Page 100 of When the Rogue Returns
“Will she?” Victor snapped. “I doubt that.” He turned to Jacoba, who was staring after Gerhart with a heartsick expression. “It’s time you consider yourself, sister,” he said coldly. “Your husband is lost to you. He will almost certainly hang for the theft of those diamonds; it’s a capital crime. Right now you’re only guilty of being his accomplice to the diamond theft. But if we haul you back to Amsterdam and start building a case against you two forthosethefts, you’re likely to find yourself on the gallows with him. Unless...”
“Unless?” Jacoba whispered.
“You speak the truth about what happened to those diamonds in Amsterdam. If you testify that Isa and I had nothing to do with it, I will make sure that your sentence is commuted to transportation. I have enough influence to keep you from the gallows.”
Jacoba cast Isa a pleading glance, but Isa could barely stand to look at her.
“It’s your choice, Jacoba,” Victor said. “Transportation or the gallows. If you take your chances on a trial, I will use all the influence I have to see you both prosecuted equally for stealing. And youwillhang with him.”
“Don’t be a fool, Jacoba,” Isa said. “He’s not worth it.”
With a sigh, Jacoba looked at Victor. “All right. I’ll tell the truth.”
And for the first time in ten years, Isa finally felt free.
♦♦♦
THE NEXT FEWhours tried Victor’s patience. He hated having to put Isa into Lochlaw’s care even temporarily when they left the clearing, but he and Dom had been seen setting out to capture Gerhart, and now they had to be seen bringing him and Jacoba in. But only after Lochlaw had whisked Isa back into the manor through the garden door by which she’d left.
Meanwhile, Tristan was keeping Amalie under wraps at the hunting cottage until Victor and Isa could head back to Edinburgh with Dom, ostensibly so that they could consult with lawyers about her wretched family caught in this horrible crime. Along the way, Tristan and Dr. Worth would join them, driving the phaeton while Dom drove Isa and Victor and Amalie in Dom’s coach.
They had no choice in that, either. If Amalie made a miraculous appearance at the house party, it would destroy their plan to undermine Gerhart’s claims.
Well into the evening, Victor had to lie about the capture while Isa had to pretend to be shocked by the fact that her brother-in-law was a thief. She had to act horrified by the nasty claims he was making against her. Her bruises contributed to Victor’s and Isa’s story of Gerhart’s desperation for money, especially with Dr. Worth there to speak of the damage done to her throat. And her presence among the other guests during the theft vindicated her of stealing.
Everyone played his part to perfection. Victor had a moment’s worry when Lady Zoe came into the room, but she kept quiet as she’d promised, and the moment passed.
Now he was relieved to finally be in the carriage on his way back to Edinburgh with Isa. Traveling at night was never ideal, but the moon was full and the weather was fine.
The only problem was that Amalie had just joined them, and he had no idea how to deal with her. What did one say to a nine-year-old girl who’d just discovered that her mother had been living a lie, her father wasn’t dead, and her relations were decidedly corrupt?
He only wished he could see her better. She sat curled up against her mother on the opposite side of the coach, her golden hair limned with moonlight. What was she thinking?
“So,” he said, feeling the weight of this moment, “your mother tells me that you do very well with your studies.”
“Yes, sir,” she murmured.
“Do you like your school?”
She glanced up at her mother, who nodded. “Yes, sir,” she mumbled. “It’s very nice.”
“But surely you would like to live at home with your mother while you go to school, if it could be arranged.”
“That would be fabulous!” she exclaimed, then caught herself. “I mean, yes, sir, I would.”
The wordfabulousgrabbed his attention. Isa had described their daughter as flamboyant, but this was the first glimpse he’d had of that side of her. Perhaps it was time he ventured into uncharted waters and pried a bit more of the flamboyant out of her.
“Of course, you might not like living in London.” Remembering what Isa had told him over the past few days about Amalie’s interests, Victor added, “All those fancy ladies prancing about in the latest fashions from Paris. I’m sure that would bore you.”
“No, it wouldn’t!” she cried. “Ilikefancy ladies. Do they wear big hats?”
He bit back a smile. “The biggest. It’s a problem for us gentlemen; we get poked in the eye with oyster feathers whenever we help ladies into their carriages.”
She snorted. “They’re notoysterfeathers, sir. They’reostrichfeathers.”
“Are you sure? I could have sworn that they grew out of pearls. That’s why they’re white, isn’t it?”
This time he got a giggle out of her. “Pearls don’t grow things. That’s ridiculous.”
