Thirteen
Jonathan headed for Dom’s study after parting from Evangeline, his mind preoccupied with their near kiss. When her sweet scent had wafted in the air and her beautiful eyes overflowed with adoration, he forgot for a brief moment what had brought them together.
If Dom had retrieved the journal, Jonathan could end this charade, along with the pretense of them working together. Not that he wanted to cut ties. She was perfectly suited for him, and even though he had only said goodnight a moment ago, he physically ached to see her again.
He hadn’t fully lied about the project. His father had planned to author a book about ancient Greece with an emphasis on the Acropolis. Jonathan simply hadn’t realized he wanted to fulfill his father’s lost dream until now.
Dom was playing a solitary card game when he entered the study.
“Tell me you found it,” Jonathan said without preamble and dragged a chair to the small table that doubled as a desk.
“Bloody Vistoire.” Dom slapped the deck of cards on the tabletop. “He intercepted me before I reached the wing. He asked me about French nationalists while we had a drink.”
Jonathan fought a small smile of satisfaction. The outing with Evangeline tomorrow would go forward. “Did Vistoire suspect anything when he intercepted you?”
“He caught me in the foyer.” Dom smirked, hooking his arm over the back of his chair. “He also requested I question my wealthy contacts about Wedmore to determine if he approached any of them about sponsoring an excavation.”
“What did you tell him?”
“That I would do it. I had a thought while we were discussing Wedmore. What if he isn’t hiding? What if someone has gotten to him first?”
“Bandits?” Jonathan asked.
Dom shrugged. “Banditti have been known to carry off gentlemen of means, but the hostages are released after a ransom is paid.”
“But he is pretending to be a woman.”
“They don't discriminate. If a tourist appears wealthy, there is a chance a ransom will be paid.”
Jonathan frowned. He hadn’t known the risks, or he wouldn’t have been comfortable with Evangeline and her family setting off alone, even with Dom following them.
“Wedmore wouldn’t be easy prey,” Jonathan said, “even if he was outnumbered.”
“He would not.”
Dom and Jonathan had undergone vigorous training on survival, weaponry, and defense as recruits. Every man did. Charles Wedmore was acknowledged as an expert in hand-to-hand combat. Hell, Jonathan heard rumors that Wedmore had created the training program.
“Every man has moments of weakness,” Dom said. “When he is deep in his cups… When he lies with a woman… And he has no defense against a sneak. For a few piastres, some servants will slip a sleeping potion into a foreigner's wine.”
“Very well,” Jonathan said, “let’s assume in a moment of vulnerability Wedmore was kidnapped. His family has been in Athens for a week. How long before word reaches the bandits?"
“Most are locals, and word has spread about the Frenchman and English ladies boarding at the villa.”
“Vistoire isn’t French.”
Dom curled his lip. “Either way, I expect Wedmore’s nieces would have received demands by now.”
Jonathan had guessed as much. “That eliminates kidnapping.”
“There is another possibility.” Dom wrapped his knuckles against the table. “Have you considered you are not the only Regent’s man Farrin sent to kill him? What if we are searching for a body at this point?”
An icy knot began to form in Jonathan’s gut.
He had left England to protect his former betrothed.
When Farrin insinuated that Miss Thorne's life would be in danger unless Jonathan complied with orders, he had rushed to make travel arrangements. Miss Thorne believed Jonathan was choosing a dig over her, so she had broken their engagement and married her first love before Jonathan’s ship set sail.
The last report he’d received from a colleague who agreed to watch over her and her new husband was reassuring.
The Regent’s Consul seemed to have forgotten about the couple, who were expecting their first child.
But that report was from seven months ago.
If Farrin had sent another spy after Wedmore, it meant he’d grown impatient.
A vindictive man, Farrin wouldn’t hesitate to punish Jonathan for failing the mission.
“We need Wedmore’s journal,” he said. “It is the only lead we have.”
“Easier said than done, apparently.”
“Perhaps not. Miss Darlington has agreed to be my artist.”
Dom smirked. “Don’t tell me she is sketching you in the nude. A little modern erotic art?”
Jonathan chuckled, his heavy mood lifting. “She shocked you. I didn’t think that was possible.”
“Neither did I.” The sparkle in Dom’s eyes suggested he enjoyed the novelty. “One doesn’t expect that kind of talk from a miss who blushes every time the man she admires looks her way.”
Jonathan attempted to keep his voice even as jealousy tightened his chest. Evangeline had spent an inordinate amount of time conversing with the other man at supper. “Does she fancy you then?”
“God’s blood, Hackberry! She stared daggers in my direction all evening. You were there.” Dom shook his head, amused. “I was referring to you. The lady admires you. Didn't you notice she hung on your every word?”
Jonathan smiled. “Perhaps a little, after you left.”
“Mm-hmm, I see the admiration is mutual.”
How could any man not be charmed by her? She was adorable, intelligent, and well-read, and she possessed a figure to make Aphrodite envious.
“Whatever mischief you and Miss Darlington dabble in is none of my concern,” Dom said, “as long as you’re the one doing the seducing and not the other way around. You have a duty to perform. There is no room for sentiment.”
Jonathan scowled at the reminder. “I am aware of my duties, and there is no mischief to be had. She is a lady, and I am a gentleman.”
“Splendid. Now what is this about her being your artist?”
Jonathan reported on his arrangement with Evangeline and his plan to lure her and her family away the next day.
“While we revisit the Acropolis, search their quarters. I will look in her bag.”
Dom nodded.
“And thank you. This is the closest I’ve come to finding Wedmore. Your assistance is priceless.”
“We took the same oath, Hackberry.” Dom picked up the deck of cards and returned to his game. “I’m doing you no favors.”