Beyond Compare (37 page)

“But Brulatour, oddly enough, turned out to be just a collector of ancient objects,” Reed went on. “He is apparently a nouveau-riche French industrialist who spends all his spare time snapping up as many valuable artifacts as he can.”

“Just the sort of fellow I despise,” Theo said, glowering. “He only wants to acquire objects for his own glory. No interest at all in preserving a people’s history and culture.”

“But how did he even know about the reliquary?” Kyria asked.

“Apparently Habib in some unguarded moment told another dealer why he was going to England, and this chap sent word to Brulatour. Monsieur Brulatour arrived and spoke to Habib, who decided to tell him you had the reliquary in return for several thousand francs. Habib’s only god, I believe, is Mammon.” Reed shrugged.

Reed looked at Theo, then at Kyria. He shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. “How, uh…are you feeling all right, Kyria?”

Kyria favored him with a small smile. “Yes. I am. I just, I don’t know, feel a little dazed. When I think about what I did and said last night…it was so strange. It feels almost as if it were a dream.”

“You gave me cold chills,” Rafe said, smiling. “When you held up that diamond and starting calling on the goddess…” He gave an exaggerated shiver. “I hope to never get you angry.”

Kyria grimaced.

“What are you going to do with that diamond, Kyria?” Theo asked curiously.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the stone. She rubbed her thumb over it. “I have been thinking about that. It’s beautiful, but I don’t think it’s meant to be kept in a safe. You know where I thought it would fit best?”

“Where?”

“That clearing in the woods near Broughton Park, the one with the stones?”

“Ah.” The others nodded, thinking of the secluded grove with its silent, eerie grouping of stones.

“It seems the sort of place where the goddess belongs. One of the stones has a deep hollow, and I think I will put it right in there.”

“I think you’re right.” Rafe leaned closer to her and planted a kiss on her forehead.

“Kyria!”

They all looked up as Con and Alex pelted into the room.

“Are you all right?” Alex asked.

“Reed said we had to be quiet around you,” Con said. “Is that true?”

Kyria smiled and pulled her brothers close for a hug. “No. But you have to let me give you an extra hug and not wriggle away.”

“Ah, Kyria…” they chorused, blushing.

They stayed for a few minutes, showing Kyria the interesting things they had picked up in the garden this morning, and then Theo and Reed shooed them out.

“I think it’s time we let Kyria have a little of that rest and quiet,” Reed said, firmly guiding his younger brothers out the door.

Theo, with a grin and a wink at Kyria and Rafe, followed. For the first time today, Rafe and Kyria were alone.

Kyria looked down at her hands. She still felt tired from the events of the previous night. But that was not the only reason she had been so quiet.

Rafe had held her in his arms all through the night, and it had been glorious. She had felt safe and secure and warm, and she knew that she never wanted it to stop. She loved Rafe, and she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. She understood now why people married. She could not imagine anything more wonderful than spending the rest of her life with Rafe.

But Rafe had never spoken a word of love to her. No matter how tightly he had held her, no matter how sweetly he had kissed her, he had not said he loved her
or wanted to marry her. She knew he had enjoyed the passion between them, but surely that was not enough to keep him.

Their adventure was over. He had no more reason to stay. Soon he would set out on his tour of Europe again, and then she would lose him. The thought filled Kyria with sadness.

Rafe stood up and walked away from her, then turned and walked back. “Uh, Kyria…I, um, I had something I wanted to talk to you about.”

Kyria’s heart felt like lead in her chest.
He is going to tell me he is leaving!
She could not raise her eyes to him, and she was afraid that she would start to cry.

“All right,” she said, struggling to keep the tears from her voice.

“You know, when I came to England, I was meaning to travel all around Europe. And the thing is, I think it would be better with someone to guide me. You know, someone sophisticated. So what I was thinking was that, well, maybe you’d like to do that with me.”

“What?” His words were so far from what she had expected that Kyria raised her head and stared at him.
Is he asking me to be his mistress?
The idea pierced her heart.

“We’d have to delay it, of course, for a few more months. I know you would want a bang-up wedding. But then, the trip would make a nice honeymoon.”

“Honeymoon!” Kyria gaped, barely able to believe her ears. “Honeymoon! Are you…are you asking me…”

“Ah, hell, Kyria, I’m no good at this,” Rafe said candidly. He plunged his hand into his pocket and brought out a box.

Walking back to her, he sank down on one knee in
front of her, opened the box and held it out to her. Kyria’s hand flew to her lips as she stared at the large, sparkling emerald ring.

“A ring! You bought me a ring!”

“Yeah. That’s where I was yesterday afternoon. I know I should ask your father’s permission and all that, but I figured I better ask you first or you’d have my hide. So I went to find you a ring. I wanted one that would suit you. I know a lot of women prefer diamonds, but this looked like you to me. You see, it’s almost exactly the color of your eyes.”

“It’s beautiful,” Kyria said in a shaky voice, tears starting in her eyes.

“Oh, here, now, don’t cry,” Rafe exclaimed, and brought her hand to his lips to kiss. “If you don’t want to marry me, just say so. I know your family might not approve, since I’m an American with no title. But there is all that silver—I can support you. And nobody could love you more than I. Before I met you, I didn’t think I could love anyone or anything again. The war killed something in me. I had no heart, no home. Then you dropped into my life, literally. And I knew then that you are my heart. Wherever you are is my home. I love you, Kyria.”

“Oh, Rafe! Rafe! I didn’t know you loved me! You never said so. I thought you were going to tell me you were leaving.”

“Leaving!” Rafe stared at her, then laughed. “No, I’m not going anywhere. Even if you turn me down, I’ll just stick around and keep on trying. That’s the way I am.” He paused, then prodded gently, “Well,
will
you marry me?”

“Yes!” Kyria beamed. “Of course I’ll marry you. I love you desperately.”

“You don’t need to do it desperately.” Rafe grinned and stood up, pulling Kyria up into his arms. “Just do it forever.”

“I will. Forever.”

F
or those of you who like to separate fact from fiction:

The Emperor Constantine, his vision, the battle standard, the battles between him and the other emperors, and his tolerance for the early Christian Church can all be found in history books, although I have presented them here in a much-shortened and compressed version. Sadly, the sacking of Constantinople and the plunder of its churches’ treasures by the Western knights during the Fourth Crusade is also true. The worship of a powerful goddess, variously named Inanna, Astarte, Ishtar, etc., flourished in ancient Mesopotamia and the surrounding areas, and the tale of her descent into the underworld and rebirth were, in some form, part of that worship.

However, the reliquary of this book and its contents, the black diamond known as the Heart of Night, the Keepers, the twisted version of the ceremony performed herein, as well as all the characters and events in this book, are entirely figments of my imagination and, as they say, bear no resemblance to any actual person or persons, living or dead.

Candace Camp