The Black Diamond by Andrea Kane

Author:Andrea Kane
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2012-01-09T21:38:13+00:00

Well, I hear you now, Mr. Scollard, she acknowledged ruefully. The question is, what am I going to do about it?

For now—nothing.

The decision erupted in her mind with the same conviction as had the realization of her feelings. And while she was still reeling from the knowledge that she was falling in love with Julian, she was sensible enough to know that she couldn't act upon her newfound discovery—not now. Not with the black diamond still unrecovered, the echoes of the past still haunting their lives. There was too much closure yet to be had, too many hurdles to be contemplated and surmounted.

And unearthing the black diamond was only the first.

After that came she herself.

Aurora drew a slow, steadying breath, grasping the open strongbox in her hands as if it were an anchor. She'd never truly imagined falling in love, and now that she had—well, she needed time to understand these new startling feelings that had stormed her senses, taken her completely by surprise.

Then came the third—and perhaps the most difficult—hurdle of all: Julian.

How could she convey these feelings to him? What could she say, and when? How severe would his reaction be?

That he'd be irked was a certainty. Aurora was too honest to delude herself into thinking otherwise. She, better than anyone, knew the way her husband regarded her: as an exciting and delightful diversion, a tempting indulgence to be savored at will, even a kindred spirit and worthy companion. But love? Love was not part of Julian's plan any more than were the constraints spawned by emotional bonds. Julian was an adventurer. He would not welcome the potential limitations love would impose on his way of life. He was also a loner—one who'd already divulged more of himself than he liked and who would be reluctant to permit further intrusions into his private thoughts and feelings.

Lord help her, what impasse had she backed herself into this time?

"Aurora?" Julian's voice was questioning, his gaze curious. "Why are you staring into that strongbox as if it contains another secret we have yet to unearth?"

"Because it does." Jolting back to reality, Aurora fingered the frayed page that lay within the box. "We still have to determine why James chose this particular page to tear out and hide. It's obviously a crucial clue that he meant for us to find."

"Then you agree we should go to Pembourne?"

Pembourne. The prospect sent waves of relief flooding through Aurora—for reasons that had little to do with James's library. "Yes, definitely," she concurred, thinking that traveling to her old home meant receiving precisely what she needed: the wondrous balm of Courtney's counsel. "I suggest we leave Plymouth at once and ride directly to Pembourne."

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