“Until we arrived,” Andrew confirmed grimly.
“Could it be a local? Someone who has taken a fancy to her and is a bit unhinged? We’ve come across our fair share in our time,” Piers said.
“It’s a possibility, but so far-fetched, I highly doubt it,” Jonathan said.
“Never underestimate the power a beautiful woman can wield, Jonathan,” Piers said, and his eyes gleamed with a sudden fury. “They can drive a man to anything.”
Jonathan raised his brows in surprise and looked to Andrew to see if he noticed Piers’ sudden and alarming change.
His look confirmed to Jonathan that he had seen it.
“Well,” Andrew said carefully, “we won’t rule anything out.”
His words seemed to snap Piers out of his inexplicable mood, and he was suddenly his old self again.
“Yes, yes. Look at every angle.”
“One thing I do know,” Jonathan said now, bringing the conversation back to the matter at hand, Gabby’s safety. “It’s no longer safe for her to be here. We need to leave for London immediately. And we need to find the bastard who is behind this.”
JONATHAN WAITED UNTIL he was sure that Piers was gone to his bedchamber some time later before he turned to Andrew.
“I know,” Andrew said without Jonathan even needing to speak. “Very strange.”
“He seems more preoccupied than I’ve ever seen him.” Jonathan frowned.
Piers hadn’t been acting himself lately.
“But then, he is getting on, I suppose. And this has all certainly scuppered his retirement,” he continued.
“Still, we should keep an eye on him. It isn’t like him to be so erratic,” countered Andrew.
“Do you think this is all too stressful for him? He’s been out of the game for quite a while,” Jonathan remarked. He was concerned for Piers. But no more than fleetingly so. He couldn’t concentrate much on anything outside of Gabrielle right now.
“But sharp as a knife nonetheless. I do not think we need to worry overly much. He is starting to suspect Townsend is behind this,” Andrew said bringing the conversation back to where it should be; Gabby and her attacker
Jonathan didn’t particularly like the captain or his friendship with Gabrielle, but he was man enough to admit that opinion stemmed mostly from jealousy and not a lot more. And there was obviously some business or other with Anna, which he didn’t think he’d be happy about, should he know the details.
“Much as I’d like an excuse to put a bullet in the man,” he said grimly, “it just doesn’t make sense for it to be him. And Gabby is convinced he is innocent. We both know her instincts are usually right.”
“Hmm. There is a chance, of course, that he is biding his time for some reason or another. There could be a bigger game at play here that we are unaware of.”
Jonathan suddenly felt exhausted with all of the thoughts whirling round his head.
“I think I’ll check on Gabby then get some sleep,” he said, rolling his neck to relieve some of the tension that had built.
“Good idea. Hopefully the ladies are feeling well enough tomorrow to discuss plans to remove to London.”
“They could have been killed, Drew,” Jonathan said past the sudden lump in his throat.
Andrew’s grim expression was enough to tell Jonathan that he was equally shaken.
Jonathan could feel guilt slithering under his veins like the most venomous of snakes.
“If I hadn’t sent for you. If I hadn’t—”
“Don’t.” Andrew stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “We are partners. Always have been, always will be. And this is Gabby,” he exclaimed. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“But Evelyn—”
“Would have managed to get herself into some sort of trouble without all of this,” Andrew said with a grin, dropping his hand. “At least now I know she’s not going around robbing people.”
Andrew’s reference to Evelyn’s shenanigans when they’d first met brought some much-needed relief from the seriousness of their present predicament.
“Anyway, I’m off to make sure Eve is feeling better.”
The leery grin on Andrew’s face made Jonathan shudder, so he called an end to further discussion of any kind.
They made their way upstairs, and Jonathan hoped that the issue would be resolved sooner rather than later, if only so he didn’t have to spend many more nights frustrated as hell, knowing Gabby was a mere few feet away.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
THE NEXT DAY dawned bright and airy, and spring was definitely making its presence known.
Though Gabrielle’s shoulder and ankle hurt dreadfully, she couldn’t help but be in high spirits that morning.
Confined to her room under the doctor’s instructions, she had been worried that she would be bored to tears, but after Daisy had removed her breakfast tray, a knock had sounded, heralding the arrival of Evelyn and little William. The ladies had been enjoying a nice coze whilst laughing at the antics of the baby, which included babbling at the top of his lungs, so much so that he drowned out any attempt at conversation.
Gabrielle was laughing at William’s chatter when another knock sounded at the door, and Piers arrived, smiling widely.
“What jolly sounds coming from your room,” he said before turning and bowing to Evelyn. “Good morning, my lady.”
Evelyn, who Gabrielle often forgot was a countess since she acted so incredibly down to earth, gave Piers a stiff smile and a regal bow of the head.
Gabby was so confused by Evelyn’s behaviour she made a note to ask her about it later.
“My dear…” Piers turned his attention back to her. “…I must run some errands in the village, speak to my solicitor, and see the vicar about something. I wondered if I might pick you up something? A little treat from the baker perhaps? To help cheer you up.”
Gabby smiled at the older man’s gesture.
He was so very good to her.
Though she wasn’t sure exactly how old he was, she guessed that her own father would have been a similar age had he lived, and the thought gave her comfort, helped her to see Piers as a father figure of sorts.
It had helped not to feel so alone in the world when she’d first arrived, though Lucas had been around a lot, especially in the first few weeks.
Since Jonathan’s arrival and that one rather disastrous meeting they’d had, however, there had been no sign of the captain, and she hadn’t heard from him either, which was, now that she thought on it, rather unusual.
Though it wasn’t entirely proper for a single man and a single woman to write each other, they had done so during the times Lucas wasn’t around. In fact, he’d been extremely attentive, stating that he had grown to think of her as a sister and, as such, felt a need to keep a close eye on her.
Gabrielle hadn’t minded because it had felt nice to have someone care about her, especially then when she had thought Jonathan had betrayed her and really, as a spy, she had long since flouted the rules of propriety in any case!
“You are so kind, Piers.” she smiled. “The baker does make particularly lovely lemon tarts.”
“Wonderful.” He grinned. “Anything for you, my lady?” he asked politely.
“No, thank you, Mr. Casings,” Evelyn responded.
Again, she was polite enough, but it didn’t seem like her usual friendliness.
After Piers left, Gabby turned to Evelyn, who was watching William play with what was sure to be a very expensive locket round her neck. Andrew was notorious for spoiling his countess.
“Why do you dislike Piers, Evelyn?” Gabby asked bluntly.
Evelyn looked up, eyes widened in shock.
“What makes you say that?” she asked, avoiding answering, Gabby noticed.
“You just don’t seem as warm towards him as you are to, well, everyone else.”
Evelyn’s eyes widened even more.
“Oh dear, do you think I was rude to him?” she asked, seeming u
pset at the idea.
Gabrielle immediately felt guilty. “No, oh no, of course not. You couldn’t be rude even if you wanted to be, I’m sure.”
Evelyn smiled in relief then stood with William in her arms. “I am glad to hear it. Andrew wants to take William to the pond, so I shall have to get ready. I’ll come back after luncheon to make sure you haven’t expired from boredom.” She grinned then swept from the room.
It was only after she’d gone that Gabby realised she had very effectively managed not to answer at all.
“I MISSED YOU today. I had great hopes of regaining my pride in a fencing match.”
Gabrielle couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face as Jonathan burst into her rooms.
“I might even have let you win,” she quipped.
His devilish grin was enough to send her heart skittering.
“I look forward to our rematch, my love, and I shan’t go easy on you next time.”
Gabby had been feeling rather sorry for herself, shut up as she was with only a selection of novels and her own thoughts for company, but the sight of Jonathan’s handsome face and the sound of his jovial voice were enough to have her mood soaring within seconds.
“So, what have you done then while I’ve been locked away in here?” she asked, smiling to take the sting out of her question.
“Well,” he said, coming closer and taking the chair beside the bed that Evelyn had occupied that morning, “I have expended most of my energy trying not to be distracted by the fact that you’ve been up here in your bedchamber alone.”
His voice grew steadily hoarser with his words until he was practically growling, his eyes turning to molten fire, and Gabby couldn’t suppress the shiver of need that ran through her.
Dear Lord, the man could make her combust with just a look, she was sure.
He leaned over and grasped her hand, bringing it to his lips.
Gabby had to bite her lip to stop from doing something foolish like begging him to kiss her or making frankly inappropriate proposals.
“We need to talk,” he muttered against her palm before he brought it back down away from his mouth, but still, she was pleased to note, keeping ahold of it.
“All right,” she managed to croak.
“I think we need to leave for London sooner rather than later,” he started, all business now. “In fact, I have made preparations for us to leave tomorrow. I know it is sudden, and ordinarily I would wait until you were fully recovered, but I believe we need to move urgently.”
Jonathan stood from his seat, seeming suddenly anxious, and Gabrielle missed him being beside her, which was foolish in the extreme.
“Ever since you were pushed down the stairs, I’ve been staying up at night, prowling round the house, looking for clues, sitting outside your door—”
“You have?” Gabby interrupted him, shocked that she hadn’t even been aware. Her heart melted at what he’d been doing.
“Of course I have.” He frowned as though it was the most normal thing in the world to forgo sleep and sneak around a mansion every night. “But I haven’t been able to catch anyone. I haven’t seen any of the staff acting suspiciously, though I’ve been watching like a hawk. I just—” he cut off suddenly and ran a hand through his dark gold hair, muttering a soft oath under his breath “I’m good at this,” he blurted suddenly. “For God’s sake. It’s my job to root out things like this, and I’m missing something. And you’re suffering because of it.”
He sounded tortured, and Gabby, though she feared for herself, was suddenly more concerned about him.
“Jonathan, none of us have been able to figure out what is going on here. Not me, not Piers, not Lucas.”
She stopped as she watched Jonathan’s shoulders stiffen slightly. It was subtle, probably wouldn’t have been noticeable to anyone else. But she noticed everything about him.
“What is it?” she asked warily.
Jonathan heaved a sigh then turned toward her, his face a careful, blank mask.
“Gabby, we cannot rule out the possibility that he is behind all of this.”
“Oh for heaven’s sake,” she bit out, wanting to scream at him. “You bloody well know it isn’t him, Jonathan.”
If he was shocked by her language, he didn’t show it. And, to be fair, he’d heard worse from her.
“How many times do I have to tell you? It. Wasn’t. Him.”
“I know. I know it seems far-fetched,” he said, coming back to the bed and sitting on the edge. “But, well, we have nothing else to go on. He has disappeared, he wasn’t where he said he would be.”
Gabby raised a brow.
He was clutching at straws, to say the least.
“And if he wanted me dead, why did he save me in Paris?” she asked scathingly.
Jonathan stared at her for an age before he sighed in defeat.
“I know,” he repeated. “It makes no sense.”
“No, it doesn’t,” she sniffed. The argument about Lucas was fast becoming a problem.
“Piers believes it may be him, too.”
“Yes, well. Piers doesn’t like him either,” she said.
Jonathan studied her face for a moment before suddenly smiling that adorable, charming smile that made her knees knock together.
“Come, let us forget this for now and do something else.”
“Like what?” she asked grumpily.
“Well, if I cannot beat you at swordplay, how about I best you in a game of chess?”
Gabrielle smiled at his arrogance.
“I am very good at chess, Jon,” she warned him.
She’d forgotten all about the chessboard sitting on the small table by the window.
“Well, let’s make it interesting then,” he said with a grin, pulling back the coverlet and lifting her into his arms.
Gabrielle wrapped her arms round his neck, ignoring the pain in her shoulder in favour of the feel of his hard, muscled chest, his strong arm wrapped around her.
“How do you propose we do that?” she asked a little breathlessly as her body reacted to being pressed so closely to his.
“A kiss to the winner,” he said wickedly as he lowered her to a chair by the table.
She looked up and was ensnared in the trap of his unique amber eyes.
“Deal,” she managed.
He smiled then moved to his own chair.
“Let’s play.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
GABRIELLE COULDN’T STIFLE her delighted laugh as she took Jonathan’s king.
“Checkmate,” she said brightly.
Jonathan scowled in mock irritation. “You cheated.”
Gabby gasped in outrage. “How dare you?” she demanded. “I won fair and square.”
“I am sure there was foul play afoot,” he argued. “I demand a rematch.”
“Are you questioning my honour, sir?” She huffed though her grin could not be curbed.
“Hmm. Well, I was,” he said, sitting back and steepling his long fingers, “but now I think on it, your winning is no real loss to me.”
Gabby frowned at his words.
His grin was as wolfish as she’d ever seen it.
“Your prize was a kiss, was it not?” he asked, searing her with the heat in his gaze.
Gabby’s mouth was suddenly as dry as an Indian summer.
Her tongue darted out to wet her parched lips, and Jonathan’s eyes flew to the action, their intense attention causing a fire to flare in the pit of her belly.
She couldn’t speak, so merely nodded her head.
“So you see,” he said softly, standing slowly from his chair and reaching out to grasp her hand and pull her from hers, “it’s no real loss for me.”
Gabby couldn’t put any weight on her injured foot, and to be fair, her legs were the same consistency as warm honey at that point, so it seemed only natural to lean into him and allow him to hold her pressed against him.
“When do I get my prize?” she whispered.
�
��Whenever you want, sweetheart,” he said softly.
“Now,” she demanded as the need for him grew to fever pitch.
In answer, his mouth dropped to hers in a blazing kiss that set her whole body aflame.
Whilst she still had the ability to think coherently, she wondered if it were possible to die from pleasure.
If so, she couldn’t think of a better way to meet her maker.
Jonathan’s lips left hers to drop blistering kisses down her throat toward her unsteady pulse.
Gabby suddenly became aware of the fact that the material of her night rail was thin and no real barrier between her body and his.
His own clothing was slightly more problematic, and she was nearly ready to rip it from his body.
She should have been shocked at her wanton thoughts, but this just felt so incredibly right. It was too tempting to just let go and finally belong to him in the way her body craved.
A sudden, sharp rap on her bedroom door had Jonathan jump back from her as though scalded before he reached out to grasp her shoulders as she wobbled precariously on her uninjured foot.
“C-come in,” she managed, her voice trembling.
Jonathan’s smugness at his obvious effect on her was obvious in his grin.
The door open, and Piers strolled in, a small basket in his hand.
“Jonathan,” he exclaimed, his eyes widening. “I didn’t think you’d be here.”
Jonathan frowned slightly. “I came to check on the patient,” he answered, lifting his hand to brush a finger down her cheek, smiling tenderly at her.
Gabrielle’s breath hitched.
Never had anyone had such an effect on her.
“Of course you did,” Piers responded with a smile, stepping farther into the room.
Jonathan lifted Gabby from her feet and carried her back to the bed, where he placed her gently on the mattress as though she were fine china.
“My dear,” Piers said, “I am just returned and have brought the tarts you requested. Shall I have your maid prepare some tea so that you might enjoy one?”
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