Jaded Moon (Ransomed Jewels Book 2) (17 page)

“You expected to be the first man to have me and you feel angry and betrayed to discover you weren’t.” She took another step toward him and leveled him with every defensive instinct battling within her. “You don’t have the right to be angry. You don’t have the right to be anything.”

“Don’t I? We just made love. Perhaps that doesn’t mean much to you, but it does to me.”

Josie felt like she’d been slapped. Before she could recover he fired his next question.

“What is your connection to Geoffrey Lindville?”

“There is no connection between us. We’re neighbors. That’s the only connection between us.”

“When I went to the orphanage yesterday, Mrs. Lambert told me Baron Lindville had been asking for you, too. When I arrived at your house today, Banks said Baron Lindville had been there earlier but you hadn’t been home to him. His eagerness to see you on top of all the flowers must mean something. Why would he go to all that trouble if there is no connection?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then perhaps you know why he is so adamantly opposed to the cattle venture. Every other man at the dinner Lady Clythebrook hosted endorsed my idea—except Lindville. And his land is not even involved in the venture. Why do you think he’s pursuing you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Could it be because you will someday inherit Clythebrook Estate?”

Josie couldn’t give him an answer. Instead, she stepped away from him and gripped her fingers around the top rung of one of the chairs tucked against the table.

Rainforth moved to the opposite side of the table. He braced his outstretched arms on the worn wood and stared at her. “And why do you think keeping everyone away from the land above the caves is so important to him?”

“I don’t know!”

“Well, I do. It’s because the caves are being used by smugglers.”

A floating feather could have felled her.
He knew!

“What do you know about that, Josephine?”

She shook her head, unable to speak.

“Do you know what I think?”

A long silence separated them.

“I think perhaps Baron Lindville is involved with the smuggling and that is why he is so opposed to anyone using the land and discovering what’s happening. Maybe the smuggling is so important to him he even shot me to frighten me away.”

“Then pay attention to the warning!”

“And let the smuggling continue?”

“Whoever fired at you could have killed you. Stopping them is not worth your life.”

He straightened. “It’s worth more than my life. It’s worth my honor. It’s worth my place in Society. It’s the means to redeeming the Rainforth name.”

Josie was more shocked than she’d been before. How could stopping them from bringing in a few insignificant goods restore his place in Society? How could it redeem his name?

He turned, and Josie watched him pace the space before the fire. His features were taut with determination, his eyes set with a fierceness she’d seen on his face the first time when he’d come to get his son.

“I assume you know that my father sold military secrets that cost hundreds of men their lives.”

Josie nodded.

“I’ve been given the opportunity to make up for a small part of the suffering he caused.”

“Even if it means your life?”

“It’s the least I can give after all the lives my father took. The government has asked for my help to discover who is behind the smuggling operation. And I will not fail in doing it.”

A cold chill raced through her. “What possible interest could the government have in a harmless band of smugglers this far from London?”

“Harmless? Oh, Josephine. What’s happening is far from harmless. These people are murderers and the government will not rest until every one of them is hanged.”

Josie reached for the nearest chair and lowered herself to it. How could he accuse them of being murderers? “How could bringing in a few simple items be considered murder?”

“A few simple items? Thank heavens you’re so ignorant of what’s going on here. If the look on your face weren’t filled with such blatant shock and horror, I might suspect you of being involved with the smugglers.”

He stepped in front of her and placed his finger beneath her chin. With the gentlest of pressure, he tipped her head back until she looked into his hardened gray eyes. “If you know anything at all, you have to tell me.”

“Tell you what?”

“Anything. When the next shipment might come in? Who brings it? Where and when it is unloaded? How they get it from the caves inland? They have to have someone working with them that knows a way to get it from the caves to a place further inland—an underground passageway. Perhaps even through the orphanage. We have to stop them.”

She struggled to find her next breath. “Why? What is so threatening about bringing goods in by sea to avoid the high cost of inland freight?”

“Is that what you think they are doing?”

“Of course. What else could they be doing?”

“Opium, innocent child. They’re smuggling in opium.”

Josie rushed through the orphanage and back down the steep stairs that led to the secret door at the back of the larder. It was the middle of the afternoon and using the secret passageway when there was so much activity was more dangerous than coming here during the night, but she couldn’t chance waiting until dark. She needed to confront Lindville. Now.

What Rainforth had told her couldn’t be true. Captain Levy couldn’t be bringing in opium. That meant she’d been part of the smuggling ring from the beginning. And when they were caught, she would hang just as surely as the rest of them.

Her hands trembled as she fumbled with the key to the door that led to the maze of tunnels. When the lock clicked, she lifted her lantern and rushed through the opening.

She went to the right, then right again, and stepped behind the false wall to the thick, oaken door. She opened it, and locked it again when she was inside.

How could she never have suspected what was really happening? How could she have lit the signal to tell Captain Levy that the coast was clear, then unlocked the secret passageway that ran beneath the orphanage for all this time and not once realized they were bringing in something other than the goods that went to Cornelius Sharpe? She called herself every kind of fool imaginable and knew that didn’t come close to what she really was.

She paced the room while she waited. He’d be here soon. She’d sent him a note and knew he wouldn’t miss the chance to meet with her. He’d tried often enough the last few days.

Her heart pounded in her throat and she fought the waves of anger mixed with rage. He’d used her. He’d used her to bring in opium that he was selling on the black market. She stopped pacing and listened to the footsteps echo in the long tunnel. He’d made her an unwitting accomplice in his crime for the last time. She gritted her teeth and waited for him to step out of the shadows.

“Josephine,” he said, coming toward her. He clasped his fingers around her shoulder and kissed her lightly on the cheek in greeting. “I’ve been to see you several times during the last few days but missed you each time. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to avoid me.”

Josie shrugged out of his grasp and stepped back from him. She’d lit three of the torches on the wall and there was more light in the tunnel than there’d been the other night. The brightness made her feel safer and let her see him better. She was glad he was looking at her through clear eyes today. Glad to know he’d understand every scathing word she said to him.

She wanted to laugh. She’d always thought the glassy look and his fragmented sentences were due to the amount of liquor he drank. Now she knew that wasn’t it. He was addicted to the drug as deeply as the men he supplied.

“Is it too much to hope that you asked to meet because you’ve changed your mind and want to marry as soon as possible?”

“Hardly. I asked to meet because I’d like you to answer a few questions.”

“Of course. Anything.”

She stepped closer. She wanted to stare into his eyes when she asked her questions. Wanted to see the truth or a lie in his answers. “Why are you so opposed to the Marquess of Rainforth’s cattle venture?”

“You know the answer to that as well as I. Neither one of us can afford to let him use this land. Have you forgotten what we use the caves for?”

“I haven’t forgotten. I’m just confused. I know what you told me, that you need the money to live a certain lifestyle and to provide independence from your mother. I’m not sure I understand how the meager amount from the sale of the goods we bring in provides you that.”

His face hardened. “What are you saying, Josephine?”

“That the amount we get from the sale of the goods, although a blessing that goes a long way to provide for the children’s needs, is nothing compared to what you need to live a Season in London.” She pointed to the expensive clothes he wore even in the country. “The amount it must take to pay your tailor alone is probably more than our shared profit for the year.”

“I have a certain standard to maintain. You know that.”

“Just what is it Captain Levy brings in that allows you to live such an extravagant lifestyle?”

“You know the answer to that as well as I. French wines, tea, crockery. Goods Cornelius Sharpe sells for a tidy profit.”

“What else?”

Lindville clasped his hands behind him and rocked back and forth on his heels. “You are terribly inquisitive all of a sudden. There’s a saying about the effect such curiosity has on certain species.”

“I’m hardly a feline. What else does Captain Levy bring in other than the goods we sell to Cornelius Sharpe?”

“I don’t know what you think is going on, but—”

“I
know
what is going on. I
know
you’re smuggling opium.”

Lindville blanched, the guilt on his face plain to see. Josie waited for him to speak, half expecting him to deny her accusation. He didn’t. He circled her like a wolf closing in on its prey.

“How unfortunate you found out. What do you intend to do with your new-found knowledge?”

“Put a stop to what you’re doing.”

He laughed. “I don’t think so. I’m not about to let you ruin everything.”

“What you’re doing is illegal! It’s immoral!”

“Smuggling of any kind is illegal. Did you think what you did was justified simply because the money went to provide for the children?”

“What I did didn’t destroy innocent lives.”

“Oh, please. Don’t be so melodramatic. The crime is smuggling. Which makes you as guilty as the rest of us.”

“Then it’s a crime I refuse to be a part of any longer.”

“Are you threatening me?”

She stepped up to him. “There will be no more shipments. Not one more item will come ashore on Clythebrook land. Not one more bundle of contraband will pass through the tunnels beneath the orphanage.”

He laughed. “Do you honestly think you can stop us? Do you think for one moment anyone cares if you don’t approve of what we’re doing?”

“You’re a fool if you think you can get away with this. Rainforth knows about the smuggling and he’s going to stop you.”

“Unless someone eliminates him first.”

Josie stopped short. “Do you hear what you’re saying? You’re talking about murder.”

“I’m talking about protecting my interests. I don’t give a damn about the stupid French wines or the tea or anything else that comes in? I only care about the profits from the opium.”

Josie stared at him in disbelief. “You won’t get away with this.”

“Who’s going to stop us? You?” He took a step toward her. “Not if you care what happens to Lady Clythebrook and the children.”

“You can’t mean that.”

“Can’t I?”

Josie was suddenly frightened of him. There was a look in his eyes so different than the placid, emotionless glaze she was used to seeing. The unadulterated malice glaring back at her gave her cause to fear.

She took a tentative step backwards but he followed her. With a smile on his face, he clamped his fingers around her upper arms and stopped her.

“Everything’s going to remain the same. The goods will arrive as they always have. You’ll signal Captain Levy that it’s safe to unload and when the boats bring the goods ashore, you’ll open the door to the secret passageway beneath the orphanage just like you always have. If you don’t…”

He squeezed her arms until she wanted to cry out.

“Well, I’d hate to think that something might happen to someone you cared for.”

Josie tried to pull away from him but his fingers dug deeper into her flesh and he pulled her up against him.

“That’s no way to act toward the man who intends to make you his wife.”

She struggled. “I have no intention of marrying you. I thought I’d made that quite clear.”

“You mean when you returned the flowers?” He clucked his tongue and stroked the side of her face with his fine leather-gloved hand. “How ungrateful.”

She slapped it away with a crack. “I haven’t given you permission to touch me, sir. Nor do I share your sudden ardor. Now, get your hands off me.”

He didn’t release her. Instead he pulled her tighter against him. She brought both her hands up against his chest and shoved but he didn’t release her.

“I don’t think you’ve considered just what I’m saying. I suddenly realize I have no choice but to marry you. How else am I to gain control of the caves so this problem never arises again?”

“You would marry me for a piece of land?”

He slid his hand down her throat and stopped at the slight rise of her breast. “Oh, I’m sure there will be other benefits to our marriage. But yes, the land would be enough.”

Josie twisted to the side and slapped at his hand. “Get away from me.”

The look in Lindville’s eyes changed and a mounting wariness gnawed inside her. Not since she’d been sent to live with the Fosters when she was thirteen had she been as afraid. Then he kissed her.

His kiss was hard. Brutal. The more Josie struggled to free herself from his grip, the deeper his fingers dug into her flesh. She tried to twist her head away from him, but his thumb and fingers clamped like a vice on either side of her jaw and held her tight.

She couldn’t move and the harder she resisted, the tighter he gripped her.

He ground his lips against hers, forcing her to open her mouth and take in his tongue. Blood thundered in her ears, rage and fear consuming emotions as she battled to free herself. And then he touched her. His one hand dropped from around her to cover her breast.

She fought him with all her might, finally freeing one hand. She pummeled his chest with her fist but it was as effective as beating a rock with a feather. Then, in a move of desperation, she raised her hand and scraped her fingernails down the side of his face.

“Bloody hell!”

With a yelp he pulled away from her. Josie turned but before she could escape, he brought his hand up and slapped her hard across the face.

Her cheek stung and her eyes watered, but she didn’t wait for the ringing in her head to stop before she ran toward the door.

She didn’t turn around. She wasn’t sure if he followed her, but couldn’t hear the thundering of his footsteps in the tunnel behind her. All that concerned her was getting to Clythebrook Manor and figuring out how she could keep the next opium shipment out of Lindville’s hands.

Then figuring out a way to keep Rainforth from finding out that she was one of the opium smugglers he’d come to arrest and hang.

…

“I can’t imagine what’s keeping Josephine,” Lady Clythebrook said, setting down her cup of tepid tea. “There must have been some problem with the children. She can never bring herself to leave if there’s some dilemma.”

Ross had been conversing with Lady Clythebrook for nearly an hour while waiting for Josephine to return from the orphanage. Today he intended to take her for a ride. They needed to be alone so he could talk to her. The way she’d reacted when he told her about the smuggling was alarming.

He knew she’d be upset to know someone was using Clythebrook land to bring opium into the country, but her reaction indicated something much more serious was wrong. The way she’d had to reach out to steady herself when he’d told her what he’d discovered gave him reason to wonder. Perhaps her feelings for Lindville were stronger than he’d thought and finding out that he might be connected to the smuggling was something she couldn’t deal with.

He also needed to apologize for the way he’d reacted after they’d made love. He hadn’t meant to say the things he had or sound so condescending, but his unchecked words had come out without his bidding when he’d realized she wasn’t a virgin. If he were totally honest with himself—which he was loathe to be—he’d have to admit he’d been angry.

She’d been right. Even though she was seven and twenty years old, he’d expected her to come to him untouched. And when she hadn’t…

Why had he been so shocked to realize she’d loved someone before him? How could he have been so foolish to think there’d never been someone special in her life? She was beautiful. She must have had a dozen or more suitors. It’s just that she held men at such arm’s length he couldn’t imagine her taking a lover. And with vivid clarity, he knew she never would.

His heart jolted in his chest. He knew her well enough to know she’d never give herself to any man unless she loved him.

And she’d given herself to him.

He glanced toward the empty doorway. He wished she’d get here. He wanted to make sure she was all right. He wanted to see her again. Hold her.

Just be with her.

Lady Clythebrook sat back against the cushion of the floral print sofa and looked at him with that directness that hinted that there was more wisdom behind that gentle smile than people gave her credit for. He knew she’d realized his thoughts were far away from what they’d just been talking about. And he’d wager a year’s profits she knew he’d been thinking about Josephine.

“So, Lord Rainforth. Will London be such a great shock to her?”

Ross returned her smile and lifted one brow. “Other than being a little headstrong and outspoken, Miss Foley was ready to face down London Society long before I came on the scene. Perhaps you’d care to tell me your real reason for putting both of us through this little charade. Other than to stall for the time she seemed so desperate to have.”