Once Upon a Diamond (32 page)

Robert sighed and caught sight of the other gentlemen
awaiting his news. “No sign of her at the Brackshire home either.” He glanced
at Tristan. “I just left Matthew. My son will keep us informed if something
should arise at your townhouse.”

Handsome sat beneath the pianoforte and wailed. Frowning,
Webster patted the whining mutt and pulled him into the hall.

Tristan regarded the grim expression on Robert’s face. “What
else?”

“I found Gaston."

“You what?” All the men shouted together.

“I found him.” Robert seated himself in the wing chair,
and Devin poured his uncle a drink. “For some reason Gaston went back to the
Brackshire townhouse. He must have come in through the servants’ quarters. I
spied the scoundrel just as he flew out the back door. He saw me and ran. I
chased him across the street. Before I reached him, he was crushed by a moving
carriage.” Robert tipped his drink to meet his lips. “Dead as an Egyptian
mummy."

“Dead?” Tristan repeated. The captain was dead. “What
about Kate?"

Robert rose and walked toward the flames. His shoulders
slumped. “No sign of her.”  

Tristan watched in stony silence as the fire licked up
the chimney. At that instant, he felt his spirit being sucked out of him, mingling
with the rising flames. No, his mind screamed. She was not dead! 

“I checked the captain’s coach,” Robert went on, his
voice cracking. “The driver had fled, but there was no sign of blood. God help
us. He has to help us…”

A chill black silence fell over the room. The knot of
guilt grew tighter in Tristan’s chest. What the devil had he done?

Shafts of bright sunlight broke through the deadening
silence of the duke’s drawing room. No one had slept but the duke who had left
the drawing room earlier to join his wife upstairs. Robert and Devin had rested
on the sofa. Webster and Handsome had placed themselves as guards, stationing
themselves on the stairs.

There was a knock at the front hall. All heads turned as
Webster hurriedly crossed the floor to open the door.

“By Jupiter,” Robert shouted in surprise as he hastened
toward the man standing on the stoop. “Bartholomew Travis! What on earth brings
you here, old friend? And at this ungodly hour?” Robert clapped the man in a
bear hug and dragged him inside. “I thought you still in Boston.”

Bartholomew had tears in his eyes as he stood back and
stared at his friend. “So, it’s true. You’re alive! I came to London yesterday,
hoping to join Matthew and Kate. Business matters, don’t you know. Had to do
with your affairs. Captain Gaston, to be precise.”

Robert scowled. “Yes, we know all about him. Come in. Come
in.”

Bartholomew gave a grim nod of acknowledgement. “I
thought it best to come myself. It’s a long story, Robert. But at the hotel
during dinner, I heard the story about the duke’s brother-in-law coming back
from the dead. I had to come straight away to see for myself. I can only thank
God that you’re alive. I’ve been out of Boston, living with my stepson Jake,
don’t you know.” 

He let out a watery smile as he was introduced to the
other men. But his face paled when he was apprised of Kate’s situation and Matthew’s
shooting. “I had a terrible feeling wherever the captain was, there would be
trouble. That’s why I came, you see. It’s a dreadful business. Dreadful.”  

Tristan was grateful for the man’s offer to help. For
the entire night he had paced across the rug, never sleeping, never speaking,
as if punishing himself for pushing Kate out of his life. Throughout the
agonizing hours his mind had reviewed everything about the diamond’s
disappearance. The blackmail letter, the murders, Gaston, and even Douberry.

Somewhere, somehow, he knew he was missing a piece of
important information that could help him. He turned back to the worried men. His
green eyes were bloodshot and the stubble of a night’s beard added to his weary
face.

His hands curled into two angry fists. The pain of
losing Kate was unbearable. But the harsh words he had said to her had eaten a
hole through his heart.

The maid eventually entered with a fresh pot of tea. The
men took their drinks, staring at each other in thoughtful silence.

Tristan glanced at the floor watching the sun’s glinting
rays hit the top of his shoes. Something in his mind clicked. The blackmail
letter to Headquarters referencing the diamond had come from a man who lived in
Seven Dials. Of course! Why had he not thought of it sooner? 

“Devil take it!” He grabbed his wrinkled jacket off the
chair and glanced at the wide-eyed expressions of the tired men before him.

“What is it?” Robert asked, stiffening.

Tristan wondered how much he could tell them. “I
recalled some information. Gaston might have contacts in Seven Dials. It’s a
slim chance, but if anyone knows something, we’ll find out there.”

Devin shot off his seat. “You’re not leaving without
me.”

“She’s my daughter,” Robert said firmly. “I’ll not be
waiting while she’s still in danger. If you think she’s there, then I’m going
with you." He turned toward his friend. “Bartholomew, you wait here. She
may need you.” 

An hour later the men found themselves in the seedier
district off Seven Dials. The distinct odor of garbage swept through the
streets. Dirty urchins scuffled about the alleys. Dogs sniffed about the
rubbish. Poverty permeated the air while prostitutes slept off their night of
debauchery.

Hope and fear took over Tristan’s brain. Devin and Robert
were inquiring at the nearby tavern while Tristan found himself searching the
alleys, asking early morning risers if they had seen a golden-haired lady in
the vicinity.

He met up with Robert and Devin an hour later at Snoops
Pub located off Nottingham Court. The three gentlemen were the only occupants.

They sat at a pine table at the far corner of the room.

The air smelled of smoke, garbage and human body odor. The
sun barely peeked through the window, allowing only a modicum of warmth. The
proprietor, Mrs. Snoops, a hefty woman with white, straggly hair and yellow
teeth, served them a plate of bread and a bit of cheese.

“Snoops Pub ain’t in the business of serving peers of
the realm, ye know. But if you’ll wait a bit, I’ll have some ale for you.”

Tristan flipped the lady a coin and her pale eyes lit
with pleasure. “If ye be wantin’ anything else, just let me know, guvnah.”

After the lady wobbled to the backroom, Devin glanced at
Tristan and gave him a wry smile. “She’s taken with you. Must be something
about those green eyes of yours.”

Tristan chewed on the bread and swallowed. His friend
was trying to humor him, but it wasn’t working. They still hadn’t found Kate,
and Headquarters was in an uproar over the missing diamond.

Robert dipped his head against the table, his hands
covering his face. “Haven’t cried since my wife died. But the thought of Katherine
gone...” He shook his head.

“She’s alive, Robert,” Tristan said harshly. “Don’t you
dare give up on her.” He shoved his chair back and strode toward the kitchen. But
fear knotted in his stomach like a lead ball. Why did Gaston have to take Kate?
Because of the diamond, he answered back. Because she was the captain’s way out
of England.

Mrs. Snoops jumped off her seat when Tristan entered. “Oh,
it’s you, guvnah.” A wide grin spread across her face, giving him a clear view
of her stained teeth. “Can I help you, dearie?”

Tristan pulled out his purse and slapped it on the table.
The lady gasped, throwing a shaking hand to her large bosom. “I ain’t what you
think I am, guvnah. I’m a good girl. Just funnin’ ye.” Her eyes darted to the
side door. “Me husband’s in the next room.”

Tristan stared at the lady, stunned. “I want information.
I’m looking for a golden-haired lady who might have been in this vicinity last
evening.”

The elderly woman let out a relieved breath. “Well, why
didn’t you say that in the first place? She your ladybird then?”

Tristan gave an irritable tug on his waistcoat. “No. She’s
my wife.”

The lady’s eyes narrowed. “What she be doing in Seven
Dials then? You hit her?”

Tristan looked the lady in the eye. “She was kidnapped.”

The lady threw a pair of beefy hands onto her ample hips
and swore. “What’s the scoundrel look like who took her?”

Tristan gave her the description of the captain and Kate.
He had no name of the man who had given the letter to Headquarters, and left
that fact unsaid. If this didn’t prove helpful, he would contact Whitehall asking
about the carrier’s description.

“The captain was found dead,” he said to Mrs. Snoops. “He
came back to Mayfair last night. We don’t know what happened to my wife or if
she’s even alive.” His voice lowered on the last two words.

To his surprise, the lady began to curse any man who would
dare hurt innocent ladies. “There, there, guvnah. I ain’t been called Mrs.
Snoops for nothing. We’ll find that wife of yours. You give me an hour or two
to spread the word. Stay here until I get back to you, dearie”

A few minutes later Tristan paced the floor at Snoops
Pub while Robert and Devin took another look about the area. It had been three
hours since he had left home this morning to search for Kate, and he was
growing frantic.

He glanced up when the back door flew open and Mrs.
Snoops ambled in. “Anything?” he asked, his heart in his throat.

Mrs. Snoops brought him a warm scone and smiled. “Your
wife, does she have brown eyes as big as a pup’s?”

Tristan sank onto the nearest chair and his throat
tightened. “Like a deer. Beautiful and big. Almost a chocolate color.”

“Well then, might this be her?”

Tristan raised his gaze to the back door. A small
silhouette swayed in the sunlight. It couldn’t be? His eyes were playing tricks
on him. “Kate?”

“Tristan?”

The sound of Kate’s voice shook him from his dreamlike
state. Stunned, he pushed away from the table and ran toward her.
“Kate.”
 He wrapped her tightly in his arms and lifted her off her feet. “You’re
alive.”

She
cried his name and entwined her shaking arms around his neck.

He
swallowed tightly and lifted her away from him.
She
was clad in her dirty blue gown and covered with a ragged brown shirt that
shielded her from the crisp morning air.

And she looked absolutely wonderful.

He
pressed her head to his chest, putting a hand to her hair. “I never meant for
you to leave, sweetheart.”

She
sobbed into his cravat. “I know.”

He
let out a groan and kissed her hair, her lips, her neck, her cheeks. She felt
so perfect in his arms. He didn’t know how long he held her, wiping away her
tears and asking her forgiveness. All he wanted to do was to take her away from
the filth of London and make love to her. Tell her how much he needed her. Tell
her how much she meant to him.

“Katherine?"  

They both turned at the sound of Robert’s voice. He
stood at the front door, the sun shining past his broad shoulders. “You’re all
right?” The man’s voice was filled with tears.

“I’m all right, Papa. I’m fine.” 

Moving to her father, Kate looked up at Devin who walked
up behind them.

“Katherine,” Devin replied with a hitch to his voice. “We
thought we’d never see you again.”

Kate blinked back her tears. “I’m fine. I ran from the
captain. He’s
–
”

“Dead,” Robert said calmly. “And no, my dear, I didn’t
kill him. He was hit by a rolling carriage and killed by a horse.”   

Kate closed her eyes and stumbled against a chair. “I
see.”

Tristan hastened forward and scooped her into his arms. “She’s
exhausted.”

Robert looked on with a gleam of interest in his eyes,
but said nothing. After thanking Mrs. Snoops with his purse and giving her a
kiss to her blushing cheek, Tristan deposited Kate in the carriage.

“You don’t have to tell us what happened, darlin’,” Robert
assured her, patting her trembling hand.

“It’s all right, Papa. There isn’t much to tell." 

“Did he hurt you?" Tristan’s expression turned dark
as he looked her over. “Did he?”

“No,” she replied, stopping him from asking the question
that was on everyone’s mind. “No, he didn’t - not that way. But he would have
followed through with his plan if it weren’t for Peter."

“Peter?" Devin asked.

Kate’s voice broke as she pushed the loose strands of
hair away from her face. “He’s a street urchin. He took me to an old building
where he’s lived for the past year. The captain could never find us there. So
we stayed the night until everything looked clear. Peter was the one who told
me questions were being asked at Snoops Pub.” She peered out the window as they
traveled back to better part of London. “And here I am.” 

But in her heart, she feared for the small orphan boy
who had pulled her away from the murderous villain. She looked back at the men.
“Peter has to scrape for every meal. He’s all alone in the world. His parents
died last year from the fever. I don’t know what will become of him. Please, Tristan,
we have to go back.”