Green Eyes (39 page)

“The hell I won’t! I—”

“I have the emeralds,” Julian said quietly. Anna stiffened, flicked a lightning glance up at him. It must be some kind of bluff.…

“You think you can return them, and I’ll forget the whole thing? Not bloody likely! I’ll see you hang if it’s the last thing I ever do! You—”

“And something else. Something that was secreted behind the lining of the pouch they were in. My mother’s marriage lines—to our father.”

It took a moment for the full import to sink into Julian’s listeners. When it did, Anna gasped in disbelief, Ruby looked bewildered, and Graham came away from the parlor door, fists clenched, face bellicose with rage.

“You lying scum! My father would never have wed your slut of a mother! She was a whore, and a—”

Julian moved so swiftly that Anna never even saw the blow that felled Graham. One minute Graham was ranting in the middle of the hall, and the next he had measured his length on the floor while Julian stood over him, his eyes as black and angry as a storm-tossed sea.

“I have endured all that I mean to of your insults. I won’t put up with another one of them.” It was a quiet warning. Anna, shivering as she looked from the victor to the vanquished, thought that Graham would do well to heed it. There was something in Julian’s eyes that spoke of a man pushed to the wall once too often.

“You’re lying. D’you think I’m such a flat as to take your word for such a thing? If it’s true, then show me those marriage lines. I have a right to see them—if they exist.”

Julian looked no less dangerous, but he stepped a pace or so back from Graham. Then his gaze shifted, moving farther along the hall. Raja Singha stood there, his expression impassive. So involved was she in the drama of what was happening that Anna had not even noticed him before that moment.

“Fetch me the leather case at the bottom of my wardrobe,” Julian said shortly to Raja Singha, who bowed his turbaned head in acquiescence and moved swiftly up the stairs. Julian’s gaze moved back to Graham.

“Get up,” he said brusquely. “You look like the ass you are, lying there.”

Graham, his face contorted with anger, said nothing as he scrambled to his feet.

“I’ll never accept you as my brother. Never!”

Julian shrugged. “Only a stupid man won’t accept the truth.”

Graham’s eyes narrowed at the implied insult, but before he could reply Raja Singha returned with the leather case.

Until she set eyes on it, Anna had not been absolutely sure that Julian was telling the truth. When, and how, had he regained possession of the emeralds? He had said nothing about it.…

Raja Singha brought the case to Julian, who took it from him, flipped it open, and slid his hand behind the silk lining. He pulled out a yellowed square of paper, which he held up so that Graham could see it.

“Behold the marriage lines of one Nina Rachminov, spinster, to Thomas Harlington Traverne of Gordon Hall, dated January 2, 1797.” As Graham made as if to take the paper, Julian pulled it back and shook his head. “Oh, no, brother. Look but don’t touch.”

Graham did, and his face suddenly went pasty white. “It’s a forgery. It must be!”

“It isn’t.” Julian folded the paper and slid it back inside the case that had held its secret for thirty-five years. “I was born in November of 1797, and my mother died soon afterwards. Our father wed your mother some two years after that. You were born in 1801, and Paul was born in 1807. You do understand what that means? I am our father’s legitimate issue, and I am four years your elder. That makes me—
me,
Graham, not you—Lord Ridley, with all that that implies.”

As he delivered the blow Julian smiled almost sweetly at his brother.

“It’s not true,” Graham muttered, but from the stricken look on his face Anna knew he was beginning to believe. “It can’t be true! You’re nothing out a bloody gypsy!”

Julian looked dangerous again. “I’d watch my mouth if I were you.”

“I’ll fight it in every court in England!”

“That’s up to you.” Julian shrugged. “There’s something else you should realize. Since I am the rightful Lord Ridley, the Queen’s emeralds were and are mine. Therefore nothing was stolen from you, by myself or Anna or anyone else. So you may as well slink back to England with your tail between your legs and pray that I allow you to keep some part of what you no longer legally possess. Perhaps, when I come to claim my inheritance, I’ll be generous. Who knows? But not if I have to put up with you for a moment longer.”

Graham stared at his brother without speaking. Looking from one to the other, Anna was shocked to observe for the first time some small familial resemblance between them. There was something in their expressions, in the jut of their jaws and the taut set of their shoulders, that was alike. Shocked, Anna realized that what she was seeing was old Lord Ridley alive again in both of them.

Then it hit her: they truly were brothers. And she realized that, despite the fact that Julian had lived at Srinagar and claimed her as a relative, Anna had never quite believed his claim of kinship to Paul.

She’d thought him a charming rogue of a liar and had fallen in love with him anyway.

When what he truly was was Paul’s older brother—and the rightful Lord Ridley.

Dear God, what was this going to mean to her— to them?

Julian must have felt her eyes upon him because he glanced down at her, where she still stood by his side. His expression was not reassuring. It held anger and a touch of bitterness and some cynicism besides. But perhaps those emotions were there for Graham, and were not meant for her at all. Before she could decide, he had shifted his attention back to Graham.

“It’s time you left,” he said softly.

Graham regarded him for a moment, his mouth twitching. His hands were clenched by his sides, but Anna did not really fear violence: unless he was some kind of fool he would not physically attack Julian. Then Graham’s gaze moved to Anna.

“Are you going to allow yourself to be taken in by this—this charlatan?” he demanded, his voice harsh. “Since you are my sister-in-law, and your daughter my niece, I will give you this one chance to walk away from him and come with me. If not, if you choose to stay, then I warn you I will wash my hands of the both of you henceforth.”

“Good-bye, Graham,” Anna said from the shelter of Julian’s side. Graham stared at her furiously. But with nothing to threaten her with, and Julian clearly prepared to protect her physically, there was nothing he could do. Graham stared balefully from one to the other. Then, without a word, he finally stomped past Julian and out the door.

Anna held her breath as she listened to his footsteps retreating across the veranda. Moments later the sound of carriage wheels crunching down the drive caused her to breathe again. Incredible as it seemed, Graham had gone, and he had not succeeded in causing them harm.

Julian was frowning down at her. “Don’t worry, my offer still stands,” he said bitterly, then before she could reply he headed toward the stairs, which he took two at a time.

Anna, shaken by what she had seen in his eyes, was left alone with Ruby, who was staring after Julian with an expression of awe.

“Blimey,” the other woman breathed, casting Anna a sideways look. “A man like that, and ’im Lord Ridley to boot. Lovey, the day you met ’im must ’ave been the luckiest day of your life!”

XLIX

N
ow he would never know the truth. With a certain bitterness Julian faced that fact as he stashed the case holding the emeralds in one of the narrow drawers at the bottom of his wardrobe. Or, rather, he would suspect that he did know the truth, and the suspicion would drive him wild.

Of course, now Anna would be willing to marry him. Certainly she would. He was, after all, Lord Ridley, and a great deal of wealth came with the title. She could hardly do better for herself and Chelsea.

The pitiful thing was that, despite his knowledge of her motives, he was still willing to wed her. More than willing, in fact. Even if he was second-best to her, no more than a substitute for the husband who was forever lost to her, he was too besotted to let the knowledge stop him.

When had he turned into such a maudlin fool?

Disgusted with himself, he shut the wardrobe door with a snap and turned away, meaning to head downstairs. From there he would go outside and seek out some hard, physical work. Anything to distract himself from his thoughts.

Then he saw her.

She was standing in the doorway, one hand resting gracefully against the jamb, watching him. Clad in a simple lavender gown that he didn’t remember having seen before, her silvery hair pinned primly atop her head and her green eyes wide and troubled as they met his, she was so beautiful that he wanted to curse. A furious scowl darkened his face. She had made him love her, damn it, to the point of madness. But she refused to love him back in the way he wanted, and he could almost hate her for that.

Almost.

“Come to throw yourself at my feet?” Because he was hurting, he lashed out at her. The sneer in his voice pleased him.

“Yes.”

She was nothing if not surprising, his Anna. He had not expected her to admit it.

“You don’t have to worry. As I told you downstairs, my offer still stands.”

Those damnable green eyes were wide and grave as they met his. “I would have accepted by the pool if you’d stayed around a little longer.”

“I’m sure you would have.”

“I love you, Julian.” The soft words stabbed him like a spear through the heart. “I’ll be pleased and proud to marry you.”

“Don’t you mean Lord Ridley?” There was a satisfying bite to his voice that covered the pain in his heart. Lying bitch, he wanted to rage but didn’t. He was afraid to reveal too much of how he felt about her. If she ever realized how truly head over heels he was, she’d have the power to make his life a bloody hell.

“I mean
you,
whatever your name is. I love you.”

“Stop saying that!”

“Why should I? It’s the truth.” She came away from the door, walking determinedly toward him. When she was no more than a hand’s breadth away, she stopped and tilted her head back so that she could look him full in the eyes. “Julian, if you think I only want to marry you because I’ve discovered you have a title, and all the wealth and privilege that goes with it, then I have a suggestion for you.”

“What’s that?” It was all he could do not to grab her and throw her down on the bed and make love to her until they were both exhausted. Maybe then he’d manage to find some ease for his bruised pride and aching heart. They were good in bed together. Fantastic, in fact. Maybe he was a fool to want anything more. What could be sweeter than that hot explosion of passion that wiped away the world and everything in it? Her breath-stopping body was his for the taking. What the hell ailed him that he must continually hanker after her heart?

“Let Graham keep it.”

“What?” Either his mind was as befuddled as his emotions or she wasn’t making any sense.

“Why don’t we just stay here and forget about England and titles and family estates? Do you really want to be Lord Ridley and live in baronial splendor at Gordon Hall? The place is huge, and freezing cold in the winter, and the roof leaks. There’s the responsibility of the land, and the tenants, and the lord and his family must set a good example. Think how wearing! While here—here we can do as we please, you and me and Chelsea. There’s money enough, not as much as comes with being Lord Ridley, but if the new tea fields work out there should be substantially more someday. Besides, I’ve never been rich, and I don’t care about it. So if you want to be sure I’m marrying Julian Chase, and not Lord Ridley, then leave Lord Ridley to Graham, and you be my own dear Julian. Please.”

She had managed to surprise him yet again. Julian, frowning, stared down at the delicate face turned so pleadingly up to his. To just forget about being Lora Ridley—the notion was mind-boggling. All his life he had yearned for the title, with its connotations of legitimacy and worthiness and being somebody at last. As a despised gypsy boy, he had been so ashamed of the Rachminov family name that he had plucked Chase out of the air to please himself. The Traverne family name had seemed so far above him that he had not even considered using that. Now the name was his, rightfully his, and the title too—and Anna was suggesting that he just turn his back on it?

And on Gordon Hall, with its vast acres and wealth and respect? In favor of his despised half-brother Graham, with whom he had had a lifelong, bitter rivalry?

A rivalry in which he had now triumphed, hands down?

But he had to admit, the long-anticipated triumph had left a bitter taste in his mouth. This afternoon, when he had confronted Graham with the truth, had been the culmination of every daydream of revenge he’d ever had. But now that he had what he wanted, he suddenly found that it wasn’t enough.

His legitimacy, the title, and all that went with it meant little to him if Anna didn’t come with it. And not just her body. What he wanted from Anna was uncontested possession of her heart and mind and soul as well. He wanted her to love him, Julian Rachminov or Julian Chase or even Julian Traverne, Lord Ridley. But him. No one else. And without reservations.

“Well?” She was watching him intently.

Julian stared down at her for a moment longer.

“You must be joking,” he said at last, pulling her into his arms and grinning ruefully at his own avariciousness over the top of her head. But after all, why should he give up anything when he could have it all, and Anna too, if only he could drive the demon of jealousy from his heart? Which for both their sakes he meant to make a Herculean effort to do.

As she had said, Paul was dead, while he himself was alive, with a lifetime to win out over his rival. And as he had learned today, victory after a protracted battle tasted doubly sweet.

He’d drive Paul from her mind and heart if it took the rest of his life. And make her trust in his love for her, too.

“You mean you won’t give it up?” Anna pulled back from his embrace. Her eyes were wide as they searched his face, and there was disappointment in her voice.