“I won’t be in danger. He wants the jewels, not me. In fact, he is probably toasting my good health since it is tied to his growing fortune.”
Evie’s blasé attitude tested his patience to its limits.
“You wanted to flush out the bounder—I agreed,” he said grimly. “You wanted to be the bait? I permitted it. However, I will not allow you to prance into the bloody woods at midnight to rendezvous with a villain who, might I remind you, has committed murder!”
“Allow me?” Outrage flared in her eyes.
“Children, please.” Mama, seated on the sofa, used a calm yet firm tone. “There is no point in quarreling. Our time and energy would be put to better use coming up with a plan.”
“Mama is right.” Standing behind her, Papa added his authority. “When tensions are high, cool heads must prevail. James is correct—Evie cannot go into the woods alone.”
“Actually, I agree with Evie.” Mama twisted around and frowned at him. “If anyone else goes in her stead, the villain will know the game is up.”
“But should danger arise, Evie would be ill-equipped?—”
“Why? Because she is a female?”
James exchanged uneasy glances with his brothers. Growing up, they’d all heard this whisper-soft tone from their mama and knew it was the laying of a trap. Ethan subtly shook his head at Papa, trying to warn him.
“Well, yes, partly.” Papa drew his brows together. “But that is not the only?—”
“I am a female.”
Papa cleared his throat. “Of that, I am well aware.”
“And during the conflicts with Boney, did I not successfully navigate perilous situations?”
James stilled. Mama rarely discussed her experiences during the war, and to this day, neither he nor his siblings were quite clear about the role she played. Papa would only say with pride that she was a true heroine.
“You are an exceptional woman, my love,” Papa muttered.
“Evie is as well. Come sit with me, dear girl.”
At Mama’s beckoning, Evie went to join her on the sofa…but not before giving James a smug Mama-agrees-with-me smile. He sighed, torn between irritation and fathomless love for his hardheaded spouse. As requested, she sat next to Mama—at least she heeded someone—and James had the sudden recognition of how alike the two were. Not on the surface, for Mama’s beauty was sultry and dark while Evie’s was solemn and fair, but at the heart of who they were.
Strong, intelligent, and brave women who loved fiercely and were loyal to the bone.
Mama patted Evie’s hand. “During the prior deliveries, did you see the blackmailer?”
“Neither hide nor hair of him.” Evie hesitated. “But he must have been there…watching.”
“Yes,” Mama agreed. “And he will be there again tonight. To flush him out and run him to ground, you must make an appearance. However”—she held up a hand to cut off James’s protest—“you won’t be alone. This morning, we will send scouts to find the best places to keep watch without the blackmailer’s awareness.”
Xenia and Gigi volunteered simultaneously.
“I will go!”
Ethan and Godwin groaned.
Now they know how I feel.
“By all appearances, Xenia and Gigi will be two ladies taking a morning constitutional through the woods.” Mama gave a pleased nod. “Once they determine the best places of concealment, the men will take their places. Tonight, Evie will bait the trap, and when the villain appears, the men will make their move—and capture him. Evie will always be under watch and protected, but as an extra precaution…”
Picking up the knitting bag at her feet, Mama pulled out a pearl-handled pistol as if it were a harmless ball of yarn.
“She must also be able to protect herself.”
It was nearing midnight. Concealed in the recessed alcove of the hermit’s grotto, which gave him a view of the entrance, James saw the approaching glow of a lantern. His muscles stiffened for he knew it was Evie walking through the dark woods alone. The fact that he and his kin had the grotto surrounded and that Evie herself carried a pistol that Mama had taught her to use did little to alleviate his tension. His wife should not be undertaking this dangerous errand. Yet his protectiveness was tempered by his understanding of her: she needed to see this business to the end. Fiercely proud of her courage, he was determined to help her defeat the demons of her past.
