was edged with scorn. „An elephant couldn’t have been more
clumsy about hiding his sign. You wouldn’t last two days on
the trail. The only reason I put up with it was to see how long
you’d keep at it when you saw I wouldn’t lead you to
Dominic.“
Carey muttered a low curse beneath his breath. „You could
have stopped me at any time. It’s your uncle we want. We have
no interest in your activities.“
„But I’m interested in yours. Who is this client who wants
so much to learn Dominic’s whereabouts?“
Carey nervously licked his lips. „I told you the day we met
in the parlor that I don’t know.“
„Charles Durbin?“
Carey started to shake his head and then stopped. Lord,
he’d be spitting himself on that damn little dagger in another
minute. „I wasn’t told. My orders were to find out Delaney’s
location and report to our man in New Orleans.“
Silver felt a swift, sinking disappointment. The man truly
didn’t know. Carey’s voice was shaking with fear and his
muscles were taut with terror. She had hoped he had been
lying to her when she had first asked him who was pursuing
Dominic, but a man seldom lied with a blade biting into his
throat. She reluctantly lowered the knife, her arm dropping
from around his neck. She stepped back. „Then send word to
your man in New Orleans that Dominic doesn’t want to be
found.“ She drew her dark blue cloak more closely around her.
„And tell him that questioning his kin can be very dangerous.
Don’t follow me again, Mr. Carey. It annoys me.“
There was no sound of a footfall, nor even a whisper of
movement in the grass, and it was not until he heard the soft
clang of the garden gate that Carey realized the girl was no
longer behind him. He whirled around, too late to catch
anything but a brief glimpse of Silver Delaney before she was
gone, hurrying down the sidewalk toward the hired carriage
waiting in the next block.
A few moments later Silver settled back against the leather
cushions of the carriage and closed her eyes, attempting to
relax her taut nerves. It was unusual for her to be this nervous,
and she must not let emotion sap her strength. Fear wouldn’t
help Dominic. Those men still didn’t know where Dominic
and Elspeth had gone and, with luck, would not find out. She
only wished she could contact Dominic and tell him he was in
danger once again. It was frustration that was causing her
distress and exasperation to grow more desperate with every
passing day. Dom had promised to contact her when they had
found a villa to Elspeth’s liking, but that might be months.
Blast it, she should have gone with them.
Then her lips curved in a wry smile. She had not been
invited to go along, and she probably wouldn’t have gone if
the invitation had been issued. Even after four years of
marriage Dominic and Elspeth had no need for anyone else.
Silver had realized early on that it was sometimes lonelier to
see the love that bonded them together and shut her out than to
stay at the academy, where the rejection was deliberate. She
could armor herself against the cruelty of strangers, she could
fight contempt and stupidity, but it was virtually impossible to
stem the poignant, wistful feelings evoked by watching
Elspeth and Dominic together. How would it feel to be loved
as Elspeth was loved?
She was being foolish. She deliberately straightened on the
seat and squared her shoulders. There was no reason to grow
weak and tearful over something no one could change. She
had been lonely all her life and could not expect anything else
in the future. Perhaps some people were meant to be lonely.
She had to accept the loneliness and go on with her life. There
were many rewards she could wrest from the world once she
had left this blasted school.
She smothered a chuckle as she imagined Mrs. Alford’s
expression of profound relief when Silver finally walked out
her front door. She had made sure that the last two years had
been as difficult for those around her as they were difficult for
her. Well, it had been their own fault, she thought defiantly. No
one could expect her to meekly let Mrs. Alford and her
mawkish pupils treat her with contempt. If she couldn’t have
friendship, she would have respect.
She glanced out the window of the carriage. She could see
the bright lights in the distance and the cheerful, alluring
music of the calliope drifted faintly to her ears. She was
almost there. She felt the anticipation begin to rise within her.
The circus. Here she had acceptance. Circus people were also
outcasts, yet proud, even splendid, in their isolation. They had
brought her into their world without thought or hesitation.
Soon, for a little while, she could forget-loneliness and pretend
she belonged to the brilliant, shoddy world of Monteith’s
Circus.
„You’re late.“ Sebastien threw open the door of the
carriage, his voice hoarse with strain. „Hurry!“
Fear clutched painfully at Silver’s throat. „Etaine?“
Sebastien nodded jerkily. „She had an attack this
afternoon.“ He tossed a coin to the coachman and easily lifted
Silver but of the vehicle. „We did everything you told us, but
she’s not much better.“ His handsome face was anguished.
„That son of a bitch made her go into the cage tonight. She
could scarcely breathe and he still made her perform with the
cats.“
Anger flared white-hot within Silver. Damn Mon-teith.
She’d like to cut his heart out. „She’s in her tent?“-
Sebastien nodded and hurried ahead, elbowing a path
through the crowd for her.
„How is she, Sebastien?“ a ticket taker called as they
passed the entrance of the big tent.
„Not good,“ Sebastien said curtly, scarcely looking at the
man. He hurried Silver past the big tent, the animal cages, and
on to a small tent at the back of the field. „Khadil is with her
now, but she’ll have to leave before Monteith discovers her
absence from the sideshow.“ He lifted the flap of the tent and
waves of moist heat struck them in the face. Then they were in
the tent, stepping around the small banked fire on which a
kettle of bubbling hot water was sending mists of steam into
the air, to hurry toward the woolen pallet on the far side of the
tent where Khadil was kneeling.
The albino turned to look at them, her strange eyes wide
with anxiety. „She’s seared, Silver,“ she whispered. „I’ve been
holding her hand like you said, but she’s so scared.“
„It’s all right, Khadil.“ Silver shrugged off her cloak and
threw it on the brassbound trunk beside the pallet. „You’ve
done very well. All you could do.“
She looked down at the tiny figure on the pallet, a sharp
pang of sympathy wrenching through her. Etaine’s eyes were
closed and her mouth was wide open as she struggled
desperately for breath. The child was still wearing her pink
tutu and tights, her fair skin shining with a mist of perspiration
that had darkened her white-gold curls to pale brown. She had
lost weight in the last few weeks and appeared even younger
than ten years of age.
Etaine’s lids fluttered open and she saw Silver. Hope flared
in the blue depths of her eyes. She smiled shakily. „I’ve .
been… trying.“ Each word was torn from her as she struggled
painfully for air. „It doesn’t – “
„Shh.“ Silver dropped swiftly to her knees beside Khadil.
„Save your breath. I know you’ve been trying. You just needed
someone to help you try a little harder.“ She glanced over her
shoulder at Sebastien. „I’ll need someone to keep that kettle