Kalinna’s breath caught in her throat as she gazed at two sets of jewels, one ruby and one diamond, which rested in two velvet trays in the chest. Sunlight from the windows of the room made the gems sparkle and the young woman immediately noticed that the set of diamonds was missing a bracelet.

A sudden thought popped into her head and she quickly got off the bed, walked over to her vanity and opened the top left drawer, which held her case of jewelry. In a secret compartment of that case, she had stashed the diamond bracelet that had been hidden with her mother’s letters and the bible. The former articles were kept safely locked in the bottom drawer of her desk.

Pulling out the diamond bracelet, the young woman quickly hurried back to her bed to compare it with the rest of the diamond pieces. It was a perfect match. But what did that mean? So her mother had two sets of nice jewelry that Kalinna had no knowledge of; that was not all that strange. What confused her was how the diamond bracelet had gotten with the Wickham emeralds, when Kalinna’s mother had obviously not spoken to Violet Wickham since her marriage to Richard Davenport.

With a sigh, Kalinna returned the bracelet to its companion pieces, and was about to close the chest, when she noticed a piece of parchment sticking out from the bottom of the second tray of jewels. Curiously, and carefully so as not to rip it, Kalinna pulled it out. Slowly, she opened it, and came face to face with her mother’s neat handwriting.

The more Kalinna read, the more confused she got. By the time she reached the end of the letter, she knew that everything she thought she had figured out about her father and these supposed traitorous activities, were merely a cover-up for something much larger. A something which her mother seemed to think she could discover and put a stop to.

Her mother. That was another thing that she did not understand. Her mother had been dead for the last nine years now, yet here she held a letter written only a year and a half ago by the very woman. Dated October of 1734, the letter had been written in the time when she had been part of Justin’s crew and when her father had gone missing.

Could it possibly be that her mother was, in fact, very much alive? Could her death and the funeral be an elaborate scheme to somehow stop Richard Davenport’s plans – whatever they were? The thought, though seemingly impossible, quickly took hold in the young woman’s mind and had her reeling in shock.

She was suddenly in the middle of a very elaborate mystery. Questions ran endlessly through her mind, one right after the other which she had no answer to.

Could this letter help them discover what Richard Davenport had planned? Vague ideas had been shared between Kalinna and Justin, but neither had been able to come to a concrete conclusion as to what Richard was really after. This letter hinted at some other plans, which meant that this could possibly be the best lead she and Justin had had in a long while.

But there was also the possibility that the letter was a hoax. How was it possible that her mother wasn’t dead? What was the supposed object her father needed that was hidden in this very house? What other locks was her locket supposed to unlock? And who on earth were the Bradbury Trio and how were they supposed to help her?

None of it made any sense. Kalinna sighed. For stressing to Justin how much she wanted to help with his investigation, she sure wasn’t coming to any brilliant conclusions about this letter. But there was no way she was going to admit her inabilities to him any time soon.

She would just have to show Justin the letter, as well as the jewelry, and see what he thought. Her gut was telling her that somehow, the letter was not a hoax and that she was finally heading in the right direction in this investigation. But common sense bade her to run it by Justin just to make sure.

And it would give her an excuse to be in the company of that very handsome, very charming, blue-eyed… Kalinna pushed away that last thought of Justin as she focused back on the letter and the task at hand.

Tonight, a ball was being given in honor of her cousin, Georgiana, who had just sent word that she was expecting her third child. Justin and his family had, of course, been invited to the celebration. Therefore, it made perfect sense to wait and talk to him then, when they had a moment alone, rather than send him a letter now and possibly blow their cover.

Thus satisfied with her plan, Kalinna rang for her maid, eagerly anticipating a nice soak in the bathtub before she joined her uncle for tea in the breakfast room. She quickly slipped the letter from her mother back inside the jewelry chest that contained the two sets of jewels, and locked the entire thing in the bottom drawer of her desk along with her mother’s other letters, and the bible. No sense in running the risk of somebody trying to steal the chest and its contents.

Moments later, she languidly sat in the bath, letting the water ease the tension in her muscles, her mind wandering to a pair of crystalline blue eyes that preyed on her mind more and more often as the days passed. Her anger with him had completely vanished, leaving her with confusing feelings that had her heart beating rapidly.

“Why Ms. Davenport, I had no idea you had such an interest in horses,” David Stockholm, Viscount of Durham, stated later that evening as he stood with the young lady on the edge of the dance floor.

The Viscount of Durham, a stocky older gentleman, had the best stable, so she had been told, in the entire city of London. The man’s horses won race after race, and men felt privileged if they were able to buy a horse from the Durham stables. Kalinna, having known all of this for quite some time, had practically cornered the man for the past twenty minutes, talking of nothing but horseflesh and racing.

The man had been surprised at first; his own daughter had no interest in horses and preferred the safety of a carriage. But as the minutes wore on, and Kalinna continued to pay rapt attention to all he talked about, the Viscount became convinced that her interest was pure and not of polite indifference.

In all honesty, though she was interested in Durham’s stables, Kalinna was trying her hardest to avoid the dance floor and all the young fops who seemed determined to have her hand in a waltz. She was in no mood for dancing, feelings of anxiety steadily increasing as the hour grew later and Justin had yet to make an appearance. She wondered if she would have to seek him out at the docks, a task that she would be hard-pressed to accomplish when the watchful eyes of her aunt, uncle and grandmother were forever on her.

Turning her attention back to the Viscount, Kalinna forced herself to pay attention to the man’s words. She would be shocked if Justin showed up; the hour was late and all the other invited guests had already arrived, including Justin’s mother and younger brother, Derrick. So she told herself she would try to enjoy the remainder of the night and form a plan of action before she retired to her bed for the night.

Across the room, blue eyes intently watched the young woman as she conversed with the viscount. A smile suddenly lit her face, her eyes sparkling, and the young man felt the breath catch in his chest. He had been present for some time, but she had yet to notice his presence. He, however, had noticed her right away; had spent hours the previous evening thinking about her and how she had somehow managed to bewitch him body and soul.

Of course, now was not the time and place to be letting something as silly as romantic notions come in the way of his investigation. And besides, he had thought, it was merely a passing fancy, an infatuation so to say. The young lady’s passion, wit and beauty had caught him by surprise, that was all.

But a frown instantly sprung to his face as he watched Kalinna accept the hand of a handsome young viscount for a waltz. It was not, he told himself, because of such feelings he had just recently admitted to, but the mere fact that she was not concentrating on their investigation. At least that’s what he tried to tell himself.

Kalinna smiled up at the handsome young man, surprised at how much she was enjoying their dance. Bryan Ashton, current Viscount of Weatherby, was only four years older than her at twenty-seven, yet had done so much with his life already. His father had passed when he had been a lad of fourteen, so he had been running his family’s household ever since.

The two had much in common and had met on many previous occasions, thus having a very good opportunity to further their acquaintance. Violet Wickham had, quite naturally, been thrilled, a feeling she had professed loudly and regularly. The two, she claimed, would be a perfect match.

Kalinna, however, was not as convinced. The Viscount of Weatherby summer estate neighbored with the Duke of Barclay’s and the two families were old friends, which was half the reason the Dowager Duchess was so taken with the idea of Kalinna and Bryan marrying. But though the young lady liked Bryan Ashton well enough, a marriage with him was not something she desired. Not when the crystalline blue eyes and striking figure of the Duke of Schellden constantly preyed upon her mind.

And rumor had it, that Bryan was currently looking for a wife, and thought her quite acceptable for the position. If true, this latest piece of news made Kalinna want to run to the nearest ship and sail out of London as fast as the wind would take her. She could not marry Bryan Ashton, not when she didn’t love him. She was not going to make the same mistake as her parents and end up with some man she could barely tolerate and who would treat her like a piece of property.

She could only hope that the London gossips had gotten the story wrong and that Bryan was not thinking of marriage to her. She considered the man a good friend; she always enjoyed their daily strolls and the heated debates they had over religion and philosophy. Thus, her heart was heavy with the possibility that she would have to tell him no and therefore hurt him in the worst way imaginable.

Maybe she was getting ahead of herself though. The gossipers, who were more often than not, widowed and elderly ladies, could have gotten the entire story wrong. Maybe she was just on edge for no reason at all.

“Kalinna, my dear, may I have a word with you out on the terrace?” Bryan suddenly stated as they bowed to each other at the end of the waltz, “There is something I wish to ask you.”

Looking up into his passionate eyes, Kalinna had no idea how to reply. Her stomach was tied up in knots, her eyes wide as she fully comprehended the reason for his request. Oh how was she supposed to get out of this without hurting the man’s feelings and embarrassing them both?

“Excuse me Viscount, but I believe the lady has saved the next dance for me,” a smooth voice suddenly cut in from somewhere behind her.

Kalinna felt chills go up and down her spine as she knew precisely who stood not inches from her back. The scent of him, and the powerful, manly heat that made her heart flutter every time he was near convinced her that Justin Timberlake was, indeed standing directly behind her.

“Why of course sir, excuse me,” the surprised viscount responded as he quickly gave Kalinna’s hand a light kiss, bowed to the duke, and left them to their dance.

Hesitantly, Kalinna slipped into a deep curtsy, Justin bowing at the waist in return, as the music for the dinner waltz started up. She had purposely kept this dance open for the evening so that she would not have all the young men clamoring for her attention at dinner. But now she had no choice in the matter; she would be accompanied to dinner by the one man she could not get out of her mind.

“I want to thank you for rescuing me Your Grace,” Kalinna began as she stepped into his arms, ignoring the giddiness in her heart, “I fear I had quite lost my tongue.”

“Well then you are quite welcome Kalinna,” Justin returned, stressing her name; her eyes shot to his face, “None of that ‘your grace’ business; not when we are among friends.”

“Only if you insist,” she relented, allowing him to turn her in the steps of the waltz, “Before you leave, however, there is something I wish to discuss with you. Something very important pertaining to our project.” Justin’s ears immediately perked up at her reference to their investigation.

“We may have some time to slip away after dinner,” he softly whispered as he held her close as was customary for the dance.

It took all of Kalinna’s might not to throw her arms around the duke’s neck and kiss him senseless. What an absurd thought though. Just because his nearness made her weak in the knees, and her brain suddenly became fuzzy, like she was walking through a fog didn’t mean she had to go and act like one of those giggling debutantes she had been introduced to at the beginning of the season.

Besides, there were many reasons that such romantic thoughts about the Duke of Schellden were improbable. The first and foremost on the young woman’s mind, and the most important in her opinion, was that the handsome man did not return her feelings. That alone made her feelings futile, not to mention the fact that her position in society forbade him to marry her.

With a frown, Kalinna closed off all of those thoughts and focused her attention back on dancing and the task at hand; the investigation. No sense in getting tangled up in her emotions now, when there were more important things that needed to be accomplished. Those thoughts were better left for the time right before sleep, when she was alone and could concentrate solely on what her heart was saying.

Justin had noticed the frown on her face almost immediately. Ever since they had ceased to talk, Kalinna had seemingly become lost in her own world of which he was not a part of. He wanted her to be able to share everything with him, but alas, he had no right to that sort of privilege.

Yet somehow, some way, over the past few months – ever since the masquerade ball in fact, Justin found his thoughts turning to the beautiful Kalinna more and more often. She had managed to get under his skin; her beauty took his breath away, her wit made him laugh, and her passion and caring made his heart skip beats in his chest. There was no doubt in his mind that he had found the one woman who was his equal…but how to tell her?

Before he could ponder that last question, the music of the waltz came to and end and Justin immediately bowed to Kalinna and offered her his arm as the dinner gong reverberated throughout the ballroom. Smiling, her eyes still somewhat distant, she accepted and the two were quickly on their way to the dining hall.

Dinner was uneventful. Amidst happy chatter, Justin and Kalinna kept sneaking glances at each other when they thought the other was not looking. They ate what was in front of them, but neither tasted a thing as unknowingly similar thoughts preoccupied their minds.

As dinner came to a conclusion and some of the men began to head towards the lounge for a cigar and after-meal drink, Kalinna knew it was the perfect chance to slip away unnoticed. She quickly poked Justin in the side and used her eyes to convey her message. With a slight, almost unperceivable nod of his head, Justin confirmed that he understood her message.

As the guests of the party began to head every which way – some to the lounge, some back to the ball room, some out on the terrace, and some to the powder room, Kalinna quickly snuck out of the room and to the back stairs she knew so well. She and Justin had agreed that they should leave separately, then meet in front of her room, which she had given Justin directions to. He had readily agreed, and would thus wait five minutes before he joined her.

As she climbed the stairs, heart beating heavily in her chest, Kalinna knew that if they were caught together, alone in her room, then there was bound to be a scandal, unless Justin agreed to marry her on the spot. But in no way, shape or form was she going to allow that to happen. He would always resent her if he was forced to walk down the isle when it was truly not what he wanted.

But Kalinna pushed those thoughts aside as she pulled out the key to her room, unlocked it, and stepped inside to wait for Justin to join her. Before she knew what was happening, however, a hand clamped over her mouth and she was being dragged farther into the room and away from the door. She tried to wiggle free, but whoever held her had a vise-like grip that there was no escaping from.

“Ye best give up tha struggle now, missy, for I ain’t gonna let ye go,” a deep voice stated near Kalinna’s ear; she almost fainted from the smell of the man’s breath and body odor. But he held her fast.

“Now, if you care to tell me where you’ve hidden the object your father so desires, we shall be on our way and you will be reunited with your father,” a new voice, belonging to Fulton, the thief from earlier, sneered as he came into her line of sight.

“I don’t know what you are talking about!” Kalinna hissed as her captor removed his hand from her mouth and allowed her to speak.

“Oh you most certainly do. The answer was in that chest that you managed to take from me earlier this morning,” Fulton continued as he sauntered in her direction.

“What do you want with my mother’s jewelry?” Kalinna demanded, her eyes spitting emerald fire that promised an incomparable wrath to the two men who had invaded her private chambers.

“Not the jewelry, but rather a map that is hidden within that chest,” Fulton explained, “The map leads us straight to the object your father desires, which I am to retrieve for him and bring back to France along with you.”

“And what exactly does my father seek? Money? Jewels? What is it that is hidden in this house that he absolutely must have?” Kalinna demanded, knowing that if she got out of this predicament, she was going to turn that chest upside-down to look for a map.

“Wealth and immortality,” Fulton stated, “It is written that centuries ago, a group of explorers happened upon the Pool of Immortality in the newly discovered Americas. As the story goes, any person who drinks from such pool will live forever. Each member of the group of explorers, therefore, kept a bottle of such water to take back with them to use as they saw fit. Your great great grandfather was one such explorer.”

“Then why is my great great grandfather not still alive?” Kalinna demanded, rolling her eyes at the absurdity of such a story.

“Silly girl, it was because he did not drink the elixir. The stupid man thought it better to live life rather than become immortal,” Fulton sneered.

“You are after a bottle of immortal water that may or may not exist? How can you be sure that my father did not send you on a wild goose chase?” Kalinna demanded, knowing full well that Justin would be arriving any moment, so she just had to keep the man talking.

“We have recently come across articles of your deceased mother that talk of such an article hidden in her childhood home, this manor house. And what’s more, hidden with that bottle, is a map that will lead us straight to the Pool of Immortality in the Americas,” Fulton concluded, grinning, “Once your father secures all his money from the French for selling British government secrets, we shall be on our way to the Americas for glory and immortality.”

“You are despicable,” Kalinna spat, still somewhat in disbelief over the entire story; it was just like her father to go on such a wild goose chase, “I don’t know how you can believe such rubbish, and I find it even harder to believe that the French monarchy will back such an absurd venture.”

“Ahh, who said anything about the French monarchy being involved? There is such an uproar in France right now, over the naming of the new king, that a few of the nobility have decided to take things into their own hands,” Fulton explained, “Once they pay your father handsomely for a bottle of that elixir, they will be over to overrun the current French monarchy and thus rule France how it should be.”

Kalinna’s eyes widened in shock as she realized just how in over her head she actually was. Her mother had been right about there being more to the story than even she knew. But how was she to get out of this predicament now? Five minutes had come and gone and there was still no sign of Justin.

“How am I a part of this? Why kidnap me to France when my father obviously wants nothing to do with me?” Kalinna demanded, knowing full well that Fulton was ready to turn her room upside-down in the search for that supposed map. She just had to keep him talking and find a chance to escape.

“That is part of the bargain your father has made with the leader of the French rebels, Andre Carlton. Andre is looking for a wife, and when he saw you from afar, approached your father about your hand in marriage,” Fulton explained, “Your father agreed as long as he had the firm support of Andre for this venture to find the Pool of Immortality.” Kalinna fell speechless.

Her hand in marriage to some strange Frenchman for money and support? She should have known her father would stoop to such extremes in order to secure his own name and future. But she’d be damned if she was forced to marry some French stranger she didn’t love, and all because of money.

“You will not get away with this,” Kalinna cried in desperation as Fulton began to search her room, his accomplice still holding her tight despite her attempt to wiggle free.

“Oh but you see, I already have,” Fulton concluded with an evil grin, “Now where have you hidden that chest?”

“I will never tell you,” Kalinna bit out, her eyes flashing in anger and defiance.

The slap across her cheek came out of nowhere and stung, causing Kalinna’s eyes to water and her head snap back from the force of the blow. She, however, kept silent, her eyes mutinous, her lips a thin line of contempt. She was not going to confess anything, not if she could help it.

“I am losing my patience with you,” Fulton cried in an angry tone as he grabbed the young woman’s chin and forced her to look him in the eye, “I’m going to ask one more time, where have you hidden that bloody chest?”

“I suggest that you take your hands off the lady,” a new voice coldly drawled, “I do not take well to the abuse of the fairer sex.”

Kalinna felt her heart soar as she noticed the tall frame of the Duke of Schellden leaning in the doorway, his sword glinting off the dim light of the room. A frown marred his handsome features, his eyes an icy blue that did not bode well for the two other men in the room. He lazily strode toward the three of them, his eyes lighting briefly on Kalinna before turning fully to Fulton.

“Ah, the Duke of Schellden is it?” Fulton stated, not the least bit intimidated by the taller man, “Otherwise known as the feared pirate Captain Justin Timberlake.”

“At your service,” Justin said with a slight smirk.

“Too bad your days of pirating and sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong are over,” Fulton concluded as he drew his own sword, a wicked-looking blade that made Kalinna’s face turn a slight shade of white.

“That’s what you think,” was all Justin said in reply before the two began a dangerous game of sword play that had Kalinna’s heart wrenching in her chest with concern for the handsome duke.

Momentarily stunned, the man that held Kalinna suddenly loosened his grip, and as much as she wanted to watch Justin, and feared greatly for his safety, she had her own freedom to secure. Without another thought, she brought her elbow rearing back into her captor’s gut. He grunted in pain, and suddenly Kalinna found herself free.

Whirling out of the man’s reach, she hurried across the room and pulled her own sword free from its hiding place. She turned back to her captor, a large lecher of a man, with greasy black hair and beady black eyes, prepared to do battle. Sending her a condescending grin, the man drew his sword and beckoned her forward.

Trying to keep calm, Kalinna slowly advanced on the man, blocking out the sound of Justin’s battle with Fulton and focusing solely on the man in front of her. She gave him a slight grin, and suddenly he was nervous under her haughty gaze. Without another thought, he struck out, a movement she had anticipated and easily blocked, spinning quickly out of the reach of his deadly sword.

The sound of swords clashing rang out through the otherwise empty, dim room. Kalinna quickly found herself backing her opponent into a corner, a wary look residing on his face. Just as she was trying to decide what to do, Justin snuck up behind the man and brought the butt of his sword down on his head.

The man crumpled unconscious to the floor, and Kalinna quickly turned surprised eyes in the young man’s direction. He was breathing heavily and she quickly noticed that Fulton was nowhere to be seen.

“He got away,” Justin simply replied, a scowl lighting his features, but quickly replaced with a concerned gaze as he noticed the redness in the cheek that had been slapped, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” she softly whispered as he stood close to her and turned her cheek toward him as if to inspect that she was, indeed fine.

She was about to ask about his own health, but before she could say another word, however, Justin’s lips were hungrily devouring her’s. Passion sparkled between them as he traced his tongue over her bottom lip, requesting entrance to the recesses of her mouth, which she readily gave. Groaning, he pulled her flush with his hard, muscular body, sending shivers of anticipation up and down Kalinna’s spine.

Her hands began to travel up his arms to rest around his neck and pull him closer. A gasp of pain suddenly escaped Justin’s lips and the kiss was abruptly ended as he jerked back in pain. Kalinna’s eyes immediately filled with concern as she noticed the darkening red stain on his upper left arm.

“You’re hurt,” she whispered.

“It’s just a scratch,” he returned his voice low, his eyes sparkling with passion that Kalinna did not notice, for her attention was solely on his wound.

“We must get you fixed up,” she responded as she moved within the circle of his arms and began to think of the best way to explain this latest development to her relatives.

“Kalinna,” Justin groaned, quickly realizing that she was quite oblivious to the erection in his lower half that was entirely her fault.

“Not another word,” she replied as she escaped from his arms and began to bustle around the room, and thus not giving him a chance to explain his actions.

Whether her sudden need to be busy was due to his kiss, or the recent trauma that she had just experienced, he wasn’t sure. But he definitely knew that they needed to get out of here so he could figure out precisely what Fulton had admitted to her and how it pertained to their investigation. He had only caught the tail-end of the conversation, but from what he’d heard, this entire plan concocted by Kalinna’s father was far more involved than he or anybody else realized.

“Kalinna, we must get out of here. There is much we need to discuss and I would prefer to do it someplace other then your chambers,” Justin stated as he laid a hand on her arm to stop her movement about the room.

“Where do you propose we go?” she asked in surprise.

“The room I have rented down at the docks is very private and we will not have any interruptions. I suggest you change into your boy’s clothing, grab all the articles pertaining to our investigation, and I will meet you in your stables in fifteen minutes,” Justin stated.

He didn’t know if it was such a good idea to be alone with her in closed quarters, but that couldn’t be helped now. They had to get to the bottom of the recent developments before Kalinna found herself on a ship bound for France and Justin was left without a clue as to what was really going on in the investigation. Besides, he was a gentleman, and could act thus.

“What about my family?” she questioned, her heart beating wildly in her chest as she looked in his direction.

“Tell them you have retired for the evening due to a headache and not to let anybody bother you until the late morning tomorrow,” Justin stated, “I shall have you back before then, so you needn’t worry about being caught in a lie.”

“Alright, give me fifteen minutes then, and I will meet you in the stables,” Kalinna agreed, “My horse, Colby, is housed there, if you would like to saddle him up.”

“I shall do that. I will send my man here to take care of this intruder, and then send my carriage back to my manor house, and saddle up my own horse as well,” Justin concluded, unable to keep the wince from his face as a sharp pain suddenly coursed down his arm.

“Are you sure you can manage?” Kalinna asked, concern in her eyes.

“I’ll be fine,” he assured her, gritting his teeth against the pain, “I shall see you in the stables in fifteen minutes.”

With a bow, he left Kalinna’s room, snuck down the back stairs, and went in search of his man, and Kalinna’s relatives to bid them goodnight. Back in her room, Kalinna quickly sent word to her aunt and uncle that she was not to be disturbed by anybody until late the next morning before she quickly slipped out of her dress and into her boys’ clothing.

Justin’s man came to retrieve the unconscious intruder minutes later, and once he had gone, she set about the task of gathering all the important things pertaining to the investigation and placing it all in her mother’s jewelry chest. Minutes later, her heart beating rapidly, she was on her way to the stables to meet Justin and embark into unknown territory.