Passion for the Game(85)
“That is not sufficient to relieve my concerns.” Her chin lifted with no more strength behind it than pure bravado. In truth, her breathing was so shallow that she felt as if she could faint. “I want to see her with my own eyes.”
“She will be untouched and unaware, if you follow through with your end of our bargain.”
“I want her here!” Her fists clenched at her own helplessness. Amelia . . . “Bring her to me. Then I will give you whatever your heart desires, I swear it.”
“You have already promised to give me—” Eddington paused. His gaze narrowed. “There is more behind your demand than mistrust.”
Maria’s stomach knotted, but outwardly she arched her brow in an icy show of disdain.
The earl caught her chin and tilted it from side to side, examining her. “I suspect you don’t know,” he murmured pensively. “How many secrets do you have?”
She yanked free of his grip. “Do you know her location or not?”
“By God . . .” Eddington whistled and sank heavily onto the settee. “I’ve no notion of what is transpiring in your life, but let us dispense with the lies for a moment.” He gestured to the opposite sofa. “Sit.”
Maria complied only because her legs were shaking too much to support her safely.
“Does Welton know where his daughter is?”
She nodded. “He keeps her.”
“But her location is unknown to you?” His eyes widened as understanding dawned. “Is that the hold he has on you?”
She said nothing.
“I can assist you in return for the service you provide to me.” Eddington bent low, resting his forearms on his thighs. “I know where your sister is. You must know something about St. John that will help me catch him. This can be a mutually beneficial association.”
“You wish to use her against me, as Welton does.” Her hands fisted in her lap. “If anything untoward happens to her, you will pay dearly. I promise you that.”
“Maria.” It was the first occasion the earl had ever used her first name and the familiarity shook her, as he most likely intended. “Your position is untenable. You know this. I can achieve my aims without helping you. Accept my terms. They are more than fair.”
“Nothing about this is fair, my lord. Nothing.”
“Your trust is safer with me than it is with St. John.”
“You do not know him.”
“Neither do you,” he argued. “I am not the only one who knows where Lady Amelia is. St. John knows as well.”
Her smile was mocking. “Ply your wiles on someone more gullible than I.”
“By what means do you think I found her? I sent agents to investigate Welton because of his connection to you. St. John’s men were ahead of us, making inquiries of their own. They discovered your sister. The pursuing agents simply followed.”
She frowned, considering, looking back on the last few days with examining eyes.
“Damn you.” The earl’s hands fisted at his knees. “I believed you would be a match for St. John, but he has deceived you as well.”
“I am not so easily goaded that you can toss out such an accusation and I will accept it on its face. My doubt in your claim does not mean that St. John has my sympathies or loyalty, only that between the two of you, I see a great deal of similarity. In this case, is there a lesser of two evils?”
“Be reasonable,” he cajoled. “I strive for the good of England. St. John strives for his own selfish welfare. Surely that gives me some advantage?”
Her mouth curved disdainfully.
“Maria. Surely there is some tidbit you can pass on to me that will implicate St. John in illegal activities or will provide some clue about that witness. Is there anyone you might have seen visiting St. John, someone he has talked about? Think carefully. Your sister’s fate lies in the balance.”
Weary of it all and heartsick, she knew she had to bring this triangle to its conclusion. She could not go on like this. It was too draining, and she needed what little energy she had remaining to bring Amelia safely home. “He has asked me to accompany him this evening,” she whispered. “He has smuggled goods stored nearby.”
“He will take you there?”
She nodded. “I pity you if you arrest him for smuggling. The people will riot.”
“Leave that concern to me,” he said, with obvious excitement. “You just lead the way.”
Christopher cursed under his breath. “You are certain that was what he said? That he ordered the capture of Amelia?”
“Yes.” Tim nodded. “They were speaking low, but I heard it clear. They are awaiting word now. Eddington didn’t say as much to Lady Winter. He said he was watching her sister, not nabbing ’er.”