Jaded Moon (Ransomed Jewels Book 2) (22 page)

He smiled but it wasn’t a smile she ever wanted to have directed at her again. “Yes. They trusted me and again a Rainforth turned traitor.”

He stepped away from her as if her nearness was too much to bear. “I have to meet Sam and McCormick at the caves later this morning. They’re going to investigate where the opium came ashore to see if some evidence might still be there to identify the smugglers. I hope you didn’t leave anything incriminating behind or you may not be in the clear yet. And this time I won’t do anything to prevent them from arresting you. Or from watching you hang.”

He turned to step away from her then stopped and faced her again. “Where did you hide the opium?”

She glared at him. “Where no one will ever find it.”

The look he gave her was more murderous than before and it took all her willpower not to shrink from him.

“When I am finished with Sam and McCormick, I intend to come back for Charlie. See that his things are together. You might want to take a few moments to gather your own belongings, too, Miss Foley. I cannot in good conscience allow an opium smuggler to have anything to do with the children.”

The ground shifted beneath her. She wanted to grab hold of something to steady herself but Rainforth was the only solid object within reach and she couldn’t bring herself to touch him. “You can’t mean that.”

“Oh, but I do. If I find you anywhere near the children after today I’ll do everything in my power to see that Sacred Heart is closed and the children moved to another orphanage.”

“But the children—”

“The children need to be protected from you! If you care for them at all you will leave.”

Josie stared at him, every inch of her body numb. “Do you hate me that much?”

She watched the change in his features and felt as if the glaring blackness in his countenance pulled her deeper into a pit of despair.

“I don’t hate you, Miss Foley. What I feel doesn’t come close to hatred.”

Each word was like a pointed dagger being thrust through her heart. Keeping her back rigidly straight, she walked past him and made her way back to the orphanage.

She didn’t run. Even though she wanted to, she slowly placed one foot in front of the other and walked away from the only man she would ever love.

She made her way to the little room that had always been her sanctuary and closed the door. Then, for the first time in her life, she bolted it, keeping out those who were most dear to her. When she was alone, she walked to the tiny closet where she kept a spare dress in case she ever had to stay the night with one of the children, and folded it into a worn valise.

It wouldn’t take her long to gather what was hers. She’d never had much. The children had always needed so much more than she did.

The children. How could she survive if she had to leave the children behind? But she would. What choice did she have?

When she was finished, she set her valise by the front door, then asked Mrs. Lambert to assemble the children outside. She wanted to gather them around her one last time and read them one of their favorite stories. She wasn’t sure which one yet. Perhaps she’d let one of the children decide.

Perhaps Charlie.

Josie waited in the garden, knowing this would probably be the last time she’d be welcome here. The door to the orphanage opened and she watched as the children filed down the path. She greeted them all, hugging the ones who hadn’t outgrown the need to be hugged, just touching the ones who had. When they were all seated beneath a sturdy beech tree, she read to them from one of their favorite books while they munched on a cookie she’d talked Cook into giving them. All this she accomplished without a tear. As if she were watching every painful event from somewhere outside her body.

She was nearly to the end of her story when a cold chill raced down her spine. She finished quickly, then closed the book, afraid she’d dallied too long and Rainforth had returned already to take Charlie with him. Oh, she didn’t want to face him again and had hoped to be gone before he came back.

The prickly warning grew stronger and she forced herself to look down the path that led to the orphanage. Her heart thudded in her breast, then slammed against her ribs. It wasn’t Rainforth but Baron Lindville, and even from a distance she could see the fury on his face.

He covered the ground in long, angry strides, with hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. Josie remembered the last time she’d angered him. A fresh wave of fear raced through her and she jumped to her feet.

The children.

“Take the children inside,” she said to Mrs. Lambert, who’d recognized that something was not as it should be and had rushed to her side. “And don’t let them come back outside.”

Mrs. Lambert looked at Baron Lindville then turned back to Josie. She started gathering the children. “Something’s wrong. What is it?”

“Nothing. Take the children inside. Hurry.”

Mrs. Lambert looked back toward Baron Lindville. “You can’t stay out here. Not alone.”

“Go! Now!”

Mrs. Lambert ushered the children toward the orphanage and Josie moved in the opposite direction. She knew why he’d come. She knew the reason for his furious expression. And she was afraid.

“What the hell have you done?” he bellowed before he reached her. “What the bloody hell have you done?”

Josie glanced over her shoulder toward the orphanage. Mrs. Lambert nearly had the last of the children safely behind the doors. The minute they were all inside, she stopped moving. She knew trying to get away from him would do no good. He was intent on punishing her and the more she tried to escape his wrath the more furious he would become. She didn’t know what she would do, but she had to get him away from here. Away from the children. Someplace where she stood a better chance of protecting herself.

Josie took a deep breath and turned around to face him. “I stopped you from using the orphanage to smuggle in the opium that was destroying hundreds of young men and women.”

“You fool!” he said and drew back his hand. He slapped her hard across the face.

Josie staggered. “Hitting me won’t change anything. I told you I wouldn’t let you use the children for something so vile. Besides, the authorities have come. They know about the smuggling. They know about the opium.”

“I don’t give a damn what they know. They can’t prove anything. There are ways to get around anyone the government sends.”

“No, you can’t. They’re going to—”

Before Josie could finish her sentence, his hand reached out and struck her again. This time harder than before and she fell to her knees. He grabbed her arm and jerked her to her feet.

“Where did you hide it? Captain Levy said you were there when they unloaded the chests and you told him there wouldn’t be any more deliveries. I went to the caves this morning and there’s nothing there. Nothing except the boxes and barrels that will go to Cornelius Sharpe. What did you do with the opium? I want it now or I’ll—”

“Miss Josie. I need to tell you something.”

Josie spun her head in the direction of the orphanage and took in a huge, painful gasp. Little Charlie was running toward her as fast as his short, pudgy legs would carry him.

“No, Charlie! Go back!”

“But I need to tell you something. Guess what?” he said, coming to a halt in front of her. “Lord Rainforth wants me to come to—”

Josie reached for Charlie but she wasn’t fast enough. Before she could push him behind her, Lindville had the boy by the back of the neck and was squeezing so hard tears swelled in Charlie’s eyes.

“Let him go! No! Don’t hurt him.”

“Then tell me where you’ve hidden the opium.”

“All right. Just let him go.”

Lindville hesitated a moment then pushed Charlie to the ground. He fell hard but didn’t seem hurt. Josie squatted down in front of him and pulled him up to her. “Go inside, Charlie. And stay there.”

“But—”

“Tell Mrs. Lambert to put a cool cloth on your knee, then see if Cook has any cookies left.”

Charlie gave her a weak smile and limped toward the house, taking a wide path past Lord Lindville. Josie didn’t breathe again until Charlie was safe behind the doors.

“Now, where is it?” Lindville demanded.

“It’s where you’ll never find it.”

“Show me!”

Lindville grabbed her elbow and led her to the front where his horse was tied to the brass post. He pushed her up into the saddle and mounted behind her.

“Where to?”

Josie remembered Ross’s words,
“I have to meet Sam and McCormick at the caves later this morning.”

“The cliffs,” she said, knowing leading him there would protect the children from him.

Knowing the cliffs was the place she could least protect herself.

Do you hate me that much?

Josie’s question echoed over and over with each step Ross took as he followed Sam and Agent McCormick down the steep incline to the caves below the cliffs. Did he hate her that much?

He clenched his hands until his fingers ached. No, he didn’t hate her that much. He loved her so much that what she’d done had nearly killed him.

A boulder blocked the path and he stepped around it. They were almost to the bottom now, to the place where he’d seen her standing last night inspecting every item the smugglers brought ashore. How could she involve herself in something so vile? How could she love and care for the children to the point she was willing to go without herself, while at the same time, smuggle in a deadly drug she knew destroyed countless innocent lives?

If someone would have asked him that question yesterday, he’d have said it wasn’t possible. But he’d seen her with his own eyes. He’d seen her stand right here while the smugglers carried ashore one crate of opium after another.

And yet, as he sorted everything out in his mind, so many things didn’t make sense. The sale of opium on the black market was extremely profitable. Profitable enough that Josie and Lady Clythebrook should be living in grand style. And the children should never want for a thing. Instead, from everything he’d seen, no one was living in opulence, and neither Josie nor Lady Clythebrook had worn a new dress in years. The only thing in abundance at the orphanage was love. That had been obvious the first time he’d stepped through Sacred Heart’s doors.

If she’d been involved in smuggling for nearly two years, what had she done with the money?

Nothing made sense to him. If only he hadn’t fallen in love with her. But how could he have stopped himself? She’d made her way into his heart as if that was where she belonged. As if there’d always been a special place for her and she’d finally come to claim it.

How could she have given herself to him—not once but twice—and not known that what they shared was special? How could she have cheapened what they’d shared because she thought it might benefit her later? Ross stopped at a place near the bottom of the steep decline as an answer to his question slammed into him.

She couldn’t have. The Josephine Foley he knew couldn’t have.

And yet she had.

“Where did they unload the opium, Ross?”

He jerked his gaze to where Sam stood and walked over to the place where the boats had pulled ashore.

“Here. There were three boats and six men. They unloaded several crates and barrels and carried them through there,” he said, pointing to the mouth of a cave. Both Sam and McCormick lit the lanterns they’d brought with them and entered the cave.

Ross stayed outside, not wanting to see what they discovered. He knew when they saw the shipment they’d have other questions, like: What else had he seen? Did he recognize any of the smugglers? How long had it taken them to unload the goods? Did he see who had contacted them? The moon was full—that damnably full, magical moon. Surely he’d recognized whoever had come to meet the smugglers and could identify them.

Ross fought the waves of self-loathing. He was as much a traitor as his father. How could he answer their questions without condemning Josie? Or live with himself after he did?

“Ross, get in here.”

Sam’s voice crashed in on his thoughts, pulling him back to the present. Ross walked into the cave and toward the light. Sam and McCormick stood in the large opening, the lids of barrels lying on the ground, tops of crates hanging by their hinges.

“Is this all of it?”

Ross looked around. He could see without counting that not all the boxes and crates that had been unloaded last night were here. The opium wasn’t there. “There were more.”

He grabbed the lantern from Sam’s hand and walked to the back of the cave. Sam and McCormick followed. They found nothing until they reached the thick wooden door he’d discovered before.

“Where does this lead?” McCormick asked, trying the door to make sure it couldn’t be opened.

“There are tunnels beneath the orphanage that were used for smuggling more than a hundred years ago.”

“They must have already taken the opium out this way,” Sam said, hunkering down to check the sandy floor of the cave. “But if they did, they were damn careful. There’s only one set of footprints and from the size of the imprints, they weren’t made by a man.”

McCormick bent down to study the evidence then rose and started for the mouth of the cave. “We’ll go to the orphanage. Someone there knows what the hell is going on and I want to know who it is.”

A heavy weight sank to the pit of his stomach. Part of him hoped Josie was already gone so they couldn’t talk to her. Another part knew it wouldn’t make any difference. It was only a matter of time until they discovered she knew more about what went on at the orphanage than even Vicar Chadwick did.

A terrible premonition chilled the blood running through his veins. He may have saved her last night but he knew there was nothing he could do to help her today.

“What’s going on, Ross?” Sam said when McCormick was far enough ahead of them so they couldn’t be overheard.

Ross stared at McCormick’s retreating back and shook his head.

“Dammit, Ross. Don’t shut me out. Maybe I can help.”

Ross wanted to laugh. This was no different than the night he’d realized what his father had done. “It’s too late for that.”

“Who is she?”

Ross jerked his head to the side. There was a look on Sam’s face that Ross had seen often in the past. The intelligent gleam in his eyes that enabled him to look at something and see beneath the outer coating to reveal what was hidden. Ross was certain it was this ability that had made him such a valuable asset to the government.

“What makes you think there’s a woman?”

“I know you. I know how badly you wanted to do this. You wouldn’t have let the ship leave without signaling us if you hadn’t seen something that stopped you. I just hope she was worth it.”

“Bennett!”

Sam gave Ross one more second to confide in him, then walked toward the entrance of the cave and stepped out into the sunshine. Ross followed him to where McCormick stood close to the water’s edge. His gaze was fixed downward. Sam and Ross both looked out to see what had drawn his attention.

“Bloody hell,” Sam whispered, stepping into the water. He picked up some of the debris lapping up to the shore with the waves and held it in his palm.

“I don’t understand,” Ross said, looking from the water-soaked cakes in Sam’s hand to the frown on his face.

“Someone destroyed the shipment of opium.”

“Why?”

“My guess would be to make sure none of it reached London. You wouldn’t know who that might be, would you Ross?”

Ross’s heart slammed against his ribs. Oh, yes. He knew who it had been. He remembered Josie’s answer when he asked her where she’d put the opium.

Where no one will ever find it.

Then he remembered the question she’d asked him before that.

Would it be expecting too much to ask you to believe I didn’t know about the opium?

What if that had been the truth? What if Josie hadn’t known about the opium until he’d told her and she’d come here last night with the express purpose of destroying it before it reached London?

Blood thundered in Ross’s head. Did she have any idea what she’d done? Didn’t she know what Lindville would do when he found out?

“We have to get to the orphanage.”

Ross raced up the steep incline, leaving Sam and McCormick far behind him. He scrambled to the top, but stopped short when he looked up.

Geoffrey Lindville stood at the top of the cliff with Josie in front of him. One arm was wrapped around her chest in a death-grip. The other hand held a gun. She struggled to free herself when she saw Ross, but Lindville pressed the gun harder against her temple. Josie stood still.

“I wouldn’t come any closer, Rainforth. It wouldn’t be safe for Miss Foley if you did.”

Ross jerked to a halt and raised his hands in surrender. He hoped Sam and McCormick saw him and knew to stop. He didn’t look behind him to find out.

“Let her go, Lindville.”

He took one small step toward them and Josie tried to take advantage of his movement to twist out of Lindville’s arms. Ross stopped when Lindville twisted Josie’s arm behind her back and she cried out in pain. He took a small step back and Lindville relaxed his grip just enough so Josie’s breathing returned to normal.

Her eyes were wide and her face was pale. All except for the deep red mark on the left side of her face that was turning purple. Ross was filled with a deep-down rage that boiled inside him.

“Are you all right?” he asked, knowing she wasn’t, but needing to say the words to feel a connection to her. His question forced her to look at him. She nodded.

He held her gaze and tried to put a look of confidence on his face. Her grim expression told him she wasn’t any surer of him than she was of Lindville. And he didn’t blame her.

“Let her go,” he repeated.

“Miss Foley and I have some unfinished business to settle. I don’t suppose you’d consider forgetting what you saw here and leave?”

Ross stepped to the side, hoping he could position Lindville with his back to the water to keep him from seeing Sam come over the steep incline. “I said, let her go.”

Lindville smiled, then shrugged. “I guess not. That’s unfortunate. I really hadn’t intended on killing you, too, but… well, you can understand the predicament I’m in.”

“You don’t have to kill anyone. Your smuggling venture is finished. Just cut your losses and run while you can.”

“Cut my losses. Bloody hell, Rainforth, you’re a damn fool if you think I intend to walk away from this. You don’t even know what’s going on here.”

“Oh, but I do. You’ve been using Miss Foley and the orphanage to smuggle in opium that you sell in London. The authorities have been investigating you for months and are waiting to arrest you.”

“If they arrest me, they’ll have to arrest Miss Foley too. She was as much a part of it as I was.”

“No!” Josie argued. “I didn’t know you were smuggling opium. I only thought you were bringing in items Cornelius Sharpe could sell.”

“You were such a fool. For nearly two years you carried the messages back and forth, then religiously unlocked the doors to the passageways each time before you left and sealed everything back up in the morning after the goods were gone. And not once did you suspect a thing.”

“I didn’t think I needed to suspect anything! I didn’t imagine you would involve yourself with smuggling opium. Or involve the children and me.”

Lindville pressed the gun beneath her chin and lifted until she was forced to look at him. “How did you finally discover what we were doing? Not that I care, mind you. I’m just curious.”

Ross tried to take a step closer. They were still too far away from him. “I told her. You were right when you put a connection between my cousin and me. The authorities are on to you.”

“That’s too bad. But they won’t be able to prove anything. Not with you dead.”

“Don’t add murder to your crimes. It’s not worth it.”

Josie struggled again and Lindville tightened the hand he had wrapped around her.

“Oh, it won’t be murder. It will seem like a tragic accident. Miss Foley slipped and fell to her death. In your grief and despair, you rushed down the steep slope to get to her. Unfortunately, you stumbled and fell. Your deaths won’t even be suspect because I’ll be a witness to the tragedy. I’ll tell the authorities how devastated I was to have witnessed the whole event without being able to reach you in time to help.”

“Is that what you told the authorities when you reported Carrie Gardner’s death?”

Ross saw Lindville’s reaction to his accusation and knew what he’d suspected for weeks was true. The sadistic grin on Lindville’s face confirmed it.

“You think you have it all figured out, don’t you Rainforth?”

Ross moved another step to the side. “Why did you kill her?”

“I didn’t kill her. She had a tragic accident.”

“You killed her the same as you intend to kill Miss Foley and me. Why?”

He tightened his jaw and spoke through clenched teeth. “Because she was blackmailing me.”

Geoffrey Lindville was as a poor an excuse for a human being as Ross had ever seen and just looking at him made Ross ill. “Carrie Gardner wasn’t blackmailing you. She didn’t need money.”

“She wasn’t blackmailing me for money. You provided her with more than enough to live a comfortable life at St. Stephen’s.”

“Then why would she blackmail you?”

“She objected to the attention I was showing her and threatened to tell my mother about certain … habits I’d acquired if I didn’t leave her alone. Everyone knew she’d been your mistress and you’d sent her to live in this God-forsaken part of England when her belly swelled with your bastard. I just wanted her to provide me the same services she’d provided you.”

“So you killed her when she refused?”

“It was an accident. We struggled and she fell.”