Closing her eyes, she revisited those moments in the officers’ bar, the only moments on which she could judge him. Surprisingly vividly, she recalled the sensation of his fingers closing around hers, felt again that odd leap of her pulse, the frisson that had set her nerves jangling.
Felt, remembered, relived.
On a sigh, she opened her eyes. One point was inescapable.
Of all the men she’d ever met, only Gareth Hamilton had affected her in the slightest.
Only he had set her heart racing.
“Good evening, Uncle.” Emily swept into the dining room and took her seat on her uncle’s right. They were the only two at dinner. Her aunt was still in Poona-which was a very good thing. Flicking out her napkin, she smiled at the butler, waited for him to serve her and step back before she said, “I have an announcement of sorts to make.”
“Oh?” Her uncle Ralph rolled a wary eye her way.
She smiled. She and Ralph had always got on well. “Don’t worry-it’s only a minor change in my plans. As you know, I was scheduled to depart on the company ship two days hence, but after speaking with others I’ve decided that, as I came by that route, I should instead go home by the direct and more scenic way.” She waved her fork. “See Egypt and the pyramids-and as it is the diplomatic route, there’s unlikely to be any serious danger, and plenty of embassies and consulates to call on for help if luck says otherwise.”
Ralph chewed, frowned. “Your father won’t like the idea, but then he won’t know-not until you’re standing in front of him again.”
Emily grinned. “I knew I could trust you to see the salient point. There’s really no reason I shouldn’t go home that way.”
“Assuming you can find passage at short notice. Your parents are expecting you back in four months-going via Cairo you’ll be able to surprise them, if you can find a berth-” Seeing the light in her face, Ralph broke off. “You’ve found one, I take it.”
Emily nodded. “And yes, it’s on one of the sloops the company regularly uses, so the captain and crew are vouched for.”
Ralph considered, then nodded. “Well, you’re the most sensible young lady I’ve ever known, and you’ll have Watson and Mullins with you, so I trust you’ll be all right.” He cocked a brow at her. “So, when do you leave?”
One
They’d followed another of the company sloops into the harbor, and had had to wait for that vessel, the
His bags, along with the minimal luggage carried by his small but efficient household-his batman, Bister, his houseman, Mooktu, an ex-sepoy, and Mooktu’s wife, Arnia-were being stacked that very minute on the wooden wharf, but that wasn’t the cause of the consternation-to put it mildly-that had seized him.
He’d noticed the parasol bobbing down the gangway of the
Until a moment ago, he hadn’t been able to see the parasol holder’s face. But passing the
A face that, for the last few weeks, had haunted his dreams.
Yet all but immediately, the damn parasol had come up and re-obscured his view.
“
He hesitated, waiting to see again-to know for sure.
Movement in the crowd behind the parasol caught his eye.
Cultists.
His blood literally ran cold. He’d known they’d be waiting for him-he and his people were expecting a welcome.
But Emily Ensworth and her people weren’t.
He’d vaulted the railing on the thought. He landed on the wharf, his gaze locked on her.
