A Gentleman By Any Other Name (20 page)

“Is that so?” Chance reached into his pocket and pulled out the brass button, tossed it to Ainsley. “I found this an hour ago in the tall reeds and grass not six feet from the path leading from the sands. From the shine still on it, it hadn't been there long.”

“Sweet Christ and all the little fishes, as Jacko would say.” Ainsley pocketed the button. “This is my fault, Chance. I haven't been paying attention. I've let them all grow up wild and headstrong.”

“You taught me. You, Jacko, Billy,” Chance reminded him. “It's not too late for the others.”

“No, it's not. But it could have been. Court is learning and doing well on his own, if not brilliantly, but there's still Spence and Rian to consider.” Ainsley smiled ruefully as he stood up, came out from behind the desk. “You know, I think I rather fancy the idea of a cape and mask. That touch of drama and mystery.”

“Oh, no. You're considering riding out as the Black Ghost? Don't you think you're past such adventures, old man?”

“I'll ignore that insult,” Ainsley said. “I can plan here,” he said, leaning over the table of maps and charts. “A leader leads, Chance, and teaches by example. You said that. We both know that.”

Chance gave in to the excitement of the moment, his memories of following wherever Captain Geoffrey Baskin went, drinking in all he could learn, dancing in his brain. “Exactly so. And why should you have all the fun? Don't bother to deny it, you've got your blood up, Cap'n, and you're enjoying yourself. I remember that look. I sailed at your side for over eight years and I'm riding with you tonight.”

“From boy to young man, and I've missed you. But, no, you're not riding tonight. I need you to find out more about these Red Men so that we can deal with them where they are before we bring the attentions of the Preventative Waterguard and the dragoons too close to Becket Hall.”

Chance smiled. “Yes, I thought the same thing earlier. A wise bird never soils its own nest.”

“Exactly as I explained to Court an hour ago. We never struck anywhere near the island. But enough of that. I've already told Billy to have the
Respite
ready for you in an hour, and that was thirty minutes ago. Go say your farewells to the inquisitive Miss Carruthers and be back here by the end of the week. Oh, and for God's sake, don't warn her to stay away from the windows tonight, because—”

“Because that would only ensure that she'd find a spyglass somewhere and keep watch until dawn. Yes, I know. I'll see you Friday. Try not to get shot or captured, if you don't mind. I do have my position at the War Office to consider—along with the length of my neck, which I like as it is, thank you. Are you sure you'll be all right? It's been a long time since you've been out on a run.”

“Cornwall, when I was younger than Cassandra is now. I do recall my own incautious youth, as well as remembering why my brother and I found it necessary to leave there and travel to the islands. And I won't be out on a run, Chance, but merely waiting here on dry land. When I left the sea, I vowed never to go back, remember? That includes jaunts across the Channel. I told you, Court has held the Black Ghost's involvement to the shore and inland, thank God.”

“Speaking of Court, does my little brother know you're taking command?”

Ainsley's eyes shone in real amusement. “Why do you think he was so ready to punch something?”

C
HANCE LEFT THE STUDY
,
smiling, losing that smile when he remembered that he had to say goodbye to Julia before getting on with his business. Business that might be dangerous on some level but that had his blood running—although a smart man wouldn't let Miss Julia Carruthers so much as think she'd glimpsed a hint of that excitement.

He passed Morgan on the stairs, and she stopped him to ask, “What's going on? Court looks like a thundercloud, and when I asked if he's going out tonight he all but stripped off my hide and fed it to me.”

“Good, that will save me the bother,” Chance said, chucking her beneath her chin, believing he'd found the perfect fib to keep the girl out of trouble. “But I will give you a word of warning, dear sister. Ainsley knows.”

Morgan's face went deathly pale. “Papa…he
knows?
He knows I sneaked out and rode with Court a time or two? Who told him? You tell me, Chance—which one of you tattled? It was you, wasn't it?”

“Who tells Ainsley anything? We all know he has ears everywhere,” Chance said, winking. “I also know, were I you, I'd be on my best behavior for the next few weeks.”

Morgan seemed to regain some of her bravado. “He won't do anything. Besides, Papa doesn't pay attention.”

Chance patted her cheek. “Things change, Morgan. He's paying attention now.”

She made a face at him before saying, “I don't really remember the island much at all, you know? Court said I don't need to either, that I should just remember being Morgan Becket of Romney Marsh. Was Papa really—”

“Oh, yes, he was, and the very best of them, too. You might want to think twice before getting on his bad side.”

“Now you're just trying to frighten me.”

“I know. Is it working?” Chance asked, grinning.

“I think so, yes. Does he really know what I've done? I mean,
really?
You told him? It had to be you.”

“Don't worry, I'm sure he won't call you on the carpet. Just spend some time letting Elly teach you how to embroider or something.”

“I'd rather die the death of a thousand cuts,” Morgan said sincerely. “I read about that, you know. There's this method of torture, you see, and they—”

Chance raised his hand to silence her before he was gifted with all the gory details. “Thank God you aren't the oldest or you'd have trained the rest of the girls up to be hellions just like you. When I go back to London, I want to arrange for you to come up for the season next spring. We've got to marry you off, definitely. Let you become someone else's headache.”

“Wretch. But I'll be eighteen by then, won't I? Maybe a year
will
help, and I'll be civilized by then. Elly says she doesn't think London is ready for me yet,” Morgan said not at all unhappily.

“And I agree with her. But I've some penance owing here, so I might as well start with getting you out of the way.”

Morgan kissed him on the cheek. “I know you love me, so I'll let your insults pass. And I think I might enjoy London, riding in the park and all of that, as long as I can come back here once the season is over.”

“You might find Becket Hall dull after London. Now do I have your promise you'll keep your nose out of the Black Ghost's business? Morgan? A season in Mayfair hobnobbing with all the handsome young lords hangs in the balance. Answer me.”

“Oh, all right, I promise. But they're landing on the sands and will come along the beach to the village, so I'll see everything anyway. I'll just stay on the terrace, all hidden behind the balustrades, and watch.”

Chance looked at her closely. “And how would you know that? Have you taken to listening at keyholes now?”

“No, I'd never do that,” she said happily. “I just happened to see Court talking to Jacob as he was cleaning the grate in Elly's bedchamber and I traded a kiss for what he knew.”

“Of all things wonderful. My sister has grown into a manipulating minx. You could get yourself in trouble, you know, toying with a man's affections.”

“Pooh! Jacob's no more than a boy.”

“As I remember it, Jacob is Spencer's age, a good several years your senior. Hardly a boy.”

“He is to me. Besides, I wouldn't have done it if you or Court ever told me what's happening, so if you're placing blame, place it on yourself,” she said, seeming not the least insulted. “I only do what I have to do because you men think women are too
delicate
to know anything. But don't worry. I won't tell anyone I saw you leaving Julia's bedchamber late last night, and you won't tell anybody that I know what I know. And I
will
stay on the terrace.”

Believing that was as close as he was going to come to having Morgan obey him and already wishing he didn't know so much about his enterprising sister—or she about him—Chance headed once more for Julia's bedchamber.

He was going to keep Billy waiting and would probably have to simply hope that Billy had folded his clothing and not merely stuffed them in a traveling case.

There also was no time to personally check and make sure Billy had remembered to pack such superfluous things as hose and several sets of fresh underclothes—Billy never having quite grasped the idea of changing his own underclothes with any regularity. Still, thank God he'd decided to leave Oswald behind in Upper Brook Street rather than have the valet poking his long nose around Becket Hall.

Chance stopped in front of the door to Julia's bedchamber, took a few slow breaths and then knocked.

Moments later Julia answered that knock, opening the door only slightly to peer out at him with one eye. One hour, she thought. Less than one hour after making their pact and already he was breaking the rules. That was rather nice—not that she'd let him know she felt that way. “I believe we'd agreed that you would not—”

“I'm here to say goodbye,” Chance said, then smiled as Julia stepped back, opened the door for him.

She instantly understood and was immediately worried for him, drat the man. “You're going to Dover Castle?”

“And several places in between, yes. To perform the duties to which I have been assigned.”

Julia rolled her eyes, then walked over to the window, feeling the need for some space between them. “Oh, please, don't ask me to swallow that crammer. You're off to see what the Preventative Waterguard knows about the Black Ghost. And don't pull a face at me, because it's you who is insulting me, not the other way round. What if someone finds you out, what then? Lieutenant Diamond didn't appear particularly stupid, except perhaps when he looked at Morgan.”

Chance rubbed at his forehead. “I don't know why men plan wars. You females seem to have more talent for the finer points of the thing.”

Julia would have laughed except for the fact that she was not amused. Rubbing her hands together so that she wouldn't be tempted to walk over to him, touch a hand to his cheek, she asked, “How long will you be away?”

“Ah,” Chance said, closing the distance between them, “the lady will be lonely without me.”

“Devastatingly so, yes. Just as I would miss any headache. Please answer the question. Did you know about this when you forced that ring on me? Am I supposed to wear it to protect myself from your family, keep them reminded that I'm…that I'm your property?”

“I didn't know I was leaving so soon but, yes, that was the general idea, and you knew it. But not the family. Jacko. Nobody likes to worry an old man, especially one who doesn't much trust women and who is built like a bull, with the temper to match. Now kiss me goodbye like a good fiancée, because the
Respite
is nearly ready to sail.”

“You're going up the coast by boat?” Julia asked, if only to delay the inevitable: Chance kissing her, she unable to help kissing him back, the rotter. She'd barely been able to think of anything else but Chance, the way he'd made her body respond to his touch, and it had been impossible to convince herself that she could fool him into thinking she didn't hope for his attentions again. And again. For as long as he wanted her…even if he didn't really want her.

Chance frowned, as Julia had seemed to ask the question while not interested in the answer but was much more interested in simply looking at him. And a flush was making its way into her cheeks. His reaction to her, he realized, was lower than that and would soon become obvious. He had to leave—now.

“I haven't been on the water for a long time. Besides, I'll travel faster this way.” He put his hands on her waist, drew her closer. “I won't be away from you a moment longer than necessary, I promise. I want to see you wearing my ring.”

She lowered her head. “There's nobody here to listen, so you can stop that now.”

“I must flatter you more often, as you respond so winningly.” Chance laughed and tipped up her chin so she had no choice but to look at him again, because he very much liked the way she looked at him. But she immediately closed her eyes. Stubborn woman! “Julia, look at me. Where's the ring? Why aren't you wearing it?”

Julia stepped away from him and reached into her pocket to pull out the ring, show it to him. “It's too large, so I wrapped a ribbon around it until it fit, but now it's uncomfortable.”

Chance took the thing and looked at it, then handed it back to her. “That's quite a bit of ribbon, isn't it? While I'm gone, have Morgan take you to see Waylon. He'll trim the thing down to fit you.”

“Waylon? You have a jeweler here at Becket Hall?”

“No, but we do have a smithy in the village. Every crew needs a blacksmith.”

Julia tipped her head as she looked at him. “You want me to take this obviously expensive ring to a
smithy?
That's preposterous.”

“Not really. Waylon has worked with jewelry many times,” Chance said, thinking back to the island and sitting on an overturned barrel to watch as Waylon dismantled some of the more distinctive jewelry to remove the stones, then melt the gold. Not that he was about to tell Julia about those particular memories.

“Very well then, I'll ask Morgan to go with me tomorrow. Didn't you say you should be leaving? Don't let me keep you.” She so wanted him to go before she had to think too much about the fact that he would be gone.

“You're right, I should go,” Chance said, suddenly uncomfortably aware that he might just miss this woman while he was playing at government agent and smuggler's spy. And for some unknown reason, he seemed to want to punish himself before he was on his way. “I'm still waiting for my kiss from my betrothed, remember? A kiss, an affecting few words such as
Godspeed and hurry back to me, darling.
Do you think you can manage that?”

“I don't think so, no. But do try not to be discovered doing something you shouldn't be doing. Alice would miss you, I'm sure. Have you said goodbye to her?”

Chance winced. “Damn. Alice. Is she in the nursery?”

“I would suppose so, but she might be napping. Do you want me to tell her?”

“I shouldn't, but yes, thank you. I'm…I'm not accustomed to informing Alice of my comings and goings, I'm afraid. Tell her…tell her that when I return we'll all three of us go on a picnic on the beach or some such thing.”

Julia smiled softly, because he seemed truly upset that he had forgotten his daughter yet again. She didn't know what all was going on at Becket Hall, but the man certainly had something weighing heavily on his mind. “Alice will like that.”

Chance smiled at her. “Thank you. And Alice and I will laze on a blanket and watch as you dig up that boot again, to take a look inside.”

“Oh, really? I don't think so. If I'm lucky, the tide will have taken it.” Then she walked over to him, stood up on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek, because she now had truly run out of things to say to him. “There. And I'll pine for you endlessly. Now
go.
”

Chance had his arms around her before she could move away from him. “I think I need more than that miserly kiss, madam,” he said, then brought his mouth down hard on hers.

It is amazing what a body remembers all on its own, Julia thought as she melted against him, her arms snaking up and about his neck in the off chance he thought to break the kiss before she was ready.

And she wasn't ready. Not when he was now cupping her breasts, rubbing his thumbs across the thin fabric of her gown, concentrating on her now-straining nipples. Not when he had somehow insinuated his thigh between her legs, pressing against her sex as their tongues dueled, as she dug her fingernails into his shoulders.

She was no young miss. She was a woman grown and now an awakened woman. And she was
not
going back to the way she had been, innocent, ignorant of just what being a woman meant.

Since coming back to her bedchamber from the beach to discover that she may have just snipped off her nose to spite her own face, she'd decided to take what he had to give her for as long as he felt inclined to do so. But she'd likewise decided to give back as good as she got.