“That can’t have been easy.”
“The years when those people were dying were the most difficult time, I think, because I had to let go of relationships that I had formed naturally. By that I mean I had grown close to those people without knowing that I would become such a changed creature. Anyone I met after I first visited the estate of Lord Varre-well, if I met someone new, I was fully aware of what was at risk.”
He fell silent, and put his head in his hands.
“So you kept your distance.”
“That was for the best,” he answered absently.
“Did you grow homesick?”
“Hmm?” He looked up at her and said, “Sorry, I was lost in memories there for a moment. What did you ask?”
“Did you miss England?”
“For a time. When I returned, the England I had known was gone. People, times, places-the world does not stand still. Nothing remains unchanged.” He gave her a wry smile. “Other than yours truly.”
“I don’t believe that’s true. Physically, you may be the same, but you can’t tell me that you’ve remained unchanged.”
“You’re right, of course.”
“You’ve adapted remarkably, really-you know how to use a cell phone and computers and other modern things.”
He laughed. “It isn’t as if I’m a time traveler, you know. I wasn’t suddenly taken from the nineteenth century and dropped into this one. Besides, I confess to a fondness for gadgets. And you are forgetting the desert house.”
“No, I don’t think I’ll ever forget the desert house.” She moved closer to him.
He watched her, almost warily, she thought. She took one of his hands.
She stroked his fingers. He seemed to relax a little.
She studied those fingers, and said, “In the papers you gave me, your history-you said you couldn’t remove the memento mori-the mourning ring.”
“For a long time, I couldn’t. Then I found a way.”
“How?”
He hesitated, then said, “Colby hinted to me that it was possible. So I started to search for a method. Among Adrian’s papers, I found a great many works on sorcery and necromancy. Most of those writings seemed to me to be utter nonsense. But now and again-very rarely, mind you-I came across something that…”
She waited, trying to make herself still and quiet so that he would continue. After several moments, he said, “Now and again I would find a passage that almost seemed to call to me. Whatever language it was in, I could read and understand it. You might show me another page in the same work, and I would find it unfathomable.
“One of these passages concerned the removal of the ring. I said the chant, not knowing exactly what might happen once the ring was off. Would I age? Fall down dead? I would have considered either a good outcome. As I said the final words, the ring slid easily from my finger. I felt a great relief-but I was dismayed to learn that removing the ring did not change my situation in the least.”
“Did you destroy it?”
“No. It’s hidden.”
Before he could say more, she held up a hand and said, “I won’t ask!”
“Thank you, Amanda. The ring is so dangerous, you see.”
“I understand.”
He smiled. “As no one else does.” He studied her for a long moment, then said her name as a whisper.
They heard Shade growl and they broke away from each other.
“The chaperones?” Tyler asked, looking in the direction the dog was staring.
“Yes,” she said. She sighed and stood up. The ghosts disappeared.
“Maybe we should have a talk with them,” Tyler said, standing beside her.
“I suppose you’re right. Tonight?”
“Yes-although-”
“If you have to work, I’ll just wait for you.”
He looked toward the dog. “Shade’s not growling now, so I take it they aren’t looming too close?”
“No. They’re over by the fireplace now.”
“Just being protective, I suppose.” He seemed lost in some kind of troubling thought.
“Tyler?”
“You won’t mind if Alex drives you down to your house today, will you, Amanda?”
“No, not if it will make you feel better.”
“Thank you-I would be worried otherwise.”
“You still seem kind of tense to me. What else is on your mind?”
She heard him swallow hard. “Once you’re there-you will come back?”
She looked up at him. Was he oblivious to how she felt about him? She wasn’t the one who had become distant. Men. “Yes, I’ll come back.”
She saw the relief go through him, but then he said, “I-I understand that I’ve seemed, well, reticent. And if that reticence has hurt you, Amanda, I’m so sorry. It’s just-this is something new for me. I wasn’t expecting this. I want to be sure I’m not putting you in danger.”
“If you think I’m going to let those thugs who beat up Brad rule my life-”
“No, no. Of course not.”
“Well, I don’t mean to say you’re afraid of them either.”
She saw him tense.
“I’ve said something wrong, haven’t I?” she said.
“No, but remember-courage is one of the many virtues I can’t lay claim to.”
“Listen to me, Tyler-I’m serious about this. How many people could cope with half of what you encounter in the average day? Or have the strength of mind to adapt over centuries, or to face loss after loss, and solitude, and all the other things that are part of your life? So don’t ever tell me you lack courage.”
He smiled. “See what comes of knowing my secrets, Amanda? You’ve been burdened with my complaints.”
“Not at all. I like learning more about you.”
He traced a finger over her eyebrow. “Just be patient with me, if you can.”
“Likewise.”
“I want to learn more about you, too. Perhaps we could use this time-until we can figure out how to rid ourselves of our chaperones-to get to know each other better.”
“Yes. I like that idea.”
“Good.”
He was, she thought, caught between his attraction to her and a nearly two-hundred-year-old habit of not allowing himself to get too close to anyone. Talk about commitment challenged! This was not going to be easy, but hell if she was going to give up on him.
The intercom buzzed. Tyler answered and listened. “Excellent. We’ll meet you in the library.”
When he hung up he said, “Alex has a report for us on Eduardo Leblanc.”
38
None of Brad’s friends has seen Eduardo Leblanc recently,” Alex said to the group gathered in the library-Tyler, Amanda, Brad, and Ron. Rebecca was a no-show. “In fact, Brad seems to have been the last person to see him.”
“You think he’s moved?” Amanda said.
“Or is dead,” Ron put in. “These people obviously play rough.”
“Hard to say,” Alex said. “For all I know, Eduardo’s still alive.” She handed a photo to Brad. “Is that him?”
Brad studied it. “Wow. He’s younger in this photo, but yes, that’s him.”
She handed the photo to Tyler. The photo had been taken on a ship. A handsome, dark-haired young man smiled at the photographer. It was hard to gauge his build-cradling a dive helmet in his arms, he was dressed in a deep-sea diving suit.
“Eduardo Leblanc has a habit of showing up in places and then disappearing for a while,” Alex said. “He’s traveled throughout Europe, especially in England, Spain, and Italy.”