Terror In Topaz by A.M. Stuart

Author:A.M. Stuart
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oportet Publishing
Published: 2023-10-25T00:00:00+00:00

Thirty-Four

Wednesday, 7 December

When Harriet came down for breakfast, she found Curran waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. From the dark circles under his eyes, she wondered how much sleep he had managed.

“May I speak with you, Mrs. Gordon?”

Almost before she could reply, he took her arm and steered her into the garden.

“How was—” she began.

“That note you left me … what did it say?”

“Didn’t you read it?”

“No, and now I’ve lost it.”

“That is unusually careless of you, Curran,” Harriet said.

A muscle twitched in his jaw. “I lost the note at the Topaz Club last night.”

Harriet stared at him. “How?”

Two spots of color appeared on his cheekbones. “It doesn’t matter. How specific was the note?”

“I tried not to be specific. No names. Hopefully, it will be meaningless to anyone else.”

“Tell me exactly what you wrote.”

“It said … it implied … I had found Samrita,” Harriet said, hurriedly adding, “I didn’t say it in so many words, Curran. I tried to keep it ambiguous.”

He stared at her. “Samrita? What do you mean, you have found Samrita?”

“I did as you asked. I went to the Blake house. The woman Simon met, Jameela, is your Samrita.”

“How do you know it is her?”

“I had the photograph. Of course, she is older, but unmistakable.”She touched his arm, searching his face for his reaction. “She has been hiding in plain sight, Curran.”

Curran threaded his fingers through his hair. “It is good news, Harriet. Jayant will be pleased. He never lost hope.”

Harriet let her hand drop at the mention of Jayant. “You should know that she wants nothing to do with you or Jayant. She said as far as the two of you should be concerned, she is dead.”

Curran frowned. “Why? Is she afraid of us? Our reaction to her?”

Harriet shook her head. “She is afraid, but not of you. At the moment, I think she is under Ashton Blake’s protection, but if you try to interfere—” She looked away. “She has a baby, Curran, and a mother will do whatever it takes to protect her child. I just have a feeling we have already put her in danger.”

“I’ll go back this morning,” he said.

“Shall I come with you?”

He didn’t answer immediately. A hundred conflicting emotions crossed his face. “Harriet, this is nothing to do with you. I should never have involved you.”

“But I am involved, Curran, and have been from the first moment I encountered Jayant.”

He looked away and nodded. “Yes. Come with me. Your presence may help.”

Harriet laid a hand on his arm again. Beneath her fingers, his muscles tensed but instead of pulling away, he laid his hand over hers, his fingers tightening on her hand, his gaze never leaving her face. She had the strange sensation that she was looking into the eyes of a drowning man.

Abruptly, he pulled away, straightening his jacket and flicking back the disordered hair from his face.

“There you are!” Griff Maddocks came striding across the terrace toward them. Beside him, the tall, solid figure of Sergeant

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