“Not I.” she managed to admit, despite the lump in her throat.
“I wish it could stand witness to her fate.” The regret in his voice was poignant.
“I suppose that great age explains the few scratches upon its surface.”
Ramsay nodded, his hair falling over his brow. “She said the setting was not the original one but had been replaced. I do not know when.” He turned it so the carved image on its reverse side snared the light. “Theintaglio, she called it,” he mused.
Evangeline leaned closer, knowing the image was a woman in profile, her hair coiled on her head, a mysterious smile curving her lips. Her profile was an elegant one and she looked to be young, in the prime of her maidenhood. Slightly behind her was the profile of a man, also young, also handsome, though his smile was more pronounced. They exuded a satisfaction, this pair, as well as a vitality, though they had to be long dead and gone.
“Alienor said it was a betrothal stone, the likeness of the couple engraved forever on the gem the lady would wear on her finger.” Ramsay nodded. “She said the Romans were the first to wear wedding rings, that the ring should be placed on the third finger of the left hand as the Romans believed a vein ran from that finger to the heart.”
“Was she betrothed? Was that why she wore it?”
He shook his head. “Nay, her father thought the color of the gem favored her well, so she wore it at his dictate.” He frowned. “She knew a great deal about gems and jewels, to be sure, courtesy of her family history. They had risen to prominence as jewelers, then become sufficiently wealthy to collect prizes themselves. Her forebears had journeyed far and wide, collecting treasures everywhere they went. When she spoke of her father’s treasury, I imagined a chamber fairly filled with gold and sparkling gems.”
“An heiress,” Evangeline said softly.
“And a beauty,” Ramsay acknowledged. “She had chestnut hair that fell in waves, and a sweetness in her expression beyond compare. Her face was as fair as alabaster; her eyes as green as the sea. She would have been pursued simply for her beauty, but her father’s wealth sweetened the prospects enormously.”
“A sole daughter?”
Ramsay shook his head. “Her two older sisters had wed well but it was known that the father prized his youngest and that her dowry would be generous indeed. There were rumors that Alienor’s spouse might be named her father’s heir, if the older man found him suitable.”
“You loved her,” Evangeline charged softly, knowing he had denied as much before but needing in this moment to be certain.
Ramsay shook his head again, sadness in his eyes. “I liked her, no more and no less.” He sighed. “But she was certain she loved me, and when Rufus cheated, defeating me and claiming a rich prize in so doing, Alienor was outraged by my loss. She was determined to learn the truth and reveal it, to defend my rightful gain of that prize.”
“She thought to prove her love to you?”
“I do not know. Perhaps. Talbot later concluded as much. At the time, I thought she insisted upon a match that would never be. I had told her that my admiration was insufficient for our acquaintanceship to be more. I thought her stubborn, in truth—” he looked up at her, his eyes glinting with unexpected humor “—though it could be said that I have an affection for that trait in a lady.” His lips tightened even as Evangeline’s heart skipped. “We argued because I would not listen to her. I refused to meet her in private, for I feared she might use other means to ensure the match she desired with me. I was so wrong. She would never have been so deceitful, but she would not let the matter rest.”
“What happened?” Evangeline asked when he fell silent.
“I failed her.” He frowned at the stone. “All knew that Rufus sought her affections, but she had declined him more than once. I fear she went to him, perhaps challenged him, perhaps revealed whatever evidence she had collected. We all knew only that she vanished, then was found dead, her corpse discarded some distance from town. The tournament was cancelled, out of respect to her family, and Rufus was among the first to leave. There was a tale then that he had been recalled to his father’s side. It was some days before we learned that she had been found without the ring she always wore.” Ramsay lifted the ring and met Evangeline’s gaze. “’Twas on her finger when last I spoke to her, for she told me then of its history.”
“And when you saw that I had it?”
“I was shocked to see it again. That it was a gift from Rufus implied only one thing. Still, without evidence, I was reluctant to believe such treachery of him.” He shook his head, his distaste clear. “That he would give it to you, as a betrothal ring, was heinous indeed.”
“But it proves that he knew its history,” Evangeline said. Ramsay looked up at that, as if he had not considered as much.
“Perhaps it does,” he ceded, then offered the ring to her again.
Evangeline shook her head, not wanting it upon her finger again. “Do you know where her family might be found?”
“They came to the lists, but I am not certain of their abode. I could find out, perhaps. Why?”
“Because I cannot imagine what ’tis like for them, to not know why their daughter died or who was responsible. Perhaps you could return the ring to them, along with the tale.”
He smiled then and gripped her hand. “I like that notion well, my lady.” Ramsay removed the narrow gold band from his purse once again and held it for her finger. “I met Alienor because I went to her father to buy a ring. This ring. I sought a ring that would be fitting for you to wear, if ever I won your regard.”
Evangeline smiled even as her heart fluttered anew. “À mon seul désir,” she whispered and he smiled.
“For me, there is only one,” he vowed with welcome heat.
“There is no wedding without a church, Ramsay,” she said. “And a priest.”
He slanted a glance toward the village and shook his head. “Not this one,” he guessed and she smiled.
