Regency Spymasters 01 - Spy Fall (21 page)

Darling flinched as Mari coolly wiped his blood from her blade with one end of the cravat tied around his thigh. “Cleaning my knife.” A detached sense of calm seemed to have settled over her. “Where we are going, I’m certain to have need of it.”

The ride from Kenwood to Langtry was not a long one, but this time it seemed an eternity. When they finally did arrive, Cosmo drove the curricle as close to the beach as possible before they jumped down to continue the rest of the way on foot.

“I shudder to think of what will happen should Aldridge meet the French alone on the beach before we arrive,” Cosmo said, striding forward in long, determined steps.

“They have no reason to harm your father once they have the document.” Mari tripped over her skirt and cursed. “It is my misfortune this meeting should occur on one of the few occasions I’ve actually donned a gown.”

He forced himself to ease his stride. “I suppose breeches would make the trip down the cliffs much easier.” Once they reached the top of the ridge and prepared to make their descent to the beach, Cosmo turned to take her hand. “You’re liable to trip, especially now that we’re losing the light.”

She promptly placed her soft, warm hand in his, for once not challenging him. He closed his own hand firmly around it, determined to keep both her and Aldridge from harm. They began trotting down the limestone formations in small incremental hop-steps.

“I know you are anxious to keep Aldridge safe,” she said, “but you must not do anything rash.”

Tension strained every tissue in his body. “I fear what will happen if Aldridge refuses to hand over the list until they give him Elinor’s child, who, as we now know, they don’t have.”

“It is possible they could give him another child and try to pass it off as Elinor’s.” She stumbled over a stone and he automatically braced his arm to stabilize her. “Do you still have your weapon?”

“Yes.”

“Very good.” Her words were calm, matter-of-fact. “There is a chance you’ll have need of it.”

An excellent chance, as he saw it. He wouldn’t hesitate to shoot to kill if it meant protecting her or his father.

They moved downward in silence as darkness eased over them. By the time they reached the beach, night had fallen. It was quiet but for the lull of soft waves undulating against the beach; a salty breeze blew off the water.

“What now?” he whispered, willing to let her take the lead. After all, she was supposed to be the expert when it came to this sort of intrigue.

She pulled him into the narrow alcove carved into the stone cliff, where Anna had hidden on their beach walk. “For the moment, we wait.”

He peered into the darkness, his eyes adjusting to the shadowy shapes of the cliffs and the blackness of the sea stretching endlessly beyond the beach. “Where is Aldridge?”

“I thought he would be here before us,” she said, surveying the area. “The cove is small and the beach narrow. We are not likely to miss them.”

So they waited. Cosmo stood behind Mari; her lithe body pressed back against his. For the first time in his experience with a woman, the bodily contact didn’t feel sexual; it felt companionable and reassuring, and helped calm the chaotic banging in his chest. Her tall form was alert in anticipation of the coming confrontation, but she remained calm and composed, displaying no sign of nerves.

Sounds came from the water, oars swooshing through the waves in quiet movements. “They come,” she whispered.

They watched in silence as the small boat neared and a dark figure jumped out, splashing into the water as he pulled the vessel to shore. Another man followed. Cosmo saw no sign of a child.

“Where is the boy?” Aldridge’s voice rang out from the far end of the cove as he stepped out from the limestone arch. Cosmo stifled a curse. He’d hoped to head off a confrontation between his father and the French agents.

The taller of the two men walked over to where Aldridge stood. “Is that the package?” he asked in a heavy French accent.

“Stop right there.” Aldridge’s voice was like iron. “I have a weapon.”

The Frenchman gave a gravelly chuckle. “Give me the names, old man. The time for games is past.”

“Show me my grandson.”

“The child is in England,” the Frenchman informed him. “Once we are assured you have what we need, I will tell you of the child’s whereabouts.”

“I’m afraid that won’t do,” Aldridge said. “You won’t get the list until I see my grandchild.”

Cosmo’s pulse drummed in his ears. He didn’t like Aldridge’s chances. He assessed the scene. There were just the two men, and one of them lounged casually by the boat. They clearly hadn’t expected the marquess to put up a fight.

The Frenchman talking to Aldridge uttered a stream of profanities. “You think this is one of your English tea parties, monsieur marquis? You are in no position to negotiate.” The words were thick with menace. “Give me the package and I might not slit your throat and leave you to bleed to death in the sand.”

A gleam in the darkness drew Cosmo’s attention. Mari had pulled her knife. Alarmed that she intended to step into harm’s way, he reflexively squeezed her shoulder. She placed a firm hand on his chest, a clear signal she wanted him to remain where he was. Like hell he would let her go out there alone. Mari stole out of the alcove, moving in silence toward the man who sat on the boat’s edge waiting for his cohort to finish his business with Aldridge.

Coming up behind him, she delivered a quick, sharp blow to the back of his neck. Cosmo watched in astonishment as the man slumped forward, unconscious, and she caught him to muffle his fall. His pistol in hand, he slipped out of his hiding place to assist her.

She turned around and almost bumped into him. The censorious look on her face left little doubt as to what she thought of his assumption she would need help. She motioned for them to return to the alcove. He led the way, walking the few short steps. He reached the space only to discover, too late, that she hadn’t followed him.

“What are you looking at, old man?” the Frenchman asked, with a quick look over his shoulder.

“Nothing at all,” Aldridge said quickly, drawing the man’s attention away from Mari. “I’m simply keeping an eye on you and your colleague. Here is the list. Take it.”

“Suddenly you are accommodating?” The Frenchman’s voice was heavy with suspicion. Spinning around, his attention went immediately to Mari. “Ho, what have we here?”

Apparently not detecting Cosmo’s presence by the cliff wall, he pointed something at Mari. It took Cosmo a moment to make out what it was. A pistol.

He leapt from the alcove, shoving her to the sand and rolling with her into the water as a loud popping sound tore through his ears.

A second shot sounded. Mari rolled into a sitting position from where Cosmo had tackled her, the chill of the water seeping into the thin fabric of her gown.

She looked at Aldridge who stood over the body of the Frenchman, a pistol in his hand. “Are you all right?” he called to her.

“Yes,” Mari answered, her confusion clearing. “Did you shoot him?”

“Of course,” Aldridge called back. “I told him I had a weapon, and he did not bring my grandson.”

“Your grandchild…we have wonderful news,” Mari said, “Tell him, Cosmo.”

As she spoke, she realized Cosmo still lay in the water, unmoving. Mother of God. He was hurt. “Cosmo!” she scrambled to his side, wet sand coating her hands and legs. Frantic, she searched for his wound, finding it in his left side, where thick, coppery-smelling blood flowed.

Aldridge ran over and dropped to his knees at Cosmo’s opposite side. “Good lord, the bullet struck him.” The words were filled with anguish. “It is my fault.”

“No, it is not. The Frenchman’s bullet hit him.” Mari pressed her hand against the wound, the warmth of Cosmo’s blood oozing through his shirt and over her fingers. Distress filled her. “I told him to stay in the alcove, but he is a stubborn, hardheaded man. Oh, Cosmo, why did you have to jump in front of me?”

His eyes flickered open. “It seemed the gentlemanly thing to do.”

“You’re awake! You’ve been wounded.”

“I noticed.” He grimaced. “Hurts like the devil.”

Aldridge shook his head. “I alerted them to your presence by looking in your direction when I saw shadows moving.”

“I need your cravat.”

“Yes, of course.” Aldridge pulled the white cloth from around his neck. Together, he and Mari pushed it against the seeping wound.

“Father… Elinor’s child…”

Aldridge took his son’s hand. “You mustn’t speak. Conserve your strength.”

“Ellie’s child is safe.” Cosmo winced with each labored breath. “Mari and I found her.”

Aldridge stilled. “I beg your pardon?”

“It’s a girl, not a boy.” Cosmo’s breaths grew more reedy. “Anna, Darling’s ward, is our Ellie’s baby.”

Aldridge darted an alarmed look at Mari before turning his attention back to Cosmo. “There now. Hush. You are confused. It is only natural, given your current state.”

“He speaks the truth, my lord,” Mari said. “The story is complicated, but Anna is Elinor’s daughter. Her full given name is Susanna.”

Aldridge drew a sharp breath. “That was my wife’s name.”

“We must go for help.” Mari fought to control the rising panic in her chest. Cosmo was losing far too much blood. “Someone must carry him up the path.” The French agents likely had friends waiting offshore. She had to get Cosmo off the beach before they came looking for their missing colleagues.

Aldridge pushed to his feet with more energy and determination than she’d seen him exhibit during all of their brief acquaintance. “I’ll go. I explored these cliffs as a child. Even in the dark, I can find my way back.”

“Hurry,” she pleaded.

He looked down at her, and their eyes met. “Look after my boy. He’s all I have left. He…and Susanna.”

Fighting tears, she nodded, her insides quivering with fear. She watched Aldridge walk away until darkness swallowed him, leaving her alone with Cosmo to wait for help.

“Angel.” Cosmo’s weak smile gleamed in the dark. “Do you recall I wanted to make love to you on this beach?”

She nodded, pressing hard against his side, desperate to stop the blood gushing from his wound. “
Oui.
” She could barely choke the words out of her strangled throat. “We are to make love where the water meets the sand.”

“I’m sorry we never had the chance.” His voice grew fainter. “I find I have many regrets.”

“We will have many opportunities for this once you are well.”

“I don’t think so. Pity I wasted so much time.”

She blinked through her tears. He’d risked his life to safeguard hers and now he might die for his efforts. “Please do not use up your strength. Lie still.”

“I’m a coward.” On a sigh, he closed his eyes. “I should have told you how I feel—”

“About what?”

His voice started to drift away. “I’m always too late to be of use.”

Pain throbbed heavy in her chest at the thought of losing him. “Cosmo,” she cried. “Do not give up. Elinor’s daughter needs you. Aldridge needs you.” It finally dawned on her what it meant—that joyous glow his presence provoked in her chest. She loved Cosmo, and pretending she didn’t or denying the truth wouldn’t shield her from the heartbreak of losing him. “I need you,” she whispered. “Please don’t die.”

The next few hours passed in a blur. Dr. Hodges incised the wound and removed the ball, which hadn’t caused a great deal of damage. However, the risk of infection remained a grave danger; the wound could easily be contaminated with sand or other fragments of dirt or debris.

Cosmo had been well enough to utter a string of expletives when the ball was removed from his side, according to Marcel, who’d been called in to help restrain Cosmo during the procedure. It relieved Mari to hear he’d been strong enough to put up a fight.

All of this she watched from afar, stealing the occasional glimpse at Cosmo as people came and went from the sickroom. She’d seen Mrs. Godfrey fussing over Cosmo, who lay pale and still on the bed.

The irony was not lost on her that Marcel, who didn’t much care for Cosmo, could visit him. As a female related neither by blood nor marriage, she could not.

Aside from Marcel, nobody in the household knew of her liaison with Cosmo. As far as everyone at Langtry knew, the two of them barely tolerated each other. Her presence in the sickroom would prompt scandalous questions. Not that she cared one franc what people thought about her, but Cosmo had begun to win his father’s trust, as well as the respect of his tenants and the household staff. One day, God willing, he would be their lord, and she refused to taint his people’s burgeoning regard for him.

At some point, Marcel came to her and insisted she bathe and try to sleep. She protested until he gently pointed out that her gown was covered in Cosmo’s blood. She regarded the dark crimson stain across her bodice and down her skirt with surprise and despair, and let him escort her to her chamber.

“Wait,” she said wearily, as he turned to leave when they reached her door. “What of the child?”

“Anna?” He shook his head with irritation. “That stubborn female insisted on keeping her overnight.”

“Miss Chalcroft did?”

“Yes, I went to retrieve the girl, but the old maid refused to turn her over.”

She rubbed her tired eyes. “Surely you told her the truth of Susanna’s parentage.”

“Of course.” He flung out a hand in frustration. “She said something about the girl being asleep and not wanting to upset her.”

“And Viscount Darling?”

“He’s being held until Will arrives and decides what to do with him.”

Too worn out to discuss it further, she entered her chamber, where a hushed and somber Sarah helped her into the bath. Numb and exhausted, Mari could barely summon the energy to bathe herself. Later, clean and changed, she lay in bed, but her mind was unquiet, and sleep wouldn’t come.

Rising, she slipped into one of her plain dresses and went down the corridor. The desire to see Cosmo, to be near him, however unwise, overwhelmed her. She pushed the door open to see that a candle had been left burning, yet to her extreme surprise, Cosmo was alone.

She’d only been in the chamber once before, when she’d intruded upon his bath. The lustrous red silk damask draping the upper walls fit his flamboyant personality, a contrast to the simple white wainscoting that anchored the walls to the floor. Similar crimson fabric curtained the four-poster bed, which held Cosmo’s still form.

She took a chair by his side, shocked that Aldridge would allow his son to be left unattended, yet grateful for the opportunity to sit with Cosmo in private. She ran a hungry gaze over him. He wore no shirt and the linens were tucked neatly across his powerful bare chest, under his arms. His well-built shoulders stood out against the white of the bed linens. Although he was pale, his expression seemed restful and his breathing was even.

His eyes flickered open. “My Angel is finally here,” he uttered in a raspy voice. “I must be in heaven.”

“You are very much among the living.” She smiled with relief, closing her fingers around his warm hand. “Heaven is no place for scoundrels.”

“Where have you been? I’ve waited all evening to play doctor with you.”

Holding his strong hand with hers, she feathered her fingers across the skin on the back of his hand. “Having your mistress in the sickroom would cause quite a scandal.”

Frown lines creased his forehead. “My apologies. I hadn’t considered how your reputation might suffer.”

It hadn’t been
her
reputation that concerned her. “Shh, I am here now. Rest.”

His eyes shut. “Stay with me, Mari.”

Her heart clenched with raw emotion. “I will, I promise.”

“Lie with me. I want to hold you.”

“No, you are injured. It wouldn’t be wise.”

He stared into her eyes. “Surely it is a small thing to ask. After all, I did take a bullet for you.”

“You have no shame.”

One dark brow shot up. “I am a scoundrel, after all.”

Shaking her head, she smiled. “Very well. I do like to pay my debts.” Rising from her chair, she eased herself onto the bed next to his uninjured side. Snuggling close against the warmth of his big, strong body, she was grateful for the comforting contact.

Pulling her tighter against him, Cosmo gave a satisfied sigh. “It is the damnedest thing.”

She pressed a kiss against his lightly furred bare chest. “What is?”

“Every time we find ourselves in an actual bed together, all we ever do is sleep.”

Chuckling, she said, “Then you must hurry and get well so I can have my way with you in this bed.”

His eyes drifted shut. “Far be it from me to deny a lady.” Soon his breathing deepened, and Mari knew he’d fallen asleep. Closing her eyes, she remained awake for a time, comforted by the even rhythm of his breathing.

She must have fallen asleep, because when she opened her eyes again, dawn was already nipping at the window. She glanced over at Cosmo, who remained deep in slumber. Good. He needed his rest after the trauma that had been done to his body. Reluctantly, she shifted away from him and rose from the bed. Someone would be along soon to tend to him and she shouldn’t be discovered here.

Later that morning, after checking on a sleeping Cosmo, Mari came down the stairs just as Miss Chalcroft arrived with Anna by her side.

“How is Cosmo?” Rosie asked, her face furrowed with concern.

Mari darted a cautious glance at Anna. “He is resting.”

“Miss Chalcroft told me Uncle Cosmo is ill,” Anna chirped, toying with the blue satin ribbon dangling from her cheerful straw hat. It matched the sash of her white muslin gown. The frilled voile of the child’s pantaloons peeked from beneath the hem of her gown. “Is he feeling better?”

Mari couldn’t help but smile. With her high spirits and crisp attire, little Anna brought much-needed sunshine into the subdued household. “Yes, I do believe he is.” She looked at Rosie. “Does Aldridge know you are here?”

“He does indeed.” Aldridge’s strained voice said from behind her. She turned toward him, but the marquess had eyes for only his granddaughter. Dressed informally in white shirtsleeves, an awed expression marked his lean face as he stared at the child. “Hello, Susanna.”

She giggled, her pudgy fingers still fiddling with the hat ribbon. “Hello, Lord Aldridge. Uncle Tristan only ever calls me Susanna when he is angry with me.”

“Let me assure you that I am not angry with you.” Keeping his eyes fixed on the child, he walked to her, his boots tapping against the weathered parquet floor. “I find Susanna to be a most beautiful name.”

Her eyes rounded. “Truly?”

Nodding, he knelt in front of her. “You see, it was also my wife’s name.”

“Oh.” She shrugged her delicate shoulders. “Then I suppose it is all right if you call me that as well.”

“Thank you.” Wonder filled his face as he traced the child’s features with his rapt gaze. “The shape of your eyes, your nose…they’re just like your mother’s.”

She tilted her head. “Did you know my mother?”

“I did. I knew her very well indeed. Your mother brought great joy into my life.”

“Uncle Tristan loved her as well,” she said. “My mother must have been very special.”

“She was, as is her daughter.” Aldridge’s chin wobbled. “I don’t know how I could have missed the resemblance. In some ways, you are very much like her.”

“Miss Chalcroft says my nurse is coming and that I am to remain for a visit while Uncle Tristan is away.”

Appearing unsure of how much to tell the child, he darted a glance at Mari and Rosie before saying carefully, “Miss Chalcroft has the right of it.”

“Will it be a very long visit?”

“Yes. I do believe you will be with us for a very long time.”

“My pony is going to be most unhappy.” Her face wrinkled. “He does not like to be away from me.”

Rising to his full height, Aldridge smiled fondly. “It is fortunate then that I had your pony delivered here this morning.”

Her face brightened. “May I go and see him?”

“Of course.” He looked at her as if he never planned to let her out of his sight. “I shall take you.”

“Let’s go right away.” Beaming, the girl slipped her tiny hand into her grandfather’s sizable one. “I would like that very much.”

The marquess appeared surprised, and then dazzled, to be holding his granddaughter’s small hand. “As would I, Susanna.” He guided her through the front door with a gentle, joyous smile that made Mari’s heart ache. “As would I.”

Watching after them as they stepped onto the lawn, Rosie cleared her throat. “Elinor’s child. It is difficult to believe.”

Mari swallowed hard. “I did not realize you were well acquainted with the child,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “Did you keep her often for Viscount Darling?”

“No.” Rosie shook her head sadly. “I only learned of her existence a few weeks ago when he brought her by for a surprise visit.”