“But Leonard didn’t pay them what he’d promised,” Harcourt sighed. “My brother never would have let such a slight stand. Too proud.”
“For Ellis, the reasons for a response would have been even deeper.” Rook scrubbed a hand over his face, and for a moment, Juliana saw the weight of worry for his cousin on his face. “He’s known in the underworld. To be cheated like that would put a mark on him. Make him a target if he was seen as weak. He had to fix the situation. He had to lash back.That’swhy they stole the gem out from under Leonard and launched this march to hell.”
“Your brother hid the gem when it was clear Leonard was coming for them,” Anne said to Harcourt. “And when he was killed by Leonard—”
“The hiding place died with him,” Rook said.
“We know all that,” Juliana said. “It is all we have talked about in the past few weeks preparing to leave Harcourt for London and during the trip here. You have the code that tells us where the jewel is. Wouldn’t it end the danger for all of us if you had it delivered to Lord Winston? Then he can work it out himself and leave all of us out of it.”
Rook flinched. “I have worked over the code for weeks and cannot break it. I doubt Winston would have any better time of it. It could serve to provoke his rage further.”
Juliana took a deep breath and hoped her tone wouldn’t betray her. “Then why not ask Ellis for his help?”
Rook held her gaze for a beat. “Because I don’t know where he is,” he said softly. “Even if I did, right now I don’t know if I can trust him. He was desperate when he hatched his plan to use Anne as leverage against Harcourt. And when Handsome is desperate, he makes bad decisions.”
Handsome. Juliana jolted at the use of Ellis’s street name. It fit, of course. There was never so handsome a man. Damn him.
“Well, I don’t know what any of it has to do with me at any rate,” she said, turning away so no one would read her expression too closely.
“When Leonard mistook you for Anne and kidnapped you, you became a part of this story as much as anyone.” Harcourt watched her as she paced. “Leonard has to know he’s gone too far. He…he injured you. He shot Ellis. He has to assume there are consequences, and that’s why he’s gone to ground.”
Juliana stared at her brother-in-law. Harcourt was still talking, but she didn’t hear any of it anymore. “Ellis was…he was shot?” she whispered.
The room went quiet as everyone stared at her. “Yes,” Anne said at last. “Don’t you remember? He was shot in the shoulder in the scuffle.”
Juliana’s harsh breathing echoed in her own ears as the room began to wobble around her. Her mind yanked her back, far back, to a bluff on a hill. To Winston Leonard threatening her, promising her that he would see her dead before this was over.
And then Rook and Harcourt and Ellis had come. There was shouting, and yes, she did remember a shot ringing out. Then the slash of the knife across her cheek. Pain and terror were all that remained then. And the warm arms of Ellis Maitland as he cradled her close and whispered in her ear.
“Hold on, angel. I won’t let you go. You stay with me now.”
He’d held her gaze with his, willing her to be present with him, not to surrender to the pain of the injury as he pressed his big hand to her cheek and held her together.
The rest was a blur.
“He was shot,” she repeated, pulling herself back to the present.
Thomasina nodded. “You really don’t remember?”
“I’m not surprised. The shock will do that,” Rook said. He met Juliana’s eyes and held there. “I’msorry, Juliana. I’m sorry that none of us protected you better.”
Juliana shook her head. “It’s—it’s fine. I’m fine.” That was a lie, but it didn’t matter now. Ellis had seemed well when he approached her. She hadn’t noticed anything about him that said he was hurt. So even though he had been shot, he was…functional.
Rook looked less than convinced at her distracted dismissal of the past, but didn’t push on the topic. “We’ve been talking about the danger, though, Juliana. Harcourt has implemented some security measures here with my help. Until we can find a way to deal with Leonard, we want to convince your father to allow you to stay here with the rest of us.”
“I think not.”
The entire group turned as Philip Shelley entered the room with a glare for his daughters and their husbands. His last glance was for Juliana, and it was dismissive.
“Father, be reasonable,” Thomasina said, moving forward. “You must understand that Juliana might be in danger. She was attacked not three weeks ago.”
“It was a random act,” their father said with a wave of his hand. “Highwaymen are terrible things.”
“It wasn’t a highwayman who attacked me!” Juliana burst out, pivoting to face him. She had spent her life arranging things for this man, making him comfortable and fixing his problems, and now…now he acted like this.
“That is the story I have begun to spread to explain that hideous scar on your cheek,” Mr. Shelley said, his gaze darting away from her face. Just like every other person’s eyes had started to do. “And that is the end of it. We have enough troubles without bringing some kind of intrigue to London to sully our name more than Anne already has. Juliana stays with me.Thatis final.”
“Mr. Shelley,” Harcourt said, his tone low and serious. “Your daughter is in danger.”
