Page 104 of Sands of Sirocco
After letting herself through the gate, she hurried toward the door.She tucked the gun into the folds of her skirt, hesitant to put it away.Stephen could have very well beaten her here.
The door opened before she could reach it.Her mother stood there, her cheeks drained of color.“Oh, thank goodness.You’re safe.”She pulled Ginger into a fierce hug.
Ginger melted into the warmth of her mother’s embrace, taking what comfort she could that her mother was here.The smell of her perfume was sweet and familiar, clinging to the curve of her neck.Ginger pressed a kiss to her cheek, then pulled back.“And Lucy and William?Are you all here?”
“Yes, yes, we’re here.”Her mother guided her into the house.“I was so worried, though.Lucy came and found us and told us to you wanted us to leave.Then, minutes later, I heard gunshots.”
The butler closed the door, and William and Lucy hurried in from the parlor.Lucy’s eyes were red-rimmed.And she didn’t appear happy to see Ginger.
Ginger turned away, discreetly tucking the gun into her handbag.
“I can’t stay long,” Ginger said, fear knotting inside her.“None of us can.Stephen Fisher has been released from prison.”
“Prison?”Lucy gasped.
“Who is Stephen Fisher?”William asked in a quiet voice.
Her mother lifted her head sharply and then dismissed the servants.After they’d left the foyer, she answered William, “A former friend of the family.”She turned her attention to Ginger.“Yes, Lucy said he was there at the dance.But when we were outside, there were rumors of Colonel Benson being involved with what happened tonight.”
“That’s partially why I can’t stay.”Ginger tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her fingers shaking.“I must help Noah.And you all must go back home to England.Please, William, take my family home.”
Alarm filled William’s face.“Ginger, what’s happened?”
“You’re going to Colonel Benson’s side?”Her mother’s expression grew frosty.“I thought I told you to stay away from that unscrupulous scoundrel.”
“Mama.”Ginger drew a calming breath.Telling her family about her marriage would do little to help, but it was necessary at this point.“I simply can’t allow you to speak of my husband that way any longer.”
Lucy’s jaw dropped.
“Ginger …” Her mother’s warning was soft.
Ginger narrowed her gaze.“It’s the truth.We married in secret, in the Coptic Church.We haven’t been to the consulate yet, but as soon as we do, we’ll make it official.”
William shifted awkwardly, as if he shouldn’t be here.Disappointment was written on his face.
Her mother’s hand flew to her throat, and she dropped into a chaise lounge near the stairs.Lucy and William remained near the parlor.While Lucy’s reaction was muted, she fidgeted with her gloves.
At last, her mother found her voice.Her eyes flashed with anger.“How dare you?”
“Mama, please, the discussion of whether or not we should have is long past us at this point.We’re married,” Ginger said in a flat voice.
“No, you’re not.Not in the eyes of the law and certainly not in the eyes of God.A papist church?”Her mother shook her head.“Not my daughter.You clearly don’t respect me or my opinion, but any delusion you might harbor as to my acceptance of such an illegitimate union is absurd.Noah Benson is directly responsible for the deaths of your father and brother.”
“That isn’t true.”Ginger’s jaw clenched.Her mother’s continued insistence on blaming Noah for their deaths felt like a stranglehold.Ginger hadn’t told her the precise details of their deaths and Lord Helton had manufactured paperwork that claimed they died in service to their country.But perhaps Ginger would have to remedy that.It was time for the truth.
“Lord Helton tasked Benson with investigating Edmund, didn’t he?”Her mother’s hands tightened to fists.“And Henry considered him a friend.”
Lucy was looking frantically from Ginger to her mother, clearly desperate for more information.
“Father and Henry chose their own paths.They cooperated with the crimes of Stephen Fisher.What was Noah supposed to do?Tell the CID that he wouldn’t do the job he’d been hired for?”Ginger approached her mother and squatted before her, reaching for her hands.The foyer felt stuffy and claustrophobic, despite its size.“And Stephen is now free in Cairo again.He’s been planning something—”
“What about Stephen?”Lucy interrupted, stepping away from William.
The love letters.Yes, Lucy would have a hard time understanding the truth about him if she’d truly cared about him.
But Lucy wasn’t a girl anymore.Ginger had wanted to protect her from the truth, but at what cost?She didn’t believe that he’d been in love with Lucy, not after the obsession he’d had with Ginger for so long.He was cunning enough to have nurtured an infatuation in her younger sister for some other devious purpose.
She hated that Lucy had to find out like this.
