“You’ll be out tomorrow.” Matt tried to sound confident.

“I hope so. If not, the Radcliffes will certainly have had their revenge, won’t they?”

“Time’s up!” the guard shouted in an obnoxiously loud voice, abruptly interrupting their conversation.

“I’ll be at your arraignment,” Matt promised solemnly.

“I’ll see you then.”

The jailer was standing at the door grinning evilly as Matthew gave Noah one last reassuring look and then departed. Alone once again, Noah stretched out on the hardness of the cot and stared into the rank darkness of his cell. He’d been through many difficult times lately, but none had been as precarious as the position in which he now found himself. Still, he was Lord Noah Kincade, and that should count for something. Hopefully, justice would be served. Yet even as he tried to envision his own release, he knew the fact of Bartley’s testimony weighed heavily against him. It would not be a simple matter to prove his innocence. Though Geoffrey hadn’t planned his revenge this way, Noah wasn’t at all sure he would be able to escape the dead man’s devious clutches.

Miserably, he tossed on the hardness of the bed, seeking the blissful mindlessness of sleep, but the solace of rest would not come. Instead his thoughts were restless, dwelling first on Geoffrey’s death, then the earlier attack upon himself and Matthew, and finally, on the conversation they’d had shortly before they’d left the Pride. Unbidden, CC slipped into his consciousness as he remembered Matt’s point-blank questioning of his feelings for her. With a muttered curse, he swung his long legs off the uncomfortable cot and sat up. Bracing his elbows on his knees, he rested his head in his hands, his spirits sinking lower by the minute.

CC. Noah swore silently as his wayward thoughts centered on her. It was bad enough that he couldn’t sleep for the memory of his encounter with Geoffrey, but to be tormented by images of CC was almost more than he could bear. Still, despite his desire not to think of her, her image floated through his mind-CC as he’d first seen her when she’d blushed so furiously, caught in the act of censuring English aristocrats…CC dressed in her boyish garb, and their first passionate encounter…CC in his arms in the gazebo, surrendering to the power of their mutual attraction for each other.

The memory of their lovemaking sent a surge of desire through him and drove him to his feet. In agitation, Noah began to pace the cell. He loved CC more than he’d ever loved another woman, but as he had told Matt earlier, he knew there was no hope for their future. Matt had declared that he was sure that she cared for him, but Noah knew that any affection she might have harbored for him had been killed by his blunt brutality to her when she’d come to him in his room.

Noah shook his head slowly in the sad acknowledgment that he had indeed lost her, and in that instant, all his other losses paled in significance. He had thought that money was what he needed to make him feel whole again, but he recognized now that CC’s love was the only thing that would restore him. Determinedly, Noah vowed to himself that he would tell her how he felt once he was cleared of the charges against him. He knew she would be totally justified in laughing in his face, but he also knew he had to make the attempt, for the thought of a life without her was just too painful to even consider.

“Mr. Demorest?” Gilbert interrupted Edward and CC as they breakfasted together.

“Yes, Gilbert? What is it?” Edward asked.

“There’s a boy here with a message for you. He says it’s urgent, sir.”

Edward gave his daughter a regretful glance as he lay his napkin beside his plate. “I’m sorry, my dear. I was looking forward to a leisurely breakfast with you this morning. I’ll rejoin you just as quickly as I can.”

“Of course, Father,” CC replied, trying not to let her nervousness show as she wondered what news the messenger was bringing.

She glanced quickly at the clock on the mantelpiece. It was a little after 10:00 A.M., and CC knew that enough time had elapsed for the “theft” on board the Sea Pride to have been discovered and reported to the necessary port authorities, her father being one. With shaking hands, she lifted the delicate china cup and took a sip of the hot tea, hoping it would soothe her jangled nerves.

Thoughts of the excitement the night before returned, and CC drew a deep sigh of relief. The raid on the Sea Pride had come off successfully, and all involved had agreed that Noah’s plan had been a stroke of genius.

A small smile curved her lips as she thought of Matthew’s firm declaration that Noah did indeed love her. The smile soon faded, though, as she realized the possible danger Noah could be facing this very instant. Matthew had promised that he would relay any word of the duel to her, and the fact that she’d heard nothing from him left her slightly unnerved. Had they fought yet, or had they managed to avoid such a deadly confrontation? Determined to find out exactly what had happened, she vowed to seek out Noah as soon as she could and to tell him that she still loved him. She hoped that all Matthew had revealed about Noah’s feelings for her was true. A faint doubt threatened, but she pushed it firmly aside. According to Matthew, Noah loved her, and she loved Noah-that was all that mattered.

The seeming resolution of her situation left her feeling oddly pleased, and she took another drink of her tea. It was then that CC realized she’d been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn’t sweetened the steaming brew. The bitterness of it caused her to grimace, and she was reaching for the sugar bowl just as the sound of her father’s voice boomed through the house.

“Lord Kincade?”

CC went immediately tense at his tone. Though she could make out no more of the conversation, she assumed that he had just been told of the rebels’ actions the night before. Forcing herself to relax and assume an innocent demeanor, she waited for him to return. At the sound of the front door closing and footsteps coming back her way, she glanced up.

“Is there a problem with Lord Kincade? I heard you mention his name…” CC asked coolly as she casually spooned a small amount of sugar into her tea. Expecting him to tell her of the outrageous rebel raid, CC was totally unprepared for his reply.

“Yes…I don’t know how to tell you this delicately, but Noah Kincade has been arrested and charged with murder.”

CC’s spoon dropped from her benumbed fingers and clattered noisily against the china saucer. “What did you say?”

“The message I just received was from Winthrop. Noah Kincade was arrested late last night for the murder of Geoffrey Radcliffe.”

“Oh my God!” she gasped, blanching at the news. How could this have happened? Noah would never have murdered Geoffrey in cold blood. It had to have been a fair fight!

Thinking her upset was due to the indelicacy of the news he’d just given her, Edward came to put a supportive arm about her shoulders. “Now, now, dear.”

“I can’t believe it, Father. What happened?” CC finally managed, struggling to bring her desperate fear for Noah under control.

“All I know from Harley’s note is that Kincade broke into Geoffrey’s home and shot him. The constable found him with the murder weapon in his hand. There could be no mistake.”

“But it’s ridiculous! Noah Kincade is hardly the type to kill anyone so barbarically.” CC wanted to protest his incarceration more vehemently, but she knew she had to temper her reaction lest she accidentally reveal too much.

“I don’t know,” Edward said thoughtfully as he moved to rejoin her at the table. “Considering all that happened at Winthrop’s the other night…perhaps there was some truth to Geoffrey’s charges after all, especially taking into account the one other piece of information Harley supplied that I think is particularly relevant.”