Eve was beside herself with delight as she descended from her carriage in front of the jail. Everything was working out far better than she could ever have hoped. Peggy had come to her just as she was leaving to pay Noah a visit with the “news” that Lord Kincade had been arrested for shooting Lord Radcliffe. She’d also related that he had already been arraigned and was not going to be released but would remain incarcerated until the date of his trial. Peggy had expected her mistress to be disturbed, and knowing this, Eve had obliged by pretending to be terribly upset by the news, not letting on that she had known most of it since the night before. Now, as she prepared to meet with Noah, Eve found the information that he had already been arraigned and denied release exciting, for it strengthened her position with him. Surely Noah would be amenable to whatever she suggested, considering his current circumstances.
“I’m here to see Lord Kincade, please.” Eve smiled beguilingly at Frank Douglas, the young guard on duty.
As Douglas glanced up, his eyes widened at the sight of the gorgeous woman standing before him. She was a vision of loveliness, and he stared at her speechlessly for an instant, savoring the perfection of her pale tresses and beautiful features. Finally, realizing how ridiculous he was acting, he bolted to his feet and stammered, “Yes, ma’am…right this way, ma’am!” Hurrying to open the door that led to the cells, he unlocked it and held it open for her.
Eve started to walk past him. “Thank you so much.”
“He’s the last cell on the right,” Douglas told her courteously, and she rewarded him with another bright smile. The delicate scent of her perfume teased his senses, and his heart began to beat erratically as she swept past. As he followed after her down the narrow hall, his gaze remained heatedly upon her, and he found himself mesmerized by the feminine sway of her hips. He thought her one of the most attractive women he’d ever seen, and he envied Lord Kincade her affections.
As Eve moved down the hall, she surveyed the interior of the jail with disdain. It was a dark, depressing place, and she couldn’t wait to see Noah freed from its confines. How wonderful it was going to be-marrying him and having him in her bed! She could hardly wait! Her pulse was racing at the thought, and she was eager to see him again. Eve noted with relief that Noah was the only prisoner. She was glad that if the guard left them alone, they would have at least some modicum of privacy in which to talk.
“Kincade…you got company!” Douglas called out gruffly as they reached the cell, and he unlocked the heavy door.
Since returning from his arraignment, Noah had been prowling the small area of his confinement in a state of morose agitation. Consumed by the enormity of the charges against him and his seemingly hopeless position, he was desperate to come up with a way to prove his case.
He had not murdered Radcliffe! It had been strictly self-defense, and yet no one believed him. Was this to be his end? The absurdity of his current miserable state filled him with bitter emotion. Things had seemed so final at the hearing. Even the judge had seemed convinced of his guilt. Was he to have no recourse?
The sound of voices came to him then, followed by the creak of the office door opening into the hallway. Noah stopped his incessant pacing to face whoever was coming to see him. He hoped it was Matthew returning with the best attorney in Boston.
“Noah?” Eve called his name tentatively as she stepped into his cell.
Noah was greatly disappointed when he discovered it was Eve, for she was one of the last people he wanted to see right now.
“I’m here, Eve,” Noah responded flatly. Her pale beauty made the jail seem even more sordid than it was. He suddenly became aware of how disheveled he was after having spent the past twenty-four hours in the same set of clothing, and how his overnight growth of beard had left him looking more than a little disreputable.
“Oh, Noah…I came as quickly as I could,” Eve gushed as she entered the cell to face him. He looked very tired, and she was pleased. The more hopeless he thought his situation to be, the greater power her testimony would have over him.
“I’ll be right out front if you should have any trouble, ma’am,” the jailer interrupted as he heard someone else entering the outer office.
“Yes, of course, but I’m sure we’ll have no problems, sir,” she answered courteously, never taking her eyes off Noah. How she longed to be held in his strong arms! How she wanted to be the one to soothe the worried look from his brow and comfort him in his time of desperation!
“It was kind of you to come,” Noah said calmly as he watched the jailer disappear back down the hall.
“Well, I just couldn’t stay away, especially after I heard that you weren’t released after your arraignment.” She gave him a measured look, wondering exactly how to broach the subject.
Noah thought her presence there odd. He wished she would say whatever it was she came to say and then leave. “Yes, it appears that I will be a guest here for some weeks.”
“Yes, I know, and I think I may be able to help you.” Her eyes were brilliant upon him as she moved a bit closer, ready to tell him her proposition.
“I appreciate the thought, Eve, but I doubt that that’s possible,” Noah told her.
“But that’s where you’re wrong.” She smiled sweetly as she rested a hand lightly upon his chest. “You see, I have certain information…”
Noah went tense at her taunting statement and wondered angrily what it was she knew. He gripped her wrist tightly as he demanded, “What information?”
“Suppose, just suppose, there was a witness to your struggle with Geoffrey last night,” Eve said in a teasing voice.
“Eve…” Noah’s tone was threatening, as her coy innuendos grated on his already frayed nerves. “If you know something, for God’s sake, go to the authorities with it!”
“Ah, but darling.” She moved closer, as if to share a confidence, and slipped her other about his neck. “Why should I do that unless there’s something in it for me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Eve,” he retorted, a muscle in his jaw tightening as he suppressed his rage. Did she, in truth, know something that could set him free? If she did, they why was she hesitating in going to the authorities with the information?
“I know you’re the type of man who’s not averse to making a profitable deal.”
“Yes…so?”
“If you cooperate, I can arrange for you to be out of here before the day is done.”
“What kind of deal are you planning? What is it you want?” Noah’s eyes were cold upon her.
“Haven’t you always known? I want you, Noah, only you.” Brazenly she pressed herself fully against him and rose up to kiss him passionately on the mouth.
CC was nervous as she approached the jail. She wasn’t quite sure what kind of reception she was going to get from Noah, plus she was concerned that her father might discover her highly unorthodox visit and question her motives. She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she did not notice Eve’s carriage waiting out in front as she entered. It surprised her to find the outer office deserted, but a guard soon appeared from the back of the building. She was glad that he was not one of her acquaintances and, forcing herself to remain calm, she crossed the room to speak with him.
“I’d like to visit Lord Kincade, please,” CC requested demurely.
Douglas shook his head in amazement as he wondered just how many beautiful women Kincade knew.
CC, aware of his hesitation, worried that something had happened to Noah, and she quickly asked, “Is there a problem?”
“Oh no, ma’am. I don’t have a problem.” He grinned almost slyly as he made the statement. He had thought the blond woman good-looking, but this one was even prettier…and younger.
CC was puzzled by his attitude but dismissed it as unimportant. The only thing that mattered was that she see Noah and let him know how she felt.
“Then may I see him, please?” she pressed.
“Yes, ma’am. Just go right through this door.” He held the door wide to admit her. “I’m sure you’ll be able to find him without any trouble. He has someone with him already.”
“Oh? Well, thank you.” CC wanted to rush to Noah, but she moved with a calm deliberateness that belied her true feelings. She assumed that Matthew was the person he was seeing, and she was relieved to think that Matt would be there to take the edge off the first moments of their encounter.
The hall stretched long and narrow before her as she headed on her way. She was nearly to the end when the sound of a woman’s voice-Eve’s voice-came to her!
“I know you’re the type of man who’s not averse to making a profitable deal.”
“Yes…so?”
“If you cooperate, I can arrange for you to be out of here before the day is done…” Eve’s tone was husky with sensuality.
The rest of the conversation blurred as CC froze, and her heart jolted painfully within her breast. Miserably, she realized that it was not Matthew who was visiting Noah, but Eve. Noticing that it had suddenly become quiet, she took that last fateful step forward to see Noah and Eve wrapped in a passionate embrace. CC was disconsolate as she backed away, and it took all of her willpower to muster the cool demeanor she possessed as she left the jail. She was so immersed in her own agony and so desperate to get away that she didn’t notice she passed one of her father’s business acquaintances on the street as she fled the scene.
When the kiss ended, Eve gazed at Noah longingly, the desire she felt for him plain to read upon her lovely features. “I’ve wanted you since the first moment I saw you. We were meant to be together.”
Noah’s expression was inscrutable as he stared down at her dispassionately, not speaking, only listening.
“It was just a quirk of fate that I happened to be at Geoffrey’s last night, but I was.” Eve smiled up at him confidently. “I saw everything. I know exactly what happened between the two of you. It was self-defense, Noah. I know that Geoffrey was planning to shoot you, and that you fought over the pistol. I was watching even when it went off during the struggle.”
Noah went rigid in his anger. She had been there, yet she had allowed him to be arrested for Geoffrey’s murder! What kind of vicious viper was she?
“What terms are you setting for your testimony?” he asked icily as his gaze was steely upon her.
“I want you to marry me, Noah,” she told him archly.
“What?” He couldn’t prevent the disbelief that entered his tone.
“Make me your wife. I’ll be a good wife to you, and I’ll make a lovely Lady Kincade.” She preened knowingly, thinking her victory assured.
“No.” There was no hesitation in Noah’s reply, for the thought of spending a lifetime tied to this conniving witch filled him with revulsion. There was only one woman he cared about, one woman he wanted to marry-and she wasn’t Eve.
Eve stared up at him in confused outrage, shocked by his quick reply. “You’re refusing?”
“Yes, Eve. I’m refusing.” His answer held a note of finality to it.
“But that’s ridiculous!” she shrieked. “You’ll hang for sure if I don’t testify in your behalf!”
“That may well be, but I am Lord Noah Kincade, and I do still have my pride.” He walked away from her and stood looking back at her with regal contempt. “As you well know, I am innocent of the charges against me. I will not prostitute myself, not even to gain my release from this hellhole.”
“Are you saying that you find almost certain death preferable to a marriage to me?” Eve was furious and crushed at the same time.
Noah’s silver eyes raked over her in disgust, and without his saying a word, she had her answer. Eve flushed painfully at his unspoken insult.
“You’re a fool!” she hissed at him.
Noah shrugged.
“You’ll be sorry!”
“I sincerely doubt it,” Noah replied.
“I hope you rot in hell!” Eve snarled, wishing Geoffrey had shot him!
A faint, derisive half smile touched his lips at her remark. “That is a very definite possibility.”
At his answer, Eve glared at Noah scathingly and then stormed from the cell. Slamming the barred door shut as she left, she never looked back. She had been defeated, and in a most personal way. Never before had Eve been rejected or denied something she’d really wanted. Ever the actress, she disguised her emotional turmoil as she bid the guard good-bye, then quit the building and climbed into her waiting carriage.
Her feelings for Noah had undergone a drastic change. The pain of his open rejection had pierced her heart and hardened her. What once she’d considered love was now converted to hatred. Filled with the desire to see him suffer, Eve vowed to herself never to reveal to anyone what she had seen and heard that night at Geoffrey’s. If Noah didn’t want her and preferred to die rather than marry her, so be it. He would face the gallows without her testimony, and she thought it a suitable end for him. Content that he would pay the ultimate price for his arrogance, Eve settled back on the seat in the coach and smiled as she envisioned Noah’s execution.
CC returned home, raced upstairs to her room, locked herself in, and threw herself upon her bed. Only then, when she was certain she was alone, did she allow herself to cry. Noah and Eve…She had thought that there was nothing between them, but she’d been wrong. Obviously they were lovers. Why else would Eve have come to him at the jail?
The memory of their embrace and the snatch of the conversation she’d overheard thundered through her thoughts. “I know you’re the type of man who’s not averse to making a profitable deal.”
“Yes…so?”
“If you cooperate, I can arrange for you to be out of here before the day is done…” The conversation lingered hauntingly in her mind, and CC tried to think clearly for a moment. Eve had been promising to arrange Noah’s release, and she wondered how that could be possible when he’d already been denied his freedom at his arraignment. Something wasn’t right. Something didn’t fit.
Sitting up in the middle of her bed, she frowned in concentration as she wiped angrily at the tears that still dampened her cheeks. How could Eve guarantee Noah would be freed? Did the other woman know something vital about the shooting, or did she have a connection with someone of influence? The latter thought sent a chill of fear through her as she considered the possibility that Eve was fronting for the authorities and perhaps trying to get information from Noah regarding the rebels in exchange for his release. Certainly, after hearing of Noah’s arrest for Geoffrey’s murder, her father had been convinced that he was involved with them. Were they the ones behind Eve’s “deal”?
Suddenly realizing that Noah might reveal everything in order to save his own neck, CC charged off the bed. She had to warn Ryan and the others of Noah’s possible treachery. After taking only a few moments to bathe her face in cool water so no one would know she’d been crying, CC started from her room, intent only on getting to Ryan as quickly as possible. She was just starting down the staircase when her father’s study door opened, and he stepped out into the hall with Thomas Highland. CC backed away from the stairs and down the hall, waiting for Highland to leave. She had too many important things on her mind right now to waste any time making pleasant conversation with her father or one of his business associates.
“Thank you, Thomas. I appreciate your coming by and letting me know,” Edward was saying as he accompanied him to the door.
“I thought it was something you should be informed of, so I came over as soon as I could.”
“Again, my thanks.”
CC heard the front door close behind the visitor as he left, and she started down again, eager to be gone. To her surprise, she came face-to-face with her father, who was on his way upstairs.
“Cecelia…” He stopped and stared at her, his expression quixotic.
The fact that he had used her full given name gave CC pause, and she smiled as brightly as she could at him as she continued on her way down. “Hello, Father.”
“I thought I had heard you come in a bit earlier, and I was just on my way up to see you. Are you planning on leaving again?”
“As a matter of fact, I was,” she replied easily. “Was there something important you had to discuss with me, or can it wait until this evening over dinner?”
“I think it’s important enough to delay you. Were you planning on going shopping again?” he inquired.
“As a matter of fact, yes-” she began, but he cut her off.
“Get into my study right now!”
Her father had never spoken to her in such a furious tone of voice before, and CC’s eyes widened in surprise as she tried to imagine what could have angered him so.
“Of course,” she agreed, leading the way into the privacy of his personal office. “What is it?”
“Sit down!” It was a command, and she hurriedly complied, slipping into the chair that faced his desk as he stalked around behind it.
Edward stood poised for battle as he glared at his daughter seated there in front of him. CC looked so sweet and innocent that he wondered how she could have been so brazen. How could she have done it? Thomas Highland had just stopped by to inform him that he’d seen CC exiting the jail earlier that day. As it was highly irregular for a woman, especially a young, unmarried one, to visit such a place, he’d thought it important that Edward be informed. Edward agreed with his assessment. His daughter had had no business whatsoever going to the jail. He was outraged by her behavior, and he would punish her accordingly.
CC was growing more and more nervous as she watched the play of emotions on his face. He was angry with her, of that she had no doubt, but what she didn’t understand was why. Unless…
“Father? Is something terribly wrong?”
“Why would you ask that?” Edward countered sharply.
“I don’t know. It’s just that you look very upset.”
“Yes, you’re right about that. I am upset.”
“Is there something I can do to help you?”
“I doubt if you can help me with it, my dear. You see, you are the cause of my anger.”
“Me?” CC was suddenly frightened.
“Yes. I had no idea that I had raised a liar for a daughter.”
“A liar?” She swallowed nervously as she blanched.
“Yes. While you told me that you were going shopping earlier today, it appears that you had another goal in mind.”
“Father, I-”
“Let me finish!” he ordered, barely suppressing the fury that was consuming him. “You told me you were shopping; however, Thomas Highland informs me that you were at the jail today, apparently visiting Lord Kincade. Is that true?” Edward demanded.
Cornered and seeing no way out, she answered truthfully. “Yes.”
“For God’s sake, CC!” he thundered. “No decent, self-respecting woman would go to a jail unescorted. It’s unheard of! You’ve disgraced yourself and me!”
“I hardly think that I’ve disgraced you, Father,” CC managed calmly, not bothering to deny any of his claims.
“My dear, you made a spectacle of yourself visiting that man in jail! He murdered Lord Radcliffe, and Lord knows what else he’s done! I don’t understand how you could do such a thing! I want you to go to your room and stay there.”
“Father!” She came to her feet in protest. “You can’t do this to me!”
“I most certainly can, and I just did. Go to your room and stay there until I’ve had time to calm down. If you don’t, I swear, CC, I just might throttle you!”
CC’s eyes widened at his threat. She had never provoked her father to such anger before, and she knew she’d better do as he said. “Yes, sir.” Quickly and quietly, she left the study and hurried upstairs to seek refuge in her own chamber.
Edward watched her until she had disappeared up the stairs, and then he sat down heavily at his desk. Elbows resting on the desktop, Edward leaned forward to rest his head in his hands. He thought it extremely odd that CC had gone to the jail to visit Kincade. She had always claimed her dislike for him, and he wondered at her real reason for going. He was determined to find out, but first he knew he had to get his anger under control. Once he knew he could face her without losing his temper, he would try to get to the bottom of her scandalous behavior.
Things looked decidedly black, and Matthew was more worried than he’d ever been at any other time in his life. Noah was in dire trouble, and if he wanted to save him, there was only one course of action open to him. Since leaving the arraignment, he had combed the city trying to locate Ryan Graves. It wasn’t until near sundown that he finally caught up with him in the taproom of the Green Dragon.
“Ryan! I need to speak with you right away…privately,” Matt said as he approached the table where Ryan was sitting with two men Matt didn’t recognize.
“Of course, Matthew,” Ryan stood up and, after excusing himself from his other companions, directed Matt to a table in a deserted corner of the room. “What is it? Is there a problem?”
“You haven’t heard?” Matt was stunned as he sat down opposite Ryan.
“Heard? Heard what? I traveled with our shipment today and only just returned,” he explained quickly, wondering what he’d missed during his time away.
“Noah’s been arrested and charged with murder!”
Ryan looked genuinely stunned by the news. “What? When did this happen? And who is he supposed to have killed?”
“He was arrested last night,” Matt stated. “He’d gone to face down Geoffrey Radcliffe over a personal grievance, and evidently things got out of hand. Radcliffe threatened him with a pistol, they fought over it, and it went off. The authorities found Noah standing over Geoffrey with the gun in his hand.”
“Were there any witnesses?”
“Oh, yes, there were witnesses,” he went on disgustedly. “Radcliffe’s servant has given testimony that Noah forced his way into the house and threatened Radcliffe. He also stated that Radcliffe sent him for help because he was afraid of Noah.”
“Has he been arraigned?”
“Yes, earlier today, but the magistrate refused to release him. It doesn’t look good, Ryan. It doesn’t look good at all. Not only do they have the servant’s testimony, they also found out about the fight Noah had with Geoffrey at a party the other night. Because of that argument, in which Noah defended our cause, they’ve accused him of being involved with us.”
Their gazes were solemn as they met across the table, and Ryan asked, “What do you want me to do?”
“Noah will get no justice in that court. I’ve already seen it in action. I’ve got to get him out of there!” Matt insisted. “You once said that if I ever needed your help…”
“And I meant it, Matthew. Let me see what I can arrange. I’ll send you word at home as soon as I come up with something.” His pledge was in earnest. “Stay there and wait until you hear from me.”
“Thank you, Ryan.”