Authors: Candace Camp
Treasured (47 page)
“Mr. Rose was adamant that it was never there,” Jack told her. “The letter his father left said that he opened the chest after Malcolm was killed and found it empty. He was apparently quite bitter about it, as that was to have been his reward when he and Malcolm’s wife formed their pact. Fergus would take the treasure. Her little boy would get the land, of course, as he was Malcolm’s heir, and she would have the satisfaction of punishing her husband’s faithlessness.”
“Did he say who the other woman was?”
“Not a word. Or so Cousin Robert claims. If Fergus said anything different, we will never know; Cousin Robert told us he burned the letter and the confession after reading them.”
They continued to rehash the events of the afternoon as they consumed their afternoon tea, and afterward, still not quite able to settle down, Isobel and Jack strolled outside. Their steps turned inevitably toward the castle.
“You have been very good to my mother,” Jack told her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her to his side.
“She is your mother. She deserves my respect. And I can scarcely claim that my family is without flaws.”
Jack smiled faintly. “I cannot deny that, I suppose.”
“Your mother has been good for Aunt Elizabeth. She has seemed much improved lately, don’t you think?”
“She is happier, more at ease. That helps, but—”
“I know. I don’t expect her to be as she once was. But I am grateful that she is more settled.”
They had reached the castle, and they stopped, gazing at the ruins in the slanting light of the late-afternoon sun.
“I wonder what we will find down there now,” Isobel mused. “Another door? The other end of the tunnel?”
Jack looked at her. “We could find out now, you know.”
“What about Coll? He will be incensed if we do not wait for him.”
Jack’s eyes danced. “There is no need for him to know.”
Isobel laughed. “You are a corrupting influence.”
“I know.”
They climbed down the rope ladder, and lighting the lanterns Jack and Coll had left there, they made their way to the room they had discovered. Knowing now exactly what they were looking for, it did not take them long to find the small keyhole on the wall opposite the entrance to the room. With a twist of Jack’s key, a section of the wall separated, and Jack pulled the door open, the rusty hinges groaning.
The tunnel beyond was narrow and low ceilinged, but its resemblance to the tunnel they had found at Baillannan was unmistakable. They made their way along it, hand in hand, the light of their lanterns bobbing before them, revealing the tunnel bit by bit, until finally it ended, just as the other one had, in a pile of rubble.
“It
was
connected,” Jack said, raising the lantern to survey the damage.
“They did it to hide the evidence of their crime, didn’t they?” Isobel said in a hushed voice. “Cordelia and Fergus. Left the body lying there—her husband, his brother—still warm.”
“And destroyed the tunnel to make sure it was never found. I expect so.” Jack curled his arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her hair. “You Roses seem to be a bloodthirsty lot. And jealous. I shall have to remember that.”
“Jack!”
He chuckled, turning around and leading her back down the tunnel. “I think I’ll take my chances.”
“You always do,” Isobel scolded. “I could not believe that you dared Robert to shoot you today. My heart nearly stopped.”
“I could tell he did not have the courage to pull the trigger.” Jack shrugged. “I saw you, and I was afraid you’d startle him and he would fire in a panic. He could have hit you.”
“He was much more likely to hit you! His pistol was aimed straight at your heart.”
“His hand was wobbling so that he was likely to miss even if he did summon the nerve to fire. He might have wounded me, but that is all.”
“All!”
“His pistol would have been empty, and I had little doubt that Coll would have been able to subdue him.” Jack grinned down at her as they stepped back through the door. “Then you would have nursed me back to health again. I trust my luck; I always have.” He reached out and caressed her hair. “My luck brought me to you, didn’t it?”
“Jack, promise me.” Isobel dug her hands into his lapels,
looking up at him entreatingly. “Promise me that you will not do anything so foolhardy again. I could not bear it if—” She broke off, her eyes suddenly swimming with tears.
“Here now,” he said softly, brushing his knuckle along her cheek. “Don’t cry, love.”
“I cannot,” she said brokenly, “I cannot keep our bargain.” She closed her eyes, the tears spilling onto her cheeks, and she leaned her forehead against his chest.
“Our bargain?” He stiffened. “You mean our marriage?”
“Yes. Yes!” She raised her head, her face blazing in something close to defiance. “I swore we would go our own ways, that I would not try to hold you or keep you here. You could go off to London, and I would not care. But I cannot, I cannot let you go. It will break my heart!”
She buried her face in his shirt, giving way to sobs. Jack relaxed, sliding his arms around her, a smile curving his mouth. “Shh, don’t cry now.” He rested his cheek against her head, cradling her to him. After a moment he said, “Is London entirely forbidden? I should like to show it to you, you know, as you’ve shown me Baillannan. We could go there in the dead of winter perhaps; I’ll warrant it’s bitter cold here in January.”
Isobel pulled back, staring at him. “What are you saying? What do you mean?” She swiped at the tears on her cheeks.
“I am saying, my love, that I am not going anywhere unless you are with me.” He gripped her shoulders, gazing deep into her eyes. “The other day, when I thought you had betrayed me, lured me here to kill me, I realized that it did not matter. I was as good as dead if you did not love me.” He bent and kissed her tenderly on the mouth. “I love you, Isobel.”
“Oh, Jack!” Isobel threw her arms around his neck, laughing and crying all at once. “I love you. I’ve loved you for so long, and I dared not say it.” She pulled back, looking at him with shining eyes. “I cannot take it all in.”
“Don’t worry. You have plenty of time to do so. You are my wife, and Baillannan is my home. And I am not going anywhere, unless you go with me.”
Isobel smiled and went back into his arms. “That is a much better bargain.”
PHOTOGRAPH BY ANASTASIA HOPCUS
CANDACE CAMP
is the
New York Times
bestselling author of more than sixty novels, including her Willowmere series—
A Lady Never Tells, A Gentleman Always Remembers,
and
An Affair Without End
—and the Legend of St. Dwynwen trilogy:
A Winter Scandal, A Summer Seduction,
and
The Marrying Season.
Her other bestselling Regency romances include
The Courtship Dance, The Wedding Challenge,
and
The Bridal Quest.
She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, and is the mother of young adult author Anastasia Hopcus. Visit Candace and learn more about her books at
www.candace-camp.com
.
FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR:
authors.simonandschuster.com/Candace-Camp
MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT
Also visit
Romance.SimonandSchuster.com
ALSO FROM CANDACE CAMP
The Marrying Season
A Summer Seduction
A Winter Scandal
An Affair Without End
A Gentleman Always Remembers
A Lady Never Tells
Available from Pocket Books
We hope you enjoyed reading this Pocket Books eBook.
Join our mailing list and get updates on new releases, deals, bonus content and other great books from Pocket Books and Simon & Schuster.
or visit us online to sign up at
eBookNews.SimonandSchuster.com
Pocket Books
A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 by Candace Camp
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Pocket Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Pocket Books paperback edition July 2014
POCKET and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at
www.simonspeakers.com
.
