Rafe grimaced and finished his wine. ‘You are in an impossible position, yes, but I must remind you that it is not only you who stands to suffer if we do not catch these bâtards. God knows what plans and schemes they have in the works. They could destabilise not only the monarchy but also put our two countries back at war.’
After a brief silence, Tristan nodded his head slowly. ‘You’re right, my friend. Thank you for the timely reminder.’ He gave a rueful grin before adding, ‘I was well on the way to sucking my thumb there…’
Eighteen
As their carriages and drivers had been hired for the entire week, it was a simple matter to utilise two of them to take six of their party up to the Chateau. Loading the coaches with their belongings, however, was not quite so easily done.
‘Dear God woman, how much luggage did you actually bring with you?’ Gabriel quizzed his wife as he watched her trunk being loaded onto the carriage’s imperial.
‘I had no idea how long we would be away for,’ Hope retorted, ‘and I could hardly leave half my belongings at Redstone House.’
‘Why, what did you think would happen to them?’ her husband quizzed.
‘Faith and I are remarkably similar in size,’ Hope sniffed.
‘I heard that,’ her twin declared with mock outrage.
Hope turned round with an unrepentant grin. ‘You know I love you, dearest, but if we’re being honest with one another, your wardrobe leaves a lot to be desired.’
‘There are more important things in life than clothes,’ Faith snorted.
‘Yes, hats,’ Hope returned promptly.
‘You sound like Aunt Tempy,’ Henrietta laughed, knowing they were both trying to lighten the mood.
Hope gasped theatrically. ‘You wound me to the quick, Henrietta Carew. And here you were, my favourite niece.’
‘Well, you can’t deny that Aunt Tempy’s all the crack with theton,’ Rosie chimed in.
‘You’re absolutely right, dearest,’ Faith responded with a sigh, ‘but then your mother and I have always been chawbacons at heart.’
‘Speak for yourself,’ muttered Hope as Raphael came out to see what the fracas was. For a few seconds, they all stood like naughty children, causing the Frenchman to raise his eyebrows.
‘I think Raphael has more important things on his mind that what is and isn’t all the rage with the ton,’ Roan announced, climbing down from the carriage.
‘On the contrary,’ Rafe declared drily. ‘The comings and goings of the British aristocracy are of paramount importance to me…’ He paused then, with a wry grin, added, ‘and before you mutter to my back that I’m a complete philistine, I’ll have you know that back in London, I’m considered a swell of the first stare.’
With the ladies staring at him as though he’d suddenly sprouted another head, Raphael gave them a broad wink that would have been the envy of any sailor before strolling back inside.
‘Well, tare an’ hounds, who’d have guessed the man has a deuced sense of humour,’ Reverend Shackleford mused, staring after the agent in astonishment.
Henrietta felt a stab of regret as she watched Raphael vanish inside. She’d seen his sense of humour firsthand. On impulse, she walked into the inn after him, remaining in the doorway for her eyes to become accustomed to the dimness.
Ever since they arrived, the inn had been almost continually full, and today was no different. The innkeeper, at least, had been delighted at Tristan’s return. She cast her eyes around the bustling bar, only to finally spot Raphael sitting alone near to the fire. He was studying what looked to be a map, and she took a disappointed step back, suddenly loathe to disturb him.
And then he looked up. Directly at her. While his expression never changed, Henrietta drew in her breath. She didn’t know how, but she could feel his sense of isolation, hisneed. Unhesitatingly, she walked towards him. Whatever else she was to him would wait. Right now, she simply wanted him to know he had her support – no matter what had gone between them before.
And no matter what happened next.
Reaching the table, she sat down without waiting to be invited. He stared at her impassively, clearly waiting for her to speak. Twining her fingers together under the table, she gave a small cough.
‘I wish to apologise for my outburst onboard theFaith and Fortune,’she faltered as he continued to watch her. ‘I… while I do not condone the lie you told…’ She paused and bit her lip. For pity’s sake, she sounded like a self-righteous prig. ‘The truth is,I have no concept of your world,’ she went on hurriedly, ‘and I realise I spoke without thought…’ She cleared her throat before finishing in a rush, ‘I do hope we can be friends again.’
For the longest moment he remained silent, and had there been a convenient hole, Henri would willingly have crawled into it. Then…
‘Is that what we are – friends?’ His voice was low, the tone giving nothing away, nevertheless, Henrietta felt an immediate tightening in her chest. She’d intended to wait until the danger was past. But what if it didn’t pass? Instead, she met his eyes almost defiantly and shook her head.
He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, his eyes were no longer expressionless. Instead, they gave off a heat that had her drawing in her breath, her heart slamming against her chest. For the briefest of seconds, she fought the urge to push her chair back and run. The feelings rampaging through her body were too much.
