An interminable moment of silence passed, one filled with tension and strain. But Eleanor saw both relief and anguish in Peter's eyes. How much did he guess? she wondered.

"Sinclair," Rex said, breaking the silence. "I'd like a word with you."

Peter's gaze remained fixed on Eleanor. "May I have a word first with my fiancee?"

Eleanor's heart sank. How could he still think to marry her? Or was his choice of words merely formal, as there had been no official breach of contract?

"Eleanor has been through a terrible ordeal," Rex said firmly. "One that has included apprehension and interrogation by the British, when she is innocent of any and all wrongdoing. She must retire to her rooms."

Peter blanched. "Eleanor, are you hurt?" he asked. His regard strayed to the bruise on her cheek.

She shook her head, daring to approach. "I have had a terrible time," she somehow replied. "Peter, I am sorry for everything."

He took her hands, his gaze on the bruise on her face. "I thank God you have returned to me," he whispered.

Eleanor did not know what to do. She wanted to pull her hands from his, but did not dare.

"Are you certain you are unharmed?" he asked, sounding shaken now.

"Yes. I owe you an explanation," she began, but he interrupted.

"Your mother and brother are right. You must retire to your rooms. You need rest and I am calling your family's physician. As soon as you are feeling a bit better, we can speak."

Had she really forgotten how kind and considerate this man was? "Thank you," Eleanor said.

He just smiled slightly at her.

THE PRISON CELL had light and air. Sean saw that even as he was shoved inside by a soldier from behind. That fact could not quell his rising panic. Because the gray daylight creeping through the single window could not seem to ease the sudden darkness of the cell and he could not breathe. He heard the iron door slam shut behind him; he heard the lock turn and click. He began to choke on his fear and had he been laid in the raw earth, dirt piled on him, he could not have felt more terror.

Reed laughed softly. "Do we weep now, O'Neill? Like a child-a girl?"

He had heard the soblike sound, too, and it had come from his own chest. Sean leaned against the stone wall, facefirst. He wasn't entombed and he wasn't forgotten; this was not like the other time. This was not an eternity of hopelessness and hell. This was a prelude to a swift, certain death.

He thought of Eleanor, whom he loved. Surely, once he hanged, her part in his treason would be ignored. She would be spared Peg's fate... wouldn't she?

It had become impossible to breathe now. There were only bars in the window, no pane, but his lungs couldn't seem to comprehend that. His heart raced wildly, sweat streaming down his body, and he was shaking uncontrollably, his nails digging into the stone.

"Don't worry," Reed said softly. "Your stay here won't be long. You will hang in days, O'Neill, because I intend to see justice served."

The stone scraping his forehead hurt, but he didn't care. Sean clawed the wall and fought for air and sanity, but calm refused to come. "Eleanor?" he gasped.

"Your lover is undoubtedly in the bosom of her family," Reed said softly.

"She is innocent!" Sean cried. "She is my stepsister!"

Reed laughed. "She is your Irish whore and we both know it. So lovely, so soft, I am sorry I never had the chance to finish what I began with her."

Sean cried out, turning. "I am going to kill you, you sonuvabitch," he choked out.

Reed laughed. "How? With words? You should have seen the terror in her eyes when I cut her dress, O'Neill. Oh, she is a very fine woman, indeed."

Sean lunged for Reed, but he stood on the other side of the bars and he backed out of reach. "You will pay for what you did."

"Perhaps she will pay for what you have done?" Reed asked softly.

Peg's broken, battered image came to mind, this time so vividly he saw her every feature and all the blood. Peg remained gray but the blood was red-darkly and vividly so. Sean was determined then to kill Reed before he hanged, even though he was behind bars. How to entice him into the cell, so he could wring his neck?

"But then, as she is as guilty as you are and the world will soon know it, she can pay for her own conspiracy. I think that would satisfy me far more than her rape or death. She will spend the rest of her life impoverished, imprisoned and alone, a woman forgotten, a woman of utter inconsequence."

Sean gripped the bars, controlling the impulse to lunge for his captor again. He fought to breathe and he fought for his temper.

"There will be justice, on all counts," Reed said coolly.

"I am glad to see you intend justice, Colonel," Tyrell said flatly, startling Sean as he and Devlin strode into the corridor from the anteroom. "It should be much easier to obtain with all of us working for the same honorable end."

Sean finally drew in the air he so desperately needed. Tyrell and Devlin were there. While his fate was undoubtedly inescapable, they would never allow harm to befall Eleanor.

"Justice requires that O'Neill swing and you bloody well know it," Reed said.

"No. That would be another injustice, and I am reminding you right now that my stepbrother has suffered the gravest injustice already at the hands of the military-at your hands. He was incarcerated in a British prison for two years. He was falsely convicted. Adare is in London as we speak. There will be a full inquiry into the events of that night in Kilvore and Sean's apprehension, imprisonment and conviction."

Sean felt some small surprise, as he hadn't considered the possibility of an inquiry of any sort. There was so much authority in Tyrell's tone and manner that real comfort came from his words.

Reed's smile was thin. "Is there a point? Because if so, my lord, I fail to comprehend it."

"There was a witness to those events, Colonel, and my brother is bringing him to London. Sean never committed treason and once that has been proved, he will be pardoned. I am warning you now that you will keep him safe-and alive-until that day comes," Tyrell said coldly.

Reed replied but not as smugly as before. "There are no witnesses. Every man in that village rose up in arms, and every one was killed-except for O'Neill."

"You are wrong. There is a witness and his testimony will clear Sean," Tyrell said flatly. "But that will not be enough. Your actions are going to be scrutinized as if you were a rat being dissected under a laboratory microscope."

Reed stared, then laughed. "Such bluster. Who allowed you in?"

"Brawley. And if you think to deny me access to my stepbrother now, after two years of mistaken incarceration, you should think again."

Reed's eyes flashed. "There is no witness. I have done nothing wrong!"

Tyrell smiled dangerously. "You touched my sister."

Sean tensed. How much did Tyrell know?

It was a moment before Reed spoke. "I interviewed her-showing all the respect she was due. Apparently she tripped and fell when she was first brought to the fort. I would never touch a lady."

Tyrell leaned close. "Your career is at an end, Colonel."

Reed started. Then he snarled, "Do not threaten me." He stalked out.

Sean leaned against the wall. The hatred had receded, and so had the panic. He felt strangely calm. "Ty, don't. Don't bait him-he is too dangerous. He may go after Elle when he is through with me."

"I am not afraid of him, Sean. In fact, I intend to destroy him."

"Then you will have to get in line," Sean said.

Ty's brows lifted. "You have done enough, I think, so I suggest you leave Reed to me."

Devlin stepped past Tyrell, gripping the cell bars. "You are ill," he said bluntly.

Sean almost laughed. "I am past being ill." But he wiped the sweat streaming from his brow.

"How can I help you now?" Devlin asked grimly.

His brother somehow knew that being in a cell again was like being buried alive. Sean shook his head, forcing himself to take deep, steadying breaths. He briefly closed his eyes and then opened them. "There is not enough air in here," he said with some difficulty. "But I know it is all in my head."

"Do you have a fever?" Devlin finally asked.

Sean shook his head. "No-but I am mad. I have finally lost my mind." He sat down on the floor, staring at it. Neither brother spoke. He finally said, "I don't care about myself. I am prepared to hang...it has been my fate all along and I can no longer avoid it. But Elle..." He looked up. "You must protect Eleanor. Find a way, Dev, to extricate her from any involvement with me. Reed has threatened her."

"Reed is going to find himself on a convict ship bound for Australia," Tyrell said grimly. "Damn it! Eleanor is involved and a dozen troops know it. Did you purposely appear on her wedding day to sabotage her future-her life?"

Sean recalled Eleanor, standing before her dressing mirror in her wedding finery, breathtaking in her beauty. His heart caught. He had meant to say goodbye, not steal the bride.

"He has been through enough and we are wasting time with recriminations," Devlin said coldly.

Sean spoke slowly. "There has to be a way, maybe a trade...her liberty for my life."

"No!" Devlin snapped.

"You don't understand." Sean looked at him. "I will gladly hang if she can live to a ripe old age with all of the creature comforts she deserves."

"I do understand. I understand that you are in love with Eleanor! There will be no such trade. First things first." He was commanding. "Runners have been looking for Flynn. Cliff is now on his way to Kilvore-if he isn't there already. They will find him, Sean. You will be cleared of all of these charges, one way or another."

"How can you be so certain?" Sean asked, because he recognized the hard gleam in his older brother's eyes. It was a ruthless light Sean had thought he would never see again.

Devlin smiled without mirth. "You might not recognize Flynn when you next meet him," he said.

An impostor would be brought forth if Flynn was not found. Hope flared-but it was too dangerous to entertain for long. "Soldiers died that night. In the end, I picked up arms, too."

"You tried to stop the rebels," Tyrell exclaimed. "And you are a nobleman, not a peasant. Amends need to be made. Then there is the case of your wife and son. They deserve justice, too."

The guilt that had lain dormant for the past few days suddenly arose, clawing at Sean. "How? How do you know anything...about them?"

Sympathy filled Devlin's eyes. "Eleanor told us, Sean. I am sorry."

"Then you must know the entire story," Sean said harshly. "They paid...for my crimes. Reed made it so."

"Then an inquiry might lead to his imprisonment," Tyrell stated.

Sean slowly stood up. There was hope again-and with it, Eleanor's beautiful image, her eyes soft with trust and love. Then Peg's countenance appeared, dancing uncontrollably in his mind, so focused now that she could have been lying in his arms, dying. His heart lurched with dread and raced with fear. Peg had been brutally tortured and murdered because of him, and only God knew Michael's fate. How dare he hope for anything, much less a future with Eleanor?

He was powerless now, once again, and he must not forget it. There was no hope. His life was over and only a miracle could change that. He no longer cared. However, he cared about Eleanor's life, as he always had.

As much as he hated the idea of her wedding Sinclair, of her warming his bed, keeping his home and bearing his children, the other man loved her. He was powerful, wealthy, titled and British, and he would give her a good, long life.

He faced his brother and stepbrother. "You're both wrong," he said. "There is no justice in Ireland and there never has been. Reed is going to walk away freely from his sins and I am going to hang for mine. And even if I don't, I am going to America-alone. As for Eleanor...I do not love her in the way she wants." He saw Tyrell start. "She threw herself at me. She is a beautiful woman. And I am not the man you once knew. Do I have to be any clearer?"

Tyrell was ashen. "If this is a jest, it is in very poor taste."

"You know I was always a rake." Sean shrugged. "Two years alone in a hole, and then Eleanor offered me something I had no wish to refuse." He did not bother to continue.

Tyrell was so furious he was at a loss for words. He stared at Sean as if he faced an oddly misshapen monster he did not and could not know.

Sean waited; Tyrell cursed him and stormed out.

Devlin just looked at him. "That was utterly convincing. Why, Sean? I am going to make certain you are freed."

Sean shook his head. It was hard to speak. "I want her safe. You make certain she marries Sinclair," he said harshly. "I want...your word."

Devlin stared, then responded. "I'm not giving it."

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

ELEANOR PAUSED on the threshold of the gold salon, trembling. Peter was the only one present in the room and he was seated before the fireplace, staring into the flames. He was clearly brooding.

It was late the same afternoon. Eleanor hesitated. Her intention had been to remain in her rooms for as long as possible, ostensibly to rest, in truth to avoid Peter. But she could not rest, not when Sean was imprisoned just a few hours from Adare, his life hanging precariously in the balance. To make matters even worse, she was acutely aware of Peter's presence in her home and how unfairly she had treated him.

She owed him more than an explanation-she owed him an apology. She had begun a letter to that effect, and had quickly realized that was the coward's way out. She had to end their engagement, once and for all. "Peter?"

He leaped to his feet, stunned to see her.

She wanted to smile, but she simply could not. She meant to come into the room, but her feet would not obey her mind and her legs did not move.

Peter rushed to her side. "Eleanor! Why aren't you upstairs, resting? At least until the doctor arrives and has thoroughly examined you?"

She bit her lip. "I can't rest." She hesitated again, wishing he were not so kind and caring, then she walked past him into the room. "We need to speak, Peter."

He stood frozen at the door.

She slowly faced him, her hand lingering on the back of a tasseled chaise. "I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am for what I did on our wedding day."

He was pale. He closed the door. "I understand, Eleanor," he said hoarsely.

She was surprised. "How can you even begin to understand? May I explain?"