Her Counterfeit Husband (34 page)

As the act came to an end,
he forced aside any thoughts of
how depressing it was to know how quickly he could be replaced.  His life here hadn’t mattered. 
The realization only added to the impersonal feeling he got from being in London.  The only place he seemed to matter was with Anna, and maybe that was why he was ultimately led here, to realize that his place was with her.  Even if he didn’t turn out to be the long-lost twin of Jason Merrill, he was meant to take the title.  He’d never given thought to whether or not he believed in coincidences, but perhaps it was time to admit there was a purpose for everything.

He turned his attention back to the circus ring where the acrobats left and Iron Jim returned to the center to announce the next act.  His ears perked up at the mention of Willi
e’s name.  Though he had gray
hair, Willie maintained a bounce in his step as he came to the center.  Following him were clowns who made a show of clumsily setting up a table for him and bringing an assortment o
f balls and fruits to place on the table.

According to Iron Jim, Willie was
the
best
juggler in the entire world
.  W
hile that might have been
an
exaggeration to impress the audience, Jason had to admit Willie was skilled at his job.  When he was done juggling the items on the
table, Iron Jim boasted that Willie could juggle anything and asked the audience what they’d like to see him juggle.  One gentleman suggested knives.

Jason didn’t think Iron Jim would allow it since it seemed unnecessarily dangerous, but Iron Jim seemed more than happy to prove that Willie could do it.  “Ah,
a
very wise choice.  What is your name, sir?” Iron Jim asked.

“
Mister Robinson,” the gentleman called out.

“Very good, Mister Robinson.” Iron Jim turned to one of the clowns.  “Bring out the knives!”

The audience grew silent and watched as a clown brought the knives out.

“And just so no one thinks the knives are fake, I’ll cut my very own hat,” Iron Jim said and proceeded to do as promised.

A drum roll accompanied Willie as he lifted the fou
r knives and juggled them.  T
he impressed gasps didn’t go unnoticed by Jason who couldn’t take his eyes off of Willie, just as hypnotized by him as the others were.

When Willie was done, the crowd cheered, and Iron Jim held up his hand to silence
everyone.  “Maybe someone
can come up with something a little more challenging.  Knives, after all, are too easy, aren’t they, Willie?”

“They are, but I love how well they
cut fruit,” Willie replied.

Willie then picked up two knives and two apples, and while juggling, he cut one apple and ate slices of it, not missing a beat the entire time.  When he was done eating both apples, he set the knives down and bowed for the cheering crowd.

“But that’s too simple.  You need something harder than that,” Iron Jim said with a hearty laugh.  “Now, who can come up with something harder?”

“Fire!”

Iron Jim clapped his hands together and rubbed them.  “Ah, a gentleman who lives a little more dangerously.  What is your name, sir?”

“Lord Edon.”

“Bring out the fire,” Iron Jim called out to the clowns.
  “I bet Lord Edon doesn’t believe Willie can do it, but we don’t call Willie ‘the juggler who can juggle anything’ for no reason.  We assure you, my lord, that we don’t make the boast
in vain.”

The clowns
lit three torches and brought them to Willie.  Willie took the torches one by one and tossed them in the air, quickly establishing a rhythm.

“Are you challenged yet?” Iron Jim asked him.

Willie shook his head.  “It’s too simple!”

The crowd laughed and cheered while Iron Jim called for another torch.  So
on Willie had added another
before he juggled other items.

After Willie was done, Jason decided he should talk to him, even though the circus wasn’t over.  He suspected the best time to get a word in private with Willie was when Iron Jim had the audience to think about.  He quickly got up
and maneuvered through the people
until he reached the ground
.  He followed Willie until he caught up with him.

“Excuse me?  Sir, may I have a word with you?”

Willie turned around, his face turning white before he exhaled and laughed.  “Forgive me.  For a moment, I thought I saw a ghost.  What is your title so I may address you correctly?”

“You might remember me.  Does the nam
e Alastair sound familiar
?”

“But your clothes…your hair…” He shook his head.  “You can’t be him.”

“So you did know someone by that name?”

Willie glanced around them and grabbed his arm.  Jason was ready to protest since his grip was painful, but Willie pushed him into a room and shut the door.  Since it was dark, Jason couldn’t make out his surroundings, but Willie started whispering, taking his mind off the darkness.

“If this is your idea of a joke, it’s not a good one.”

Jason frowned.  “I’m not joking.  I don’t remember anything about my past, but I found so
meone who told me enough to believe
you might know an important piece of it.”

“Don ‘the fire eater’?”

“No
,” he lied, in a hurry to protect him.

“Of course it was him.  There’s no one else it could have been, but that doesn’t matter to me.  You must never come back here, and you must never mention Don.  Do you understand?”

“Yes
, but I need you to answer something very important for me.  You’re the only person who knows, which is why I came here.”

Willie took a deep breath and released it.  “If you try to go to someone with my answer, I’ll deny ever talking to you.  Understood?”

“Yes.  I won’t
mention you.”

“Good.  It was hard enough to leave you for dead in that forest.”

Not expecting this, Jason pressed, “You left me for dead?  Were you also responsible for my injuries?”

“Any you sustained from being dropped off the horse as I rode through the forest to get rid of you, yes, but Iron Jim was the one who did the beating.  You let Don get away.  It cut into his profits, and if there’s one thing Iron Jim doesn’t like, it’s losing money.  We still haven’t found a suitable replacement for
Don
.  Now do you understand why be
ing here is dangerous
if you
insist on calling yourself
Alastair?”

“Yes, but is that who I am?  Were my parents in the circus?”

He paused.  “Is that why you came here?  To ask about your real parents?”

“Yes.”

“And after I answer you, you’ll leave here to never return to this circus?”

“Yes.  I promise.”

“Very well.  The gentleman who brought you here was a duke. 
The
Duke of Watkins.  He had a cloak on to protect his identity.  He didn’t
know I recognized him, but he
was in the audience with his wife
a month before and wanted me to juggle rats.
  I
take it
you
saw my performance out there?”

“Yes.”

“Iron Jim always asks the names of anyone who makes a suggestion for my juggling routine.  It’s one of the ways he engages the audience.” He loosened his grip, much to Jason’s relief.  “The duke brought you here because you were a sickly child and the firstborn of twins.  He and his wife didn’t want a sickly child to
end up with the title, so he brought you to me.  I worked out the arrangements, but Iron Jim purchased you.  Does that answer you
r question?
”

“
You’re sure it was me?”

“My mind is as sharp today as it was back then.  I never forget a name or a face.”

Jason nodded, unsure of whether he was relieved or disappointed.  He had the birt
hright to the title
, but it was hard knowing his parents hadn’t wanted him.  Up to this point, it’d been a suspicion.  Now he knew the truth.  Swallowing the lump in his throat, he focused on Willie. 
“This conversation never happened,” Jason said.

“Good.  You do understand.”

Willie opened the door and peaked out of it, but before Jason had time to check out the room they were in, Willie whispered, “Stick to
the group of gentlemen heading for
the exit.”

Willie shoved hi
m out the door and shut it behind him
.  Jason glanced back at the door, figuring whatever was in that room wasn’t his concern and hurried to catch up to the gentlemen.  He s
lipped beside them without notice and left the circus.

It’d been a bittersweet experience.  On one hand, he’d been grante
d the answer he most needed, but
on the other, he’d
learned how expendable he was.  His parents hadn’t wanted him so they sold him to Iron Jim, and Iron Jim was so furious with him for helping Don escape that
he
beat him and ordered Willie to take him to a remote forest to dispose of his body.  Both times, he knew no one thought he’d survive.  Despite the bitter truth of what his life had been, he had the consolation in knowing Anna loved him.  She was waiting for him to return, and now that he had the answer he needed, he could.  Eager to see her, he quickened his pace.  In two days, he’d be home at Camden with Anna, which was exactly where he belonged.

T
wo nights later, Anna was asleep when she heard someone moving around in Jason’s bedchamber.  Through the fog of sleep, she stirred, reluctant to leave the dr
eam she had of holding her baby. 
In the dream,
Jason entered the room and sat beside her
on the settee
, tapping his foot on the floor.  It took her a moment to realize someone was walking around in Jason’s bedchamber, and as she woke up, she bolted up in her bed in excitement.  Jason was back!  He returned!

She climbed out of bed and slipped on her robe.  She quickly ran the brush through her hair and went to the door connecting
their rooms. 
She
flung the doo
r open and hurried into the room when
she
realized
something was wrong
.  She halted
and glanced around the dark room, lit only by the moonlight filtering through
one of
the window
s
.
  She tried to remember if all of the curtains had been
closed
or not
.  If she remembered right, they hadn’t been open since Jason left
.

Someone was in here
that shouldn’t be, and she knew better than to investigate on her own.
She
quickly
made her way back to her room and softly closed the
door.  She locked it and went to the cord to alert Appleton th
at she needed him.
A tense moment of silence passed before she
heard the sound of someone
breathing
from the corner of her room
. 
She
retrieved a candlestick from her vanity table and turned toward
the door that led to the hallway
. 
She swallowed the lump in her throat.  The shadowy figure
dragged a chair to the
door
and placed the back of it under the doorknob so no one could enter her room
.  She glanced at the door connectin
g her bedchamber with Jason’s.

The intruder
made a step toward her, and she inched to the door
.  If he slipped into her bedchamber while she was in
Jason’s room
, that
meant Jason’s room was the safest place for her to be.  She bit her lower lip and studied the shadowy figure.  Was he
closer than before?