Johanna had doubted him. Could he blame her? She’d been through hell searching for the child. Still, the look in her eyes had cut to the bone.
He’d tell her the truth. Some of it, at least. And then, he’d retrieve the stone, rescue the bairn, and see Johanna Templeton safely on the first train to London.
He met her cool sapphire gaze. “Ye believe I intend to abandon the wee lass?”
“I heard you.” Her gaze locked with his. Unwavering. “I know your voice.”
“Ye’re wrong, Johanna. I plan to save the child, whatever it takes. I wouldnae leave a bairn in Cranston’s bluid-stained hands.”
Her lips pulled taut. “I know what I heard.”
“Ye dinnae hear every word, every detail. If ye had, ye’d know how rash ye were to believe I’d cast my vow to the side. I am a man of honor, whether ye can see that or not.”
“A man of honor?” She held his gaze. “Perhaps. But your loyalty lies with whatever has spurred this quest. Your family considers itself guardians of this blasted ruby. Why?”
“There’s no time to explain everything ye want to know. But I can tell ye this. Since the days of Robert the Bruce, my family has been part of an ancient guild. As in olden days, we operate under a cloak of secrecy. Now we serve as Her Majesty’s agents, hiding in plain sight, if ye will. The Crown offers support…in its own fashion. ’Tis our duty to find and protect rare treasures. Some have no value beyond their part in our heritage, while others would bring riches beyond a king’s coffers. Among these artifacts are objects reputed to possess unique powers, qualities well beyond the realm of physics, of what we normally believe possible.”
“Such as the Demon’s Heart.”
“Aye. I don’t give a damn about the nonsense Serena spouts about that bit of rock. I’d put more stock in the chances of saddling a water horse and riding it across the loch. But others…others have a different view.”
“Your brother agrees with Serena?”
“Nay. But he understands there’s much on this earth we don’t know. He’s cautious. As we should be.”
Johanna scrunched her nose as if she smelled something foul. “All this talk of powers and magic does not frighten me in the least. Men and their foolish greed—now that is another story.”
“Ye’ll get no rebuttal from me on that. Greed for power is a terrible force, even more ruthless than greed for riches. I cannae lead ye to Cranston and walk away. Ye must trust me.”
Her eyes narrowed and her chin hiked, a fraction of an inch, just enough for him to see her determination. He reached out to touch her then, even though he knew that simple contact would weaken his resolve. Weaken him. But he couldn’t stop himself.
Her gaze settled on his hand as her lips thinned to a grim slash. “And if trust is not an option?”
Only the tiny tremor in her voice kept her words from slicing through him. Her distrust was not absolute. “Ye must, Johanna.”
Slowly, she shook her head. “If I must lie, cheat, or steal to ransom my niece, I will. If I must deal with brutal men, then so be it. I won’t run, and I won’t curl up in some warm corner while you charge off like some knight after a blasted dragon. And I most certainly will not entrust Laurel’s life to a man who has made no secret that his driving purpose is to keep Geoffrey Cranston from getting his hands on the one thing he demands as payment.”
“I’m no bluidy knight. And I’m not a fool. I don’t give a damn about the stone or the book or sodding Cranston. Ye think I’m putting my neck on the line because some poor bastards hundreds of years ago couldnae figure a reason for their hardship, so they conjured a curse to explain their woes? Ye’re wrong, Johanna.” He plowed a hand through his hair. “The only reason I’m still here is you.”
“But your duty…your mission? What of that?”
“To hell with the mission. Any number of us could get their hands on the wretched stone before Cranston. I came here because of you. Because of the bairn. I gave ye my word and I intend to keep it.”
Her cheeks paled to the color of chalk, as though the blood had coursed from her head to her toes. “And if I’m fool enough to believe you?”
He caught her hands in his. “Ye’ll trust me to do what I’ve trained to do my entire life. Ye’ll deprive Cranston of yet another weapon to use against us. Ye’ll stay where ye’re safe and be ready to greet the wee lass after I retrieve her.”
She squeezed his hands, as if to release a swell of tension. He saw the answer in her eyes, the steadfast refusal to see the reason of his words.
“I cannot. You already know that. And you know why.”
“Surely ye understand—if Cranston gets ye under his control, he will have cornered the queen. Before long, he’ll have his checkmate.”