Crystal Gardens (24 page)

“Yes, sir.”

Lucas set the lantern aside. He waved at a nearby chair. “Sit down and tell me everything you can remember about what happened last night.”

“Yes, sir.” Stone sat awkwardly on one of the chairs and frowned in concentration. “I was making my rounds, keeping an eye out for signs of intruders, listening for voices and the small sounds that everyone makes when they move about.”

Lucas walked to the vine-shrouded window. “Go on.”

“I remember hearing a bit of rustling in the shadows on the other side of the wall near the old gate. I think I saw a small flash of light. Then I heard the grating of the hinges.”

Lucas turned his head to look at Stone. “They got through the gate?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Huh. I thought the lock was impregnable.”

“It sounded like they used a key. I heard it turn in the lock.”

“Interesting. Continue.”

“Not much more to tell.” Stone hunched his massive shoulders and slumped dejectedly in his chair. “I went to see about the open gate. I got there in time to catch two men slipping onto the grounds. I’m very sure they didn’t hear me coming, not until I challenged them.”

“Then what happened?”

“The smaller man got very nervous when he saw me.” Stone closed one big hand into a fist and glared at the small lantern. “I think he would have tried to flee if the taller one hadn’t stopped him.”

“Which one used the lantern on you?”

“The tall one. He grabbed it out of the other man’s hands and aimed it at me like it was a pistol. I saw the light beam and the next thing
I knew I was waking up just before dawn. I went in search of you straight off. When I couldn’t find you or Miss Ames I feared the worst. Figured you were trapped inside the Night Garden. By that time, Molly had arrived to cook breakfast. She had one of her cousins with her. The cousin ran for help and I roused your aunt and your sister. You know the rest.”

“Yes.”

Curiosity stirred in Stone’s expression. “D’ya think we could have hacked and chopped our way into the Night Garden?”

“I don’t know,” Lucas said. “It’s safer during the day but those plants have a lot of unknown properties. At the very least it would have taken days to get through the foliage, and the process would have been extremely dangerous for everyone who came in contact with the greenery.”

“Like I told ye, I thought about setting fire to the maze, but I wasn’t sure it would burn properly.”

“You were right. Furthermore, a fire might well have triggered an explosion of paranormal energy that could have proved hazardous for people in the vicinity.”

Stone’s brow furrowed. “If you can’t chop down the gardens and you can’t burn ’em down, how will you destroy them?”

“Damned if I know.” Lucas went back to the desk. “But first things first. We learned a couple of important facts last night.”

“What facts?”

“The intruders were treasure hunters who were after some Roman gold that is said to be concealed in the Night Garden. They were not the first who have trespassed in search of the hoard. But these two got a lot farther than most because of their psychical abilities, that little lantern and a key to the gate.”

“Yes, sir.” Stone’s frown darkened. “What else did ye learn?”

“The fact that they knew their way around and possessed a key makes that pair the most likely suspects in my uncle’s murder.”

Stone’s brow cleared. “Think they’ll be back?”

“Perhaps,” Lucas said. He picked up the lantern again and thought about the howling storm that had roared through the maze. “Assuming they managed to survive the effects of the explosion. Treasure hunters don’t give up easily. They tend to be obsessive.”

“If they got out of the maze, I’m sure they escaped the grounds,” Stone said. “I walked every inch of the old wall this morning and there were no bodies.”

“They may have escaped the grounds, but that does not mean they were not affected by the storm. I barely survived, myself.”

“What are you saying?” Stone raised his head, shocked. “I didn’t realize you were injured, sir. You looked fit and hearty when you came out of the maze this morning.”

“I owe my good health and my undamaged senses to my fiancée,” Lucas said.

“Miss Ames saved you?”

“Yes,” Lucas said. “She did.”

“Well, then, if the intruders didn’t have a Miss Ames of their own handy, they might be in bad shape this morning.”

Lucas smiled slowly. “That, Stone, is an excellent observation. Please send one of Molly’s relatives in here immediately.”

“Yes, sir.” Stone shot to his feet and started toward the door. He paused midway across the room. “Which relative do ye want, sir?”

“I’m not feeling particular. I just need someone who can go into town and discover if by any chance the doctor was called out during the night to attend two men who were stricken with a high fever.”

A
t eleven o’clock that morning, Evangeline paced the library, seething with a frustration that bordered on panic. She was so tense that she flinched violently when the door opened. She spun around and saw Lucas.

“Have you lost your mind, sir?” she said. It was all she could do to keep her voice low so as not to be overheard by anyone who happened to be passing by in the hallway.

Lucas closed the door and watched her warily. “I don’t think so. But, then, I’m not certain one would know if one lost one’s mind. The question is complicated, isn’t it? Madmen usually believe themselves to be sane.”

“This is not a joking matter, Lucas. You have brought disaster down on our heads.”

“Calm yourself, my sweet.” Lucas crossed the room to where she stood. He tipped up her chin and gave her a quick kiss. He released her
before she could protest and continued on to his desk. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d swear you sounded as if you were about to succumb to a bout of female hysteria.”

“I am not hysterical.”

“No, of course you aren’t.” He looked at her across the width of the desk. “I thought you were upstairs, recovering from your ordeal.”

“I have recovered quite nicely, thank you very much.” She spoke through her teeth. “Your sister has plied me with tea. Molly sent up a tray of poached eggs and toast. And your aunt informed me that after I have recovered from my
ordeal
, she wishes to speak to me in private.”

“I am sorry to hear that,” Lucas said. “But I am confident that you can hold your own with Aunt Florence. Whatever you do, don’t allow her to browbeat you.”

Evangeline drew herself up. “Just what do you suggest I say to her?”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something.” He went to one of the bookshelves and removed a leather-bound volume. “Since you obviously have bounced back rather nicely from your ordeal, I suggest that we move on to a more pressing topic.”

She folded her arms. “Just what subject do you consider to be more pressing than the current disaster, Mr. Sebastian?”

“I had a thought while I was upstairs shaving and changing into fresh clothes.” Lucas carried the volume to the desk. “It occurred to me that it might be useful to go through my uncle’s journals, especially the ones he kept in the months before his death. If he was acquainted with those two men we encountered in the gardens last night, which I believe is a distinct possibility, and if they visited him prior to the murder, there is a strong likelihood that he mentioned them in his notes. He kept close track of the handful of other botanists who studied the paranormal. There aren’t that many, after all, and I’ll wager that Uncle Chester knew them all.”

Distracted, Evangeline looked at the rows of journals on the shelves.
“You do not have time to do that sort of research. Why not let Beth do it for you?”

He frowned. “Beth?”

“I’m sure she would be thrilled to assist you with the investigation.”

“That is a very good idea. I’ll send for her at once.” He reached for one of the velvet bell pulls that hung next to the desk.

It was too much. Evangeline flew to the desk, skirts whipping furiously around her ankles, and slapped both hands, palms down, on the surface.

Lucas looked up from the journal, frowning first in surprise and then in concern. “What the devil?”

“Damn it, Lucas, your uncle’s murder can wait.”

“I don’t think so. Not after what happened last night.”

“We have a crisis on our hands because of what happened last night and you are the one who caused it. The least you can do is discuss it with the appropriate degree of concern.”

“Very well.” Lucas closed the journal. The small lines at the corners of his eyes tightened a little. “But first be good enough to tell me what crisis we are talking about if it is not the matter of the murder.”

“How can you ask such a question? You know the answer to that.”

He relaxed slightly. “Ah, so that is the problem. It is your own situation that concerns you. Perfectly understandable. Don’t worry, I have not forgotten that someone is after you, my dear. But you are safe here at Crystal Gardens. It is just a matter of time before we have more news from London. As soon as we know the identity of the man who hired Sharpy Hobson, I will inform you immediately.”

“Not
that
crisis, you cork-brained man. I refer to the one we are facing at this very moment. What is more, you cannot blame this situation on a London villain. The villain of this piece is right here in this room.”

Lucas raised his brows. “Cork-brained?”

“I apologize for the language.” She straightened, taking her hands off the desktop. “But it is not my fault that you have driven me to distraction.”

“Let’s start back at the beginning.” There was a new edge in Lucas’s voice. “Define this crisis that has you so overset.”

“You gave that crowd out in the gardens the impression that we are now engaged, for heaven’s sake. How could you do that?”

“I thought I handled it rather smoothly, if I do say so.”

“What?”

“I’m certain that everyone understood me. Do you think I left any room for confusion?”

“Stop making light of this utter catastrophe,” she wailed.

Lucas’s jaw tightened. “I regret that I was not able to make the announcement in a more formal manner, but you will admit that under the circumstances there were not a lot of alternatives.”

She stilled. “What do you mean?”

“It was just after dawn. It was obvious that we had spent the night together in the gardens. I was not wearing a shirt and you were in your nightgown and wrapper. We had an audience. I had to make the announcement immediately. Bloody hell, woman, did you really expect me to post a notice in the newspapers and send out announcements to our engagement ball first?”

“I was afraid of that.”

“An engagement ball?”

Something inside her crumpled. “I know you meant well, Lucas, but you have made everything so much more complicated.”

“Is that so? I fail to see the problem. It all looks quite simple and straightforward to me. Unlike, say, identifying the person who wants you dead and solving my uncle’s murder.”

“Please don’t misunderstand. I realize that you were trying to protect my reputation. It was very kind of you, but—”

“Kind?”

She raised her chin. “You are an honorable man, Lucas, a true gentleman.”

“Why do I get the feeling that this conversation is not going well?”

She ignored that. “You were attempting to protect me and I appreciate it more than you will ever know.” She blinked away the incipient tears. “But don’t you see? We are now living a lie. Sooner or later you will have to tell your family the truth. What will they think?”

Ominous energy heated the atmosphere. Lucas walked around the end of the desk and started toward her.

“Are you asking me what they will think of you?” he said. “Because I give you my word that anyone who dares to question your virtue will answer to me.”

The manner in which he was advancing on her made her unaccountably nervous. Instinctively she retreated a few steps.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what your family and the locals will think of me after the truth comes out. I can simply disappear as I always do after a case. What concerns me is what they will all think of you when our so-called engagement is ended. You have put your own reputation at stake to save mine. I can’t let you do that.”

“It’s done, Evangeline. And just to be clear, I knew exactly what I was doing when I made that announcement this morning.”

He did not stop. He was moving toward her with the deliberate pacing stride of a large beast of prey. She took another step back and then another and came up hard against one of the bookcases. Lucas closed in on her. He put out his hands on either side of her head and gripped the shelf behind her, trapping her, not just physically but psychically as well.

“Lucas?”

“As far as I am concerned we are not living a lie,” he said. “We are engaged. As for my reputation, let me worry about it.”

She was suddenly wary but her alarm was rapidly metamorphosing into excitement. The wavelengths of his aura crashed and roared around her, demanding a response. She could feel her own currents seeking resonance. She tried to resist but it required a great deal of energy. The effort made her breathless.