Chapter Twelve
Ian believed her without reservation.
Her wide eyes and pinched brow revealed the emotion she’d ceased hiding behind her beautiful mask.
Diana was terrified.
For him.
She hadn’t stolen the emeralds to taunt him, or as some cocky attempt to win a competition she thought she could best, like everything else in her life.
It had been a way to lure him on her journey, so she could protect him.
The only man who’s compelling my actions is you.
It didn’t lessen the sting of her deception. Or make him want to hand over his trust completely.
But God, if it didn’t make his heart swell.
With a little time, she’d tell him who she was working with. She’d need his help to ferret out the traitor, and once they identified them, it would clear her from Sunderland’s suspicions.
Eventually, he’d have to tell her who he was working with, too. She’d risked a great deal trying to save his hide.
“Evenin’, ma’am.”
Birdie materialized before them and handed Diana an umbrella. “Came to find you when one of the hands didn’t return. But I see you’ve found ’em.”
Here, her suspicious glance said to Ian.
“Thank you. Mr. Holt and I were discussing a proposal,” Diana clipped. “We’ll be right along. Please tell Virgil I have the coordinates.”
“I can relay them—”
“Thank you, Birdie.” Diana’s voice rose as she gave a curt nod.
Birdie took the abrupt dismissal rather too calmly for Ian’s liking. She summoned her hands with a sharp whistle and melted into the misty evening.
Ian took the umbrella from Diana, opened it, and offered her his arm. “Shall we?”
She hesitated. “You haven’t given me an answer to my offer.”
“We’ll discuss it on the way to the ship. We can’t stay here. Birdie’s waiting for you.”
Understanding crossed her face. They had a few moments where no one would be listening.
As she threaded her arm through his, Ian fought the instinct to pull her closer. At the restaurant, right before she sat down at the table, he’d momentarily forgotten there wasn’t a gulf of past mistakes and present perils between them. He wanted that moment back.
“If you refuse to accept my proposal,” Diana said, “you must know I cannot allow you to stay aboard my ship if your sole intent is to steal the emeralds.”
“That would put me in a tight spot.”
“There is a room for you at the inn across the way.” Diana paused at the edge of the harbor and nodded to the row of taverns. “You can stay there while you decide your next move.”
“And if there’s a traitor among your mission comrades, who will help you in San Sebastian?”
The message the waiter had delivered wasn’t difficult to decode—Ian would have to scold her for that later.
San Sebastian was a two-day sail on the Ever Hart.
Diana’s organization could ferry the passengers there before they traveled on somewhere else.
It was possible many of them didn’t have papers; papers left a trail.
And laws were unkind to women, as Henry constantly reminded Ian.
His own mother had been trapped in a dangerous marriage before she’d met Ian’s father.
“Amelia and I can watch out for each other,” Diana countered. “We’ve been in this together from the start.”
“She has a brilliant mind, like her father. But we both know there are situations where Miss Hunter can’t defend herself. Or you. And the longer you hold on to the emeralds, the more likely one of those scenarios will occur.”
Diana observed the ships in the harbor for a long moment before her eyes found his again. “I don’t know how to solve this while keeping everyone safe.”
“You can’t.” He gentled his voice, hoping it would make her listen. “Too many things are in motion. Keeping the emeralds makes everyone around them a target.”
“It’s nothing we can’t handle.”
“With respect for all you do, it is. And it’s something I very much want to handle.”
He didn’t downplay the threat from his tone, and when Diana’s cheeks turned pink, he couldn’t help himself from pulling her a fraction closer. “The only thing either of us can do now is prepare ourselves for what may be coming.”
“Offering to protect us while we complete the cargo exchange won’t make me any more inclined to hand over the emeralds. Without them, I’ll never uncover the traitor.”
“I understand,” he conceded, so she would know that he’d heard she wouldn’t surrender the jewels. “Let me help you.”
“You’ll only try to take the necklace later.”
When he didn’t deny it, she gave a faint growl. “It doesn’t matter. My organization will never allow it.”
“They would if I were part of it. What would it take to join your cause?”
Diana uttered a low laugh before her expression sobered. “You’re serious.”
“I am.”
She hesitated. “You’d have to take a vow. An oath of loyalty to our organization.”
“What if I pledged my loyalty to you instead?”
The rain drummed against the umbrella. Ahead of them, the Ever Hart rose above the pier like a beacon in the inclement weather.
After a long, contemplative moment, Diana said, “Amelia and I will need to talk before I divulge any more details about our organization.”
“I would expect nothing less.”
A pffft noise sounded from her throat. “Uncovering who wants the emeralds will involve an operation. The unwise kind.”
The dangerous kind, she meant. A hot thrill ran through him. “As I mentioned before, I have a unique set of skills that could be of value.”
“A wise man would take the money and bolt. A wise woman would question why any man wouldn’t.”
Ian stared at her, willing her to recognize what neither of them could put into words.
With all the hazards surrounding them, he couldn’t leave her.
It was an easier argument to swallow than admitting he was indulging his selfish desire to keep Diana close.
Birdie’s whistle sounded from the bow deck of the ship.
“They’re watching,” Diana said in a rasp. “Let’s convince them of your loyalty.”
She took his free hand and cupped it between both of hers in a firm grip. “Do you, Ian Genaro Holt, in devotion to the memory of your parents, pledge your fidelity and service to the passengers and crew of the Ever Hart?”
Her small hands squeezed his in a surprisingly strong grip, and Ian fought off a smile. “I do.”
“And do you also vow that while onboard the Ever Hart, you will make no plans or overtures to intimidate or persuade others to steal the emerald necklace? That by doing so, you would risk your own life?”
“I do,” he echoed softly.
A black-bordered envelope was waiting for Diana in her cabin.
Amelia accompanied it, but before Diana could tell her what had transpired with Ian at the tavern, Birdie joined them.
“No one saw this being delivered?” Diana lifted the envelope between two fingers.
Both women shook their heads.
“That does not inspire confidence in our security.”
Birdie slouched against the wall with her arms folded over her chest. “My best hands were watchin’ over other villains.”
“Then make sure everyone else gets another lesson on our protocols.” Diana kept her tone cold, which she’d found much more effective than raising it.
“We’re bound for San Sebastian. But now we have another extraction we’ll need to transport with the Melbourne cargo.
A gentleman wants to pay us a small fortune to rescue his two daughters. ”
Amelia’s forehead wrinkled. “Who’s the target?”
“Enrique da Costa.”
Birdie let loose a curse. “He took over Clementi’s operations for Il Corno. Word is he’s twice as unhinged.”
“He’s the one who auctions women, isn’t he?” Amelia said in a low voice.
Diana curled her lip. “We’ve wanted to take him down for years but can’t work a scenario where we don’t all lose our hides.”
Birdie issued a choked noise of protest. “We don’t have time to plan for this.”
“No, we don’t,” Diana agreed calmly. “That’s why we won’t disrupt the auction. We will only extract the cargo.”
“And leave the other women to the mercy of those shagbags?”
When Diana and Amelia exchanged a quiet look, Birdie sneered. “It’s a stupid move. Any action with that lot’s a declaration of war. What makes these girls so special? Why should we leave the others behind and risk so much?”
“Money,” Amelia replied.
“Their father is paying us to get them out,” Diana added. “We will put the funds toward rescuing other women who don’t have rich families willing to pay a ransom.”
They contemplated this staggering reality for a tense, quiet moment before Birdie asked roughly, “So what’s the play? Standard shell game?”
“It’s the only thing we have time for,” Diana replied. “Our source in San Sebastian should be able to supply us with wardrobe and an extra hand or two.”
“Aye, she can get us costumes, but staff may be an issue. Two of her men were pinched last week.”
“That’s ominous timing,” Amelia said.
“We shouldn’t be tryin’ to pull this off now. We’re too close to the cargo handover.”
Diana shared Birdie’s concern. Widow never justified her directions to them, but they’d never had cause to question their previous orders. Their handler had always given them ample time to plan, especially when taking on something as dangerous as infiltrating a nest of criminals at Costa’s auction.
“None of us are comfortable with this, but there are two women depending on us,” Diana argued. “If we stick to our protocols, we can pull it off.”
“We should ensure all parts of the operation have a backup,” Amelia said diplomatically. “Perhaps Virgil can play the role of Diana’s escort?”
“He has to meet the Australian cargo lighter at eleven hundred hours. It’s too close.” Diana rubbed her chin. “We’ll have to use Mr. Holt.”
“No,” Birdie protested. “Widow would never allow it.”
“There’s no one else,” Diana countered. “And we won’t forgo the mission.”
“We can’t trust Holt.”
“No,” Diana conceded. “But he’s the option that carries the least risk. I will mitigate it.”