Indra jumped into the passenger seat and Sebastian drove off with a wave to the others, who followed them.
“Our other guests are being entertained by William—Lord Leicester. I think they were more interested in having a drink with an earl, rather than looking at the horses’ form.”
“You call Lord Leicester, William?” Indra was surprised, not to say impressed. The Earls of Leicester had been living on the estate since 1612. “You know some grand people, don’t you?”
He rewarded her tease with a quick smile. “Will and I go way back. He was happy to oblige, which is good because now we’ve convinced the trainers, hopefully the owners will follow their recommendations.”
She was curious. “Why are you so interested in getting these particular owners’ horses? Surely the results of the open day at Richmond yesterday garnered more than enough interest to enable the training center and, therefore, the estate to prosper for years to come?” She was surprised when he didn’t answer her directly. He looked around, anywhere but at her. She put her hand on his arm. “Sebastian? Is anything the matter?”
He gave her a quick smile and shook his head. “Of course not. Why should there be?”
“No reason. So, why are these potential clients so important?”
He held her gaze then, but she couldn’t read it. He licked his lips. “Let’s just say that I believe they’ll help in other ways.”
She frowned, but before she could ask him anything further, he’d pulled up outside the magnificent mansion alongside all the other cars. He jumped out, greeting the men.
Indra stayed in the Land Rover for a few minutes longer watching Sebastian, wondering why he was being evasive. It wasn’t like him. She didn’t know him well, not really, but she was certain of a few things about him. One, that he didn’t waste his time, and two, he never lied. And he’d prevaricated with his answer, which wasn’t like him. Which meant he didn’t want to tell her the truth, whatever that was. She didn’t have a clue, and there was only one way to find out.
She jumped out of the vehicle and joined Sebastian and the men as they stepped into the hall and into a different era. The spectacular Marble Hall, with its soaring columns leading up to an ornate ceiling, took her breath away. It was full of treasures—sculptures, paintings, furniture, rugs—which the Earl’s forebears had brought to Holkham from their grand European tours. Richmond Manor was grand, but it was also a home. But this was on an entirely different scale.
They were met by the estate manager, who took them along wide-planked wooden floors, covered in richly-colored rugs, to the library. He opened the door wide for them and Lord Leicester greeted first Sebastian with a shake of the hand, and then Indra.
“Welcome to Holkham, Indra.” He turned back to Sebastian and discreetly nodded to their guests who, it appeared, were already well oiled with champagne and well impressed with the Hall. “They’re sounding very keen to have their horses trained at Richmond and invest in a building project, which should be a good income earner for me.” He smiled smugly. “A good outcome.”
Indra knew enough of the landed gentry to understand that most of their wealth was in their land and houses and contents, but that few had disposable cash and so liked to network with the wealthy. So she wasn’t surprised about Lord Leicester’s interest in raising money for one of his entrepreneurial projects.
“Thanks for your help, William. It’s much appreciated.”
“Your home is beautiful, Lord Leicester.”
“Call me William, Indra. Everyone does. And yes, it’s an incredible place. Have a look around while we talk shop.”
As the two men went to join the others, Indra took William up on his offer and stayed in the background—a place she preferred to be, especially as one of the guests couldn’t take their eyes off her. She felt uncomfortable. She smiled tentatively at the man and looked around the library. Like all the other rooms, it was spectacular. Set alongside the priceless paintings and collection of books, family photos were clustered on priceless mosaic tables, revealing the family’s close relationship with royalty. It had been a second home to the royal family when they’d stayed at neighboring Sandringham, a fact not lost on their impressed guests.
“Indra!” greeted Lord Leicester’s wife with a smile. She’d swept into the room followed by two labradors, and Indra was forced to make small talk. Lady Leicester was obviously most interested in trying to unearth any gossip from Indra about Sebastian’s return and their sudden marriage. But, after it became obvious Indra wouldn’t be divulging anything, Lady Leicester excused herself.
Gratefully, Indra turned her away to inspect a cream alabaster statue when she heard an unfamiliar voice and suddenly froze. The Russian accent was distinctive against the murmur of American and British accents. She glanced around to see who had spoken. It was the man who’d been watching her in silence. She hadn’t heard that accent since she was twelve years old. Panicked, she looked back to the statue, now unaware of its beauty. She gulped and found she couldn’t move. She couldn’t seem to unfreeze her fingers from the champagne glass she was holding, as the man lapsed into silence. It was only when William gave a punchline to a joke and the place exploded into an uproar of laughter that Indra found herself able to move. And then she kept on moving. She walked quickly out of the room and returned the way she’d come, through the great halls and outside, down the front steps. She kept on walking towards her vehicle, when she heard her name called.
“Indra!” Sebastian called. “Indra!”
The presence of the Russian had been the reason Sebastian had brought Indra to Holkham. He was powerful, with many connections. As far as Sebastian knew, the man hadn’t anything to do with armaments. Sebastian simply wanted to see her reaction when confronted with someone from the same country as her father’s enemies. He didn’t know exactly what he’d expected but it certainly hadn’t been anything like this. She’d taken off as if her life depended on it. He hoped he hadn’t taken a step too far. He’d relied on his betting instinct, which hadn’t failed him yet. But there was always a first time.
He had to run to catch up with her as her quick pace turned into a run. She ran past the line of cars and into a small copse of trees. He found her, just inside, leaning against the trunk of a tree, her head in her hands.
“What on earth is the matter?” he asked.
She was panting, and she dropped her hands to reveal eyes wild with panic.
“Did you see someone you knew? Someone you were frightened of?”
Her shocked eyes stopped darting around and focused on him.
“That’s it, isn’t it?” he said. She shook her head and tried to move away, but he grabbed hold of her hand. “Tell me what’s going on, Indra. Otherwise I can’t help.”
“There’s nothing you can do! Nothinganyonecan do!” she burst out. To his surprise, tears sprang into her eyes and she tried to hide them, tried to sweep them away, but he held her hands firm so she couldn’t. He bitterly regretted upsetting her so deeply.
“Come on!”