Ridge watched as Lady Worthington was rowed back to shore. He tensed slightly when the captain put a hand on his shoulder.
“I’ve noticed ye’ve been a bit… preoccupied o’ late.” Spalling noted. He lowered his voice. “An’ tha’ ye don’t go on shore leave wit’ th’ rest o’ the men.”
Ridge barely withheld a snort. While Spalling had no idea what was in store for theClara Bellethat night, neither could he know the true reason behind his tautness. It was certainly better if he thought his recent apprehension had to do with neglected male urges, rather than the surprise attack to come.
“Th’ whole crew has been on edge fer tonight’s hefty run. It’s bound t’ make th’ most seasoned smuggler a bit wary.” He stepped back and nodded toward the steps leading to the lower decks where Triana was being imprisoned. “Ye’ve been an asset t’ me crew, One-Eye. I’d like t’ give ye first tup.” He winked conspiratorially. “Go enjoy yourself, but just remember t’ leave some for th’ rest o’ us.”
With a wink and a hearty chuckle, he walked away and began shouting orders to the rest of his men, while Ridge gave an inward grin as he went down below.
As he threw the bolt on the cabin door, he found their hostage bound to a chair, with telltale streaks of tears on her cheeks.
He had to admire her courage, for Lady Triana lifted her chin and spoke in haughty acknowledgement. “If you’ve come here to take advantage of me, then get it over with. But don’t expect me to roll over and take my punishment like a good little girl. You’ll get no response from me, just as I have received no mercy from this ship.”
Ridge made no reply, but simply shut the door and locked it, before striding farther into the room, letting her gain her first good look at his face. He lifted his eye patch, as he produced a knife from his back pocket. “An admirable speech, Lady Triana.” He bent down before her, and with a deft slice through each of her bindings, he offered a wink. “However, as Chiltern would inevitably have my head on a platter if I dared to touch you, you may rest assured that I will keep my hands to myself.”
As Triana began to rub some of the feeling back into her limbs, her chin began to tremble, giving credence to the fact she wasn’t quite as strong as she would have had him believe. “Thank you, Mr. Claymoore.”
“The pleasure is all mine, my lady.”
With a deep breath, she asked, “I assume you have a plan to get us out of here?”
“Not really. We’ll just wait for the heroic rescue, of course.” He grinned and then lowered his voice and confided, “Travell, Logan, and Gabriel, along with several of His Majesty’s soldiers, are setting up a raid at the rendezvous point. Tonight it all ends.”
“Lady Worthington imagines she’s going to marry Gabriel tonight.”
Ridge regarded her steadily. “Gabriel is one of the best agents the Home Office has. He can be ruthless if he has to be. Trust me when I say he won’t let Cordelia win. No matter if she thinks she holds all the cards, he’ll end up finishing the game.”
She sighed. “That man sounds like a stranger. Sometimes I wonder if I truly know the real Gabriel at all.”
He regarded her steadily. “Whatever facet of his personality Gabriel reveals to you, I can tell you that he is besotted with you as much as you are with him.”
With a blush staining her cheeks, she asked shyly, “Is it so obvious?”
“Terribly,” he returned, eliciting a laugh from her.
Her blue eyes shone with mirth. “I’m hopeless, aren’t I?”
He scratched at the stubble on his chin, and gave a shrug. “I think anyone who dares to fall in love is hopeless.” After giving her a serious look, he added honestly, “But I think you’ll make a fine duchess when this is all over.”
With another wink, he reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a worn deck of cards. He shuffled them expertly, and lifted a brow. “We might as well pass the time. Shall you deal, or should I?”
“That depends,” she said. “Are we playing for stakes?”
He mulled it over. “If you win, I’ll tell you anything else you’d like to know about Gabriel, but if I win…” He paused to look her over. “You have to tell me which girl at Millicent’s lent you that red dress, so that I can pay her a compliment on my next visit.”
She laughed as she held out her hand. “Then I believe we have a wager, sir.”
***
The coastline near Broadstairs in Kent appeared deserted, but Gabriel knew that just beyond the tree line were several dozen of His Majesty’s, red-coated soldiers lying in wait for Logan’s signal. In turn, Montgomery and Travell were carefully obscured from view along the road, in order to catch the two, cloaked men whom Ridge claimed would soon be along with their cart full of smuggled cargo. But while most of the transaction was actually happening out in open water — which is why Sir James Bremer and a handful of the Royal Navy was secretly anchored down the coast — in case theClaraBelleattempted to flee, she wouldn’t get far. It had taken months of payoffs and secrecy to get everything lined up for this night, but it was nearly over. And once Gabriel took care of Lady Worthington and Triana was safely back in his arms, he intended to make sure she never left his side again.
The sharp cry of an owl pierced his thoughts, and Gabriel instantly went on alert. It was the signal from Logan that told them someone was coming down this deserted stretch of the road. Gabriel scanned the approaching darkness, and was able to make out wagon rumbling toward him; the two, cloaked and masked figures in place — with Lady Worthington sitting as smug as a queen between them.
As Gabriel stepped out alone from the shadow of the trees, as instructed via messenger just a few hours before, the cart finally pulled to a halt, while the marchioness gave a coy smile. “Ah, there is my husband to be. I do so appreciate punctuality in a bridegroom.”
She gracefully stepped down from her perch, and walked toward Gabriel — the moon glinting off the pistol she held in her hand. He wasn’t surprised that she was armed, or that her two cohorts also had weapons drawn. In fact, he’d been expecting it.
“I do apologize for this, Your Grace,” Cordelia purred. “But I wanted to make sure our union didn’t take an undecided turn.” With a gesture of her head, she kept her eyes firmly on Gabriel, and instructed the men, “Tie him up.”
