He glanced over at India who was regarding Robby doubtfully. She probably thought him careless for allowing Robby to go, but he couldn’t very well say no. There had been something in Robby’s eyes when he had asked to go. Something that struck a chord deep within Ridge. Something he was almost afraid to examine.
“I’m certain,” Robby said quietly. “I know how important this is to you, Ridge. To you both,” he quickly amended, looking apologetically at India. “I wouldn’t do anything to ruin it for either of you.”
Ridge nodded, satisfied with his answer. “Then we need to start planning. You will need to depart with Udaya and Kavi soon.”
“How soon?” Robby asked.
“Tomorrow.” He looked to India for confirmation. “Can Kavi and Udaya depart on such notice?”
She nodded. “I’ll speak to them tonight and tell them of our plan.”
“While I was at the docks today, I saw a ship set to sail to America in the morning. I’ll send a footman to purchase passage for us both immediately. In the meantime, we must take care not to leave ourselves open to attack.”
He looked pointedly at her, and her cheeks reddened.
“Now what did Artemis give you that was of such import?”
She glanced down at the papers still clenched in her hand. An uneasy feeling swept over him, a niggling of doubt that he quickly shoved aside when she looked back at him, her eyes clear of any deception.
Why had she chosen to go alone to see the book seller when they had visited him just the day before? It was a question that had nagged him since her return.
“I haven’t had time to examine them,” she said huskily. “He said it was all his notes on Pagoria. He wanted me to have them rather than them fall in the wrong hands.”
“May I see them?”
He held out a hand, his question a silent test. But she leaned forward, scooting to the edge of the settee and handed them over without hesitation. He was being insensible. Clearly she was hiding nothing from him. It was a ridiculous assumption on his part.
Instead of looking at the scribbles, he directed his gaze at her. “Shall we go over them together?”
“You look. I’ll go inform Kavi and Udaya of our plan so that they make ready.”
She rose and gave him a half-smile then left the room.
Ridge watched her go, then turned his attention to the pages in his hand. He leaned back in his chair and thumbed through them, looking for anything of interest. If he hoped to scan over them quickly, he was disappointed. The script was small, barely legible. The pages were full, no space unwritten on. He pulled his spectacles from his pocket and put them on.
Robby cleared his throat and shifted restlessly in his chair. Ridge looked up at him.
“If you’re going to bury your nose in those, I’m going to retire. It appears I have a long journey ahead of me tomorrow.”
Without waiting for a reply, Robby rose awkwardly from his chair. His face paled and he wavered before regaining his balance.
Ridge was on his feet in a second. “Are you unwell, Robby? Perhaps it would be better if you remained behind.”
Robby forced a smile and drug a hand through his hair. “Just dove a little too deep into my cups last night. Nothing a good night’s rest won’t cure. I’ll see you in the morning?”
Ridge frowned but nodded. He watched as Robby shuffled to the door, his gait stiff and slow. His brother was obviously miserable, and he had no doubt Lucinda was to blame for that fact. Damn the woman. She was poison of the worst order.
His chest hurt over the pain he saw in his brother’s eyes. All the anger he had felt over what he perceived as Robby’s betrayal of him had evaporated the day in White’s where he had seen the full scope of Robby’s unhappiness.
Why had Lucinda jilted him for Robby if she didn’t love him? Was she merely playing a sick jest? Playing the brothers against each other? It was she who had come out the loser, because she had neither a title nor money, and she was a woman who needed much more than Robby could provide her.
It made no sense.
Clenching his fists around the pages, he sat back down in his chair. He read through the first page, confused by the jumble of thoughts, ideas, snippets of information. In random order. Impossible to sort out in a timely manner.
He sighed in frustration. Nothing was going according to plan. Not that he really had a plan, but he hadn’t envisioned it being this difficult. It was as if he had opened Pandora’s Box by embarking on this quest for Pagoria.
Pagoria. No way to explain why it ate at his soul. Why it called to him as it did. Had done since he was a child. Ever since he’d found a journal in his father’s library. The legend had come alive in his mind, fueled his imagination, and formed in him a dream that wouldn’t die.
