Dismounting, he tied his horse to a bush and approached a woman who was stirring something in a large black pot on a trivet over a fire. She glanced at him suspiciously and called out to someone. A man came down from one of the caravans and stood looking at Luke as he walked up to her, his arms crossed and a menacing look in his dark eyes.
‘Good day, mistress,’ Luke said politely and doffed his hat to her. ‘I mean you no harm. I am looking for someone and wondered if you might help me?’
‘It depends whom ’tis you want, sir.’ The woman spoke in a voice that surprised him; looking closely, Luke was certain she was not a gypsy, as he’d first imagined.
‘The man I seek is named Black Bob and he leads a troupe of players—actors who perform all over the country.’
‘And what would you be wanting of him, sir?’
‘You’re not Romany,’ Luke said. ‘Your voice has a good resonance. I believe you are an actress—am I right? Did you know Roxanne? She lived with Sofia until her friend died.’ He saw a startled look in the woman’s eyes and knew that he’d touched a raw nerve. She did know Roxanne—or she had once. He moved towards her, taking hold of her arm. ‘You do know her. Is she here? Has he got her?’
‘Leave me be.’ The woman cried, a look of fear in her eyes now. ‘I don’t know this woman you speak of—leave me be.’
‘Leave her be.’ The man who had come out of the caravan moved towards Luke threateningly. ‘You take your hands off my woman or you’ll be sorry. You damned aristocrats think you own the world. If you persist, I’ll thrash the life out of you.’
‘I mean your lady no harm,’ Luke said and let his hand drop from her arm. He was armed with a loaded pistol, but had no wish to use it, for he would lose all chance of discovering Roxanne’s whereabouts then. ‘I do not fear to fight with you, sir—but I came here in peace. I am searching for Roxanne and I thought you might know of her.’
‘Clear off or I’ll bash your head in,’ the man said fiercely, but another man had come up to them and the first moved back out of respect or fear. ‘We’ve told him nothing, Bob.’
‘Quiet, fool,’ the tall dark-eyed man grunted. He scowled at Luke. ‘Run away from you, too, has she? She’s an ungrateful wretch and a thief. Has she taken something of yours?’
‘No. Roxanne is not in trouble with me. I am afraid her life may be in danger. Why do you call her a thief?’
‘He told me she had something that belonged to him.’ Black Bob’s eyes narrowed. ‘I saw it once before Sofia hid it—a huge ruby bigger than a pigeon’s egg. Stands to reason a girl like that weren’t the rightful owner of a valuable jewel. He told me if I knew where she was he would pay me so I gave him the direction of the house she was living in. Followed you, I did, out of curiosity. When they come looking for her I knew something didn’t smell right. There alus was somethin’ odd about the girl.’
‘Where is she? Have you got her?’
‘I ain’t got her. She’s got the mark on her—I wouldn’t have her now if she came crawling on her knees.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘She’s cursed. He told me that whoever has the ruby is cursed. Until it is returned to its rightful place the mark of doom is on anyone that touches it.’
‘Whoever this man is, he meant to scare you,’ Luke said scornfully. ‘Roxanne is not a thief. She was given the jewel to keep for someone. Tell me, was the man who offered you money for information an Indian?’
‘I reckon he might be. He were dressed much like you, a wealthy man—but his servants were dressed strange and their faces were darker than his. Some of them wore turbans on their heads and one had a curved sword hanging from his belt. They looked a strange lot and I didn’t trust them, though he paid me my money.’
Luke inclined his head. He believed Black Bob was telling the truth. It tied in with what the innkeeper had said and pointed towards the ruby. Roxanne had been kidnapped because of that damned jewel.
‘If this man speaks to you again, tell him to come to me at Hartingdon. I shall give him what he wants, but first he must release Roxanne. If anything has happened to her I shall punish him—and you.’
‘All I done was tell him where he could find her.’
‘Roxanne was once one of your people. If you cared for her at all, you would have come to us and told us about this man instead of betraying her.’ Luke’s eyes flashed scorn. ‘You are a greedy rogue and deserved to be punished. I cannot prevent you from camping here, but I would not advise you to return once you leave.’
He was furious as he mounted his horse and rode off. It had taken all his strength of will not to go for the man and give him a good hiding. Only the knowledge that there were more than a dozen men watching him prevented him from seeking physical revenge. The whole tribe would no doubt have set him on and it was more important to keep searching for Roxanne than to make a fool of himself by indulging in a fight merely for his own satisfaction.
Feeling frustrated by his inability to discover Roxanne’s whereabouts and afraid of what might be happening to her, Luke rode towards his grandfather’s house. It was six days since he’d last visited. Perhaps there might be some news. The earl might have received a ransom note. He must speak to his grandfather before going out to search again, though he did not truly know where to look next. He’d tried every posting house, every inn and every village within a thirty-mile radius of the estate. He was beginning to think she must be in London—or, worse still, on a ship bound for India. Her beauty would be appreciated by certain men who thought nothing of holding women captive in their households.
No! It must not be. The thought was so terrible that it tore him apart, a groan leaving his lips. Rumours and tales of the white-slave trade passed through his mind. Roxanne was so beautiful. Once this man had her, he might think she was of more value than that damned ruby.
Roxanne looked at the clothes Shulie had brought her and smiled. She had wondered if she would be given something similar to the clothes her nurse wore, but instead she was being offered a beautiful silk gown of French design and make. As she slipped it on, her heart raced wildly. She had remembered more about Prince Ranjit and she seemed to recall that he was charming, but a little selfish, inclined to lose his temper if he did not get his own way. Yet as a child she had admired him, following him about and hanging on his every word. He had grown up to be a handsome man with an exotic and slightly dangerous air.
What did he want to tell her himself? Why had he not allowed Shulie to tell her about the ruby?
She decided to fasten her hair back in a severe knot at the nape of her neck, but, glancing at her reflection, Roxanne knew that it did not make her look any less attractive. The gown was so very elegant and flattering that she needed no jewels to appear to advantage.
‘The memsahib is beautiful,’ Shulie said and looked at her oddly. ‘My lord has always admired you—and I think he looks for another wife. I have been his wife for nine months and I have given him no sons.’
‘Nine months is not long,’ Roxanne said and smiled. ‘You do not need to fear me, Shulie. I would not seek to take your place. I am grateful for all you have done.’
‘My lord does not acknowledge
