Sea of Desire (43 page)

His smile was evil, his shrug delicate.
“Perhaps you
didn’t
know.”

“No, I didn’t. How could I?”

“Your father did. He knew it all. Which, of
course, was why I had to eliminate him.”

“
You
killed my father!” Merideth
jerked forward, but the barrel of the pistol halted her
advance.

“What would you expect me to do?” Daniel
questioned logically. “I thought it was all handled very nicely.
With your father dead and Jared to hang for the murder. But then my
dear cousin shows up in Morlaix with you. Somehow he’s escaped the
house and he’s accompanied by another who knows my little
secret.”

“You tried to kill me then.”

“Oh yes. Several times. In the inn, in Paris.
I even hired a highwayman... such a waste of time and coin.” He
shook his head. “But my damn cousin kept spoiling things.”

“But surely you realized after we met on the
Carolina
that I didn’t know who you were.”

“At first I thought you were just being
clever and coy. That you planned to blackmail me, or were using me
to rid yourself of Jared. Then it occurred to me that he was wrong.
That you really didn’t know. But you’d seen me in Paris. Sooner or
later you might remember that. It’s better if we simply eliminate
you all together. Don’t you agree?”

Merideth felt helpless against his cold
logic. “Jared won’t let you get away with this.”

“My dear cousin won’t know. Perhaps John
could figure it out, but not Jared.”

“What does John have to do with this? If
you’re Lady Sinclair, then he couldn’t have been in love with her.
You made that up to make Jared think it was me, didn’t you?
Didn’t—”

“Enough. I tire of this game of a thousand
questions. Questions it matters naught if you know the answers to.
By tomorrow, nothing on this earthly plane will be of consequence
to you.”

So now she knew. Merideth fought him when he
grabbed her, but before she could do more than scratch his cheek,
he twisted her around. Her arm was jerked high. The gun jabbed into
her back.

He pushed her out the door then, and it was
all Merideth could do to keep her footing as he shoved her along
the hallway, through the back door, and into the night. She cried
out when he twisted her arm higher, but he only laughed.

“There’s no one about who will help you, Lady
Merideth. No one at all.”

And apparently he was right, for no one came
to her rescue.

Merideth could barely see, couldn’t imagine
where they were headed, but suddenly pain exploded in her shoulder
as she was rammed into a brick wall. Tears streamed down her
cheeks, and her forehead fell forward against the gritty surface.
He let go of her arm them, but Merideth was so disoriented she
couldn’t take advantage of her freedom. Besides, he still held the
cocked gun to her ribs.

She could hear him fumbling with something. A
lock? And then came the creaking of rusty door hinges. A dank,
musty smell assaulted her nostrils even before he grabbed her
again, shoving her into a black hole.

The door slammed shut behind her, blocking
even the weakest rays of light.

“No! No!” Merideth’s screams reverberated off
the walls, echoing back to her own ears, increasing her panic. Her
heart raced, and try as she might, she couldn’t seem to get enough
air into her starving lungs.

“No, no,” she sobbed. “Let me out. Oh,
please, let me out.”

But only silence answered her pleas. Her
fists pounded the door, scraping and clawing at the thick panels of
wood.

Then slowly, as her strength deserted her,
Merideth slid to the packed-earth floor. Clutching her knees, she
folded her head between her arms and tried to tame the panic, the
feeling that the walls were closing in on her. The demons of the
past.

“Where in the hell is she?”

Daniel glanced up from the muffin he’d
lathered with butter, his brow raised. The heavy curtains were
drawn. A branch of candles on the table flickered, a poor
substitute for the morning light. “Good day, dear cousin. I didn’t
expect to see you here. This is the first you’ve visited my little
home away from home. I didn’t even know you knew of its
existence.”

Jared strode into the dining room, ignoring
the cheerful chatter. He was sweaty and covered with dust,
certainly in no mood for frivolous conversation. “I want to know
what you’ve done with Merideth.”

Daniel shrugged. “Why, nothing. Nothing but
send her on her way to New York. She wanted to go back to England.
I simply helped—” Daniel yelped as he was hauled up out of his
chair.

Using the scarlet banyan to hold him, Jared
gave his cousin a shake. “I’ve been riding all night and most of
the morning, and I want to know where she is. Not some vague
response like ‘She’s on her way north.’ ” He twisted his fingers in
the silk. “Who is she with and when did she leave?”

“I’ll tell you nothing till you put me down.”
Daniel’s slippered feet landed with a thud on the carpet. He
straightened his wig and smoothed the wrinkles from his gown. “You
always did think your brawn could take care of any problem,” Daniel
said, his expression cold. “I would have thought you’d have learned
by now it doesn’t.”

Sinking into a chair, Jared rubbed both hands
down over his face. His eyes felt gritty from lack of sleep, and
two days’ worth of whiskers covered his cheeks and chin. Daniel was
right. Jared knew better than to fly into a rage, especially around
his cousin. He needed information, and though he was anxious to be
on his way, he’d have to play the game Daniel’s way. “I’m sorry,”
he said when his emotions were somewhat under control. “This
probably isn’t your fault. I know how persuasive Merideth can be,
but I need to know where she is.”

“Why?”

“Why?” Why. The question he’d been asking
himself all night as he rode through the Low Country. Why did he
care so much that she was gone? The answer was not easy to accept,
but nonetheless Jared knew it was true. Looking up with bloodshot
eyes, Jared met his cousin’s gaze. “I need to see her, Daniel,” he
said as calmly as he could. “Now please tell me. How long ago did
she leave?”

Settling back in his seat, Daniel took his
time spreading a lace napkin in his lap. Then carefully he took a
bite of his muffin. Butter oozed between his teeth and he gently
dabbed at his lips. “You haven’t said how you like my house. It’s
not so grand as the one on Tradd Street, I know, but then ever
since your parents died that’s belonged to you and John. And no one
expects me to have something quite as good as the Blackstones born
on the right side of the sheet.”

“What in the hell are you talking about? You
were always welcome at both Royal Oak and the house in Charles
Town.” Jared wished Daniel would just tell him about Merideth and
be done with it.

“Welcome, perhaps, but we both knew who owned
it... everything. Didn’t we?” When Jared said nothing, only sat
staring, his eyes narrowed, Daniel jumped to his feet. His palms
flattened on the table, his sleeve caught the knife handle, sending
it clattering to the floor. “Didn’t we!” he yelled, his face
growing red.

“I own both properties,” Jared said without
emotion.

Daniel’s smile was triumphant. He jerked his
head and sank down into his seat, seemingly pleased by the
admission. “But you don’t have everything you want. Do you, dear
cousin? You don’t have Merideth Banistar.”

Leaning back, Jared stayed in his chair for a
moment, studying Daniel. He’d thought Daniel was odd before, but
he’d always tried to reconcile his feelings with an understanding
that people were different. But Daniel’s actions now were something
he’d never witnessed before. Taking a deep breath, Jared bent
forward. “Where is she?”

“She doesn’t want you, you know. She wanted
to get away from you.”

“Where is she?”

“Actually...” Daniel picked up an orange and
began peeling it, the tangy scent of citrus filling the air. “After
the night we spent together, she said she preferred me to—”

Jared was across the table before Daniel
could finish his sentence. Grabbing his cousin by the lace about
his neck, he hauled him forward, across his plate. Orange peels and
muffin crumbs scattered. “If you hurt her—if you touched her—so
help me, I’ll kill you.” Jared’s jaw clenched. “Do you understand
me?” He held on till Daniel nodded... reluctantly. If Jared
believed Daniel’s claim about spending the night with Merideth, he
wouldn’t have let him go so easily. But Jared had long suspected
his cousin’s tastes didn’t run toward women.

With a shove Jared sent him back into his
chair. Daniel landed in an undignified heap, his composure badly
mauled but not broken.

“You uncivilized brute,” Daniel yelled,
swiping the lace handkerchief down the front of his soiled banyan.
“You’ve ruined this silk. And all for the sake of that slut.”

This time Jared went around the table. His
teeth gritted in anger as he yanked Daniel from the chair. “I’ve
put up with as much of this as I intend to. Tell me where she is.
And never...
never
refer to Lady Merideth that way
again.”

“Of course you’d choose her over me, one of
your own family. Or have you forgotten?”

“I haven’t forgotten a thing. The only reason
I haven’t beaten the information out of you is the memory of your
mother.”

“That whore!” Daniel spit out the words, his
face the embodiment of hatred.

Slowly Jared lowered him to the floor. He was
surprised, nay, shocked, by Daniel’s portrayal of his mother.
Jared’s aunt certainly hadn’t had an easy life, but the
circumstances of Daniel’s birth were beyond her control. Jared
reminded his cousin of that. Daniel’s only response was a
snort.

Taking a deep breath, Jared reached in the
pocket of his frock coat. He would have to finish this conversation
with Daniel at another time. For now, he needed to continue his
pursuit of Merideth. He took out the gold oval and, following
Daniel to a small desk in the corner of the room, laid it on the
polished surface. If demands and threats didn’t work, he would
plead.

“What’s this?” Daniel hesitated, his hand on
the drawer pull.

“Merideth’s locket. She left it for me, when
she departed Royal Oak. It was with her note.” Jared flicked open
the clasp to reveal the miniatures inside. “She loves me, Daniel...
and I love her. I must bring her back.”

“Love,” Daniel laughed, the sound anything
but joyous. “So you love each other.” The drawer slid open.
“How...” He shrugged. “How very sweet.” He reached into the drawer.
“Unfortunately, this romance is doomed to failure.” With that,
Daniel picked up the locket with his free hand and threw it onto
the floor.

“What the hell are you doing?” Angrily Jared
bent over to snatch it up. The miniature of Merideth and her mother
had fallen out. Jared picked it up. He started to slide the
painting back into the tiny frame when some scrolled writing etched
into the gold beneath where the painting had been caught his
attention.

He read the words; blinked; then read them
again. His expression changed from one of disbelief to one of rage.
Clutching the locket, he looked up, ready to attack. But the small
pocket pistol pointed at him brought him to a halt.

“You,” Jared began. “You’re Lady
Sinclair.”

Daniel kept the gun trained on Jared’s chest,
but he did glance down at the ribbon streaming from Jared’s hand.
“So that’s where he hid the information. I suspected Lord Alfred
might do something like that.” Daniel shrugged delicately. “That’s
why I searched his library so carefully.” He sighed. “I’d hoped
getting rid of his offspring would be the end of it, but...”

Jared took a step forward until he heard the
pistol cock. “What did you do with her?”

“Lady Merideth is the least of your concerns,
dear cousin.” Daniel thrust out the gun when Jared took another
step. “Don’t think I won’t use this dear, dear cousin Jared. I’ve
killed before.”

“Lord Alfred?”

“Why, yes,” Daniel smiled. “I did do the old
man in. He knew I was being paid by both sides in this silly little
conflict. Don’t look so shocked, cousin. We bastards of the world
must earn our coin someway. Anyway, Lord Alfred threatened me with
the information. I paid him at first to keep quiet. But that
arrangement wasn’t to my liking. So I waited for him to contact
someone in the American government... the old fool didn’t even
realize the message went through me.”

“And stopped there, I presume.”

“Not entirely. That’s when I pulled you into
the intrigue.”

“Why? Why involve me if you intended to kill
him?”

“Let’s just say I enjoy seeing you
Blackstones squirm.” Daniel giggled. “I’d been at Banistar Hall
before, and knew the right places to hide. With their lack of
staff, I could have stayed there a fortnight without being
detected. But it didn’t take that long. You came along with your
usual bravado, during the storm, and I just sat back and waited for
the right moment.”