Authors: Gloria Harchar
"
My lady, I
'
m worried about my son. He went into partnership with Hill about ten months ago. There has been a rash of piracy during the past three months. I believe Hill is involved, but my son won
'
t listen to me. He thinks Hill walks on water.
"
"
Sir, I believe you have every reason to worry.
"
She tapped her chin.
"
What sort of shipments has your son lost?
"
"
Most recently silks from India along with musk from China.
"
"
Quite costly, I see.
"
Shaking her head,
Nicola
frowned.
"
My husband could surely help in—
"
As if her thoughts had conjured him up, the air suddenly sparked with a familiar energy.
Malcolm
had walked into the room. She turned to see him bearing down on her. His fierce scowl did the opposite of its intention.
She gave
Malcolm
a bright smile.
"
Speak of the devil, there
'
s my wonderful husband now.
"
If possible, his scowl became even darker. But that was better than icy indifference.
"
My lord, this is Walter Busby. Mr. Busby has been telling me about his son
'
s partnership with Mr. Hill. Their shipping company has been losing vast sums of money.
"
"
Have you now decided to open a salon to advise men of business, my dear?
"
She cocked her head.
"
Quite ingenious of you to suggest it, my lord.
"
Busby
'
s
eyes
widened.
"
So, the rumors are true.
"
"
What rumors?
"
Malcolm
asked.
"
That...
that you indulge your lovely wife
'
s every whim.
"
Malcolm
stared at the man a moment, seemingly nonplussed,
and then
grasped
Nicola
gently by the arm.
"
We have another engagement, my dear. If you will excuse us?
"
He didn
'
t wait for a response from Busby, but hustled her toward the door.
"
I will have word for you about this matter soon, Mr. Busby,
"
she called over her shoulder before being swept outside.
After retrieving her wrap,
Malcolm
escorted her onto the hazy street.
"
I
'
m almost reluctant to discover what you were doing in there.
"
She saw that Gaspar, who had insisted on escorting her, had left her coachman and was holding the reins of
Malcolm
'
s black Arabian.
"
Did Gaspar send for you, then?
"
"
He was instructed to keep me abreast of your activities.
"
As they approached the carriage, he turned to the large man.
"
Gaspar, ride Mohammed home.
"
"
Yes
, my lord.
"
Waving away the footman,
Malcolm
assisted her into the town coach himself.
Nicola
arranged her skirts, unable to help a flash of memory about the last time she
'
d been in the carriage alone with
Malcolm
.
"
Don
'
t even try to divert me.
"
She stared at him.
"
You can read my thoughts? Are my pixies talking to you after all?
"
"
Don
'
t be ridiculous.
I
can read your mind close enough. Your cheeks are flushed and your
eyes
are passion-filled. But you are not going to divert me with your charms.
"
"
My charms?
"
Oh, how she wished he
'
d be moved by them.
"
What, madam, were you doing at the Textile Guild?
"
Suppressing her hopes, she concentrated on the business at hand.
"
I
'
m investigating misconceptions about you, one by one.
"
Rubbing his chin, he contemplated her.
"
I need to find something for you to do, other than meddle in my affairs.
"
She stared at him.
"
Don
'
t you care at all, my lord? Hill is at it again.
"
"
What are you blathering about, my dear?
"
"
Mr. Hill stole from you, and now he has found another dupe.
"
"
I
'
m no man
'
s dupe.
"
She squinted at him in the cool interior of the carriage, determined to get to the bottom of his
abstinence
to be labeled a crook, a blackmailer and a black-hearted man.
"
I know you didn
'
t steal from him.
"
"
How?
"
"
Because I
'
m beginning to understand your character.
"
At the shake of his head, she smiled.
"
And I admit I saw the ship logs you had in your study. The captain was very detailed.
"
He stared at her, his
eyes
narrowed, but otherwise showing no emotion.
"
Sneaky. I will have to remember that my new wife is devious.
"
The coach turned onto another street, causing
Nicola
to sway in her seat.
"
Why, the captain
'
s detailed accounts of meeting with Mr. Hill and the arrangements they made for the stolen goods are amazing.
"
"
Captain Emerson was punctilious, if a bit corrupt.
"
"
Do not fret,
Malcolm
. I will make sure the truth of the matter is printed in the
Times.
Your reputation will be restored.
"
"
Very admirable, my dear, for you to worry so on my
account. But rest assured you will report nothing to the newspapers.
"
"
Why not?
"
"
Because I happen to like my reputation.
"
"
Why?
"
Here was what she
'
d guessed at, and she wondered if he would tell her the truth.
"
It makes me invincible, so to speak. The problem with most people is that they don
'
t
want a black reputation, which makes them vulnerable to blackmail and coercion. But since I don
'
t give a damn, nobody can control me.
"
She frowned,
and then
decided to push harder.
"
There is more, my lord.
"
"
How so?
"
"
You think you killed your brother and, therefore, believe you deserve to be an outcast.
"
The pain that darkened his
eyes
was so swift she might have missed it if she hadn
'
t been staring intently at him. As it was, the condescending smile that curved his lips made her wonder.
"
I really am going to have to find a hobby for you. And not analysis of the human mind.
"
How was she going to penetrate this icy shell around him? A strange desperation caught her. Hawkers called out to potential customers as gravel crunched under the wheels of the carriage—common, everyday sounds of normalcy that contrasted the situation inside the coach. She couldn
'
t shake the feeling that she had to save
Malcolm
, or else he would die of a broken heart.
"
If you aren
'
t willing to help yourself, then you will surely assist young Mr. Busby.
"
"
You keep trying to paint me the saint, but you
'
ve got the colors all wrong. Don
'
t you know Lucifer
'
s color is black?
"