by Sara MacLean
When she finished explaining the plan to the rest of the women, she stood, and Nick marveled at the way the other residents of the house straightened in her presence, shoulders back and spines as straight as any soldier hoping to impress his commander. Nick understood immediately that, like an army, they would follow her orders without question.
And he found himself willing to do the same.
“Lara and I shall search the area between the house and the main road. Any questions? ”
He was not going to allow her to go searching for the girl without him. “Lady Isabel. I should like to see the place where Georgiana was taken.”
She shook her head. “We haven’t time.”
He knew the risk of questioning her in front of her girls; he also knew that he could speed their process. He would have to prove it to her, and open himself to questions in the process. It was not a question. “I’m trained as a tracker.”
From over her shoulder, he noticed Rock raise his brows in surprise. Nick ignored him. She met his eyes, and there was a long beat as she considered his words. She nodded once. “I shall take you there. Mr. Durukhan, would you be willing to partner with Lara to search the front grounds? ”
Rock dipped his head. “Of course.”
“Very well.” She turned to the rest of the room. “Be quick. Be safe. Be back before nightfall.”
Orders in hand, the women left the room like a well-trained battalion. Isabel gave last-minute orders to Gwen while Nick and Rock spoke quietly.
“There’s no way they’re headed for the road,” the Turk said, pulling a pistol from his waistband and handing it to Nick.
“No.”
Rock’s gaze darkened. “Will you tell her why we are here? ”
Nick shook his head, slipping the pistol inside his waistcoat. “Not if I can avoid it.”
Rock nodded once. “I shan’t be far behind.”
They shook hands, and Nick turned back to Isabel. “Let’s go then.”
She opened the door, and they left the house.
The spot where Georgiana was taken was mere steps from the house, marked by a dirty vest that Meg had left behind in her haste to sound the alarm. Nick crouched low there, taking in the footprints on the muddy path.
Isabel watched for a moment, then looked out over the land. “Do you see anything? ”
“Two men. It looks like she struggled.” He turned away and swore under his breath, then pointed south toward a faraway cluster of trees. “That way. Is there shelter there? ”
“There’s an abandoned woodcutter’s cottage. James likes to play there.”
“That’s where they will have headed. They will be waiting for cover of night to travel with an unwilling third.” He paused. “Is there any chance I could convince you to wait here with Gwen? ”
She was already walking, her long legs carrying her briskly across the land. “None whatsoever. How did you learn to track? ”
He allowed her to change the subject, training his eyes on the trees in the distance. “When I was on the Continent, there was a war on.”
They walked for a few long moments before she realized he was not going to say more. “That’s it? There was a war on? ”
“What more would there be? ”
“Who taught you? ”
“A very intelligent member of the British War Office.”
“But you were not a soldier? ”
“No.” He changed the subject. That way lay danger. “How many times have you planned a search and rescue?
“ She shrugged, walking faster. “Several.”
“How many is several? “
“I don’t remember.”
“Try. One time? Fifty?”
“More than one. Less than fifty.”
The woman reveled in trying his patience. “How often are they successful? ”
She shrugged again. “More often than not.”
“Even now, we are to be married, I am helping to get this girl back, and you don’t trust me.”
Clever girl. He willed the voice in his head quiet.
“It’s not that.”
It wasn’t? “What is it then?”
She did not answer.
“Who is Georgiana that she has been abducted?”
Tell me, Isabel.
“I cannot tell you that.”
“Isabel, I do grow weary of that answer.”
“It is not my information to share.”
“What can you tell me?”
She looked at him for a long moment, not breaking her stride. Turning her attention back to the trees in the distance, she said, “I can tell you that she is more than a governess, but you knew that already. I can tell you that she is worth a great deal to a great family. And I can tell you that when I took her in, I knew that it was only a matter of time until this day came.”
“Then why take her in?”
Her answer was soft and serious. “I’ve never turned a girl away. I was not about to begin with her.”
He let her walk several paces ahead of him then, watching her long, willowy frame move across the grounds toward the trees ahead. She had changed into men’s clothing earlier, on her way to the kitchens, claiming that breeches allowed her a greater freedom of movement. He could not contain the appreciative smile that flashed as he watched her. She looked more beautiful this afternoon than she ever had before.
He considered the fact for a long moment before realizing why it was true. There was nothing tentative about her movement—nothing to indicate that she was nervous or hesitant about what was to come. Instead, she moved with a quiet, sure grace, ready for anything.
He had never known a woman like her.
And he realized, in that moment, that he was entirely drawn to her powerful combination of strength and vulnerability, this madwoman who spent entirely too much time on rooftops and traipsing across the Yorkshire countryside in pursuit of kidnappers … and still found time to doubt her actions and question her worth.
No wonder he was going to marry her.
She was remarkable.
Yes, he could keep her safe, protect Minerva House, send James to school … all of it. He had the money, the family, the history to do it.
And he found that he rather liked the idea.
It was going to be impossible to convince her that she liked the idea, however, if the reason for his being in Yorkshire was revealed.
They had reached the trees, and he glimpsed a small building several yards away. He reached for Isabel, capturing her arm and staying her movement. “I’d like you to stay here, and let me go in by myself.” She shook her head and opened her mouth to protest. He held up one hand. “If they have weapons, Isabel … what then? ”
“I’ve faced weapons before.”
The words made him angrier than he had expected. “Of all the damned fool—Do you have a way to defend yourself? “ She paused. “No.”
He made a mental note to teach her to use a pistol. “So? What do you plan on doing? Exasperating them until they turn her over? That might work on me … but I imagine this lot is professional.”
She cut him an irritated look. “Usually all it takes is a few mentions of the earl, and they scatter.”
“You jest.”
She looked away. “No.”
“Isabel. From what little you’ve told me about Georgiana, do you think that the people chasing after her will be afraid of your brother? ”
She did not answer.
“Precisely.” He set her back against a tree. “You will stay here. Do not move until I come to fetch you.”
“What if something happens to you?”
He sighed. Did the woman have no faith in him whatsoever? “If I’m not back in ten minutes, sound the damned horn. And bring in your Amazons.”
A little smile flashed. “They are rather like Amazons, aren’t they?”
One side of his mouth cocked up at her amusement. “I’m happy I am able to amuse you.” He removed the pistol from his wai
stcoat and checked its load.
“Nick!” He had turned away, but her whisper called him back.
“Yes?”
“I—” She stopped, transfixed by the gun. “Be careful.”
In two long strides, he was next to her again, cupping her neck in one strong, warm hand and pulling her to him. He kissed her, quick and thorough, stroking deep and reminding them both of the pleasure they had found in each other’s arms. Stepping back from the caress, he said, “There is absolutely no chance of my not returning. After this afternoon, we have unfinished business.”
She blushed and looked away. “Go.”
He pushed through the trees and approached the cottage. It did not take long to confirm his suspicions that there were two men holding Georgiana inside the shelter. The girl struggled against the ropes they had used to tie her up, and he could hear her angry, muffled cries through the linen rag that was supposed to silence her. One thing was true, the girl had well learned the first rule of surviving a kidnapping—remain loud and irritating. She was worth the most unharmed—and she knew it. Nick watched through the window, nearly amused, as one of her captors rubbed his temples at the noise.
“Gel,” said the other in a thick cockney accent, “Ye’ll only hurt yerself. We aren’ takin’ ye back. We’re takin’ ye home.”
As he’d expected.
He made a mental note to lay Leighton out for not trusting Nick alone with the task of finding his sister.
The kidnapper’s words only served to redouble Georgiana’s efforts. She thumped her feet against the floor of the old cottage, and Nick fleetingly wondered if the old floorboards would hold such a violent beating.
He imagined the captors would not much mind getting rid of their difficult prize. For the right price. He sighed. Amateurs.
“What’s happening?”
Of course.
He should have known that Isabel would follow him. But her whisper at his shoulder didn’t make him any less angry. He turned to face her. “What did I ask you?”
“I—”
“No, Isabel. What did I ask you?”
“I’m not a child, Nick.”
“Really? Because you seem to be having trouble following directions.”
“That’s not fair! You can’t have honestly thought I’d let you come storming in here without my help? ”
“Did you even consider the fact that my worrying about you would only make this more difficult?”
Her big brown eyes widened in innocent surprise. “Why would you worry about me? I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
He shook his head. “I am tired of this conversation, as well. Stay here, if you must. But try to remain out of this, will you?”
He started around the corner of the cottage, toward the single entrance, ignoring her whispered “What are you going to do?”
He was going to put an end to this ridiculous exercise.
And likely bring Isabel’s wrath down on his head.
He approached the door and knocked firmly three times. “Open this door, gentlemen. I want the girl and I’m not leaving without her. So let’s have a chat, shall we?”
There was silence in the wake of his words, and Nick turned to find Isabel standing a few feet away, mouth wide open in shock. He raised a brow. “I prefer the direct approach.”
She closed her mouth. “So I see.”
The door opened, Isabel gasped, and Nick found himself at the business end of a wicked-looking pistol. He paused, considering the somewhat unsavory, wool-capped character who was holding the weapon. “I don’t think we need bring pistols into this, do you? ”
The man behind Wool Cap, inside the cottage, grinned a gray-toothed grin and nodded in the direction of Nick’s gun. “Apparen’ly ye did, milord.”
Nick looked down at his weapon, then back up. “Fair point. Well, let’s try to make sense of it without bloodshed, shall we?” The man shrugged one shoulder. Nick took it as a positive sign. “How much is he paying you?”
“I don’ know who yer talkin’ ‘bout.”
Nick’s gaze narrowed. “We neither of us are stupid, man. You do yourself a disservice to act as though you are. How much is the Duke of Leighton paying you to bring his sister back?”
He heard Isabel’s gasp behind him. Tried to ignore it. Had to ignore it.
“An ‘undred quid.” Wool Cap looked to Gray Tooth, then back at Nick. “Each.”
“I’m guessing that means he’s paying you a hundred pounds together, but I’m not going to quibble. I’ll give you both two hundred pounds right now if you leave the girl with me and take Leighton a message.”
The two men looked at each other, then to Georgiana, then to Nick. They knew a good bargain when they heard one. “Wot message? ”
“Tell him that St. John has her.”
” ’At’s it?”
“That’s it.”
There was a beat as the man considered Nick’s words. Then he motioned with his pistol, once. “The blunt?”
“Rock?” Nick called out, not looking away from the door.
There was movement in the trees behind him, and Rock was beside him in seconds. “Here.”
“Free these gentlemen from their weapons and escort them to the edge of the property. Once there, give them their money and send them on their way.”
Rock looked from one man to the other, each wide-eyed at his enormous size. He put out one mammoth palm, and Wool Cap placed his pistol there. Rock smiled. “With pleasure.”
Nick grabbed Wool Cap and thrust him against the wall of the cottage, lifting the smaller man from his feet. “Hear me. If you return to this land, I will use my pistol. And I’m an excellent shot.”
“F-fair enuf.” The little man nodded his head, and Nick dropped him to his feet, pushing into the house and crouching low next to Georgiana to untie the linen from her mouth. She worked out her jaw and said, “Thank you.”
He moved to the ropes on her hands. “You should be more careful, my lady.”
She blushed. “How long have you known?”
He considered lying. Decided against it. “Since before I arrived.”
“You came for me?”
Nick said nothing.
“Simon sent you?”
“He is very worried about you.”
Her eyes welled with tears, and Nick knew in that moment that she was not afraid of her brother. He recognized homesickness when he saw it. He had too often felt it himself.
“I have a sister myself, Lady Georgiana. I would not like to lose her.”
“Are you—Must you take me back? “ There was palpable fear in her voice.
“No.” Her hands came free, and he moved to her feet. “Your brother asked me to find you. Not to fetch you.”
“Thank you,” she whispered again, rubbing the raw skin on her wrists.
“You know you will not be able to hide from him forever? ”
She nodded. “No more than you will be able to hide from Isabel.”
He winced. “I don’t imagine I am much in her favor right now.”
“It does not appear so, no.”
He followed her gaze over his shoulder to find Isabel standing in the doorway of the cottage. Rock and the two men were gone, and Nick wished, fleetingly, that he had left with them.
He did not like the look in her eyes.
The look that accused him of the very worst kind of betrayal.
Seventeen
* * *
Lesson Number Eight
Learn to love the errors of his ways.
You will find it difficult to believe, we know, but even lords as landable as these will have a flaw or two. Perhaps he laughs a touch too loudly, or his eyesight is less than perfect! Perhaps he has a rogue lock of hair which falls distractingly despite all attempts to tame it!
Embrace these flaws, Dear Reader! For it is in these peccadilloes that we find the charm and joy at the heart of any deserved match!
These lessons, well used,
shall ensure that he adore you despite your own failings!
Do you not owe him the same?
Pearls and Pelisses
June 1823
He had lied to her.
Isabel stood in her darkened bedchamber looking out the window over the heath—the land that had been owned by generations of Townsends before it had been slowly parceled off and sold until, ultimately, there was little left for the current earl. She watched as the last rays of sunlight disappeared and the sky turned a brilliant scarlet, then faded into a deep, inky blue.
She had been standing there for hours, her land changing beneath her unseeing gaze, a single thought repeating itself over and over in her mind.
He had lied to her.
She should have known, of course. Should have predicted that something like this would happen. Should have known that he was not what he seemed, but instead the final straw—the one that would break the back of Minerva House.
She placed one hand on the windowpane, watching as the cool glass fogged beneath her fingers.
He had asked her to trust him. He had coaxed her into caring for him.
And, against her better judgment, she had.
She had trusted him not to hurt the girls. Not to hurt the delicate balance of Minerva House.
Not to hurt her.
And he had.
He’d been their enemy from the very beginning. Sent by the Duke of Leighton to find his sister, to uncover their secrets. To betray them.
And he’d done it in the worst possible way.
By making her believe in him.
She took a deep breath at the thought.
What a fool she had been.
Tears threatened and she closed her eyes tightly. She would not cry over this man … whom she had known for only four days. Whom she never should have brought to Minerva House. Whom she never should have allowed into her life.
What a terrible mistake she had made.
She had let herself be wooed by his pretty words and tempted by the promise of his touch.
Just as her mother had been.
The girls would never forgive her.
She would never forgive herself.
She pressed her head to the window, feeling the cool pane of glass against her brow as she breathed deeply, willing herself to stop thinking about him. Urging herself to think, instead, about how she was going to save them all now that their secrets had been laid bare, now that it was only a matter of time before all of London—all of England—knew who and where they were.