Chapter 45
PERSONAL REVELATIONS
Richard and Mrs. Bell walked along the quieter streets away from the center of the city as the evening call to prayer echoed up and down the alleyways.
They stood near a fountain where the sound of flowing water would mask their voices.
Richard said, “I have mentioned before that your skills are far more than a typical widow of a military man, Mrs. Bell. With each encounter, at each port, my confidence grows that you are much more than you imply. Am I correct?”
Mrs. Bell smiled, though Richard detected a hint of wariness. “My story is potentially more complex than it appears, Colonel. I was the youngest daughter of a country gentleman. Since then, my path has been…unconventional.”
“How so?” Richard asked, inherently knowing hers was a story she rarely revealed.
“When Garrison was killed in action, I found myself all alone with knowledge and connections that proved unexpectedly valuable to certain parties in London.” She chose her words carefully.
“I could have returned to my family to live as a dependent relative. Instead, I was approached by gentlemen who suggested I might serve Crown and country.”
The pieces began clicking into place. “You are working for the government.”
“As are you, Colonel. I suspect our missions are more closely aligned than either of us initially realized.” Mrs. Bell turned to face him directly.
“I was assigned to accompany Mr. Gardiner’s niece as her companion, but also to observe and report on any suspicious activities during the expedition.
When I learned of your true purpose, I recognized that we were essentially pursuing the same objective. ”
The revelation both impressed and concerned Richard. “And your assistance in my investigation?”
“Was genuine. My orders were to protect Elizabeth and observe for threats. Mr. Gardiner takes the safety of his niece seriously. My superiors appreciated the cover for my search for clues. Discovering that you were hunting L’Ombre made our objectives complementary.
” Mrs. Bell’s tone grew softer. “More than that, working together has been a pleasant surprise, something I never expected to find again after my husband.”
“For me as well,” Richard admitted. He swallowed. “Professional collaboration aside, you have become someone whose welfare matters to me. These feelings may be affecting my judgment, Mrs. Bell.”
“The feeling is mutual.” Her gaze met his with an intensity that made Richard’s jacket feel too snug. “Have you considered that this is precisely why our working together has been effective? We both have everything to fight for.”
“And everything to lose,” he whispered, offering his arm to escort her back to the Mary Catherine.
Mrs. Bell had become integral to his success and his happiness. Yet the complexity of their situation and the uncertainty of their future made any declaration of attachment seem both inevitable and impossibly complicated.
“Colonel, since we are baring our souls, if you are able, would you tell me about this Mr. Wickham who concerns your cousin and you?”
Gesturing to a bench surrounding another fountain, Richard sat alongside her.
“Darcy and I grew up with Wickham. He is my age, which makes us four years older than my cousin. As the steward’s son, George wanted nothing more than to have the right to live at Pemberley as the heir.
” He shook his head at her questioning look.
“My uncle was nonsensical when it came to Wickham. He chose to reward the son for the father’s hard work and loyalty.
George deserved none of it. He lies and steals without conscience.
He is lazy and feels entitled to a life he has done nothing to earn.
I do not doubt that if he had the chance, he would stab Darcy in the back to free the way to wed Darcy’s young sister, becoming the wealthy, powerful man he has always wanted to be. ”
“Oh, my!” Mrs. Bell’s fingers covered her lips.
“Yes, he is an unpleasant character who would love nothing more than to see Darcy and me suffer every indignity known to mankind.”
Hesitantly, she asked, “Would you kill him if you had the chance?”
He leaned away from her, peering down his nose at her.
“Not at all. I would not have to. His crimes are amassed to the heavens. I would see that justice was done. The least that would happen is that he would rot in debtors’ prison.
The most would be swinging from a tree from one of the many fathers or husbands who had a female who was imposed upon. ”
She nodded. “I see now why you and Mr. Darcy are concerned. If he is aware of your cousin’s affection for Miss Bennet, she would be in danger.”
“He knows.”
“Then I will do my part to protect her. I am not without training, nor would I withhold punishment if he intended harm.”
“Good to know, Mrs. Bell.” Standing, he held out his arm. When she readily accepted it, he helped her up, then wrapped her fingers around his elbow. They walked the rest of the way to the ship in silence.
After their discussion at the fountain, Mrs. Bell was kept busy with Miss Bennet’s quest to purchase the best of the goods the Grand Bazaar had to offer.
Once everyone returned to the ship, Darcy was captivated by his lady love, Mr. Bennet kept repeating the clue they discovered in Hagia Sophia, Mrs. Bell spent considerable time with Tommy, the ship’s boy, and Captain Morrison. Richard felt adrift.
According to his records, it was now the twenty-sixth of May. They had been traveling for fifty-four days. Yet he was no closer to finding the turncoat than he had been while he stood waiting on the Royal Dock in London for his luggage to be loaded onto the Meridian.
Standing at the ship’s railing, he watched his cousin as Miss Bennet approached.
Under normal circumstances, Darcy kept his emotions under rigid control.
The man who greeted his beloved was obviously besotted.
There was no embarrassment, no shame at others being aware of his deepest feelings.
In fact, at that point, it would not have surprised Richard had Darcy shouted his devotion at the top of his lungs for everyone to hear.
When Miss Elizabeth stepped closer and gazed up at his cousin, Richard felt a punch to his gut.
Quickly turning away from them, he gripped the wood until his knuckles were white. His breathing was uneven, as if the blow to his solar plexus had been given by Poseidon himself.
Looking out to the sea, he saw nothing as his mind roiled.
Pressing his eyes closed, the vision of Miss Elizabeth and Darcy became him and Mrs. Bell.
Will she ever look at me like that? Does she see me as anything other than a convenient partner until she reports back to London and then vanish from my life?
Blast! He was an idiot! His certainty that he would never be tainted by emotions that robbed a man of his masculinity and pride by giving his affections to a woman was the height of stupidity.
Those emotions did not render a man weak.
No, they empowered a gentleman until he knew that he alone could protect and cherish his lady properly.
For the first time in his adult life, he admitted to himself that he wanted exactly what was developing between his cousin and Miss Elizabeth. He wanted to love and to be loved.
Opening his eyes, the endless sea stretched in front of him. Richard Malcolm Fitzwilliam was not a coward. Once they found the traitor, once they discovered the lost library, once he had Prudence Bell’s full attention, he would do everything within his power to make sure she wanted to be loved too.
If only he knew how.