Читать книгу Regency Society - Хелен Диксон, Ann Lethbridge, Хелен Диксон - Страница 104

Roxanne stirred and moaned, turning her head on the soft pillow. She was dreaming and tears were on her cheeks as she cried out, ‘Mama, please don’t leave us. Papa, why must she die? I want Mama, I want my mother…’

‘Your mother is dying of a fever. Her heart is not strong enough to fight it. You should blame me, child. I should never have brought you both out here to this dreadful climate. It is my fault, but you shall not fall victim to this accursed place, as she did. I shall take you home to your aunt.’

‘Mama…please don’t leave us. Mama…’

‘Hush, memsahib,’ a soft voice said and gentle hands stroked her brow. ‘You are ill, but you will be better soon.’

‘Mama is dying…’ Roxanne’s eyes flicked opened and she saw a face, the face of her nurse. The Indian woman was kind and loving and she was comforted. ‘Mama is so ill.’

‘That was long ago, little one. Rest now and when you wake you will be well again.’

Roxanne closed her eyes as the soft hands stroked her forehead and she smelled the exotic perfume of flowers and spices.

The dream was changing. She was in a different place and someone was saying she must die. Now she was lost…running from something…someone. Her uncle wanted her father’s ruby, the precious jewel Papa had asked her to keep for him until he returned from India. Her uncle had demanded that she give it to him, telling her that she could not look after it properly.

‘No…’ she cried out. ‘Please help me. He will kill me…he wants Papa’s ruby.’

A cool dark hand touched her brow and a woman’s beautiful, dusky-skinned face appeared through the mist for a moment.

‘Do not fret, little mistress,’ the woman’s soft musical voice soothed her. ‘You are safe now. My lord is angry they hurt you so. He will not let more harm come to you. Rest now and sleep.’

‘My uncle…he wants the ruby,’ Roxanne moaned, her eyelids fluttering as the words came tumbling out. She clutched at the bedclothes with restless hands. ‘My aunt said she would steal it while I slept, but he said it would be best if I were dead. He says they will tell my father I died of a fever and the ruby was lost. I must get away…I must get away…’

‘Hush, little one. You are safe now.’

‘No…Luke, I want Luke…’ Roxanne’s cheeks were wet with tears as the fever raged through her. ‘Please, ask him to come to me. I need him so…’ She was sobbing, tossing restlessly on the pillow, her long hair damp and clinging to her forehead.

‘The memsahib is very ill,’ another voice said. ‘Those fools hit her too hard. If she dies, the lord will be angry and he will punish them harshly. She must drink this medicine; it may ease her. She must live or all will be lost. Without her to help us, the ruby may never be recovered and our people will continue to suffer.’

‘Give me the cup,’ the woman’s soft voice said. ‘I will get her to swallow your potion, honourable doctor, but she is wandering in her mind and she may not remember where the ruby is or even her own name.’

‘It is in the hands of the gods,’ the doctor said. ‘I shall pray for her life, for if she gives back what was stolen our people may prosper again.’

‘Help me…’ Roxanne cried. ‘Sofia…help me. Papa, why do you not come back to me? I need you…I need you so.’

‘Drink this and it will ease you.’ The woman’s soft voice was close to her ear and gentle hands stroked her face.

Roxanne gave a cry of fear. ‘They are searching for me. I’m so hungry and thirsty. I want Papa…if they find me they will kill me.’

‘No one will kill you. You are going to get well and strong again.’

‘Sofia, please don’t leave me, don’t die. I shall be so alone…’ Roxanne sat up, her eyes wide open. ‘Luke! Please don’t hate me. I love you. I love you.’

‘Hush then, the medicine will work soon.’

The soothing hands were stroking her brow, helping her to relax. Roxanne knew there was something she must do or say, but she was sinking back into the darkness and a strange lassitude was binding her limbs and her mind. She fell back against the pillows, her eyes closed.

‘She will sleep now,’ the doctor said. ‘We must pray that the fever will leave her and when she wakes she will tell us what we need to know.’

Roxanne felt that she was dying and feared she would never see Luke again. The words she wanted to say were in her mind, but would not come. She was slipping away, away into a deep dark place. For a moment everything had been so clear, but the drug claimed her senses and she slept.

‘She has not been seen in the village and she did not board the stage for London. The coachman and ostlers were quite adamant that they had not seen her. I do not know where to look next.’ Luke ran his fingers through his thick hair in frustration. There was a shadow of beard on his chin and his clothes were less than immaculate. ‘Where could she have gone?’

‘She must either have been picked up by a carter or she has walked in another direction,’ the earl said, looking at Luke in concern. He’d hardly slept for the past week, spending every daylight hour out riding or walking in the hope of discovering Roxanne’s whereabouts. ‘She cannot have gone very far on foot, Luke. Perhaps she has found work somewhere, in an inn or a farmhouse.’

‘She would not?’ Luke stared at him in horror. ‘I think she had very little money. I gave her jewels, but she left them behind. She is proud and independent and would take nothing we had given her.’ He sank down onto a chair, a look of despair on his face. ‘What can I do, Grandfather?’

‘You cannot give up yet,’ his grandfather said. ‘She must be somewhere, either hiding or working.’

‘Unless…’ Luke held back the fears that haunted him night and day.

‘What?’ The earl’s brows met in a frown. ‘You are hiding something from me, Luke. Tell me the truth or I shall worry more.’

‘Someone has been searching for that damned ruby. I don’t know why, but it is important and these people might do anything to recover it.’

‘But she no longer has it. You placed it in a bank in London.’

‘The men who want it may not know that—they may think Roxanne has it or that, if they hold her captive, we shall give it back to them.’

The earl looked at him in horror. ‘You think she might have been kidnapped?’

‘I don’t know,’ Luke said honestly. ‘No one has seen her, but one man did tell me that a closed carriage was seen in the lane near the woods on the day Roxanne disappeared. It is possible that she might have been abducted.’

‘Surely we should have been sent a ransom note? They must know she does not have the ruby by now.’

‘Perhaps.’ Luke shook his head. ‘I think I shall search again in that direction. I will ask at the inns and farms, too, anywhere that she might have enquired for work. She must be somewhere and I intend to find her.’

‘Yes, you must.’ The earl looked anxious. ‘If she was kidnapped her life may be in danger, Luke. We shall offer a reward for her return.’

‘Yes, I’ll arrange it before I leave. I may be gone for a while—you will be all right here alone?’

‘I have Marshall and a house full of servants,’ the earl grunted. ‘I’m not about to die on you, Luke. Get out there and find our girl or neither of us will know a moment’s peace again.’

Roxanne’s eyelids fluttered and her eyes opened. She looked up at the woman bending over her. Her perfume was deep and sensual and it had become familiar as Roxanne lay in her fever, because the woman had tended her day and night, caring for her when she was raving and out of her mind.

She had thought when she was ill that she was her ayah and that she was a child again, growing up in India with her tall strong father and her sickly mother, but now she knew the woman was a stranger.

‘Who are you?’ she asked, her voice cracked and hoarse. ‘Where am I?’

‘My name is Shulie,’ the woman smiled down at her as she eased herself up against the pillows. ‘You are at the house of my husband, Prince Ranjit.’

‘Prince Ranjit…’ Roxanne wrinkled her brow in thought, trying to remember. ‘I think…I believe I used to know a Prince Ranjit. We played together in the gardens of the palace in India. My father…my father was the prince’s tutor.’

Suddenly, it was as if a curtain had been pulled aside and she remembered everything: her life as a child in India and what had happened when her father had taken her to his sister’s home and left her in her aunt’s charge while he returned to his work.

‘My lord has told me that you were his friend,’ Shulie said and smiled at her. ‘I am my lord’s first bride and he trusts me. He gave me the honour of caring for you when you were ill.’

‘I was ill? What happened to me?’ Roxanne frowned and then gave a little cry. ‘I was in the woods and someone hit me on the back of the head.’

‘The prince was very angry that you were harmed,’ Shulie told her. ‘You must not think that he wanted you to be hurt, memsahib. He remembers his playmate Rose Marie very well and he did not believe that you would withhold the ruby if you knew its importance to our people.’

‘That will do, Shulie.’

The man’s voice made both women glance towards the door. A man of perhaps five and twenty, dressed in rich clothes and wearing a purple-silk turban with a magnificent diamond in its folds, was standing there, watching them. Shulie fell to her knees, bowing her head.

‘Forgive me, my lord. I only wished to reassure the memsahib that she was with friends.’

‘So, you have returned to us,’ the man said and moved towards the bed. His dark eyes went over her. ‘You look better, but I see that you are still not truly well. Shulie will continue to care for you and we shall talk when you are better.’

‘Is it the ruby you seek?’ Roxanne asked, holding the sheets against her defensively as she looked at him. This man was very different to the thin and gangly young prince she’d known and admired as a child. ‘How is your family, sir?’

‘My father is sick and we fear his death. Before he dies he wishes to see the eye returned to its rightful place.’

‘The eye?’ Roxanne was puzzled. ‘I fear I do not understand, sir.’

‘You may think of it as merely a ruby, but to others it is a sacred thing—but I shall tell you the whole story when you are able to leave your bed.’ He turned to Shulie. ‘Bring Miss Rose Marie clean clothes and food. She is to be told nothing more until she is able to hear the story from me.’

‘Yes, my lord.’

Shulie approached the bed as the prince left the room. ‘My lord has spoken. Please do not ask questions, for I may not answer them. I shall bring food, water for you to wash and clothes. You will feel much better when you have eaten.’

‘Please, one thing,’ Roxanne said. ‘How long have I been here?’

‘You lay in a fever for ten days,’ Shulie said. ‘We feared you might die, but the honourable doctor has saved you. It was the will of the gods.’

‘Yes, perhaps,’ Roxanne said. She lay back against the pillows, closing her eyes as the woman left the room. Ten days. She’d been here ten days—but what had happened just before she was brought here? Someone had hit her on the head, knocking her unconscious—but where had she been and where had she been going?

She could recall running away from her aunt and uncle just before her fifteenth birthday. Her father had written to tell her he would be home before Christmas and would be taking her to live with him.

I’ve made my fortune here, Rose Marie, he’d written. It is time I came back to England to live and made a home for us both. The ruby will be the icing on the cake, though I have other jewels and money enough. Take good care of it, Rosie my love, for it is special.

It was two days after her letter arrived that she’d heard her uncle telling her aunt what he planned for her as she went down to have afternoon tea.

‘She is old enough. He wants her and when he’s done with her he’ll put her to work for her living. She’ll not last long enough for her father to find her. If she doesn’t die of the whore’s disease, she’ll be beaten to death.’

‘Frank, you cannot do it,’ her aunt had protested. ‘Rose Marie doesn’t deserve to be treated that way.’

‘She should have given me the ruby when I asked her. It’s either the whorehouse or the river—make up your mind. My debts must be paid and that ruby will see us in comfort for the rest of our lives.’

The past was so clear now. Her name was Rose Marie Pearson and her father’s name was Captain Peter Pearson. He’d been an Indian Army officer and then left the service to work for a rich maharajah, first to train his private army and then to teach his sons how to be gentlemen.

When her gentle mother died of a fever, her father had sent her home to live with her aunt and uncle. He’d sent the ruby to her a year or so later with a special messenger he trusted. She had been so proud of being trusted to care for the jewel, but her aunt had seen her admiring it and demanded to know where it came from.

‘Papa sent it to me. He told me to take great care of it, because it is worth a small fortune.’

‘It is far too valuable to entrust to a young girl. Your father meant me to look after it for you, Rosie.’

‘No, Aunt. Papa told me to wear it inside my gown always and never be parted from it. If he’d wanted you to care for it, he would have sent it to you. He trusted me, not you and my uncle.’

‘How dare you speak to me that way?’

‘The ruby is mine. I shall not give it to you or anyone.’

Even then, Rose Marie had not trusted her aunt and uncle. They had called her Rosie and she had disliked the name, but they had said her own was too fanciful. She’d known instinctively that if they once had the ruby they would keep it, but she had not dreamed they would kill her to get it. She’d run from them that very moment, clutching the ruby and in fear of her life.

Roxanne’s mind was clear now and she recalled that she’d run until she could run no more. After that she’d wandered for days, perhaps weeks, always in fear of being caught, hungry, thirsty and cold. Then one night as it grew dusk a vagrant had attacked her and attempted to rape her. She’d fought him off and run away into the night with no more than a few scratches and bruises, but the smell of him had sickened her and she’d been terrified. She had not dared to approach anyone to ask for food and she had wandered, her stomach aching for want of food. She had fallen and hit the side of her head. After that she had been very ill. As she starved, her mind became hazy and she could recall nothing until Sofia found her and nursed her back to health. Sofia…Black Bob…Luke.

The memories slotted into place one after the other. Tears trickled down her cheeks as the names came to her mind and everything became crystal clear. Now she remembered both the past and recent events. She recalled meeting Luke and falling in love with him and his grandfather.

She loved Luke so very much, but he did not love her. He did not truly wish to marry her.

What was she going to do? Prince Ranjit wanted his ruby back—but surely it was her father’s ruby? Roxanne did not believe that her father would have stolen the jewel from his employer.

There was still a mystery here to be solved.

Roxanne seemed to have vanished into thin air. No one had seen her. Luke was met with shakes of the head and blank faces wherever he enquired for her. With each day that passed he grew more desperate. If she were lost for ever, he did not know how he would live with himself. He must search and search until he found her.

‘No, sir,’ one innkeeper told him. ‘We did have a coach stop to change its horses on the day you mention. I recall it particularly because of the odd clothes the servant was wearing. They were foreigners, your lordship. The servant who arranged everything was wearing a white turban and inside the carriage I saw two women, but they were wearing odd clothes, too, and had veils over their faces. One was enveloped in a thick dark cloak, though it was a warm day. I did think that odd—also that she never moved or spoke.’

‘I see…’ Luke frowned as icy chills crawled over his body. ‘You did not notice anything else—any sign that one of the women was captive?’

‘I wasn’t allowed to speak to either of them, sir—but I did think that the one in the cloak seemed to be sleeping heavily; at least, that’s what it looked like from a distance.’

‘You have no idea of where the carriage was heading?’

‘I think one of them spoke of London, but I couldn’t say for sure, sir. It’s a while ago now. I doubt I’d have remembered anything if it hadn’t been for their clothes.’

‘Thank you, you may have provided a clue,’ Luke said and gave the man a gold sovereign.

He was thoughtful as he left the inn. If the men who were searching for the ruby had captured Roxanne, they would know by now that she did not have it with her. What would they do next? Pray God they would not harm her.

His search had widened the last few days and this was the first clue he’d discovered, but it was of little real worth to him. If Roxanne had been taken to London, it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. He must certainly make enquiries, but a team of agents would do that far more efficiently than he could, especially in his present state of mind. He could not concentrate long enough, his thoughts wandering to her smile, the touch of her hand and the knowledge that he felt devastated by her loss.

He might do better to return to Hartingdon to discover whether or not a ransom had been demanded for Roxanne’s safe return. Luke was praying hard as he made his decision. He would retrace his steps, make certain that he hadn’t missed anything, but first he must send word to the agents who had worked for him on various occasions and instruct them to search for the mysterious owner of the carriage. Surely such a man and his servants could not hide themselves completely. If they were in the vicinity of London or its outskirts, his agents would find them.

Luke saw the gypsy camp gathered on the common at the edge of Hartingdon woods. Suddenly, he recalled that Roxanne had been frightened of the man called Black Bob. It was possible that he had taken her. He might have been following the wrong theory all this time.

Dismounting, he tied his horse to a bush and approached a woman who was stirring something in a large black pot on a trivet over a fire. She glanced at him suspiciously and called out to someone. A man came down from one of the caravans and stood looking at Luke as he walked up to her, his arms crossed and a menacing look in his dark eyes.

‘Good day, mistress,’ Luke said politely and doffed his hat to her. ‘I mean you no harm. I am looking for someone and wondered if you might help me?’

‘It depends whom ’tis you want, sir.’ The woman spoke in a voice that surprised him; looking closely, Luke was certain she was not a gypsy, as he’d first imagined.

‘The man I seek is named Black Bob and he leads a troupe of players—actors who perform all over the country.’

‘And what would you be wanting of him, sir?’

‘You’re not Romany,’ Luke said. ‘Your voice has a good resonance. I believe you are an actress—am I right? Did you know Roxanne? She lived with Sofia until her friend died.’ He saw a startled look in the woman’s eyes and knew that he’d touched a raw nerve. She did know Roxanne—or she had once. He moved towards her, taking hold of her arm. ‘You do know her. Is she here? Has he got her?’

‘Leave me be.’ The woman cried, a look of fear in her eyes now. ‘I don’t know this woman you speak of—leave me be.’

‘Leave her be.’ The man who had come out of the caravan moved towards Luke threateningly. ‘You take your hands off my woman or you’ll be sorry. You damned aristocrats think you own the world. If you persist, I’ll thrash the life out of you.’

‘I mean your lady no harm,’ Luke said and let his hand drop from her arm. He was armed with a loaded pistol, but had no wish to use it, for he would lose all chance of discovering Roxanne’s whereabouts then. ‘I do not fear to fight with you, sir—but I came here in peace. I am searching for Roxanne and I thought you might know of her.’

‘Clear off or I’ll bash your head in,’ the man said fiercely, but another man had come up to them and the first moved back out of respect or fear. ‘We’ve told him nothing, Bob.’

‘Quiet, fool,’ the tall dark-eyed man grunted. He scowled at Luke. ‘Run away from you, too, has she? She’s an ungrateful wretch and a thief. Has she taken something of yours?’

‘No. Roxanne is not in trouble with me. I am afraid her life may be in danger. Why do you call her a thief?’

‘He told me she had something that belonged to him.’ Black Bob’s eyes narrowed. ‘I saw it once before Sofia hid it—a huge ruby bigger than a pigeon’s egg. Stands to reason a girl like that weren’t the rightful owner of a valuable jewel. He told me if I knew where she was he would pay me so I gave him the direction of the house she was living in. Followed you, I did, out of curiosity. When they come looking for her I knew something didn’t smell right. There alus was somethin’ odd about the girl.’

‘Where is she? Have you got her?’

‘I ain’t got her. She’s got the mark on her—I wouldn’t have her now if she came crawling on her knees.’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘She’s cursed. He told me that whoever has the ruby is cursed. Until it is returned to its rightful place the mark of doom is on anyone that touches it.’

‘Whoever this man is, he meant to scare you,’ Luke said scornfully. ‘Roxanne is not a thief. She was given the jewel to keep for someone. Tell me, was the man who offered you money for information an Indian?’

‘I reckon he might be. He were dressed much like you, a wealthy man—but his servants were dressed strange and their faces were darker than his. Some of them wore turbans on their heads and one had a curved sword hanging from his belt. They looked a strange lot and I didn’t trust them, though he paid me my money.’

Luke inclined his head. He believed Black Bob was telling the truth. It tied in with what the innkeeper had said and pointed towards the ruby. Roxanne had been kidnapped because of that damned jewel.

‘If this man speaks to you again, tell him to come to me at Hartingdon. I shall give him what he wants, but first he must release Roxanne. If anything has happened to her I shall punish him—and you.’

‘All I done was tell him where he could find her.’

‘Roxanne was once one of your people. If you cared for her at all, you would have come to us and told us about this man instead of betraying her.’ Luke’s eyes flashed scorn. ‘You are a greedy rogue and deserved to be punished. I cannot prevent you from camping here, but I would not advise you to return once you leave.’

He was furious as he mounted his horse and rode off. It had taken all his strength of will not to go for the man and give him a good hiding. Only the knowledge that there were more than a dozen men watching him prevented him from seeking physical revenge. The whole tribe would no doubt have set him on and it was more important to keep searching for Roxanne than to make a fool of himself by indulging in a fight merely for his own satisfaction.

Feeling frustrated by his inability to discover Roxanne’s whereabouts and afraid of what might be happening to her, Luke rode towards his grandfather’s house. It was six days since he’d last visited. Perhaps there might be some news. The earl might have received a ransom note. He must speak to his grandfather before going out to search again, though he did not truly know where to look next. He’d tried every posting house, every inn and every village within a thirty-mile radius of the estate. He was beginning to think she must be in London—or, worse still, on a ship bound for India. Her beauty would be appreciated by certain men who thought nothing of holding women captive in their households.

No! It must not be. The thought was so terrible that it tore him apart, a groan leaving his lips. Rumours and tales of the white-slave trade passed through his mind. Roxanne was so beautiful. Once this man had her, he might think she was of more value than that damned ruby.

Roxanne looked at the clothes Shulie had brought her and smiled. She had wondered if she would be given something similar to the clothes her nurse wore, but instead she was being offered a beautiful silk gown of French design and make. As she slipped it on, her heart raced wildly. She had remembered more about Prince Ranjit and she seemed to recall that he was charming, but a little selfish, inclined to lose his temper if he did not get his own way. Yet as a child she had admired him, following him about and hanging on his every word. He had grown up to be a handsome man with an exotic and slightly dangerous air.

What did he want to tell her himself? Why had he not allowed Shulie to tell her about the ruby?

She decided to fasten her hair back in a severe knot at the nape of her neck, but, glancing at her reflection, Roxanne knew that it did not make her look any less attractive. The gown was so very elegant and flattering that she needed no jewels to appear to advantage.

‘The memsahib is beautiful,’ Shulie said and looked at her oddly. ‘My lord has always admired you—and I think he looks for another wife. I have been his wife for nine months and I have given him no sons.’

‘Nine months is not long,’ Roxanne said and smiled. ‘You do not need to fear me, Shulie. I would not seek to take your place. I am grateful for all you have done.’

‘My lord does not acknowledge the word no,’ Shulie replied and looked doubtful. ‘If he wants you, he will take you for his wife.’

‘At home Prince Ranjit may soon rule in his father’s place,’ Roxanne said. ‘This is England and he cannot take me as his wife against my will. Besides, I am already promised to another man. I am betrothed. I do not think Prince Ranjit would take the wife of another man.’

‘No, perhaps not, if you belong to another.’ Shulie’s face cleared and she handed Roxanne a spangled drape to wear over her head and shoulders. ‘If my lord wished you for his wife, I think I should not mind too much. You are lovely of nature as well as face; there are some who look for the honour who do not deserve it.’

‘Perhaps the prince will be satisfied to have just one wife.’

Shulie shook her head sadly. ‘It is the custom for a man to take several wives. If I had given him a son, my place as his chief wife would be assured, but now he may put another in my place.’

‘You must make him understand it would hurt you. If he loves you, you will remain the first in his heart even if he takes other wives.’

‘Perhaps.’ Shulie beckoned her. ‘We should not keep my lord waiting, memsahib. I know he will want you, but if you belong to another perhaps he will not insist that you become his wife.’

Roxanne’s heart raced as she followed Shulie out of the room and along the hall. There was no point in thinking of trying to escape. She had no idea of where she was being held and the prince’s men would be watchful. They had not gone to the trouble of kidnapping and then nursing her when she was in a fever simply to allow her to escape. The prince wanted something. Roxanne must pray that it was only the ruby he required from her. She knew that Shulie believed he wanted her for his second wife, but Roxanne had no intention of being taken off to India to live in a harem as one of the prince’s wives.

‘Nothing,’ the earl said and shook his head. ‘I cannot understand it, Luke. How could she have disappeared so completely? Had she been seen walking the roads we should have heard. She has not visited an inn or attempted to buy food at the markets or someone would have reported it to us for the reward money. I fear that she is either dead or kidnapped.’

‘From what I now know, I think she was taken by the servants of a wealthy Indian man,’ Luke said, his mouth pulled into a grim line. ‘I believe they want the ruby. It may have some religious significance, but that is merely a guess. Why they did not simply come and ask for the damned thing I do not know. I would willingly have given it.’

‘That gypsy fellow told you it is cursed,’ the earl said and his hand trembled. His eyes held an urgent appeal as he said, ‘You don’t think…she’s not dead, is she? Our girl’s not gone?’

‘No, Grandfather. I’m sure she is still alive. I would know if she were dead.’ Luke ran tormented fingers through his thick hair. He had dark shadows beneath his eyes and his face looked haggard from lack of sleep. ‘She can’t be dead. She must be a prisoner somewhere. I’m certain she would have written to you otherwise. It is too cruel to just disappear like this. I do not believe Roxanne is that careless of another’s feelings, especially someone she cares for. If she could have got word to us, she would by now.’

‘We must pray for her safe return,’ the earl said. ‘Have your agents heard nothing?’

‘I shall ride to the village and ask if there is a communication for me,’ Luke said. ‘Do not look so distressed, Grandfather. I shall find her. I swear to you that I will never rest. She shall be brought home…’ The words he added in his own mind were not meant for his grandfather’s ears.

Even if she is dead I shall find her body and bring her home to us. His throat closed and the agony in his mind was fearful. Roxanne, my love, please be alive. Your death will kill him…and me.

‘Come, sit here near me,’ Prince Ranjit said and captured her hand, leading her to an elegant little sofa. He took the gilded chair just opposite and waited for her to sit before sitting himself. She recalled that his father the Maharajah Jankara had had impeccable manners and he, too, behaved as a gentleman should. ‘Please tell me what happened to you, Miss Pearson. My father has been trying to find you for many months. Your family had no knowledge of your whereabouts and believed you dead.’

‘Some years ago I found myself in danger and I ran away from my aunt’s home. I became very ill and was rescued by a wonderful lady; she cared for me and became like a mother to me. Her name was Sofia and she lived with a band of travelling players. She had been a lady and the mistress of aristocrats and princes and we travelled together until she died.’

The prince nodded and Roxanne realised he already knew this part of her history. Somehow he or his agents had managed to trace her, not only to the camp, but also to the Hartingdon estate. He wanted to know the things his men had not already discovered about her life.

‘My father gave me a ruby to keep for him, your Highness,’ she said. ‘He said I must keep it with me always because it would make our fortune. He was returning to England to set up a home for us. However, my uncle and aunt coveted the jewel and they planned to sell me to a revolting man—a man who meant to use me in a way I cannot bring myself to mention. This was the reason I ran away.’ She paused, then, ‘Can you tell me where my father is living, please? Has he been looking for me?’

‘Forgive me, Rose Marie,’ the prince said and leaned forwards to touch her hand. ‘Your father believed you dead—a letter came from your uncle saying that you had run away and were believed to have died of a fever in the poorhouse. They said you had the ruby with you when you left—did you?’

‘Yes, I took the ruby when I fled—but my father?’ Roxanne’s throat tightened. ‘Please tell me, sir.’

‘Your father had planned to return to England and make a home for you. However, when he believed you dead, he decided to remain in India. He left my father’s employ and lived in solitude doing good works amongst the poor and sick. He died of a fever about eighteen months ago.’

‘My father is dead?’ A single tear trickled down Roxanne’s cheek. For years she had forgotten the tall handsome man she’d adored as a child, but the last few days had brought him back to her. It hurt to know that he had died not knowing that she was alive and well. ‘Then I shall never see him again.’

‘I am so sorry to be the bearer of this sad news,’ the prince said and touched her hand again. ‘When he knew he was ill, Sahib Pearson left you a letter and also a small inheritance, which I have placed in a bank in London for you. You see, in the last months before he died, he had begun to believe you were not dead, though his reasons for this belief are not clear. He sent the letter with another of explanation to my father and asked that you might be searched for. It was then that he told my father of the ruby he’d given you. It was only at that time that my father learned yours had possessed the eye for a time. My father sent his men to England to search for you, but it was many months before we traced you to the camp of the travelling players and by then you had disappeared once more.’

‘You did not begin your search until eighteen months ago?’

The prince shook his head. ‘Until we had your father’s letter, the eye was thought lost and you were believed to have died.’

‘The eye? Was it stolen? Surely my father would not have stolen from yours?’

‘No, the ruby did not belong to us—it is the eye of the goddess Bersheira and it was stolen by thieves who raided the temple. My father believes that your father bought the eye in good faith. He did not know that it was stolen from the goddess, for he would never have bought it and given it to you. Until the eye is returned to its rightful place, all those who touch it are cursed. Since it was stolen the people of our province have suffered in many ways: sickness, fires in the villages, mysterious deaths and other evils. They believe that they will be cursed until the eye is returned and it was for this reason that my father decided to send me to discover you and the eye. I arrived in England only a few weeks ago. Our men had failed and it was I who finally discovered the man who revealed your whereabouts to me.’

‘Black Bob—was it he who told you?’

‘The leader of the travelling players, yes. I had advertised with posters for a missing girl who disappeared five years ago and offered gold for information of her whereabouts. We had heard vague whispers of a girl travelling with the players, a girl who had lost her memory, and I wondered if it might be you. But until he came to me I had no idea of where you might be. Then I saw the advertisement for a lost jewel and I began to link the pieces together. When that rogue told me you had a fabulous jewel I was sure it must be you.’

‘Why did you not simply come to me and ask for its return? Was it necessary to kidnap me?’

‘You must forgive me, Rose Marie. It was not my men who attacked you—though we took you from the aggressors and brought you here.’

‘Not your men? I do not understand.’

‘My father has a brother—my Uncle Sangyo,’ the prince said and looked angry. ‘He is a ruthless man and covets my father’s throne. Sangyo believes that, if he finds the eye and returns it to the goddess, the people will place him on the throne when my father dies instead of me.’

‘So it was your uncle I saw in the tower—it was he who tried to break into the earl’s strong room and he that hit the bailiff?’

‘I fear this may be so,’ Prince Ranjit said. ‘I was in London for a time on other matters and, when I was informed of your whereabouts, did not immediately send men to the earl’s estate to watch for you. When I did, they reported to me that Sangyo was lurking, intent on mischief. I decided to let him make his move and then punish him. Until he tried to abduct you I could not prove he was guilty of anything. He has been made a prisoner and sent home, to be punished by my father. It was necessary to do this or he would have remained a threat to us all.’

‘Yes, I understand,’ Roxanne said. ‘Though I cannot help wishing that you’d acted sooner for you might have spared me an unpleasant illness, sir. Had you asked for the ruby it would have been given to you.’

‘I have suffered for your suffering,’ the prince told her. ‘I must beg your forgiveness and shall do what I can to make reparation for your pain. I am sincere in my regret, Rose Marie.’ He hesitated, then, ‘Do you still have the ruby?’

‘No, I gave it to my fiancé. Lord Clarendon has placed it somewhere for safekeeping. He will, of course, give it to you if you take me to him and offer him proof of your identity. I remember my friend Prince Ranjit, but the years have changed us both, sir. I think Lord Clarendon would require proof that you are the prince before giving you the ruby.’

The prince frowned. ‘It is easy enough for me to supply proof of my identity, but this man—Lord Clarendon—he is truly your husband?’

‘Yes—at least, we are legally betrothed and intend to be married soon, sir.’

‘I see…then it is my duty to take you to him,’ the prince said. He gave her a brooding look that told of his displeasure in the discovery that she was betrothed to another. It seemed that Shulie was right to suspect the prince had entertained ideas of making her his second wife. ‘I am disappointed. I had hoped we might renew our friendship—the warm affection we had as children, Rose Marie.’

‘I am called Roxanne these days,’ she said and smiled at him. ‘You are right to think I remember you with affection, sir. You were as a brother to me when I lived at the palace and we played as children. I have to thank you and Shulie for your care of me, Highness. I believe that your wife saved my life. She is both beautiful and wise. I think she will give you handsome and clever sons.’

‘We have no sons yet,’ the prince said and frowned.

‘You will have sons, I am certain of it,’ Roxanne said. She hesitated, then, ‘Perhaps it is the curse of the eye that has prevented you from having a son thus far, sir. When you return it to the goddess, she will favour you and your wife will give you healthy sons.’

The prince looked struck by her words. He took her hand, bringing her to her feet, then bowing to her before placing a kiss on the back of her hand.

‘The Lord Clarendon is a fortunate man,’ he said. ‘I envy him his wife, Rose Marie. Your words are wise and I am sure that you speak truly. It was my destiny to find the eye and restore it to the goddess. When this is done, Shulie will give me sons.’

‘Yes, I am certain this is your destiny, sir.’ Roxanne smiled at him. ‘If you would please take me to Hartingdon, I shall arrange for the eye to be returned to you.’

‘I shall escort you myself,’ the prince said. ‘It has been a privilege to speak with you, Rose Marie. If things had been otherwise…but a betrothal is sacred and I must follow my destiny.’