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Chapter23
Paris in chaos. House of Bourbon will fall. Le Triton must move inventory. Poseidon arrives Falmouth in one week. Lachance becomes my chance to prove myself.
“What does this mean?” It made no sense to Drew but Mina was staring at the diary with a flash of recognition in her eyes.
“Falmouth is in Cornwall, is it not?” she asked him.
“Yes. A port town only a half day’s ride from Thornhill House.”
“Of course,” she said. “We had it all wrong.”
She straightened and walked to the engraved map of the world hung on Rafe’s wall. “Le Triton’s stronghold is outside of Paris,” she pointed with her finger, “but the diary entry says the monarchy is about to fall and Le Triton must leave. The next location is Falmouth.” She traced a line from France to the coast of England. “A port town.”
“Falmouth is notorious for sheltered coves—the perfect location for smugglers.” Drew had been called upon to assist the county magistrate in capturing and prosecuting smugglers on more than one occasion.
Mina stared at him, her eyes alight with excitement. “The Princess Eve isn’t only a gin palace. It’s a front for an audacious smuggling enterprise. And Lord Rafe became engaged to MissLachance as a means of obtaining information.”
“So MissLachance isn’t in league with Bickerstaff?”
“No. I believe that her connection to him is only peripheral—circumstantial—his niece happened to be her barmaid. The connection is between MissLachance and Le Triton.”
“And who is Le Triton?”
“A notorious French antiquities thief and criminal and my uncle’s nemesis. He’s been slowly making inroads into the British criminal networks but this would appear to be his gambit to corner the British stolen antiquities market. I can’t believe he would risk coming to England, but that’s what the diary says, and your brother had inside information.”
“And so Rafe has gone to meet this Le Triton with MissLachance? Why would he do such an idiotic, foolhardy thing? Does he want to impress your uncle so very much?”
“Because he’s a...” She stopped abruptly as if she’d been about to tell him something and had a change of heart.
“Mina.” He walked toward her. “There’s something you’re not telling me. Rafe’s not sober or noble enough to embark on perilous journeys to capture dangerous smugglers.”
She perused the map, her back turned toward him. “The diary entry says that thePoseidon, which is the name of Le Triton’s ship, arrives in one week, which means that there are only three more days. It will be piled high with stolen antiquities—jewels, paintings, statuary, priceless treasures stripped from their rightful—”
“Mina.” His hands settled on her slender shoulders and he turned her body to face him. She avoided his eyes. “This is my younger brother we’re talking about, whom I’m sworn to protect and aid. You need to tell me why he’s risking his life to apprehend a notorious criminal.”
She remained mute but regret flickered in her eyes. She wanted to tell him, he could feel it.
“Mina. Talk to me. I have a right to know.” He brushed the back of his knuckles against her cheek. “There should be no secrets between us. You already know more about me and my past than anyone else on this earth.”
Her shoulders rose as she inhaled. Something changed in her eyes, softened. “I want to tell you,” she whispered. “But it’s against the code.”
“What code? Mina, what is this all about? I know that you have something deeper in common with Rafe. At first I thought that you were in love with him but it’s not that. It’s as though you have a shared language, a shared history. It’s not just about antiquities and artifacts, is it?”
“I can’t tell you,” her voice was anguished, her eyes pleading with him. “Please don’t ask me any more questions.”
“Don’t ask you any questions.” He dropped his hand and took a step backward. “You’ve been accusing me of shutting you out, of remaining cold. Well you’re the one shutting me out now.”
“You’ll have to trust me, Drew. Trust that there’s a reason I can’t tell you what you want to know.”
“Very well.” He was alone again. This bond they’d been forging had been all on his side. She didn’t trust him.
He strode toward the door. He had to pack. “I have to go after Rafe. The idiot will get himself killed. If I leave tomorrow I’ll be there in time to meet the ship.”
Mina ran to him and grabbed his hands. “Stop, Drew. You can’t go after him alone. You don’t know what Le Triton is capable of—he’s ruthless. A brutal murderer who cares only for riches and power. He... he killed my parents.”
“I thought they died while traveling abroad.”
She tightened her grip on his hands and stared into his eyes. “My uncle is on a ship bound for France. I have no one else to turn to, Drew. We have to go together to help stop Le Triton. We go together.” She brought his hands to her chest and clasped them to her heart. “As a partnership.”
