Regency Spymasters 01 - Spy Fall (22 page)

“Did you not wonder why he had never brought her to see you before?”

“I presumed, as did everyone else, that she was his child, born on the wrong side of the blanket,” Rosie said. “Clearly, I was mistaken. Is it true Tristan stole her after Ellie died?”

“Of course it is true.” Marcel’s voice rang out behind them. Coming from the direction of the kitchen, he strode toward the women with a half-eaten slice of bread in his hand. “Just as I told you yesterday when you stubbornly refused to let me bring the child to her family, where she belongs.”

Rosie looked heavenward at the sound of Marcel’s voice. “Mr. Lamarre,” she said in a voice totally absent of enthusiasm. “And to think I almost missed seeing you.”

“You do all men a considerable favor by avoiding us.” He popped the remaining piece of bread into his mouth. “It is no wonder you are a spinster.”

“Marcel!” Mari said, shocked by his rudeness.

“Oh, don’t fret, Mari,” Rosie said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Mr. Lamarre doesn’t bother me. Not any more than a mosquito or gnat would, anyway.”

He stopped chewing; his eyes glowered. “Mademoiselle, are you calling me an insect?”

“You, sir, and men such as yourself, are precisely why I am pleased to remain an old maid for the remainder of my life.” Turning to Mari, she said, “I shall be on my way. I trust you’ll keep me informed as to how Cosmo fares?”

“Of course.” Mari accompanied her to the door, promising to send word if his condition changed. Without another glance at a still-scowling Marcel, Rosie marched out the door in long, confident strides.

“Insufferable woman,” Marcel muttered, keeping his eyes on Rosie’s retreating form.

“What is the matter with you?” Mari slapped his arm. “Granted, you are not the most amiable person, but I’ve never seen you act so discourteously.”

He shrugged. “What can I tell you? Something about that woman brings out the worst in me.”

Mari gazed after her friend, noting the surreptitious backward glance Rosie threw over her shoulder at Marcel. Mari smiled and shut the door. Perhaps Rosie had begun to transfer her affections for Cosmo to a belligerent Frenchman with deplorable manners.

Later that evening, Mari repeated the ritual of the night before, going to Cosmo long after the rest of the household was abed, surprised again that Aldridge would leave his son and heir unattended at such a precarious time. Cosmo had been waiting for her, and she felt tension drain from his body when she slipped into bed beside him and told him of Aldridge’s reunion with Elinor’s daughter.

On the third night, she pushed the door open to find Aldridge sitting by the bed, running a damp cloth over Cosmo’s face. The marquess appeared unsurprised to see her. “Come in,” he said, waving her to the chair on the opposite side of the bed.

She hesitated. “I would not want to intrude. The sickroom is for family.”

“My son put himself in harm’s way for you, Miss Lamarre.” He dropped the cloth in a bowl with a gentle splash. “I would say that makes you a person of significance in his life.”

Mari ran a concerned gaze over Cosmo’s flushed face. “He’s asleep? Is he unwell?”

Grief deepened the lines of the older man’s face. “There is an infection.”

“No.” The word left her mouth before she’d realized she’d formed it. “Where is Dr. Hodges? Why is he not here?”

“He only just departed. Hodges has cleaned the wound.” He reached for the cloth. Wringing out the liquid, he said, “We are to keep Cosmo cool and comfortable, and keep his dressings clean.”

“I am sorry.” Her throat ached. How he must hate her for placing his only surviving child in harm’s way. “You must hold me in such contempt.”

“To the contrary. My son is injured because I consorted with the enemy.”

“You were trying to do right by Elinor’s child.”

His countenance softened. “I had to try. Young Susanna is such a delight. She has been a source of comfort these past days.”

“May I stay?” she asked, knowing that, in this man’s eyes, she had no right to.

“Of course. It is my belief that your nightly vigils at my son’s bedside give him comfort.”

“You are aware that I visit him?” Surprised comprehension rolled through her. “That is why you’ve left him unattended in the evening.”

Kindness shone in his eyes. “Only he has not been alone, has he?”

“Thank you.”

“My dear, it is I who should thank you,” he said. “I owe you every gratitude, not only for the role you played in returning my granddaughter to me, but also for loving my son.”

His words wrenched through her. As much as she’d tried to hold herself aloof, to protect her heart, it had been of no use. She did love Cosmo with all of her being. Nothing else could explain the despair and agony gripping her. It was worse even than the deep sorrow she’d felt over her father’s unjust killing. And Pascal’s death had not elicited this level of wretchedness.

“Let me care for him.” She reached for the cloth and wrung water out of it. Cosmo’s skin was flushed and hot to the touch when she drew the damp cloth over it. “You should rest.”

“I am fatigued.” Aldridge stood. “Perhaps for a short while.”

She gave him a reassuring smile. “I will demand they wake you if his condition worsens.”

Thanking her, he quit the room, leaving her alone to tend to Cosmo. She dipped the cloth in water again and ran it over the contours of his strong arms in long soothing strokes, realizing anew that she loved this man with painful intensity.

She continued the same pattern through the night. At times, Cosmo moaned and tossed around, murmuring to himself, jerking in his restless sleep. She spoke to him in soothing tones, even though he seemed oblivious to everything around him.

While she battled to keep his fever down, dark thoughts consumed her. A septic wound could be fatal. The idea that this might be the end for him opened a yawning hole in her that she felt sure would never heal. She had always known their time together would be short, but she’d never imagined how fleeting.

The unsettling sensations reminded her why she’d avoided deep emotional attachments since Pascal and her father died. It hurt too much to lose a loved one. Yet she hadn’t been able to close her heart to this valiant, formidable man who’d charmed his way into her affections.

Of course, he didn’t share her feelings. Cosmo had enjoyed their liaison, but it was a fleeting amusement for him. There could be no future for a common, half-French spying aeronaut and the wealthy heir to a marquisate. Even if they could marry, Cosmo wasn’t the sort to stay faithful to one woman, and she could never tolerate infidelity. He also abhorred aerostation, which she wouldn’t give up for anyone. One day soon, he would find a noble virgin to make his marchioness. It would all be very orderly and appropriate. She would be a pleasant, distant memory. But she felt the overwhelming need to speak aloud just once what lay in her heart.

“
Je t’aime
,” she whispered to his sleeping form, her heart at once both heavy and full. “I will never love anyone as I love you.”

Only he could never know. When the time came to depart for London to conduct her parachute demonstration, she would leave Langtry—and Cosmo—forever.

Blinking his eyes open, Cosmo squinted against the light coming from the window. He swallowed, his mouth dry as sand. He tried to sharpen his groggy mind. What time was it? Hell. What day was it? Shifting in the bed, he let loose a string of curses when pain arrowed through his side.

“I see you are back to your old self.” Mari moved into view. Despite her amused expression, she appeared weary, with shadows under her eyes and lush dark waves escaping the haphazard knot at the back of her neck. “How do you feel? You gave us a scare.”

“What time is it?” His voice was hoarse. “How long have I been asleep?”

“Almost two days. You developed sepsis. Do you recall anything?”

Bits of the past forty-eight hours began to filter into his hazy mind. Memories of heat and pain, of retching into the chamber pot, and of cool hands and a soothing voice through it all. He closed his eyes with a groan. “Please tell me you weren’t tending me when I cast my accounts.”

“It seemed a small price to pay, when one considers that you saved my life.”

He drew the back of his hand over his eyes, humiliated she’d witnessed him in such a state. “I don’t know what to say. You should have let someone else see to such loathsome duties.”

“Oh, do shut up,” she said without sympathy. “And do not assume I will release you from your promise to let me have my way with you in this bed once you are recovered.”

He shifted his hand to peer at her. “And on the beach. You promised wet, messy rutting on the beach.”

“Clearly, you are much improved,” she said wryly. “Now that your fever has broken, Dr. Hodges expects your recovery to be swift.”

“You’ve given me great incentive to get well.” He sobered. “What of Anna? She fares well I hope.”

She moved around the bed fussing with his linens. “Your niece already has Aldridge tied around her little finger. He can deny her nothing.”

“And Darling?” Renewed anger coursed through him. “Susanna must be kept safe from him.”

She paused, her expression solemn. “Darling won’t be a problem. Will is having him transported to London for a trial by his peers in the Lords.”

“The swine deserves to swing for stealing Anna and trying to have you killed. What has the child been told?”

She reached behind him to plump up his pillows. “That he has gone away on a long journey and that she will stay with you and Aldridge.”

“Mm.” He had so many questions, but his eyelids felt so damned heavy.

“Sleep,” she said as he closed his eyes. “All is well.”

The next time he opened his eyes, it was dark, and Aldridge sat beside him.

“Welcome back,” his father said with a relieved smile.

He licked his dry lips. “Where is Mari?”

“Miss Lamarre is taking a long-needed rest. She didn’t leave your side when it appeared the fever might take you.”

Somehow he knew that. Although his memory remained foggy, he’d felt the strength of her presence during the worst moments of his illness. “Is she going to tell Will about your involvement with the French?”

“Miss Lamarre has the list.”

Alarm filtered through him. “How did she get it?” He tried to haul himself into a sitting position, but paralyzing pain burned in his side, robbing him of breath. “We must retrieve it immediately.”

“Nonsense.” Aldridge put a gentle hand to Cosmo’s shoulder, helping him to settle back against the pillows. “I gave it to her.”

“Damn your sense of honor. Why would you give her the evidence to use against you?”

“Cosmo, the document I was prepared to hand over to the French did not have Miss Lamarre’s name in it.”

Cosmo frowned. “I don’t follow.”

“The list of names Napoleon would have gotten from me contained names of agents who are already known to the French, or who have long been dead. I would not compromise or endanger any active agents. In the end, my conscience would not allow me to turn over the real list.”

Cosmo released a breath. “Then all is resolved.” His limbs felt heavy with fatigue. Damn, but he felt as weak as a kitten.

“Yes,” Aldridge said. “You’ve done well, son. You must rest now.”

Cosmo felt strangely light. He realized that the heavy weight that had burdened him since Elinor’s death seemed to have melted away. Instead, he experienced a strong feeling of contentment; Ellie’s child was safe, his father’s reputation and legacy remained intact.

Closing his eyes, a sense of peace flowed over him. He would always grieve his sister’s loss, but it was time to allow Ellie to rest in peace. She’d chosen her fate, marrying for love and bearing a child—two of life’s most significant experiences. What he could do for his sister now was keep her daughter safe and raise her with all of the love her own parents would have lavished upon her. That he could do. This time he would not fail Ellie.

He’d wallowed in drink and self-pity long enough. The people of Langtry and all of the Aldridge holdings depended upon him. It was time to put the past where it belonged and step up to his obligations. He’d begin by putting his personal life in order.

And he knew exactly where, and with whom, to start.

“You are late.” Cosmo rose from his chair by the window as Mari entered his bedchamber a week later. “Where have you been?”

The sight of him standing in his dressing gown, appearing moody and impatient, cheered her. It seemed a good sign that he’d regained enough strength to chafe against being confined to the sickroom. His scowl deepened when he spotted Will behind her.

“Naismith,” he growled. “Have you come to plant another spy in my midst?”

“Not at all,” Will said easily. “May I come in?”

“As if I could stop you.”

Mari came to his side. “Sit. You are still not well.”

“Nonsense. The doctor says I must walk a bit more each day to hasten my recovery.”

“Fine, take hold of my arm.” She stayed by him while he took short, careful steps across the floor. “Will and I have just come from interviewing the French agent.”

“The one who survived our unfortunate encounter on the beach?” He paused, looking from her to Will, who stood watching Cosmo’s progress with hands clasped behind his back. “What did you learn?”

Will adjusted his spectacles. “He confirmed Darling was the top-level informant working for the French.”

“That explains why Darling was so flush in the pockets while his estate income dwindled. I suppose it’s no surprise he was a turncoat as well as a thief and a liar.” He regarded his former friend with disdain. “Some spymaster you are, accusing Aldridge when the real culprit was right under your nose.”

“More so than you know,” Will said agreeably. “Darling was the person who first pointed us in the direction of your father.”

“How do you mean?”

“The viscount was the longtime admirer who came to us after seeing your father access the list of names.”

Cosmo’s face darkened. “That blackguard wasn’t content to steal Ellie’s child, he was determined to completely ruin Aldridge as well.”

“Apparently.”

Cosmo shuffled back to his chair. “Did the French know Darling had Anna, or were they bluffing?”

“They were aware that the viscount had taken the child.” Mari helped him settle carefully into the seat. “It was an unexpected development, but they soon began to see the advantages.”

“Which were?”

“That the secret would give them influence over two English lords.” Will took the seat opposite him. “So they could pick and choose which one would serve them better in the future.”

“They resorted to blackmail to get Darling to do their bidding?”

“Exactly.” Will crossed one leg over the other. “They began extorting Darling almost immediately after he took the child.”

Mari nodded. “Darling visited London just frequently enough while Parliament was in session to be able to gather information of interest to the French.”

“So he turned traitor to keep Anna for himself.”

“He’s also been providing safe haven for French spies who come ashore in Dorset,” Will said. “We believe that’s why he sent the girl into Miss Chalcroft’s care until he could move her permanently.”

Cosmo exhaled. “So we got to him just in time. Susanna could have been lost to us forever had he succeeded in sending her away.”

“Darling was getting jumpy,” Will said. “He knew Lamarre was asking questions and that the French were coming to make contact with Aldridge. He suspected they might use the child as leverage with your father in the same way they had used him for all of these years.”

“What a web Darling wove for himself.” Cosmo said. “I won’t rest until he hangs.”

Will came to his feet. “You are fatigued. I’ll leave you to your rest.” He paused when he reached the door. “This investigation was never anything personal, Cosmo. I trust you understand.”

Cosmo’s face darkened. “It felt damned personal to me.”

“I couldn’t come directly to you because I believed you ignorant of Aldridge’s potential involvement in this mess.”

“If you are asking for my forgiveness, Will, I’m not ready to give it.”

“Fair enough. May I call on you when you return to Town?”

“Whatever for?” Cosmo asked, his voice cool. “Surely the investigation is closed.”

“No, not in any official capacity.” Will held Cosmo’s gaze with his own. “I want a chance to regain your trust and friendship. Our visits could involve excellent smuggled French brandy.”

Cosmo’s brow furrowed, his silence thickening the air. “Why ever not,” he finally said. “If I say no, you’re liable to break in later anyway.”

Mari left with Will to see him out and then stopped by her chamber to change before returning to Cosmo. She pressed her mouth against his as soon as she entered. He responded immediately, pulling her against him, his demanding tongue entering her mouth for a thorough, knee-weakening kiss.

She broke the kiss. “It has been a long day for us both.” She drew off her dressing gown and climbed into bed wearing her night rail. “Come lie down and rest with me.”

He followed, shedding his banyan. He wore nothing underneath but the bandage on his side. “Far be it from me to resist when a beautiful woman asks me to join her in bed.”

Once they were settled, he pulled her tight against his uninjured side.

“Do you think you can forgive Will?” she asked.

“In time, I suppose.” He interlocked his fingers with hers on his chest. “Whatever his motives, he did bring you into my life, for which I shall be eternally grateful.”

Yawning, she closed her eyes, her limbs heavy. Her work in the barn and the interrogation of the French accomplice had left her fatigued.

His lips settled against her hair. “Angel?”

“Hmmm,” she said sleepily, her eyes still closed.

“I think you should know something.”

“Yes?” she mumbled, already half-asleep.

“I am sufficiently recovered.”

“For what?”

In answer, he drew her hand down his chest, under the linens, past his stomach, to the prodigious evidence of his recovery. She closed her fingers around the solid length.

“Ah, I see.” Desire stirred in her belly and sleep left her. Sitting up, she pulled the bed linens away to watch as she caressed his aroused flesh. She never tired of touching or gazing at his beautiful male form.

He exhaled with pleasure. “I’m afraid you will still have to do much of the work.”

“I am not adverse to a bit of hard work.” She moved to straddle him, taking care to avoid his wound. “As long as I can have my way with you.”

“You may ravish me as you see fit.” The words ended on a groan of appreciation as she sank down on his rigid flesh, letting him fill her. She pulled her night rail over her head and tossed it away.

Appreciation flickered in his coal eyes. Caressing her tender breasts, he loved them with an expert touch. She moved on him in gentle, unhurried movements, taking him deep inside her, letting him fill her soul, trying to commit every detail of this loving to memory for when they parted. Afterwards, exhausted and sated, she collapsed beside him.

“Mari.”

“Mm?”

“One more thing.”

He certainly was talkative this evening. “What is it?”

“Je t’aime
,” he said. “I also will never love anyone as I love you.”

Her eyes shot open at his repetition of the exact phrase she’d used during the worst his fever, when she’d thought he couldn’t hear her. “
Pardon?
”

“I also will never love anyone as I love you.”

“You heard me?” Her heart pounded. “You weren’t meant to.”

He stroked a gentle hand down her arm. “Nonetheless, I did, and it gladdens my heart.”

“It didn’t mean anything. I was worried for you.”

“You love me, Mari, and I love you.”

She shook her head in denial. “Hush. All men think because they engage in excellent carnal relations, that it must be love.”

Amusement lit his midnight eyes. “I’ve enjoyed women before, Angel. This is different.” He ran a light finger over her bare breast. “That’s not to say sexual congress with you isn’t amazing. It is. But I suspect it is because there is deep emotion involved when we make love.”

“
Non
.” She rolled over and rose from the bed. She couldn’t possibly think straight while naked in bed with him. “Do not complicate matters. I have my work and you have your duty.”

Shifting onto his uninjured side, he propped his head in his palm to watch her. The bed linens were slung low around his hips, exposing all of that glorious flesh: square shoulders, contoured stomach, and the trail of hair leading down the center of his hips to the most masculine part of him. “Stay with me, Mari.”

Emotion closed her throat. She hurried over to where she’d tossed her night rail on the floor. “I do you a great favor.” She spoke with immense frustration, mostly at the warm and tingly way her body reacted to his misguided declaration of love. “You are feeling much emotion because you have been injured. You are not in your right mind.”

“Wrong. I am finally in my right mind.” He sat up, regarding her with an intense inky gaze that gave her gooseflesh. “Almost dying gave me a new perspective.”

She tugged her night rail over her head. “Even if I were inclined, I cannot stay here as your acknowledged mistress. Aside from Aldridge, you have Anna to consider. You cannot expose the child to such a lurid arrangement.”