Lady Mary and Waterford stood in front of Matthew, providing a mediocre barricade from the crush of the crowd. For the second time that night, he broke out in a cold sweat as the guests threatened to descend upon him. Matthew tugged on Theo’s elbow and pulled her aside. He peered through the small gap between Lady Mary and Waterford. “She is headed for the refreshments table.”
“Why did they not go out to the gardens?” Theo went on her tiptoes to peer over Mary’s shoulder.
Matthew placed a hand on Theo’s shoulder, urging her to shrink back down. “Just go give her the message.”
“No need to get snippy with me.” Theo slapped his hand away. “You want me to say lilacs are my favorite. Are you certain she will understand my meaning?”
Theo’s dubious looks reminded him of happier days when they would play pranks on each other as children which continued well into early adulthood. “Yes, now go.” He prayed Grace would remember that he had made the claim moments before their first kiss in an alcove not far from the main ballroom and meet him there.
Leveling her eyes on him, Theo said, “I’m a terrible liar. Everyone knows that!”
It was the truth. Theo was a terrible fibber and always had been. Matthew sighed. “Do your best.” He gave Theo a reassuring squeeeze and assisted her up. Rolling his left shoulder, which easily fell out of its socket, Matthew whispered, “Waterford, I’ll meet you at the docks at first light.”
Waterford’s back stiffened and shifted to allow Theo to squeeze through to stand in front. Waterford said, “We will be there.”
Matthew glanced at Lady Mary. The woman had always been the oddly quiet one, muttering to herself in the shadows. He shifted and whispered, “The docks aren’t safe.”
“Captain Bane, like all good seaworthy men, has a healthy respect for superstitions and the like. He’s more likely to heed Mary’s advice than if the recommendation comes from either of us.” Waterford’s chest expanded forward, like a peacock showing off its pretty feathers, a sign of pride. The man was proud of his lady wife and her purported ability to speak to and hear the dead. Grace had stated upon their first meeting with Lady Mary that the woman possessed an extraordinary gift, but at the time, Matthew didn’t believe in spirits. His views changed after spending months in the dark upon the land that had seen bloodshed during the most terrifying years of the Peninsula War.
Twisted at the waist, Theo said, “See to it that Captain Bane ceases all talk of setting sail early.”
Matthew stared at Theo’s back as she set off to deliver his message. The girl he had grown up alongside who wore pigtails and breeches daily had become the sophisticated, trailblazing woman who parted the crowd naturally as if she were the queen. Matthew frowned and spun on his heel to make his way to meet Grace. He had missed much while being held captive—Theo’s transformation, Lucy’s wedding, and Edward, his little brother’s, first year away at Eton. All for nothing. He had failed in locating the rondure. Was seeing Burke tried and hung for treason enough to atone for his mistakes? It would have to be, for he had no clue of how else to apologize to everyone for his rash decision to leave for the Continent.
As he fell back into the shadows to track Theo’s progress. Matthew blinked and blinked again. Lady Mary and Waterford trailed Theo in a distinctly protective manner. As they approached Grace and Ellingsworth, the couple separated to stand on each side of Theo. Ellingsworth’s covert nods to each were followed by a deep bow as if Theo were royalty. The voice of Theo’s deceased brother, Baldwin, filtered through Matthew’s thoughts: PORFs remain on equal footing unless the rondure is discovered. The holder of the coin wields enormous power. Did Theo have the treasure he had risked everything for in her possession?
Theo flung her arms about Grace in an exuberant hug, then paused a brief moment as Grace’s shoulders stiffened. His message had been delivered.
A tap on his shoulder had Matthew grabbing and twisting a delicate wrist.
“Ow.” The Duchess of Fairmont muttered, “I should have known better than to sneak up on an agent.”
Matthew released his hostess and said, “My apologizes, Your Grace.”
“As I said, it’s my own fault.” She grabbed him by the chin and turned his face to inspect both sides. “Good to see they didn’t mar your fine looks too bad, but it is the scars we can’t see that worry Grace the most.”
Matthew stood mute. He hadn’t known that the duchess and Grace were well acquainted.
“Oh, I know all about your meetings in my hothouse. Did you really believe I was unaware of what occurred under this roof? I convinced the duke it was all for the good of the Crown, assisting interdepartmental affairs and all.” She released his face and said, “When you left, I invited Grace to visit—often. She spent hours in the hothouse, muttering to herself. Her visits ceased the day you returned, but she surprised me with a visit yesterday. She claimed to have missed me. While her reasoning was probably partially true, it was not the primary motive for her return. I convinced her to stay for tea, and we had a lovely chat.”
Good Lord, he had put Grace through the wringer with his departure. He was not deserving of her love or loyalty. Deserving or not, he was going to marry her if she would have him.
He glanced behind him, relieved to see Grace was still conversing with Theo. “Your Grace, I do appreciate—”
“We are not done. Don’t worry. My eyesight is excellent, and as soon as Grace leaves the group, I’ll release you, but until then, I have a mind to…” Her hands were balled at her sides, and he could hear her unspoken words, knock some sense into you.
“I can’t turn back time. I can assure you that I intend to make things right for all.”
The duchess nodded. “One more thing. After a few bottles of brandy, my dear husband succeeded in obtaining confirmation that the rumors were true. Burke has plans in place for Grace to come to an untimely death after his son consummates the marriage.” With a swirl of skirts, his hostess disappeared into the throng of guests.
Burke’s devious plan for Grace wasn’t new information. It was reassuring to know that Grace had the backing of some of the most powerful men and women in England, even if she wasn’t aware of the amount of support she had garnered over the years.
Sliding into the alcove where he was to await Grace, Matthew ensured the curtain and the potted plant sufficiently hid the entrance to the small space. Darkness fell around him, and he found himself struggling for breath. His lungs ceased to spasm as soon as he caught the familiar scent of lilac about him. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply. He was safe, standing in the alcove where he and Grace had shared their first kiss.
Running his tongue over his lips, the memory of her soft, warm, buttery mouth against his caused his breath to hitch once more. He pictured Grace, eyes fluttering closed as he brushed his lips over hers until she opened for him. Her tentative responses were quickly replaced with eager openmouthed kisses that had left him feeling like the inexperienced one. His hands had roamed over her back and lowered to cup her pert bottom. Grace’s sweet sighs had his breeches uncomfortably tight then—and now.
The strong scent of lilac filled his nose as lush lips pressed against his. This was no dream. There was indeed a warm, inviting woman in his arms kissing him passionately. Matthew slowly opened his eyes. A wave of relief washed over him to find that he had not lost his mind and that Grace was real in his embrace. A countless number of times, he’d lain beaten and bruised on a dirt floor, dreaming of Grace kissing him, riding him, writhing beneath him, fantasies so vivid he’d believed she was actually there. But none of those images compared to what he was experiencing now. The gentle strokes of her tongue against his, her fingertips kneading the back of his neck, the purring moans were all real.
Matthew pulled back. Candlelight peeked through the limbs of the potted plant that now only partially concealed the entrance to the alcove. Glassy-eyed, Grace looked back at him. She didn’t have to say the words. He could read them in her face. She was still in love with him, despite everything that had occurred.
She whispered, “I’ve much to share with you.”
“And I with you.” He leaned his head back against the wall. “I had the crown jewels inspected.”
“Why?”
She hadn’t even blinked twice at the revelation the jewels remained in his possession.
Matthew answered, “Theo’s brother, Baldwin, had believed our beloved King George hid the PORF rondure among the treasure and had it buried. I suspect Burke discovered this information and…”
Her already dilated eyes widened. “You believe Baldwin was killed. Orchestrated by Burke. You left in search of the coin.” She sagged against him and then straightened, pressing clenched fists against his chest. “I don’t understand your obsession with these legends. What good can come of finding out their secrets?”
He searched his mind for the words to explain his irrational and all-consuming need to prove the existence of PORFs and their network.
Grace cupped his face and searched his features. “You want to be a part of a legend.” Her hand dropped back to his chest. “Don’t you understand you are already a major asset to the Crown and its activities? You are already needed, wanted, respected…”
“It’s not the same. The network is like a family, bonded by an oath passed down for generations.”
Grace smiled, “I understand what it is like to want a family, the desire to belong and contribute to the greater good, but I also recognize what I have already been gifted with.” She kissed him and then said, “You must return the crown jewels to Archbroke. They are key to Tobias’s scheme.”
“I can’t do that. They are vital to my plans.” Grace raised a finger and placed it over his lips.
Ellingsworth’s hoarse whisper filled with anger filtered through the curtain from the other side, “She must be here somewhere. Find her.”
Grace pushed away and said, “If you wish to marry me, you will return the treasure to Archbroke posthaste.” She whirled out of the alcove, out of his reach.
Damnation. He wouldn’t be forced to choose between the woman he loved and revenge—he’d have both. He simply had to figure out how.