“Quite so,” Harris replied.
Be careful what you wish for, echoed in the back of Luc’s mind. As a child he had always dreamed of being a pirate. Especially after he heard about a Highlander who had become wealthy as one. Eventually, Luc’s plans to be a sea captain had changed into becoming an army captain.
Luc nodded his head. “Alright, that should be easy enough.” As a spy during the war, Luc had had to play many parts. Playing a Barbary pirate captain shouldn’t be too hard. Except, he didn’t know the first thing about sailing a ship.
“You’ll not be expecting me to sail this ship? Are you?” Luc asked.
Harris shook his head. “Not to begin with. A Mr. Malveaux is the first mate of the Coral Sea, and he has agreed to remain on board to teach you everything you will need to be master of the ship. And you will have a crew of fifteen English sailors and fifteen Royal Marines under your command.”
Luc could just image how Sir Walter convinced the pirate to remain on board and teach Luc the ropes. He was sure that in the time it would take to sail to the Mediterranean he could learn more than enough to pass as a sea captain.
“Aye, then I’ll be doin’ it,” he said, then remembered Harris had said there were three objectives to this mission. “Those things should be fairly easy: deliver fifty thousand pounds in gold, play nursemaid to this spoiled Sassenach, and pretend to be a pirate captain.
“What was the third objective to this mission, Mr. Harris?”
This time Harris took a quick step to the side and looked at his boss. Luc turned in time to see Sir Walter nod his head ever so slightly. He then turned back to the secretary.
“This part of the mission you cannot reveal to anyone, milord.” He waited until Luc nodded, then continued. “For the last twenty years, Ambassador Hennessey, now the Earl of Kiterman, has been working with the War Department and later with this office to gather information on our enemies.”
“Bloody ‘ell,’ Luc hissed. “He’s another one of your damn agents. Isn’t he?”
Harris didn’t answer him directly. “In his diplomatic capacity as an English Ambassador, Marcus Hennessey was entrusted with the names of most of our operatives working on the continent.”
“Bloody ’ell,” Luc whispered.
“Quite so,” Harris said.
A cold chill slithered down Luc’s back. “Including mine?” he demanded.
Harris just gazed back at him.
“Is that why he was kidnapped?” Luc demanded.
Harris took a breath. “Like I said earlier, milord, we don’t know if this Guerrant is aware of the earl’s involvement with our office. But whether he is or he is not, we need the earl rescued before Guerrant makes it to Tripoli.”
All the urgency surrounding the mission now made sense. Luc nodded, then asked, “Anything else I need to know?”
Harris nodded. “We want you to try and arrest Dacey Guerrant and bring him back to England. It you cannot, then you are to question him and then eliminate him.”
Luc’s stomach roiled. It wasn’t the first time he had been ordered to kill someone.
“Question him about what?” Luc asked.
Harris hesitated, and Sir Walter growled again. The secretary glared at his boss, then looked back at Luc.
“Guerrant worked with the French intelligence service during the war. One of his agents was code named, Le Petit Moineau. We-” Luc knew that meant Sir Walter. “-want the true name of that agent.”
Luc nodded again. “Should be easy enough, if this Guerrant shows up at the rendezvous for the ransom that is.”
Sir Walter growled again, and Harris flinched. “If you obtain this information, Lord Lucien, you are not to share it with anyone other than myself, Damien Whittermann, or Sir Walter. Is that understood?”
“Aye. Perfectly,” Luc replied. Which of course it was not. But few things with Sir Walter ever were.
Chapter 7
A country assembly. Of all the places Luc thought he would be ordered to go to begin this mission, a country dance in Rochester would have been at the bottom of his list. In fact, he doubted it would have even appeared on the list. But according to Harris, he was supposed to meet his contact for this mission at the dance. When he had asked why he wasn’t meeting the first mate of the Coral Sea, Mr. Malveaux, Luc had been told that the man was being detained until they set sail. Luc knew that meant that the man was not helping them of his own accord.
His orders for the night were quite simple: he was to be seen, and be ostentatious. Above all, be flamboyant. And be charming, yet obnoxiously provincial. In other words, be Captain Peri and not the conservative army captain he was known for.
The last one stung a bit as Luc had always seen himself as an adventurous person. Obviously, Sir Walter and his annoying assistant saw Luc as dull. The main directive he had been given was the key to tonight's activities, "be seen." It was strongly believed that one of Chevalier’s crew would be there as well to keep an eye on him, or on Captain Peri.
Harris had repeated the rest of Sir Walter’s directives three times. "A room has been let in the name of Charles Renée Peri. You must remain at the assembly hall until midnight. Then, and only then, make your way to your hotel on the waterfront, and remain in your room until contacted by me. Once the gold is safely on board, I will personally escort you to the Coral Sea."
So Luc found himself at the country dance, dressed like some kind of damn peacock. The clothes he had been given were a bit tight for his liking, but supposedly, they were what the phony corsair pirate wore when he was seen. Knowing Sir Walter as he did, Luc suspected the point of the flamboyant clothes was so nobody would be paying attention to the man’s face.
One thing was for sure, in a room full of conservatively dressed men and elegantly dressed women, he was a peacock surrounded by penguins. In fact, in his skin-tight pants he was a throwback to a past decade. Something he had been glad to see the end of. Coupled with a pair of highly polished Hessian boots with blood red tassels that perfectly matched his waistcoat, Luc was a walking advertisement for not belonging.
But that had not been the limit of his transformation to flamboyant Barbary pirate. No, Harris had topped off his ensemble with a blond shoulder length wig and a cobalt blue coat with enough braid to sink a frigate. Harris had insisted the coat was necessary as Captain Peri always wore something that perfectly matched his eyes. The only thing that was missing, as far as Luc was concerned, was a cutlass, and Luc would have gladly added it to his ensemble as he was all but flying a Jolly Roger to proclaim himself as a blood-thirsty pirate.
And from what Luc could see the façade was working. A number of people physically shuddered upon his arrival. Two matriarchs had actually fainted upon seeing him. Gracefully. After all, no well-bred, genteel lady would dare faint any other way. And no fewer than three debutantes, apparently fresh out of the schoolroom, had succumbed to the vapors in the middle of the dance floor as well. They, it seemed, had yet to learn the art of the graceful faint.
But what surprised Luc the most was the fact that not one person had approached him and demand he remove himself from their presence. In fact, if he wasn't mistaken, what he saw on their faces was admiration. Nearly the same kind of hero worship that he had seen given to the Duke of Wellington the week before. And that made no sense at all. At least for about three minutes after his arrival.
"Captain Peri?"
Luc almost replied with his usual, “Aye,” but stopped himself. According to Harris, Captain Peri spoke with a cultured English accent.
Turning around, Luc was being approached by a portly man with three chins and jowls that quivered as he enthusiastically greeted Luc.
"We'd heard you had bought it again. What's this, Captain, the fourth or fifth time you've been killed in a sea battle?"
"Sixth," Luc quickly retorted, "but one was in a duel on land, so I'm not sure that one counts."
The man's face split in a sheepish grin. "Of course, of course." He glance
d around and then lowered his voice. "I pray the reports of the Coral Sea's demise are also unfounded."
Luc smiled in a way he knew contorted his face and the scar. It usually sent men running and women into a faint.
However, the man in front of him was made of sterner stuff. The gentleman smiled back as he leaned in closer and lowered his voice further. "Was she badly damaged in the battle, Captain?"
"Not overly," he said. It wasn’t damaged at all. It was anchored in a cove not more than a mile or two down the river.
"Good, good, good," the man said and rubbed his hands together. "And the," the man glanced around surreptitiously and then lowered his voice even further, "cargo?"
Luc's mixed welcome now made a lot more sense. These people were the benefactors of the pirate's illegal activities. Captain Peri was not only a spy for the British government and a Barbary pirate, he was also a run-of-the-mill smuggler for the merchants of southern England.
"The full damage and losses are still being determined," Luc said as cagily as possible.
The man nodded knowingly. "When might we anticipate delivery of the merchandise that has survived?"
Luc smiled in a way that twisted his scarred face in its most grotesque way. "When I am satisfied. And not before."
The man's face bleached of color, and he jerked back as if Luc had struck him a mortal blow. "Of course, Captain Peri, of course. Wouldn't want it any other way." The man's eyes flickered to a number of men huddled against the far wall. "We . . . I . . . was just. . ."
"I know what you were doing," Luc said in his most intimidating commander's voice. "You-" Luc’s eyes flew to the cluster of men standing against the wall, attempting to eavesdrop on their conversation. He then turned back to their spokesman and locked his gaze on the ashen man in front of him, "-and the others will be informed what cargo has survived when I'm satisfied things are as they should be, and not a moment before."
If possible, the man's face lost even more color. "Of course, Captain Peri, of course," he sputtered and then turned and fled back to his cohorts.
As Luc watched the man scurry back to the other merchants, an unsettling thought popped into his head. The man had recognized him on sight as Captain Peri. There had been no doubts in the skittish man's demeanor that even hinted at a question of his identity as the infamous pirate. But according to Harris and Sir Walter, no one had ever seen Captain Peri up close. So how was it that these men seemed to know him personally? And not only know him, but appeared to have had past dealings with the pirate captain?
"You do realize what a great honor it is for that man and the rest of them to finally meet in person the great and infamous Captain Peri?"
Luc felt his heart stutter and his cock twitch at the voice that had haunted his dreams the last few days. Turning around slowly, he took in the vision before him. Lady Margaret was more beautiful than he remembered.
After some of the more visceral of his dreams, Luc had doubted the reality of his memory. But the vision before him mocked him in a way he could not comprehend. And then the lady smiled, and his every thought evaporated in an instant.
"So, you are the man Sir Walter has recruited to play my uncle," she said, and Luc could hear bitterness in her voice.
“So, ye knew yer uncle was. . .” Luc started to ask then looked around. His brogue had slipped in before he could catch himself. Most of the crowd had moved as far away as they could and still be able to keep him in their sight. But it was still wise to not drop the English lord role.
She filled his pause by finishing for him, “Playing at being a pirate? Or that he did work for the English government?”
Luc could definitely hear laughter in her voice. He wondered if Harris had lied about her involvement with the pirates. She batted her eyes coquettishly at him and then sashayed around him, while seductively trailing her fingers over his body, causing every nerve in him to quiver and burn. "I thought you might be,” she eyed his scar, “you have the look he created.” She moved closer and caressed the puckered scar with the tip of her fingers. “Or is this as fake as you are?"
She batted her eyes and then perused his body, stopping briefly at his growing crotch. A feeling of having been violated slithered up his spine and lodged inexplicably at the back of his mind.
And the lady wasn't through with her molestations as she raised her hand to his head and began sifting her fingers through the locks of the wig, and nearly dislodging it.
Luc reached up for her hand, but she evaded him and then circled around to his back again before quickly dipping her hand between the two of them and pinching his arse. Despite himself, Luc trembled like a lad with his first wench.
His eyes widened momentarily, and then he allowed a grin to crease his face. One he knew made him look diabolical. As Gabe and others had assured him. Luc might not be a rake, but neither was he a virgin to be done in by a beautiful seductress.
"I've played a number of roles for King and Country, Lady Margaret. As have you, from the sounds of it," he said and spun around to face her.
Her cerulean blue cat eyes, with their cobalt blue ring, locked with his. A mischievous glint entered them as she once again blatantly inspected his body. "I’m sure I don’t know what you are referring to, Captain. . .” She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side. “Captain," she whispered the last, “Peri? Or is it still Captain Stoughton?”
He looked around quickly and then matched her voice. “Peri. As you well know. And your escort back to Tripoli.”
She laughed in a way that could melt butter and a man's soul. “I don’t need an escort, Captain. I’m a grown woman, and as Sir Walter told you, I can take care of myself.”
He took a step toward her and lowered his head until they were eye-to-eye. “Unfortunately for you, I have been ordered by Sir Walter to watch over you on this voyage.”
Her eyelashes lowered to half mast, and she gazed at him in a way that set his groin on fire. “That could prove,” she licked her lips, “interesting.”
A rock plunged to the pit of his stomach. Harris had been right about the chit. She was nothing but a spoiled young woman out for a lark and good time.
The corner of Luc's mouth kicked up as he took another step back and did a little perusing of his own. Her honey-gold hair was elegantly coiled on top of her head in a beautiful but simple coiffure. No cosmetics marred her heart-shaped face tonight, and she radiated with the glow of youth and good health.
His eyes slid downward and paused appreciatively on her enticingly long neck, adorned by a simple gold neckless with a deceptively simple pendant: a gold cutlass with a blood-red ruby for its hilt. From there his gaze swept down to the décolletage of her ice-blue gown. And although it was not indecently low, he found himself held transfixed by it.
As one would expect of such a gown, her breasts seductively swelled above the décolletage. But what captured his attention was not the soft globes of her breasts, but the crimson red corset that peeked invitingly above the gown.
Luc blinked his eyes and then quickly surveyed the rest of her dress. Ice-blue silk with cobalt blue lace, a blood-red satin underskirt shone brightly where the silk skirt had been artfully raised to discreetly reveal the underskirt. And of course, the hint of a satin corset in the same blood-red hue drew his eyes once again to the swell of her breast.
A chill ran through Luc as his eyes came back to the lady's. The colors of their outfits matched perfectly, and could not be a coincidence. Harris and Sir Walter had dressed the two of them this evening to match each other. Captain Peri and his lady, no doubt?
"For the time being,” he glanced around, “let us stay with the script Mr. Harris and Sir Walter have given us." He eyed the gown once again then inquired. “Can I assume that Harris chose your ensemble as well?”
The lady's right eyebrow rose slightly. “Of course.”
"But why?" Luc asked as his mind whirled with questions.
Lady Margaret smiled coquettishly back at him and shrugge
d her delicate shoulders. "I'm sure I don't know, Captain Peri. I was told to meet you here this evening. And to make sure we were seen together."
It reinforced the idea that he was being watched by the kidnappers. Lady Margaret was the one they had sent to England to deliver the ransom demand. So it made sense that she would be seen in his company.
Consequently, there was a ring of truth to what the lady was telling him. But years of warfare and three years of working for Sir Walter had taught Luc to pay attention to his instincts. And right now, those intuitions were screaming there was something deadly wrong with this whole scenario. What, he didn't know. But before the night was through, he had every intention of finding out what it was.
Unfortunately, his resolve lasted only until the first dance with Lady Margaret. With her in his arms, Luc had other visions in his mind. Her skin was soft and supple. The unique citrus scent he had discovered during the Wellington’s ball surrounded him.
Peggy, as she preferred to be called, didn’t leave his side during the entire evening. So they talked and laughed and joked about things that made him feel as if he had known her all his life. And like in the Brothers Grimm story of “Cinderella,” midnight toiled the end of their fairytale night as they both needed to go to their lodging and await further orders from Mr. Harris.
Chapter 8
Heightened instincts weren’t all Luc had to show for the years he’d been forced into his government’s service. He also knew when he was being followed. That one had been earned the hard way during his first mission for Damien. Luc had also learned how to stalk his own prey, and both of those talents were being tested tonight.
On the front steps of the assembly Hall, Luc had bowed respectfully over the lassie’s hand and kissed it with more enthusiasm than was strictly proper. Then the lady dropped a number of hints that she would be open to a clandestine visit from him, and they had parted ways.
After taking his leave, Luc's first inclination was to ignore the annoying Mister Harris's orders to return to his hotel. Everything in him wanted to follow the mysterious Lady Margaret instead. The lady was keeping way too many secrets for his liking. And he had every intention of following her. But his annoying intuition was once again screaming caution. And with good cause.
To Save a Fallen Angel (The Fallen Angels series Book 2) Page 5