Baron: The Deception Part 21

It was the blackest of nights, the only light from the white caps cresting the waves that were rolling gently into the cove. It was cold, very cold, and she pulled her dark cloak more closely around her as she walked to the cove. She kept to the cover of trees and bushes, as was her habit.

Tonight, she thought, tonight she would give the man coming in a letter to Edgerton, telling him that she couldn't continue. It would stop. It had to stop.

She thought of that morning, when the duke had come upon her at the stable. She'd been so close to escape, and there he stood, just smiling at her. "You nearly made it," he said. "I thought you'd try to avoid me this morning, and thus decided a little subterfuge would possibly work. We must talk, Evangeline." She'd nodded, for there'd been nothing else to do. "You didn't sleep well?"

Of course she hadn't, but she hadn't realized it was so clear on her face. He said matter-of-factly, "Don't be alarmed. I have no intention of throwing you over my shoulder and hauling you off to my bed. In truth, I'd like very much to have you naked and my hands all over you, but I'm not going to touch you."

And what was there to say to that? That she'd give just about anything to have him naked and her hands all over him?

"I've decided that I don't want you in my bed until you've agreed to be my wife. Ah, I take it from your averted eyes that you still don't want me, that is, you don't want me for a husband? A lover, then. You'd prefer to be my mistress? From the scarlet flush that's creeping up your neck to your hairline, I take it that I now have Mademoiselle Evangeline de Beauchamps in front of me and not the widow of the saintly departed clod Andre?"

"I made Andre in the likeness of a young gentleman in France, the Comte de Pouilly. He wanted to marry me."

"I hope you refused the idiot?" "I did."

"You're not going to try to deny that you don't love me again, are you?"

"No, I won't ever try to deny that. You might laugh at me or tease me until I stick you with one of your own ancestral swords. But listen to me, your grace, if you love me, you will grant me time-time to think about what it is I wish to do. Is it too much to ask?" He rubbed his fingers over his jaw. "That is quite a concession coming from you," he said finally. "I do believe I'm making progress. It's not too much to ask, no. You see before you the most patient of men. Well, I'm really not at all patient. What I'd like to do right now is strip you naked and toss you into the hay and come over you. I've already told you I wanted my hands all over you. Well, I want my mouth all over you as well." He sighed deeply. "No, you have my word. Now you must promise you won't try to avoid me."

And she'd agreed.

Evangeline gathered the hood of her cloak about her face. It was getting colder from one minute to the next. She was nearly to the water-that was why it was becoming bone cold. She walked down the path quickly, for time was growing short.

After she lit the lantern and gave the signal, she walked to the dock to meet the longboat that was cutting through the waves toward her. She heard hushed whispers among the men as the boat sc.r.a.ped against the dock. Two of them sprang out and spoke quietly to the two men remaining in the boat; then one man pushed it with his boat away from the dock.

A man walked softly toward her, his boots noiseless on the wooden planks.

"You're the Eagle?" She was used to the incredulous surprise in the men's voices. None of them expected a woman. Her secret was being held close.

She nodded. "You're Paul Treyson?"

He smiled at her and took a step closer. "Yes." He handed her a thick envelope. "Here are my instructions. I was told that I am to give you time to read them."

Instead of returning to the cave, Evangeline knelt down on the beach, lighted a match, and quickly read through his letters of introduction. He was to become an a.s.sistant to the powerful Rothchild in London. Dear G.o.d, she couldn't begin to image the political access it would provide him.

She dropped the burned match, quickly wrote her initials on the bottom of the paper, and rose. "Very well, Monsieur. It grows late, you must make haste. Oh, please take this with you. You will see that it gets to the Lynx."

He frowned but then nodded. "Very well. Here are your next papers."

He handed her two envelopes. One she recognized as her next instructions from Houchard; the other was a letter from her father.

"It won't be long now," the man said, "before your position takes on new and special meaning. The emperor will engage the allies and their English Iron Duke within these next several months. You will be more valuable than ever to us."

Evangeline's hand fisted about the envelopes. She had a.s.sumed that it would be over for her and her father once Napoleon had taken the reins of power firmly in his hands. She'd been a fool. She'd believed Houchard. If he were here with her, she'd kill him with no hesitation, with no regret.

"Go," she said, and quickly retreated toward the cave. She pictured the duke, his dark eyes on her face, telling her that he would give her time to think. There had been nothing else she could have told him, and it had been a lie. Once she got word from Edgerton that she was free, she would join her father in Paris. She would never see him again. She was despicable, and there was simply nothing she could do about it. She knew her letter to Edgerton would bring him here or at least bring a message from him. She would have to wait, but not much longer, she just couldn't.

Suddenly two shots blasted loud in the night, up along the cliff. There was a man's cry of pain. Then another shot and a man's yell. Another cry of pain. She whirled about, looking upward. She heard shouts from the cliff. For an instant she froze, unable to move or to think. They'd been discovered. Oh, G.o.d, they'd been discovered. She crouched low and dashed to the cave, her eyes straining to see in the darkness. In the distance she heard the tramping of heavy boots and loud, excited voices. She turned and saw black-cloaked men rus.h.i.+ng down the cliff path to the beach, cutting off her escape.

She heard a cultured gentleman's voice above the others. "Search the beach, every inch of it. The other man must be nearby. He's the English traitor. Don't let him escape." It was Lord Pettigrew.

Evangeline ran to the back of the cave, her mind clogged with fear. She would be killed, or worse, captured. She thought of her father. He would die with her because she'd failed. And the duke-surely no one would believe him guilty of being a traitor to England.

She sat huddled into a small ball at the back of the cave, waiting for them to discover her. She heard the muted splas.h.i.+ng of water and men's voices drawing closer. She sat there watching the cave entrance. Then she pictured Edmund in her mind. Her boy was shrieking with laughter when he'd happened to say something that made her double over with laughter. Her boy could die if she was discovered. Edgerton would still be free. He would kill Edmund. No, she wouldn't let Edgerton hurt Edmund. She had to stop him. She ran toward the cave entrance, only to draw up short when she heard men talking.

"d.a.m.nation," she heard one man shout. "We can't get past this point. The tide's coming in. The man couldn't have come this way, else we'd have seen him."

"You're right. The cliff nearly meets the water and it's sheer. Let's go back the other way."

She heard them pause, then splash their way back up the beach.

The incoming tide. She had a chance now. Water was already lapping at her ankles, so cold, yet she hadn't felt a thing until now. She dragged her feet slowly through the rising water to the entrance, listening for the English soldiers, but there was only the sound of the sea.

She forced herself to wait for what seemed an eternity, until the rus.h.i.+ng water licked about her thighs. Her legs were at last nearly numb. It was time. She couldn't wait any longer, or else the tide would be too strong for her to swim against. She pushed with all her strength forward. Just a few more feet, she chanted to herself, and she would be able to swim outward.

A wave crashed unexpectedly upon her, throwing her off her feet, pulling her under the water, throwing her against the rocks at the mouth of the cave. She felt a sharp pain in her ribs, and for an instant she couldn't draw breath. Edmund, she thought, Edmund. She grabbed frantically at an outjutting rock, struggling against her heavy, sodden clothing, and pulled herself, rock by rock, toward the far side of the cave. When there were no more rocks to ground her, she swam until the water shoved her against the wall of the cliff. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and looked upward at the sheer cliff above her. There was no way to scale that cliff, no way at all. Then she thought of Edmund and knew she had no choice. She had to get to the top. But not here, it was impossible. She drew a deep breath and swam outward, fighting the waves with all her strength. When she simply couldn't fight any more, she stopped struggling and fell forward in the freezing water, and let the sea wash her back to sh.o.r.e. When she felt coa.r.s.e sand and sharp stones, she felt no pain, but she knew they'd torn her. No, all she felt was tremendous relief. She wasn't dead yet.

She lay facedown on the beach and vomited salt water onto the wet sand. Finally she knew she had to move; she had to get to safety. She pulled herself to her feet and stumbled, hunched over, toward the cliff. She heard muted voices up the beach, beyond the out-jutting land, beyond the cave, near the cliff path. She looked up. What had seemed utterly sheer really wasn't. There were rocks worn away more deeply than others. There were roots. She could do it, she had to. She grabbed a rock and pulled herself upward, reaching for the roots that were sticking out some feet above her head. She prayed they'd hold her weight. They did. She found another rock small enough for her to hold firmly and pulled herself up. She paused, then. Where could she climb now? She'd nearly given up when she saw a huge rock sticking out of the cliff, long and narrow. She knew she could use it to pull herself up, and yes, there was a deep indentation in the cliff, a bit beyond her reach, but she could make it, she had to. She was thirty feet above the beach when suddenly, with no warning, no s.h.i.+fting of rock or dirt beneath her feet, the ground gave way beneath her. She hung there, scrambling madly to find purchase. Finally, finally, she found a rock sticking out just enough to hold one of her feet. She lay against the cliff as loose rock and rubble fell over her. It sounded like an avalanche. Then there was silence. No more falling rocks, no sound of men's voices. Finally, she saw the edge of the cliff above her, and pulled herself up.

She rolled onto the even ground and lay flat on her stomach, not really believing that she'd managed to climb that d.a.m.ned cliff. But she had. Slowly she rose. She tried to stand upright and discovered she couldn't. Her ribs hurt too badly.

She saw Chesleigh in the distance, its few lighted windows pinpoints of white in the dark night. She ran toward it, crouched over, her wet clothes slapping her legs.

She heard a shout in the distance. A man yelled. "Wait, I see him. Stop!"

Evangeline fell to her knees and crawled forward. She heard a shot, then another, but they weren't close to her. Thank G.o.d, it wasn't her they'd seen. There were more shots, coming from an even greater distance away. She hauled herself to her feet and ran to the line of lime trees bordering the gravel drive that circled around to the north face of Chesleigh. She pulled herself up and slumped against a tree. She could barely breathe, there was a st.i.tch in her side, and her ribs felt as though someone had caved them in with a cannon ball.

From a great distance she heard a man's shout, "No, it's this way, men. I saw the b.l.o.o.d.y b.a.s.t.a.r.d over there, near the road." Lord Pettigrew's shout was frantic. "Don't kill him. We've got to have him alive."

She closed her eyes tightly and pressed her cheek against the rough bark of the tree. She heard their heavy booted steps moving back toward the road. She forced herself to remain still, waiting as long as she dared.

She crawled through the thick hedges that bordered the drive, and rose to her feet only when she was facing the north wing. She drew the key from her pocket, sucked in a deep breath, and ran, bowed over, to the castle. The stone walls shadowed her as her numbed fingers fought to insert the key. "Come on, get in there, d.a.m.n you." Then the key was in, and she twisted it frantically. It wouldn't move. She leaned against the castle wall, so exhausted both in mind and in body, she wondered if they'd just find her here in the morning, propped up, her eyes open, but quite dead. "Open," she said, cursing the key until finally it clicked into place. She pushed the door only wide enough for her to slither through. When she stood safely inside, she leaned heavily against the thick door, then quickly turned to lock it. Upstairs, she thought, she had to get to her bedchamber. She walked bent over, holding her ribs, her heavy breathing the only noise breaking the silence in the castle.

She lit a candle in her bedchamber and turned to stare at the torn and filthy shadow in the mirror. She was sodden, her hair plastered against her head, with cuts and sc.r.a.pes everywhere. She couldn't seem to stop shaking. She stripped off her wet clothes, gritting her teeth against the pain in her ribs. She pulled her nightgown over her head, pulled on one of Marissa's thick velvet dressing gowns. Still she s.h.i.+vered and quaked, her teeth chattering. She burrowed beneath all the blankets on her bed. Although she gradually warmed, she couldn't stop shaking. At least she could think more clearly.

She'd won, she'd truly won.

She could still hear the shouts of Lord Pettigrew's men when they believed they'd seen her. Maybe they had. Maybe she'd just beaten them. Soon they could burst into her room. In a frenzy of anxiety, she bounded from her bed and stuffed her wet clothes under the armoire. She stumbled back into bed and forced herself to close her eyes. There was, quite simply, nothing more she could do.

Chapter 36.

Shafts of bright early morning sunlight fell on her face. Slowly she opened her eyes. The night had finally pa.s.sed. She'd slept fitfully, terrified at any moment that they would come for her. But no one had banged on her bedchamber door. Morning had come. She lay there, thankful that it was another day and that she was still safe, at least here in her room. She ignored the pain in her body, because she couldn't do anything about it, and forced herself to think.

Had Lord Pettigrew's men caught both Paul Treyson and the other man? Or just one? Which one? She thought of the letter she'd given to Paul Treyson. She'd not used either her name or John Edgerton's. She closed her eyes, feeling relief wash over all the pain.

They were scouring the area for an English traitor. They were searching for a man, unless one of the men had confessed to Lord Pettigrew that the English traitor was a woman. If they had confessed, then it was over. There was nothing she could do. She had to believe that they hadn't told Lord Pettigrew anything; surely they wouldn't. Lord Pettigrew's men had probably already come to Chesleigh. She couldn't stay in bed. She had to act naturally. Were she to plead illness, the duke might suspect or Lord Pettigrew might think it odd. She wasn't a good actress, but she would have to be today.

She thought of her father; she thought of Edmund. If she was to save them, she must first save herself. When she saw herself in the mirror, she nearly expired on the spot. Her hair was sticky and tangled around her face. Oh, and the rest of it. She couldn't bear to look at herself. Nor did it matter. She would simply cover herself very well indeed. At least she hadn't broken any bones.

Two hours pa.s.sed before she finished drying and curling her hair. She chose a very feminine, frivolous gown, one that fit snugly over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and flared out to a ruffled hem. If ever she needed to appear the epitome of helpless, fragile womanhood, today was the day. She looked down at her hands, winced at the sight, and pulled on a pair of white mittens.

She saw no one downstairs. She was on the point of going into the breakfast room when she heard carriage wheels on the gravel drive. She walked quickly into the drawing room and drew back the heavy curtain to see Lord Pettigrew climbing out of his carriage. He looked very tired.

She heard Ba.s.sick bidding him welcome. It was some minutes more before she heard the duke's voice.

"Drew, I'm glad you're here. We scoured every bush, visited every farmhouse between Chesleigh and three miles to the south. We didn't find the traitor, dammit. Did you find the man?" Thank G.o.d. They were looking for a man. "We did find something of interest," Drew said in a low voice. "Let's speak privately." Evangeline pressed close to the wall until their footsteps receded down the corridor. She forced herself to wait some minutes longer before she followed them.

If Ba.s.sick thought it odd that she should suddenly appear, he gave no sign of it, merely bowed and bade her a good morning. She forced herself to greet him brightly before turning away to walk to the duke's library. She drew a deep breath before the closed doors, then drew them open and walked in, her smile as brilliant as the morning sun.

Drew Halsey had just begun speaking when Evangeline wafted into the library, looking so exquisitely beautiful and softly female that both men stared at her for a moment. Then Drew got hold of himself. He frowned, impatient to get this all out and discussed. Then he saw her eyes widen and forced himself to smile. He wasn't about to frighten this lovely young woman. He didn't think he'd ever before seen her looking so very lovely, her face alight with carefree laughter. He thought of Felicia and smiled more widely. "Good morning, Evangeline," he said, quickly rising and walking to her. He took her mittened hand and kissed her fingers. "You are looking remarkably fine this morning."

She pulled her hand away, laughed at his compliment, and said, "I hope I'm not disturbing you. Both of you look so very serious. I thought his grace and I could take Edmund for a drive to Rye. Oh, goodness. I hope nothing is wrong? It isn't anything to do with Felicia, is it, Drew?"

The duke was standing against his desk, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were upon her thick honey-colored hair, piled in careless curls atop her head with soft tendrils falling over her ears. She looked like an exquisite model of the fas.h.i.+onable lady, complete to her white mittens. But when she'd spoken, he'd stiffened. She sounded for the world like a young lady trying out her wiles on the first available gentlemen.

"No, no, don't worry, Evangeline," Drew said quickly, wanting to remove the fear from her lovely eyes. "Felicia is just fine. Actually, I've been here for the past two days. Felicia is in town."

"Good morning, Evangeline," the duke said. He walked to her, stood before her, silent for a moment, then nodded slowly. "A ride into Rye with Edmund, you say?"

"Yes, your grace," she said, then looked quickly away. He saw so much, always, perhaps too much.

The duke was silent for a moment longer, then stepped back to lean against the mantelpiece. "Attend us a moment, Evangeline. Then certainly you and I and Edmund will do something doubtless quite exciting, beginning with breakfast. In fact, I think you should join us. I believe it only fair that you hear what we have done."

"Richard, are you certain? She's a lady, I don't wish to alarm her."

Evangeline ignored Drew and said, "What do you mean, your grace?" She sounded to her own ears as guileless as a nun. Hopefully the duke had the same hearing. She fluttered her hands. "Goodness, how mysterious you sound. I believe I shall sit down in case I begin to feel weak."

The duke said nothing as Evangeline sat down. Drew Halsey looked from one to the other, shrugged, and walked over to the duke's desk.

The duke looked down at his thumbnail, frowned because it was on the jagged side. Had he hurt her with that jagged nail? He shook his head at himself. He said, "I didn't tell you sooner because I didn't wish you upset further. When I received your letter about Mrs. Needle's murder, I hired a Bow Street Runner to come back with me to Chesleigh to investigate while we were in London. He told me that before you and I went to London, he'd been by the cove and he'd seen strange goings-on down on the beach-a lantern light as a signal and b.l.o.o.d.y mysterious chaps rowing to the dock. He thought they were French. I spoke to Drew, and he believed it worthwhile to investigate the matter himself. How many evenings have your men spent hiding in the trees up on the cliff path, Drew?"

"It's been nearly two weeks. I was with them last night. As I was telling you, Richard, your Bow Street Runner was quite right."

Evangeline clapped a hand over her breast. She stared at him in absolute horror.

Drew shot the duke an hara.s.sed look, but the duke merely looked down at his thumbnail again. "Yes. Please continue, Drew."

"Late last night we spotted two cloaked figures on the dock, meeting with a third man. When two of the men gained the cliff path, we confronted them. Unfortunately, they lost their heads and ran, and we were forced to shoot. I don't know how the other man, the one who brought them in, escaped, but he did. I have no idea how he managed it. You know, Richard, how treacherous the cliffs are. By G.o.d, I've always believed them perfectly sheer. But somehow he must have scaled the rocks and gained the cliff top, all without our seeing him. It was very cold last night, with no moonlight. There were countless shadows the men saw, but none of them were the traitor." "That's horrible," Evangeline said, her mittened hands still covering her breast. "Do you have proof that the men you killed were French?"

"Yes, Evangeline," Drew said. "There was a packet on one of the dead men, some sort of coded instructions that we'll break-I have no doubt about that. The traitor had scrawled his initials on the bottom right corner. Also, before he died, the man who carried the instructions whispered something in French. All I could make out was the words l'Aigle, and traitre. It seems likely that he thought the man who'd met them had betrayed them, but of course he hadn't. There was also another letter in the man's pocket, addressed to the Lynx, evidently the traitor's contact in London. As I said, it's written in some sort of code that we'll break soon. It was signed L'Aigle or Eagle." He continued toward the duke, "As you know, we went north of Chesleigh. Nothing, Richard. The man got away from us. It's frustrating. We've got to catch him. I can't imagine the damage he's already done. I've had three men working to break that code since last night. It shouldn't be long now."

"I've been thinking about it," the duke said. "The man has to be local. He must be. And the d.a.m.ned b.a.s.t.a.r.d has been using my property to bring in spies. I'll kill the fellow when I get my hands on him."

"If you find him before I do, please don't kill him. We need information from him. Then we'll hang him and save you the trouble of dirtying your hands. I know it angers you that the French have been using Chesleigh as an entry point into England. As we thought, Richard, Mrs. Needle's murder must somehow be connected. She must have discovered something. You know that she still moved about the county at will, despite her advanced years, so the chances of her overhearing something or seeing something makes sense. I would like your permission to question your servants. I don't hold out much hope, but perhaps someone saw something last night."

The duke nodded, saying nothing. He looked at Evangeline.

"Is there anything you can tell Drew? Did you see anything last night? Perhaps you were awake and at your window around midnight?"

"It was very cold last night. I never left my bed. Goodness, this all seems so fantastic."

To Evangeline's immense relief, Drew Halsey finally prepared to leave. He said as he rose, "My men won't hold your servants long. I'll keep you informed. It is doubtful that the Eagle will again use your beach, but I will, of course, have several of my men continue to watch."

Evangeline rose as well. "I hope you find the man, my lord. I vow I won't sleep tonight. If you gentlemen don't mind, I shall see to Edmund now."

Evangeline gave both men a brilliant smile and left the library. The duke looked after her, saying nothing.

"I'll be at the Raven Inn today, Richard, but I must leave for London this evening. My latest intelligence is that Napoleon will start for Belgium within the next few days. Wellington is waiting for him. Hopefully, I'll take the decoded instruction with me to London to the ministry."

"I wonder if this group of spies had anything to do with Robbie's death?" the duke said. "After all, he was my friend, he spent time here at Chesleigh, and the men were using Chesleigh as their entry point."

"I'm certain as I can be now that it was. Imagine, the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds used your private beach. That's an incredible show of gall, if nothing else."

And the duke said, his voice cool, "Actually, the idea is beginning to seem less fantastic."

The duke gave Ba.s.sick instructions, nodded briefly toward the two men Lord Pettigrew had left behind, and headed for the nursery. He didn't find her there. He entered her bedchamber, saw that the room was empty, and turned, only to stop at the door.

Ten minutes later he found her in a small, sunny parlor on the second floor. She was standing near the window, looking out over the Channel, her back to him. He closed the door firmly behind him and leaned against it. She didn't turn, but he knew she was fully aware of him.

"Your performance was exquisite," he said easily. "Drew was either admiring your beauty or cursing your frivolous woman's prattle. Naturally, you were there to avert suspicion if anyone could possibly suspect you and to learn what we knew and what was being done. As I said, you did very well indeed. The only thing, Evangeline, did you honestly believe you could fool me?"

She closed her eyes at those smoothly spoken words. She shook her head, not turning. "I don't know what you're talking about, your grace. Surely any lady would be horrified at what's been happening." She managed a shudder. "A traitor here, at Chesleigh."

He didn't move, just said in that same easy voice, only it was deeper now, the calm more deadly, "Yes, let's talk about traitors here at Chesleigh. Let me be quite specific. Shall I call you Evangeline or by your traitor's name-the Eagle?"

She turned slowly to face him. It was over, but she knew she had to try. She said with desperate calm, "You're weaving a fantasy, your grace. Look at me. How could I possibly be a man?"

"Yes, I believe I'll look at you even more closely." He walked to her, his eyes never leaving her face. "How odd it is that you're wearing mittens. I've never seen you wear mittens."

He grabbed her hands in his and jerked them off. "I hope you didn't suffer these unfeminine scratches from our lovemaking?" He shook his head. "No, don't bother to lie to me, Evangeline, unless you would also care to explain the damp and torn clothes I found stuffed beneath your armoire. d.a.m.n you, Evangeline, you will tell me the truth."

His face was taut with fury. She managed to wrench her hands away. He knew, and there was no hope for it. But what about her father? What about Edmund? "Very well," she said finally. "It's true." "You're this d.a.m.ned Eagle?" "Yes."

He didn't trust himself to touch her, because if he did, he didn't know what he'd do. "I've never thought of myself as being particularly blind to others' faults before. You certainly played me for a perfect fool, though. An indigent relation, a beautiful woman who needed my help. A beautiful woman who looked at me as if she wanted to tear my clothes off and seduce me. And you did seduce me, didn't you? You think that will make any difference at all now that I know what you are? G.o.d, you're a d.a.m.ned liar, a cheat, and a traitor."

She looked at his hands, fisted at his sides. "I did only what I had to do."

"And I played my role admirably, didn't I? Tell me, what decided you to come to my bed? Did you think I might find something out unless you distracted me further? Did you really believe that I'd be less likely to give you over to the hangman just because I took your d.a.m.ned virginity?"

"I had no choice," she said. "Enough, your grace. You must let me explain."