She forced herself to think logically. "Well, no wonder you wanted to find the diary, Mr. Chillhurst. You clearly have a claim on it. You have no doubt been pursuing it for years. You must have been exceedingly annoyed when you discovered that I had located it first."
"Chillhurst will do, if you cannot bring yourself to call me Jared."
"Whatever." Olympia struggled to produce a brisk, cheerful smile. "I must say, this opens up a whole new avenue of inquiry for us."
Jared gave her a blank look. "It does?"
"Certainly." Olympia jumped to her feet and went to stand at the window. She clasped her hands behind her back and gazed out into the tiny walled garden. She was about to take a calculated risk and she knew she had to be very cautious.
"I do not comprehend your meaning, Olympia."
Olympia took a deep breath. "Your knowledge of family history may well give me some very useful clues, sir. It could assist me in deciphering the diary."
"I doubt it. My knowledge of family history is limited to a series of Banbury tales concerning Captain Jack and his ridiculous exploits."
Olympia's nails dug into her palms. She must convince Jared to let her continue with her work on the diary. It was the only excuse she had for maintaining a connection with him.
"One never knows, sir," she said. "I might be able to use some of the information in those tales to make sense out of various odd phrases in the diary."
"Do you think so?" Jared sounded dubious.
"Yes, I am certain of it." Olympia swung around to face him. "I am quite willing to continue my work on the diary, sir. I will be more than happy to share my conclusions with you. I understand that the secret of the hidden treasure belongs to your family."
Jared's expression hardened. "Olympia, I don't give a damn about the secret of the Lightbourne diary. I have tried to make that clear."
"Of course you care about it," she insisted. "You went to a great deal of trouble to find the diary and to insinuate yourself into this household so that you could learn the secret. I want you to know that I comprehend precisely why you deceived me."
"You do?"
"Yes, and I must tell you that I think your scheme was a very clever one, sir. It would have worked brilliantly if you had not encountered Lady Beaumont this afternoon."
"Only you could make excuses for my behavior, Olympia."
"Hardly excuses, sir. Now that I consider the matter, your actions make excellent sense to me."
"You must be wondering why I did not content myself with remaining a tutor," Jared said quietly. "You are no doubt asking yourself why I seduced you."
Olympia laced her fingers together and lifted her chin. "No, Mr. Chillhurst. I am not asking myself that particular question."
"Why not?" Jared got up from the chair. "Most women in your position would."
"I already know the answer." Olympia was intensely aware of him.
"Do you? And what is the answer, Olympia? How do you explain my conduct? We both know very well that I have not behaved as a gentleman should behave. Most would say that I have taken advantage of you."
"That is entirely untrue." Olympia glowered at him. "We took advantage of each other, sir."
Jared's mouth curved ruefully. "Did we?"
"Yes. We are both of the world, sir. We knew what we were about. Indeed, if anyone is to blame for what transpired between us, it is I."
"You?" He stared, astounded.
She blushed but met his gaze steadily. "You are a gentleman, sir, but I sensed at once that you were also a man of excessive passions. I fear I took advantage of that fact."
Jared cleared his throat. "Excessive passions?"
"It is no doubt a family trait," Olympia said kindly. "After all, you are a descendant of Mr. Ryder and from everything I have read about him, he was, indeed, a man of fierce emotions."
"Allow me to tell you that you are very likely the only person on the face of the earth who sees me as a man of excessive passions, Olympia." Jared's mouth twisted in rueful amusement. "In point of fact, I am considered a rather dull sort."
"Nonsense. Anyone who says that does not know you very well, sir."
"My entire family holds precisely that opinion. And they are not the only ones. Lady Beaumont does, also."
Olympia was momentarily distracted. "That brings up another matter I wish to discuss. Who is Lady Beaumont? An old friend of yours?"
Jared turned and walked back to Olympia's desk without a word. He propped himself against it and folded his arms across his chest.
"Lady Beaumont was, until recently, Miss Demetria Seaton," he said without any sign of emotion. "Three years ago she and I were engaged for a short while."
"Engaged." For some reason that news shook Olympia more than anything else that had happened thus far. "I see."
"Do you?"
"She is very beautiful." Olympia tried to force back a rising tide of panic.
The knowledge that Jared had once loved the lovely Demetria was difficult to handle. Until now, Olympia realized, she had not really considered the fact that there had been other women in his life. She had known that he was not entirely without experience in such matters, but she had not allowed herself to contemplate the notion that he might have actually loved another woman. Loved her enough to become engaged to her.
"For various reasons which I will not bore you with today, Demetria and I decided we did not suit," Jared said.
"Oh." Olympia could not think of anything else to say.
"The engagement was ended shortly after it was announced. There was very little gossip about it because the whole event took place at my family seat on the Isle of Flame, not in London. A year ago, she married Beaumont and that is all there is to it."
"Oh." Olympia could not think of anything to say to that, either. She knew instinctively that there was much more to the story but she also knew she had no right to pry. "Well, I suppose that is neither here nor there."
"Precisely."
"However," Olympia plowed on, determined to stick to important matters, "we are left with an unfortunate situation because of the fact that Lady Beaumont recognized you this afternoon."
"I would not call it unfortunate," Jared said. "Perhaps awkward would be a better term."
"Yes, well, whatever. The point is, we must deal with the matter."
"I have a suggestion." Jared watched her intently.
"So do I." Olympia began to pace the small study. "The answer is obvious."
"It is?"
"Of course. We must pack and leave for Upper Tudway immediately."
"If that is your wish, we can certainly do so. However, leaving town will not solve the problem."
"Yes, it will." Olympia shot him a quelling glare. "If we are quick about it, we can be gone before we are obliged to confront any more of your friends or associates. Back in Upper Tudway you may continue to pass yourself off as a tutor."
"I do not think—"
"I can continue to work on the diary," she said enthusiastically. "Everything will be as it was before we came to London."
"May I remind you that it was your plan to pass ourselves off as a married couple in the event we were discovered?"
Olympia reddened. "I am well aware that this is all my fault, sir. But in fairness, I must point out that my plan would have worked very well had you been what you appeared, a gentleman of modest means and birth. It is the fact that you are a viscount and heir to an earldom that muddles the thing."
"I know," Jared said apologetically.
"No one would have cared a jot about our relationship before this. Now, however, your title and position makes our situation gossip fodder for the polite world."