A Rogue's Surrender: Regency Novellas

by Lauren Smith

  Her mind was racing and she stared at her brother’s best friends as pieces clicked into place. Of course. She remembered trying not to laugh when Gabriel had donned the simple, humble merchant act…but it wasn’t until now that she remembered what Lord Vancleef had said in the library. It was a shame the captain made his dramatic entrance when he did….

  The captain. He’d referred to Gabriel as “the captain.”

  “Lydia, what is it?” Wren asked, concern written on his handsome features.

  She drew in a deep breath. “I need to meet with the radicals again. Tonight.” She turned to Wren. “Do you think you could arrange it?”

  Gabriel moved closer to her. “You’re not going to meet them alone.”

  She gave him her best carefree smile, the one guaranteed to annoy the hell out of him. “Of course not.” She patted his arm. “That’s why I have my ever-watchful guardian on hand, is it not?”

  Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and headed inside the house. “Come along, boys, I’ll explain everything over tea.”

  Chapter Seven

  What had he been thinking?

  He hadn’t been thinking. Clearly. But now it seemed he couldn’t stop thinking. He tried not to dwell on it, but it was impossible not to relive that kiss over and over. Even now when he was trying to pay attention to Lydia’s story of how the baron’s son had cornered her. What he had said and his slip of the tongue when he’d used Gabriel’s title.

  “How did he know Gabriel was a captain?” she asked, leaning over the dining room table, her eyes wide with excitement.

  God, she was gorgeous when she was plotting. She was beautiful all the time, but particularly when she was up to no good. That sparkle in her eyes and the mischievous smile were temptation itself.

  Oh Lord, he was in trouble. He scrubbed a hand over his face and tried to concentrate. He should never have kissed her. He’d been tempted by her before, and who wouldn’t be? The woman was beautiful, kind, funny, smart. Only a fool would be impervious to that.

  But then he’d kissed her so now he knew he could add passionate, desirable, and fiery to that list. He wished he didn’t know how good it could be.

  He’d kissed enough women to know that that kiss was not just a kiss. It had been a raging fire. An inferno that had nearly swallowed him whole.

  Lydia let out a huff of annoyance, most likely because he was clearly not paying attention. The fact that she could concentrate on anything other than that kiss was mildly humiliating because he could not.

  “Are you listening?” she asked.

  “I am,” Wren said, leaning back in his chair. “But I’m not sure what your point is.”

  “My point,” she said slowly, as though talking to a couple of dimwits, “is that Vancleef should not have known that Gabriel was a captain, or that he was in the army at all. But when he cornered me in his father’s office, he referred to him by his title.’”

  Now that he was paying attention, Gabriel scowled over at Lydia. “He cornered you? Why didn’t you tell me?” When he looked at Lydia now, only one thought kept flitting through his brain. Mine.

  Mine. Mine. Mine.

  An overwhelming urge to kill on her behalf had his body tensed for action. He’d always been protective of her but lately this feeling had intensified. Deepened in a way that was not at all brotherly. Not just protective, but possessive. Hell, he needed to get this irrational feeling out of his system. It was his job to protect her, but she wasn’t his for the keeping.

  As if to prove his point, she pursed her lips in obvious irritation at his tone. “Try to focus on the relevant point here, Gabriel. He knew who you were.”

  Her meaning clicked and he felt like a fool for not seeing it sooner. He would have if he hadn’t been so distracted.

  Wren clearly understood as well for he sat up straight, his normally relaxed countenance hardened in a grim expression. “If he knows who Gabriel is perhaps he knew who Daniel and Madeline really are as well.”

  Lydia nodded, her lips pressed together in a thin line. She’d been doing a decent job of disguising her anxiety but it was always there and he would give anything to be able to wave away her concern. But there was no point in talking down to her or giving her false reassurances.

  “Even if he recognized Daniel or Madeline as officers of the crown, what would that matter?” Wren asked. “How would that tie him to their disappearance?”

  Lydia’s expression didn’t change but the look in her eyes was fascinating. He could practically see the wheels spinning as she ran through possibilities and options. Not for the first time, Gabriel found himself thinking that had she been a man, she would have been the fiercest commander the army had ever seen.

  She turned to Wren. “I need you to do reconnaissance on Lord Vancleef. Could you get back to General Watters and ask him what he knows?”

  Wren nodded, already in the process of getting to his feet. “I’m on it, General.” He gave her a wink that made Gabriel want to strike him upside the head.

  “And me?” Gabriel kept his tone idle but genuine curiosity had him anxious to hear what she had planned.

  She leaned over the table toward him and for a moment he thought she was going to hold his hands. He should not have been disappointed when she didn’t, but there it was. He felt…bereft.

  He really needed to pull it together.

  “You’ll be coming with me,” she said. Her clear blue eyes met his and he nearly forgot what they were discussing. Hell, that kiss thoroughly messed with his head. The fact that she seemed unflustered did little to help his frustration.

  “Where are we going?” he asked, more out of curiosity than anything. He would follow this woman anywhere. To hell and back if that was what she asked of him.

  All the air rushed out of his lungs with that thought. The truth of it stunned him. He’d always known that he would lay down his life for this woman. He’d always been protective because she was partially his responsibility. But this feeling of possessiveness…that was new. And it had nothing to do with responsibility or vows to her brother and everything to do with those guileless eyes and that wicked smile.

  If she noticed his sudden state of shock, she didn’t comment on it. She was all business as she laid out her plan. “I need to talk to my brother’s contact in the underground group again. See what he can tell me about Vancleef. I’d been so focused on Rothmore that I didn’t do my due diligence on his son.” She furrowed her brow for a moment, clearly annoyed with herself.

  Without thinking he reached out a hand and covered hers. “You couldn’t have known, Lydia. You were working with the information you’d been given. It’s the best anyone can do.”

  She stared at him unblinking for a moment before her gaze dropped down to his hand on hers and her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink. Holy hell, was she blushing? If so, that was a first. His feeling of triumph was short-lived as she jerked her hand away.

  “Yes, well,” she continued, “be that as it may. I must not waste any more time. I’ll speak with him tonight. You will come with me.”

  He shouldn’t have been amused at a time like this, but there was an unfamiliar lightness in his chest that he couldn’t deny. “Lydia Ashford, are you asking for my help?”

  Her scowl made his lips twitch at the corners. Another unfamiliar sensation.

  “Of course not. But I know you would never let me go where I plan to go without an escort.” She shrugged. “I’m merely saving us both the time and energy of an argument.”

  For a man who was known for his scowls and glares, suppressing a grin was surprisingly difficult. “I appreciate that.”

  Her eyes narrowed on him as though she suspected he was laughing at her. Then her eyes flickered over his attire. “I can’t be seen with you looking like that.” She pushed her chair back and started out of the room. “Come along, Captain, let’s find you something suitable.”

  Chapter Eight

  After supplying Gabriel
with an appropriate outfit, Lydia retired to her own room to change her hair and clothes. If she showed up at the dingy pub in the next province that Marcliff was known to frequent looking as she did now…well, she would only bring attention to them all and that would not do. She planned to seek him out, get her answers, and be on her way.

  With Gabriel.

  Her stomach flipped over as though she was falling. Sucking in a deep breath to steady herself, she then let it out slowly. She was acting like a dimwit.

  That kiss hadn’t meant anything. He’d been making a point, nothing more. His pride had been hurt, no doubt, when he’d realized that she’d anticipated a marriage in name only. She couldn’t quite meet her gaze in the mirror as she took her hair down from its up-do and let it hang around her shoulders in loose curls.

  His question still plagued her. What had she expected from a marriage with Gabriel? What had she hoped for? If she was being honest with herself, it was possible she’d hoped for more. More than just a marriage of convenience.

  A nagging sensation had her throat feeling choked. It wasn’t terribly pleasant to realize she had been deceiving herself along with others.

  To lie to others was one thing—it was expected in her family, to a certain extent. But to lie to herself? That was a sign of weakness, and weakness was something she could not afford. She’d been training her whole life to be strong. To follow in her siblings’ footsteps.

  And now, over the course of two days, she’d been disarmed by a mere kiss and discovered that she’d been making decisions based on silly emotions. Feelings she’d thought she’d conquered years ago.

  Frustration had her throwing down her brush with a huff. She needed to focus. All that mattered at this moment was Daniel and Madeline’s safety. Everything else could wait. She’d deal with her feelings for Gabriel when she was once again in her right mind. Then she would…what? Stuff them into the back of her mind and ignore them once more?

  She flashed on that kiss and shivered as goosebumps broke out across her skin.

  There was no way she could go back to ignoring her feelings now. She knew that with a certainty she couldn’t explain. That kiss had opened the door to the part of herself she’d locked and sealed. But now that it was open, there was no closing it again. She couldn’t go back to pretending like he didn’t affect her. As though his good opinion and respect didn’t matter. As though his part in her life was merely optional.

  She glared at herself in the mirror and picked up the brush once more. But that didn’t mean she had to think about it right this moment.

  She was a woman on a mission and that mission took priority over all else.

  Even Gabriel.

  With that thought in mind, she finished getting ready—replacing her day dress with a more modest shift and topping it with one of her brother’s dark, shapeless cloaks. She dallied for a little while longer in her room.

  For the first time in her life she was nervous to be alone with Gabriel. And not because she was afraid he would kiss her again. Rather, she was nervous that he wouldn’t.

  And he wouldn’t, of that she was certain. It hadn’t meant anything to him, not like it had to her. He had most likely forgotten all about it. He’d probably chalked it up as a life lesson for his silly former charge. She’d become accustomed to him seeing her as a child to be scolded and protected.

  She couldn’t bear that. Not anymore.

  But then, even if he did kiss her again…what then? What would it mean? What did she want it to mean? She harbored no delusional fantasies any longer that he would fall in love with her. But surely kisses meant that he thought of her as a woman, at the very least. She could settle for that, for now. Maybe for always.

  Gabriel was waiting for her at the bottom of the steps and from his glower, she assumed he’d been waiting a bit too long. Before she could make her excuses or tease him about his impatience, she was distracted by the look in his eyes as he took in her changed appearance from head to toe.

  She stopped a few steps from the bottom of the staircase so she was nearly at eye level with her tall friend. His height advantage wasn’t what caused her to stop where she did, however. The fact that she’d turned into a statue on the staircase was involuntary and inexplicable.

  His dark gaze took in the hair that was now half up, the rest falling down her back. Her face had been scrubbed of all powders and creams, and her form-fitting gown had been replaced by something no more shapely than a sheet.

  In short, she looked hideous. So why then were his eyes so dark and his gaze filled with something so hungry it nearly made her quake?

  She touched a hand to her free locks self-consciously. “What is it?”

  He shook his head quickly and looked away. “We should head out before your man is so far into his cups, he’s useless to us.”

  She nodded as she finished descending the staircase. Sweeping past Gabriel, she refused to overanalyze that moment. Or the kiss earlier that day. Or the emotions that had been running rampant ever since his lips had touched hers.

  She was so focused on all the topics she would definitely not think about, she nearly tripped over the too-long cloak as she led the way out of the house and down the front steps. He caught her just in time, his hands on her shoulders steadying her and keeping her upright.

  They remained there like that for one moment too long. And when he dropped his hands, the temperature dropped as well. She wrapped the cloak tighter around her to keep warm in the cool night air.

  The carriage ride to the pub passed in silence. Not the companionable silence she’d grown accustomed to with Gabriel, but one fraught with unspoken questions and lingering glances.

  Or at least, her glances were lingering as she tried to figure out what was going on behind that expressionless mask of his. Meanwhile, his gaze remained firmly fixed on the landscape outside his window as though he were mentally mapping out the area for a hasty retreat.

  Which was entirely possible, she realized. The man was a soldier through and through. He’d probably coursed a route to get her out of whatever danger she managed to find. Well, she wouldn’t need his help this time. She’d met Marcliff before and he was no threat. He had a tendency to drink too much, but he was harmless overall.

  Despite the early hour, Marcliff had clearly already started drinking. They found him in the back of the pub, surrounded by several men whom she recognized from the meeting Daniel and Madeline had held in their home. Even at this early hour, she could see why this inn’s tavern earned its reputation. The smell of stale beer hung in the air, along with a repulsive array of bodily odors. Raucous laughter came from the back and Lydia averted her eyes from the scantily-clad, overly made up women who sat on men’s laps and giggled into their ears.

  Marcliff’s gaze found her and his stare quickly turned to a leer as she grew near. She tried her best to hide her disgust as Gabriel moved closer to her. As they came to stand beside the table of men, she was fairly certain she heard him growl.

  She wasn’t sure whether to be annoyed or amused by his protectiveness. And was it wrong that she found herself hoping that his irritation went beyond protectiveness?

  Was it too much to ask that he be jealous?

  Before she could ponder it any further, Marcliff addressed her. “Hello, miss. What can we do for you?”

  She folded her hands in front of her and gave him her most innocent smile. “Would it be too much trouble to have a word alone?”

  Marcliff shared a knowing look with his friends and she found herself silently entreating Gabriel to keep his temper in check. This man was drunk, that was all. She wouldn’t have been in any real danger even if Gabriel hadn’t been hovering over her shoulder, glaring at the man.

  He sent his friends off with a wave of his hands and once they were alone, gestured for her to sit. He seemed to take her cue and ignore Gabriel as she was doing. She slipped into a seat and Gabriel positioned himself behind her, angled so he was facing the front door.

&
nbsp; “Any word from your brother, sweetheart?” he drawled as he picked up his pint.

  She heard another sound that sounded suspiciously like a growl coming from Gabriel behind her at the endearment but she ignored both him and the drunk man’s lack of manners. “Unfortunately not, Mr. Marcliff. But that’s not why I’m here today. As you know, I’m rather new to the area and…” She leaned over and lowered her voice. “Mr. Marcliff, might I be blunt?”

  His eyes widened in surprise. “Of course, miss.”

  She kept her voice to a whisper as though sharing this news in confidence. “I don’t know if you’ve heard that Rothmore has set his sights on me—”

  “Oh, everyone’s heard that,” the drunk man said. “There were even rumors of a marriage between you two but I never believed it.” He leaned closer so their faces were scant inches apart. “It don’t take no genius to see that you’re too good for that old cretin.”

  She struggled to keep her lips in a straight line. “Thank you.”

  “Though I could understand why everyone was talking,” he said, leaning back as he took another gulp. His voice had raised to a normal volume. “With your brother missing, everyone knows you’ll be needing a man to look after you.”

  The urge to laugh died instantly but she kept her expression pleasant. “Of course. That’s actually what I wanted to speak with you about.”

  He gaped at her. “Me?”

  She hurried on before he could come to any ridiculous conclusions. “Yes. You see, Rothmore’s son has also expressed an interest in me, but without my brother here to see to my best interests, I’m in desperate need of some guidance.” She blinked her eyes in a way that Madeline had shown her and it worked as she said it would. The poor man turned a violent shade of crimson. “W-well, ma’am, I’d be happy to help in any way I can.”

  He cast a furtive glance upward toward Gabriel. She didn’t have to turn around to know that he was scowling. Before he could ask, she leaned forward and laid a hand over his, bringing his attention back to her. She gave him her best simpering smile. “Oh, don’t worry about him. He’s my cousin, come to help look after me until my brother returns or I find an appropriate husband.”