Jaded Moon (Ransomed Jewels Book 2) (21 page)

“The opium’s not there, Major. Only some wine and tea and bolts of cloth.”

Sam released a heavy sigh. “Well, we can’t do anything more tonight. Take the men back to camp and get a few hours’ sleep. We’ll make a thorough check of the area in the morning when it’s light. Perhaps we’ll find something more then.”

Ross knew Sam wanted to question him further but he didn’t. Instead, he followed McCormick back to where their men were waiting.

Ross listened to him go and nearly sank to his knees under the weight of what he’d done. The moon shone bright and full again, the air washed over him with a gentle breeze, but nothing could erase the deathly pall that shrouded him.

He’d lost it all. Given it up. Because he didn’t want to lose her.

But because of what she’d done, he knew he already had.

…

Ross wasn’t sure how long he’d stood on the cliff overlooking the caves, but long enough for his life to come full circle. Long enough for every mistake he’d ever made to rise before him with overwhelming clarity. Sometime before dawn he made his way back to St. Stephen’s, where only a few hours earlier he’d looked forward to a future more perfect than any he’d thought he would ever have.

Until his world had fallen apart.

He walked into his study and sat in one of the two chairs flanking the fireplace, but didn’t light a fire. The darkness suited him well enough.

As the hours slowly ticked by, the depth and breadth of his emotions ran the gamut from numbness to despair to disbelief to rage, and now, to a subtle anger that slowly grew inside him. Anger because she’d betrayed him. And, just as quickly, a determination to make her suffer for what she’d done to him.

Ross looked at the cold, lifeless ashes in the fireplace. He could still see the long stretch of sandy beach where he’d seen her a few hours ago. He still battled the disbelief that engulfed him when she stepped out of the shadows. He recalled the exact moment he realized what her presence meant.

He closed his eyes and wondered if it were possible to hate someone you loved.

When he opened his eyes, the sun was peeking above the horizon, lighting the room in a dusky gray. It was time. Time to confront her. Time to let her know he knew about the smuggling and her role in it. Time she knew he saw her for the lying manipulator she was.

Ross remembered what she’d told him when he’d asked her why she’d given herself to him.
Because I knew I could trust you. I knew you would never hurt me.

A hard knot formed in the pit of his stomach. She’d used him. She’d used her body as insurance in case he discovered her role in the smuggling. She’d slept with him to protect herself. She’d made him fall in love with her to keep from hanging from the end of a rope.

Well, that may have been what she’d thought was going to happen, but she’d play by his rules now. And she’d pay dearly for what she’d done.

Ross bolted from his chair and walked to the window. With a violent swing, he threw back the drapes and stared at the rising sun. By the time he washed and changed, she’d be at the orphanage. He’d confront her there.

When he was finished with her, she’d know what it felt like to lose everything she held dear. And still have to go on living.

Josie walked along the narrow path that led away from the orphanage. If she stayed to her right, she’d end up near the stream where she’d taken the children not that many weeks ago when Ross had seen his son for the first time. She remembered the look on his face and how her heart had ached for the years he hadn’t known he had a son. She would never be able to look at the bubbling stream again without being reminded that even though she’d done everything in her power to stop it from happening, she’d fallen in love with the Marquess of Rainforth.

She swiped her hand across her eyes. She didn’t need to relive the memories from that day and took the less-traveled path that veered to the left.

She wanted time to herself. Someplace quiet where she could hide for just a little while until her hands stopped shaking and her legs quit trembling. Someplace where she could come to terms with the fact that she’d just emptied twelve chests of opium cakes wrapped in poppy leaves and cotton cloths into the ocean and watched the tide wash them out to sea. Time to adjust to the knowledge that she’d been involved in something much more deadly than the innocent smuggling of goods to provide for the children. And time to adjust to the fact that Geoffrey Lindville wasn’t her greatest threat.

Blood pounded in her head when she thought of what would happen when the real head of the smuggling ring discovered what she’d done.

On legs that trembled with each step, she walked until she reached the small orchard where she’d sent Charlie to hide that first day Ross had come to search for him. She leaned against the sturdy trunk of an apple tree, then dropped her head to her hands and rubbed her fingers against her temples. Her head throbbed from lack of sleep as well as the stress from last night.

Convincing Captain Levy that this would be the last shipment they would receive had been easier than she’d anticipated. The captain had heard about the agency the government had formed to combat the rising opium addiction problem. He and his men were only too happy to unload the contraband and leave as fast as they could.

What he did question, though, was why she’d come instead of the usual contact.

For a minute, she thought the captain was going to refuse to leave the contraband. Finally, with a shrug and a smile that only lifted one side of his mouth, he gave orders for his men to unload the boats.

As each crate and box passed before her, she pretended to show significant interest in the delivery, while inside her, she thought she would be ill.

For nearly two years, she’d not only allowed, but looked forward to the arrival of the goods Captain Levy brought each quarter. For nearly two years she’d been so thankful for the money Cornelius Sharpe gave her from the sale of the goods, she hadn’t once thought to question what else was coming in with the cases of wine and bags of tea the captain could purchase. Instead, she’d turned a blind eye, while the tunnels beneath the orphanage were being used to smuggle in a drug that had destroyed hundreds of lives.

Josie clasped her arms around her middle and took one deep breath after another. What she’d been a part of made her ill. But the worst was yet to come. Knowing how Ross would despise her when he found out turned her blood to ice. Even the fact that she’d spent the last several hours breaking open each chest and dumping the cakes of opium into the ocean wouldn’t make him hate her any less.

She pushed herself away from the tree and swiped at a stray tear that ran down her cheek. She didn’t think she had any more inside her that hadn’t been shed last night, but somehow one more drop filled her eyes and escaped.

Such moments of weakness made her angry. Crying was useless. She had no one to blame but herself and would have to face what she’d done and suffer the consequences. But she was so frightened. Perhaps, the best she could hope for was that Ross would go with her when she went to the authorities. Not that she expected his title or his appearance to influence anyone, but only so she wouldn’t have to go alone.

She swiped her hands down her skirt to dry her sweating palms and turned to go back to the orphanage. She took two steps before she lifted her head, and stopped short. Her gaze locked with Ross’s and held.

He stood before her, more terrifyingly handsome than ever. Her heart lurched, then thrummed faster in her breast. Oh, how she wanted to rush into his arms. How she wanted to spill out her story in one long breath and rely on him to tell her what to do. Or just to admit to him what a fool she’d been and have him tell her everything would be all right. But of course she couldn’t.

Even if confiding in him would have been possible, something about his stern countenance and the icy coldness of his gaze warned her to be wary.

“You surprised me,” she said, gathering her self-control. “I didn’t expect you so early.”

“I might say the same of you, Miss Foley. I thought perhaps you wouldn’t be here yet, but Mrs. Lambert said that you were in your office even before she awoke.”

Miss Foley.

He hadn’t called her Miss Foley except in public since he’d made love to her that first time. A wave of warning washed over her.

“I couldn’t sleep and there was much to be done.”

He took two menacing steps toward her and stopped. “Just what did you need to do that had to be done before dawn? Or didn’t you go home at all last night?”

Josie braced herself as the invisible wall she’d often found necessary to erect around herself went quickly into place. There was no softness in his voice, none of the warmth she’d looked forward to hearing. Another alarming jolt slammed into her.

“I needed to take an inventory of all the spring clothes to be repaired or replaced. And Cook left a list of items that are running dangerously low. I thought to go over the list and see what can be done to—”

“How ambitious. You have your hands in a number of ventures. Don’t you?”

Josie felt the grip of warning tighten and squared her shoulders. “I’m not sure I understand what ventures you’re talking about.”

“Don’t you?”

Blood rushed through her veins, crashing inside her head. She didn’t answer him, but waited. He took another step toward her and for the first time, she felt threatened by him. Not in danger, but threatened. His next question gave her cause.

“Where were you last night? It’s obvious you haven’t slept. Where have you been?”

“I was…”

She couldn’t finish. She couldn’t lie, yet she wasn’t ready to admit the truth. Something about the accusatory tone in his voice and the way he watched her with the wariness of a predator anticipating the kill held her back. This was a side of him she hadn’t seen since the first time she’d met him. She felt the need to escape.

“Where I was is none of your business. Now, if you will excuse me.”

She took her first step away from him but stopped when he spoke.

“I saw you.”

She shook her head, at first unable to comprehend his meaning. Then, the magnitude of his words and the assumption he’d drawn from seeing her last night hit her full force.

“Where did you see me?”

“Beneath the cliff. Standing in front of the cave while the men unloaded their supply of smuggled goods. Did everything meet with your approval?”

“I… It’s not what it seemed. I—”

“Isn’t it?”

She opened her mouth to continue, then stopped when she realized how lame her words would sound. He would never believe she hadn’t known they were smuggling in opium. Not after he’d seen her with his own eyes.

He took another step toward her and she noticed his drawn features. The dark circles that shadowed his eyes seemed even blacker and she realized he hadn’t slept any more than she had.

“I finally understand why you bargained for a month when Lady Clythebrook issued her demands. I thought the reason was that you had so little faith in me you thought I’d soon grow tired of the country and head back to London.” He laughed. “I couldn’t wait to prove you wrong.” He took another step toward her. “How long have you been involved in the smuggling?”

She opened her mouth but no words came out.

His second demand was more forceful. “How long?”

“Two years. The children—”

“No!” He swiped his hand angrily between them. “Do
not
use the children.”

Josie’s first instinct was to stop and let him think what he wanted but something made her go on. Perhaps just the belief that this would be the only chance she had to explain why she’d involved herself in the smuggling.

“Two years ago the children’s needs were greater than we could supply. Lady Lindville had always offered assistance in the past but was unable to help as much as we needed.”

“So you resorted to smuggling.”

She heard the disdain in his voice and fought to stomp down her rising temper. “The children were going without food!”

“Smuggling was your only answer?”

Josie turned her gaze away from him. How could she explain that it had been? There’d been no other way to provide for the children.

“How is Lindville involved?”

“He contacted Captain Levy each quarter to make the arrangements.”

“Why did he involve you? Why not someone else? Surely there were others he could have—”

“He needed me. I was the only one who…”

Josie hesitated. This was the most damning of all. The part that would incriminate her and leave no room for escape. “You know how steep the incline is from the cove. It’s nearly impossible for anyone to make the climb either up or down without being observed. But, there’s a network of tunnels beneath the orphanage that smugglers used more than a hundred years ago. Very few people know they exist.”

“But you knew?”

“Yes. Evidently, so did Baron Lindville. He came with a proposition to bring in goods that we could then sell to Cornelius Sharpe. The goods we brought in weren’t illegal, just items Baron Lindville managed to purchase for far less than Cornelius could get them. The orphanage received half the profits and Lindville kept the other half.”

“How convenient. Except you’ve failed to explain how your contraband changed to opium.”

Josie looked into his eyes, hoping she’d see some hint of softness there, but all she saw was a steely-gray hardness that didn’t conceal his intense anger. Her heart felt like a leaden weight anchored in her chest.

“Would it be expecting too much to ask you to believe I didn’t know about the opium?”

His hollow laugh stopped her. “Far too much,” he said with more bitterness than she thought he was capable of.

He turned his back as if he couldn’t stand the sight of her. His words proved it. “I have to give you credit, though. You played the game with amazing ingenuity. Giving yourself to me was a very calculated move.” He spun back to face her. “Did you think it would be your insurance? Was sleeping with me part of the plan to assure that if your role in the smuggling was discovered, you could use what we’d done to your advantage?”

“No! What we did had nothing to do with this. I slept with you because—”

The pain inside her chest hurt too much. She couldn’t go on.

“I’m waiting. Please, enlighten me. Why did you sleep with me?”

She reminded herself this might be the last chance she ever had to speak with him. She did not want this final time filled with lies. “Because I realized that I lo—”

He slashed his hand through the air in a violent arc. “No! Use any excuse but that! Tell me you wanted to be able to brag that you’d been bedded by a notorious rake. Or that you wanted to be intimate with the Rainforth heir whose father had betrayed his country. Or, try the truth, Miss Foley. You slept with me because you thought it would benefit you. Any excuse, but don’t speak to me of love.”

Josie felt as though she’d been slapped. She lifted her chin and glared at him. “Very well. You want the truth? Then you shall have it. I slept with you because I was a fool.”

His eyes opened wide, as if her words had surprised him.

“If anyone was a fool, it was I. I know prostitutes who are more honest! At least they’re up front about the reason they sell themselves.”

The lump lodged in Josie’s throat threatened to choke her. Before last night, she’d only cried once before in her life and that was when Lord Clythebrook had died. She would not let it happen again. Not now. Not in front of him.

She needed to get away before she embarrassed herself. She jerked her skirts to the side and started to walk past him. He held out his arm and stopped her.

“I was given one chance to redeem the name my father destroyed. Not just for myself, but for Charlie. So Charlie could claim the Bennett name with pride. Your greed and deceit took that opportunity away from him. I hope you can live with yourself.”

The vice clamped around her heart tightened until she could barely breathe. But he didn’t intend to give her a respite.

“Major Bennett and Agent McCormick are here. They knew about the shipment and were waiting for the signal so they could arrest the opium smugglers—a signal
I
was supposed to light.”

Josie’s mind was a muddle of confusion. That was how he knew. She lifted her gaze and saw the blatant fury in his eyes. “You were to signal them?”