Whirlwind Affair

extraordinary events that had befallen him, and her, since her arrival.

In truth, she could not blame him, although providing such an explanation placed her in an awkward position. How to tell him enough to satisfy him, yet not tell him so much as to compromise herself? And what exactly had he meant when he'd accused her of lying to Laramie?

She looked away from his far too penetrating gaze to stare into the flames dancing in the hearth, trying to assimilate the conflicting emotions battering her.

Cold, stark fear shivered down her spine. There was no longer even the shadow of a doubt that someone had meant her serious harm all along. And it was now clear that the reason was the coat-of-arms ring. But why? And who? The person responsible had clearly sailed with her from America. It had to be someone who had known David, who'd been involved in his shady dealings. And clearly this person believed the ring was valuable.

But what now? Now that the person-or persons-had gained possession of what they wanted, would they leave her alone? Please, God, let it be so.

Anger collided with her fear, and she pressed her lips together. Damn you, David! Even three years after his death, he continued to wreak havoc in her life. A sudden wave of weariness crashed through her, draining her, and her eyes slid closed. God, how many days and nights had she spent hovering on the brink of despair? Sitting alone, so tempted to give up. It would be so easy to simply stop this quest… to let him win.

She pulled in a deep breath and gritted her teeth. No. She would not give up. She refused to be a victim again. David would not steal anything else from her.

Steal. Guilt hit her like a slap. Even though she'd tried her best to keep it safe, she'd lost possession of Lord Shelbourne's ring. She dreaded meeting the earl now, having to tell him that she did not have his ring after all.

And not only the ring was gone. Valuables belonging to Lord Robert's family had been taken, and her bedchamber was a shambles. In spite of her best intentions, she'd certainly proven to be a less than stellar houseguest. And it was now time to make some amends.

Drawing a bracing breath, she turned to Lord Robert. He stood with his arms folded across his chest, watching her with a piercing intensity that curled her toes inside her shoes.

'I'm not quite sure where to begin-'

'You can start by telling me why you lied to Laramie,' he said in a tone that brooked no argument. 'You told him nothing else unusual had happened to you, yet I recall that you fell overboard several hours before arriving in London.'

She lifted her brows. 'I did not lie to him. He asked if I’d experienced any other problems since arriving. I haven't. That incident occurred before I arrived.'

Unmistakable annoyance flashed in his eyes. Reaching out, he grasped her upper arms. The heat of his hands pressed through her bombazine sleeves. 'I'm not in a mood to play word games or split hairs, Mrs. Brown. Perhaps, by some miracle, you might have convinced me that the kidnapping and today's robbery were unrelated, but falling overboard as well?' His fingers tightened briefly. 'No, I'm afraid you haven't a prayer of persuading me that the three occurrences are unlinked. Tell me, were there any other incidences during your journey?'

She tried her best to keep her features expressionless, but clearly she failed, for a muscle in his jaw ticked. Realizing there was no point in hiding them, she told him about falling down the stairs and becoming ill after eating on the ship.

Concern darkened his eyes. 'Surely you cannot believe that all these disturbing occurrences are unrelated?'

'No… not any longer.' Then, in an effort to forestall the barrage of questions she sensed about to burst from him, she added, 'I'll try to explain, but I'm afraid I do not know very much.'

He slowly released her arms, but his gaze never wavered from hers. 'The fact that you know anything about these events puts you at an advantage over me. I'm listening.'

Pressing her hands to her jittery stomach, she said, 'After David died, I found a coat-of-arms ring among his effects. I was curious about the piece as I'd never seen it before. A jeweler in America told me he believed it was English in origin. When I decided to visit Elizabeth, I brought the ring along, hoping to learn more about it. I gave Mr. Fitzmoreland, the antiquities expert I spoke with here, a drawing of the coat of arms. I received a letter from him this morning informing me that the coat of arms was that of the Shelbourne family.'

She paused to draw a much-needed breath and to gauge his reaction thus far. Understanding was dawning in his gaze.

'This was the business you wished to conduct in London.'

'Yes.'

'And that's the reason you requested an introduction to Shelbourne.'

She nodded. 'I wished to return the ring to him. I had no use for it, and I thought it might hold some sentimental value for him.'

'How did it come to be in your husband's possession?'

'I'm not certain. David was a… collector. No doubt he purchased it in some dusty little treasure shop he discovered during his travels.'

'The ring was no doubt quite valuable. You planned to simply give it to Shelbourne? Why not sell it to him?'

She raised her chin a notch. 'I didn't feel it was mine to sell.' Before he could question her motives further, she plunged on, 'For reasons unknown to me, it appears that someone wanted that ring-desperately enough to try to harm me, then to steal it. I didn't believe the incidents were connected because I couldn't imagine what anyone would want from me.'

'But now it is clear they wanted the ring. And were quite willing to harm you in order to get it.' He frowned with obvious concern. 'Since the attacks began on board the ship, this person must have followed you from America. Who knew you had this ring in your possession?'

'The only person I ever told or showed it to was the jeweler.'

His frown deepened. 'Perhaps the ring was more valuable than this jeweler led you to believe and he wanted it for himself. Did you mention your travel plans to him?'

'No. And I can assure you he was not on board the Seaward Lady.'

'He could have hired someone to follow you.'

She mulled that over for several seconds, then nodded. 'I suppose that is possible. But now that whoever wanted the ring has it, I'm certain they will no longer bother with me.'

She looked into his eyes. His expression was unreadable, but very intense. After a long moment, his gaze lowered to her mouth. His eyes seemed to darken, and a look she'd have sworn was desire flared in their depths.

Heat rushed through her like a brush fire. She imagined him stepping closer, leaning forward, brushing his lips over hers. Her mouth tingled, as if he'd actually caressed her, and she bit her bottom lip to stem the unsettling sensation.

Unable to stand the intensity of his regard, she stared down at the carpet and endeavored to regain her equilibrium. 'I'm very sorry that you became involved in this, Lord Robert,' she said quietly, 'and I'm equally sorry that your family's belongings were stolen as a result. I don't know how I will replace them, but-'

His fingertips touched under her chin, cutting off her words. He gently raised her chin until their eyes met. 'They are merely things, Mrs. Brown, and of no importance. We must be grateful that neither of us was seriously injured. Things can easily be replaced. People, however, cannot…' A muscle jumped in his jaw, and something else flickered in his eyes. Something dark, haunted, and full of pain. Then, as quickly as it appeared, the expression vanished. It was the same expression she'd seen flash in his eyes at The Blue Iris.

Curiosity she could not shove aside pulled at her. What secrets was this man hiding? What was the transgression in his past that Lady Gaddlestone had alluded to? Was his misconduct of the same sort as David's?

Part of her instantly rejected the possibility that Lord Robert was capable of criminal deeds, but she forced