A Study In Seduction(90)
A secret of such immense proportions that if it were divulged among his circle, his name would be damaged beyond repair? Moreover, it would destroy the credit of his entire family, which he has attempted so valiantly to restore.
I do not delude myself by thinking you’ve already told him. We must meet privately to determine the lengths to which you will go in order to keep your secret.
Alexander must have read the letter ten times before he finally lifted his head to look at her. A muscle ticked in his jaw, the cords of his neck tightening.
“What is this about?” he asked.
Lydia took the letter back, sweeping her gaze over it. Memories pushed hard at her consciousness, her heart waging a constant, unending battle with her mind, the desperate desire to belong to something, someone. To stop thinking. To start feeling.
“He wrote it,” she said. “Joseph Cole.”
“Who, exactly, is he?” His voice began to vibrate with apprehension.
“He was a professor at the University of Leipzig. My professor.”
“And what secret is he threatening to divulge?”
He still watched her, wary and distant. Emotions swamped her—love, pain, fear, sorrow, guilt, regret. And yet as she looked at the man she so desperately wanted to marry, a strange sense of calm began to descend over the chaos, settling her heart, calming her blood. She drew in a breath and spoke in a steady voice.
“Alexander, Jane is not my sister.”
“Not your—”
“She is my daughter.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
A rustle of movement filled St. Martin’s Hall as exhibition workers and curators worked on numerous displays. The light of dusk blurred the windows. Flames diminished in the fireplaces; lights dimmed in the huge candelabras.
Jane stood near a display of natural history educational objects. Glass cases sat along the walls filled with dried plants, animal bones, and various things preserved in glass jars. The tables bore remarkable cases of insects and butterflies, spread wings and beetle shells shimmering. She picked up a bottle containing the carcasses of several stick insects.
Her stomach knotted and pulled. She set the bottle down, glancing up at the darkening windows above the high gallery that spanned three sides of the great hall. She’d left Mr. Hall and Lord Castleford finishing their work on the Chinese display, promising to return within the half hour.
Jane let out her breath. She had no idea how she was expected to find Dr. Cole, if indeed he was here at all. She peered at a case containing locusts and silkworms. A shiver rippled through her. As interesting as she found insects, she didn’t at all like seeing them dead beneath the glass, their bodies impaled with pins.
She moved away from the display toward a section beneath the gallery. At least two dozen floor globes—both terrestrial and celestial—were arranged beside a case containing numerous pocket globes. Jane twirled one of the celestial globes, studying the constellations, which were depicted as mythical figures and beasts.
Another celestial globe was made of heavy glass and sat upon an immense cast-iron stand and brass scale. Half-filled with blue liquid, the globe’s surface was engraved with stars and the rings of latitude and longitude. Jane cupped the massive globe in her hands and tilted it within the half-circle bracket, watching the liquid sway inside.
“Hello, Jane.”
The male voice, low and cultured, prickled against her skin. Her heart thumped as she turned to face the tall, slender man who stood near the back staircase, his eyes hidden behind the light reflecting off his glasses.
She swallowed. “You… you came.”
“Of course. I said I would.” He moved forward. The light slipped from his face, revealing his warm green eyes and aquiline features. “It’s a pleasure to see you, though frankly I feel as if we’ve already met. As if we already know each other.”
Jane smiled, her nervousness easing a little as she was finally able to put a face to the comments and riddles in the letters. He looked the way he wrote—elegant, clear, educated. His hair was blond, though dimmed by the twilight, a lock curling like a comma over his forehead.
He stepped closer until he stood on the other side of the globe. “I’ve been a bit concerned with your recent missives,” he said. “It’s evident that something has been upsetting you. I assume it has to do with this document of which you wrote?”
Jane nodded, her hand fluttering to the outside of her skirt pocket where the acte de naissance lay folded. She stole a glance at Dr. Cole. He was still watching her, a faint smile on his mouth, his eyes kind and curious.