Love Became Theirs (17 page)

"I'll send a professional nurse," he said.

Madame Thierre was up in arms at the suggestion that she could not care for her guest herself.

"And I'm sure that Rona will be glad to help you," said the Earl quietly.

Rona turned quickly and laid her hand over his.

"I haven't thanked you yet for coming to save me."

"Never mind me," he said gruffly "But you look so tired."

Then he said a strange thing. Patting her hand as a father might with a child, he told her,

"Never fear. All is well with me, I promise you."

They took the first turn together that night, sitting beside the bed, watching Peter's pale face, listening to his breathing that was mercifully steady.

"How did you come to be at that house?" Rona asked.

"We pursued your father and caught up with him," the Earl explained. "He told us that you had escaped and run to a man with a big moustache. It had to be Alexei, but he hadn't brought you home.

"That was when Peter told me everything. He's been working for British Intelligence all along."

"You hadn't known?"

"He told nobody. He let us all believe he was a devil may-care young idler, always on the move because he cared for nothing but pleasure. The truth is that he's been on some dangerous assignments. He's been watching that pair for months, playing the gallant lover to the Countess as a way of keeping near her.

"He has had that house under surveillance all the time, and when it came to the point he was able to take us straight there."

"Emilia talked about 'the other half'," Rona recalled. "What did she mean by that?"

"The British and French governments have been working on a joint project. Do you know what a hydraulic pump is?"

"No."

"Neither do I. But according to Peter this one is revolutionary. Ten times as powerful as anything else of its kind, but very light. It might even have a military use.

"Apparently the inventors have this mad idea that one day it could be used to keep naval vessels beneath the water. Pure fantasy of course, but the two governments have been working on it and have just about finished the plans for the prototype.

"Every spy in Europe has been desperate to get their hands on those blueprints, but the Russians were ahead of the rest. They realised that each country only kept one half, and neither would make any sense until they were put together.

"In England they managed to get what they were after. Then it became a race to stop them getting the French half. That's what Peter has been doing here, keeping them under close watch."

He became silent as there was a movement from the bed. Slowly Peter opened his eyes and his gaze fell directly onto Rona. He did not speak, but no words were necessary.

In that moment everything was said in silence between them.

At last he reached out his hand and took hers.

"You are safe?" he asked in a croaking voice.

"Yes," she whispered. "I am safe."

He closed his eyes again.

The Earl crept quietly out of the room.

Rona stayed with Peter for another hour, until Madame Thierre came to relieve her. The colour was returning to his cheeks and she could leave him with an easier mind. Outside she found the Earl waiting for her.

"A brief word with you," he said.

She knew she must have revealed her feelings for Peter and there was no use pretending now. But the Earl's calm face gave no sign of pain or upset. She could only guess how badly hurt he must be.

Now she braced herself for recriminations as they went down to the library.

But all he said was,

"My dear, I am to blame for not having seen the truth before. I was blind, believing what I wanted to believe. But of course, it was always Peter."

"Forgive me," she said, almost in tears at his melancholy kindness.

"There is nothing to forgive. I forced a situation on you when your father came. I made a joke then about taking advantage of you, but I didn't realise how literally true it was.

"Peter couldn't claim you because it would expose his courtship of the Countess as a fraud, which he dared not do. His duty to his country kept him silent, and I stepped in, not realising what damage I was doing. But you should have told me afterwards."

"How could we do anything to hurt you?" she asked. "We both care for you so much."

"Ah," he said quickly, as though she had thrust a dagger into him. "None of that. No sacrifices, please. That would be so undignified for all of us. Let us close the matter now."

He took her left hand and gazed for a moment at the diamond he had put there only a few hours ago. He slipped it off.

"There," he said cheerfully. "Now you are free."

But instead of releasing her hand at once, he lifted it up and laid his cheek against it.

"God bless you," he said.

"Giles – " It was the first time she had used his name. "You're so good to us. I hope that one day you'll find – "

"That's enough," he said with soft violence. "That's enough."

He dropped her hand and walked out of the room.

*

Through his contacts in high places Monsieur Thierre was able to fill in the rest of the story.

"They didn't take the real plans in London," he told Rona and the Earl. "They made copies and left the originals, so that it was a while before anyone knew they'd been tampered with. But luckily a message was sent here in time for us to get to work. When they got access to our side of the papers, the details had been changed. Even if the Rostoys had escaped to Russia, the plans would have been useless.

"But thanks to you and Peter they did not escape, and are now safely locked up in gaol. No harm has been done, except to poor Peter's shoulder, and the doctor says he should make a complete recovery."

*

Hour by hour Peter's strength returned. Sitting by his bed, watching him, Rona knew that this was her supreme happiness, and always would be.

"I love you with my all heart and my soul," he told her. "I've never loved anyone else."

"That's not what Alice says," Rona told him with a smile. "She talks a lot about your 'ladies'."

"My work has sometimes demanded a lot of flirting," he replied. "You saw that with the Countess. But true love is different. It's something I thought I would never find." He took her hand in his.

"My heart was yours that first night at the ball, but I had to stay in the shadows. I wasn't even supposed to be in London. One of the guests that night was a dangerous man."

"Alexei?"

"No, one of his confederates. I had to watch and see who he talked to. But it was very hard to keep my mind on my work once I had met you.

"Even with your mask on, I knew you were the loveliest girl there. My heart was yours forever. But what could I do? My duty had to come first. All I could do was kiss you in a way I hoped you would never forget."

As he said these words he gave her a slight quizzical look.

Rona smiled.

"You were right. One kiss and I was yours. There was no hope for me. But I feared we would never meet again."

"So did I. I was afraid they would force you into that marriage, and it filled me with despair, because I knew you should marry only me. But I didn't see how it could ever happen. And then, when we met here I couldn't believe it."

"You didn't know me at first," she teased.

"Only because you made a guy of yourself in dowdy clothes and glasses. And I never saw your hair at the ball. But then I began to sense something about you.

"It was nothing to do with how you looked. It was more that I couldn't be near you without knowing the truth in all my senses. I think I knew finally when I held your hand in mine, on the boat. It was the hand I'd held that night."

"It was terrible to be near you, loving and wanting you, but unable to say so. And then to have to pretend to be in love with that woman, and watch you flirting with the Count, all the time acting as though I didn't mind.

"That day in the park I wanted to be the one to save you and, but for mischance, I would have done. Instead I had to watch you carried away in his arms, and I think the sight sent me a little mad. When I came to see you next day I was wild and crazy with jealousy."

"Was that why you were so unpleasant?" Rona asked.

He groaned.

"I was, wasn't I? I didn't want to hurt you, but I was trying to keep you apart from him, partly for myself, and partly because by then I'd started to realise how dangerous he was.

"And all I could think of was to tell you it was improper for you to associate with him. I heard myself behaving abominably, but the right words wouldn't come. And then you collapsed, and I hated myself."

And now Peter added,

"But I hope that you will forgive me."

"I would forgive you anything," she replied simply.

He took her hand in his, and smiled, looking at it.

"To think this little hand pulled me through that window," he said. "Where did you get the strength?"

"From my love," she said at once. "Nothing is stronger than that."

"Yes," he said, nodding. "Nothing is stronger than love, or I would have fallen. Since I met you again my love has grown stronger every day, but I had to hide it and pretend to be that woman's slave.

"I know my behaviour puzzled you, the times I was absent without explanation, the times I barely noticed you because I was pretending to be at her feet. I could only pray that you would understand when finally I could explain."

"There's only one thing I really want to know," said Rona. "Were you the man in the dressing room at Ginette's, the man who bought Emilia that red dress."

"Yes. But I promise you that the bill went straight back to London, to be paid by my employers."

She smiled.

"That's all right then."

He looked at her anxiously. "You will marry me, won't you? I neglected to ask you."

"Don't be silly," she laughed. "Of course I'll marry you. But my darling, I'm afraid I won't have a dowry to bring you. My father will be so angry that he'll cut me off without a penny."

"Good. Then you'll know I'm not a fortune hunter."

"I've been thinking about how we should live after the wedding – yes, I even thought of that before you asked me. Wasn't that scandalous of me?"

"Shameless!" he said, smiling tenderly at her.

"I think I should join you in the Secret Service. I obviously have a talent for it, and two of us working together – "

"Would be spotted at once," he interrupted hastily. "I'm leaving the Service. The Rostoys weren't working alone, and I should think I'm too well known by now to be any further use. You as well."

"That's a pity. Before you were shot I was beginning to enjoy it. It was thrilling to talk to Emilia and trick her into revealing things because she thought I already knew. I told her I'd guessed all along that Alexei was her husband, and she hadn't really been very clever. You should have seen her face!"

"I wish I had," he said appreciatively. "It's a shame that you can't be a spy, my darling, because you obviously have a talent for it. Not to mention your unsuspected athletic prowess in pulling me through that window." He sighed wistfully.

"What a team we would have made. But that's in the past. Mr. and Mrs. Carlton are going to live a sedate life."

"Lovely. In a cottage, with chickens. I've always wanted to do that."

"We'll do no such thing. We'll live in a little manor that I own in the country. It's not as grand as Giles' house, but I think we might well be very happy in it."

"If we're together I'll be happy," she said at once.

"There's another reason I want to leave the Service," he said. "I was growing weary of it. My whole life was lived among lies, deceit, betrayal, being one thing, pretending to be another, never able to be truly honest."

"That's what I sensed in you that first night," Rona remembered. "We were speaking of the betrayal of trust, and suddenly I had the feeling that you were being crushed by a great burden."

"Yes, I knew you sensed something. Our minds were so much in harmony even then. And that harmony will keep us close, always."

"We're going to be so happy."

"Yes." He turned her left hand over in his, noticing the bare place where the ring had been. "But there will always be one cloud. I can't stop feeling bad about Giles."

"I don't think he would like you to do that," she said seriously. "He would consider it undignified."

"Why do you say that?"

"It was something he said when he told me that I was 'free'. Giles is a proud man. He doesn't want our pity, and would be offended by it."

"Yes," he sighed. "I know you're right. Oh my darling, I love you, I love you so much."

She could not answer. Her eyes were wet with tears.

"And tomorrow," he continued, "I will love you even more than I do today. As the years pass we'll know the true depth of our love. Just as I was meant for you, you were meant for me."

Very gently he put his hand under her chin and turned her face to his.

"Tell me that you love me," he whispered.

"I didn't know it was possible to love anyone as I love you," she said.

Then Peter's lips found hers. She knew that he was giving her his heart, just as she gave hers to him.

And so it would be, always.

*

As soon as Peter was well, they were married. It was arranged quickly for fear of any further raids by her father.

The night before the wedding the Earl spoke quietly to his daughter.

"I know that Miss Johnson has taught you some important lessons about love," he said. "Well, now you father has one for you, and it is this. You cannot order somebody to love you. What a simple world it would be if we could!"

He sighed.

"But it can't be done. If the one you love cannot give you his heart fully and freely, then you must let him go, without resentment or self pity."

But Alice was very young, and not easy to convince. "How could they do it to you, Papa?"

"My child," he said very seriously, "nobody has done me any wrong. We were all the victims of circumstances. Peter and Rona are still our family and we must keep them close. How foolish it would be to behave in such a way that there was a split in the family. Then we would lose both of them. That must not be allowed to happen. That's why we will both play our parts at the wedding tomorrow."