Cade pinned her with an assessing look that made her wonder if he knew she wasn’t nearly as acquiescent as she seemed. But then he nodded in apparent satisfaction and seemed to dismiss his qualms.
After a glance at the closed breakfast room door, he drew her into his arms and gave her a slow kiss. “I will say good-night to you now, since we will most likely both be too busy today to do more than share hellos in passing. I shall see you tomorrow morning, or earlier should I return in time.”
“Until tomorrow. Promise you’ll be careful,” she said.
“I wouldn’t think of being anything else.”
Contrary to what he’d implied to Meg, Cade knew he wouldn’t be without an ally at Steybridge Lodge. Although he’d made no effort to contact the man, given the lack of time, he knew Thelonious Ferrick would find his way there. After all, Ferrick’s task was to follow Everett, and Cade trusted that’s exactly what he would do.
He supposed he could have remained in London and let Ferrick report on what he discovered. But now that Everett was finally coming out into the open again, Cade wanted to be there to take advantage. He also wanted to find out who Everett was meeting and, if possible, what secrets were being passed between them.
He’d been honest when he told Meg that he planned no more than a simple reconnoitre—at least for now. But if matters turned in his favour tonight, he was prepared to act. With any luck, perhaps he would catch not one, but two spies in the act. Then again, if the note proved to be nothing more than an interesting tease and Everett failed to appear, Cade knew he would find himself alone in the Kentish countryside with a long, dark ride home. Either way, he decided, the journey was worth a few hours of his time.
Late that afternoon, while the other ladies were having a lie-down before rising to dress for dinner and that night’s ball, Meg decided to go outside to the mews. Before leaving the house, she checked with one of the servants to make sure Cade was absent, since she was all too aware—after one of her midnight conversations with him—that his bedchamber possessed an excellent view of the stable yard. One of the horses whickered a soft greeting as she moved into the stable’s shaded interior, the air ripe with the scent of hay and horseflesh. Not long after her entrance, her usual groom approached, giving his cap a respectful tug.
“Hallo, miss.”
“Good afternoon, Brown. And how are you?”
“I’m well, miss, and thank you for asking. Can I be helpin’ ye with some’at?” he inquired, giving her a curious look, since she didn’t generally venture out to the stables at that time of day.
“Actually, you can. I was wondering if you could tell me if Lord Cade has ordered his carriage for tonight?”
He took off his cap to scratch his head before setting it back in place. “I wouldn’t rightly know, since his lordship usually deals directly with the head groom. But I do remember hearing some mention about havin’ his curricle made ready for the evening.”
“Was a particular time discussed?”
Brown arched a shaggy brow. “’Round ten, I think I heard.”
She smiled. “Thank you. Now, I have a bit of a favour.”
The man shuffled a foot, looking uncomfortable. “Favor, miss? An wot would that be?”
“Nothing much. I am just wondering if you could see to it that my mare is saddled and ready by, say…half past nine tonight?”
“Well certainly, miss.”
“And I would like you to leave her in her stall. I shall come get her when I am ready.” Reaching into her pocket, she withdrew a gold guinea—as much money as she knew the man likely earned in a fortnight. “You won’t say anything about my request, will you? Most especially not to Lord Cade.”
His eyes strayed to the coin. After a moment’s hesitation, he scooped it out of her palm and into his own pocket. “No, miss. Don’t know nothin’ about such things. Following his lordship, is ye?” he added with a wink.
“Perhaps.”
“Aye, well, the horse’ll be ready by nine. They’ll miss me at cards in the tack room if I saddle ’er any later.”
“Nine it is, then.”
Leaving the party early proved far easier than Meg had anticipated. Drawing the duchess and Mallory aside not long after their arrival, she explained that she had a dreadful headache and wished to go home.
“You do look rather pale,” Mallory remarked.
Do I? Meg wondered. If her cheeks were markedly pale, she could only assume it was the result of the nerves that had been gnawing at her all afternoon and evening.
“I hope you are not coming down with a summer cold or some such,” Ava added, laying a motherly hand across Meg’s forehead. “No fever at least.”
“Oh, I do not think it is anything serious,” Meg said. “Just another of my megrims that shall pass soon enough.”
Mallory nodded. “We shall go home, then—”
“Oh no, I would feel even more dreadful knowing I had ruined the evening for you both. You must stay and enjoy yourselves. I shall take the coach home, then have it sent back for you.”
Another minute’s persuasion was needed before she was able to convince them to remain at the party, but finally the deed was managed. She also convinced them that they did not need to look in on her upon their return.
“It will be late when you arrive,” she declared, “and I plan to go straight to bed. I am sure all I require is a sound night’s sleep. I shall see both of you in the morning.”
With everything settled, she soon found herself inside the family coach traveling back to Clybourne House.
Once there, she had to playact for her maid as well, allowing Amy to assist her out of her evening gown and into night attire. With the minutes ticking past at an alarming rate, Meg hurried the girl out, then stripped off her clothes to don one of her old black day dresses and her most serviceable pair of boots.
A last-minute flash of inspiration had her tucking her pillows underneath the coverlet in the shape of what she hoped would resemble her sleeping body should one of the ladies decide to check on her after all. Then, after snuffing out her bedside candle, it was time to go.
Until she stood out in the hallway, however, she hadn’t considered that she might have the terrible misfortune of encountering Cade on his way to his carriage. In fact, she was hurrying down a back staircase that led to the mews when she heard his voice echoing somewhere above her in the house. Hurrying faster, she somehow succeeded in making her way to the stable and into the stall with her mare—which she found saddled and ready, exactly as promised—without discovery.
Minutes later she heard Cade speaking again, this time with one of the grooms as he climbed into his curricle. Knowing she dare not wait more than a minute after his departure, for fear of losing him after he reached the first tollgate out of the city, she led her horse from the stall, mounted at the stable block, and set off.
A few minutes before midnight, Cade parked his curricle along a secluded lane about a half mile away from Steybridge Lodge. Leaving his horse happily munching on a feed bag, he set off through an area of woodland, which an earlier survey of the property had shown would be his best means of accessing the estate without notice. He was careful to keep his footsteps silent against the loamy ground, glad he had his cane to assist not only in crossing the uneven terrain, but also to aid in his potential defence.
He’d had the new cane especially commissioned a few weeks ago, its hollow interior housing a sword blade honed to a lethal sharpness. Not that he anticipated having to use it, but one never knew.
The moon was high and full, crickets chirping out a rhythmic tune in the warm night air. As he drew within sight of the property, he noticed a sense of abandonment and disuse, despite the single light that shined within the house. With the possible exception of a caretaker, the place looked as though it was still not lived in, despite its new owner. A perfect location, he mused, for a clandestine meeting between traitors.
He chose a sheltered spot with an excellent view of t
he lodge and prepared to wait and watch. Five minutes passed. Then ten. Then twenty. There was no movement anywhere, no indication that anyone else was around. Maybe the time and day in the note had been erroneous. Perhaps there was no scheduled rendezvous here, after all.
He was about to turn away when a feeling crept over him that made his gut tighten and the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand up. As he watched, a fresh source of light flared abruptly on the drive leading to the house. A man, obviously a servant, moved into view with a lantern held high before him. Behind him came another man, the stride of the second both arrogant and familiar.
Everett!
Cade’s hand tightened on his cane, ready to draw his weapon and fight. Yet a glance behind him showed he was still alone, no enemy at his back. Scowling, he watched as Everett stopped, the other man’s boots crunching against the gravel as he turned to face the woods.
“I know you’re out there, Byron,” Everett called. “I’ve been waiting all evening for you to arrive.”
Cade said nothing. Does he truly know I’m here or is he only guessing? He wondered.
“You’ve chosen a good spot there in the woods,” Everett continued. “It’s the one I would have picked had I been in your shoes.”
Where is Ferrick? Cade wondered. Was the other man there, listening as well? If they could only locate each other, the two of them could work to take down Everett. Assuming they could justify taking him down, since it appeared Everett was not meeting a contact tonight, after all. At least not one Cade had seen.
“Tsk, tsk,” Everett said in a taunting voice. “You really should be more cooperative, you know, considering I have something you may want returned.”
Something I want? What could that be? His senses warned him that Everett was attempting to lead him into a trap, but perhaps the scoundrel was only goading him for his own twisted purposes.
“Not curious then, hmm?” Everett remarked in a conversational tone. “I’m sure there are those who would be very disappointed to hear of your indifference. Your man, for instance.”
Damn. Ferrick.
“That’s right. I found him skulking around about an hour since. He’s a wily bastard, and strong. He put up a good fight, but it didn’t do him any good in the end.”
Cade leaned against a tree at his side and pressed his fist hard against the rough bark.
“He isn’t dead, if that’s what you’re wondering. Though he may be by morning, considering the crack he took to his skull. He certainly won’t be rushing to your aid, or his own, anytime soon.”
Cade knew he could try going after Ferrick, but chances were good he would only get himself caught in the process. His best option, he decided, was to go back to the city for his brothers, then return for Ferrick. With any luck, they wouldn’t be too late to save the man—assuming Everett didn’t kill him in the meantime.
Everett sighed loudly. “You really are tedious, do you know that, Byron? Do you not want to know what else I have? I’m sure you’ll regret passing up the chance to see.”
The squirming sensation returned, writhing in his belly like a nest of vipers. Other than Ferrick, what could the blackguard possibly have that would lure me out?
Everett moved then, dragging another person out into the glow cast by the lantern. It was a woman, her black skirts swinging as she nearly stumbled, her pale blond hair gleaming like moonlight.
Meg!
Cade’s heart nearly stopped.
“Shall I dispose of her, then?” Everett inquired.
Abruptly, Meg broke free of her captor’s hold, ripping the gag out of her mouth. “Don’t do it, Cade!” she cried. “Don’t come out! If you’re there, go away. Go away now!”
She tried to run, but made it no more than three steps before Everett caught her around the waist and dragged her back. He raised his other hand and held it to her head, revealing the pistol held inside his grip.
“So what is it to be?” Everett demanded, his voice no longer as calm as before. “Your freedom or her death?”
Without even pausing to consider, Cade left the shelter of the woods.
CHAPTER 21
A fearsome ache rose in Meg’s chest as she watched Cade emerge from his concealment, her misery so intense she barely felt the hard, metallic press of Everett’s pistol barrel where it rested against her temple.
How could I have been so stupid as to follow Cade and then let myself get caught? She berated herself. Because of her actions, Cade was in even graver danger than before.
She still didn’t know how she’d been discovered. One minute she’d been sneaking along the grounds parallel to the drive, her feet silent against the grassy lawn, then suddenly Everett appeared. He was on her before she even knew he was there, taking her completely unawares. She hadn’t even had time to scream before he wrapped his smothering palm over her mouth and nose. And now she was being used as bait to lure Cade to whatever fate Everett had planned.
“Stop,” Everett ordered Cade when he was a few yards away.
Cade stopped.
“My man will see what weapons you have concealed on your person.”
With a nod, the servant hurried forward. Patting Cade down, he removed a pair of knives from the inside of his coat and another from his right boot. He confiscated his cane as well, twisting at the top with a paw-sized fist to see if it could be opened. The gold head and fine ebony shaft remained solidly secure. “Wot about this? Shall I take it as well?”
“You can,” Cade said. “But I can’t vouchsafe for being able to walk steadily without it.”
The corner of Everett’s mouth turned up. “That’s right. Bit of cripple, aren’t you? Terrible, the suffering that can happen to a man during wartime.” For a long second he studied the cane in the servant’s hand. “Let him keep it,” he said. “I doubt he’ll find it very handy at stopping a bullet.”
With a smirk, the servant tossed the cane toward Cade, who had to limp a few steps to one side and bend to retrieve it out of the grass.
“Inside,” Everett ordered, using the gun to motion Cade to precede him into the house. Meg cried out as Everett gave her arm a painful yank that demanded she move along next to him at a hurried clip.
The wood-panelled foyer was dark and shabby, she noticed as they entered the lodge, the air musty with dust and disuse. Spiders had been at work weaving cobwebs high in the corners of what must once have been an attractive hall. But financial ruin had stripped the place of much of its beauty and possessions. Only a few pieces of furniture still remained, including a single hard-back chair in the entry and a threadbare sofa that loomed large in the shadows of an adjoining room.
Sensing danger, a rodent squeaked and scurried off as quickly as its tiny feet would take it, disappearing into a crack along the baseboard with a last whip of its tail.
Meg shuddered and glanced away while the servant lit a brace of candles. The increased illumination did little to improve their surroundings, the interior turning even more forbidding.
Everett motioned Cade toward the chair. For a moment he looked as if he might resist, but a glance at the gun Everett was still pointing her way obviously changed his mind. Moving with a more pronounced limp than he had shown for a while, Cade crossed the room, pausing to lean his cane against the nearby wall before taking a seat. At the servant’s urging, Cade placed his hands around the tall back of the chair so his wrists could be tied together using a stout length of rope. Nearly finished, the man gave a last, hard tug that made Cade’s muscles visibly tense against the strain.
“Go,” Everett told the servant. “I’ll call when I have need of you again.”
Whatever sort of need that might prove to be, Meg decided, it was probably best not to know.
With Cade now under his control, Everett relaxed, satisfaction rolling off him like an inexpensive cologne. “I must say that matters are working out even better than I had anticipated. When I set up my little deceit in the library, I had no idea how splendidly it would turn
out.”
“What do you mean?” Meg asked in surprise. “What deceit?”
“Oh, do you not realize, my dear? I knew you were there last night at the ball, listening in on things that were really none of your concern.”
“But I—”
“Was so quiet? So stealthy? You were, I suppose, for an amateur, but I am well-versed in issues of subterfuge and deception. It is, after all, what I do best. And I must say you fell right in line with my plan, coming back to retrieve the false note I had planted.”
Her mouth dropped open. “False? But how could it have been false, when I saw you take it from that other man? When I watched you toss it into the fire?”
“And so you did, but the thought obviously never occurred to you that it was not the same note, that the real one was tucked safely inside my pocket.”
“How could you know I would come back and collect the other?”
Everett shrugged. “I didn’t, but it was a gamble worth attempting. I knew if you did retrieve the note, you’d run straight to Byron, babbling to him about your astonishing find. I also knew that once Byron was aware of a potential rendezvous point, he wouldn’t be able to pass up an opportunity to investigate, in hopes of catching me out. I really must thank you for your assistance, my dear Miss Amberley, for leading him exactly where I wanted.”
Nausea rolled in her stomach, guilt adding a bitter aftertaste. Dear Lord, why did I not listen to Cade? He’d warned her about Everett time and again, but she thought she had everything under control. She thought she could help. Knowing Cade had to be disgusted by her actions, she lowered her gaze to the floor, unable to stand the derision she knew must be visible in his eyes.
“You did surprise me, however,” Everett continued. “When I set my trap, I never expected to catch both of you in it. My intended target was Byron alone. Since our first encounter in London, he’s caused me nothing but trouble, disturbing all my skilfully laid plans. I had the perfect cover until he started in with his accusations. Because of him, I’ve had to lie low and do nothing, while I watched valuable opportunities slip past for fear of detection. It’s taken me weeks to repair the damage he has caused among those whose trust was once implicit. I’ve been wanting to put an end to the situation for some while, and the opportunity has finally arrived.”
Tempted By His Kiss Page 26
