Tamsyn felt an invisible brush of delight and relief from the other Tremaynes; then they faded from her awareness. They’d probably sensed Cade’s exhaustion and didn’t want to add to it.
After the connection ended, Cade released Tamsyn’s hand and leaned back on the settle again. “Now I want to hear all about how you performed your miracle rescue.”
“It seems like months since we were scrambling to get the ambassador and his people aboard the ship and then you were captured by Bastien, but it’s only been days.” She made a face. “Do you want the short version or the long version?”
He gave her his familiar smile, the one that said they were a team that worked together seamlessly. “I probably should hear the long version as parts of it might prove useful in the future.” He swallowed the last of his wine and stood to move over to the kitchen area. “But serious discussions require tea. I’ll make us a pot.”
She stiffened as he walked across the room. The friendship and ease were as familiar as her own heartbeat, but never before had she watched him so intently as he walked away. He moved beautifully.
And he had a splendidly fit, thoroughly masculine body. Watching him, she remembered with acute detail the times they’d held each other with casual hugs or Cade lending her a hand when they were scrambling up a tree.
And she was damned wellnotgoing to think about any such things!
CHAPTER23
Cade added a spoonful of honey to Tamsyn’s tea, then handed her the cup before sitting in one of the Windsor chairs. He was trying to create a sense of normalcy, but he recognized that the energy between them had changed. Tam wasn’t meeting his gaze. Her disposition was usually steady and positive, but now she was experiencing emotional turmoil, and it was his fault.
He hated that he was the cause of her pain. Under other circumstances, he could have wrapped an arm around her shoulders to offer comfort, but not now. For years he’d buried his desire for her, and he’d never planned to reveal his feelings. But now that she’d discovered his passionate dreams about her, change was inevitable.
Perhaps change was good. The thought of losing Tam’s friendship was terrifying, but he wanted more. The fact that she hadn’t run screaming gave him some hope. Tamsyn had a flexible mind, and perhaps in time she could come to think of him as a lover, not a brother. He hoped to God that could happen.
For now, he must be casual and matter of fact, as if nothing had changed. “How did you manage to break me free of Château Bastien? I think you said you were helped by the network of gifted people.”
“Yes, Rhys’s list led me to Madame LeBlanc, who made everything possible. She’s the sister of the former master of Château Bastien, and she grew up there. She showed me the entrance to the cave path that leads up to the fortress. She also owns the estate next door, which includes this cottage.” Tam’s expression turned fierce. “Though I would have found a way no matter what.”
“Even at my most confused, I felt you and your determination in my mind.” He frowned. “After my fight with Claude Bastien, I think you said he might be my half brother? It’s a horrible thought. What made you think that?”
“Madame LeBlanc again. Officially she’s Claude’s aunt, and she has fond memories of him as a child even though she’s certain he isn’t blood kin. That’s why she asked that he not be killed if possible.”
“I thought you spoke from a general desire to avoid unnecessary violence, which I agree with, though I might have made an exception in Bastien’s case.” Cade thought back to their escape. “Why does Madame LeBlanc believe he isn’t actually her nephew?”
“Apparently, Claude Bastien’s mother was young and beautiful and wild. She would leave the fortress by the cave path to meet lovers more to her taste than her husband. She liked rough common men like sailors and smugglers.”
Cade exhaled roughly. “Men like my father, the smuggler Jago Evans?”
Tam nodded. “Exactly. You and Claude Bastien resemble each other physically, and when I touched him, I sensed a blood kinship.”
“What an appalling thought!” Tea wasn’t strong enough to deal with such a revelation. Cade set his cup down and began to pace around the living space. “What did you do to Bastien before we left? You said you were making him less dangerous.”
“He was filled with anger and a desire to destroy,” she said slowly. “He hates gifted people even though he’s one himself. He wants to use his gifts to annihilate the enemy.”
“Meaning Englishmen?”
“Yes, but you in particular.” Tamsyn frowned as she thought. “Searching someone’s mind is a very imprecise process, but I think that when Claude was a boy, a servant told him who his father was. Later he had Jago investigated and learned about you and Bran. He resented you for finding a family that accepted and loved you.”
“If he thinks my early years were more pleasant than his, he didn’t learn enough,” Cade said dryly. “Strange to have a mortal enemy you didn’t know existed. What did you do to his mind?”
“I tried to remove the anger,” Tam said. “I don’t know how well I succeeded because I didn’t have much time, but I think I reduced at least some of his rage. Better for him and for us.”
“A pity you didn’t have enough time to persuade him to beat his sword into a plowshare so he would become a peaceful farmer with no desire to destroy Britain.”
Tam shook her head. “I don’t know if that would be possible, but I wouldn’t have changed him that much even if I could. He has a right to serve his country just as we do.”
Cade paused in his pacing and gazed out a window. There was a glimpse of the sea through the trees that surrounded the cottage. On the other side of that water was England. Home. “Given how much aid Madame LeBlanc gave you, it was right to honor her request not to kill Bastien. Why did she do so much for us? Was it a desire to help others who are gifted?”
Tamsyn shook her head. “That’s part of the reason, but more important is that she wants us to take her young grandson to England and to help him become established.”
Cade turned back to Tamsyn, who was no longer avoiding his eyes. “Is he a child?”
