An Unexpected Pleasure (The Mad Morelands #4)(76)

Theo’s eyes widened, and he started toward her. “Megan! No! I did not—”

Megan backed up a step, holding out her hand as if to stop him, the words rushing out of her in a torrent of guilt and anger. “It makes me ill to think that I let you touch me! I hate you!”

He came to a quick halt, and his face paled, the hand he had been reaching toward her dropping to his side. “You made a damn good pretense of feeling otherwise, then,” he said in a tight voice.

Pain pierced Megan at the look on his face, and she wanted suddenly to cry.

“I could not feel anything else,” she said, her voice cracking on the words, “for the man who murdered my brother.”





CHAPTER 15




There was a moment of profound silence. Theo gazed at her as blankly as if she had spoken in a foreign language. He started to speak, then stopped, and finally said, “What?”

There was no calling it back now, Megan knew. She straightened and said, “You were right. Henderson is not my real name. My name is Mulcahey, Megan Mulcahey.”

“All right,” he said slowly. “But who—”

“Do you not even remember his name?” Megan snapped. “My brother was Dennis Mulcahey.”

“Dennis!” He stared at her. “You are Dennis’s sister?” Suddenly, incredibly, a faint smile touched his lips. “Yes, I can see it now. Your eyes…So that was why you came—” He stopped abruptly, and his face changed from astonishment to outrage. “Wait! What the devil are you talking about, murdered your brother? You think I murdered Dennis?”

“I know it.”

“That’s impossible,” he declared. “Since it didn’t happen. Where in the name of all that’s holy did you get that idea?”

“From a reliable source.”

“Not very,” he shot back. “I was there. I know what happened, unlike this ‘source’ of yours.” He turned away, pushing his hands back into his hair, and paced away from her, then swung back. “I wrote your father. I told him what happened. Did he not receive it?”

“Oh, yes, he got your note informing him that his son had died in an ‘accident.’”

Theo looked abashed. “I’m sorry. I should have written something longer. I was ill, tired, but I felt I needed to let Mr. Mulcahey know about Dennis as soon as I could. So I sent that short letter with the bare facts. I should have written a more detailed letter after I recovered.” He sighed. “It was wrong of me. My family will tell you how poor I am at letters. I tried—many times—to write again. To explain what had happened and what sorrow I felt at losing Dennis. But nothing ever seemed adequate. I was—I confess I could not bear to think about Dennis’s death.”

“That is not surprising,” Megan retorted tartly.

He frowned. “But did not Andrew write you? I saw him not long after we returned, and he told me that he had written to your father, as well. I was a coward, I admit, and felt relief that he had explained it in more detail. That is one reason why I did not send any of the letters I wrote.”

“Yes, he explained it. He has explained it to me in person, as well.”

Theo looked at her, understanding dawning in his eyes. “Are you saying that Barchester told you I killed Dennis?”

“That is exactly what I’m saying.”

Theo gaped at her. In any other situation, she would have found his expression comical.

“He told you I murdered Dennis!” Shock gave way to anger. “That bloody son of a bitch! Why would he have told you such a thing? Dammit all, he wasn’t even there!”

“What? You’re saying Andrew Barchester wasn’t even on the trip with you and Dennis?” Megan asked skeptically.

“No. I mean, yes, he was on the expedition with us, but he was not there when Dennis died. He would have had to make this up out of whole cloth.”

Hope stirred in Megan’s chest. Had Barchester lied to them all along? Could Theo be telling the truth? Firmly she tamped down her emotion. She was not going to let Theo deceive her just because she wanted to believe that he was innocent. It was vital that she remain objective.

Crossing her arms across her chest, she said, “Then why don’t you tell me what happened.”

He regarded her for a moment, then said, “All right. As I suppose you know, I was in Brazil on an expedition for Lord Cavendish—the chap who started the museum. Julian Coffey and Mr. Barchester were with me. The man who was to lead our expedition could not. Then we met up with your brother and his companion, a Captain Eberhart, who was an experienced guide. So we joined together and started up the Amazon.”

“Mr. Barchester told me how Captain Eberhart died and the rest of you forged ahead.”

“Yes. We had gone so far that we did not want to abandon the expedition. Coffey was thrilled with the variety of flora and fauna he was able to sketch. We were all young and enthusiastic.” A faint smile touched his lips as he remembered. “We were enjoying the adventure. Dennis—well, he was ready for anything. He and I grew quite close.”

“It seems unlikely. A lower-class American, a British aristocrat.”

Theo looked at her. “No more unlikely than you and I.”

Color stained Megan’s cheeks, and she looked away. “We are not talking of—of physical attraction.”