They would finally know the truth.
Thus resolved, she held the talisman out toward Evan. “Destroy it.”
“Destroy acrucifix?” He recoiled, staring at her as if she’d gone mad.
“Feel it yourself, and tell me if it’s an ordinary crucifix.” She forced the heavy charm into his palm, noting his surprise as he registered the unexpected weight. “It’s got an iron core, doesn’t it?”
He answered by placing it atop the now-flat iron lid of the strongbox and picking up the closest hammer. He hesitated again, but only briefly this time, then brought the hammer down onto the center of the crucifix.
As with the strongbox, bits of delicate gold and precious stones splintered everywhere. Also like the strongbox, a dull iron core peeked through. He gazed up at her, eyes shining. Then he set back to work with the hammer until all that remained was an ordinary metal key, once hidden beneath the baroque beauty.
Susan glanced around the otherwise empty clearing behind the stables, unable to believe Timothy was going to miss this crucial moment. Then she remembered she hadn’t seen Lady Beaune since the night she’d found the key. Timothy had probably gone on, too. She and Evan were on their own.
He picked up the key and held it out to her.
She shook her head. “You do it.”
She owed him that much, at least. He had just as much at stake, if not more. Although she did believe him a good man at heart and knew his outrage over cousin Emeline was very real, part of Susan couldn’t deny the knowledge that Evan was making many of his current decisions for her.
He loved her.
She’d stopped him from saying so because she’d thought it a falsehood, a trite line an accomplished rake delivered to manipulate the emotions of his target. But that wasn’t true. He was on his knees in dirt and muck, unlocking a box that would seal the fate of several men who deserved to hang for what they’d done. And quite possibly consigning himself to the same gruesome end.
He did this willingly. For Lady Emeline. For himself. And for Susan.
She dropped to her knees and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, shamed by the fleeting traitorous thought that perhaps she should have run away with him when he’d first asked. But she’d been right—he was a better man than that. And she was a better woman. Hadbecomea better woman, sometime over the course of the past few weeks. Together, they would get through this. Somehow. And then she’d gladly go with him to the very ends of the earth.
Evan twisted the key in the lock. It made several clicks as it triggered a gear mechanism inside, then came to a stop. He removed the key, tossing it onto hay and dirt. He reached for her hand.
She twined her fingers with his. He lifted the lid with his free hand. They both stared at what was inside.
Parchment. How would they convict anyone of anything withparchment?
Spectacular.
“The missing pages.” Evan reached inside and began to unfold one of the sheets. “Looks like all of them.”
Susan flipped through the folded stack. “Missing pages of what?”
“The ship’s logbooks. Cross-referencing these details with any of our schedules is probably enough to find us all guilty.” He sat back on his heels. “The log doesn’t list individual hands by name, of course, but the captain keeps records of each journey, where we dropped anchor and when, weather conditions, as well as who we—”
“What?”
“Not ‘we,’” he said with wonder, snatching up sheet after sheet and scanning the contents. “That’s what Timothy was trying to tell me. He stole the listings thatdon’tcorrespond to voyages I went on. These diary pages link everyone to the ship’s itineraries but me.”
“Almosteveryone,” Susan said bitterly. “I’d wager there’s nothing in there about Gordon Forrester.”
In her opinion, that man deserved to be hanged twice.
Evan stared at her blankly. “Forrester?”
She arched a disgusted brow. “You know, the evil, lying, manipulative cad who’s been strong-arming innocent people into selling your smuggled goods while he sits back, looks pious, and collects a tidy profit?”
His mouth fell open. “Forrester?”
She nudged up her spectacles. “You didn’t know?”
He shook his head, still speechless.
