“And me,” said his friend.
Laughing, Gabriel held out a hand. “Come along then, I think we all deserve a drink.”
Nicky took her other hand. “We showed Count Anton, Mama, didn’t we?”
“We did, my darling. We all did.” She could not get out of her mind the way Gabriel had looked at her when he’d said,For you, I’d do anything. Just say the word.
They retired to the octagonal room, where drinks were poured and everyone joined in relating the events of the morning for those who hadn’t been present.
When Gabriel related the part about how Tibby had reprimanded the count for reading other people’s letters, the room exploded with masculine laughter. Tibby, usually withdrawn and uncomfortable in the presence of men, laughed and blushed happily as Gabriel proposed a toast to the two heroines.
Callie could still not look at him. Something had happened there at the foot of the stairs that she wasn’t quite sure of and didn’t know how to deal with. She needed to think about it, and with his eyes on her she couldn’t think at all.
“But tell me, Princess.” Tall, elegant Rafe Ramsey turned to Callie. “Do you always wear that tiara?”
Callie’s hands flew up to the tiara. She’d forgotten she was wearing it. She smiled sheepishly, feeling rather foolish. “No, I know it looks silly. It’s just…It was my mother’s…I wore it to make me feel brave.”
She half expected them to laugh, but instead, Rafe Ramsey simply nodded. “I wondered if that was it.”
“Like a uniform,” Luke Ripton added. “Or a flag.”
Their acceptance surprised her. They’d all been soldiers. She would have thought that soldiers would be scornful of such stratagems.
And then she remembered the sword. “Where did you get that sword?” she asked Nicky. She turned to the others and explained. “One minute he was clutching a black walking stick and the next he was charging down the stairs with a sword in his hand.”
“The sword was in the stick,” Nicky told her. “I twisted the handle and suddenly it came off in my hand and there was a sword inside the stick.”
“Great-Aunt Gert’s sword stick,” Gabriel and Harry said at the same time.
Callie’s jaw dropped. “Your great-aunt carried asword stick?”
Gabriel gave a reminiscent smile. “Never went anywhere without it. She was a most redoubtable old lady. As far as I know she never actually used the blade on anyone, but the stick put paid to a highwayman, once. The fellow was a bit cocky, imagining he was dealing with a frail old lady, until the frail old lady whacked him hard over the head and knocked him cold.”
Everyone laughed. He lifted his glass. “To Great-Aunt Gert and her trusty sword stick.” They all drank.
“Are we still going to London, Mama?” Nicky asked as they drained their glasses.
Callie glanced quickly at Gabriel.
“Not today, Nicky,” he said. “We’ll wait and see if Count Anton has any more tricks up his sleeve. He has a habit of setting fire to places, so I’ll post a watch and we’ll see. I had a word to Sir Walter about the count’s activities and he was going to question him. It seems the large white yacht we saw anchored in Lulworth Cove belongs to Count Anton.”
“And if Count Anton doesn’t come?” Nicky persisted.
Gabriel looked at Callie. “It’s up to your mother. Whatever she wants.”
She did not meet his eyes.Whatever she wants.It was what he’d said earlier, over the sword:For you, I’d do anything. Just say the word.
The way he said it sounded like a promise, an oath.
She didn’t want to think about it. Refused to think about it. She was older now and wiser, and she knew better than to believe noble-sounding words. Or actions. But gallantry was second nature to the man. Some men were like that.
She couldn’t stay here. She was, after all, an uninvited guest, even though he’d made her more than welcome. It was time she began her own new life. Running was only a short-term solution. She had to work out something more lasting, more durable.
In the meantime she would arrange protection for Nicky—indeed, Mr. Renfrew already had. What could be better protection than four tall former soldiers—five counting Mr. Delaney.
And London? She wasn’t sure what she’d do with her life yet, but she had definite plans for London.
“Yes, Nicky, we shall go to London,” she decided. “Tibby and I need to go shopping.”
