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“You love her, I can tell,” said Sir Malcolm.
Raven closed his eyes. “I do. But I haven’t been able to speak the words. You made this way, Malcolm.” He opened his eyes. “You made me this thing that can’t express love. You stole my emotions. You bastard.”
Malcolm didn’t attempt to defend himself. He met Raven’s gaze squarely. “I thought I was doing the right thing. Your father wanted you to follow in his footsteps.”
“But that didn’t give you the right to shape my life in such profound ways. I was too young to make such a momentous decision.”
Their drinks arrived and they fell silent. Malcolm sipped his brandy and Raven took a grateful gulp of fortifying coffee.
“I needed a father, not a harsh taskmaster who sent me off to that brutal training ground to make a killer of me.”
“And I needed a child. I had just lost mine.”
“We were both lost souls. Both grieving,” said Raven.
“Having guardianship of Mina has shown me that I was wrong to control your life in the way I did, even though I believed I was doing it for your own good. If there’s some way that I can make amends, please tell me. I will go and talk to Lady India, tell her it was my fault.”
Malcolm was apologizing? Raven had never expected to hear those words. “Not necessary. I made the choice. You never coerced me. You told me what I would be giving up and you asked me to choose.”
“And now you can choose a new life,” said Malcolm.
“It’s not that easy, and you know it,” said Raven bitterly. “I don’t know if I can love her the way she loves me. She loves the boy I was, not the man I am now. I can’t go back to being that child. I can’t undo the things these hands have done.”
If you love her you’ll find a way to be together. It seems to me she has a very clear picture of who you are. And she loves you anyway. I hereby accept your resignation.”
“What resignation?”
“The one you’re about to give me.”
“I’m not ungrateful, Malcolm. The values you instilled in me have served me well. I’ve had a good career. I’m proud of the lives I’ve saved. I’ve been proud to work toward exonerating my father.”
“And you will exonerate him fully someday. You’ve always had an innate goodness in you, Raven. You avoid bloodshed when possible. Many agents turn to violence as sport, you always stayed true to yourself, and your ethics.”
“I have to find a way to make her trust me.”
“You’ve always been resourceful. Even as a young lad you could make something out of nothing. Make a coin appear from the air. You’ve grown into a man I’m proud to call my associate and one I would be honored to call my son. Your father would be so proud of you. Sometimes we take a longer route to arrive at where we need to be. Just remember, the destination is what matters.”
“She’s what matters.”
“Go and find that troublesome female. If she won’t agree to wed you, then she’s a fool. Because you’re a good man.”
Raven swiped the back of his hand across his eyes. He rose from his chair and walked to Malcolm. “Thank you,” he said, leaning down to give Malcolm a brief hug.
Malcolm nodded, blinking his eyes. “Off with you now,” he said gruffly, clapping Raven on the back.
Chapter 25
Raven finally found Indy sitting in front of the Rosetta Stone on a low velvet divan.
“There you are,” he said, sitting beside her. “Well? Did you find the answer you were searching for?”
She sighed. “I’ve checked and rechecked but I keep coming up with the same problem. The temple indicated on my map isn’t dedicated to either Isis or Osiris, and therefore, if my theory is correct, it’s not Cleopatra and Antony’s burial site. All of this turmoil and strife to come up empty-handed, it’s beyond disappointing.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Back to the search, I suppose.”
He hated seeing her distraught about anything. How had he kept her hating him all these years? All he wanted was for her to be happy.
