Guardian Angel

Chapter Fourteen

Matthew and Jimbo appeared to be as weary as Jade was by the time they reached their destination. It had been decided that they would spend the night in the isolated inn Harry frequented when he was on the run. Jade had insisted they take a roundabout way there, adding two more hours' travel, just as an added precaution against being followed.

The innkeeper was a friend of Black Harry's, a little on the disreputable side as well, and therefore never asked unnecessary questions. If he thought it odd a finely dressed young lady was traveling with two

men who looked like they'd cut a man's throat for two pence, he certainly didn't remark upon it.

Jade was given the center bedchamber above the stairs. Jimbo and Matthew took the rooms on either

side of her. Since the walls were paper-thin, neither man worried that anyone would be able to breach their temporary fortress. The steps were so old and rickety, a mouse would have made noise.

Jade soaked in a hot bath, then wrapped herself in Caine's robe. She was stiff and out of sorts by the

time she went to bed. Her injury from the pistol shot was almost completely healed now, but it still

itched something fierce.

Jade fell asleep saying a prayer that the nightmare would not visit her tonight, worrying she might cry

out and cause Matthew and Jimbo alarm.

The air turned chilly during the night. Jade burrowed under the covers. She never felt Caine climb into

the bed beside her. When he put his arm around her and gently pulled her up against his side, she let

out a soft sigh and snuggled closer to his familiar warmth.

Moonlight filtered through the small window. He smiled when he saw she was wearing his robe. Then

he slowly slipped the garment off her. That task completed, he removed her knife from under the pillow, then began to nibble on the side of her neck.

She was slow to wake up. "Caine?" she whispered, her voice a sleepy blur.

"Yes, love?" he whispered in her ear before his tongue swept inside to tease. She started shivering. It

was just the reaction he wanted.

His hand moved down her chest, circled her navel, then trailed a hot path to one of her breasts.

She sighed again. He was so warm, smelled so wonderful, and oh, how he was making the cold disappear.

Caine continued to stroke her while he waited for her to realize where she was. He was ready to silence her if she tried to call out.

The awakening came like a bolt of lightning. The palm of his hand cut off her gasp. "Now, sweetheart,

if you yell, I'll have to hurt Matthew and Jimbo when they come charging in here," he whispered. He rolled her onto her back, then covered her with his body. "You wouldn't want that, would you?"

She shook her head. Caine slowly eased his hand away from her mouth.

"You're naked."

"So are you," he whispered back. "Convenient, isn't it?"

"No."

"Yes," he answered. "And it feels good, doesn't it?"

It felt marvelous. She couldn't admit that, however. "How did you get in here?"

He kissed her chin in answer to that question. Jade prodded his shoulder. "Caine, what are you doing here?"

"Impressing you, sweetheart."

"What?"

"Keep your voice down, love," he cautioned. "You don't want to wake up the boys."

"They aren't boys," she stammered out. She sounded breathless. The hair on his chest was tickling her breasts, making her nipples hard. She didn't want him to move away from her, though, and that honest admission made her frown. Lord, she was confused. "Impressing me, Caine?" she whispered. "I don't understand what you mean."

"Of course you do, sweet," he answered. He kissed the bridge of her nose. "God, I love your freckles," he said with a low groan. He kissed her long, hard, and when he was finished, she was clinging to his shoulders.

She recovered much quicker than he did. "Have you come to say goodbye then?" she asked him in a ragged whisper.

Her question was meant to rile him. The defenses again, he thought to himself. "No, I didn't come to

say goodbye," he answered, determined not to get angry. "I came to make love to you."

He grinned after making that promise. Jade's heart started pounding. It was the damned dimple, she told herself. It was too irresistible to ignore… and so appeal-ingly boyish. He didn't feel like a boy, though. No, he had the body of a fit man, a warrior with sleek iron-hard muscles. She couldn't stop herself from rubbing her toes against his legs.

"Someday, my love, you're going to understand just how much I care for you. You're my light, my warmth, my other half. I only feel alive when I'm with you. I love you."

He kissed her again, then whispered, "One day, you'll tell me you love me, too. For now I'll be content

to hear you say you want me."

She shook her head. Caine could see the fear in her eyes, the confusion. His smile was filled with tenderness when he pushed her legs apart and settled himself between her silky thighs. He rubbed his

hard arousal against her softness. "You do want me, love."

She closed her eyes with a telling sigh. Caine nibbled at her lips, tugging on her lower lip until she finally opened for him, then thrust his tongue inside to duel with hers.

"Caine, what are you…"

He silenced her with another long kiss, then whispered, "It's called pillaging, Jade."

"It isn't."

"Harry would be proud," he drawled out. His mouth was now placing wet kisses on the smooth, sensitive skin below her chin. She couldn't quit trembling.

"You're mine, Jade. The sooner you understand that, the better it will be for you."

"And then what, Caine?" she asked.

He lifted his head to stare down into her eyes. He could see the fear there, and the vulnerability. "You learn to trust me," he whispered. "And then we live happily ever after."

"No one lives happily ever after."

"We will."

She shook her head. "Get off me, Caine. You're…"

"Solid, love," he interrupted. "Steadfast, too. I won't leave you."

The promise was given in a fervent whisper. She pretended not to understand. "Of course you won't leave me. I'm leaving you."

"I love you, Jade."

Her eyes filled with tears. "You'll get tired of me. I won't change, not for you, not for anyone."

"All right."

Her eyes widened. "All right?"

He nodded. "If you want to stay a thief, so be it. I won't get tired of you, no matter what you do. And

I'll never leave you."

"You won't be able to help it."

Caine kissed her brow, then said, "I can see it's going to take a little time for me to convince you. Will you give me at least two months?"

"Caine, I don't think…"

"You owe me, Jade."

"I what?" She sounded outraged. "Why would you believe I owe you anything?"

"Because you deceived me," he explained. "You caused me endless worry, too. And there I was,

minding my own affairs that night in the tavern when you…"

"I also saved your brother," she interrupted.

"Then there's the issue of my wounded pride, of course," he drawled out. "A man shouldn't be made to feel he's been manipulated."

"Caine, for heaven's sake."

"Promise me you'll stay with me for two more months or I'm going to make so much noise when I

pillage you, both Matthew and Jimbo will come running."

That odious threat got her full attention. The determined look in his eyes told her he meant what he threatened, too. "You should be ashamed of yourself."

"Promise me, Jade. Now."

His voice had risen and she clamped her hand over his mouth in retaliation. "Will you explain how you settled on two months instead of one, or three, or…"

He shrugged. She feigned irritation. "And during those two months you'll probably be dragging me to

your bed every single night, won't you?"

"I will," he answered with a grin. "Do you know, whenever I look at you, I get hard?" He shifted positions and pressed against her. "Can you feel how much I want you? You make me ache to be inside you."

His honesty made her blush. "You shouldn't say things like that," she whispered. "And I shouldn't listen."

"You like it," Caine told her. His mouth covered hers and his tongue slid inside to taste her again. Jade didn't protest. She wanted him too much to stop now. She moved against him, then froze when the bed made such a loud, squeaky noise.

"We can't…" The denial came out with a groan.

"We can," he said, his voice a husky caress.

He silenced her worries with another kiss while he stoked the fire in her. Jade forgot all about Matthew and Jimbo. Caine was making her burn and all she could concentrate on was finding release from the sweet agony.

His fingers drove her wild. She was wet, hot, ready, knew she was going to die from the pressure building inside her. Her nails dug into his shoulder blades. She would have shouted for him to come to her if his mouth hadn't covered hers. Caine kept the torment up until she took him in her hands and tried to bring him inside her. He threw the coverlet off the bed, then followed it down to the floor with Jade protected in his arms. He cushioned the fall, taking most of the force on his back. Jade was sprawled on top of him. She tried to roll to her side, but Caine held her tight. "Take me inside you now, love," he whispered as he pushed her thighs apart to straddle him.

She was trembling too much to help. Caine took over. He held her by the sides of her hips and slowly eased into her. He let out a low groan of raw pleasure. She whimpered at the same moment.

When he was deep within her, he twisted her hair around his hands and pulled her down for another hot kiss.

The mating rhythm took over. Caine's discipline deserted him. His thrusts became more powerful, more determined. "Take me to heaven again, Jade," he whispered when he was about to spill his hot seed

inside her. "I'll keep you safe."

Jade found her release seconds later. She arched against Caine, squeezed him tight, biting her lip to keep herself from crying out, and then collapsed on top of him.

Her face was buried in the crook of his neck. They were both covered with a sheen of perspiration.

Jade tasted his skin with the tip of her tongue while she waited for her heart to slow down. She was too exhausted, too content, to move. Caine held her close. She could feel his heart pounding against her own.

"What are you thinking, Jade?" he asked.

When she didn't answer him, he pulled on her hair. "I know you found fulfillment. Are you going to

deny it now?"

"No," she whispered shyly.

Caine moved to his feet in one fluid motion with Jade in his arms. When they were both back in bed

and under the covers, she tried to turn her back to him. He wouldn't allow her retreat, but forced her

to face him. "Well?" he demanded.

"Well, what?" she asked, staring into those dark eyes that made her feel fainthearted.

"I'm good, aren't I?"

The dimple was back in his cheek. She couldn't help but smile. "Good at what?" she asked, pretending innocence.

"Pillaging."

She slowly nodded. "Very good," she whispered.

"And did I impress you?" he asked.

"Perhaps just a little," she answered. She let out a gasp when the palm of his hand pressed against the junction of her thighs. "What are you doing?"

"Impressing you again, sweetheart."

The man was as good as his word, Jade decided a long while later. And he had far more stamina than

she did. When he finally rolled away from her, she felt like a limp rag.

She fell asleep with Caine holding her close, whispering words of love. She didn't have any nightmares that night.

By noon, they were back at Caine's house. Matthew and Jimbo couldn't leave for Shallow's Wharf quickly enough. They were both mortified by their slip up of the night before. They'd obviously underestimated the Marquess. Matthew didn't think he'd ever live down the disgrace; though, of course, Jade promised not to tell anyone he'd been caught so unaware.

Hell, Caine had prodded him awake, and how in God's name such a big man was able to get into his

room without making a sound still baffled him.

As soon as they returned to Caine's home, Jade changed her gown and then went to Caine's study to make copies of the letters for him. She listened to him explain his plan. She argued something fierce

about trusting Richards, but agreed that Lyon could hold a confidence.

"When you meet Richards, you'll like him as much as you like Lyon," Caine replied. "You'll trust him

as much, too."

She shook her head. "Caine, I like Lyon, yes, but that isn't the reason I trust him. No, no," she

continued. "Liking and trusting are two different kettles of fish."

"Then why do you trust Lyon?" he asked, smiling over the censure in her tone.

"I read his file," she answered. "Do you know, in comparison, Caine, you've led the life of a choirboy."

Caine shook his head. "I wouldn't mention reading his file to him," he advised.

"Yes," she agreed. "He'd probably get as prickly as you did when I told you," she added. "Lyon's file is just as fat as yours, but he didn't have a special name."

Caine looked thoroughly irritated with her. "Jade, exactly how many files did you read?"

"Just a few," she replied. "Caine, I really must concentrate on these letters. Please quit interrupting me."

The library door opened then, drawing Caine's attention. Nathan walked inside. "Why hasn't anyone tried to get to you, Caine, since you've been here? It's damned isolated, and I would think…"

"Someone did try to get to Caine the day we arrived, Nathan," Jade said without looking up.

When Jade didn't continue, Caine filled Nathan in on the details of the failed attempt.

"Nathan, how nice you look," Jade said, completely turning the topic when she glanced up and saw his handsome shirt and pants.

"That shirt looks damned familiar," Caine drawled out.

"It's yours," Nathan answered with a grin. "Fits well, too. Colin has also borrowed a few of your things. We hadn't packed sufficiently when we were tossed into the ocean. Why hasn't anyone tried to get to

you since that first day?" he added with a scowl.

Nathan started to pace the room like a tiger. Caine continued to lean against the edge of the desk. "They have."

"What?" Nathan asked. "When?"

"They have not," Jade interjected. "I would have known."

"In the past ten days, four others have tried."

"And?" Nathan asked, demanding more of an explanation.

"They failed."

"Why wasn't I informed?" Jade asked.

"I didn't want to worry you," Caine explained.

"Then you had to have known Matthew and Jimbo were here," Nathan said.

"I knew," Caine answered. "I left them alone, too, until they burned down my stables. Then I had a little talk with them. Couldn't you have come up with another plan to keep me busy while you went to see my father?"

He was getting all worked up again. Jade guessed he still wasn't over the fire yet. Sterns had said the stables were brand new. "I should have been more specific with Matthew," she announced. "1 left the diversion up to him. Still, he was very creative, effective, too. You were busy."

"You took a needless risk going off on your own like that," he snapped. "Damn it, Jade, you could have been killed!"

He was shouting at her by the time he'd finished that statement. "I was very careful," she whispered, trying to placate him.

"The hell you were!" he roared. "You were damn lucky, that's all."

She decided she needed to turn his attention. "I'm never going to finish this task if you two don't leave

me alone." She tossed her hair over her shoulder and returned to her letter writing. She could feel his

glare on her. "Why don't you both go see how Colin's doing. I'm sure he'd like the company."

"Come on, Caine. We've just been dismissed."

Caine shook his head. "Promise me you won't take needless risks again," he ordered Jade. "Then I'll leave."

She immediately nodded. "I promise."

The anger seemed to drain out of him. He nodded, then leaned down to kiss her. She tried to dodge him. "Nathan's here," she whispered.

"Ignore him."

Her face was bright red when he lifted his mouth away from hers. Her hands were shaking, too. "I love you," he whispered before he straightened up and followed Nathan out of the room.

Jade stared at the desktop a long while. Was it possible? Could he really love her? She had to quit thinking about it in order to calm the trembling in her hands. Richards and his friend wouldn't be able to read the letters otherwise. Besides, it didn't matter if he loved her or not. She still had to leave him. Didn't she?

Jade had worked herself into a fine state of nerves by the time dinner hour was over. Nathan had decided to eat his supper upstairs with Colin. She and Caine, and Sterns, of course, ate at the long table. They got into a heated debate about the separation between church and state. In the beginning, when Caine stated he was in favor of the separation wholeheartedly, she took the opposite opinion.

Yet when he deliberately argued the opposing view, she was just as vehement in her rebuttal.

It was a thoroughly invigorating argument. Sterns ended up acting as referee. The debate made Caine hungry again. He reached for the last slice of mutton only to have it snatched out of his reach by Sterns.

"I wanted that, Sterns," Caine muttered. "So did I, mi'lord," the butler answered. He picked up his

utensils and proceeded to devour the food. Jade took sympathy on Caine and gave him half of her portion. Both Sterns and Caine looked at each other when the sudden pounding on the front doors

echoed through the room. Caine lost the staring contest. "I'll get it," he announced.

"As you wish, mi'lord," Sterns agreed between bites of his mutton.

"Be careful," Jade called out.

"It's all right," Caine called back. "No one could have gotten to the doors without my men noticing."

A good ten minutes elapsed before Sterns finished his second cup of tea. "I believe I shall go and see who's calling," he told Jade.

"Perhaps it's Caine's papa."

"No, mi'lady," Sterns countered. "I have ordered the Duke and Duchess to stay away. It would draw suspicion if they began to pay daily visits to their son."

"You really ordered them?" she asked.

"But of course, Lady Jade." With a formal bow, the butler left the room.

Jade drummed her fingers on the table until Sterns returned.

"Sir Richards and the Marquess of Lyonwood have arrived," he announced from the doorway.

"My lord is requesting both brandy and you in the library."

"So soon?" she asked, clearly startled. She stood up, smoothed the folds of her gold-colored gown, then patted her hair. "I wasn't ready to meet anyone," she said.

Sterns smiled. "You look lovely, mi'lady," he announced. "You'll like these visitors. They're good men."

"Oh, I've already met Lyon," she replied. "And I'm certain I'll like Richards just as much."

As she started for the door, her expression turned from carefree to fearful.

"There's really nothing to be concerned about, mi'lady."

Her smile was radiant. "Oh, I'm not worried, Sterns. I'm preparing."

"I beg your pardon?" he asked. He followed after her. "What are you preparing for, mi'lady?"

"To look worried," she answered with a laugh. "And to look weak, of course."

"Of course," Sterns agreed with a sigh. "Are you ill, Lady Jade?"

She turned to look at him when she reached the library door. "Appearances, Sterns."

"Yes?"

"They must be kept up. Do the expected, don't you see?"

"No, I don't see," he answered.

She smiled again. "I'm about to give Caine his pride back," she whispered.

"I wasn't aware he'd misplaced it."

"I wasn't either, until he mentioned it to me," she replied. "Besides, they're only men, after all."

She took a deep breath, then let Stems open the door for her. She stood just inside the entrance, her

head bowed, her hands folded together in front of her.

Sterns was so surprised by the sudden change in her demeanor, his mouth dropped open.

When Caine called out to her, she visibly jumped, as if his command had the power to terrify her, then slowly walked into the study. The one called Richards bounded to his feet first. He was an elderly man with gray hair, a gentle smile, and a round belly. He had kind eyes, too. Jade acknowledged the introduction by making a perfect curtsy.

She then turned to greet Lyon. When he stood to his full height, he fairly towered over her. "It is good

to see you again, Lyon," she whispered, her voice little more than a faint shiver.

Lyon raised an eyebrow in reaction. He knew she was a timid creature, but he thought that she had

gotten over her initial reaction to him the first time they'd met. Now, however, she acted afraid again.

The contradiction puzzled him.

Caine was sitting behind his desk. His chair was tilted back against the wall. Jade sat down on the edge

of the chair adjacent to the desk, her back ramrod straight. Her hands were clenched in her lap.

Richards and Lyon both resumed their chairs across from her.

Caine was watching Jade. She appeared to be terribly frightened. He wasn't buying it for a minute. She was up to something, he decided, but he would have to wait until later to question her.

Richards cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. His gaze was centered on Jade when he said, "I cannot help but notice, my dear, how worried you seem to be. I've read the letters your father saved,

but before I ask you my questions, I want to make it perfectly clear that I don't hold you in less esteem because of your father's transgressions."

She still looked like a trapped doe, but she managed a timid nod.

"Thank you, Sir Richards," she replied in a bare whisper. "It is kind of you not to blame me. I was worried that you might condemn me."

Caine rolled his eyes heavenward. Richards, a man rarely given to showing any affection, was now clasping Jade's hands. The director looked like he wanted to take her into his arms and offer her solace.

She did appear to be very vulnerable. Caine suddenly remembered that that same expression had been

on her face when she'd stared at him in the tavern. She'd appeared vulnerable then, too.

What was her game?

"Neither one of us condemns you," Lyon interjected. He, too, leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. "You have had a difficult time of it, Jade."

"Yes, she has," Sir Richards agreed.

Caine forced himself not to smile. Both his superior and his friend were falling under Jade's spell. He thought Lyon should have known better. After all, he'd met Jade before. Still, her manner now, added

to his earlier thought that she was terribly timid, obviously convinced Lyon that she was sincere.

"Are you up to answering a few questions now?" Richards asked.

Jade nodded. "Would it not be better to have Nathan answer your questions? Men are so much more logical. I'll probably make a muddle out of it."

"Jade." Caine said her name as a warning.

She turned to give him a tremulous smile. "Yes, Caine?" she asked.

"Behave yourself."

Richards turned to frown at Caine. Then he returned his attention to Jade.

"We'll ask Nathan our questions later. If it isn't too painful to recount, please tell us exactly what happened to you from the moment you arrived in London."

Jade nodded. "Certainly," she agreed. "You see, this all begins with the letters. My Uncle Harry was

given a packet of letters by my father. Just two days later, Father was killed. Harry took me away on his ship then. He saved the letters, and when he felt the time was right, he gave them to me. I read them of course, then showed them to Nathan. My brother was working with Colin at the time, and he confided in him. Now then," she continued in a brisker tone. "As Caine has probably told you, both Colin and Nathan were… attacked. The villains thought they'd done them in, and… Pagan decided to let the hired thugs return to London to report their success."

"A sound decision," Richards interjected.

"Yes," Jade said. She turned to frown at Caine. "The plan was very simple. Pagan snatched a physician

to take care of the injuries, and it had been decided that when Colin was well enough to travel, he would tell his brother, Caine, about the letters and ask his assistance."

"What happened to sour this plan?" Richards asked.

Jade frowned at Caine again. "He soured it," she announced. "Pagan had been made the scapegoat for Nathan and Colin's deaths, as you know, and Caine decided to seek vengeance. His timing couldn't have been worse. The remaining members of the Tribunal couldn't take the risk of Caine finding the pirate

and having a talk with him. So Caine had inadvertently put himself in danger."

"It wasn't inadvertent," Caine interjected.

She shrugged. "Colin had made Pagan promise not to tell Caine anything. His brother knew Caine

would… charge right in, you see, and Colin wanted to explain everything. In truth, I do believe Colin wasn't thinking the thing through, but he was in terrible pain at the time and he seemed obsessed with protecting Caine. Pagan agreed, just to placate Colin."

"And where do you fit into this scheme?" Lyon asked.

"Nathan is my brother," Jade answered. "I returned to England and went to stay at his country estate. There were several of Pagan's men with me. They took turns watching out for Caine. Several attempts were made to get him, and it was then decided that I would find a way to get Caine away from his hunt. Two days before I was supposed to leave, a series of incidents took place. On the first morning, when I was taking my usual walk, I came upon three men digging up my parents' graves. I shouted, for I was in

a rage, you see, over what they were doing. I drew their notice, of course. One of the villains shot at me. I ran back to Nathan's house to get help."

"Weren't Pagan's men still guarding you?" Richards asked.

Jade shook her head. "They were all needed to keep Caine safe. Besides, I had Nathan's butler, Hudson, and the other servants to assist me."

"And then what happened?" Lyon asked.

"It was too dark for the servants to go to the graves. It was decided to wait until morning. That night,

the house was pillaged," she continued. "I slept through, however, and never heard a sound. Even my bedchamber was turned upside down."

"You must have been drugged," Richards announced.

"I can't imagine how it was done if I was drugged," Jade said. "The following morning, I rode one of Nathan's mounts back to the graves to see if any evidence had been left. Nathan's butler, Hudson, was having a difficult time believing me, you see, and I wanted to convince him. As it turned out, I never made it to the graves. The villains were obviously waiting to intercept me. They killed Nathan's horse.

I went flying to the ground."

"Good Lord, you could have been killed by the fall," Richards said.

"I was most fortunate, as I only sustained a few bruises," she explained. "I went running back to the house, told Hudson what had happened. He sent men to chase after the villains. When they returned, they told me they couldn't find any evidence of foul play. The horse had vanished. I'm not certain how that was accomplished. Caine said it would take more than three men to lift it into a wagon and cart it away."

She paused to shrug, then continued. "1 decided to go to London with all possible haste and immediately ordered the carriage made ready. Yet, as soon as we'd traveled down the first hill, the coachman shouted that there was a fire. We could see the smoke. I returned to the house just in time to witness the full fire. Poor Nathan's house was gutted to the ground. I then ordered Hudson and the other servants to go to Nathan's London residence, then once again set out for my own destination."

"And where was that?" Lyon asked. "Were you also going to Nathan's town house?"

Jade smiled. "No, I was going to a tavern called the Ne'er Do Well. I had a plan, you see, to get Caine away from his hunt."

Lyon nodded.

"1 don't understand," Richards interjected. "What exactly was this plan? Caine isn't one to be easily fooled, my dear."

"I'll explain it all later," Caine interjected. "Let her finish with this now."

"On the way to London, the carriage was waylaid. I was hit on the side of my head. The blow made

me sleep, and when I awakened, I found that the carriage had been torn apart. I was able to squeeze through the window after I'd widened the frame with the heel of my boot."

"And then?" Richards asked-

"I walked."

"All the way to London?" Lyon asked.

"No," Jade answered. "Not all the way. I was able to… borrow a horse from a way station. It was unattended. The owner was probably inside having his supper."

Jade finished her accounting a few minutes later. She never mentioned the fact that she was Pagan,

and Caine assumed he would have to be the one to tell Sir Richards and Lyon.

Just what was her game? Lord, by the time she'd finished her recitation, she was dabbing at the corners

of her eyes with Richards' handkerchief.

The director was obviously shaken by her explanation. He leaned back in his chair and shook his head.

"Do you know who the other members of the Tribunal are?" Jade asked him.

"No."

"But you knew Hammond, didn't you?" she asked. "I understood that the two of you started out together."

"Yes, we started out together," Richards agreed. "Yet after a number of years, my dear, we were each given a different division within the War Department. Hammond had so many young men under his direction back then. He ran his own section. I met quite a few eager young saviors, but certainly not all

of them."

"We have several telling clues," Lyon interjected. "It shouldn't take us long to find out the truth."

"The first letter was signed by a man named William. They hadn't been assigned their operative names yet. Hell, that's the most common name in England," Caine added. "How many Williams work for the War Office?"

Jade answered his question. "Actually, there were only three in Hammond's files."

Everyone turned to look at her. "Pagan read the files," she whispered. She blushed, then added, "It was necessary. There's William Pryors, William Terrance, and William Clayhill. All three worked for your department, Sir Richards. Two are still alive, though retired from duty, but William Terrance died four years ago."

"You're certain of these facts?" Lyon asked.

"How did Pagan get to our files?" Richards was obviously disconcerted. "By God, no one can get through our security."

"Pagan did," Caine said. He took over the conversation then, explaining in more detail how the pirate

had set out to protect him. He told them about Colin's and Nathan's near miss with the sharks, too.

When he was finished, no one said a word for a long while.

Jade was gripping her hands together. It wasn't a pretense now, but the memory of the sharks that made her so agitated.

"Three eager young men, bent on saving the world," Richards whispered. "But the lust for power

became more important."

Jade nodded agreement. "Did you notice, sir, that the first letters were signed with the wording, 'for the good of England,' but as time went on, and they grew more and more bold, they changed the wording?"

"I noticed," Sir Richards muttered. " 'For the good of the Tribunal' was how they signed their notes,"

he added. "And that does say it all, doesn't it. There can be no misinterpretation here."

"Her father was killed by the two others when he refused to go along with their plans, and then Hammond was murdered," Caine said.

Richards nodded. "We must find the other two," he muttered. "Lord, there's so much to take in." He let out a weary sigh, then said, "Well, thank God Pagan seems to be on our side. When I think of all the damage he could do with those files, my blood runs cold."

"Oh, Pagan's very honorable," Jade rushed out. "Most thieves are, sir. You mustn't worry that the information will fall into the wrong hands."

"Did that bastard read my file?" Lyon demanded.

Caine didn't answer him. He didn't think there was any reason to share the truth with his friend. It would only upset him.

"The very fact that there were sharks in those waters," Richards whispered, changing the topic. "Do you realize the courage it must have taken…"

"Have you finished your questions?" Jade interrupted.

The director immediately reached out and patted her hands again. "We've exhausted you, haven't we,

my dear? I can tell how distressing this is for you."

"Thank you for your consideration," she whispered. She stood up and didn't protest at all when Richards embraced her.

"We'll find the culprits, I promise you," he said.

Jade hid her hands in the folds of her gown, then walked over to Lyon. He immediately stood up. She leaned against him. "Thank you, Lyon, for helping us. Please give my love to Christina. I cannot wait until I can visit with her again."

She turned back to Richards and hugged him again. "I forgot to thank you as well," she explained.

She pulled away from the director, bowed, and turned to leave the room.

"Jade?"

"Yes, Caine?"

"What was all that about?"

She turned around to smile at him. "You said a man's pride is very important, didn't you?"

"I did."

"You also said that when a man is manipulated or deceived, his pride suffers, too."

"I did say that." He leaned forward. "And?"

"Well, if others were also… fooled… friends who have earned their own legends and England's respect, then wouldn't the blow be less painful?"

He finally understood. His wink was slow, his grin arrogant. "I shall go and ask Colin and Nathan to join you now," Jade announced before she left the room. The door closed softly behind her.

"What was she talking about?" Richards asked.

"A personal matter," Caine answered. He turned to Lyon then. "Well? What do you think of her now?"

His friend refilled his goblet with more brandy before he answered. "She's still damned beautiful," he

said. "But I'm once again thinking she's awfully timid. Must come from being around you."

Caine laughed. "You're back to thinking she's timid?"

"What am I missing, Caine?" Lyon asked, genuinely perplexed. "What's the jest you find so amusing?"

"Put aside this talk about women," Richards ordered. "Now, son, you must promise me something."

"Sir?" Caine asked.

"Have you actually met this Pagan fellow?"

"I have."

"When this is finished, you must find a way for me to meet him."

Caine leaned back in his chair. Jade had been right. She had just given him his pride back.

"I must meet Pagan," Sir Richards demanded again.

Caine nodded. "Sir Richards, you just did."