He was intrigued, and suspicious. “Why would you do that?”
“You saved my life, Jace, and you also took another risk to return my locket. Most of all, I like you and I think you’re innocent. I want you cleared so you can get rid of your bitterness and stop being a prisoner here. That has to be frustrating.”
He was moved deeply. “Why does any of that matter to you?”
She laughed. “How else can you track and pursue me?”
“It hasn’t been a problem for me yet. How much did Chad tell you about my trouble in London?”
She related what she knew about it. “As you can see, not much, so what did he leave out?”
Jace exposed a few facts to see how she took them. “I’m not guilty, and neither was my father. We were cleverly framed. Who, how, and why, I don’t know. The two witnesses are gone, but the evidence is still on file. The authorities have enough proof to arrest me and question me if I step foot in England, but not enough to pursue me here and charge me. If I turned myself in, I would be stupid, because I have no alibi, and no proof I wasn’t involved. Circumstantial evidence would do me in. Frankly, I don’t intend to die for crimes I didn’t commit. Somehow I have to prove my father was framed and murdered and prove I wasn’t involved. I can’t do that dead or in prison.”
“Or from Africa, Jace. Who stood, or stands, to gain from destroying you and your father?” Leigh asked in a serious tone. “Who hates you that much?” His response was one she didn’t want to hear.
“Your grandfather and Chad. With Stokely burned out and killed, my father blamed and destroyed, and me helpless—they got everything, a near monopoly, lots of money and power. And Chad got revenge. Then, Leigh Webster was thrown into my path.”
“That explains why you were so suspicious of me and our meeting. After sneaking into London, you rescue a woman to learn she’s connected to the two men you’ve come to investigate. Then, she mentions a trip to your territory. I’ll admit it sounds odd. But those are pretty wild charges against my family, Jace.”
He agreed, and wondered why she wasn’t furious. “No wilder than the ones I’m accused of, and you did ask for the truth. My father didn’t kill himself, Leigh. He didn’t commit arson and murder. He didn’t write that letter to me, at least not willingly. I have to learn the truth and punish whoever is responsible. I honestly think it was William Webster and Chadwick Hamilton.”
To her, he appeared sincere at this moment. “How could they possibly have done such an evil thing?” she refuted. “You can run a man out of business without murder and arson. Or you can burn out a rival like Stokely and foreclose on another one’s debts, as Grandfather could have done with Brandon Elliott. You’re talking about cold-blooded murder, possibly two of them. My grandfather wouldn’t do that. Besides, they were friends, and partners in new ventures.”
“Who told you that?”
“How would you know if it’s true or false? Chad said you’d been gone since you were eighteen, and you’ve only visited a few times. Did you know my grandfather? Did you have any connections to him?”
Jace didn’t grasp the purpose of her last two questions. “I received letters and cables from my father. Sure he was in debt to Webster, but they weren’t partners. As for being friends, I’ll admit my father liked and respected Webster, and thought he felt the same about him. He also believed he could trust him; that’s why he accepted the loan. As for me, I didn’t know Webster or have any dealings with him.”
His answer left Leigh even more confused about the codicil, if Jace was being honest. It also made her doubts about her grandfather resurface. “What if there was someone else who wanted Stokely out of the way, or your father, or both?” she speculated. “Or what if that person simply needed someone to blame or an explanation for the death of one of them? Perhaps the guilty person simply used your father’s note to keep you away so you couldn’t unmask him. There are other possibilities and suspects, Jace. Don’t you think you’ve been away too long to know about them? Aren’t you allowing Grandfather’s takeover and your feud with Chad to color your judgment? Chad told me you were planning to use the earnings from your last crop to pay off that loan. Was it destroyed by foul play?”
“Nope, just disease.” He was impressed by her wits but her words didn’t change his mind.
“Then they aren’t responsible for your father being unable to settle his debt with them. Surely you don’t expect a businessman to write off a bad investment because of a client’s tragic death. If you hadn’t lost your crop, the loan would have been repaid.”
“Not for another year. I was hoping Webster would be here now so I could question him about that loan and what happened.”
“I’m sorry he didn’t get to make this trip. It could have been good for both of you. Chad said he was very depressed after your father’s death. It’s a shame you didn’t get to see him before he died in December. I’m sure he could have explained everything.”
He sensed more than she was telling. “Why?”
Leigh didn’t detect any revealing reaction to her probing. “So you could get rid of these suspicions. It isn’t good to hate and be bitter for so long. Why won’t you or Chad tell me what happened between you years ago? If you believe he would go to such lengths for revenge, it must have been something awful.”
“I’ll tell you the whole story while I’m collecting my bet. I wouldn’t want what happened so long ago to color your judgment of me, and it would. I am going to win, Leigh, be assured of that.” He sighed deeply and flexed his taut body. “I didn’t want to get into my troubles today, but we’ve been discussing them at great length. We can’t solve anything, especially here, as you said earlier.” He smiled and said, “Perhaps I will entice your help one day. Let’s get back to a matter wecansolve. What you’re asking is to my benefit, so you’ll have to select another prize. How about my plantation?”
He was refusing to wager himself and she wondered if that meant he only wanted her virtue as a vengeful prize. Since she wasn’t going to lose, why not let him enjoy that stimulating fantasy? “That would leave you with nothing after I win,” she stated, allowing the other matter to drop for now.
“You’re risking a lot, so I should, too. Although marriage to you is quite tempting, I can’t gamble with something I don’t know I can do. We both realize I might never be able to clear myself, and I couldn’t move to London. I love Africa; I belong here. Do we have a deal?”
For some reason her grandfather had felt he owed this man. With cunning and daring, she could settle that curious debt now. She had an enormous amount of money and property, so she could venture part of it. Chad had said he needed money … “In all seriousness, no more games. I’ll wager one-third of all I own. If you win, you can use your earnings to hire investigators to clear you while you remain safe at home.”
Jace was astonished; he knew what the Webster empire must be worth. “I’d rather have you for a night.”
“How can you turn down so much money and the power it carries? Chad said you lost your crop and it takes years to nurture another one.”
“Because I want you more, even for one night. Besides, you can’t use Webster’s money to buy off my resentment toward him. His debt to me has nothing to do with you or with us. I’m not in a financial bind, Leigh. I did lose my last crop, but I had enough to replant and enough to live on until it matures and is sold. Until then, I get more offers for work than I can accept. I don’t need or want Webster charity. I earn my own way in life. But thanks for the offer.”
Surely one night with her couldn’t be that valuable to him. Unless he knew exoneration and marriage were impossible. Or he knew Chad would spurn her after she slept with him and that would be his revenge. Whatever his motive, Jace had a clever plan in mind. To uncover it, she had to play along. “Before I say yes or no, what are the terms and rules for victory or defeat?”