’s the master of the house now. He can do as he likes.”

Minotaur whined softly and thrust his big head under Olympia’s hand.

“I am very sorry for what happened last night, sir.” Robert stood very stiffly in front of Jared. He gazed straight ahead at the wall behind Jared’s left shoulder.

Jared rested his elbows on the dining room table and tapped his fingertips together. He studied Robert’s face, well aware that the boy was struggling valiantly to keep his lower lip from trembling. “Do you understand precisely why I am disappointed in you, Robert?”

“Yes, sir.” Robert blinked several times.

“It is not because you got yourself into trouble. And it is not because you cost me a fine watch.”

Robert glanced quickly at him and then went back to staring straight ahead. “I am sorry about your watch, sir.”

“Forget the watch. It is cheap compared to a man’s honor. Nothing is as important to a man as his honor.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“When you give someone your word, Robert, you must do all in your power to live up to that vow. Nothing less is acceptable. Nothing less is honorable.”

Robert sniffed loudly. “Yes, sir. I promise I will be very careful about my honor in the future.”

“I am pleased to hear that.”

Robert glanced at him anxiously. “Sir, I wish to ask you for a very great favor. I know I do not deserve it, but I promise I will do anything in exchange.”

“What is the favor?”

Robert swallowed. “I wish to ask that you do not punish the others for what I did. Ethan and Hugh are very young, sir. They are terrified they will be sent off to Yorkshire. And I know Aunt Olympia would be very sad if they were sent away from her. She is quite fond of all of us, you see. She will be lonely without us.”

Jared sighed. “No one is going to be sent away, Robert. You and your brothers and your aunt are in my care now. You may rest assured that I will fulfill all
of my responsibilities toward you.” His mouth curved wryly. “With any luck, I shall do a better job of it in the future than I did last night.”

Robert frowned. “What happened last night was my fault, sir.”

“I fear that we both must assume a share of the blame. I ought to have kept an eye on you. I should have guessed that you would be lured to the Dark Walk by that young man’s dare.”

Robert looked confused. “Why would you guess that, sir?”

“Because I was your age once, myself.”

Robert stared at him in astonishment.

“Yes, I know. It is difficult to believe.” Jared lowered his hands and sat back in the chair. “Now, then, that is quite enough on that subject. Let us move on to another.”

Robert hesitated. “Sir, if you do not mind, I would like to know exactly how I will be punished for what I did last night.”

“I said the matter is over, Robert. I can see that you have already chastised yourself for what happened and that is sufficient.”