Invincible (20 page)

T
he moment Bella saw Kristin's face, she knew things had not gone well between Kristin and her son.

“Where's Flick?” the agitated young woman asked as she entered the sitting room and found her daughter missing.

“I sent her to the kitchen with Emily to ask Cook for some scones with clotted cream.” Bella gestured toward the chair beside her and said, “Come here, my dear, and tell me what happened with Max.”

“He proposed,” she said flatly. “I refused.”

“I feared as much,” Bella said. “The rubies will still be yours when—”

“Keep them. I'd hate myself if I took them.” Instead of sitting, Kristin headed straight to the fireplace. She reached her hands out, seeking heat from the fiery coals.

“Before you refuse the rubies, I wish you'd let me tell you a little bit more about them.” When Kristin didn't object, she said, “The air is chilly in here. There's a knit
ted quilt on the back of the chair beside me. Why don't you sit down and get comfortable?”

For a moment Bella thought Kristin was too upset to sit, but the agitated young woman grabbed the colorful quilt and dropped into the chair, spreading it over her lap before pulling it all the way up to her neck.

“I've already told you the Blackthorne Rubies—the diamond and ruby necklace, pendant earrings, bracelet and ruby ring—were given to Philip Wharton, the first Duke of Blackthorne, as a gift from Henry II for saving his life. When Philip fought for the young king, he earned himself a bride as a prize of war—along with the dukedom.

“Unfortunately, as the Blackthorne family fortunes rose and fell, the rubies were lost, a piece at a time.”

“I had no idea,” Kristin said. She frowned and added, “If that's true, how is it you have all of them now?”

“Ah. That is a story worth telling. Bull found them, every one. He tracked down their current owners and made each of them an offer they couldn't refuse.”

“How on earth did he find them all?” Kristin asked. “I mean, if they were lost over time.”

“The recovery of the jewels is a fascinating story. But first, you need to know how the Blackthorne Rubies were lost.”

“Lost? As in, misplaced?” Kristin asked.

Bella chuckled. “Nothing so simple as that. Each piece has a history of its own. For instance, the pendant earrings were used during the French Revolution to buy the freedom of a French aristocrat, a beautiful woman
condemned to the guillotine. One of my Blackthorne ancestors had fallen in love with her. He rescued her. And married her. I showed Flick a painting of her in the gallery. Flick pointed out that she looks like me.”

“That sounds romantic.”

“It is. It was,” Bella said. “It would be nice if all the rubies had been lost for such noble causes.”

“They weren't?” Kristin said.

“The ruby-and-diamond necklace was used to pay a gambling debt during the Regency period, around 1812, I think. The duke wagered the rubies on a horse race. And lost.”

Kristin made a clucking sound. “It seems criminal to wager something with so much family history on something so risky.”

“Especially when the rubies weren't his to wager,” Bella said. “The duke had already promised them to another creditor for another debt.”

“Couldn't his gambling debt have been paid some other way?”

Bella shook her head. “The American who made the wager with the duke insisted on having the necklace. It seemed there was bad blood between the two men. The duke gave up the rubies rather than taking a chance on being shot and killed in a duel. The American took the rubies—and the duke's fiancée, with whom he'd fallen in love—and disappeared.”

“That's a love story, too,” Kristin pointed out.

When Bella raised a questioning brow, Kristin ex
plained, “The American fell in love with the duke's fiancée.”

“Yes, he did, didn't he?” Bella said. “When the duke later tried to retrieve the necklace, the gambler had disappeared. It seemed he'd lied about who he really was.”

“He was never found?” Kristin asked.

“Never,” Bella said. “The necklace was never recovered.”

“How sad,” Kristin murmured.

“The bracelet and ring were stolen by a Southern privateer during the American Civil War,” Bella said. “They were in the possession of the Duke of Blackthorne, who was traveling to meet his affianced bride, the daughter of a wealthy munitions manufacturer in Boston.”

“The duke was going to marry an American? Not someone with a title?”

“That was the plan. Of course, without the jewels, the duke was essentially penniless. He didn't want to come to his bride without the rubies he'd intended as a bride gift, so he set out to find them. Of course, he found a new love along the way. He married a Southern bride, a woman from Texas, instead.”

“So the rubies led to love again,” Kristin said. “Did the duke ever recover the stolen jewels?”

Bella shook her head. “An English merchant's daughter showed up at a steeplechase in London wearing them, along with an atrocious hat.”

Kristin laughed.

“It's good to see you smiling again,” Bella said. “So
you see, the Blackthorne Rubies seem to inspire love, or perhaps, the courage to find love, in their owner. Which is why I wanted you—want you—to have them. I thought they might work their magic on you and Max.”

Kristin sobered. “Max only proposed as a way of getting custody of Flick.”

“Yes, of course he did. A marriage is expedient and convenient. When you sort out what went wrong between you in the past, the situation between the two of you could improve markedly. Is there any hope you might reconsider?”

The distraught young woman stood, dropping the quilt on the chair as she once more sought out the fire, reaching for the warmth that seemed to have deserted her. “We've already discussed what happened between us ten years ago. As you suspected, it was a simple misunderstanding. I was mistaken in what I thought I saw. It's all water under the bridge.”

“Then there's no reason why the two of you can't start over,” Bella said.

Tears brimmed in the young woman's eyes. “There's nothing left between us on which to build a relationship,” she said simply.

“Nothing? You have a daughter together. What about Felicity?”

Bella saw an anguished look flicker across Kristin's face before the young woman said, “I'm not going to allow Flick to end up in a tug-of-war between us. It's over.”

“Does this mean you're not going to play the exhibition match with Max?” Bella asked.

Kristin shook her head. “I'll stay for the match and perhaps for the tournament as well, to see old friends. Then I'm heading home. With Flick. And my father. Max has arranged for him to come here.”

Bella raised a brow. If Max had exerted himself so far as to make that sort of arrangement for Harry Lassiter, there was far more going on between the two young people than Kristin was admitting.

“I'm sorry to hear you've refused Max,” Bella said. “I will, of course, be taking care of all your expenses, as I promised.”

Kristin met her gaze and said, “I'll pay you back. Every penny.”

Bella had seen how Max looked at the mother of his child. And how desolate Kristin seemed at the thought of a life without Bella's youngest son. Bella was more and more certain this woman belonged with Max. Her son had handled things badly. It hadn't helped that he'd had that abrupt introduction to Felicity. She should have planned that better. “I presume you and Max have worked out some sort of visitation schedule.”

“We didn't get that far,” Kristin admitted.

“Don't you think that might be a good idea?”

“I'm not sure I want Max visiting Flick.”

“That doesn't sound fair to Felicity,” Bella said, careful not to mention how very unfair it also seemed to her son. “Doesn't she deserve a father?”

“It would be worse if she had a father who only showed up half the time. Or never showed up at all.”

Bella frowned. “You believe Max would be that kind of father?”

“I've always thought so.”

“Based on what, may I ask?” Bella said, indignant on her son's behalf.

“Based on how badly he treated me ten years ago.”

Bella met Kristin's troubled gaze and said, “I thought you said you were mistaken about Max's behavior in the past. Doesn't he deserve a chance to prove what kind of father he would be?”

“Not if it means Flick gets hurt.”

“Forgive me if I'm wrong, but it appears you're the one who fears getting hurt if Max stays a part of your life,” Bella said quietly.

“So what if I am?” Kristin retorted. “No one wants to be hurt a second time by the same person.”

“If you and Max have unfinished business, perhaps you should take advantage of the time you have together here in London to work it out,” Bella said.

Kristin reached up to tuck a stray curl that had slipped from her ponytail back behind her ear. “Flick and I need to leave if we're going to catch the next train back to London. I should go pack a bag for her.”

“You know where her room is. If you don't mind spending the night here at the Abbey, I can arrange a ride into London for you tomorrow morning so you can meet your father at the airport.”

“I don't want to spend any more time in Max's company than I have to.”

“Max is leaving.” She'd make sure he did, after she gave him a good talking-to. “I'd enjoy your company if you'd like to stay.”

Kristin sighed. “I didn't bring anything with me to wear. I don't even have a toothbrush.”

“That's no problem,” Bella said. “Check with the housekeeper. Mrs. Tennyson can get you anything you need. And I'm sure Emily will have something you can wear.”

“Thank you. It's been a long day. I'd like to spend time with Flick.”

“I'm so glad you're staying,” Bella said. “Dinner is at seven.”

“I think I'll find Flick and let her know I'll be here overnight,” Kristin said.

Bella waited only until Kristin had left the room before she rose and headed across the hall, hoping Max hadn't yet left the Abbey. She found him slumped in a comfortable overstuffed chair, his stocking feet up on a petit-pointed footstool. As she crossed to him, he clumsily rose and shoved his feet back into his tasseled leather shoes.

“Mother. What brings you here?”

“I just spoke with Kristin,” she said. “Sit down, Max. I'll join you,” she said, settling on the less comfortable Victorian sofa across from him.

He dropped back into the chair but kept his shoes on. His feet stayed on the floor. “Kristin doesn't want
anything to do with me,” he announced. “The three of us are still going horseback riding, but she wants me to stay away from Flick in the future.”

“What did you say to that?” Bella asked.

“I told her I knew what it felt like to want a parent who isn't there,” Max said. “And I wasn't about to do that to my daughter.”

She wondered if Max knew how it pierced her heart to hear about his pain. He must know. It seemed the gloves had come off. She knew the example she and Bull had set for her children had left lasting scars. It seemed Max's wounds were still seeping. It made her more determined than ever to do what she could to keep him from living unhappily ever after.

She was convinced that Max cared for the mother of his child. She'd done her best to get Kristin here to England so the two of them could fall in love again. But her plan had been ill-considered.

Or maybe not. Maybe she'd challenged the wrong person to make peace with the other.

“Kristin told me you proposed,” Bella said. “And that she refused you.”

“Being married makes the most sense,” he said. “It's the most logical solution to the problem of how I can be a part of Flick's life.”

“Did you discuss whether it was going to be a real marriage?” Bella asked. “I mean, were you each going to be allowed to carry on your separate affairs—romantic affairs, that is—as usual?”

He snorted. “I've had enough experience with what
happens when one party isn't faithful to the other to know fidelity is important in a marriage.”

Another shot, right to the heart. She met his gaze and realized he was fully aware of the verbal slap he'd taken at her. And didn't care if she was injured by it.

No, that wasn't precisely true. She saw a flush in his cheeks that revealed he wasn't as nonchalant about his ruthless condemnation of her as he wanted her to believe. She didn't have time to pretend anymore that she hadn't caused damage to her children. Max had suffered, and he blamed her for it.

All she could do now was try to make amends.

The best way to do that was by giving Max the nudge he needed to woo Kristin. He'd fallen in love with her once before. As far as Bella had been able to determine, it was the first—and last—time he'd given his heart to a woman. It seemed he'd been hurt, or felt betrayed, as badly all those years ago as Kristin had. Bella could only hope it wasn't too late for him to find his way back to loving her again.

“Kristin told me the two of you discussed the misunderstanding that separated you.”

He cocked his head, apparently surprised that she'd spoken to Kristin. Or perhaps that Kristin had been so frank with her.

“We did.”

“Do you still love her?”

“Still?” he said. “Did I ever?”

Bella ignored his attempt at denial and said, “If you want her, why don't you go after her? Woo her. Pursue
her. Convince her you'd make a good husband as well as a good father.”

He scoffed. “Why should I?”

“I've never known you to take no for an answer when no wasn't the answer you wanted,” Bella persisted. “Do you want to be a part of your daughter's life, or not? Because without Kristin's approval, it's going to be a nasty uphill battle.”