Captivating the Captain (Scandals and Spies Book 6)

by Leighann Dobbs

  Thinking of ships reminded her of one marked Graylocke absence. “Is Anthony still asleep?”

  “He must have gone out,” Lady Graylocke answered as she accepted a plate from a footman posted near the sideboard. “When I knocked, I found the room empty.” She brought the plate, laden with eggs, bacon, and kippers, to the seat next to Charlie.

  Charlie battled to hide her disappointment. Anthony had disappeared the day before, after informing them that he had to present himself to the nearest admiral. In the afternoon, Charlie had been distracted by Papa’s arrival and hadn’t noticed, but Anthony had only returned that evening, and he might mean to be out all day today, as well.

  Perhaps he was avoiding her. Since she had turned down his proposal, he hadn’t paid the least bit of romantic attention to her. Maybe she had made the wrong choice.

  Lady Graylocke touched the back of Charlie’s hand, her expression kind. “Have a bit of tea. That should perk you up.”

  Charlie thanked her and continued to eat with much less enthusiasm.

  As she finished the last drop of her tea, a shadow blocked off the doorway to the corridor. Her breath caught as she lifted her gaze to meet Anthony’s. Although he filled out any jacket to advantage, she had to admit that he looked particularly handsome when clad in a Royal Navy coat.

  The sight reminded her of when they’d first met. Awareness of him permeated her body, but she tried valiantly to hide it. She tried to cover by taking a sip from her teacup, only to realize it was empty. Her cheeks warmed as she set the cup in its saucer once more.

  Anthony turned from her to look at his mother. “I have news.”

  Lady Graylocke seemed to shrink. Her expression fell. “You’re leaving.”

  “This afternoon.” He stood straighter, squaring his shoulders. “This wasn’t an official leave, Mother. I feared a reprimand for abandoning my ship in order to race to London to warn you. However, Strickland’s missive saved me. As long as I return to my ship posthaste, I will see no punishment.”

  Charlie clasped her hands on her lap. Although relieved that he wouldn’t face punishment or expulsion from the navy, she didn’t want to part from him so soon. Not with things between them feeling so unfinished.

  Unfortunately, Anthony looked so composed that she couldn’t tell whether he was sorry to be parted from her. Perhaps he was relieved not to be near her. The thought made her even more sullen.

  When he returned to sea, would he think of her at all? After all they’d been through, she wouldn’t be able to forget him, even with the distraction of her family.

  Her mouth a thin line, Lady Graylocke stood. “I’ll send word to your brother and sister, if this is how it must be. Since we have so little time with you, let’s make the most of it.”

  When Charlie stood as well, Anthony's attention returned to her, his gaze unreadable. What she wouldn’t give for one more moment alone with him before he left.

  Unfortunately, it was not to be.

  The entire family accompanied Anthony to the docks. As the procession of carriages pulled to a stop, Freddie mumbled a complaint about the stink. To Charlie, the ripe, fishy smell seemed more like one of adventure. She’d never sailed along the Thames to the sea, and she contemplated what Anthony would think about while he did.

  Freddie clasped a perfumed handkerchief over her nose and mouth. When she offered one to her sister, Charlie declined.

  Although Felicia and Gideon currently remained at Tenwick Abbey with Phil and the baby, Charlie didn’t trust the handkerchief not to contain a splash of one of Felicia’s special love perfumes. The only man whose love she wanted was about to step onto a boat and sail away.

  After everyone disembarked from the string of three carriages, Anthony said his individual goodbyes. He shook hands with his brothers and embraced his mother and sister. Once he’d said a few words and exchanged some tearful farewells, he reached Charlie last.

  She blinked back tears, trying to remain composed. This was goodbye. Would he kiss her hand as he had Freddie’s, like there was nothing lingering between them?

  When he reached for her hand, she gave it to him gladly, wishing that she hadn’t worn gloves. He didn’t bow over it or kiss it. Instead, he held it in both of his as his gaze caressed every curve of her face. It lingered on her mouth before he made eye contact once more. “May I speak with you alone a moment?”

  Charlie nodded, though what privacy they could find with their families staring at them in the middle of a crowded dock, she didn’t know. He led her to one end of the carriages, off the path where pedestrians passed without giving them a spare thought. Although her back was to her family, she felt their rapt gazes acutely.

  “This is goodbye.” She whispered to disguise the lump of tears in her throat.

  “For now.” He caressed her hand with his thumb. “I’ve put in a request for a longer furlough. Once it’s approved, I hope to return for a merrier occasion than the mad dash we made across England.”

  She managed a thin smile but didn’t know what to say.

  “I have something for you, a token I pray you’ll accept.” Dipping his hand into his pocket, he removed a round box that fit in his palm. The top was carved and painted with a seaside landscape. Turning over her hand, he placed the box in her palm.

  “What is this?” she asked as she caressed the lid with her thumb.

  He smiled and answered, “Adventure.”

  When she opened the lid, she found a ring. A large, oval sapphire surrounded by a spray of tiny diamonds. Anthony sank down onto one knee and took her free hand.

  “My dear, I’d think you would know by now that I would never seek to make you unhappy or make you feel tethered. You are as wild at heart as I am, and it is one of the things I love best about you.”

  Charlie swallowed hard. She blinked away tears as she admired the ring on its velvet bed. “You love me?”

  “More than anything. I can’t fathom a life without you, Charlie. I pray that in some corner of your heart you feel the same.”

  She nodded, for the moment unable to speak. “I do. The only reason I didn’t accept before was because I didn’t want you to regret it. I want you to marry me because you want to, not because you have to.”

  His hand tightened on hers. A sheen glistened in his eyes as he smiled. “I want to. Darling, you have no idea how much. Will you make me the happiest of men and become my wife?”

  “It would be my pleasure.”

  Charlie’s head spun in the chaos of embraces and congratulations after he laid the ring on her finger. In the wake of their families’ enthusiasm, he found his way back to her and bid her adieu.

  As he boarded the vessel to transport him closer to his command and the frightening war, Charlie blew him a kiss. He had to leave, but she soothed herself with the knowledge that he would soon return.

  And when he did, the best adventure of their lives would begin.

  Epilogue

  Lady Evelyn Graylocke smoothed her mauve skirts and looked into the curious faces of her family. My, how it had grown in these past two years.

  All of her children had found happiness in spouses she was overjoyed to welcome into the family. Charlie, in particular, had been like a daughter to her ever since Freddie had married Tristan. That she and Anthony had found their way to each other threatened to turn Evelyn into a watering pot once more.

  She blinked back a wave of tears as she turned her attention to Phil, newly arrived from the country with her son, Oliver, Evelyn’s first grandchild, the future Duke of Tenwick, in her arms. It seemed fitting to give her family the explanation she owed them while the next generation was present.

  Morgan seemed relieved to be reunited with his wife once more. The fond look in his eyes as he looked at Phil brought an ache to Evelyn’s chest. She remembered when his father had looked at her that way, while she held Morgan. She took a deep, steadying breath as she sought out a safer avenue of thought.

  The Vales were present, winged by
both their daughters. Mr. Vale seemed to have accepted Tristan as his son-in-law wholeheartedly, for which Evelyn was glad. Gideon stood in the back corner next to his wife. He seemed agitated as she whispered something in his ear. Whatever it was, it appeared shortsighted when she elbowed him in the side. He winced and rubbed the spot. When he dropped a kiss on the top of her head, her displeasure dissolved into a smile. She teased him with a whispered quip that made him smile.

  Jared, standing off to the side, heard the topic of the whispered exchange and shot them both a bizarre look. Evelyn contained a smile behind her hand. That poor boy looked haggard, and she wouldn’t be able to ease his burden anytime soon.

  Although Monsieur V and his spy network were no more, the war with Napoleon was far from over. Nevertheless, Evelyn vowed to redouble her efforts to find the woman Jared pined over and their son. The woman was skilled, but no one could hide from the Commander of Crown Spies. Evelyn would find her.

  From the chair next to hers, Lord Strickland coughed into his fist. He raised one eyebrow toward his bald pate, as if reminding her of why he’d come to support her. Evelyn straightened as her extended family turned their attentions to her.

  “I know it has come as something of a shock to you to learn that I command the Crown spies, especially considering that you are all a part of my network.”

  “A shock?” Morgan tightened his arm around his wife’s shoulders and sat straighter on the settee. “I’m Strickland’s second-in-command! I understand the necessity of keeping it a secret from the enemy, but why wouldn’t you tell your own son?”

  Raising her eyebrows with bemusement, Evelyn pointed out, “I’m your mother, and you never thought to tell me about your involvement.”

  He frowned. “That’s… different. You knew of my involvement, whereas I didn’t have the faintest inkling of yours. I was trying to protect you from worrying.”

  Evelyn smirked. “I know, dear. But I’ve been doing this since before you were born. I’ll worry anyway—it’s a mother’s prerogative.”

  Sitting next to Tristan and holding his hand, Freddie frowned. “Did you know about the French spies the entire time? If so, why would you invite Harker into your home?”

  A shadow overcame the Vales as they relived a troublesome time in the past. Evelyn wanted to comfort them, but now wasn’t the time. Mr. and Mrs. Vale were finally reunited, and their daughters had each fallen in love with one of Evelyn’s sons. Despite the hardships in the past, everything had worked out to advantage.

  “I knew,” Evelyn confessed. “In fact, I tempted him with the code book on purpose. I didn’t know that he would attempt to use Freddie to do his bidding, nor did I expect it to end with such bloodshed. I asked him so I could bring Louisa”—she nodded at Mrs. Vale—“to the house, in the hopes of using her considerable skill on other future assignments. She’s been doing odd jobs for me, things that need a delicate touch, ever since Harker’s death. And of course, keeping an eye on Lucy when Monsieur V targeted her until I knew Alex was partnering her.”

  Her son-in-law inclined his head.

  Tristan raised an eyebrow and joked, “You don’t think I have a delicate touch?”

  Freddie blushed and smacked him on the arm with her free hand.

  Evelyn smiled. She turned to Phil and Morgan. “I admit, I arranged for you to go out on field assignment and had you cross paths with Phil because I hoped you would be smart enough to recruit an inventor of her caliber into the network.”

  Phil smirked, the expression making her seem mischievous. She adjusted her hold on her son to turn and wink at Morgan. “It turns out he was even smarter than anticipated.”

  Evelyn laughed. “Yes, I must admit I like having you for a daughter-in-law even more than I like having your inventions on hand to aid in our efforts.”

  From the back of the room, her youngest son sighed. “Please tell me you didn’t arrange for Felicia to join us, too.”

  His wife straightened and glared up at him. “Why not? I’m a delight!”

  “You cannot fathom how many times I ranted about you to Mother while you were set on belittling my work.”

  “I was not belittling.” Felicia paused for one serene moment before she added, “I was correcting.”

  He tucked her into his side. “I am the botanist. You are the chemist.”

  Evelyn held up her hands to stall the playful bickering. “I did send Morgan to recruit Felicia because of all you’d told me about her. You must admit, you and she work brilliantly together and help us immensely.”

  “See?” Felicia said, drawing out the word as she tipped her head up to nettle her husband. “A delight.”

  Amused, Morgan shook his head. “You seem keen on sending me out as your personal errand boy, despite us never actually speaking on the subject. Wouldn’t it have been easier to confess your part in this, rather than giving me direction through Strickland?”

  “Perhaps.” Evelyn shrugged. “I was waiting for you to tell me about your involvement.” She raised her eyebrows. “I planned to tell you at the same time.”

  His cheeks turned pink. Lud. She hadn’t been able to do that since he was a boy. She smiled to see him so contrite.

  He coughed into his fist. “I take it, then, that it was no accident that Lady Belhaven sought me out to ask after Rocky’s help in her greenhouse?”

  “Goodness me, no. That poor woman would have worked herself to the bone if I hadn’t intervened and told her about our broken orangery. She asked you to do me a favor, though I am glad it taught her to keep a botanist on staff, even if I’d never let her have our Rocky for so long.” She smiled, a bit saddened that Rocky and her husband, Catt, were out on assignment at the moment and hadn’t been privy to this explanation. The young woman had been a part of their household for years, and Evelyn was very fond of her. After a moment’s pause, she added, “I convinced Lady Belhaven to throw one last masquerade, as well. She was famous for them when she was younger, I’ll have you know.”

  Lucy smiled, a gleam in her eye. “It was a masquerade to remember. You knew I was pursuing Monsieur V all along? Why didn’t you try to stop me?”

  Evelyn raised her eyebrows and looked from Lucy to her eldest son. “I always disagreed with Morgan’s decision not to involve you like he did your brothers. You, my dear, have the passion and mettle for spy work, and I’ve always known it. So when I learned that you were involved, I concealed it from your brother but arranged for Mrs. Vale to keep an eye on you.” She nodded to Charlie, on the other end of the string of Vales—though she wouldn’t be a Vale for much longer. Evelyn couldn’t help but smile at the reminder of the impending wedding. “I would have liked to help your assignment better than I did. Such a shame about Madame Renault.”

  Charlie frowned. Her hand hovered near the edge of her bodice before she balled it in her lap. “You could have told me we had arranged to stay with a fellow spy. You could have trusted me to keep your purpose in the spy network a secret.”

  Guilt churned in Evelyn’s stomach. Considering the way the matter had come to light, perhaps she would have done better to trust them with the knowledge to begin with.

  Before she could say a word, Strickland leaned forward. “We kept this a secret for good reason. We didn’t want your mother to meet her end in the same way as your father did.”

  Her children exchanged glances. Tristan was the first to speak up. “Father was a spy?”

  “The commander,” Strickland confirmed. “I was his assistant for many years, until his involvement ultimately led to his death. From that moment, your mother and I made a decision that I should the figurehead while she took true command. That way, if anyone should think to disrupt the network, as they so clearly did, they would target the wrong person.”

  Somehow, the enemy had learned of her involvement in any case. She didn’t know how, but she prayed the information had been contained to those Monsieur V trusted the most. Everyone in this room had a formidable task ahead of them still, to d
iscover every last French spy privy to that information and lead them to capture.

  As if to punctuate her thoughts, Strickland added, “We must all keep this a secret, for Evelyn’s safety.”

  Heads nodded around the room as everyone agreed, their faces set in determination. Morgan, the natural leader of them all, laid a hand over his son’s legs as if to bolster his resolve. “Without question.” He caught Evelyn’s gaze and held it, his eyes every bit as piercing as his father’s. “Now that we have all our secrets out in the open, we’ll be able to work together that much more efficiently. For the next generation, we will end this war and keep the people of Britain safe.”

  Evelyn let her gaze drop to Oliver with a smile. Although a pang of grief struck her that her husband wasn’t with them to see his grandson grow and thrive, her chest warmed with love.

  Oliver was a reminder of why they all, including Anthony, put their lives on the line in order to protect their country. They did it for love.

  And they always would.

  ***********

  Have you read the rest of the Scandals and Spies series?

  Kissing the Enemy (Book 1)

  Deceiving the Duke (Book 2)

  Tempting The Rival (Book 3)

  Charming The Spy (Book 4)

  Pursuing the Traitor (Book 5)

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  Also by Leighann Dobbs

  Regency Romance

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