Moonlight Lover (42 page)

His eyes narrowed. "I am the new earl. They'll believe me.”

"I made you the new earl!" Vanessa shouted at him in frustrated fury.

Sin-Jin rose in his chair, his hands gripping the arms, nearly pulling them free. "What?"

"Do you think your brother just conveniently died when he did?" Vanessa's lips twisted in a smirk. "Alfred never once did what he was supposed to," she spat. "It was I who—" Suddenly, she realized that her anger had loosened her tongue.

"Go on." Sin-Jin's voice was dangerously low as he
approached Vanessa. Bending, he lowered his face until it
was next to hers. He could smell her fear mounting. "It was you who what?"

"Nothing." Vanessa looked down at her hands. "I said nothing."

"She poisoned him," Rachel suddenly declared, looking from Duncan to Sin-Jin. The thought was fiendish, but oh so suddenly clear. Rachel knew enough
about herbs to know it was an easy matter for one familiar
with such things. "He wasn't weak from the leeches," she cried as the horror of the thought dawned on her. "He was weak from what she was doing to him."

But Vanessa had become stoic and withdrawn as she raised her head. "That wild accusation is something you will never be able to prove."

Sin-Jin knew she was right. Though he longed to snap her pretty neck, he knew that he had no evidence.

"Pack your things and leave," he ordered coldly. "I
want you out of here within the hour before I come to my
senses."

Vanessa knew the words were not an empty threat. Cursing him from the depths of her soul, she hurried from the room.

Rachel didn't understand how he could just let the
woman go like that. "But she killed your brother. In your
heart, you know it," Rachel cried.

This was not easy for him, to think with his mind instead of his emotions. "Vanessa is nothing if not clever. She's right. I have no proof." He thought of the
sudden dismissals and wondered how many of those were more permanent than he had suspected. How many more
had suffered death at her hand to insure silence? "She undoubtedly left no accomplices alive."

There was silence in the room as Sin-Jin stared into the
fire.

"And now?"

Sin-Jin turned at the sound of Rachel's voice. "Now?" he repeated.

It was something she had had little opportunity to worry about when he told her earlier. There had been warm, scented bubble water between them.

But she worried now.

"Well, thanks to Vanessa or not, you are the new Earl of Shallot. What do you propose to do about it?" she pressed.

Rachel held her breath as she watched his face, waiting for his answer. She could not stay in this country. Living here would remind her of her own home in Ireland. Of the man who was responsible for her family's ruin. She would never be at home with the British.

Tension stiffened the shoulder that already ached unbearably. "Well?" she prodded unable to endure it any longer when he made no reply.

Sin-Jin looked around the room. He tried to envision being here without her. It felt suddenly cold, despite the warmth of the day. "Could you live here?"

Rachel had no idea that this would hurt so much. He was asking her the one question she couldn't answer the way she felt he wanted her to.

Slowly, she shook her head. "No, I cannot."

Sin-Jin drew close to her. She couldn't read his eyes. Couldn't read what was in his heart. "You always were a perverse woman."

She felt the blade rip through her own heart. He had to be able to understand. It wasn't that she didn't love him. That she wouldn't die for him. But she couldn't live if it had to be here.

"Sin-Jin, I just can't—"

He held up his hand, stopping her. A smile lit his eyes as he looked down at her. "And neither can I."

Confusion riddled her brain like moths through an old woolen blanket. "What?"

He took her into his arms. "My home isn't here any longer." His home was anywhere that Rachel was. His home was Rachel.

She pushed him aside, storm warnings in her eyes. She
heard Duncan laugh behind her and was tempted to land a good blow on him as well. "You mean that you've put me through all this anguish, all this soul-searching when all the time you knew that you were going to leave?"

Sin-Jin caught the fisted hands before they could make
contact. "No, not all the time. For a moment, I was tempted. This was once my home and memories
sometimes have an allure." He felt the fight leave her and warily, he released her hands, ready to grab them again if
necessary. But she let them drop to her sides.

Sin-Jin shrugged. "But, like an old friend once said." He thought of Krystyna's words to Jason, "This is all the past and my heart belongs to the future."

Duncan had kept silent long enough, he thought. "All
very nice sentiments, my friend, but what will you do with
all this?" He gestured about, thinking more of the tenants on the land than the house itself. "You don't want that bloodthirsty woman sneaking back and finding a way to take it again."

"No, I don't." Sin-Jin admitted.

Rachel clenched her teeth together at the very thought. "That would be the only thing that would make me even entertain the notion of staying, keeping it from falling into her hands."

Sin-Jin leaned back against the mantel, studying Duncan quietly. It was a good plan, even though it was born of desperation. Sometimes, the best plans were. "I shall assume the title."

Rachel's heart dropped. "Then you will stay on here in Shallot?"

"Let me finish, woman." He turned toward Duncan.

"She's always jumping ahead of my words," he confided, thoroughly enjoying himself. His grief had been so enormous, Sin-Jin welcomed the chance to do something so simple as to tease her. "I shall assume the title, but I shall not remain here."

Sin-Jin began to slowly pace about the room as he gave voice to his plan. "I will need a man to run the estate for me. Collect the rents. Make sure the people here are well taken care of." He eyed Duncan as he stopped before him. "Know where I can find such a man?"

Duncan saw the direction Sin-Jin was taking. "My home is on the sea."

"Privateering isn't what it used to be," Sin-Jin pointed out. "Now that the war is officially over. Who knows when another might come? The world may stay civilized for too long to suit the likes of you. You've responsibilities you told me."

"Yes, but—"

Sin-Jin hurried on. He wasn't going to take no for an answer. He knew in his heart that he had found the best man and he intended to keep him. "I agree it's not what you're accustomed to." He grinned. "It's honest work."

Duncan pretended to wince at the very sound of the word. "I've my reputation to think of."

"The salary will be generous," Sin-Jin promised. "Enough to soothe your aching reputation. And you can have part of the land for yourself, or whomever you wish."

Duncan thought of the vast family he supported, the people who depended on him. A smile slowly curved his lips as he ran his hand through the mane of flowing golden brown hair. "I suppose honesty can be bought," he agreed.

"I'll require regular reports," Sin-Jin specified, already pleased. "You can read and write?"

Duncan nodded. "My mother insisted on it. She always said it would come to serve me well someday." He thought of her now. It would have made the woman whose likeness he carried with him always proud to see this come about. "She was never wrong."

"Then it's a bargain?"

Duncan laughed. "How can I resist? Especially with my employer an ocean away from me."

"Oceans can be traversed." Sin-Jin put out his hand and Duncan clasped it firmly.

"Done," Duncan declared.

"Done," Sin-Jin agreed.

He looked over his shoulder and smiled at Rachel. His home was in America now, on the plantation he had built for himself.

In America, with Rachel.

Chapter Forty-three

Sin-Jin knocked on Rachel's door, then tried the handle. The door was bolted from within. "Rachel, it's me, Sin-Jin. Open the door."

Before the words were out of his mouth, Rachel was opening the door, admitting him in. She smiled her apology as she left the door open.

"Ever since that brute abducted me, I've been very careful about locking my door." She pressed her lips together. "It's not a habit I like."

He knew that a fair amount of trust in her fellow man was important to Rachel. Giving it up cost her. "It's a wise one, nonetheless. God knows I've had enough adventures to last me a lifetime."

Rachel understood his meaning. "Oh, and I suppose that I'm the cause of them?" she sniffed, pretending to take offense.

Spanning his hands around her waist, he pulled her to him. "The cause of each and every one. And I wouldn't
have it any other way," he swore as he lost himself in her
softness.

And then he sighed. There was a carriage to take and a ship to catch. Releasing her, Sin-Jin nodded toward the papers that were spread out all over her bed. It looked like utter chaos to him, but Rachel claimed that she had a system.

"Almost ready?" He eyed the mess dubiously.

She glanced at the papers over her shoulder. "Actually yes. I was just getting things in order before I place them in the chest." She began to collect the various piles together one by one. "It's so hard to believe that we're finally going home again."

It had a nice sound to it, she thought. Home.

And then she eyed Sin-Jin nervously.

Sin-Jin had his head turned and didn't notice the concern that had entered her eyes. He sat on the edge of the bed in the small space she had already cleared. His own bags had long since been packed. Vanessa had been dispatched to Northumberland under a cloud of shame and Duncan was installed at Shallot. It seemed as if there was nothing left to do, no other ends to tie. His business here was concluded.

He nodded. "Well, with the treaty finally signed, there's no reason to stay any longer," Sin-Jin said absently.

They were, after all, part of Franklin's entourage and Franklin had to bring the treaty to America so that Congress could ratify it. Having gone through the ordeal here and suffered through the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Franklin had already begun grumbling about the anticipated quarrels over wording that lay ahead.

Rachel deposited the final pile into her trunk and dropped the lid on the whole lot. "I can hardly wait to be
getting back and starting in on organizing my notes." She
sighed happily as she locked the trunk. "Riley and I have a book to print now." She looked up at Sin-Jin. "The Signature of Peace. Do you like it?"

He pretended to roll the title over in his mind, then reached over and patted her hand. "We'll work on it."

She gave him a censuring look, rising to her feet. "Critic." And then she smiled. "I was truly afraid when I returned to the inn that I would find all my work torn or completely destroyed." She shivered as she glanced at the fireplace. "It would have been the kind of thing Vanessa would have done."

Yes, that sort of malicious act was something Vanessa
was quite capable of, Sin-Jin realized. He thought of Alfred. That and so much more. "Luckily, she didn't come with Simeon when he abducted you, and he was too stupid to realize how precious all this was."

Sin-Jin rose and wandered toward the window. A carriage was drawing close from the distance. Probably their carriage. They would have to be leaving soon.

When he turned from the window, she was looking at him. There was a question in her eyes. He raised a brow, waiting.

"Haven't changed your mind, have you?" she asked.

"About what?"

She wet her lips. He was turning his back on a life of
ease. Many she knew might have killed for that life. And
one woman she knew had. "About returning to America." Rachel looked down at her hands, finding her way through the verbal maze with difficulty. "I mean,
you'd had yourself a while now to let your title really sink
in." She raised her eyes. "Wouldn't it be nice, parading
around as the earl, having people bowing and attending to
your every need?"

Actually he had decided he would hate that. He didn't take well to fawning. "And have you changed your mind about staying here with me?"

She shivered as she thought of it now. "In a land of godforsaken bloody British?"

He laughed. "Never mind, I have my answer."

She paused. No, he hadn't. Her answer had been something she had spent the last few days searching her soul to find. "Yes."

He looked at her. Her voice was so low, he'd almost not
heard the word at all. "Yes?"

She braced her shoulders, as if she was about to launch
into an endless battle. One that she would never
successfully win. But one she would endure. For his sake.
"If you're here, than I can be nowhere else."

He couldn't believe what she was saying. Sin-Jin drew her into his arms. The carriage could wait. "You'd stay for me?"

She didn't want Sin-Jin becoming sentimental about it.
If he did, she knew she'd cry. "Are you deaf, man? I just said that, didn't I?"

Oh, life was going to be exciting for him, he thought. There was no danger of his ever growing fat and complacent. Not with her at his side.

"You needn't be waspish about it." He released her. "Besides, I don't need a lot of servants attending to my every need. I have you to do that." He watched the color bloom to a vivid shade of red in her cheeks and was delighted.

Did he think just because she'd made the offer, just because she loved him to distraction, that he could take advantage of the situation and order her about like a lackey? "I'll do no such thing."

Sin-Jin's expression remained innocent. "Isn't a wife supposed to treat her husband like a lord and master?" He knew that Rachel would never be subjugated, no matter what their relationship. And that was the way he liked it.

Rachel tossed her head. "Even so, a wife shouldn't have to—wife?"