The Handmaiden's Necklace (15 page)

Aunt Flora’s words settled softly inside her. Whatever she felt for Rafael, she wanted him. She had admitted as much.

“Thank you, Aunt Flora. I’ll think about what you have said.”

Her aunt’s round, powdered face creased into a smile. “I’m sure you will make the right decision, dear heart.”

But deep down, Dani’s decision had just been made. From this moment forward, it was only a question of time before she released Rafael from his pledge.

D
ani needed to find her husband. It was getting late, well past midnight, and he had not yet returned to the cabin. After supper, he had escorted her back to their room, then abruptly departed. Dani hadn’t seen him since.

She paced the cabin. The skirt of the burgundy velvet gown she had worn for Rafe brushed her ankles with every turn. She should have stopped him from leaving the cabin, spoken to him frankly, said the words that would have ended the torture that gripped them both in the long hours of the night.

She could wait for his arrival, but each night he had returned even later than before, the celibacy she had demanded racking his body and turning him more and more remote.

At supper he had been distant and brooding. Danielle believed if she released him from his vow, all of that would change. She wasn’t sure where the intimacy would lead or exactly what to expect. There would be pain, she knew, but every woman endured it, and she knew it would only be painful the first time.

She glanced at the ship’s clock over the tiny hearth in the corner where a small fire burned to keep away the chill. There was only a fingernail moon tonight, but the seas were mild, and she refused to wait any longer.

She had taken down her hair in anticipation of what would happen this night, leaving the heavy mass in soft curls down her back. She grabbed her woolen cloak off the hook beside the door, whirled it around her shoulders and pulled the hood up to cover her bright curls. The latch on the door lifted easily and Dani stepped out into the corridor.

It was highly improper to go on deck unescorted, but the hour was late and aside from a group of sailors singing sea chanteys up near the bow, no one seemed to be about.

She headed for the salon, but once she reached it, she could peer inside enough to discern that Rafe wasn’t there. He had always been a man who needed physical activity and she imagined he was probably striding around the deck.

She pulled her cloak a little tighter against the breeze filling the sails, and an odd thought struck. Turning toward the private spot he had taken her to the first few weeks of their voyage, she started in that direction, rounding the deckhouse toward the stern, disappearing into the shadows.

She had almost reached her destination when a tall figure stepped out in front of her, blocking the faint rays of moonlight. She smiled, thinking that she had found Rafael.

“Well, isn’t this a coincidence?” The voice of Carlton Baker drifted toward her, and she froze where she stood. “It would seem you and I both favor this part of the ship.”

She swallowed. She disliked the American even more now than she had when she had first met him. “I am looking for my husband. I thought he might be here.”

In the glow of a lantern hanging from the ratlines some distance away, she caught the odd gleam in Baker’s pale eyes.

“I see. In that case, why don’t I escort you in your search?”

Being in Baker’s company was the last thing she wanted. “Thank you, but there is no need for that. If you will excuse me, I’ll just be on my way.” She started to brush past him, but Baker caught her arm.

“Why don’t you stay, keep me company for a while?”

She looked up at him, a large man, nearly as tall as her husband. “I hardly think that would be proper. Now, please let me pass.”

But Baker had no such intention. For weeks, he had been watching her, or at least she thought he had been. Lately she had grown more and more wary. Moving closer, he held her arm in an unyielding grip and hauled her against him, shoving her backward and forcing her up against the wall of the deckhouse. The hood of her cloak fell back as Baker’s head descended and he tried to kiss her, but Dani jerked away.

“Let me go!”

His long body pinned her. His hand brushed her cheek. “Come, now, is that really what you want? I’ve seen the way you look at me. I know what you are thinking. All you women are the same.”

A wave of repulsion hit her. Dani struggled, becoming truly afraid. “I said, let me go!”

He tried to kiss her again and when she turned her face away, when she tried to scream, he covered her mouth with his hand. She felt him reaching beneath the hem of her gown, working to shove the fabric up her legs. He was strong and he used his strength to pin her against the wall.

“I’ll have you,” he said. “And you’re going to like it.” He might have said more, but an instant later, his body jerked away from her as if he were a puppet on a string.

Rafe whirled him around and hit him, once, then again, knocking him backward, slamming him into the rail. Baker recovered, charged forward, swung a hard blow that creased Rafe’s jaw. Rafe stepped back and punched him, jabbing once, twice, then throwing a blow hard enough that Baker crashed into the deckhouse.

Another blow rained down on him, then another. Blood spurted from Baker’s nose and a crimson stain blossomed on the front of his shirt. Rafe hauled the man up by the lapels of his coat and hit him so hard his head cracked against the wall. Baker slid onto the deck and this time he didn’t get up.

Now that Rafe had won the fight, Dani stood there trembling. When he turned toward her, she saw that his eyes were blazing.

“Are you all right?” The question came out tightly, barely forced out between clenched teeth.

She only nodded, completely unable to speak. Leaving Baker in a crumpled heap on the deck, he slid his arm around her waist and urged her forward, and Dani let him guide her along the deck back toward their cabin. Her heart beat erratically, a new fear clogging her throat.

She knew what Rafe was thinking, recognized the look she had seen in his eyes that night five years ago, knew that he believed that she had encouraged Carlton Baker’s advances, and though she was innocent of any wrongdoing, she knew that her husband would not believe her.

A soft sob caught in her throat as they descended the lad
der leading to their cabin. Rafe opened the door and led her inside, and her eyes filled with tears.

“I didn’t…I didn’t encourage him,” she said. “I know you won’t believe it, but I swear that I did not.” The tears in her eyes slipped onto her cheeks.

The hardness in Rafe’s jaw turned into an expression of horror. “That is what you think? That I believe you were at fault in this?”

She started crying then, and Rafe swept her into his arms. He was trembling, she realized, though she couldn’t imagine why.

Cupping the back of her head in his hand, he pressed her cheek to his and held her tightly against him. “Listen to me, Dani. Carlton Baker is a villain of the very worst sort. When I saw him accosting you, I wanted to kill him. I wanted to end his life with my own two hands. I would have called him out but a ship is hardly the place. I didn’t think you would want that, and I didn’t want to make matters worse.”

He eased away to look at her. “I never believed you had any part in what happened, Danielle. Not for an instant.”

Her tears turned into sobs and he drew her back into his arms. Five years ago, he hadn’t believed her. She never truly imagined that would change.

“Don’t cry,” he said softly. “Not over him.”

She sniffed and looked up at him, and he used his finger to wipe the tears from her cheek.

“I was looking for you,” she said. “I needed to talk to you.”

“I’m here now. Tell me what is so important you felt you had to go in search of me in the middle of the night.”

Dani glanced away. Earlier, she had practiced the words
she would say. After what had happened, Rafe’s knuckles still swollen and bruised from the battle he had fought, the time no longer seemed right.

“It doesn’t matter. Not now.”

She tried to turn away but Rafe caught her arm, refusing to let her escape. “Tell me. Let me be the judge of whether or not it is important.”

As usual, he left her no choice. Dani summoned her courage. “I wanted to tell you…that I wish to release you from your vow.”

His blue eyes darkened for the space of a heartbeat, then turned hot and fierce. “You don’t think that is important? Those are the most important words I have heard in the past five years.”

And then he kissed her.

Dani leaned toward him. Rafe kissed her and kissed her, his big hands wound into her hair, holding her in place for his tender assault, gentling her, easing her fears.

“We’ll take things slowly,” he said. “I won’t press you for more than you’re ready to give.” But as his mouth moved along her throat, as he nipped an earlobe, then claimed her lips for an even deeper, more thorough kiss, she thought that she could handle whatever he had in store for her.

He had believed her. He had trusted that she was telling him the truth. Her heart clutched, and something sweet unfurled inside her.

Rafe started removing her clothes, wasting little time, dispensed of them swiftly and efficiently, until both of them were naked. Though she had grown used to disrobing in his presence, this was the first time she had seen Rafe in a com
plete state of undress. He was fully, rampantly aroused, and she found herself fascinated by the sight.

“Don’t be afraid,” he said, noting the direction of her gaze.

“I’m not afraid,” she told him, lying only a little. She trembled as he started kissing her again, deep, penetrating kisses that melted her insides. His lips trailed along her throat, over her shoulders and down to her breasts. He captured one erect nipple and then the other, tugging and suckling, sending a swirl of fire into the place between her legs.

They stood beside the bed, Rafe relentlessly teasing and caressing, nipping and tasting, until her legs felt too weak to hold her up. As if he knew, he lifted her up and settled her in the middle of the bed, then came down beside her.

Rising above her, he leaned over and kissed her, the weight of his body pressing her into the mattress. She could feel the rasp of his curly dark chest hair against her sensitive nipples, and desire flared inside her. She shifted beneath him, more and more restless, pressing herself against his long, hard frame, feeling the strength of his arousal.

Heavy and hot, it pulsed with each beat of his heart, and her own heartbeat quickened.

Oh, how she wanted him!

Dani kissed him fiercely, sliding her tongue into his mouth, arching upward, urging him to take her.

Rafe groaned.

“I don’t want to rush you,” he said gruffly, “but I am not sure how much longer I can last.”

“I don’t want you to wait any longer. Please, Rafael…”

Rafe made a low, growling sound in his throat, then came up over her, spreading her legs with his knee. “I’ll try not to hurt you.”

She didn’t reply, just shifted restlessly, desperate to get closer, to feel that part of him that would claim her as his wife. His hard length probed the entrance to her passage, then he kissed her, long and deep, and drove himself home.

Time seemed to still. For an instant, her body stiffened and she bit back a cry of pain.

Rafe’s body went tense. “I tried not to hurt you. Are you all right?”

She managed a nod, sensing the effort it took for him to hold back. His muscles were so taut they quivered as he gave her a chance to adjust to the length and size of him.

“The worst is past, love. Just let yourself relax.”

He was a big man and he filled her completely, a sensation different from anything she had imagined. And yet it was not unpleasant. In fact… The pain was gone, she realized, replaced by a growing urgency that seemed to increase each moment.

“I like the way you feel inside me….” She arched slightly upward, testing the position, taking even more of him.

Rafe hissed in a breath. His body tightened as he fought for control, then his taut leash, stretched to the limit, seemed to finally snap. Driving into her, he took her hard and fast, pounding against her as if he had no other choice.

For an instant, the sheer power of him frightened her, then the pleasure she had felt before began to spiral through her, grew and grew, until time and place slipped away. Her body tightened into a fine thread of need, then flew apart, sending her to a place of sweetness and joy where she had never been before.

She cried out Rafe’s name and clung to him, her arms locked around his neck.

Eventually, the room came back into focus and she began to spiral down. Rafe lifted himself away from her and settled himself at her side. He eased her into the crook of his arm and she curled against him.

Rafe kissed her forehead. “Sleep well, love.”

Exhausted and strangely content, she drifted off to sleep.

In the middle of the night she stirred. Sensing Rafe there beside her, she reached out to touch him, and realized he was once more aroused. Her gaze flew to his face and she saw that he was awake and watching her.

Dani leaned toward him, her body coming to life as she remembered the pleasure he had brought her. She pressed her lips against his bare chest, and Rafe’s arms came around her. Like a lion claiming his mate, he rose above her, slid inside with far less resistance than before.

They made love slowly, allowing the pleasure to build, then afterward he nestled her against his side and drifted off to sleep.

Dani watched the rise and fall of his chest, his even breathing. He was her husband and her body craved him. But she had loved him once before and that love had nearly destroyed her.

For minutes that stretched into hours, Dani stared up at the ceiling, determined that whatever pleasure she received from Rafe’s body, she would not fall in love with him again.

I
t was their last evening at sea. Tomorrow they would reach landfall, sail up the Thames to the London docks and depart the ship. By tomorrow, the
Nimble
would be only a memory.

In light of the passengers’ impending departure, the captain planned a special farewell supper. Downstairs in their cabin, Rafe watched Danielle finish dressing in a high-waisted dark green velvet gown decorated with tiny seed pearls. With its slightly low décolletage, the dress was one of his favorites, setting off the green of her eyes and the ruby glints in her hair.

At first, she had declined to wear the garment, since it was the sort a man would particularly admire and Carlton Baker would be present, eyeing Dani sullenly and Rafe with open hostility, but Rafe refused to let Baker sully their evening and he thought that secretly Dani had wanted very much to wear the lovely gown.

He studied her from a few feet away, admiring her slender curves, feeling a rush of heat to his loins he forced him
self to ignore. Since the night he had consummated their marriage, their relationship had changed. At the same time, it had not.

Though Danielle trusted him now with her body, she yet remained wary, and careful to guard her heart. In a way, Rafael was grateful. In the years they were apart, he had constructed a protective wall of his own. He remembered all too clearly the pain of loving someone, knew only too well its vicious, destructive force. He never wanted to suffer that kind of pain again.

Better to keep his careful control in place, guard his emotions and keep them under close rein. Which he managed to do most of the time, except when they were in bed.

Under different circumstances, Rafe might have smiled. When they made love, the desire he felt for Danielle burned as hot and fevered as it had five years ago, driving him mad with lust and destroying his prized self-control. Still, in the light of day, he protected his emotions as carefully as she, and he thought that it was better—safer—if they continued in that vein.

Rafe glanced at the ship’s clock above the hearth in the cabin. He was dressed and ready for the evening, wearing a dark gray tailcoat over a burgundy brocade waistcoat, his white stock neatly tied. Danielle also appeared ready, save for the small pearl earbobs she threaded through her ears as she sat in front of the teakwood dresser.

It occurred to him how perfectly his gift, the Bride’s Necklace, would look with her elegant costume tonight.

Moving behind her in the mirror, he settled his hands on her shoulders. “You haven’t worn the necklace I gave you
since we left Philadelphia. I presume you have packed it away somewhere safe for the journey.”

In the mirror, as she finished attaching the second earbob, he noticed the faint tremor in her hand. The color in her face seemed to pale and his senses went on alert.

“If you have given it into the captain’s care for safekeeping, I would be glad to retrieve it for you.”

He saw the wariness creep into her lovely green eyes, along with something else he couldn’t read. She turned away from the mirror and slowly rose to her feet.

Almost imperceptibly, her chin inched up. “The necklace is not in safekeeping with Captain Burns. In truth, it is not aboard the ship at all.”

He tried to make sense of her words. “What are you saying?”

“I’m sorry, Rafael, but the necklace was stolen the day we boarded the ship. It must have happened right after the wedding. I didn’t discover it was missing until we were already at sea.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wanted to.” For an instant, she glanced away. “I was frightened, afraid of what you would say.” She refused to meet his gaze and it bothered him. He had come to trust her and yet…

“Do you have any idea who might have stolen the necklace?” he asked, careful to keep his voice even.

“I can’t think who would do such a thing. I can only guess it was one of the household servants. I am sorry, Rafael, truly I am. It was a lovely piece of jewelry. The gift meant a great deal to me.”

But not enough that she would come forward and inform
him of the theft. Then again, they had been estranged for years and she had only begun to know him again. Perhaps as she said, she was afraid of his reaction.

“Once we’re home, I’ll send word to the American authorities, offer a substantial reward. Perhaps the pearls will be found and returned.”

She clasped her hands together in her lap. “Yes…perhaps they will. As I said, the necklace was exceedingly lovely.”

Incredible, in fact. He couldn’t help thinking of the legend that accompanied the ancient string of pearls. He wondered if there were any truth to it, and if so, what consequences might befall the person responsible for stealing the valuable piece of jewelry.

He studied his wife’s nervous posture, her troubled expression, but told himself to ignore it. “At any rate, there is nothing we can do about it tonight. We won’t let it spoil our evening.”

Dani said nothing, but he thought that she was vaguely surprised by his words. Did she really believe he would blame her for the loss?

“You thought I would be angry, I gather.”

“I…Yes. I thought you would lose your temper. I imagined that you would be furious that the necklace was missing.”

A thin smile curved his lips. “I rarely lose my temper these days. I’ve gone to great lengths to ensure it doesn’t happen…aside from encounters with Carlton Baker, of course.”

Her gaze met his and he knew she was thinking of the beating he had given the American, which he didn’t regret in the least.

“Yes…aside from Mr. Baker.” Danielle moved away from the bureau. Rafe offered his arm and she rested her fingers on the sleeve of his coat. In her sumptuous green velvet gown, she looked as stunning as he had ever seen her.

And yet as they departed the cabin, he could feel the loss of the pearls and her furtiveness in the matter like a haunting specter between them.

Captain Gregory Latimer of the
Laurel,
the ship he sailed from Baltimore to Liverpool, stood before the small fire in his cabin. Draped across his palm was the most magnificent piece of jewelry he had ever seen. He held the necklace up in the flickering firelight, a fabulous string of pearls interspersed with diamonds.

Greg had taken the necklace as collateral, which, the passenger promised, would be exchanged for money—twice the normal fare—once he reached England. It was a bargain he couldn’t resist.

Greg studied the pearls, examining the perfect roundness, the incredibly creamy hue, feeling the almost irresistible pull of the necklace. He wanted to own it as he had never wanted anything in his life. He couldn’t afford to buy it. The piece had to be worth a small fortune, and even if he had that much money, he didn’t believe the owner would sell it.

He would have to steal it, then dispense with its owner—a thought so appalling he couldn’t believe it had crossed his mind.

And yet the necklace tempted him, drew him, compelled him toward the dark side of his soul.

Greg smiled and shook his head. He might not be a saint, but he was not a thief, nor a murderer. He slipped the neck
lace back into its red satin pouch and returned it to the safe in the wall of his cabin. They belonged to the man who called himself Robert McCabe, though Greg didn’t believe for an instant that was his actual name.

Perhaps McCabe would be unable to raise the funds he needed within the three days after they arrived that he had been allotted. If so, the necklace would no longer be his and Greg could claim possession of the fabulous string of diamonds and pearls.

He sighed into the quiet inside his cabin. It wasn’t going to happen. There wasn’t a moneylender alive who would refuse a loan against such an exquisite piece of jewelry. He would have to be satisfied with the extra money he would earn from McCabe for the delayed payment of his passage.

Greg closed the safe, locking the necklace safely inside, and tried to ignore the odd feeling of loss once the jewelry had disappeared out of his sight.

Dani had been back in London two days, barely long enough to unpack her things, with Caro’s help, in the duchess’s suite adjoining that of the duke.

Just two days, and her safe world had already begun to fall apart.

First Rafe’s mother had appeared, marching in from the dowager’s apartments in a separate building on the east side of Sheffield House, a look of fury on her face. She found her son and daughter-in-law in the two-story library that served as Rafe’s study and stormed in his direction, stopping directly in front of him.

She planted her hands on her hips. “I cannot believe you didn’t tell me!” She shook a finger in Rafael’s face, com
pletely unruffled by the slight stiffening of the considerble breadth of his shoulders. “You could have said something before you simply hied off to America, leaving nothing but a very brief note! If it hadn’t been for your friends, Lord and Lady Belford, I might have been taken completely unawares when you returned with the bride you abandoned five years ago!”

Rafe had the grace to flush. He made his mother an extravagant bow. “I apologize, Mother. At the time, things seemed to spiral rather rapidly out of control. I’m grateful Ethan and Grace came to see you.”

“As am I. You can’t imagine how worried I was. Then Ethan explained about Jonas McPhee and how the man had discovered the truth of what happened that night with Oliver Randall.”

Rafe’s jaw tightened. “Randall has been dealt with.”

“I am aware of that, as well, thanks to Cord and Victoria.”

“Then you know all there is to know of the affair and that Danielle was completely innocent of any misconduct that night.”

The duchess sniffed. “I scarcely know all. I will expect a full accounting of what took place once you reached Philadelphia. Considering that it was known Danielle was to wed another man, I imagine the story will be quite entertaining.”

Rafe looked uncomfortable but made no reply, and Dani thought he would probably tell his mother very little of what transpired.

“At any rate,” the dowager said, “I suppose knowing the truth of Danielle’s innocence is all that matters.”

Rafe settled an arm protectively at Dani’s waist. “Exactly. And even more important is the fact I am returned with a wife. Soon we’ll have our nursery filled, as is your greatest wish.”

The dowager smiled brilliantly, but the unexpected words hit Dani like a blow. For weeks, she had refused to think of the lie by omission she had told, the secret she should have revealed but didn’t. At the time, it seemed rightful punishment for the pain Rafael had inflicted.

Five years ago, the man had discarded her as if she were a piece of rubbish. He had forced her to live in exile with a broken heart that took years to mend and never gave it a second thought. When he had coerced her into a marriage she did not want, she’d felt he was getting no more than he deserved.

Now that she was returned to England, guilt assailed her. Rafael was a duke and as his wife it was her responsibility to provide him with an heir. It wasn’t going to happen, and dear God, she was terrified of what he would do if he ever discovered her deceit.

Dear Lord, the fall she had suffered at Wycombe Park had left her unable to bear him a child. Sooner or later, the fact she was barren was bound to surface. She had hoped that after years of her failing to conceive, Rafe would simply believe that something was wrong between them and accept what could not be.

Her stomach was squeezing even as the duchess finished the lecture she directed at her son.

“You are completely right, of course,” she conceded. “You are wed and that is the only thing of importance.” She turned the warmth of her smile on Dani. “Welcome to our
family, my dear. After what happened, I never thought to say it, but I am extremely glad the past has been set to rights and things have turned out as they have.”

Dani received a brief hug that she returned. “Thank you, Your Grace.”

Her mother-in-law’s smile went even wider. “Now that you both are home at last, as soon as you are settled in, we shall have a gala—a lavish ball to celebrate your marriage.”

Rafe had asked if Dani wished to be married again once they reached England, a large, very proper wedding to announce to the world that she was his duchess, but Danielle had firmly declined. She wasn’t all that certain about her return to society, and slowly easing into the stream of things seemed a far better approach.

A ball didn’t really appeal to her, either, but she could see by the look on her mother-in-law’s face that the woman was determined, and perhaps it was necessary, a means of putting the record straight once and for all.

“I think that’s a fine idea, Mother,” Rafe said. “I’ll leave the details to you…if that is agreeable with my wife.”

“Of course.” Having never been much for society, not even before The Scandal, Danielle was relieved. “I’ve been away so long I wouldn’t know where to begin.”

“Then it’s settled,” the dowager said. “Just leave everything to me.”

Dani made it through that first day in her palatial new home, but she was exhausted by the time she retired upstairs to the big four-poster bed in the duchess’s suite. Rafael did not join her and she was surprised to discover that she missed his presence beside her. She missed his passionate lovemaking, which she had grown accustomed to each night.

More visitors arrived at the house the following day, three women in a flurry of winter gowns and fur-lined cloaks. It was the first day of November, the days growing shorter and colder, a damp morning mist filling the air.

Danielle had met Rafe’s best friends during their betrothal five years ago: Cord Easton, Earl of Brant and Captain Ethan Sharpe, now the Marquess of Belford. The women who arrived at her doorstep were Cord’s and Ethan’s wives, Victoria Easton and Grace Sharpe, along with Claire Chezwick, Victoria’s sister.

Grace was auburn-haired, a slender, spirited young woman with a warm, sincere smile. Victoria was shorter, with chestnut hair and a slightly more voluptuous figure. Claire was…well, Claire was unlike anyone Dani had ever met. With her long, silver-blond hair and cornflower-blue eyes, she was stunningly beautiful, and yet she didn’t seem to know it.