Samantha (Barrett 2)

"An outrageous sum." Calmly, Knollwood inhaled his snuff, then snapped the lid shut. "I assume you're willing to sign a note?"

"Of course."

"Without even knowing my terms?"

"Yes."

"You're that confident?"

"I am."

Knollwood nodded. "All right, Gresham. I'll need a few days to amass such a huge sum of money. Meet me here Monday night, same time. I'll bring your loan ... and the necessary papers. You bring a quill to inscribe your name."

"Very well." Rem ground the cheroot beneath his heel. "You won't regret this decision. Others fail. I don't."

An ominous silence. "That remains to be seen, Gresham."

Knollwood disappeared into the night.

"My butler said you were here." Rem closed the sitting room door behind him. "Do you have so little faith in my ability to defend myself that you were worried ... or is there some other reason you couldn't sleep?"

Boyd scowled. "Very funny."

"Your Cynthia did vanish rather suddenly, didn't she?" Rem strolled across the room and lowered himself into a chair. "It certainly altered your plans for the evening."

"I had no plans."

Rem cocked a disbelieving brow.

"All right, then. I had plans. Apparently, Cynthia didn't. In any case, I'm not here to discuss my romantic encounters, or lack of them."

"You really are upset, aren't you?" Rem stoked the fire, trying to oust the chill from his bones.

"Not upset. Stymied. Obviously, I read her signals all wrong."

"I don't think so ... since I read her signals the same way you did." Rem cleared his throat. "Perhaps Annie had already committed Cynthia elsewhere for the evening."

Boyd gripped his chair arms so tightly his knuckles turned white. "Can we change the subject? I didn't come out at five A.M. to speculate about Cynthia's actions, or her where-abouts."

Lacing his fingers behind his head, Rem nodded. "My meeting with Knollwood." With calm precision, he recounted the details.

"Evidently, he didn't harm you. Did he threaten you?"

"No ... at least not yet. But remember, he hasn't handed the money over either. I'm certain the threats will come once he owns me."

"I don't doubt it." Boyd squinted as the first patch of early morning sunlight seeped through the window, a reminder that it was nearly day. "Do you plan to handle this one alone, too?"

Rem shook his head. "No. I plan to find out if Knollwood will offer me his own personal insurance policy."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, will he promise to make certain my ship remains safe, my venture secure, in exchange for an immense additional sum? If so, he's our man."

"Ah, I begin to see. You think he's been blackmailing men into buying his protection."

"Um-hum. And convincing those who are reluctant to do so by providing firsthand demonstrations of what will happen if they refuse to comply," Rem added.

"Interesting speculation. Now, what if Knollwood doesn't offer you this unique opportunity?"