The Stolen Bride (27 page)

“He is gone,” she gasped. More tears came. “He abandoned me in the city days ago, sir, and I was lost and alone. After wandering the city in the rain, I became terribly ill, with fever. I woke up on a farm and this kind farmer not only cared for me, but once I recovered, he offered to take me home.”

Brawley’s gaze moved over her face. “You still do not look well, Lady Eleanor. I am sorry you have suffered such a terrible ordeal, but I must ask another question—do you know where Sean O’Neill has gone?”

“I only know that he took a ship, but I do not know where he was bound.” She regarded the captain closely, breathlessly awaiting his reaction to her story.

“Did he tell you the name of the ship?”

She shook her head, relieved, as Brawley seemed to believe her. And to continue her pretense, she said,
“How is my fiancé?” She let more tears fall. “He will never forgive me for what I have done.”

Brawley produced an immaculate, white handkerchief and he handed it to her. “He was vastly concerned when I last saw him, Lady Eleanor. I am certain, once you explain, he will forgive you. O’Neill forced you to leave with him, did he not?”

Eleanor accepted the linen, dabbing at her eyes. How could Brawley think that, when half of the county had seen her chasing Sean in her wedding gown? “I was worried about him, as you know. I wanted to detain him, and when he would not stay, I was determined to go with him so I could learn the truth. Once we had fled Adare, there was no going back. He told me from the very first hour that he would leave me the moment we got to Cork.”

“He is unconscionable,” Brawley said grimly.

She tried to think. Brawley was going to insist that he escort her home. There did not seem to be any way around it. “I must get home and I have promised a considerable sum to O’Brien for so kindly taking me back.” She did not want to reveal Connelly’s real identity. “If you could allow us on our way? I am very eager to reassure my family that I am well, and I miss Peter terribly.”

“Lady Eleanor, of course you are eager to return
to Adare. I would be delighted to escort you,” Brawley stated firmly.

“That is hardly necessary. I do not want to deter you from your military duties and as you can see, I do have a driver and a carriage.” She smiled at him.

He seemed stiff and uncomfortable now. He tugged briefly at his high, tight collar. “I am afraid I have orders to the contrary,” he said.

She tensed. “Orders? What orders?”

Brawley wet his lips. “I do beg your pardon, Lady Eleanor. But my orders are to escort you to Kilraven Hill.”

Eleanor was stunned.
You must go home, to Adare
and Sinclair. He can protect you, Elle. I will not have
you risk your liberty, your life!

And recalling Sean’s strange words, words she had not been able to genuinely comprehend at the time, she became afraid. “Why would you have orders to take me to the fort?” she asked slowly.

“My commander wishes to speak with you.” He tried to smile reassuringly and failed. “I have no choice. I am sorry but we must proceed to the garrison there.”

Sean had insisted she could be charged with various crimes because of him. She had not believed it. She was becoming frightened now. Surely her
father would never allow anything to happen to her. “Am I a prisoner, sir?”

He flushed. “Of course not! Colonel Reed merely wishes to speak with you. I shall be delighted to escort you home, as soon as the interview is concluded.”

Eleanor said uncertainly, “But I have told you everything that I know, sir.”

“Lady Eleanor, you may unwittingly possess some more clues as to O’Neill’s destination. You may be able to identify the traitors he has been associated with. Colonel Reed merely wishes to ask you a few questions. I know you are tired and distressed and that this is highly inconvenient. On his behalf, I do apologize, but I must bring you to Kilraven.”

Clearly she could not manage Brawley now, not to her satisfaction. Still, he might be more pliable at some future time. Eleanor nodded, summoning up all of the grace and dignity she could manage. “I understand that you are merely doing your duty, sir. I will not resist.”

“I hope you do understand, Lady Eleanor,” Brawley said fervently. “It is my greatest regret that I am inconveniencing you in your time of need.”

Eleanor somehow smiled.

D
EVLIN
O’N
EILL ENTERED
the great hall of Askeaton with long, purposeful strides, tossing his greatcoat at his valet. “Where is my wife, Hughes?” he began.

But he did not have to continue. The two solid oak doors that yielded to a large yet intimate salon opened and Virginia appeared, crying out. She instantly rushed across the flagstone floors and into his arms. “Devlin!”

He embraced her once, hard, then quickly led her back to the salon. “Hughes.” He spoke as if still commanding a warship. “We are not to be disturbed.”

“Yes, Sir Captain.” Hughes closed both doors behind them.

Devlin met his wife’s frightened eyes and his heart turned over. Once, his life had been a black hole of obsession; Virginia had been unfortunate enough to be his worst enemy’s niece and he had cruelly and ruthlessly used her as an instrument of revenge. He
wasn’t certain when he had fallen in love with her, but he thought he had loved her at first sight, when she had stood on the deck of an American merchantman in high seas, trying to take a sniper shot at him. He had been intent on mayhem and piracy, but even while boarding the enemy ship, he had admired her audacity and daring, not to mention her unusual beauty.

She had become his mistress and then his wife. She was everything now—his dearest friend, his untiring lover, the mother of his two children, his guiding light. She was his heart. “Darling, you need not worry so.”

“I need not worry!” she repeated in disbelief, as white as a sheet. She shook her head. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again! I thought you were in Cobh!”

He took her small hand in his. Even after so many years together, he was amazed by how tiny and delicate she was. “Before leaving the county, I learned of a schooner here in Limerick, newly arrived. I have purchased the
Gazelle
. She is small but swift and smart and she will suit our purposes nicely.”

Virginia faced him, both of her small hands on his broad chest. “I must come with you, Devlin. I am terrified that we will never see one another again.”

He was dismayed. “I have every intention of returning to you. And what of the children?”

A tear began to crawl down her cheek. “You know I can’t leave them. But they could come with us. No matter what happens, we would be together as a family.”

“Absolutely not.”

“How small is the
Gazelle?
How many guns does she carry—how many marines?”

Unfortunately, his wife had learned a great deal about ships and naval warfare. He hesitated.

“Devlin!” she cried.

“Darling, she only carries nine guns.” He saw the panic fill her eyes. “Virginia, I am not going to engage the British. She is exceedingly swift. The British will be following Cliff,” he reminded her. And to lighten her mood, he smiled. “Cliff intends to lead them on quite a merry chase! His arrogance knows no bounds. He is enjoying his mission and I feel certain he thinks to lead them across the entire Atlantic Ocean before they ever realize they have been duped. Knowing my brother, he will serve the officers a fine crow supper in his island home.”

Virginia wiped at her tears. “If your plan works, how will you return home?”

“I do not want you to know any details, as my absence will eventually be remarked. I have laid a paper trail to France—you may insist I am attend
ing to business in Paris. But when I return, I will not be on the
Gazelle
. Have no fear, Virginia. I am coming home.”

He had never seen her this afraid, not since that terrible day in her native land when she had thought him killed in action during the war between their countries. “Darling, I must help Sean.”

“I know. You remain the bravest man I have ever met—and the most steadfast,” she whispered.

“It will only be a few months,” he returned, finally allowing his real emotion to creep into his tone. His life had changed. Once, he had avoided land like the plague, never spending more than a few days in any port. Now, he avoided travel in the same way. He had not seen his wife and children in three days, and it felt like three years. He hated leaving them now, but he must save his brother from the gallows.

“We will be waiting for you, Devlin,” Virginia said, forcing a smile. “I am sorry I am acting so spineless. I am so glad you could come home, if only for a few hours.”

She knew him so well. “I must set sail before dawn and speed the
Gazelle
to Cobh, Virginia.” He met her violet eyes. “I do not want to waste any time.”

Virginia raised her face to his. “Neither do I.”

Devlin crushed her in his arms, claiming her mouth
with the same hunger he’d felt upon first seeing her on the deck of that ship, six fateful years ago.

K
ILRAVEN
H
ILL WAS
an old garrison, established centuries ago during the latter part of Queen Elizabeth’s reign. Some of the original stone walls were still standing. About five hours from Limerick and Adare, the fort had certainly been close enough for Eleanor to be familiar with it, but she had never once visited the command. Now, as her carriage passed through the curtain of wood stockade walls, Connelly seated beside her in manacles, she shivered. Brawley had claimed that she was no prisoner, but in that moment, she felt very much like one.

Connelly was no longer pale. He had spent the past few hours in silence, and occasionally she had heard him pray. Eleanor had tried to reassure him but had then given up. He was a commoner, an Irishman and a Catholic, and he had aided and abetted a traitor’s escape. If he was fortunate, he would be deported, not hanged.

“My lady,” he suddenly said, facing her. “I have prayed for you, too.”

Eleanor’s heart danced with renewed anxiety. “Mr. Connelly, you have placed yourself at great risk to
usher me safely home. The moment I arrive there, I will do my best to see to it that you are freed.”

He shook his head. “I have a wife and two children. I’m afraid for them, too.”

Eleanor touched his arm. “I will take care of them,” she said, “and it is a promise.”

Relief softened his eyes.

The carriage halted before a large stone building, and Brawley was already opening her door. “Lady Eleanor?” He smiled reassuringly at her. “We are at the garrison’s headquarters. Please?”

“What will happen to O’Brien?” she asked, stepping down from the carriage with Brawley’s help.

“He will be imprisoned until his trial.”

“So he has already been charged?” she cried.

Brawley flushed. “Not to my knowledge.”

“Is there any justice in this world?” she demanded grimly. “Has it not occurred to you that he may be innocent of the crimes you wish to accuse him of?”

Brawley lowered his eyes. “Lady Eleanor, we have had spies in Cork for days and Connelly was identified as a Blueboy almost immediately by our men. We have a witness who will testify that he aided Sean O’Neill from the moment O’Neill arrived in the city. But you are right. This may be a misunderstanding and I have been too quick to judge.”

“Thank you,” Eleanor managed stiffly. She was aghast that Brawley knew Connelly’s real identity. The fact that she had been covering for him made her look like an accomplice.

But Brawley did not remark on it. He ushered her inside, his expression grim. Clerks and staff sergeants were seated at desks in a large room, attending to their duties. Across the room, Eleanor glimpsed an open door and another office, dominated by a large desk. Brawley indicated that she precede him to it.

Her heart raced madly. She had had several hours to brood in the carriage and she knew what she must do. In a terrible and ironic way, Fate had intervened again, placing her in the position of being able to help Sean elude the authorities. She might never see him again, but she could lead the authorities astray in their search for him by feeding them false information.

Eleanor stepped into the office. The moment she did so, she saw Sean’s likeness taped on the white wall behind the desk and she blanched. The poster was too far away for her to read, but she knew it was a poster offering a reward for Sean’s capture. Her stomach lurched sickeningly.

Brawley smiled reassuringly at her. “I will have tea and biscuits brought in. The colonel has been summoned. He will be present shortly.”

She stared at the poster, barely hearing Brawley. She fought for her composure, when what she wanted to do was seize the poster, read it and then rip it to shreds. Instead, she breathed deeply. Then she lifted her gaze to the young captain and smiled at him. “You have been terribly kind. Thank you for making this ordeal somewhat bearable, Captain.”

“I would there was no ordeal at all, Lady Eleanor.”

She smiled again. “Can you send word to my father that I am here?”

He started. “The earl is in London, bent upon attaining a pardon for your stepbrother.”

Hope leaped in Eleanor’s breast, but she did not change her expression. Brawley bowed and left, closing the door firmly behind him. So much excitement began. Her father was a great man of power as well as wealth, and when he was determined to succeed, he never failed. Surely he would attain Sean’s pardon and this nightmare would finally end!

She didn’t dare think about what the end of his fugitive status would mean for her. There was no time for more hope and certainly not for procrastination. She went to the desk and passed behind it. She stared at the poster, her conviction hardening. The page declared that Sean was armed and dangerous, an escaped felon and a traitor. He was to be ap
prehended by any means necessary, dead or alive. A reward of 10 pounds was being offered.

She reached for the poster, enraged, about to rip it from the wall. An English voice stopped her.

“You may have it as a souvenir, if that is what you wish.”

She dropped her hand and stiffened. Then she rearranged her expression into a distraught one, summoning moisture to her eyes, and she turned.

A pair of remarkably intense and terribly cold blue eyes met hers. While the colonel wore a soft smile on his pale, oval face, the expression did not reach his gaze. Eleanor tensed.

And the colonel bowed. “Lady Eleanor de Warenne, I presume?”

Her heart was racing wildly. She reminded herself that she had no reason to fear this man. He was an officer and a gentleman. “Yes. Colonel Reed?”

He was studying her with such a brilliant regard that her alarm increased. And then his gaze swept her from head to toe, slowly and carefully, so as not to miss a single detail. She stiffened. The examination was somehow crude and base. He was judging her as a farmer did during the purchase of a prospective horse. She pulled the brown cloak she wore together, holding it tightly closed over her breasts.

“Would you like the poster of your stepbrother?” His pale brows rose. His tone remained far too neutral.

“I hardly wish a souvenir of the terrible ordeal I have suffered.”

“I am sure your ordeal has been a trying one,” he drawled. No light flickered in his eyes. “Come, please, sit down. Clearly you are exhausted. You must tell me all about it.”

Eleanor hesitated. The desk was a large physical barrier between them and she was oddly reluctant to come out from behind it. Having no choice, she walked around the desk. As if he understood that she did not wish to come too close, he firmly took her arm. She flinched. This man was making her unbearably nervous, and she was angry with herself for reacting so hysterically to his rank and uniform. She had a plan to execute, one that would free Sean. She managed to allow him to guide her to a chair.

Reed went behind his desk, where he sat facing her. “You will tell me all about it, won’t you, Lady de Warenne?”

She remained unbearably rigid. “Of course,” she breathed. Then she dabbed at false tears. “I am such a foolish woman, sir. When I glimpsed my brother after so many years of separation, I was overcome! I had recently learned he was a fugitive, but I knew
he could not be guilty of any crimes! I went with him because I had to learn the truth. I did not realize that once we left Adare, we would be pursued and that I could not simply turn around and go back.” She now dared to look at him, to see if he believed her story as Captain Brawley had.

He was smiling. He was actually
amused
. And in that instant Eleanor knew she could not manipulate this officer as she had young Brawley.

“Shall we cut to the chase, Lady Eleanor?”

She was rigid. Brawley had the right to call her in such a familiar manner, as he had been a guest in her home, invited there by her father. This man was a stranger. He had no such rights. “I beg your pardon?”

“I must locate your stepbrother, and I am an impatient man. So shall we cease with your nonsense?”

Her heart beat hard. “It is Lady de Warenne, Colonel.” He dared speak to her so boldly
and
so rudely? She was stunned.

He laughed, the sound mirthless. “If it pleases you, Lady de Warenne. Where is O’Neill?”

“He is on his way to Sicily, sir.”

“Sicily? I thought you were not privy to his plans.”

So he had taken a moment to speak with Brawley. “I dissembled, Colonel. Sean begged me to keep his plans to myself, but I am cold and tired and I want
to go home, so I have decided to tell you everything.” She managed a placating smile. “I will tell you the truth, so you will let me go home sooner rather than later. Do we not still have naval forces in the Mediterranean? I am sure you will locate Sean there if you make the effort.”

Reed leaned back in his chair and he simply stared at her, until she felt her cheeks grow hot. Then he spoke. “And suddenly you wish to see your
stepbrother
caught?”

He had inflected mockingly on the word “brother.” Eleanor trembled and hoped he did not notice. But she must play the fool now. “My stepbrother is a gentleman, sir, not a rogue or an outlaw. I know this is a terrible mistake and that once he faces the authorities, the entire affair will be resolved. I have never been more certain of anything and I do wish for him to come home! I tried to reason with him but he would not listen to a word I had to say.” She sighed. “But that is Sean. He is so unreasonable at times.”