„For almost three days. We’ve been docked in St. Louis
since the night the Mary L went down.“
„The Mary L,“ she whispered. She closed her eyes and
then quickly opened them again as the horrifying visions of
that night came back to her. „How many were lost?“
„We don’t know exactly. At least four passengers and ten
crew members. Robert says it’s a miracle more didn’t perish.
Quite a few of the crew suffered bad burns.“ His face clouded.
„A few died after we docked here in St. Louis. We weren’t
able to move all the survivors to the hospital immediately so
the parish priest has been coming daily to hear confession and
give last rites.“
Silver swallowed. What a tragic loss of life Bassin-ger had
brought about. So much suffering. „I can help.“ She struggled
to a sitting position and started to toss the covers aside.
He stopped her again. „They don’t need your help. There
are any number of volunteer nurses watching over the victims,
and they’ll be moving the last of them to the hospital this
afternoon, You stay where you are.“
He stood up and poured a small quantity of water into a
goblet from a pitcher on the nightstand. He knelt beside her
and held the glass to her lips. „Drink. I’ve been moistening
your lips with water while you slept, but you have to be
thirsty.“
She was thirsty. She took a careful sip and then another.
„You’ve stayed here with me?“
He nodded. „Since we arrived in St. Louis and had ample
help for the survivors.“
She looked at him wonderingly. „Why?“
He deliberately gave her almost the same answer she had
given him in the saloon of the Mary L. „How could I leave?
You were still here.“
She could only stare at him as the silence resonated with
his words. She could feel her heart start to pound and she
moistened her lips with her tongue. His dark eyes were gentle,
deep, holding her gaze effortlessly. „I don’t understand you.“
„And I don’t understand you,“ he said softly. „But I think
it’s time we started. We’ve been strangers too long.“ He set the
goblet back on the nightstand but remained kneeling by her
side. „Tell me about Hell’s Bluff.“
She frowned in puzzlement. He had started to ask her
something about Hell’s Bluff in the carriage the night
Bassinger had forced her on board the Mary L. „Hell’s Bluff is
a mining town near Killara.“
„I know that,“ Nicholas said impatiently. „I want to know
about what happened there. You told Valentin you had never
met a count before, but that couldn’t have been true. You had
to have known Andre Marzonoff.“
„Andre Marzonoff? Well, I didn’t actually know him,“ she
said slowly. „And I forgot he was a count. It was a long time
ago.“
Nicholas looked away from her. „What do you mean, you
didn’t know him? You watched him die.“
„No, we were too late. Elspeth was there and tried to stop
it, but Dominic and I came too late. He was already dead when
we got to the hanging tree.“
„The hanging tree?“
„It’s a huge oak tree on the edge of Hell’s Bluff. Elspeth
found out that the vigilantes were going to lynch Marzonoff
and she was very upset. She told me they had become friends
and, if he had stolen a horse, it was because he didn’t
understand that it was wrong.“ Silver shook her head. „He
must have been very stupid.“
„He wasn’t particularly clever.“ Nicholas stopped to clear
his throat. „What connection did Dominic Delaney have with
the lynching?“
„He didn’t know anything about it. He was at Rina’s.“
„The madam?“
Silver nodded. „I ran to get him because I knew he could
stop the lynching if anyone could. I was afraid Elspeth would
get hurt and – “ She stopped. „You knew this Marzonoff?“
„He was my cousin.“
„Then I’m sorry I called him stupid. I didn’t really know
him, but anyone who would steal a horse in a town like Hell’s
Bluff must have been.“ She gazed at him, thinking hard. „It
was so long ago, but Elspeth said something….“
His gaze flew back to meet her own. „What?“
She bit her lower lip. „I just don’t remember. It wasn’t
important at the time. I think she said Mar-zonoff said
something about a Nicholas right before he died. I guess you’ll
have to ask her.“
„But I can’t ask her,“ he said dryly. „She’s in the company
of your elusive uncle.“
Her expression became wary. „And I won’t tell you where
he is.“
„That has been established.“ A corner of his lips curved in a
crooked smile. „It may no longer be necessary if you can tell
me why Charles Durbin would send me a letter telling me
Dominic Delaney was responsible for my cousin’s death.“
„Durbin!“ Silver’s eyes widened in surprise and then
glittered with anger. „Why, that yellow bastard.“
„You know the gentleman?“
„Dominic shot his son. It was a fair fight, but Durbin put a
price on his head anyway. When Elspeth told him she’d blow
his head off if he didn’t leave Dominic alone, he backed off
but – “
„The women of your family seem to be of a singularly
violent temperament.“
„He deserved it,“ Silver said fiercely. „He was probably
afraid to send any more bounty hunters after Dominic, so he
snooped around until he found out about your cousin and then
tried to get you to go after him. You couldn’t have been stupid
enough to believe anything that weasel told you?“
„If you recall, I had no acquaintance with Durbin or any of
you. I had to rely on the Randall Investigative Agency and
they – “
„Are fools,“ Silver said flatly.
„Exactly.“
„But you’re a fool, too, for not asking me before this. I
could have told you what happened.“
„I believe you swore you wouldn’t tell me anything,“
Nicholas said wearily. „And I would scarcely have trusted any
story you’d seen fit to regale me with when I first met you.
You told me yourself you would only lie to me.“
He was right, Silver thought. „But you believe me now?“
she whispered.
„Yes,“ he said quietly. „Because you also said you would
be honest with someone who had your respect. Whatever else
we feel, I think there’s no doubt that we’ve fought our way
through to respect for each other.“
There was silence in the room.
„Dominic didn’t want your cousin to die,“ she finally said
haltingly. „He would have saved him if he could have. Do you
understand?“
Nicholas gazed at her without answering.
„You can ask Elspeth.“ She hesitated, the ingrained distrust
of a lifetime struggling with instinct and the desire to ease his
troubled mind. Then she rushed on, „You can find her and
Dominic in Tyre. They’re going on one final expedition before
they go home to Killara.“
A sudden brilliant smile lit Nicholas’s face. „Thank you,
but I don’t think it will be necessary to see them. I know what
I came here to find out.“ His hand reached out and gently
stroked the dark hair at her temple. „Poor Silver, it wasn’t easy
to tell me this, was it? Neither one of us is very good at trust.“
His smile became bittersweet. „I suppose we’ve both learned
it’s safer not to let anyone too close.“
He was trying to tell her something beyond what his words
were conveying, but she couldn’t grasp what it was. They were
too far apart, she thought in despair. Strangers. She looked
away. „I can’t stay here. I have to get back to the circus.“
He frowned impatiently. „You can wait until you heal.“