“You’re so charming,” Ella stated, coming to stand beside him. “The women are instantly drawn to you. Use that to your advantage. Charm the wives, and charm the city.”
He laughed softly. “You have that much faith in me?”
She rested her hand lightly on his forearm. “Of course.”
He didn’t realize he held his breath until she spoke.
“This estate is yours, Leo. And you deserve it.”
But he didn’t deserve it. He hadn’t been able to save his parents. He didn’t have the schooling or knowledge for this place. And he certainly didn’t have the temperament. He didn’t deserve this estate, and he didn’t deserve Ella. But damn it all, he wanted her…wanted her to think he was good enough.
“Here,” she said, and pulled a brown, leather book from her dress pocket.
“What is it?”
“My uncle’s journal.”
His breath caught. Merda, he’d forgotten about the damn book. That small journal could contain the answers to his questions, could prove Ella’s uncle guilty or not. But did it even matter? His gaze met hers.
“We don’t have to read it.”
She smiled. “Yes, we do. You’ve waited too long for this.”
His hands trembled as he opened the book. “It’s Hindi,” he said, flipping through the book. “Will take a while to read it all.”
Cody’s brother has arrived in a nearby village and sent word last night that he’d visit. I don’t trust the man. The workers have been whispering…Conspiring is my bet. But Cody won’t believe it. Too trusting and good natured. I fear something is going to happen to him and his family.
Leo sank into one of the chairs that flanked the fireplace. The words took him back, his memory returning in a rush. He’d remembered those whispers, those men with their secrets. He remembered his father’s smile, his trust in mankind. Cody’s brother. His father’s brother. He’d been right all along.
“Leo?” Ella whispered, kneeling beside him. He blinked her into focus. He swallowed hard and flipped to the last entry.
My dear little one. I know I promised to come back to you, but I fear I won’t make it. If you’re the same person you were as a small child, I know you will take care of this book and eventually translate these words. There is a man in the south of England named Lord Roberts, The Earl of Blackhorn. He must know what his youngest son is capable of. They came here at night, looking for the map. Cody refused, and dear God, it led to our downfall. They are dead, and, I fear, the lad too.
You would have liked the boy, as mischievous and curious as you. I told him about you one night, showed him that miniature I had done when you were four. Do you remember that? Oh, Ella, how many things you won’t remember. But if you remember anything, remember that treasure hunt we went on. Remember that treasure hunt and never, ever be afraid of what you can do.
Rambling and confusing, the words were difficult to make out, but one word burned in his brain. Miniature. Slowly, Leo stood and went to his trunk. He tossed up the lid and with hands that trembled, pulled out a small painting of a little girl done on ivory. He studied the small child with golden, curly hair and large blue eyes.
Ella.
Archie.
Could it be?
Leo turned toward her. “What treasure hunt?”
Ella stood, shaking her head in obvious confusion.
“Your uncle, he says to remember the treasure hunt you went on.”
She sunk into the chair across from his, her eyes downcast in thought. “I don’t know.”
“Ella, think.” Merda, this could be the answer to it all.
“I am.” She took her lower lip between her teeth, and the clock on the mantel ticked the time. Finally, her eyes widened. “When I was five, Uncle set up a treasure hunt for me, and we followed the map to the beach. When I uncovered the box, there was a beautiful porcelain doll inside.”
Map. The word sent shivers over his skin. “A map. What was the map like? What did it have on it?”
Ella shrugged. “I barely remember.”
He sat in the chair across from her, the miniature clutched in his hand. “Tell me every detail.”
Her brows drew together. “Well, Uncle told me the map was in the library. I’d find it hidden in Grandfather’s most prized possession.”
He leaned forward. “What was that?”
“A book. He’d hid it in a book.”
Leo rested the small portrait on his lap and flipped through the journal, scanning the pages. Nothing. “Merda.” He stood and tossed the book to the chair.
“Leo, please. Tell me if my uncle was guilty. I must know.”
She didn’t know. Dear God, he’d forgotten she didn’t know. For the first time that day, he smiled. Kneeling beside her, he held out the portrait. “No, Ella. Your uncle was my father’s best mate. He went by Archie at the camp.”
“Is that…me?”
“Yes. Your uncle carried the portrait with him everywhere. Told me about you so many times I felt I knew you. After the attack, I found it half embedded in the dirt.”
Tears shimmered in her eyes. “He wasn’t guilty.”
Leo shook his head. “No, Ella. Quite the opposite. I thought…I thought perhaps your uncle had stolen the necklace from Archie, but your uncle was Archie all along. He always wore that necklace, never took it off.”
She threw her arms around him, her soft body pressed to his. Her laughter rung in his ears like music from angels. At the same time, he could feel the wetness of her tears on his neck. Leo wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close, breathing in her scent. This was right—Ella, in his arms.
He caressed her satiny hair, smoothing the strands from her face. And suddenly, he knew what he must do. For him, for Akshay, for Ella.
“I have to go to London.”
She pulled back, her eyes wide with surprise. “You’ll go?”
“You’ll stay here. You’re right. You’re safer here. It could very well be a trap. Henry could be doing this on purpose to get me there, and I won’t put you in danger too. My grandfather will see that you’re protected. I’ll make sure of it.”
She nodded and placed her hands on either side of his face. “Leo, please be careful.” Then a smile spread across her lips, and she threw her arms around him once more. “Everything will turn out well, Leo, I know it will.”
He breathed in deep and closed his eyes, taking comfort in her hold. “I hope you’re right.”
Chapter 21
Leaning on the window ledge of her bedchamber, Ella rested her chin in her hand and gazed out at the heavy fog rolling in from the coast. Not a star was visible to twinkle and reassure from the heavens. The air, thick and warm, was perfumed with saltwater and the sweet scent of roses. All in all, a pleasant evening, but that fact did little to ease her racing mind. Leo had started for London early in the morning, leaving her to worry and ponder what would happen. Lord Roberts, still too weak to get out of bed, had seemed pleased by his grandson’s decision. But Ella couldn’t help but worry that Leo was walking into a trap.
How would she survive for days, not seeing, not touching him? Then again, when he left for Italy, how would she survive a lifetime? No, she wouldn’t think about that. Not now, not when she was alone and the night, eerily quiet, was made for depressing contemplation.
She straightened away from the window ledge, and her necklace, cold and hard, fell between her breasts. Leo had slipped the pendant into her hand as his lips pressed to hers in a farewell kiss. Not bothering to worry about the footmen and driver standing nearby, his actions proclaimed to the household that she belonged to him. She was officially ruined, yet she couldn’t seem to dredge up an ounce of concern. Did he think to leave her the necklace for comfort, or did he worry he wouldn’t return to give it back?
She pulled the necklace out and smoothed her thumb over the raised god.
“What does it all mean? What are you trying to tell me, Uncle?”
Archie. Sh
e’d never called him by that name, never even heard it, but then she hadn’t spent much time with her uncle. She’d known him merely as a man who visited thrice a year, bringing gifts and tales of far-off, exciting places. Now, he was truly gone. She bit her lower lip as tears burned her eyes. She supposed in the back of her mind she’d always held out hope he’d reappear.
That scavenger hunt on the beach had been their last visit together. She knew he wanted her to move to the Americas and live with him, had heard her uncle arguing with her grandfather that night. Her uncle’s tanned face flashed to mind as they stalked the beach, shovel in hand.
I’m going on a real adventure, Ella, my sweet.
“With a real treasure?” she asked, skipping beside him.
He reached over and ruffled her hair, and she smiled up at him in true adoration. “Of course. But this isn’t a treasure to take. No, this is a treasure to guard.”
“But how long will you be gone?”
“Not long. I’ll be back before you know it.”
Ella paced her bedchamber, her fingers playing with the chain of the necklace. “A treasure to guard,” she whispered, her brows drawing together. What had her uncle and Leo’s father been doing in India?
Her mind drifted back once more.
They stilled on the sand near a cliff, and Ella plopped down, flipping open the book she held. “Will grandfather be cross that we used his book to hide our map?”
Her uncle sat next to her. “No, poppet. We merely borrowed it. Besides, it could’ve been worse. Every treasure hunter knows that if you truly want to hide a map in a book, you always glue it behind the binding.”
Ella sucked in a breath and stopped short in the middle of the room. Her heart raced wildly in her chest, and her frantic gaze found her uncle’s journal on the bedside table.
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head. It couldn’t be there, all along. She raced to the bed and snatched the book from the table. The binding. Dear God, why hadn’t she thought of it before? Her knees gave out, and she sank onto the edge of the bed. For one long moment, she merely stared at the book, unable to move, unable to breathe. Finally, she flipped to the front of the journal. She smoothed her fingers over the cover and felt nothing. Undaunted, she flipped to the back and did the same. Nothing.
“Blast,” she whispered and glanced at her desk where a letter opener sat gleaming in the lantern light. Dare she destroy the book when she wasn’t sure if anything was there? What other choice did she have? She took the journal to the desk and picked up the opener. Licking her suddenly dry lips, she dug the sharp edge into the front cover. She cringed as the paper ripped and shredded. Finally it gave way to reveal nothing but backing.
She sunk onto the chair and flipped to the back page. She’d already ruined the book, what did it matter now? Halfheartedly, she slipped the letter opener into the paper and ripped back the page. Two lines of faded black writing appeared. Her elation immediately gave way to disappointment when she realized the writing was in Hindi.
“Damn.” She snapped the book shut. What had her uncle been thinking? She’d have to wait until Leo arrived to decipher the meaning.
A soft knock shattered the silence of the room.
She tucked the journal into her skirt pocket. “Yes?”
A maid slipped inside and gave a quick curtsy. “Sorry to disturb you, miss.”
Ella stood. “Is everything well?”
“Yes, but I was asked to deliver this letter to you, miss.”
Ella took the blank envelope. “By whom?”
“Young Bret who works in the stables.”
The boy who had saddled her mount the day she and Leo went to the waterfall? “Thank you,” Ella said, her brows drawn together in confusion.
“Yes, miss.” The woman gave her another quick curtsy and left.
Ella settled into the chair by the desk and ripped open the envelope. Fran’s familiar writing looked shaky and hurried.
Ella,
You must come quickly, there is little time. Hurry and tell no one.
Fran
Ella sucked in a breath and stared unblinkingly at the missive. Hurry and tell no one. With hands that trembled, she stuffed the note into her skirt pocket. What to do? To leave the house unescorted could be deadly and stupid. She’d learned her lesson. Surely Fran didn’t mean tell no one. Even as fear made her stomach churn, she knew what she’d do. Lord Roberts would help her; he was the only man left she could trust.
The scent of overly perfumed bodies choked the fresh air from Leo’s lungs. He took a step back and leaned against a cool marble wall, taking comfort in the chill of the rock. Because it was late, there were few people in the foyer, yet their scents lingered. He resisted the urge to tear the confining jacket from his body and stroll from the building. He needed to do this for his grandfather, for himself, for Ella. Clenching his jaw, he pushed away from the wall and made his way up the steps. Without glancing at the butler, he handed his card to the man.
The servant stepped forward. Leo breathed deeply and smoothed his jacket over his chest, making sure everything was in place. He had no doubt his grandfather would approve of his appearance, but what would Ella say? What he wouldn’t give to have her by his side. Ridiculous, really. He’d survived the jungle for years—he didn’t need a woman to survive a ballroom in England.
“Lord Worthing,” the butler’s voice boomed across the room. It wasn’t his grandfather’s familiar title, for Leo had yet to inherit that, but a hush rolled through the crowd all the same. Amazing that they recognized a small title given to him years ago. Before him, the crowds blurred together in one massive rainbow of colors. Leo resisted the urge to tug at his collar. He’d never done well in crowds, but he’d learned long ago to hide his emotions. With an arrogant tilt of his chin, he swept down the steps.
Small clusters of whispering guests slipped back toward the wall, making a path for his entrance. On the positive side, he supposed it was rather nice to never have people underfoot, to never have to say “pardon me.”
“Sir,” a short, brown-haired woman parted from a group and swept toward him in a flurry of skirts. “We were not expecting you.” With her jaw clenched and a frown tugging at her thin lips, her welcome was as warm as the frigid waters of the Arctic Ocean.
A balding man, even shorter than the woman, scampered up to stand beside her. He put a quizzing glass to his eye and peered up at Leo.
It could be worse—they could have ignored him completely. He pasted a smile upon his face and thought about Ella, how she’d be amused by these two. “Lady Pool. I was invited, was I not?”
The hostess stiffened and tilted her chin. “Well, yes, your grandfather was. But you see, we never received a response.”
In other words, they’d sent the invite before they’d heard the rumors of him. Charm the wives, and charm the city. Ella’s voice rang through his mind. “Must have been lost in the post. But my, Lady Pool, don’t you look lovely.” Leo leaned over the woman’s hand and kissed her gloved fingers.
She blushed, gave him a hesitant smile, and fanned herself. “Aren’t you sweet?”
“And your family? Your daughters?”
The woman’s eyes brightened, and he silently thanked his grandfather for that information.
“Susan is well. In fact…” She turned and waved to the poor girl cowering in the corner. The young girl’s eyes widened, and she took a small step back as if preparing to flee. Lady Pool noticed her daughter’s hesitation. The woman actually bared her teeth and glared at her offspring. Swallowing hard, Susan smoothed down her pale blue dress and trudged toward them as if walking to her death. Her body visibly trembled as she curtsied, and Leo didn’t know whether to laugh at the absurdity or to find Henry and beat him to a bloody mass. Obviously, his cousin had been spreading rumors wide and far.
“Susan, Lord Worthing,” her mother snapped. Leo took the girl’s hand. She couldn’t be older than nineteen, and her mother would throw her to the wolves
for a titled husband.
“My pleasure,” Leo murmured, with a half smile.
The girl’s brows drew together, and a light shade of pink blossomed on her cheeks.
“Perhaps Susan would care to dance, my lord.” Lady Pool stepped closer. “Usually the gentleman asks, but I wasn’t sure if you were aware of our customs.”
Leo resisted the urge to decline. The woman was testing him, trying to uncover his background. “I would be honored to dance my first of the evening with a partner so lovely.”
Susan gave him a hesitant smile. “You are too kind,” she whispered.
Leo felt his lips twitch as he offered the chit his arm and led her toward the floor.
“Relax,” he murmured. “I promise I won’t bite.”
Her gaze jumped to him, and he knew the rumors were flying through her pretty head. Leo sighed and swept her across the floor. Around the room, huddled groups whispered behind gloved hands and painted fans. Really, they looked ridiculous. Resisting the urge to laugh, he spun Susan around and met Henry’s gaze. Immediately, Leo’s humor fled. His cousin stood at the edge of the dance floor, a glass of champagne in his hand and a smirk upon his face. He raised his glass to Leo in a silent salute. Leo clenched his jaw and looked away.
“My lord,” Susan’s voice broke into his thoughts. “Are you well?”
She had drawn back from him, as if she sensed his anger and was frightened. Leo inwardly cursed. Dear Lord, in Italy woman fawned over him; here they shook in fear. But for Ella…Ella was strong, sure, beautiful.
He smiled. “Yes, merely entranced with your beauty.”
That felt forced, and apparently Susan thought so too, for she grimaced as if she’d lost any respect she held for him. Her brows drew together, and she scanned the ballroom, obviously looking for a possible ally should things turn terrible wrong. Blast it; once again Henry had ruined a perfectly good evening.
With a sigh, Leo spun Susan across the floor. Only an hour. He’d stay an hour and do what he could to repair the damage; then he’d continue his search for Akshay. A slight movement across the room caught his attention. A man leaned against the wall, his focus on Leo.