Baron Stalinsky acted as our intermediary. I don't remember how he got involved,' he added with a shrug. 'The baron did all he could-took every precaution, I'm told-but the plan failed miserably all the same.'
'How?' Lyon asked.
' Brisbane 's wife and children were murdered. Their throats were cut. The atrocity was made to look as if Brisbane had killed them and then turned the blade on himself.'
'You don't believe that's what really happened, do you?' Lyon asked.
'No, of course not. I think one of Brisbane 's superiors found out about the trap,' Richards answered. 'Either by chance or by payment.'
'What about Baron Stalinsky? Did he continue to work with the government?'
'No. He married shortly after the Brisbane business and returned to his home. He was outraged by the horror he'd witnessed. He was the first to find the bodies, you see, and he refused to lend England a hand after that. Can't fault the man. I wasn't there, but I can imagine the nightmare Stalinsky walked into.'
'Have you kept in touch with the Baron since that time?'
'None of us have,' Richards said. 'But several of his old friends have received notice from him that he'll be arriving in England soon.'
'I wonder if he knows he has a daughter now.'
'Good God. You mean to tell me he didn't know?' Richards asked.
'Father and daughter have never met. I believe the baron thought his wife and child had died years ago. For that matter, everyone I talked to thought the Baron had passed away, too. Sir Reynolds was one to make that speculation.'
'Yes, there was surprise when the letters arrived,' Richards said.
'I wonder what the baron has been up to all these years.'
'I heard that a year or so later Stalinsky lost his kingdom. Then he vanished. We never had reason to keep track of the man,' Richards added. A frown marred his expression. 'Something's bothering you. What is it?'
'Do you have any reason at all to distrust the baron?'
'Ah, so that's the itch, is it?'
'Tell me everything you know about the man,' Lyon ordered. 'Everything you can remember. I realize it was a long time ago,' he added.
'There's very little to tell. I was young and impressionable back then, but I do remember being in awe of the man. He wasn't much older than I was. He had a commanding presence. I envied him. Lyon, damn it all, you've got my guts churning. Now you tell me what you know about the baron,' he ordered.
'I don't have any information to give you. I've never met him. Christina hasn't either, but she's afraid of him. When you meet my wife, you'll understand the full force of that comment. Christina isn't a woman who frightens easily.'
'I already know that much about her,' Richards said.
'How?'
'She married you, didn't she?'
Lyon grinned. 'Yes, she did,' he said. 'Not very willingly, but…'
Richards snorted with laughter. 'Perhaps she's afraid of her father because of the unusual circumstances,' he said after a moment's pause. 'Not to know one's father and then finally to meet him…'
'No,' Lyon said, shaking his head. 'Her fear is based on something else. She called him a jackal. Keep your guard up when you're with the baron, Richards. My instincts and Christina's fears are enough to sway my mind.'
'You're that uneasy?'
'I am.'
'Why hasn't Christina explained the real reasons for her fears, then?'
'She's very stubborn,' Lyon announced with a smile that told Richards he thought that was a noble quality. 'And she is just beginning to trust me. It's a fragile bond, Richards. For that reason, I'm not going to prod her. Christina will tell me when she's ready, and not a minute before.'
'But you trust her judgment?' Richards asked. 'You trust her?'
'I do.' His answer was given without hesitation, his voice emphatic.
And then the full realization settled in his mind… and in his heart. He did trust her. Completely. 'In all matters.' Lyon acknowledged in a soft voice. 'God only knows why, but I do,' he told his friend before he started to laugh.
'And that's amusing?'
'Oh, yes. My little wife and I have been playing a game with each other,' Lyon confessed. 'It's amusing, you see, because neither one of us has realized it.'
'I don't understand,' Richards confessed.
'I'm only just beginning to understand,' Lyon said. 'Christina hides her past from me… just as I've been hiding my past from her. I think she believes I'll find her inferior in some way,' he added. 'I wouldn't, of course, but she needs to learn to trust me enough to believe it in her heart.'
'I would be happy to investigate your wife's past for you,' Richards volunteered.
'No. I sent men to France to make inquiries, but I'm going to call them home. I will not look into her past, and I don't want you to either, Richards. In time she'll tell me what she wants me to know.'
'And will you tell her your secrets?' Richards asked. His voice was whisper-soft. 'You have no cause to worry, Lyon. I've never been able to trust a man the way I trust you. Your loyalty to your country has always been absolute. That is why you were always given the most difficult assignments.'
Lyon was surprised by the vehemence in his friend's voice. Richards wasn't a man given to compliments. In all their years working together, Lyon had never heard such praise.
'Now you've got me worried about Stalinsky,' Richards continued. 'I'll start looking into his affairs immediately. There's another problem, however,' he added. He scratched his beard in an absentminded fashion. 'The department had hopes that you'd give a reception honoring your father-in-law when he arrives. Heaven help us, there's already talk of knighthood. Some of the older gentlemen remember with exaggerated recall the noble deeds Baron Stalinsky accomplished for the good of England. I'm going to look into those deeds as well,' he added with a brisk nod.
'A reception isn't going to sit well with Christina,' Lyon said.
Richards gave a discreet cough, then said, ' Lyon, I certainly don't want to be the one to tell you how to manage your marriage, but it would seem to me that you must simply question your wife about her father at the first opportunity. Order her to explain her fears to you. Make her answer your questions, son.'
Question her? Lyon felt like laughing. Since the minute he'd met Christina he'd done nothing but question her. 'There will be no questions. She'll tell me-'
'I know, I know,' Richards interrupted with a long sigh. 'In her own time.'
'That's about it,' Lyon answered. 'Until then, it's my duty to keep her safe.'
'Safe?'
'Christina believes her father will try to kill her.'
'Oh, Lord.'
'Exactly. And you can see how offended we both would be if the baron is knighted.'
' Lyon, I insist that you question your wife. If there is danger-'
'I will deal with it. I will not question her again.'
Richards ignored the irritation in his friend's tone. 'I'm not one to judge, but I believe you have a very unusual marriage.'
'I have a very unusual wife. You'll like her, Richards.'
A sudden noise coming from the foyer interrupted the conversation. Lyon glanced up just as the library doors were thrown open.
Brown, his loyal butler, came rushing into the room.
Lyon bounded out of his chair. His heart started slamming against his chest and he felt as though the breath was being squeezed out of him.
Something had happened to Christina. She'd been hurt… taken…
The feeling of panic slowly dissipated. When Christina came flying into the room, her golden hair floating
