Page 60 of When the Rogue Returns
“I know. I haven’t let her in.” Betsy glanced nervously down the hall toward the entrance door. “But I thought you might want to know about it because... well... she claims to be your sister.”
Isa froze. “My... my sister?”
“Aye. It was hard to make out her words, since she barely speaks English, but I’m fair certain she said ‘sister.’ Oh, and she gave her name. Mrs. Hendrix. Jacoba Hendrix.”
Lord help her. After all these years, her family had found her. And now there would be hell to pay.
14
VICTOR’S BLOOD RANcold, then hot. Hadn’t Isa said— “You told me they were still in Paris,” he accused as he came up behind her.
When she faced him, her skin the color of ash, he realized she was as astonished and upset as he. “I swear this is the first time I have so much as heard her name in a decade.”
He dragged in a heavy breath, belatedly realizing that the servant hadn’t seemed to know who the woman at the door was, which didn’t exactly imply that Isa and her sister were seeing each other regularly.
Still, he had to be certain. Leveling a steady look on Betsy, he asked, “Have you never met this woman before?”
Betsy glanced to Isa, who said, “Tell him the truth.”
“No, sir,” Betsy said, obviously perplexed. “To my knowledge, Mrs. Franke don’t have a sister.”
How he wished she didn’t. But at least it proved that Isa hadn’t been lying to him about her family.
“You’d better send Mrs. Hendrix in,” Isa said softly.
As the servant nodded and headed back down the hall, Isa’s unsettled gaze met his. “We have to see what she wants.”
“True.” Though he could probably guess—the damned bitch wanted to ruin Isa’s life. And his. Again. “We also need to know how she found you.”
Isa grimaced. “That too.”
A few moments later, Betsy showed Jacoba into the parlor and left. The minute Jacoba saw Victor standing there, her eyes went wide. “V-Victor!” she stammered. “I thought you were at the duke’s vil—” She halted, obviously realizing she’d revealed more than she intended. “I mean, I didn’t expect you to be here.”
She was speaking Dutch, so he did, too. “No, I would imagine that you didn’t.” It took all his control not to throttle the woman... or haul her off to the nearest magistrate.
But he could do nothing until he had settled how to keep Isa safe from prosecution. Besides, it was Gerhart he most wanted, so he’d have to bide his time if he wanted to get them both.
He moved forward to stand beside his wife. “I’d say that it’s nice to see you again, but that would be a lie.” He glanced beyond her. “And where’s your scoundrel of a husband?”
Jacoba thrust out her chin. “I came here alone. Gerhart isn’t feeling well.”
“Good. Perhaps he’ll die. It’s what he deserves.”
“Victor,” Isa chided in a low voice. “Provoking her won’t accomplish anything.”
“Perhaps not, but it’s certainly satisfying,” he shot back. He turned his hard gaze on the sister-in-law, whom he hoped would rot in hell alongside her husband one day. “Why are you here?”
Now wary, Jacoba glanced from him to Isa. “I wish to speak to my sister. Alone.”
“That will never happen,” Isa said firmly. “After what you did to me and Victor, you’ll have to deal with us together. I’m never giving you the chance to lie to me again.” She took Victor’s hand in hers. “It’s both of us or nothing.”
He squeezed her hand, then left her to go loom over Jacoba. Time to put his investigative skills to good use. “How did you find Isa?”
With a mutinous glance, she set her shoulders. “Does it matter?”
“Most assuredly,” he countered. “If you can find her, so can others—like the authorities in Amsterdam, who arestillwondering if she stole the diamonds that you and Gerhart actually took.” He flashed her a thin smile. “They’re looking for the two of you, too.”
Jacoba cast him a resentful glance. “Don’t be thinking you’re going to haul us back to gaol, Victor. The four of us are all in this together.”
