Whisper of Scandal (28 page)

When the discussions were complete, Starostin ordered food for them, and wine spiced with herbs, and they talked of Alex’s travels and of Spitsbergen and Russia and the future, whilst the light turned from bright white to the softer blue that heralded night. Eventually Starostin went to a small wooden cabinet in a corner of the study and took out two glasses and a thick green bottle.

“You will join me in a glass of vodka, Lord Grant?” he asked. “I should warn you, it is strong.”

Alex laughed. “I have drunk some strong spirits on my travels.”

“Of course.” The abbot poured, came across to the long windows where Alex was standing and handed the glass to him. “You know that it is bad luck not to drink it in one go?”

They toasted one another and then Alex downed the spirit in one mouthful in the traditional way—and almost choked. Drinking with the abbot, he thought, might well prove the most demanding ordeal of his journey so far.

Several hours and eight measures of vodka later, Alex was feeling considerably mellower than he had all day and staggered back to the monastery guesthouse where he collapsed on the sealskin rugs on his bunk and promptly fell asleep. He woke to find himself lying in exactly the same position. His boots were still on. Clearly Frazer had despaired of him and Alex could
hardly blame the man. He knew that he stank of spirits and it felt as though a furnace was hammering in his head.

The building was very quiet. Accustomed to waking to the sounds of his fellow travelers, in particular to Lottie Cummings’s grumbling, Alex lay and reveled for a moment in the peace. Then he realized that it was probably too quiet. It was suspiciously quiet. He struggled up, glanced once at the clock, looked at it a second time in horror to see how much time had elapsed and levered himself from the bed, shouting for Frazer.

The steward appeared immediately in the doorway, a razor in his hand, a towel over his arm and with a bowl of steaming hot water, which he placed on the dresser behind him.

“About time, my lord,” he said, his mouth turning down at the corners.

Alex rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “Where is everyone?”

He walked past Frazer into the room beyond. The guest chambers opened off a central stone-floored room; the other doors were ajar. He could see Dev and Owen Purchase’s spartan room with two small kit bags. The next room was empty. It should have been full to overflowing with Joanna’s luggage. Fear, sudden and sharp, pierced Alex’s aching head.

He looked at Frazer, who looked back at him with what Alex had no difficulty interpreting as gigantic disapproval.

“Frazer,” he said. “Where is Lady Grant?”

“Gone, my lord,” Frazer said, and closed his mouth like a trap.

Alex waited. When nothing further was forthcoming,
he added, “Do you have any more information for me, Frazer?”

“Captain Hallows took on supplies yesterday, my lord,” Frazer said. “Whilst you were asleep, he sailed for England.” His mouth shut again with an audible snap that promised no further words would voluntarily be forthcoming.

“Lady Grant went with Hallows on the
Raison?
” Alex checked the clock again. “How long ago?”

There was a silence.

“How long?” Alex bellowed.

“Four hours, my lord,” Frazer said reluctantly. “Maybe five.”

“Why the hell didn’t you wake me?” Alex said.

Frazer glared. “Lady Grant asked that I should not,” he said.

Alex rubbed his temples. Joanna’s absence, the emptiness of the rooms, the silence, mocked him. He was the one who had told Joanna to go back to London, he remembered. He had told her that he would take ship from Spitsbergen. He had as good as told her that he never wanted to see her again. Mired in bitterness at her betrayal, he had thought that he did not. Yet now that she had gone he realized how much disillusion and anger had blinded him to what he truly wanted.

He grabbed his coat.

“Pack my bags, please, Frazer,” he said over his shoulder, “and have them ready with the others to take down to the harbor. Where is Captain Purchase?”

“Captain Purchase is finishing provisioning
Sea Witch,
my lord,” Frazer said.

Alex hurried down the guesthouse steps and out of the gate. He could see
Sea Witch
alone again within the
curve of the bay, a tiny ship on a blue sea, dwarfed by the sharp black peaks of the mountains. The sea was quiet today, dazzling sparks of sunlight leaping from the surface.

He found Purchase in the middle of his men, helping the crew roll barrels of pickled eider eggs and salted herring on board the ship. The sight made him think how much Joanna would hate such a diet—and then he realized that she would not be eating it and he felt his stomach drop and the dread of loss choke his throat.

“Is it true?” he asked urgently. “Has she gone?”

“I assume that you mean Lady Grant?” Purchase said. His expression was hard. “Yes, it’s quite true. They sailed on the tide this morning.” A faint, cold smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he and Alex stood side by side watching the provisioning of
Sea Witch.

“She paid me another six months’ charter,” Purchase said. “It was for you.” The look he gave Alex was hard with dislike. “She made it easy for you, Grant,” he said. “She gave you
Sea Witch.
” He paused. “So where do you want to go?”

His tone implied that hell might be his favored option.

Alex looked at the trim little vessel. She was no ship of the line, but she had proved her worth. And it had been their contract, his and Joanna’s, in the beginning. He had given her his name and his protection and she had promised him the freedom to pursue his dreams.

But now his dreams had changed.

He thought of the bargain that they had made. He had demanded that Joanna make no emotional claim on him. He had insisted that she give him leave to continue to pursue his life as an explorer, to make no compromises
or concessions, to be free to travel as he wished without responsibility or constraint.

He had been irredeemably selfish.

What could an adventurer offer the woman who loved him? he wondered. He could offer his heart, perhaps. He could give his love in return for hers.

He thought of Dev, telling him in London that it was not money that Chessie needed but company and love. He thought of Joanna upbraiding him for giving everything to his family in a material sense but nothing in an emotional one. He thought of the bargain that he had offered her and the fact that she had deceived him because she was so desperate for a child to love that she had been prepared to do anything to gain one. He thought of the way she had come to find him at the Villa Raven and how she had broken through the defenses he had put around his heart after Amelia died. Most of all he thought of her sacrifice in giving up Nina Ware for the sake of those who loved her. And what had he offered her in return? He had given her material protection, perhaps, but with it a life as hollow and empty of love as it could be.

But that could change.

Alex’s heart started to race, the blood beating in hard urgent strokes through his body. “Can you catch the
Raison?
” he asked Purchase abruptly.

A brilliant light leaped in Purchase’s eyes. “You’re going after her?”

“I’d be a fool not to,” Alex said.

“You’ve been a fool a long time,” Purchase said. “Why break the habit now?”

“Because I love her,” Alex said. He looked his
friend straight in the eye. “You know that. You love her, too.”

Purchase did not deny it. “I know she’s too good for you,” he said bitterly, “but you are the one she loves.” He shook his head. “She loves you, and in return you treated her as badly as Ware did. You hurt her.” He moved away and spoke with his back to Alex. His shoulders were tensed, muscles bunched. “I could kill you, Grant,” he said. “You may not have hurt her physically like Ware did, but in your own way you are just as cruel as he—”

“What?” Alex said.

Purchase turned. His face was tense. “I said you are just as cruel—”

“Yes, I heard you,” Alex said. “Not that bit. The bit about Ware hurting Joanna physically.” He waited. Purchase was silent and Alex felt the fear creep up his spine until he could not stand it. “For God’s sake, Purchase,” he burst out, “just tell me.”

Purchase ran a hand over his fair hair. “I tried to tell you before but you’d hear no word against him, would you, Grant?” The look that flared in Purchase’s eyes was murderous. “Ware told me about it himself, one night when he was in his cups. He boasted of it, the bastard, about how they had quarreled because she’d failed to give him a son, and how he’d beaten her. Said he’d left her lying on the floor that very night…” Purchase’s fists balled. “I nearly killed him there and then with my bare hands.”

“You should have told me.” Alex felt sick and cold and furiously angry. He thought of Churchward and his devotion to Joanna, of the loyalty—and the love—she commanded, of Daniel Brooke and the boxing crowds
swearing to protect her, and of Purchase keeping her secrets. And he thought of David Ware, the hero… He felt incredulous, ripped with disbelief and disillusion.

“Ah, Grant,” Purchase said, “it was Joanna’s place to tell you if anyone did. I should not have said anything, but I was too angry to keep quiet.” He sighed. “In the interests of our friendship I should also tell you that I asked Joanna to run away with me.”

Alex rocked back. “What?” he said again. “When?”

“Last night,” Purchase said. “You can call me out if you like.” His lips twisted. “I don’t really care at the moment.”

“She turned you down,” Alex said. He felt hope flare inside him. “She wouldn’t go with you.”

Purchase’s sardonic smile deepened. “No need to rub it in.” He held Alex’s gaze fiercely. “She’s a fine woman. You’d better not make a mess of this again.”

“I won’t,” Alex said. “I swear it.”

“So what are you waiting for?” Purchase gestured to the ship. “Go!”

“Not me,” Alex said. “You. Much as it pains me to admit it, you are the better sailor. I couldn’t catch the
Raison.
You can.” He hesitated. “Or am I asking too much of our friendship?”

Purchase grinned. “You’re pushing it, for sure. But—” he laughed “—you’re not wrong. I am the better sailor.” He slapped his friend on the shoulder. “Come on. You can crew for me this time.”

“Send a man up to tell Frazer and to bring the bags,” Alex said. “And where is Devlin?”

His question was answered as Dev arrived at a run. “Lady Grant has gone!” he said.

“I know,” Alex said, not slackening his pace toward the ship.

“You bloody idiot,” Devlin said with blistering scorn.

“Everything you say is true,” Alex said, “but we don’t have time for it now. We have to catch the tide.”

Dev grabbed his arm. “You’re going after the
Raison?
”

“We are.”

Dev looked dubious for a second. “Who’s captaining
Sea Witch?
”

“Purchase.”

Dev’s brow cleared. “Oh, good. I mean—”

“You mean that way we have a chance,” Alex said. “Does no one rate my skill as a captain around here?”

“It’s not that,” Dev said, blushing. “You’re the best, Alex. But Purchase is reckless and that’s what you need now.”

“Thank you,” Purchase said. He bowed ironically. “I’ll say it again. What are we waiting for?”

“J
O, DARLING
!”
Lottie Cummings said, slipping into Joanna’s cabin on the
Raison
and closing the door softly behind her. “I am so desperately sorry! Please tell me that you forgive me!”

“For what, Lottie?” Joanna was not in the mood for forgiveness. “Are you apologizing for conspiring with John Hagan to steal David’s so-called treasure, or for something else that I do not yet know about?” She raised a brow. “Did you try to seduce Alex on the voyage out when I was sick? The whole of the ton knew that you slept with David the last time he was in London, so I suppose you would only be adding to your tally of my husbands.” She sighed. “It’s an odd thing, Lottie, but you have so much and yet it seems to me you always want what other people have.”

“It isn’t like that,” Lottie said, putting on her best repentant pout. “And I was incredibly discreet with David.” She met Joanna’s scathing gaze and made a little fluttering gesture with her hands. “I am sorry,” she said, “but you know David was the most ghastly lecher, darling—I was only one of many, so you can hardly blame me for that! And as for John Hagan, if I had known what a dreadful common little man he really was I would never have agreed to help him, but I was curious about the treasure, darling—it seemed
so romantic, if you know what I mean…” She broke off, downcast, as she saw Joanna’s skeptically raised eyebrows. “I was unhappy,” she murmured. “I knew Devlin was only toying with me and sure enough he broke off our
affaire
yesterday. He said he was bored.” She sounded outraged. “Bored with me—can you imagine? And lovely, lovely Owen Purchase is in love with you, Jo darling, so there was really no one else to play with…” Lottie could not quite erase the envy from her tone.

Joanna sighed again. “It feels like a Shakespearean comedy where everyone is in love with the wrong person, except that there is nothing humorous about it.”

Lottie threw up her hands. “Nonsense, darling! You are in love with Alex and he is most certainly in love with you and he has been for ages, because he would never have turned me down otherwise. I made a pass at him in London,” she added helpfully, “but I fear he was not interested in me.”

Joanna looked at her former friend in all the immaculate finery of her striped pink-and-cream morning gown, the traces of lines and wrinkles just starting to show about her eyes and in her plump cheeks. Lottie had used cosmetics as her defense today, for her face was perfectly painted and only the unnatural hardness in her brown eyes betrayed her unhappiness. And it was a genuine unhappiness. Joanna recognized that. Perhaps she had truly cared for James Devlin and when he had ended their affair he had hurt more than her pride. Perhaps Lottie knew that age was creeping up on her and that she would not always have young men clamoring for her attention. Perhaps she was simply not happy in
her pampered life with Mr. Cummings no matter how materially indulged she was, and she was searching for something else. Joanna was not sure.
One day, she thought, we may repair our friendship and I will ask Lottie these questions and maybe I can help her. But not today…
Today her feelings were too raw. Lottie’s betrayal was nothing, a mere pinprick, beside the pain of losing Alex, but she felt so tired and so empty that she had no resources left on which to draw.

Lottie, with the sharp social antenna that had served her so well in the past, sensed that this was the moment to leave matters for now and stood up with a rustle of scented silk.

“I will stop pestering you now,” she said, “but I am glad that we are friends again, Jo darling, and I swear we shall have no secrets from now on and that I will never ever attempt to seduce one of your husbands ever again…”

“I appreciate that, Lottie,” Joanna said tiredly as Lottie swept from the cabin. “I will see you at dinner.” Since they were to be trapped on the same ship for several weeks, she thought, it was sensible to try to mend fences. She was not inclined to offer the same generosity to John Hagan, though. That was asking too much. He had had his servants carry the marble blocks onto the ship, carefully wrapped in blankets, and stowed the stone in the hold. He was full of plans for the mining of the marble seam, plans that Joanna simply did not wish to hear.

The sea was calm. Joanna sat in the cabin with Max—a much more luxuriously appointed cabin than
Sea Witch
had to offer—and wondered how she was going to pass the days of the journey since it did not
appear that she was going to be sick this time.
It is true,
Joanna thought with a sigh.
I am shallow. I have no resources for solitude. I shall sit here and feel sorry for myself and it will be ghastly.

It was considerably short of dinnertime when Joanna heard the pounding of footsteps in the passage outside and Lottie’s voice raised in excited clamor:

“Jo darling, come quickly! Oh, you must come quickly and see this!”

The cabin door burst open and Lottie stood there, her face alight with a strange sort of excitement. She came into the cabin and caught Joanna’s hands. “It’s the
Sea Witch!
” she said. “He’s come for you, Jo darling! Oh, I knew he would!”

Joanna felt as though something had hit her hard in the solar plexus. She did not want to hope, did not dare. “He—who?”

“Alex, of course!” Lottie was squeezing her hands excitedly. “They came up on us very fast and I think they mean to board! They haven’t even put the boat out—they have come alongside with ropes, just like pirates! Captain Hallows is furious…” She pulled Joanna’s hand. “Come and see!”

Up on deck there was almost as much mayhem as Joanna imagined they would find in a sea battle.
Sea Witch
had come alongside the
Raison
so close that there was barely a gap between the decks. Ropes were snaking over from the smaller ship to the frigate. Alex leaped across, tightening them, binding the ships together. Dev was helping him.

Captain Hallows looked furious, red in the face, shouting, “You’re a damned pirate, Purchase! You’re bloody dangerous! I’ll see you hang for this!” He turned
on Alex. “As for you, Grant, you cannot board my ship! The Admiralty will hear of this—they’ll never give you another commission! They’ll court-martial you!” He glared at Dev, who was laughing so much that he almost fell off the rope. “Nor you, Devlin. No bloody discipline, that’s your trouble! You’re a bunch of pirates and you’ll all hang!”

“Then I’d better take what I came for and not trouble you any further, Hallows,” Alex said. He turned and his gaze met Joanna’s and her heart started to race. He took one purposeful step toward her.

“What are you doing here?” Joanna demanded. Her voice shook. “I am supposed to be running away from you. You cannot come after me!”

“I can and I have,” Alex said. He smiled suddenly and Joanna felt a tiny flare of hope catch inside her. “I came to ask you if you still love me,” Alex said.

There was a concerted intake of breath from all those around them. Joanna gasped, too.

“You cannot expect me to declare my love for you in front of all these people,” she objected faintly. “That is very bad ton.”

“I do expect it,” Alex said. He was poised, waiting. Everyone was watching her. She felt faint.

“Joanna,” Alex said, “I love you. I will always love you. I would go to the ends of the earth for you.” He smiled and her heart tumbled over. “Just so that we are clear,” he said.

There was a smattering of applause.

“Nicely done, Alex,” Dev said.

“Thank you,” Alex said. He grinned, the devil-may-care adventurer Joanna remembered. Her heart did another painful little flip.

“Now, you are coming with me,” Alex said, “before Hallows shoots us all.”

He scooped her up. Joanna felt the heat of his body, heard the beat of his heart. She clung to him, not quite believing that he was real, that he was here, that he had come for her.

“Wait!” she said. She put a hand against his chest. “My luggage! My clothes! Alex—”

“You won’t need them,” Alex said.

“I cannot be without all my luggage!” Joanna argued.

“Joanna,” Alex said, his voice so firm she abandoned all thought of protest. “I am not waiting two hours whilst you pack a portmanteau. Hallows will have had me clapped in irons by then.”

“Oh, very well,” Joanna said, bowing to the inevitable. “Max!” she added suddenly as Alex was about to swing her over the side into Purchase’s arms. “Oh, Alex, I cannot leave Max behind!”

Alex swore. “Get the damned dog, Devlin,” he shouted, but Max had already found his way up on deck and with one bound he was over the side and onto the
Sea Witch.

“You see,” Joanna said, laughing. “I told you he had plenty of energy. He simply does not choose to exert himself.”

There was a strange banshee wail behind them and for a second time Alex stopped. A figure was emerging up the companionway, a man apparently oblivious to all the commotion on deck, covered in dust, and holding what looked like a small piece of stone in his hands.

“Cousin John!” Joanna said. “What on earth…”

Even as they watched, the stone in John Hagan’s
hands seemed to crumble and slip through his fingers. Alex took one look at the pile of white dust and shook his head.

“I do believe,” he said, “that Mr. Hagan has just discovered that his so-called fortune is worthless.”

“You knew that would happen!” Joanna accused, looking at his face. “You knew that David’s treasure had no value?”

“As soon as I heard it was marble I knew,” Alex said. “It freezes in the ground and when it warms up it cracks and crumbles to dust.”

The wind blew along the deck, scattering the white powder until there was nothing left.

“How like David,” Joanna said, sighing, “to leave his daughter an empty legacy.”

“A legacy his cousin stole,” Alex said, “and all for nothing.” He smiled down at her. “Meanwhile, you and I, my love, have much to talk about.”

He strode to the side of the ship and tossed Joanna across into Owen Purchase’s arms. Purchase set her on her feet.

“Much as I would like to hold on to you, Lady Grant,” he said, “I fear I have renounced my claim.”

“Before you abandon me entirely,” Joanna said, “I believe that I owe you my thanks.” She reached up and kissed his cheek. “You were the one who sent Jem Brooke to protect me against David’s violence, weren’t you?” she whispered. “It puzzled me for a long time until I remembered that you had been on the same expedition as David that winter and returned to London with him. You must have known what happened even though he tried to keep it a secret.”

For a long, long moment Owen Purchase looked into
her eyes and then he smiled. “I don’t know what you are talking about,” he said, and walked away, back to join Mr. Davy at the wheel.

Alex leaped down onto the deck beside her. Devlin was releasing the ropes and
Sea Witch
seemed to leap forward, leaving the larger frigate floundering in her wake.

“If I were Hallows,” Alex said, looking back at the
Raison,
“I would hate Purchase, too.”

They stood looking at one another. Suddenly everything seemed still and quiet. The very mountains were holding their breath.

“You gave me
Sea Witch,
” Alex said, “and the freedom to go where I wished.” He smiled suddenly. “That was very generous of you, Joanna, but I do not want your gift. I want you.”

Joanna swallowed hard. “I do love you,” she whispered, “but I could not believe that you might forgive me.”

Alex took her hands in his. “Joanna, I love you, too,” he said again. “I understand why you did what you did. I was very angry, but I do understand. So, yes, I have forgiven you. And I swear those things I said just now are not merely pretty words and empty promises.”

Joanna was shaking. “But I lied to you, Alex,” she said. “I tricked you, deceived you.”

“And then you told me the truth,” Alex said. He held her gaze. His own was very steady. “There are lots of things I want to say, Joanna,” he said, his voice rough with emotion, “but first I must tell you that I know about Ware.” She heard him take a deep breath. “I know what he did to you.”

Joanna’s heart gave a lurch of dread. There was a
feral light in Alex’s eyes. It scared her even though she knew his fury was not for her. If David were not already dead, she thought, he would be meeting his maker very swiftly indeed.

“Who told you?” she said. She let out her breath on a soft sigh. “Owen, I suppose. It was a secret. Not many people knew.”

“Why?” Alex said fiercely. His hands tightened on hers. His touch was warm and strong. “Why did you never tell me, Joanna? Did you not trust me enough?”

“No, I did not,” Joanna said. “Not at the beginning.” She looked up at him, her gaze begging him to understand. “I knew you would not believe me,” she said. “Why would you, when David had poisoned you against me?” She sighed. “Later on I wanted to tell you, but I knew that you thought David a hero.” She cast a look down at their entwined hands. “It would have been a terrible betrayal of all you believed of him.”

“He was a damnable scoundrel,” Alex said violently.

Joanna raised her hand and pressed her fingers against his lips. “No, Alex. He was just a man. He could be harsh—he had faults, but he had virtues as well—” She broke off as Alex gave a hard, disbelieving laugh, and she smiled, a wobbly smile. “They were a few, very small virtues,” she added, “such as having the courage to save your life.”

“It astounds me that you have the generosity to say that,” Alex said gruffly. He drew her close and put his arms about her, resting his cheek against hers. Joanna wanted to sink into the warmth and intimacy of the embrace, but she dared not. Alex knew the whole truth now,
but it changed nothing. Even though he had forgiven her for the deceit, it could not change his need for an heir.

“That was why you believed that you could not have children,” Alex said. His voice was still harsh, the anger palpable. “You quarreled with Ware because he accused you of being barren and then the insufferable bastard assaulted you and made your fears a reality.” His hands were gentle on her even though his tone was vicious. “For that alone,” Alex said, “I could kill him.”