“Not very,” he shot back. “I was there. I know what happened, unlike this ‘source’ of yours.” He turned away, pushing his hands back into his hair, and paced away from her, then swung back. “I wrote your father. I told him what happened. Did he not receive it?”
“Oh, yes, he got your note informing him that his son had died in an ‘accident.’”
Theo looked abashed. “I’m sorry. I should have written something longer. I was ill, tired, but I felt I needed to let Mr. Mulcahey know about Dennis as soon as I could. So I sent that short letter with the bare facts. I should have written a more detailed letter after I recovered.” He sighed. “It was wrong of me. My family will tell you how poor I am at letters. I tried—many times—to write again. To explain what had happened and what sorrow I felt at losing Dennis. But nothing ever seemed adequate. I was—I confess I could not bear to think about Dennis’s death.”
“That is not surprising,” Megan retorted tartly.
He frowned. “But did not Andrew write you? I saw him not long after we returned, and he told me that he had written to your father, as well. I was a coward, I admit, and felt relief that he had explained it in more detail. That is one reason why I did not send any of the letters I wrote.”
“Yes, he explained it. He has explained it to me in person, as well.”
Theo looked at her, understanding dawning in his eyes. “Are you saying that Barchester told you I killed Dennis?”
“That is exactly what I’m saying.”
Theo gaped at her. In any other situation, she would have found his expression comical.
“He told you I murdered Dennis!” Shock gave way to anger. “That bloody son of a bitch! Why would he have told you such a thing? Dammit all, he wasn’t even there!”
“What? You’re saying Andrew Barchester wasn’t even on the trip with you and Dennis?” Megan asked skeptically.
“No. I mean, yes, he was on the expedition with us, but he was not there when Dennis died. He would have had to make this up out of whole cloth.”
Hope stirred in Megan’s chest. Had Barchester lied to them all along? Could Theo be telling the truth? Firmly she tamped down her emotion. She was not going to let Theo deceive her just because she wanted to believe that he was innocent. It was vital that she remain objective.
Crossing her arms across her chest, she said, “Then why don’t you tell me what happened.”
He regarded her for a moment, then said, “All right. As I suppose you know, I was in Brazil on an expedition for Lord Cavendish—the chap who started the museum. Julian Coffey and Mr. Barchester were with me. The man who was to lead our expedition could not. Then we met up with your brother and his companion, a Captain Eberhart, who was an experienced guide. So we joined together and started up the Amazon.”
“Mr. Barchester told me how Captain Eberhart died and the rest of you forged ahead.”
“Yes. We had gone so far that we did not want to abandon the expedition. Coffey was thrilled with the variety of flora and fauna he was able to sketch. We were all young and enthusiastic.” A faint smile touched his lips as he remembered. “We were enjoying the adventure. Dennis—well, he was ready for anything. He and I grew quite close.”
“It seems unlikely. A lower-class American, a British aristocrat.”
Theo looked at her. “No more unlikely than you and I.”
Color stained Megan’s cheeks, and she looked away. “We are not talking of—of physical attraction.”
“No. We are talking of friendship,” he replied soberly. “And Dennis and I became friends. I do not choose my friends on the basis of their birth or their bank accounts. Neither did Dennis. He was a great fellow, always full of stories and laughter and good cheer.”
Tears filled Megan’s eyes at the accurate description of her brother. “Yes. He was.”
“I am sorry, Megan.” Theo came closer to her, reaching out as though to touch her arm, then halted halfway there and let his hand fall. “I know how much you must have loved him. I remember him talking about you. He said I would like you.” He paused, then added softly, “Obviously he was right.”
Megan swallowed against the emotions that rose in her throat. She straightened her shoulders and faced Theo squarely. “What happened then?”
“After Eberhart’s death, the native bearers and guides grew more and more reluctant to travel farther inland. They were full of fears and superstitions. They talked of the ancient gods wreaking vengeance on all who dared disturb their sacred places. They whispered of treasures and curses. We had all heard stories about the gold that Pizarro demanded from the Incas—” He paused, asking, “You know, do you not, about the Spaniards conquering the Inca empire? How Pizarro and his men captured the Inca emperor and held him ransom for a vast amount of gold?”
Megan nodded. “Yes.”
“There were legends, as there always are in such cases, that some of the Incas who were bringing the gold decided not to turn it over to the Spanish but to hide it somewhere in the mountains. Hidden treasure, protected by the curse of the old gods. Pretty irresistible stuff, especially to several young men. Naturally, we hoped we would stumble upon it. The native bearers feared exactly the same thing. Some of them left, sneaking away in the night—with some of our supplies. Of course, with the number of natives dwindling, as well as our supplies, we had to be very careful not to get lost. There was a vast amount of territory—uncharted territory. That is why we set up a system of searching.”
He stopped and sat down on a chair, sighing. He rested his elbows on his knees and his head on his hands, thrusting his fingers back into his thick hair. “God. You don’t know how many times I have wished that we had simply turned back at that point.” He rubbed his hands over his face, then dropped them to his lap and looked at her.
“But we did not. We set up a base camp, where we stored the majority of our supplies, our tents and pack animals. One of the four of us stayed at the camp with the natives at all times. We took it in turns. The other three of us would venture out in short exploratory trips, taking only a couple of donkeys to carry our supplies. Our last trip out, Barchester stayed at the base camp, while Dennis, Julian and I set out to explore. I fell ill about a day or two into the journey. I think that I must have caught the fever that felled Eberhart. As we hiked on, I grew more and more feverish and weak. Then it began to rain. We took refuge in a cave that we found partway up a hill.”
Theo stood up and began to pace restlessly. “That is where Dennis died. Barchester was not even there.”
“How did he die?” Megan asked quietly, watching Theo.
“He fell. The caves went deep into the base of the hill. He was exploring, and he fell.”
Megan’s heart sank, and tears clogged her throat. “You are lying to me.”
She stood up and walked around to stand in front of Theo. He looked at her, and she could see the misery and pain in his eyes.
“I can see it in your face,” she said, unaware that her eyes filled with tears as she spoke. “In the way you stand. The way you turn your head. You are a dreadful liar, Theo.”