I wouldn’t have waited on you.

She caught his amused gaze and realized that she hadn’t been thinking to herself at all. “I . . . I said that aloud, didn’t I?”

“Yes. The tonic has an interesting effect on you. You become more . . . honest.”

“I’m always honest.”

He raised his brows, and she felt compelled to amend, “Well, most of the time. Sometimes a lie is necessary—especially when a person has a secret.” She knew she should quit talking, but she couldn’t. “I wish I didn’t have so many secrets—far more than the average woman.”

“You’ve never been honest with me. I’ve found out more about you in the short time you’ve been under the influence of that tonic, than when we were living in each other’s pockets.”

“What have I told you?”

A self-satisfied smile settled on his mouth. “All sorts of interesting things.”

She pressed her fingers to her lips. Had she told him about Rowena? “Were any of the things I told you very surprising?”

“Very.”

“I didn’t mention anything really unusual, did I? Because if I did, it was probably untrue. This tonic makes me feel very odd, and who knows what I might have made up while—”

“Moira, you told me about our daughter.”

Oh God, no. But one look at his stern face told her he knew.

“You also called for her during your fever. I know all about Rowena.”

“I see,” she said wearily. The tonic no longer made her senses stronger. Now it was dulling them and making it difficult to think.

“Don’t look so forlorn. It explains a lot: why you are so determined to obtain that onyx box, and why you’ve been working for Aniston.”

“I hate that man.”

Robert’s jaw tightened. “So do I.”

For a moment, they were united.

She closed her eyes to rest and heard Robert say, as if from a long way off, “I’ve made some decisions about our pursuit of the box.”

She forced herself to look at him, though her eyelids were as heavy as anvils. “Yes?”

His gaze flickered over her face and he chuckled. “I’ll give you the details when you awaken from your nap.”

“We should . . . leave . . . right away.” Her lips had gotten difficult to move.

“We’ll see about that.”

“Are you worried . . . that I might still beat you to Ross’s?”

Robert looked inordinately amused. “If we were to leave this room at the exact same second, I would reach our destination first.”

“I was . . . beating you . . . before . . . the accident.”

“You wouldn’t have had an accident if you hadn’t been pushing so hard.” His brows lowered. “You took a very foolish chance.”

She’d have taken a million other, more dangerous chances to win Rowena’s release. She started to say so, but her mind was already slipping away. And within seconds, she was fast asleep.

CHAPTER 9