The Black Diamond (16 page)

"You have my word,
soleil
." He rolled her onto her back, his eyes burning with that now-familiar fire. "I can hardly wait to introduce you to the world."

"Among other things," Aurora replied with a tantalizing smile.

"Oh, yes. Most definitely among other things."

* * *

The sun continued to make its ascent, drizzling daylight over Cornwall and all of England. Throughout the shires people began opening their morning newspapers, astonished to read that the Huntleys and the Bencrofts had forged their families, that the Earl of Pembourne had bestowed his sister's hand in marriage upon none other than the newly ascended Duke of Morland.

In his quiet Devonshire manor, Viscount Guillford sighed, rereading the announcement for the second time then folding the paper and laying it on his end table. So Morland had married Aurora. 'Twas a noble gesture—the
only
gesture—he supposed. Still, he was surprised Pembourne had permitted the union, given his feelings for the Bencrofts. Ah well. Once again, life had taken an unexpected turn, one to which he'd have to resign himself. After all, he couldn't very well marry a woman who'd been discovered in another man's bed, no matter how appealing she might be.

Wearily Guillford rubbed his eyes. 'Twas time to reassess his options and redirect his future.

* * *

Miles away in a seedy Cornish pub, a stout and bristled man was reading the same wedding announcement—but experiencing a far more violent reaction.

Downing his ale, he stared at the newspaper, his black eyes boring into the words.

Once again, that bastard plans to seize what he wants
, he seethed, rage pounding through his skull.
Well, he'd best think again. This fortuitous union of his won't go unchallenged. He'll pay. On my brother's grave, he'll pay.

Chapter 7

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^
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M
erlin was back.

That was Aurora's first thought—her only thought—as she sat beside her husband in Pembourne's sitting room, listening to him provide Slayde and Courtney with a direct, precise explanation of the truth behind the Fox and the Falcon. Undaunted by either Slayde's terse interruptions or Courtney's white-faced stare, Julian pressed on, offering the facts and evidence with a master's skill and an investigator's objectivity. Gone was the provocative, unhurried lover of the past few nights, in his place an intense, commanding man as single-purposed as he was imposing.

Realization dawned, blatant and sobering.

Aurora might know her husband in the biblical sense, but in every other way Julian Bencroft remained an enigma.

"This is incomprehensible," Slayde muttered when at last Julian fell silent. Reaching out, he took the fox-handled dagger from the strongbox Julian gave him, examining it briefly before turning his attention to Geoffrey's journal, skimming the pages one by one. "All these years. All that hatred."

"Senseless hatred," Julian amended. "Hatred steeped in nothing but lies. Lies that drove our families apart, and precluded us from finding the very thing we all sought—the black diamond. Well, that will all change. As of now."

Slayde's head snapped up, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Is that why you married my sister? To expedite your search for the stone?"

Julian never so much as blinked. "To some extent, yes."

"Dammit." Slayde's fist slammed to the table. "I should have followed my instincts, kept you as far away from Aurora as possible. You might not be a vicious blackguard like your father, but your motives are equally selfish."

"Slayde, stop," Aurora demanded, gripping the arms of her chair.

Her brother shook his head. "He's a bloody mercenary, Aurora, driven solely by a thirst for wealth. He means to use you to find that stone so he can sell it to the highest bidder…"

"Slayde … wait." It was Courtney who spoke, laying a gentle restraining hand on her husband's shoulder. "I have the distinct feeling there's more to this than we've heard." Her discerning gaze shifted to Aurora. "All the facts Julian is now revealing to us, you were privy to them already, weren't you?" she asked quietly. "And I don't mean since your wedding day; I mean from a fortnight ago."

"Yes," Aurora acknowledged, grateful as always for Courtney's innate understanding of her. "Julian filled me in on everything the day he came to Pembourne to offer for me."

Slayde sucked in his breath. "Then why didn't you tell us immediately?"

Aurora shot him a pointed look. "Julian was concerned that you'd misunderstand his intentions and forbid us to marry—a circumstance neither of us was willing to tolerate. Thus, he gave me my choice: ride to Gretna Green and wed posthaste, after which I was welcome to tell you the truth, or enjoy the wedding day I so badly wanted—with both you and Courtney present—but keep my silence until after the vows were exchanged. Either way was fine with him, so long as the end result was achieved. The choice was mine. And I made it."

Courtney's lips curved. "In other words, Julian, you wanted to prevent Slayde from drawing precisely the conclusion he just drew."

"Yes," Julian replied. "A conclusion that in all fairness to Slayde, I, too, would have drawn were Aurora my sister." He leaned forward, all power and presence. "However, now that I've disclosed the truth, let there be no misunderstandings between us. I intend to find that stone. I'd like your help, but it's not essential that I receive it. Any more, incidentally, than it was essential that Aurora become my wife in order to accomplish my goal. Helpful, yes, but not essential. As I explained to you a fortnight ago, I sought Aurora's hand for a multitude of reasons. Most of which I shared with you.
All
of which I shared with Aurora. And many of which had little or nothing to do with the black diamond." A flicker of a smile. "Although, I must admit to being delighted—if unsurprised—by Aurora's reaction to the truth behind the Fox and the Falcon. I had hoped she'd react in precisely that way, and she didn't disappoint me. She was as intrigued by my great-grandfather's revelations as I—
and
as eager to complete their mission and put the past to rest. That prospect factored heavily into her decision to accept my proposal. So, while I'm delighted for Aurora's cooperation—after all, I can't deny it will expedite my search—I did not trick your sister into becoming my wife."

"Fine," Slayde stated flatly. "You've convinced me. Now go on."

"Go on?"

"Yes. I've heard that you intend to find the black diamond. I've heard that you had numerous and honorable reasons for marrying Aurora. What I have yet to hear is what you intend to do with the stone once you find it."

"Ah. You want to know whether your skepticism is warranted, whether my greed will eclipse all else from view."

"Exactly. I'm not going to help you make your fortune at my family's expense."

"
Our
families' expense," Julian corrected stiffly. "Remember, the Bencrofts have suffered the same injustices, if not the same number of tragedies, as the Huntleys."

"And you intend to right those injustices? Your sense of honor will compel you to relinquish the hundreds of thousands of pounds you'd reap by selling the diamond—and all to restore the reputation of a family you claim to despise?"

Tiny flames ignited Julian's eyes. "I'll repeat what I said to you the day I sought Aurora's hand. You know very little about me, and even less about my values, priorities, and motivations. 'Tis time to shatter your misconceptions. Mercenary or not, I'm not driven by wealth. Oh, I enjoy the handsome compensations I earn, but my way of life offers me so much more than just money; namely, excitement, challenge, a sense of adventure—and, yes, sometimes the opportunity to see justice served. Especially this time, when that justice is of so personal a nature—personal and meaningful, despite the animosity I felt for my father and grandfather. By finding the jewel, I can pay tribute to two very deserving men, one of whom happens to be my great-grandfather, end an animosity that should never have begun, and silence a curse that—whether I deem it ludicrous or not—has labeled us pariahs of society."

"You don't believe in the curse?"

"No more than you do," Julian shot back. "But what you and I do or do not believe has little bearing on the way the world views us. Not that I give a damn about being ostracized. Nor, I suspect, do you."

"I didn't…" Slayde refuted quietly. "…until now." His gaze flickered to Courtney, shifted lower to settle on her very swollen abdomen. "'Tis no longer only my life that's at stake. If I can protect my family, my child, from enduring the scars of the past, the fear and the isolation, I will." A hard swallow. "I must."

"Then trust me," Julian urged, his expression intense. "Accept that I don't plan to keep or sell the stone. I plan to turn it over to the Crown as our great-grandfathers intended, and to see it restored to the temple from which it was seized."

With one final glance at the journal, Slayde gave a terse nod. "Very well. Although I'm still reeling from all I've just learned … the ramifications."

"We all are, Slayde," Aurora put in. "I only just read the journal last night, then again on the carriage ride this morning. What James and Geoffrey did, the men they truly were—it's inspiring. I feel so proud and so determined to untarnish their names."

"How can Slayde and I help you?" Courtney interrupted. "Do you suspect the diamond truly is hidden at Pembourne after all?"

"No." Julian shook his head. "The Fox and the Falcon were far too clever to store their recovered treasures in one of their homes. I'm convinced they had a secret hiding place, one that has yet to be unearthed."

"Hundreds of privateers have hunted for the black diamond," Slayde reminded him. "Why hasn't one of them come upon this hiding place?"

"Because they hadn't the necessary clues to do so."

"And we have?"

"Yes. We need only uncover them."

Slayde frowned. "You've lost me, Julian."

"I said I didn't think the diamond was hidden at Pembourne or Morland. That doesn't mean the clues leading to it aren't."

"Of course." Slayde's palm struck the table with a bang. "What better way to ensure that only the Huntleys and the Bencrofts—together—find the gems recovered by the Fox and the Falcon than to bury clues in both our homes."

"Exactly," Julian confirmed. "I've dealt with enough stolen treasures myself to know that there are an infinite number of sites where one can conceal them—inside caves, behind stone boulders, beneath grassy tracts—the possibilities are limitless. Any of those sites would take either detailed instructions or a map to find. My great-grandfather obviously believed that the same heir who would be worthy of his legacy would also be shrewd enough to amass the clues he and James left, then use the combined information as a guide to their specific hiding place."

"So where do we begin searching for these clues?" Courtney demanded, a spark of excitement in her eyes. "At least those concealed here at Pembourne?"

"We begin by reviewing whatever knowledge Slayde has of James Huntley: his habits, interests, which rooms at Pembourne he customarily occupied. We also pore over any documents or personal effects of James's that might still exist, any of which might help determine our path."

"Personal effects?" Frowning, Slayde rose. "I don't recall James leaving anything of consequence—certainly nothing as dramatic as a dagger or a journal. As for documents, I'll go through every shred of paper at Pembourne looking for a clue of some kind. Personal habits are another issue entirely. According to my father, James had few ties to the estate … or to anything else in England, for that matter. As you well know, he spent most of his time abroad. He seldom returned to Pembourne for more than a few weeks at a time."

"But when he did, he could usually be found on the far grounds with his falcons," Aurora inserted. "They were his greatest fascination—significant enough, obviously, to spawn his alias."

"That's true." Even as he spoke, Slayde arched a surprised brow at his sister. "I didn't realize you knew so much about our great-grandfather. I was aware of James's affinity for falcons because Father referred to it several times during our discussions on the Huntley family history—discussions meant to prepare me for the title I would someday inherit. But you were no more than a babe then. How is it you recall those conversations?"

"I don't. Nor do I need to. Mr. Scollard told me all about Great-grandfather's preoccupation with his falcons." Aurora pursed her lips. "Now that I think of it, perhaps I should have paid more attention to Mr. Scollard's stories. I always assumed he was just imparting interesting tidbits of my past. Knowing him as I do, I should have guessed he was revealing something of great value. In any case, that's how I learned of James and his falcons. Moreover, I picked up scraps of information from Siebert on the day I first discovered the empty falcon cages. I was fifteen at the time, and insane with boredom. I accosted Siebert the moment I returned to the manor; after all, he'd been at Pembourne forever, so it stood to reason he'd heard tell of James's pastime. And of course he had, however minimally. After grappling with the countless questions I fired at him, our poor butler suggested I peruse the library where James kept dozens of volumes on the subject of falcons."

"And did you?"

"With pleasure. It provided me with a much-needed diversion." Aurora shot Slayde a pointed look. "Need I remind you that I was confined to this estate for over a decade?"

"Need
I
remind
you
that you spent most of that decade trying to escape, giving my guards a merry chase?"

Aurora grinned, feeling not a shred of remorse. "Very well, then. During those few occasions when I wasn't eluding your guards or visiting Mr. Scollard, I was reading. I'm familiar with every book in our library. A good portion of them are about the art of falconing, with James's notes and dates jotted in the margins. You'd be surprised at how much I gleaned about the different types of falcons and their characteristics. Which brings me to my first suggestion: I think we should pore over every one of James's books
and
search the falcon cages—which I've been dying to do since Julian's first visit—to see if there might be some clue concealed within them."