A Match of Wits (4 page)

Deciding it would be in his best interest to ignore that ominous question, Zayne flicked the reins over the mules. The wagon lurched into motion, and as they picked up speed, he felt an unusual desire to say a prayer, one that would request assistance from God in helping him retain the use of his remaining good limbs. Remembering the troubling fact that he was at distinct odds with God at the moment, he pushed the desire aside and settled for keeping his attention fixed on the road. He could only hope Agatha would get the hint and realize he wasn’t in the mood for answering questions, especially those concerning dynamite.

P
eering through the veil that distorted her view, Agatha considered Zayne as they plodded along, her concern for his well-being growing the longer he remained unusually silent.

The Zayne of her past would have been trying his very best to distract her from the dynamite situation, not calmly driving along as if . . .

“You haven’t asked about Helena.”

Horror immediately replaced the concern.

How could she have been so remiss?

Helena was the answer to everything.

She swallowed past the lump that had formed in her throat. “I never even considered Helena in all this, Zayne, but do know that you have my deepest sympathies.”

“Why do I need your sympathy?”

Agatha shoved the veil aside. “Because losing your true love had to have been remarkably difficult on you.”

“Helena was never my true love.”

“That’s hardly an appropriate way to speak of the deceased.”

Zayne pulled on the reins, bringing the mules to a stop before he turned in the seat. “What are you talking about?”

“What are
you
talking about?”

“Helena isn’t dead.”

“What do you mean, she isn’t dead?”

“I think that’s fairly self-explanatory. One is either dead or one is not, and believe me when I say Helena is not amongst the deceased.”

“She didn’t die in the accident that damaged your leg?”

Zayne’s jaw clenched. “My accident was caused when Helena insisted on taking her horse up a steep hill that was beyond her abilities. When I realized she was in danger, I tried to pull her off her struggling mount. Helena, for some unknown reason, balked at my assistance. She kicked out at me, missed, and kicked my horse. The horse took issue with that and reared. I was thrown to the ground, the horse fell on top of me, and my leg was crushed in the process.”

“You’re lucky you weren’t killed.”

“Was I?” he countered. “My leg suffered an extensive break. Since Helena and I, along with her parents, were on holiday well away from progressive cities, I was left at the mercy of an incapable hack who managed to reset the bone, but not cleanly. Now I’m forced to hobble around on a leg that’s barely usable.”

“Have you consulted a different doctor, one who might be more proficient in the art of setting bones?”

“Of course I have, but the only option available to me is to have the surgeon rebreak the leg in order to reset it. There’s no guarantee that will work, and I’m not exactly keen to go through that type of trauma again.”

“But if it would allow you to walk better and, perhaps, ease the pain, don’t you think you should consider it?”

“No.” He held up his hand when Agatha opened her mouth, effectively cutting off the argument she’d been about to make. “Why did you believe Helena was dead?”

Agatha blew out a breath. “That was the only conclusion I could come up with to explain your appearance and your somewhat disagreeable attitude. I assumed you’d suffered a tremendous shock. Death is one of the greatest shocks of all, hence the reasoning behind believing Helena to be dead.” She tapped her finger against her chin. “Although, now that I think about it, Helena’s demise probably wouldn’t be a huge shock to anyone since she always possessed such a delicate nature.”

“Helena’s delicate nature seems to have been a figment of her imagination.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Zayne’s eyes turned a little stormy. “When I arrived out west two years ago, I was delighted to discover Helena had put her fragile ways behind her. I foolishly believed we’d finally be able to embrace an active future together, but then I began to realize Helena was different. She was no longer the girl I’d known since childhood.”

“And that’s why you broke off your engagement—because she was different, or . . . because you were furious with her for causing your injury?”

“We never got around to getting officially engaged, and I didn’t break off our association—she did.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“Quite honestly, neither did I at first, but I’m growing weary of this topic and no longer care to discuss Helena.”

Agatha’s teeth clinked together. “You’re the one who brought her into the conversation, so we’re going to continue discussing her until I’m satisfied I understand exactly what caused me to find you in such a sorry state.”

“You’re beginning to irritate me.”

She arched a brow.

Zayne glared at her for a moment before he shrugged. “Fine, if you must know, Helena wasn’t happy to see me when I arrived out west.”

“Wasn’t it always the plan for you to join her?”

“
I
thought it was, but apparently I was wrong, because she appeared downright surprised when she came to the door and found me standing on the other side.”

“Didn’t you let her know you were coming?”

“I sent her a telegram, but . . . if you’ll recall, I’d sent her numerous telegrams stating I was leaving New York, but events kept happening that delayed my departure. It might have been that she didn’t believe me anymore. Truth be told, the only people who greeted me with any enthusiasm at all in California were Helena’s parents.”

“I’m sure Mr. and Mrs. Collins were delighted to see you. Every parent with unmarried daughters dreams of adding a son from the illustrious Beckett family to their household. Even my parents pushed me quite diligently in the path of your brother before he made the acquaintance of Eliza.”

“You and Hamilton would never have made a match of it, even if Eliza hadn’t entered the scene.”

“True, but my mother didn’t see it that way.” She smiled. “But enough about me and your brother and the courtship that never was. We need to return to the Helena situation.”

“There really isn’t much more to say about the lady.”

“I beg to differ. What happened after Helena got over her surprise at finding you in California? Did you ever discuss a wedding?”

“She was rather evasive about the matter.”

“Didn’t that concern you?”

“I didn’t give it much thought.”

“Were you still considering marrying her at that point?”

“Of course I was. I’d told her back when we were six years old we’d marry someday.”

“I don’t think any gentleman can be held to a promise he made when he was all of six years old.”

“True, but Helena brought up my old promise when we were seventeen.” Zayne looked down and began fiddling with the reins. “She asked me if I still intended to honor what I’d promised her in our youth. Since she broached the matter right after her doctor told her she’d have to abandon her desire to have a debut, I didn’t have the heart to disappoint her. I was her only hope of obtaining a secure future, and I couldn’t deny her that. We were friends, you see, or at least I thought we were.”

Agatha’s heart gave a tiny lurch. Here was the reason why she’d never been exactly successful pushing Zayne out of her mind. Though seemingly oblivious to the nature of some women, he was inherently honorable and chivalrous. He’d been willing to set aside his own desires, not that he’d ever spoken of those to her, in order to ease the distress of a friend, even if that friend didn’t deserve him or—

“Maybe things
would
have turned out differently if I’d gotten around to formally proposing to Helena once I landed in California.”

Agatha felt the oddest urge to laugh. “You truly never proposed to her?”

“Well, yes, when I was six, but again, it wasn’t exactly what anyone could call a formal proposal.” He frowned. “I don’t think I even proposed when we were seventeen. I was at that awkward stage, and wasn’t really sure what to do around girls.”

“From the sound of it, I’m not certain you’ve grown out of that awkward stage,” she muttered.

“Nonsense, I’m a connoisseur when it comes to the ladies.”

“Hmm . . . if you say so, but getting back to the whole proposal situation. Do you really believe Helena left you because you didn’t get down on bended knee?”

“It’s hard to say at this point, although I’m fairly certain her decision to leave me had something to do with that other man.”

“Other man?”

“Indeed.”

“You might have mentioned that a little sooner, Zayne. It puts a whole different perspective on your situation.”

“Really?”

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Agatha nodded instead. “You’re not very good at explaining this mess, so I’m afraid you need to back up a bit and give me better details. When did this other man come along, and how did Helena get involved with him in the first place?”

“Do we really have to continue with this discussion? It’s not a particularly happy period in my life.”

“We can always discuss dynamite instead. As I mentioned before, I’m very interested in learning how to ignite it.”

“I started to get a few suspicions when Helena and I left to go on holiday,” Zayne began quickly. “She wasn’t exactly excited about leaving town with me and was somewhat sulky up until my accident. After I began to slowly recover, I couldn’t dismiss the idea any longer that something was definitely amiss between us.”

“Don’t tell me she brought up this other gentleman while you were recovering?”

“Not right away, but she was crying more than usual, and
I assumed that stemmed from the fact she felt obligated to stay by my side as I healed. Helena’s never been one to put the needs of others before hers.” He reached out and began rubbing his bad leg.

“Once my cast was removed and it became clear I wasn’t going to regain the full use of my leg, events quickly turned dismal. Helena’s weeping intensified, and then, one day, out of the blue, she blurted out the little tidbit that she’d made a horrible mistake. She didn’t love me, and could not stay and nurse me another second because the stress of it was causing her to lose her hair. Then there was the pesky matter of her true love. She told me she couldn’t bear to be parted from her secret beau another second.”

“And?”

“And nothing. She raced off to join her love, and I never saw her again. Her parents did, however, visit me to profess their extreme disappointment with their daughter. They tried to convince me she’d change her mind, but by that point I’d had enough of Helena to last me a lifetime. I packed my bags and left California.”

A sharp whistle suddenly sounded from behind them. Turning, Agatha settled her attention on Mr. Blackheart and Mrs. Swanson. They’d stopped a few yards away from Zayne’s wagon, and both of them were looking decidedly put out.

“I do beg your pardon for interrupting,” Mr. Blackheart drawled as he, strangely enough, reached over and slapped Mrs. Swanson’s arm before he looked back at Agatha. “But Mrs. Swanson and I are getting eaten alive out here. Do you think it might be possible for us to move along?”

Agatha winced. “Forgive me. Zayne and I were just catching up, and I’m afraid I forgot you were following us.”

“That certainly makes me feel all fuzzy inside, but I’m
going to suggest you catch up while you’re moving. It’s hot out here, and I think my nose is beginning to blister.”

“You could always borrow Agatha’s hat,” Zayne called, but he turned back and flicked the reins over the mules when Mr. Blackheart sent him a glare. “Charming man, your Mr. Blackheart.”

“He’s not
my
Mr. Blackheart, and
charming
is certainly not an adjective I’ve ever used when describing him,” Agatha retorted. “Besides, I didn’t have a choice about bringing him out west with me.”

“Ah, wonderful. We can finally turn the conversation to you,” Zayne said. “I’ve been waiting with bated breath to discover exactly why Mr. Blackheart has been hired to guard you. You haven’t done anything crazy lately, have you?”

“Define
crazy
.”

A rusty laugh escaped Zayne’s mouth. “Strange as this may sound, I’m delighted to learn you haven’t changed a bit since we last saw each other.” He returned his attention to the road, a small grin teasing his lips.

The sight of that grin sent another ache through Agatha’s heart. The Zayne she’d adored, even though she’d resigned herself to the idea they were only meant to be friends, was still there, albeit buried beneath layers of pain and disappointment.

From out of nowhere, as she sat in the midst of the evergreen trees, she suddenly knew what she was meant to do—knew it as if God had leaned over and whispered explicit instructions in her ear.

She’d been sent west to save Zayne, to bring him back to the man he’d been before he’d left New York to join Helena.

Zayne was a social gentleman. He thrived when he was in the midst of
good
company, and it was going to be her
new mission in life to help him reclaim his affable self. Her compulsion to explore Colorado had obviously been God’s way of sending Zayne the assistance he so desperately needed.

However, she had the sneaky suspicion Zayne wouldn’t appreciate her racing to his rescue. That would injure his pride and offend his chivalrous nature, but . . . perhaps she could use that nature to her advantage.

He’d never once disappointed her when she’d requested his participation in some of her madcap plans. She’d always known his agreement had stemmed from a desire to keep her safe, which meant all she had to do was stir up that old desire.