“Before we go any further,” Phin said, “Are there more of you—Protectors—here in London?”
Aadesh appeared to hesitate before he replied, “I have come to these shores alone.”
Eleanor tilted her head at the way he phrased his response.
“I shall take your word for it,” Phin noted casually. “If we’re tobecome allies in this situation, we’ll have to establish a bit of trust.”
Aadesh gave a deep nod of agreement, his gaze unwavering.
Apparently satisfied, Phin asked, “What can you tell me about the item my friend sent to me?”
A black brow arched. “The thief?”
Instead of taking offense, Phin flashed a quick grin. “If you insist.”
The Protector shifted in his chair, sitting a little straighter. “First, allow me to tell you a tale.” His dark eyes flickered to Eleanor. “It is not a pretty story.”
She gazed steadily back at him, certain she already knew the worst of it.
“Once, long ago, there was a young fisherman who lived in a small village. He aspired to a greater life than the one his humble parents had given him. From the time he was a young boy, he would watch the local maharaja pass by in his finery with his horses and servants and silks and he would wish to be like him. One day, there was an accident in the maharaja’s convoy and the royal prince ended up in the river. The young fisherman was along the banks, watching as usual, so he was the first to jump in and save this prince from the rapids. When the maharaja asked him what he would like in reward, his only request was that he be allowed to go with him back to the palace to live there as servant. He promised he would be loyal and constant and do anything the maharaja required of him. The maharaja accepted this offer, for who would turn down such a devoted plea to do his bidding.
“The ambitious fisherman was true in his vow and he spent the next years doing anything the maharaja asked of him. Some things were simple, such as escorting the young prince about his day. Others were not and our once-humble fisherman learned to set aside his own morals for those of his master. But he learned a great many things about royal life—politics and deceit. He acquired silks of his own and a chest of gold that he added to whenever possible. Yet, he was not content. Now that he had witnessed in intimate detail just how muchpower and wealth the maharaja possessed, he could not ignore how far below him he still stood.
“And then, there finally came a day when he was called upon to do something of great, superior importance.”
The Protector’s eyes held Eleanor’s. She knew what was coming, yet still she tensed almost painfully. Her very blood seemed to slow to an icy crawl. She didn’t realize she’d reach a hand toward Phin, until it was enveloped in his warm fingers. But she didn’t look away from Aadesh’s intent stare as he continued his tale—his voice resonating with the weight of history and purpose.
“For the young prince he’d once rescued from a raging river, had grown into a man and had been betrothed to a princess of esteemed beauty and grace. Before the wedding could take place, however, the bride was stolen by another. A man unworthy of her. In a fury that his son’s beloved had been so sullied and their family so grossly disgraced, the maharaja commanded his faithful servant to commit a heinous act of retribution. His prize for such a task would be the fortune in gold and jewels he’d find around the lovely bride’s neck.
“The man who had once been a simple fisherman had become so blinded by his greed and selfish desires that he did not hesitate. And when dozens of bodies littered the ground behind him, he clutched his reward in his hand. He returned to the palace, collected the gold he’d managed to save and left the maharaja forever. He believed himself worthy now of a kingdom of his own. He traveled for weeks to a distant town, reinvented himself as a nobleman and lived in a grand house with servants and silks and horses.”
Aadesh’s jaw hardened.
“But in his desperate desire for privilege and wealth, he had forgotten the difference between good and evil. The humble life his parents had given him had been irrevocably altered by his actions under the maharaja. His blood had been tainted. His karma unavoidable. Even as he gained more and more gold and built a bigger and bigger house, helost so much more. His precious heirs would all die before reaching adolescence. The wife he chose for her supreme beauty and nobility hated him with a passion. And one day, in despair and hatred, his wife could take no more. She spat upon the ground and tore the necklace he forced her to wear every day from around her neck, tossing it to his feet. Desperate to save the symbol of his fortune from the dirt, he did not even see her walk away, never to return.
“He wallowed in his anger, cursing the injustice of his fate for years before it finally gave way to an overwhelming grief and eventually to calm understanding. On that day, he left his fine palace and returned to the river where his parents still lived. He shed his silks and redressed in common linens and waded into the water to cast his net. From that moment forward, he began to live the life he’d been destined to. And eventually, he took a new wife and had two children, a son and a daughter. Every night he told them of the curse of his wickedness and greed, sharing horrid tales of his past wretchedness and the infinite pain and sorrow he’d wrought upon others. Then he’d tell them that it was their dharmic duty to ensure the curse of greed he’d fallen under would never touch another. He insisted that they both vow to protect the world from such selfishness and never allow another to possess that which he believed to symbolize the source of his destruction.”
Eleanor’s skin buzzed like a swarm of furious honeybees. “The necklace,” she whispered.
Aadesh met her gaze and nodded. “It carries the curse of my ancestor. His greed and his shame. It is the responsibility of my family to protect others from its influence. To protectitfrom the greed and selfishness of the human heart.”
“I’d always thought the story was just a legend or an exaggeration. A tale to frighten girls into accepting their family’s choice in husband.” Her eyes widened. “But it actually happened.”
Holding her gaze, he nodded solemnly. “It did.”
“And the necklace has remained in your family all these many generations?” Eleanor asked.
“Until now,” he replied sharply, turning to Phin. “Now it is in your hands.” He paused. His stare was dark and intent. “And what will you do with it, my lord?”
Eleanor turned to look at the viscount. His expression was difficult to read. There was a tension in his face that she did not often see. A focus and intensity that unsettled her.
“Tell me what you know of my friend’s involvement.” He said, ignoring the question.
The other man sighed and bobbled his head. “He was working with a man who we’d been watching for some months. A man who’d been asking questions and was getting far too close.”
“What sort of questions?”
“Questions about my family, about a name my ancestor had used only while in the employ of the maharaja. He seemed to know things he shouldn’t. Things he couldn’t possibly…” His jaw tensed and he pinned Phin with a glare. “Your friend was employed as their guide when they arrived in our village.”
