"If I'd known you would react this way, I would not have told you."
"What? You are my cousin. I thought you my friend."
"I am, but you cannot blame Lachlan for wanting to protect you. He is the best husband for you."
"You are as daft as he is," she muttered, though she could not imagine being married to anyone else.
"It is not my fault you refuse to see the truth. He would protect you with his life. If Girard returns, you will be most fortunate to have Lachlan for a protector."
That was likely true. She did trust him to protect her, as she always had, but…"I shall kill Girard myself."
"Like you did last time?" Camille's tone reeked of sarcasm.
"My aim will be better in the future. I must have you by my side, Camille. We protect each other, remember?" She sat down on the settle by her cousin.
"Oui. I am with you always, my friend."
"But Lachlan…I shall deal with him."
***
Awareness buzzed through Angelique when Lachlan returned an hour later, entering her room and removing his boots. "I thought you would be sleeping," he said.
"No." She sat by the hearth, watching the flames. "I awaited your return."
"Well then, you should've awaited me in bed, naked," he said in a teasing tone.
She refused to look at him, knowing that seductive expression would be on his face. Perhaps even a charming grin or wink. But she must stay focused on her anger. "You were to tell me of all your decisions that affect me and the clan."
"What do you mean?"
"You imprisoned Philippe without telling me." Not that she loved Philippe, but he was harmless. She often felt the need to protect him. He had been her friend back when few others were.
Lachlan sighed and dropped into the chair across from her. "There was no time to consult with you. I had to make a speedy decision. I had to find out what Philippe knew."
"You did not tell me because you wanted me pliable in bed." She sent him a sharp look, which he returned.
"I didn't force you. 'Twas your decision. You said, 'do it' and that you wanted me. I'm not one to refuse such an invitation from my beautiful, desirable wife."
So, he would seek to distract her with barbed compliments. "But if I had known you threw Philippe into the deplorable dungeon, I would not have wished to be in the same room with you."
Lachlan's eyes narrowed. "Do you want to know what your precious Philippe revealed to us?"
"What? Did you torture him for information?"
"Nay, I never torture. He is conspiring with Eleanor to break us apart."
"Eleanor? He would not. He doesn't know her that well."
"Apparently Philippe and Eleanor are fast friends. They traveled from London together."
"In truth?" If that was so, then Philippe was no longer her friend. Anyone who conspired with Eleanor, she would not defend.
"Aye, but that isn't the worst of it. I believe Girard is staying at the inn in the village."
A deathly chill blew over her. She shivered. "Non. Girard?"
"I've been told a French count is there. He is as you described, tall and thin with dark hair. He has only one arm. Does that sound like him?"
"One arm? Mère de Dieu." Her breath rushed in and out too fast. That was it. He would kill her. He desired revenge.
"Angelique? What is it? How did he lose his arm?"
Tears filled her eyes, burning. Her throat closed. And it was almost as if she were there again, on that bridge, a year ago in France.
Lachlan moved and sat beside her on the settle. He pulled her close and laid her head upon his chest. Stroked her hair. But he could not soothe her. No, Girard was plotting her murder.
"Tell me, Angelique. I must know so I can protect you and the clan from him. What will he do?"
"He will kill me…and Camille."
"Why?"
"Revenge."
"But why does he seek revenge? What I know about him is you wished to marry him and you were lovers. He cheated on you and you rejected him. He then raped you. Right?"
"Oui. After that, he stole the only thing of value my mother left me. A large briolette cut diamond pendant known as the Boehm Diamond. She gave it to me on her deathbed. Her lover had given it to her many years before and even stated in his will it was to be her property after he died. And that man was Girard's uncle. Girard said the diamond was part of his inheritance and that my mother had connived to steal it from his uncle. Girard is not so wealthy as he appears, you see. He's deeply in debt. After he raped me, he ripped the pendant from my neck and left. I refused to let him have the only thing my mother possessed, the only thing she left me besides the wedding gown. So Camille and I took the diamond back from him."
"God's bones, you're brave, lass." Lachlan's arm tightened around her, and with the opposite hand he stroked her cheek. The sweet gesture distracted her a bit, as did his dark, concerned gaze.
"We had to act quickly before he sold it. A few nights later, in disguise, we searched Girard's rooms but the diamond was nowhere. We hid and waited outside near his building. Girard and his friend Pierre finally staggered in from a night of drinking. Camille and I were both armed. We each had a loaded pistol and knives."
"You're always armed to the teeth," he said in a proud, serious tone.
"Only because I have to be." Nausea rose within her when she remembered how black the night was, how chill the air. "Girard knocked me down, discovered who I was and prepared to rape me again. We fought and I shot him. I missed his heart and hit his arm. His friend chased Camille with a sword. They struggled and Pierre fell from the bridge. He may have drowned in the river. It was never our intention to kill anyone. I took the diamond from Girard. Camille and I ran away and stayed with a cousin in Paris for a while. We did not hear anything from Girard until that gift arrived—the goblets. And now you tell me he has only one arm. Without doubt, the missing one was amputated because of the gunshot wound."
"I didn't know you were such a fearsome little warrior." Lachlan kissed her forehead, warming her. She felt safer in Lachlan's arms. Still, she feared even he couldn't protect her this time.
"He will want revenge for losing his arm and for Pierre, if he died. And he will want the diamond back," she said.
"Where is this diamond? I've never seen it."
"I keep it hidden at all times."
"Where?" Lachlan asked. "Surely you trust me enough by now to show me."
Despite being held in his protective arms, and enjoying it, something inside her would not let go completely. "I do…trust you, but you must understand…it is difficult after all that has happened to me. For more than a year, I have done nothing but look over my shoulder. And during that time, Camille was the only person I could trust."
"I know." Lachlan kissed her temple, and the affection in that gesture touched her deeply. "You don't have to show it to me now," he went on. "Only when you feel like doing so. Is there anything else about Girard you should tell me?"
"He is elegant but deadly. A viper. He smiles while he does the vilest things. That smile can seem warm, charming and friendly, but it hides a heart of ice. Mayhap he has no soul. And yet, I did not know his true nature for a long while. You will stay away from him, non? You must not confront him directly."
Lachlan's eyes took on a predatory quality, again like a lion. "You confronted him; why would I not?"