A Desperate Widow

Once a penniless orphan, Evelyn D’Orsay became a countess and a bride at the tender age of sixteen. But the flames of revolution forced her to flee France, with the aid of a notorious smuggler. Recently widowed and without any means, Evelyn knows she must retrieve the family fortune from France for her daughter’s sake—but only one man can help her…the smuggler she cannot forget.

A Dangerous Spy

Jack Greystone has been smuggling since he was a small boy—and he has been spying since the wars began. An outlaw with a bounty on his head, he is in hiding when he becomes aware of the Countess’s inquiries about him. He is reluctant to come to her aid yet again, for he has never been able to forget her. But he soon realizes he’ll surrender anything to be with the woman he loves….

Praise for the novels of

New York Times bestselling author

Brenda Joyce

“Merging depth of history with romance

is nothing new for the multitalented author,

but here she also brings in an intensity of political history

that is both fascinating and detailed.”

—RT Book Reviews on Seduction

“Joyce excels at creating twists and turns

in her characters’ personal lives.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Another first-rate Regency, featuring multidimensional protagonists and sweeping drama…Joyce’s tight plot and

vivid cast combine for a romance that’s just about perfect.”

—Publishers Weekly on The Perfect Bride (starred review)

“Truly a stirring story with wonderfully etched characters, Joyce’s latest is Regency romance at its best.”

—Booklist on The Perfect Bride

“Romance veteran Joyce brings her keen sense of humor

and storytelling prowess to bear on her witty,

fully formed characters.”

—Publishers Weekly on A Lady at Last

“Joyce’s characters carry considerable emotional weight, which keeps this hefty entry absorbing,

and her fast-paced story keeps the pages turning.”

—Publishers Weekly on The Stolen Bride

Surrender

Brenda Joyce

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Contents

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

PROLOGUE

Brest, France

August 5, 1791

HER DAUGHTER WOULD not stop crying. Evelyn held her, silently begging her to be quiet, as their carriage raced through the darkness. The road was rough, especially at their frantic pace, and the constant lurching and jostling did not help. If only Aimee would sleep! Evelyn feared they had been followed; she was also afraid that her daughter’s cries would cause suspicion and bring undue attention to them even if they had successfully escaped Paris.

But Aimee was frightened—because her mother was frightened. Children could sense such things. But Evelyn was afraid because Aimee was the most important thing in her life, and she would die to keep her safe.

And what if Henri died?

Evelyn D’Orsay hugged her daughter, who had recently turned four, harder. She was seated in the front of the carriage with the driver, Laurent, her husband’s valet, now turned jack-of-all-trades. Her husband was slumped in the backseat, unconscious, seated between Laurent’s wife, Adelaide, and her own ladies’ maid, Bette. She glanced back now, her heart lurching with alarm. Henri remained deathly white.

His health had begun to fail him sometime after Aimee had been born. He had also become consumptive. Was his heart failing him now? Could he survive this mad, frightening dash through the night? Would he survive the Channel crossing? Evelyn knew he needed a doctor, desperately, just as she knew this wild carriage ride could not be helpful to him.

But if they could make it out of France, if they could make it to Britain, they would be safe.

“How far are we?” she whispered. Luckily Aimee had stopped crying; in fact, she had fallen asleep.

“I think we are almost there,” Laurent said. They were speaking French. Evelyn was an Englishwoman, but she had been fluent in French even before she had met the Count D’Orsay, becoming his child bride almost overnight.

The horses were lathered and blowing hard. Fortunately, they did not have much farther to go—or so Laurent thought. And it would soon be dawn. At dawn, they were to disembark with a Belgian smuggler, who was awaiting them even now.

“Will we be late?” she asked, keeping her tone low, which was a bit absurd, as the coach rattled and groaned with the horses’ every stride.

“I think we will have an hour to spare,” Laurent said, “but not much more than that.” He glanced briefly at her, his look a significant one.

She knew what he was thinking now—they were all thinking it. It had been so hard to escape Paris. There would be no going back, not even to their country home in the Loire Valley. They must leave France if they were to survive. Their lives were at stake.

Aimee was sound asleep. Evelyn stroked her soft, dark hair and fought her own need to weep with fear and desperation.

She glanced back at her elderly husband again. Since meeting and marrying Henri, her life had felt so much like a fairy tale. She had been a penniless orphan, subsisting on the charity of her aunt and uncle; now, she was the Countess D’Orsay. He was her dearest friend, and the father of her daughter. She was so grateful to him for all that he had done for her, and all he meant to do for Aimee.

She was so afraid for him now. His chest had been bothering him all day. But he had survived their flight from Paris, and Henri had insisted that they must not delay. Their neighbor had been imprisoned last month for crimes against the state. The Vicomte LeClerc had not committed any crimes—she was sure of it. But he was an aristocrat....

Their usual residence was Henri’s family estate in the Loire Valley. But every spring Henri would pack up the family and they would go to Paris for a few months of theater, shopping and dining. Evelyn had fallen in love with Paris the very first time she had set foot in the city, before the revolution. But the city she had once loved no longer existed, and had they realized how dangerous Paris had become, they wouldn’t have gone for another visit.

In spite of the revolution, Paris remained flooded with unemployed workers, laborers and farmers, who roamed the streets seeking revenge upon anyone who had anything, unless they were striking or rioting. Taking a stroll down the Champs-Élysées was no longer pleasant, nor was riding in the park. There were no more interesting supper parties, no more scintillating operas. Shops catering to the nobility had long since closed their doors.

The fact that her husband, the comte, was a relation of the queen had never been a secret. But the moment a hatmaker had realized the connection, their lives had suddenly and truly changed. Shopkeepers, bakers, prostitutes, sansculottes and even National Guardsmen had kept watch upon her and her family at their townhome. Every time her door was opened, sentinels could be seen standing outside. Every time she left the flat she had been followed. It had become too frightening to venture outside of the apartment. It was as if they were suspected of crimes against the state. And then LeClerc had been arrested.

“Your time will come.” A passerby had leered at her the day their neighbor was taken away in shackles.

And Evelyn had become afraid to go out. She had ceased doing so. From that moment, they had become actual prisoners of the people. She had begun to believe that they would not be allowed to leave the city, if they tried. And then a pair of French officers had called on Henri. Evelyn had been terrified that they were about to arrest him. Instead, they had warned him that he must not leave the city until given permission to do so and that Aimee must remain in Paris with them. And the fact that they had said so—that they even knew about Aimee—had triggered them as nothing else could. They had immediately begun planning their escape.

And it was Henri who had suggested they follow in the wake of the thousands of émigrés now fleeing France for Great Britain. Evelyn had been born and raised in Cornwall, and once she had realized that they were going home, she had been thrilled. She had missed the rocky beaches of Cornwall, the desolate moors, the winter storms, the blunt, outspoken women and the hardworking men. She missed taking tea at the nearby village inn, and the wild celebrations that ensued when a smuggler arrived with his precious cargo. Life in Cornwall could be difficult and harsh, but it had its softer moments. Of course, they would probably reside in London, but she also loved the city. She couldn’t imagine a better—safer—country in which to raise her daughter.

Aimee deserved so much more. And she did not deserve to become another innocent victim of this terrible revolution!

But first they had to get from Brest to the smuggler’s ship, and then they had to get across the Channel. And Henri had to survive.

She felt the surge of panic and she trembled. Henri needed a doctor, and she was tempted to delay their flight to attend him. She could not imagine what she would do if he died. But she also knew he wanted her and Aimee safely out of the country. In the end, she would put her daughter first.

“Has he shown any signs of reviving?” she cried, glancing over her shoulder.

“Non, Comtesse,” Adelaide whispered. “Le comte needs a physician soon!”

If they delayed, in order to attend Henri, they would remain in Brest for another day or perhaps even more. Within hours, or at least by this evening, their disappearance would be noticed. Would they be pursued? It was impossible to know, except that the officials had warned them not to leave the city and they had defied that edict. If there was pursuit, there were two obvious ports to search—Brest and Le Havre were the most frequently used ports of departure.

There was no choice to make. Evelyn clenched her fists, filled with determination. She was not accustomed to making decisions, and especially not important ones, but in another hour they would be safely at sea, and out of reach of their French pursuers, if they did not delay.

They had reached the outskirts of Brest, and were passing many small houses now. She and Laurent exchanged dark, determined looks.

A few moments later, salt tinged the air. Laurent drove the team into the graveled courtyard of an inn that was just three blocks from the docks. The night was now filled with scudding clouds, at times in darkness, at other times, brightened by the moon. As Evelyn handed her daughter down to Bette, her tension intensified. The inn seemed busy—loud voices could be heard coming from the public room. Perhaps that was better—it was so crowded, no one would pay attention to them now.

Or perhaps they would.

Evelyn waited with Aimee, asleep in her arms, while Laurent went inside to get help for her husband. She was clothed in one of Bette’s dresses and a dark, hooded mantle that had been worn by another servant. Henri was also dressed as a commoner.

And finally Laurent and the innkeeper appeared. Evelyn slipped up her hood as he approached—her looks were too remarkable to go unnoticed—and cast her eyes down. The two men lifted Henri from the carriage and carried him inside, using a side entrance. Holding Aimee Evelyn followed with Adelaide and Bette. They quickly went upstairs.

Evelyn closed the door behind her two women servants, daring to breathe with some relief, but not yet daring to remove her hood. She signaled Adelaide with her eyes, not wanting her to light more than one candle.

If their disappearance had been noted, the French authorities might have put out warrants for their arrests. Descriptions would accompany those warrants and their pursuers would be looking for a little girl of four with dark hair and blue eyes, a sickly and frail older nobleman of medium height with gray hair and a young woman of twenty-one, dark-haired, blue-eyed and fair-skinned, one remarkably beautiful in appearance.

Evelyn feared that she was too distinct in her appearance. She was too recognizable, and not just because she was so much younger than her husband. When she had first come to Paris, as a bride of sixteen, she had been acclaimed the city’s most beautiful woman. She hardly thought that, but she knew her looks were striking and hard to miss.

Henri had been made comfortable in one bed, and Aimee in another. Laurent and the innkeeper had stepped aside, and were speaking in hushed tones. Evelyn thought that they were both grim, but there was urgency in the situation. She smiled at Bette, who was tearful and so clearly frightened. Bette had been given the choice of going home to her family in Le Loire. She had chosen instead to come with them, fearing being hunted down and interrogated if she did not.

“It will be all right,” Evelyn said softly, hoping to reassure her. They were the same age, but suddenly Evelyn felt years older. “In a matter of moments, we will be on a ship, bound for England.”

“Thank you, my lady,” Bette whispered, sitting down beside Aimee.

Evelyn smiled again, then walked over to Henri. She took his hand and kissed his temple. He remained terrifyingly pale. She would not be able to bear it if he died. She could not imagine losing such a dear friend. And she knew just how dependent she was on him.

She was not certain that her aunt and uncle would welcome her back into their home, if need be. But that would be a last recourse, anyway.

The innkeeper left and Evelyn quickly hurried over to Laurent, who seemed stricken. “What has happened?” she asked, with another curdling sensation.

“Captain Holstatter has left Brest.”

“What?” she cried, aghast. “You must be mistaken. It is August the fifth. We are on time. It is almost dawn. In another hour, he is taking us to Falmouth—he has been paid half of his fee in advance!”

Laurent was starkly white. “He happened upon a very valuable cargo, and he left.”

She was in shock. They had no means of crossing the Channel! And they could not linger in Brest—it was too dangerous!

“There are three British smugglers in the harbor,” Laurent said, interrupting her thoughts.

There was a reason they had chosen a Belgian to take them to England. “British smugglers are usually French spies,” she cried.

“If we are going to leave immediately, the only choice is to seek out one of them, or wait here, until we can make other arrangements.”

Her head ached again. How was it that she was making the most important decision of their lives? Henri always made all of the decisions! And the way Laurent was looking at her, she knew he was thinking the same thing she was—that remaining in town was not safe. She turned and glanced at Aimee. Her heart lurched. “We will leave at dawn, as planned,” she decided abruptly, her heart slamming. “I will make certain of it!”

Trembling, she turned and went to a valise that was beside the bed. They had fled the city with a great number of valuables. She took a pile of assignats from it, the currency of the revolution, and then, instinctively, took out a magnificent ruby-and-diamond necklace. It had been in her husband’s family for years. She tucked both within the bodice of her corset.

Laurent said, “If you will use one of the Englishmen, Monsieur Gigot, the innkeeper, said to look for a ship named the Sea Wolf.”

She choked on hysterical laughter, turning. Was she

really going alone to meet a dangerous smuggler—at dawn and in the dark, in a strange city, with her husband near death—to beg for his help?

“His ship is the swiftest, and they say he can outrun both navies at once. It is fifty tons, black sails—the largest of the smuggling vessels in the harbor.”

She shuddered, nodding grimly. The Sea Wolf…black sails… “How do I get to the docks?”

“They are three blocks from the inn,” Laurent told her. “I think I should come with you.”

She was tempted to agree. But what if someone discovered them while she was gone—what if someone realized who Henri was? “I want you to stay here and guard le comte and Aimee with your life. Please,” she added, consumed with another intense wave of desperation.

Laurent nodded and walked her to the door. “The smuggler’s name is Jack Greystone.”

She wanted to cry. Of course, she would do no such thing. She pulled up her hood and gave her sleeping daughter one last look.

Evelyn knew she would find Greystone, and convince him to transport them across the Channel, because Aimee’s future depended on it.

She hurried from the room, and waited to hear Laurent slide the bolt on the door’s other side, before she rushed down the narrow, dark corridor. One taper burned from a wall sconce at the far end of the hall, above the stairs. She stumbled down the single flight, thinking of Aimee, of Henri and a smuggler with a ship named the Sea Wolf.

The landing below let onto the inn’s foyer, and just to her right was the public room. A dozen men were within, drinking spirits, the conversation boisterous. She rushed outside, hoping no one had noticed her.

Clouds raced across the moon, allowing some illumination. One torch lamp was lit on the street. Evelyn ran down the block, but saw no one ahead and no one lurking in the shadows. Relieved, she glanced back over her shoulder. Her heart seemed to stop.

Two dark figures were behind her now.

She began to run, seeing several masts in the sky ahead, pale canvas furled tightly against them. Another glance over her shoulder showed her that the men were also running—they were most definitely following her.

“Arrêtez-vous!” one of the men called, laughing. “Are we frightening you? We only wish to speak with you!”

Fear slammed through her. Evelyn lifted her skirts and ran toward the docks, which were now in front of her. And she instantly saw that cargo was being loaded onto one of the vessels—a cask the size of several men had been winched up and was being directed toward the deck of a large cutter with a black hull and black sails. Five men stood on the deck, reaching for the cask as it was lowered toward them.

She had found the Sea Wolf.

She halted, panting and out of breath. Two men were operating the winch. A third stood a bit apart, watching the activity. Moonlight played over his pale hair.

And she was seized from behind.

“Nous voulons seulement vous parler.” We only want to speak to you.

Evelyn whirled to face the two men who had been following her. They were her own age, dirty, unkempt and poorly clothed—they were probably farmworkers and thugs. “Libérez-moi,” she responded in perfect French.

“A lady! A lady dressed as a maid!” the first man said, but he did not speak with relish now. He spoke with suspicion.

Too late, she knew she was in more danger than the threat of being accosted—she was about to be unmasked as a noblewoman and, perhaps, as the Countess D’Orsay. But before she could respond, a stranger said, very quietly, in English, “Do as the lady has asked.”

The farmers turned, as did Evelyn. The clouds chose that moment to pass completely by the moon, and the night became momentarily brighter. Evelyn looked into a pair of ice-cold gray eyes and she froze.

This man was dangerous.

His stare was cold and hard. He was tall, his hair golden. He wore both a dagger and a pistol. Clearly, he was not a man to be crossed.

His cool glance left her and focused on the two men. He repeated his edict, this time in French. “Faites comme la dame a demandé.”

She was instantly released, and both men whirled and hurried off. Evelyn inhaled, stunned, and turned to the tall Englishman again. He might be dangerous, but he had just rescued her—and he might be Jack Greystone. “Thank you.”

His direct gaze did not waver. It was a moment before he said, “It was my pleasure. You’re English.”

She wet her lips, aware that their gazes were locked. “Yes. I am looking for Jack Greystone.”

His eyes never changed. “If he is in port, I am not aware of it. What do you want of him?”

Her heart sank with dismay—for surely, this imposing man, with his air of authority and casual power, was the smuggler. Who else would be watching the black ship as it was being loaded? “He has come recommended to me. I am desperate, sir.”

His mouth curled, but there was no humor in his eyes. “Are you attempting to return home?”

She nodded, still staring at him. “We had arrangements to leave at dawn. But those plans have fallen by the wayside. I was told Greystone is here. I was told to seek him out. I cannot linger in town, sir.”

“We?”

She hugged herself now, still helplessly gazing into his stare. “My husband and my daughter, sir, and three friends.”

“And who gave you such information?”

“Monsieur Gigot—of the Abelard Inn.”

“Come with me,” he said abruptly, turning.

Evelyn hesitated as he started toward the ship. Her mind raced wildly. She did not know if the stranger was Greystone, and she wasn’t certain it was safe to go with him now. But he was heading for the ship with black sails.

He glanced back at her, without pausing. And he shrugged, clearly indifferent as to whether she came or not.

There was no choice. Either he was Greystone, or he was taking her to him. Evelyn ran after him, following him up the gangplank. He didn’t look at her, crossing the deck rapidly, and Evelyn rushed to fall into step behind him. The five men who were loading the cask all turned to stare openly at her.

Her hood had slipped. She pulled it up more tightly as he went to a cabin door. He opened it and vanished inside. She faltered. She had just noticed the guns lining the sides of the ship. She had seen smuggling ships as a child; this ship seemed ready to do battle.

She was even more dismayed and full of dread, but she had made her decision. Evelyn followed him inside.

He was lighting lanterns. Not looking up, he said, “Close the door.”

It crossed her mind that she was very much alone with a complete stranger now. Shoving her trepidation aside, she did as he asked. Very breathless now, she slowly faced him.

He was standing at a large desk covered with charts. For one moment, all she saw was a tall, broad-shouldered man with golden hair tied carelessly in a queue, a pistol clipped to his shoulder belt, a dagger sheathed on his belt.

Then she realized that he was also staring at her.

She inhaled, trembling. He was shockingly attractive, she now realized, in both a masculine and a beautiful way. His eyes were gray, his features even, his cheekbones high and cutting. A gold cross winked from the widely open neck of his white lawn shirt. He was wearing doeskin breeches and high boots, and now she realized how powerful and lean his tall, muscular build was. His shirt clung to his broad chest and flat torso, and his breeches fit like a second skin. He did not have an ounce of fat on his hard frame.

She wasn’t certain she had ever come into contact with such an inherently masculine man—and it was unnerving somehow.

She was also the object of intense scrutiny. He was leaning his hip against the desk and staring back at her, as openly as she was regarding him. Evelyn felt herself flush. He was, she thought, trying to see her features, which were partially concealed by her hood.

She now saw the small, narrow bed on the opposite wall. She realized that this was where he slept. There was a handsome rug on the planked floor, a handful of books on a small table. Otherwise, the cabin was sparsely appointed and completely utilitarian.

“Do you have a name?”

She jerked, realizing that her heart was racing. How should she answer? For she knew she must never reveal who she was. “Will you help me?”

“I haven’t decided. My services are expensive, and you are a large group.”

“I am desperate to return home. And my husband is in desperate need of a physician.”

“So the plot thickens. How ill is he?”

“Does it matter?”

“Can he reach my ship?”

She hesitated. “Not without help.”

“I see.”

He did not seem moved by her plight. How could she convince him to help them? “Please,” she whispered, stepping away from the door. “I have a four-year-old daughter. I must get her to Britain.”

He suddenly launched himself off the desk and strode slowly—indolently—toward her. “Just how desperate are you?” His tone was flat.

He had paused before her, inches separating them. She froze, but her heart thundered. What was he suggesting? Because while his tone was brisk, there was a speculative gleam in his eyes. Or was she imagining it?

She realized that she was mesmerized, and unbalanced. “I could not be more desperate,” she managed, with a stutter.

He suddenly reached for her hood and tugged it down before she knew what he meant to do. His eyes immediately widened.

Her tension knew no bounds. She meant to protest. If she had wanted to reveal her face, she would have done so! As his gaze moved over her features, very slowly, one by one, her resistance died.

“Now I understand,” he said softly, “why you would hide your features.”

Her heart slammed. Was he complimenting her? Did he think her attractive—or even beautiful? “Obviously we are in some jeopardy,” she whispered. “I’m afraid of being recognized.”

“Obviously. Is your husband French?”

“Yes,” she said, “and I have never been as afraid.”

He studied her. “I take it you were followed?”

“I don’t know—perhaps.”

Suddenly he reached toward her. Evelyn lost her ability to breathe as he tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear. Her heart went wild. His fingers had grazed her cheek—and she almost wanted to leap into his arms. How could he do such a thing? They were strangers.

“Was your husband accused of crimes against the state?”

She flinched. “No…but we were told not to leave Paris.”

He stared.

She wet her lips, wishing she could decipher his thoughts, but his expression was bland. “Sir—will you help us—please?”

She could not believe how plaintive she sounded. But he was still crowding her. Worse, she now realized she could feel his body’s warmth and heat. And while she was a woman of medium height, he made her feel small and fragile.

“I am considering it.” He finally paced slowly away. Evelyn gulped air, ignoring the wild urge she had to fan herself with the closest object at hand. Was he going to reject her plea?

“Sir! We must leave the country—immediately. I am afraid for my daughter!” she cried.

He glanced at her, apparently unmoved. Evelyn had no idea what he was thinking, as an odd silence ensued. He finally said, “I will need to know who I am transporting.”

She bit her lip. She hated deception, but she had no choice. “The Vicomte LeClerc,” she lied.

His gaze moved over her face another time. “I will take payment in advance. My fee is a thousand pounds for each passenger.”

Evelyn cried out. “Sir! I hardly have six thousand pounds!”

He studied her. “If you have been followed, there will be trouble.”

“And if we haven’t been followed?”

“My fee is six thousand pounds, madam.”

She closed her eyes briefly, then reached into her bodice and handed him the assignats.

He made a disparaging sound. “That is worthless to me.” But he laid them on his desk.

Evelyn grimly reached into her bodice. He did not look away, and she flushed as she removed the diamond-and-ruby necklace. His impassive expression did not change. Evelyn walked over to him and handed him the necklace.

He took the necklace, carried it to his desk and sat down there. She watched him take a jeweler’s glass from a drawer and inspect the gems. “It is real,” she managed. “That is the most I can offer you, sir, and it is not worth six thousand pounds.”

He gave her a skeptical glance, his gaze suddenly sliding to her mouth, before he continued to study the rubies with great care. Her tension was impossible now. He finally set the necklace and glass down. “We have a bargain, Vicomtesse. Although it is against my better judgment.”

She was so relieved she gasped. Tears formed. “Thank you! I cannot thank you enough!”

He gave her another odd look. “I imagine you could, if you wished to.” Abruptly he stood. “Tell me where your husband is and I will get him and your daughter and the others. We will disembark at dawn.”

Evelyn had no idea what that strange comment had meant—or, she hoped she did not. And she could not believe it—he was going to help them flee the country, even if he did not seem overly enthused about it.

Relief began. Somehow, she felt certain that this man would get them safely out of France and across the Channel. “They are at the Abelard Inn. But I am coming with you.”

“Oh, ho!” His gaze hardened. “You are hardly coming, as God only knows what might arise between the docks and the inn. You can wait here.”

She breathed hard. “I have already been separated from my daughter for an hour! I cannot remain apart from her. It is too dangerous.” And she was worried that, if someone discovered her party, they might take Henri prisoner—and Aimee, as well.

“You will wait here. I am not escorting you back to that inn, and if you do not do as I say, you may take back your necklace, and we will cancel our agreement.”

His gaze had become as sharp as knives. Evelyn was taken aback.

“Madam, I will guard your daughter with my life, and I intend to be back on my ship in a matter of minutes.”

She inhaled. Oddly, she trusted him, and clearly, he was not going to allow her to come.

Aware of her surrender, he opened a drawer and removed a small pistol and a bag of powder with a flint box. He closed the drawer and his stare was piercing. “The odds are that you will not need this, but keep it with you until I return.” He walked around the desk and held the gun out to her.

Evelyn took the gun. His eyes had become chilling. But he was about to aid and abet traitors to the revolution. If he was caught, he would hang—or worse.

He strode to the door. “Bolt it,” he said, not looking back.

Her heart slammed in unison with the door. Then she ran to it and threw the bolt, but not before she saw him striding across the ship’s deck, two armed sailors falling into step with him.

She hugged herself, shivering. And then she prayed for Aimee, and for Henri. There was a small bronze clock on the desk; it was five-twenty now. She went and sat down in his chair.

His masculinity seemed to rise up and engulf her. If only he had let her join him to retrieve her daughter and husband. She leaped up from his chair and paced. She could not bear sitting in his chair, and she wasn’t about to sit on his bed.

At a quarter to six, she heard a sharp knock on the cabin door. Evelyn rushed to it as he said, “It is I.”

She threw the bolt and opened the door. The first thing she saw was Aimee, yawning—she was in the smuggler’s arms. Tears began. He stepped into the cabin and handed Aimee to her. Evelyn hugged her, hard, but her gaze met that of the captain’s. “Thank you.”

His glance held hers as he stepped aside.

“Evelyn.”

She froze at the sound of Henri’s voice. Then, incredulous, she saw him being held upright by two seamen. Laurent, Adelaide and Bette were behind them. “Henri! You have awakened!” she cried, thrilled.

And as the seamen brought him inside, she set Aimee down and rushed to him, putting her arm around him to help him stand.

“You are not going to England without me,” he said weakly.

Tears fell now. Henri had awoken, and he was determined to be with them as they started a new life in England. She helped him to the bed, where he sat down, still weak and exhausted. Laurent and the women began bringing in their baggage as the two seamen left.

Evelyn continued to clasp her husband’s hands, but she turned.

The Englishman was staring at her. “We are hoisting sail,” he said abruptly.

Evelyn stood, their stares locked. His was so serious. “It seems that I must thank you another time.”

It was a moment before he spoke. “You can thank me when we reach Britain.” He turned to go.

It was as if there was an innuendo in his words. And somehow, she knew what that innuendo was. But surely she was mistaken. Evelyn did not think twice. She ran to him—and in front of him. “Sir! I am deeply in your debt. But to whom do I owe the lives of my daughter and my husband?”

“You owe Jack Greystone,” he said.

CHAPTER ONE

Roselynd on the Bodmin Moor, Cornwall

February 25, 1795

“THE COUNT WAS a beloved father, a beloved husband, and he will be sorely missed.” The parson paused, gazing out on the crowd of mourners. “May he rest eternally in peace. Amen.”

“Amen,” the mourners murmured.

Pain stabbed through Evelyn’s heart. It was a bright sunny day, but frigidly cold, and she could not stop shivering. She stared straight ahead, holding her daughter’s hand, watching as the casket was being lowered into the rocky ground. The small cemetery was behind the parish church.

She was confused by the crowd. She hadn’t expected a crowd. She barely knew the village innkeeper, the dressmaker or the cooper. She was as vaguely acquainted with their two closest neighbors, who were not all that close, as the house they had bought two years ago sat in solitary splendor on the Bodmin Moor, and was a good hour from everyone and anyone. In the past two years, since retreating from London to the moors of eastern Cornwall, they had kept to themselves. But then, Henri had been so ill. She had been preoccupied with caring for him and raising their daughter. There had not been time for social calls, for teas, for supper parties.

How could he leave them this way?

Had she ever felt so alone?

Grief clawed at her; so did fear.

What were they going to do?

Thump. Thump. Thump.

She watched the clods of dirt hitting the casket as they were shoveled from the ground into the grave. Her heart ached terribly; she could not stand it. She already missed Henri. How would they survive? There was almost nothing left!

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Aimee whimpered.

Evelyn’s eyes suddenly flew open. She was staring at the gold starburst plaster on the white ceiling above her head; she was lying in bed with Aimee, cuddling her daughter tightly as they slept.

She had been dreaming, but Henri was truly dead.

Henri was dead.

He had died three days ago and they had just come from the funeral. She hadn’t meant to take a nap, but she had lain down, just for a moment, beyond exhaustion, and Aimee had crawled into bed with her. They had cuddled, and suddenly, she had fallen asleep....

Grief stabbed through her chest. Henri was gone. He had been in constant pain these past few months. The consumption had become so severe, he could barely breathe or walk, and these past weeks, he had been confined to his bed. Come Christmastime, they had both known he was dying.

And she knew he was at peace now, but that did not ease her suffering, even if it eased his. And what of Aimee? She had loved her father. And she had yet to shed a tear. But then, she was still just eight years old, and his death probably did not seem real.

Evelyn fought tears—which she had thus far refused to shed. She knew she must be strong for Aimee, and for those who were dependent on her—Laurent, Adelaide and Bette. She looked down at her daughter and softened instantly. Aimee was fair, dark-haired and beautiful. But she was also highly intelligent, with a kind nature and a sweet disposition. No mother could be as fortunate, Evelyn thought, overcome with the power of her emotions.

Then she sobered, aware of the voices she could just barely hear, coming from the salon below her bedroom. She had guests. Her neighbors and the villagers had come to pay their respects. Her aunt, uncle and her cousins had attended the funeral, of course, even though they had only called on her and Henri twice since they had moved to Roselynd. She would have to greet them, too, somehow, even though their relationship remained unpleasant and strained. She must find her composure, her strength and go downstairs. There was no avoiding her responsibility.

But what were they going to do now?

Dread was like a fist in her chest, sucking all the air out of her lungs. It turned her stomach over. And if she allowed it, there would be panic.

Carefully, not wanting to awaken her child, Evelyn D’Orsay slid from the bed. As she got up slowly, tucking her dark hair back into place while smoothing down her black velvet skirts, she was acutely aware that the bedroom was barely furnished—most of Roselynd’s furnishings had been pawned off.

She knew she should not worry about the future or their finances now. But she could not help herself. As it turned out, Henri had not been able to transfer a great deal of his wealth to Britain before they had fled France almost four years earlier. By the time they had left London, they had run down his bank accounts so badly that they had finally settled on this house, in the middle of the stark moors, as it had been offered at a surprisingly cheap price and it was all they could afford.

She reminded herself that at least Aimee had a roof over her head. The property had come with a tin mine, which was not doing well, but she intended to investigate that. Henri had never allowed her to do anything other than run his household and raise their daughter, so she was completely ignorant when it came to his finances, or the lack thereof. But she had overheard him speaking with Laurent. The war had caused the price of most metals to go sky-high, and tin was no exception. Surely there was a way to make the mine profitable, and the mine had been one reason Henri had decided upon this house.

She had but a handful of jewels left to pawn.

But there was always the gold.

Evelyn walked slowly across the bedroom, which was bare except for the four-poster bed she had just vacated, and one red-and-white-print chaise, the upholstery faded and torn. The beautiful Aubusson rug that had once covered the wood floors was gone, as were the Chippendale tables, the sofa and the beautiful mahogany secretary. A Venetian mirror was still hanging on the wall where once there had been a handsome rosewood bureau. She paused before it and stared.

She might have been considered an exceptional beauty as a young woman, but she was hardly beautiful now. Her features hadn’t changed, but she had become haggard. She was very fair, with vivid blue eyes, lush dark lashes and nearly black hair. Her eyes were almond-shaped, her cheekbones high, her nose small and slightly tilted. Her mouth was a perfect rosebud. None of that mattered. She looked tired and worn, beyond her years. She appeared to be forty—she would be twenty-five in March.

But she didn’t care if she looked old, exhausted and perhaps even ill. This past year had drained her. Henri had declined with such alarming rapidity. This past month, he hadn’t been able to do anything for himself, and he hadn’t left his bed, not a single time.

Tears arose. She brushed them aside. He had been so dashing when they had first met. She had not expected his attentions! Mutual acquaintances had directed him to her uncle’s home, and the visit of a French count had put the household in an uproar. He had fallen in love with her at first sight. She had, at first, been overwhelmed by his courtship, but she had been an orphan of fifteen. She could not recall anyone treating her with the deference, respect and admiration that he had showered upon her; it had been so easy to fall in love.

She missed him so much. Her husband had been her best friend, her confidant, her safe harbor. She had been left on her uncle’s doorstep when she was five years old by her father, her mother having just passed away, and she had never been accepted by her aunt, uncle or her cousins as anything other than the penniless relation they must raise. Her lonely childhood had been made worse by taunts and insults. Her clothes had been hand-me-downs. Her chores had included tasks no gentlewoman would ever perform. Her aunt Enid had constantly reminded her of what a burden she was, and what a sacrifice her aunt was making. Evelyn was a gentlewoman by birth, yet she had spent as much time with the servants, preparing meals and changing beds, as she had spent with her cousins. She was a part of the family, yet she was only allowed to reside on its fringes.

Henri had taken her away from all of that, and he had made her feel like a princess. But in fact, he had made her his countess.

He might have been twenty-four years older than she was, but he had died well before his time. Evelyn tried to remind herself that he was finally at peace—in more ways than one.

While he had loved her and adored their daughter, he hadn’t been happy, not since leaving France.

He had left his friends, his family and his home behind. Both of his sons from a previous marriage had been victims of Le Razor. The revolution had also taken his brother, his nieces and nephews, and his many cousins, too. Adding to his heartache had been the fact that he had never truly accepted their move to Britain; he had left his beloved country behind, as well.

Every passing day in London had made him a bit angrier. But perhaps it was the move to Cornwall that had truly changed him. He hated the Bodmin Moor, hated their home, Roselynd. He had finally told her that he hated Britain. And then he had wept for everything and everyone that he had lost.

Evelyn trembled. Henri had changed so much in the past four years, but she refused to be completely honest with herself. If she was, she might admit that the man she had loved had died a long time ago. Leaving France had destroyed his soul.

Caring for him and their daughter, in such circumstances, had been exhausting enough, and when his illness had become so severe, it had been even worse. She was exhausted now. She wondered if she would ever feel young and strong again, if she would ever feel pretty.

She stared at her reflection more intensely. If the tin mine could not be turned around, the day would come where she would not be able to feed or clothe her daughter. And she must never let that happen....

Evelyn inhaled. A month ago, when it had become clear that the end was near, Henri had told her that he had buried a small fortune in gold bullion in the backyard of their home in Nantes. Evelyn had been incredulous. But he had insisted, right down to the details of where he had buried the fortune. And she had believed him.

If she dared, a fortune awaited her and Aimee in France. And that fortune was her daughter’s birthright. It was her future. Evelyn was never going to leave her daughter destitute, the way her own father had left her.

She ignored a new, terrible pang. She must do whatever she had to for Aimee. But how on earth could she retrieve it? How could she possibly return to France, to recover the gold? She would need an escort; she would need a protector, and he would have to be someone she could trust.

To whom could she turn as an escort? Whom could she possibly trust?

Evelyn stared at the mirror, as if the looking glass might provide an answer. She could still hear her guests in conversation in the salon downstairs. Tired and grief stricken, she was not going to find any answers tonight, she decided. Yet she was almost certain that she knew the answer, that it was right there in front of her; she simply could not see it.

And as she turned, a soft knock sounded on her door. Evelyn went to her daughter, kissed her as she slept and pulled up a blanket. Then she crossed the room to the door.

* * *

LAURENT WAS WAITING for her in the hall, and he was stricken with worry. He was a slim, dark man with dark eyes, which widened upon seeing her. “Mon Dieu! I was beginning to think that you meant to ignore your guests. Everyone is wondering where you are, Comtesse, and they are preparing to leave!”

“I fell asleep,” she said softly.

“And you are exhausted, it is obvious. Still, you must greet everyone before they leave.” He shook his head. “Black is too severe, Comtesse, you should wear gray. I think I will burn that dress.”

“You are not burning this dress, as it was very costly,” Evelyn said, ushering him out and closing the door gently. “When you see Bette, would you send her up to sit with Aimee?” They started down the hall. “I don’t want her to awaken, alone, with her father having just been buried.”

“Bien sûr.” Laurent glanced worriedly at her. “You need to eat something, madame, before you fall down.”

Evelyn halted on the landing above the stairs, very aware of the crowd awaiting her downstairs. Trepidation coursed through her. “I can’t eat. I did not expect such attendance at the funeral, Laurent. I am overcome by how many strangers came to pay their respects.”

“Neither did I, Comtesse. But it is a good thing, non? If they did not come today to pay their respects, when would they come?” Evelyn smiled tightly and started down the stairs. Laurent followed. “Madame? There is something you must know.”

“What is that?” she asked, over her shoulder, pausing as they reached the marble ground floor.

“Lady Faraday and her daughter, Lady Harold, have been taking an inventory of this house. I actually saw them go into every room, ignoring the closed doors. I then saw them inspecting the draperies in the library, madame, and I was confused so I eavesdropped.”

Evelyn could imagine what was coming next, as the draperies were very old and needed to be replaced. “Let me guess. They were determining the extent of my fall into poverty.”

“They seem amused to find the draperies moth-eaten.” Laurent scowled. “I then heard them speaking, about your very unfortunate circumstances, and they were extremely pleased.”

Evelyn felt a new tension arise. She did not want to recall her childhood now. “My aunt was never kindly disposed toward me, Laurent, and she was furious I made such a good match with Henri, when her daughter was far more eligible. She dared to say so, several times, directly to me—when I had nothing to do with Henri’s suit. I am not surprised that they inspected this house. Nor am I surprised that they are happy I am currently impoverished.” She shrugged. “The past is passed, and I intend to be a gracious hostess.”

But Evelyn bit her lip, as memories of her childhood tried to rush up and engulf her. She suddenly recalled spending the day pressing her cousin Lucille’s gowns, her fingers burned from the hot iron, her stomach so empty it was aching. She couldn’t recall what mischief she had been accused of committing, but Lucille had habitually fabricated attacks upon her, causing her aunt to find some suitable punishment.

She hadn’t seen her cousin, now married to a squire, since her wedding, and she hoped Lucille had matured, and had better things to do than amuse herself at Evelyn’s expense. But clearly, her aunt remained inclined against her. It was so petty.

“Then you must remember that she is merely a gentlewoman, while you are the Comtesse D’Orsay,” Laurent said firmly.

Evelyn did smile at him. But she had no intention of throwing her title in anyone’s face, especially not when her finances were so strained. She hesitated on the threshold of the salon, which was as threadbare as her bedroom. The walls were painted a pleasing yellow, and the wainscoting and woodwork were very fine, but only a striped gold-and-white sofa and two cream-colored chairs remained in the room, surrounding a lonely marble-topped table. And everyone she had seen at the funeral was now crowded into the room.

Evelyn entered the salon and turned immediately to her closest guests. A big, bluff man with dark hair bowed awkwardly over her hand, his tiny wife at his side. Evelyn fought to identify him.

“John Trim, my lady, of the Black Briar Inn. I saw your husband once or twice, when he was on the road to London and he stopped for a drink and eats. My wife baked you scones. And we have brought you some very fine Darjeeling tea.”

“I am Mrs. Trim.” A tiny, dark-haired woman stepped forward. “Oh, you poor dear, I can’t imagine what you are going through! And your daughter is so pretty—just like you! She will love the scones, I am certain. The tea, of course, is for you.”

Evelyn was speechless.

“Come down to the inn when you can. We have some very fine teas, my lady, and you will enjoy them.” She was firm. “We take care of our own, we do.”

Evelyn realized that this Cornishwoman considered her a neighbor, still, never mind that she had spent five years living in France, and that she had married a Frenchman. Now she regretted never stopping by the Black Briar Inn for tea since moving to Roselynd. If she had, she would know these good, kind people.

And as she began greeting the villagers, she realized that everyone seemed genuinely sympathetic and that most of the women present had brought her pies, muffins, dried preserves or some other kind of edible gift. Evelyn was so moved. She knew she was going to become undone by all of the compassion her neighbors were evincing.

The villagers finally drifted away, leaving for their homes. Evelyn now saw her aunt and uncle, as only her family remained in the room.

Aunt Enid stood with her two daughters by the marble mantel above the fireplace. Enid Faraday was a stout woman in a beautiful gray-satin gown and pearls. Her eldest daughter, Lucille—the initiator of so many of Evelyn’s childhood woes—also wore pearls and an expensive and fashionable dark blue velvet gown. She was now pleasantly plump, but she was still a pretty blonde.

Evelyn glanced at Annabelle, her other cousin, who remained unwed. She wore gray silk, had brownish-blond hair, and while once fat, she was now very slim and very pretty. Annabelle had always followed Lucille’s lead and had been very submissive to her mother. Evelyn wondered if she had learned how to think for herself. She certainly hoped so.

Her aunt and cousins had seen her, as well. They all stared, brows raised.

Evelyn managed a slight smile; none of her female relations smiled back.

Evelyn turned to her uncle, who was approaching her. Robert Faraday was a tall, portly man with a rather distinguished air. Her father’s older brother, he had inherited the estate, while her father had taken his annual pension and gone gaming in Europe’s infamous brothels and halls. In appearance, Robert hadn’t changed.

“I am terribly sorry for your loss, Evelyn,” Robert said gravely. He took both of her hands in his and kissed her on the cheek, surprising her. “I liked Henri, very much.”

Evelyn knew he meant it. Robert had become friendly with her husband when he had first come to stay at Faraday Hall. When Henri wasn’t courting Evelyn, he and Robert had been hacking, hunting or taking brandy together in the library. He had attended the wedding in Paris, and unlike Enid, he had enjoyed himself extremely. But then, he had never shared his wife’s antipathy toward Evelyn. If anything, he had been somewhat absent and indifferent.

“It is a damned shame,” her uncle continued. “I so liked the fellow and he has been good to you. I remember when he first laid eyes on you. His mouth dropped open and he turned as red as a beet.” Robert smiled. “By the time supper was over, you were strolling in the garden with him.”

Evelyn smiled sadly. “It is a beautiful memory. I will cherish it forever.”

“Of course you will.” He remained grave, his gaze direct. “You will get through, Evelyn. You were a strong child and you have obviously become a strong woman. And you are a very young woman, still, so in time, you will recover from this tragedy. Let me know what I can do to help.”

She thought about the tin mine. “I wouldn’t mind asking you for some advice.”

“Anytime,” he said firmly. He turned.

Enid Faraday stepped forward, smiling. “I am so sorry about the count, Evelyn.”

Evelyn managed to smile in return. “Thank you. I am consoling myself by remembering that he is at peace now. He suffered greatly in the end.”

“You know we wish to help you in any way that we can.” She smiled, but her gaze was on Evelyn’s expensive black velvet gown and the pearls she wore with them. Diamonds encrusted the clasp, which she wore on the side of her neck. “You must only ask.”

“I am sure I will be fine,” Evelyn said firmly. “But thank you for coming today.”

“How could I fail to attend the funeral? The count was the catch of your lifetime,” Enid responded. “You know how happy I was for you. Lucille? Annabelle? Come, give your cousin your condolences.”

Evelyn was too tired to decipher the innuendo, if there was one, or to dispute her version of the past. Now she hoped to end the conversation as quickly as possible, as most of her guests were gone and she wished to retire. Lucille presented herself. As she stiffly embraced her, Evelyn saw that her eyes glittered with malice, as if the past decade hadn’t happened. “Hello, Evelyn. I am so sorry for your loss.”

Evelyn simply nodded. “Thank you for attending the funeral, Lucille. I appreciate it.”

“Of course I would come—we are family!” She smiled. “And this is my husband, Lord Harold. I don’t believe you have met.”

Evelyn somehow smiled at the plump young man who nodded at her.

“It is so tragic, really, to be reunited under such circumstances,” Lucille cried, jostling in front of her husband, who stepped backward to accommodate her. “It feels like yesterday that we were at that magnificent church in Paris. Do you remember? You were sixteen, and I was a year older. And I do believe D’Orsay had a hundred guests, everyone in rubies and emeralds.”

Evelyn wondered what Lucille was doing—certain that a barb was coming. “I doubt that everyone was in jewels.” But unfortunately, her description of the wedding was more accurate than not; before the revolution, the French aristocracy was prone to terribly lavish displays of wealth. And Henri had spent a fortune on the affair—as if there were no tomorrow. A pang of regret went through her—but neither one of them could have foreseen the future.

“I had never seen so many wealthy aristocrats. But now, most of them must be as poor as paupers—or even dead!” Lucille stared, seemingly rather innocently.

But Evelyn could hardly breathe. Of course Lucille wished to point out how impoverished Evelyn now was. “That is a terrible remark to make.” It was rude and cruel—Evelyn would never say such a thing.

“You berate me?” Lucille was incredulous.

“I am not trying to berate anyone,” Evelyn said, instantly retreating. She was tired, and she had no interest in fanning the flames of any old wars.

“Lucille,” Robert interjected with disapproval. “The French are our friends—and they have suffered greatly—unjustly.”

“And apparently, so has Evelyn.” Lucille finally smirked. “Look at this house! It is threadbare! And, Papa, I am not retracting a single word! We gave her a roof over her head, and the first thing she did was to ensnare the count the moment he stepped in our door.” She glared.

Evelyn fought to keep her temper, no easy task when she was so unbearably tired. She would ignore the dig that she was a fortune hunter. “What has happened to my husband’s family and his countrymen is a tragedy,” Evelyn said tersely.

“I hardly said it was not!” Lucille was annoyed. “We all hate the republicans, Evelyn, surely you know that! But now, you are here, a widow of almost twenty-five, a countess, and where is your furniture?”

Lucille hated her even now, Evelyn thought. And while she knew she did not have to respond, she said, “We fled France—to keep our heads. A great deal was left behind.”

Lucille made a mocking sound as her father took her elbow. “It is time for us to go, Lucille, and you have a long drive home. Lady Faraday,” Robert said decisively to his wife. He nodded at Evelyn and began guiding Enid and Lucille out, Harold following with Annabelle.

Evelyn slumped in relief. But Annabelle looked back at her, offering a tentative and commiserating smile. Evelyn straightened, surprised. Then Annabelle, along with her family, disappeared into the front hall.

Evelyn turned, relieved. But the feeling vanished as she was instantly faced with two young gentlemen.

Her cousin John smiled hesitantly at her. “Hello, Evelyn.”

Evelyn hadn’t seen John since her wedding. He was tall and attractive, taking after his father both physically and in character. And he had been her one somewhat secret ally, during those difficult years of her childhood. He had been her friend, even if he had chosen not to engage his sisters directly.

Evelyn leaped into his arms. “I am so glad to see you! Why haven’t you called? Oh, you have become so handsome!”

He pulled back, blushing. “I am a solicitor now, Evelyn, and my offices are in Falmouth. And…I wasn’t sure I would be welcome—not after all you endured at the hands of my family. I am sorry that Lucille is still so hatefully disposed toward you.”

“But you are my friend,” she cried, meaning it. She had glanced at the dark handsome man standing with him, and recognized him instantly. Shocked, she felt her smile vanish.

He grinned a bit at her, but no mirth entered his dark eyes. “She is jealous,” he said softly.

“Trev?” she asked.

Edward Trevelyan stepped forward. “Lady D’Orsay. I am flattered that you remember me.”

“You haven’t changed that much,” she said slowly, still surprised. Trevelyan had evinced a strong interest in her before Henri had swept into her life. The heir to a large estate with several mines and a great tenant farm, it had almost seemed that he meant to seriously court her—until her aunt had forbidden Evelyn from accepting his calls. She hadn’t seen him since she was fifteen years old. He had been handsome and titled then; he was handsome and commanding now.

“Neither have you. You remain the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”

She knew she blushed. “That is certainly an exaggeration—so you are still the ladies’ man?”

“Hardly. I merely wish to flatter an old and dear friend—truthfully.” He bowed. Then, he said, “My wife died last year. I am a widower, my lady.”

Without thinking, she said, “Evelyn. We can hardly stand on formality, can we? And I am sorry to hear that.”

He smiled at her, but his gaze was filled with speculation.

John stepped in. “And I am affianced. We are to wed in June. I wish for you to meet Matilda, Evelyn. You will like her very much.”

She took his hand impulsively. “I am so happy for you.”

Evelyn realized that she was now standing alone with the two gentlemen—everyone else had left. Her salon mostly empty, she became aware of just how exhausted she was—and that, as happy as she was to see both John and Trev, she desperately needed to lie down and rest.

“You seem tired,” John said. “We will take our leave.”

She walked them to the front door. “I am so glad you called. Give me a few days—I can’t wait to meet your fiancée.”

John hugged her, rather inappropriately. “Of course.”

Trev was more formal. “I know this is a terrible time for you, Evelyn. If I can help, in any way, I would love to do so.”

“I doubt that anyone can help. My heart, Trev, is sorely broken.”

He studied her for a moment, and then both men stepped outside.

Evelyn saw their mounts tied to the railing as she closed the door—and that was the last thing she saw. Instantly, blackness claimed her and she collapsed.

* * *

“YOU ARE SO exhausted that you fainted!”

Evelyn shoved the smelling salts with their sickly odor from her nostrils. She was seated on the cold, hard marble floor, a pillow between her and the front door. Laurent and his wife knelt beside her, both extremely concerned.

And she was still light-headed. “Is everyone gone?”

“Yes, everyone has left—and you swooned the moment the last guest was gone,” Laurent accused. “I should have never allowed the guests to stay as long as they did.”

“Aimee?”

“She is still asleep,” Adelaide said. She stood. “I am going to get you something to eat.”

Evelyn saw from the look on her face that protesting that she was not hungry would not dissuade her. Adelaide walked away, and she looked at Laurent. “This has been the longest day of my life.” God, the tears threatened her again. Damn it. She would not cry!

“It is over,” he soothed.

She gave him her hand and he helped her to stand up. As she did, a terrible migraine began. And with it came the now-familiar surging of panic and fear. “What are we going to do now?” she whispered.

He had become her confidant in these past few years, and she did not have to elaborate. “You can worry about Aimee’s future tomorrow.”

“I cannot think about anything else!”

He sighed. “Madame, you just fainted. We do not need to discuss finances tonight.”

“There are hardly any finances to discuss. But I intend to start going over the estate ledgers and my accounts tomorrow.”

“And how will you read them? They befuddled the count. I tried to help him, but I could not understand the numbers myself.”

She studied him. “I heard you and Henri discussing the arrival of a new foreman. Did the previous foreman leave?”

Laurent was grim. “He was dismissed, madame.”

“Why?”

“We have suspected theft, Lady D’Orsay, for some time. When le comte purchased this estate, the mine was doing handsomely. Now, there is nothing.”

So there was hope, she thought, staring at the dapper Frenchman.

“I am afraid to ask what you are thinking,” he said.

“Laurent, I am thinking that I have very little left to pawn.”

“And?”

He knew her so well, she thought. And he knew almost everything there was to know about her, Henri and their affairs. But did he know about the gold? “Two weeks ago, Henri told me that he had buried a chest filled with gold at the château in Nantes.”

Laurent simply met her gaze.

“You know!” she exclaimed, surprised.

“Of course I know—I was there—I helped him bury the chest.”

Evelyn started. “So it’s true. He did not leave us penniless. He left a fortune for us.”

“It’s true.” They stared at each other. “What are you going to do?” he said unhappily.

“It has been quiet in France, since the fall of Robespierre.”

He inhaled. “Please do not tell me that you are considering retrieving the gold!”

“No, I am not considering it—I have made up my mind.” And she was resolved. Her decision was made. “I am going to find someone to take me to France, and I am bringing that gold back—not for myself—but for Aimee.”

“And who could you possibly trust with such a fortune?” he cried, paling.

But even as he spoke, the image came to her mind of a tall, powerful man standing on the deck of a ship racing the sea with unfurled black sails, his golden hair blowing in the wind....

She could not breathe or move. She hadn’t thought about the smuggler who had helped her and her family escape France in years.

My services are expensive.

Thank me when we reach Britain.

Evelyn looked up at Laurent, stunned.

“Whom could you possibly trust with your life?” he added desperately.

She wet her lips. “Jack Greystone,” she said.

CHAPTER TWO

EVELYN STARED OUT of her bedroom window, still in her nightclothes, her hair braided. She was hugging herself.

She had just awoken. But she had slept fitfully, and her rest had been interrupted with terrible dreams. Oddly, she had been dreaming of her childhood. Of going to bed without supper, and being so lonely she had cried herself to sleep. And she had dreamed of Lucille and Enid, both of them mocking her for her airs, and declaring that she had gotten just what she deserved.

But then her dreams had changed, and she had dreamed that she was running through the night, being chased by evil. The night had become familiar, and she realized she wasn’t on foot—she was in a carriage, and Aimee was crying in her arms. But they were being pursued. The gendarmerie were after them, and if they did not escape, Henri might be arrested and executed. She was terrified. The hand of evil was right behind them, ready to snatch them back....

She had awoken in a sweat, shivering with fear, her stomach in knots, tears upon her cheeks. It had taken her a second to return to reality and recall that she was not in the midst of fleeing France on that particular summer night. Henri had been buried yesterday, at the local parish church. She wasn’t in France; she was at Roselynd.

Her chest seemed to tighten.

The sight of Jack Greystone standing at the helm of his black ship, all sails unfurled, his legs braced against the sea, his tawny hair whipped by the wind, assaulted her. The image was one of power and command.

She suddenly found it hard to breathe.

She hadn’t thought about Greystone in years—not until yesterday.

Was she really going to approach him and ask him for his services—again?

Did she have any other choice? Henri was dead, and she had to recover the gold he had left for them.

She trembled, because Henri’s death still felt unreal—as if a part of her dream. Grief rose up instantly, choking her. So did fear, and even the feeling of abandonment. God, she was so alone, so overwhelmed, and frightened.

If only Henri had retrieved the gold before his death. But he had left that monumental task up to her, Evelyn. She prayed she was up to it.

Aimee would never find herself in the straits that Evelyn had been left in as a child, she vowed. Evelyn’s father had loved her, or so she believed, but he had failed in his responsibility to her. He had been right to leave her with Robert, as he was too reckless and irresponsible to care for her, but it had been wrong to leave her penniless. She, Evelyn, must never fail her daughter.

“Mama? Are you crying?”

Aimee’s small, frightened voice cut through her thoughts. Evelyn realized she was battling rising tears, but some of them were due to the great strain she was under. She faced her daughter, but not before wiping her eyes quickly with her fingertips. “Darling! Have I overslept?” She swept her close, into a big embrace.

“You never sleep in,” Aimee whispered. “Are you tired today?”

“I was very tired, darling, but I am back to being myself now.” Evelyn kissed her. “I will always miss your father,” Evelyn said softly. “He was a good man, a good husband, a good father.” But why hadn’t he retrieved the gold in the past five years? Why had he left her with such a daunting task? When he hadn’t allowed her any duties except those of being a mother and a wife, when he was still alive? If she had been allowed more independence, she might not feel so overwhelmed now.

She stepped back from Aimee, knowing she must find the kind of courage she never had before.

“Is Papa watching us from Heaven?” Aimee asked.

Evelyn wet her lips and somehow smiled. “Papa is certainly still with us—he will always be with us, even when he goes further into Heaven, he will be in our hearts and in our memories.”

But suddenly she didn’t understand why he hadn’t at the very least made arrangements to have that gold brought from France to them. He had been of sound mind until the very end.

Was she actually angry with Henri now? She was incredulous. He had just passed, and she must not be angry with him! He had been so ill, he had loved her and Aimee, and if he could have recovered that gold for them, he would have done so!

And if Henri hadn’t been able to retrieve the gold, was she mad to think that she could do so now, when she was just a woman, and a somewhat pampered noblewoman, at that?

But she would not go to France alone. She hoped to go there with Jack Greystone, and he was certainly capable of achieving anything he set his mind to.

His image assailed her again, as he stood at his ship’s helm, the wind buffeting his shirt against his body, his hair streaming in it, as his cutter raced the wind.

Aimee stared solemnly at her. “I want Papa to be happy now.”

Evelyn quickly hugged her. Aimee had seen how bitter and dark her father had become over the past few years. Children could not be fooled. She had sensed his anguish, his pain and his anger. “Your papa is certainly at peace now, Aimee, because he is in heaven with angels,” she said softly. Aimee nodded solemnly. “Can he see us, Mama? From heaven?”

“I think he can.” She smiled. “And that is how he will always watch over us. Now, can you leave me while I get dressed? And then we can take le petit déjeuner together.”

And as Aimee nodded, smiling, Evelyn watched her leave the room. The moment her daughter was gone, she let Jack Greystone fill her thoughts. Her chest seemed to tighten again. And she most certainly knew why—but she hadn’t expected to have such a silly reaction to the mere idea of him, not after all of these years.

Carefully, she sorted through her memories.

Henri had slept through most of the Channel crossing, and Bette had read to Aimee until the sea had lulled her back to sleep. Evelyn had stood by the porthole, watching the sunrise as it turned the sea pink and gold, marveling at the experience of crossing the Channel on a swift sloop with black sails. But she had been impatient. She hadn’t wanted to remain in his cabin—while he was on deck.

And as soon as Aimee was asleep, with the sun barely in the sky, she had gone up on deck.

The sight of Jack Greystone standing at the helm of his ship was one she would never forget. She had watched him for a moment, noting his wide stance, his strong powerful build, as he braced against the wind. His hair had come loose, and it was whipped by the wind. Then he had turned and seen her.

Evelyn remembered his gaze being searing, even across the distance of the deck. However, she was probably imagining that. He had seemed to accept her presence, turning back to face the prow, and she had stood by the cabin, watching him command the vessel for a long time.

Eventually he had left the helm, crossing the deck to her. “There’s a ship on the horizon. We’re only an hour from Dover—you should go below.”

She had trembled, their gazes locked. “Are we being pursued?”

“I don’t know yet, and if we are, there is no way they can catch us before we reach land. However, we could encounter other vessels, this close to Britain. Go below, Lady LeClerc.”

It wasn’t a question. Silently, she had retreated to his cabin.

And there had been no chance to thank him when they had reached their berth, just south of London. Two of his sailors, in striped boatnecked tunics and scarves about their heads, had escorted her and her family to land in a small rowboat. Somehow he had arranged a wagon for them, in which they had been transported to the city. As they got into the vehicle, she had seen him in the distance, astride a black horse, watching them. She had wanted to thank him and she had wanted to wave; she hadn’t done either.

As she got dressed now, choosing her dove-gray satin, she was reflective. He had haunted her for several days, and perhaps even several weeks. She had even written him a letter, thanking him for his help. But she hadn’t known where to send it, and in the end, she had tucked it away.

She was older and wiser now. He had rescued her, her husband and her daughter, and she had been somewhat smitten with him—not because he was undeniably attractive, but out of gratitude. Although she had paid him for his services—even if it was less than he had initially asked for—she owed him for the lives of her and her family. That cast him as a hero.

Trembling, she fastened the clasp of her pearl necklace, regarding herself in the mirror, surprised that she did not look half as haggard as she had yesterday. Her eyes held a new light, one that was almost a sparkle, and her cheeks were flushed.

Well, she certainly had her work cut out for her. She had no idea how to locate Jack Greystone, but now that she had thought about it, she was resolved. She trusted him with her life and she even trusted him, perhaps foolishly, with Henri’s gold. He was the man for the task at hand.

Before there had been fear and panic. Now, there was hope.

* * *

EVERYONE KNEW THAT the road between Bodmin and London was heavily used by smugglers to transport their cargoes north to the towns just outside of the city, where the black market thrived. Having been raised at Faraday Hall, just outside of Fowey, Evelyn certainly knew it, too. Smuggling was a way of life in Cornwall. Her uncle had been “investing” in local smuggling ventures ever since she could recall. As a child, she had thrilled when the call went out that the smugglers were about to drop anchor, often in the cove just below the house. As long as the revenue men were not nearby, the smugglers would boldly berth in plain sight and in broad daylight, and everyone from the parish would turn out to help them unload their valuable cargo.

Farmers would loan their horses and donkeys to help move the goods inland; young tubsmen would pack ankers from the beach to the waiting wagons, huffing and puffing with their load; batsmen would be spread about, bats held high, just in case the preventive men appeared....

Children would cling to their mother’s skirts. Casks of beer would be opened. There would be music, dancing, drinking and a great celebration, for the free trade was profitable for everyone.

Now, in hindsight, Evelyn knew what had brought Henri to Cornwall and her uncle’s home in the first place. He had been investing in the free trade, as well, as so many merchants and noblemen were wont to do. It wasn’t always easy making a profit, but when profits were made, they were vast.

She suddenly recalled standing with Henri in his wine cellars, in their château in Nantes, perhaps a year after giving birth to Aimee. He had insisted she come down to the cellar with him. His mood had been jovial, she now recalled, and she had been in that first flush of motherhood.

“Do you see this, my darling?” Still dashing and handsome, exquisitely dressed in a satin coat and breeches with white stockings, he had swept his hand across the rows of barrels lining his cellar. “You are looking at a fortune, my dear.”

She had been puzzled, but pleased to find him in such good spirits. “What is in the barrels? They look like the barrels the smugglers in Fowey used.”

He had laughed. “How clever you are!” Henri had explained that they were the very same kinds of casks used by smugglers everywhere, and that they were filled with liquid gold. He had untapped a barrel and poured clear liquid into the glass he held. She now knew that the liquid was unfiltered, undiluted, one-hundred-proof alcohol, which in no way resembled the brandy he drank every night, and had been drinking a moment ago.

“You can’t drink it this way,” he had explained. “It will truly kill you.”

She hadn’t understood. He had explained that after it arrived at its final destination in England, it would be colored with caramel and diluted.

And he had hugged her. “I intend to keep you in your silks, satins and diamonds, always,” he had said. “You will never lack for anything, my dear.”

Like her uncle, and a great many of her neighbors, Henri had financed and invested in various smugglers, both before and after their marriage. She knew he had stopped those investments when they had left France. There hadn’t been enough in their coffers for him to finance those ventures anymore; he had become averse to taking risks.

He had intended to make certain that she had the resources with which to raise her daughter in luxury, but he had failed. Instead, she was the one fighting for enough funds to raise Aimee. She was the one seated in a carriage now, about to enter the kind of establishment no lady should ever enter alone, because she had to locate a smuggler, in order to provide for her daughter.

The Black Briar Inn was just ahead on the road, and Evelyn stared. Her heart skipped. She had taken the single horse curricle by herself, ignoring Laurent’s protestations. If she was going to locate Jack Greystone, she would have to begin making inquiries somewhere, and the inn seemed like the most logical starting point. Surely John Trim knew Greystone—or knew of him. Surely Greystone had, at some time or another, used the coves in and around Fowey to land his cargoes. If he had, they would have had to traverse this road in order to reach London’s black markets.

There was no other dwelling in sight. The inn sat upon the Bodmin Moor and the road to London in absolute isolation—a two-storied whitewashed building, with a slate-gray roof, a white brick stable adjacent. Two saddled horses and three wagons were parked in the stone courtyard. Trim had customers.

Evelyn braked her gig and slowly got out, tying her mare to the railing in front of the inn. As she patted the mare, a young boy of eleven or twelve came running out of the adjacent stables. Evelyn told him she wouldn’t be long, and asked him to water the mare for her.

Evelyn pulled her black wool cloak closed, while removing her hood. As she crossed the front steps of the inn, she pulled off her gloves. She could hear men speaking in casual conversation as she pushed open the front door.

There was some tension as she stepped directly inside the inn’s taproom. She realized she hadn’t been inside an inn’s public rooms in years—not since she had briefly paused with her family in Brest, before fleeing France.

Eight men were seated at one of the long trestle tables in the room, and all conversation ceased the moment she shut the front door behind her. One of the men was John Trim, the proprietor, and he leaped to his feet instantly.

Her heart raced. She felt terribly out of place in the common room. “Mr. Trim?”

“Lady D’Orsay?” His shock vanished as he came forward, beaming. “This is a surprise! Come, do sit down, and let me get the missus.” He guided her toward a small table with four chairs.

“Thank you. Mr. Trim, I was hoping for a private word, if possible.” She was aware now of the silence in the room, that all eyes were trained upon them, and that every word she uttered was being heeded.

Trim’s dark brows rose, and he nodded. He led her into a small private dining room. “Please, have a seat, and I will be back in one minute,” he said, and rushed out.

Evelyn sat down, rather ruefully, certain he was racing to his wife to tell her that she had called. She laid her gloves down on the dining table, glancing around the simple room. A brick fireplace was on one wall, several paintings of the sea on the others. He had left the door open, and she could see into the common room if she wished to do so.

She had no intention of explaining to Trim why she wished to engage a smuggler, and a specific smuggler at that. But she did not expect him to press her.

Trim returned, smiling. “The missus is bringing tea.”

“That is so kind of you.” Evelyn smiled as he took a seat, now clutching her reticule tightly. “Mr. Trim, I was wondering if you are acquainted with Jack Greystone.”

Trim was so taken aback that his eyes widened and his brows shot up, and Evelyn knew his answer was yes. “Everyone knows of Greystone, Lady D’Orsay. He is the greatest smuggler Cornwall has ever seen.”

She was aware of her heart racing. “Do you know him personally, sir? Has he passed through this inn?”

His expression of surprise was as comical as before. “My lady, I mean no disrespect, by why do you ask?”

He was wary, but of course he was—smugglers were hardly free men. “I must locate him. I cannot explain why, exactly, but I am in need of his services.”

Trim blinked.

She smiled grimly. “Greystone got my family out of France, almost four years ago. I prefer not to say why I must speak with him now, but it is an urgent matter.”

“And it isn’t my concern, of course,” Trim said. “Yes, Lady D’Orsay, he has passed through my inn, once or twice. But I will be honest with you—I haven’t seen him in several years.”

Her disappointment was immediate. “Do you know how I can find him?”

“No, I do not. The rumor is that Greystone lives in an abandoned castle on a deserted island, in the utmost secrecy.”

“That is hardly helpful,” Evelyn mused. “I must find him, sir.”

“I don’t know if you can. There’s been a bounty on his head, which would explain why he lives on that island. He is wanted by the British authorities, Lady D’Orsay.”

Evelyn was slightly amused. “Aren’t all free traders wanted by the preventive men?” Smuggling had been a capital offense for as long as Evelyn could recall. Bounties were hardly uncommon. However, a great many smugglers got off scot-free, once they agreed to serve in His Majesty’s navy, or find a few friends to do so in their stead. A smuggler might be able to plead down his case, as well, if he had the right solicitor. Many smugglers were deported, but they often returned, illicitly, of course. No smuggler took a bounty very seriously.

Trim shook his head grimly. “You don’t understand. He has been running the British blockade. If His Majesty’s men catch him, he will hang—not for smuggling, but for treason.”

Evelyn froze. He was running King George’s blockade of France? He was supplying the French in a time of war? Suddenly she was cold. “I don’t believe it.”

“Oh, he’s running the blockade, Lady D’Orsay—they say he brags often and openly about it. And that is treason.”

Evelyn was shaken. “Is he a spy, then, too?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

She stared, but rather than seeing Trim before her, she saw Jack Greystone at the helm of his ship. So many Cornish smugglers were spies for the French. But he had helped them escape France. Surely a French spy would not have done that.

She did not know why she was so dismayed. “I must speak with him, Mr. Trim, and if you can help me, I will forever appreciate it.”

“I will do my best. I will make some inquiries on your behalf. But my understanding is that he lies very low, to avoid His Majesty’s Men. If he is not at sea, he is on his island. I do know that, once in a while, he has been seen in Fowey. You might try the White Hart Inn.”

Faraday Hall was just outside Fowey. Was it possible that her uncle might know, or know of, Greystone?

“You might also go to London,” Trim said as his wife entered the room with a tray filled with tea and refreshments. “His two sisters live there, and so does his brother, or so I have heard.”

* * *

EVELYN STARED AT the letter she was trying to write.

Dear Lady Paget,

I hope I am not offending you by writing to you now. We have never met, and you may find my request presumptuous, but it has come to my attention that you are Jack Greystone’s sister. I was briefly acquainted with him several years ago, and am currently trying to contact him. If you could help me do so, I would be greatly in your debt.

Sincerely,

Lady Evelyn D’Orsay

It did not seem right—it seemed terribly forward and bold. Evelyn laid her quill down and tore the parchment into shreds.

Any woman receiving such a missive would instantly dismiss it. If she received such a letter, she would assume that some lovesick woman was pursuing her brother! Yet Evelyn could not state why she wished to locate Greystone, and therein lay the problem.

She might have to go to London, and boldly call on either the Countess of Bedford or the Countess of St Just, Evelyn thought grimly. As she did not know either woman, the notion was daunting. However, she had learned that Lady Paget was married to a man with French relations, so she might be able to use that as some kind of entrée. But before she took such a trip, which would require some expenses and take several days, she would leave no stone unturned in Cornwall.

She felt some despair. Having already spent the past week unearthing a great many Cornish stones she did not have very many left to turn over.

Greystone had a bounty on his head. If caught, there would be no pleading down the charges of smuggling, no simple transportation. If caught, he could be imprisoned indefinitely—habeas corpus had been suspended last May—or he could hang, as John Trim had said. And that meant…Jack Greystone was in hiding.

Of course he was. She happened to know firsthand how clever, resourceful and adept he was. She had no doubt that he was also an extremely wary man. A few days ago, she had been so hopeful, and so certain, that she would be able to find him and convince him to aid her in recovering the gold in France. Now she was filled with doubt. It almost felt as though she was looking for a needle in a haystack. If he did not wish to be found, would she ever be able to locate him?

She had spent the past week asking everyone she thought could be even remotely helpful about him. She had gone to the various shopkeepers in the local village, one by one, but while everyone knew of him, no one knew him personally. He was most definitely notorious, and held in the highest esteem by the local Cornish people.

Then she had turned her attention to Fowey. She had spoken to the owner of the White Hart Inn, as John Trim had suggested, but he had been purposefully unhelpful.

She had spent two days in town, speaking with the shopkeepers and merchants there, but to no avail. She was beginning to think that there were very few stones left to turn. Of course, there did remain one—and it was a rock.

She was going to have to call on her uncle.

* * *

EVELYN STARED AT the imposing front entrance of her aunt and uncle’s home. A tall square stone house, the front entrance was in the style of a temple, with large columns supporting a pediment. She inhaled. She had not been back to Faraday Hall since her marriage, almost nine years ago.

As she slowly got out of the gig, she thought about her childhood: her aunt’s constant harping, Lucille’s cruelty, and spending most of her time by herself, doing various chores. A wave of loneliness swept over her. It was accompanied by a wave of grief. How had she survived such a lonely childhood? Her husband had changed all of that, by taking her away from this place, by giving her Aimee. But in that moment, as she stood there looking at the entrance of the house, she felt just as lonely as she had as a child. In that moment, she missed Henri, and realized how alone she was, even though she was a mother, and Laurent, Adelaide and Bette were as loyal and beloved as family.

It was foolish nonsense, she decided, shaking herself free of such despondency.

Evelyn rapped on the front door, using the brass-ring knocker. A moment passed before Thomas answered. The butler, whom she had known for years, took one look at her and gasped. “Miss Evelyn?” he asked.

She smiled at the short, bald manservant. “Yes, Thomas, it is I—Evelyn.”

He flushed and bowed. “I beg your pardon, Countess!”

She smiled, and in doing so, shook off the last vestiges of her past. “You must not bow to me,” she said.

She meant it. The staff had always been kind to her—far kinder than her own family.

A few moments later, she was escorted in to see her uncle, and she was relieved that her aunt was not at home. Robert greeted her warmly, surprising her. “I am so glad you have called. I have been meaning to send Enid to do so, to see how you are faring,” he said. “But you look well, Evelyn, considering what you are going through.”

She wondered if she had misjudged her uncle, if his indifference had been nothing more than that. “We are managing, and do not put Aunt Enid out, please, not on my account. I have decided to ask you for help, if your offer stands.”

He gestured for her to sit in one of the two chairs before his desk. A tall window was behind it, and through it, she could see the gardens behind the house, and the sea, just above the treetops. He turned to the butler, asking for tea and cakes. Then he sat down behind his desk. “I would love to help you if I can.”

“Will you keep what I am about to tell you in confidence?” she asked. “I am in an unusual position, and I hardly wish to have anyone know—not even my aunt.”

His smile was amused. “I keep a great many confidences from my wife, Evelyn, and I hardly failed to notice that she did not care for you greatly when you were a child.” He sighed. “I have never understood the ladies.”

She had no comment to make on that sore subject. “I am sure you have noticed that I am currently somewhat short on funds. However, Henri left a fortune for me and Aimee—at our home in France. The time has come for me to find a way to retrieve the family heirlooms he has left us, and I have decided to hire someone to do so.” She had decided not to tell her uncle that she meant to go with Greystone to France to retrieve the fortune there.

“I am relieved to hear that D’Orsay left something for you, but by God, how will you ever convince anyone to go to France now to retrieve the valuables? And are you sure that whatever Henri left for you, it is worth the risk?”

“It is quieter in France now than when we left, isn’t it?”

“It is hardly quiet! The countryside remains up in arms over the secularization of the clergy. Mobs continually attack the priests who have taken the new oaths required of them while opposing mobs attack the priests who have refused to do so. Vigilantes hunt down the terrorists, or what remains of them. The need for revenge remains as strong as ever—it is just directed at different groups. How will you find someone capable of getting to France—and then getting to your country home there? And again, what if nothing remains of the heirlooms? There has been a great deal of looting and theft in the great châteaus.”

He made her plan sound daunting and difficult, indeed. God, what if the gold was gone? “I have to attempt to retrieve it, Uncle. Henri said he left us a chest of gold,” she finally confessed.

His eyes widened. “That would be a good fortune, indeed! But then you have the problem of finding someone you can trust!”

How perfect his cue. “Have you ever heard of Jack Greystone? He smuggled us from France, and I was impressed with his courage and his skill. I have been trying to locate him since the funeral.”

Robert stared, flushing a little. “Of course I have heard of him, Evelyn. He is rather famous. Or should I say infamous? I didn’t know Greystone got you out of the country. Well, I am not surprised you think he is the man for the mission. I suppose, if anyone could retrieve that gold, it is he. And I would even trust him to do so, in this case—he is rather fond of beautiful women. Or so they say!”

Was he suggesting that Jack Greystone would help her because she was beautiful? “I am prepared to pay him well,” she added. “Once he retrieves the fortune.”

“I do not know if I can ferret him out,” he quickly said with another flush.

Evelyn was dismayed, but trying to decipher Robert’s somewhat odd behavior. She sensed he was withholding something. “Is there something I should know?” she asked.

“Of course not. I will begin making a few inquiries for you, immediately,” he said. “How is your daughter managing, Evelyn?”

She tried to hide her disappointment, wondering if she was engaging in more futile action. Briefly, they discussed Aimee, and Evelyn assured him that Aimee was doing well.

She was about to leave when she heard the front door open. Evelyn grimaced as she thanked her uncle and left the study, leaving him immersed in his papers.

But her aunt was not in the front hall; Annabelle was there, and so was Trevelyan. She was handing off her cloak, as he was his coat, and when she saw Evelyn, Annabelle faltered. Trev instantly came forward, smiling. “This is a delightful surprise,” he said with a brief bow.

The gesture was not affected—it was casual and elegant. Evelyn was as surprised to see them—and especially to see them together, but of course, they had all been friends since childhood. She smiled and came forward. “Hello, Trev. Have you been escorting my cousin about?”

“Actually, I was calling on Robert, and I bumped into her in the drive. How are you, Evelyn? You are looking very well today.”

“I am doing better, thank you,” she said, having briefly wondered if a romance might be brewing between Trev and her cousin. She turned to Annabelle. “We did not have a chance to speak the other day. You have become a beautiful young woman, Annabelle.”

Annabelle blushed. “Hello, Evelyn, I mean, Countess. Thank you. I am sorry I could not greet you properly the other day.” She stopped. She glanced at Trev. “I am also sorry it became a bit awkward. Lucille still has her temper.”

Evelyn thanked Thomas as he handed her cloak to her. “It is difficult, I suppose, after so many years have passed, to be reunited as we have. But we all have different lives now and a great deal has changed.”

“You are being patient and kind,” Annabelle said.

“Is there a point in being impatient and cruel?” Evelyn smiled.

Trev looked at them both. “Lucille has more than a temper, and she has always been jealous of Evelyn, for obvious reasons. She is now a married woman, so one would think bygones were just that. But there is no reason that the two of you cannot patch things up and become friends.”

While Evelyn looked at him in some surprise, Annabelle looked at him with obvious admiration. Evelyn said, “You are right, I think. When you feel like it, Annabelle, please call. You are Aimee’s cousin and she would love to meet you.”

Annabelle nodded. “I will try to come by next week.”

Trev took Evelyn’s cloak from her and draped it over her shoulders. “And may I come by, as well? Strictly as a family friend, of course?”

She started, wondering at his choice of words—wondering if he had a romantic inclination toward her. Surely, she was mistaken. “Of course you can call.” She stared closely at him. Trev’s father had always been as actively involved in the free trade as her uncle had been. She happened to have heard, in the past weeks, that he remained in good health, being about seventy years of age now, but that he had given Trev control of the estate and its affairs. Perhaps he had the information Evelyn sought. “Can I speak with you for a moment?”

Annabelle flushed again. “I must go anyway. It was nice seeing you, Evelyn. Good day, Trev.” She quickly left.

He smiled at her. “Hmm, should I be flattered?”

“Surely you are not flirting with me?”

“Of course I am flirting. You are impossibly attractive.” A dimple joined his smile.

She couldn’t help it—she smiled back. “I had forgotten how charming you are.”

“I do not believe it. I think you have been pining away for me for years.”

She laughed for the first time since Henri had died. It felt rather good. Then she became serious. “Can you help me locate Jack Greystone?”

His smile vanished. “Why?” His tone was sharp.

She was not about to tell Trevelyan her reasons. “He helped us flee France, Trev, but other than that, I cannot tell you why I am looking for him. It is a business matter.”

“Are you thinking of getting into the trade?” He was incredulous.

She did not want to lie, but misleading him was not lying, so she said, “Maybe.”

“You are a woman—a lady!”

She laid her hand on his arm, surprising them both. “I am sure you have noticed that I am in very strained circumstances. I need to speak with Greystone, Trev, and frankly, I am rather desperate.”

He was grim. “You could lose everything, Evelyn.”

“I know the risks.”

She stared back at him, releasing his arm. He looked about to curse. “I will think about what you have asked.”

“Does that mean you know how to reach him?”

“It means, I will think about what you have asked.”

* * *

IT HAD BEGUN TO DRIZZLE, and as Evelyn looked up at the dark, cloudy sky, she knew it would soon rain. She shivered as the wind picked up, but she had just reached the iron front gates at the head of Roselynd’s drive.

Ahead, Roselynd was a three-story square house, statuesque in impression, and very current in design. Cast of pale, nearly white stone, it stood out eerily in the darkness. All the windows were dark except for one on an upper floor, which she happened to know was Laurent and Adelaide’s room.

It was later than she had thought, and her poor mare was tired—it had been a long difficult week for her, with all the traipsing about that Evelyn had done. The mare had hardly been used in the months prior.

She felt a pang, thinking of Henri, and a stirring of anger as she thought about the predicament she was in. Very firmly, she told herself that he had not left her destitute by choice; the revolution had done that.

She halted the mare before the barn, and as she did so, she heard Laurent calling to her. She smiled as she slipped from the gig, and Laurent approached from the house. “I was becoming very worried about you, madame.”

“I am fine. I had a very good conversation with my uncle, Laurent, and if I am fortunate, he will locate Greystone for me.” She was too tired to tell him about Trevelyan, and decided she would do so tomorrow. “It is later than I thought. Is Aimee awake?”

“She is asleep, and Adelaide has left a covered tray in your rooms. I will put the mare away.”

She thanked him, as the drizzle turned abruptly into a pounding rain. They both cried out, Laurent hurrying the mare into the stables, as Evelyn pulled up her skirts and ran for the house.

Inside, she slammed the front door closed, breathing hard. The front hall was in darkness, which pleased her—why waste candles to light the entry when she was the only one expected? Evelyn removed her soaking cloak. The rest of her clothes remained dry, but her shoes and stockings were wet.

Her cloak over her arm, Evelyn went upstairs in the darkness, going directly to Aimee’s room. As Laurent had said, she was soundly asleep. Evelyn pulled the covers up, kissing her forehead, the rain now pounding on the windows and the roof above their heads.

In her own bedroom she lit a single taper, hung up her cloak and removed her wet shoes and stockings. Thunder boomed. Just after it did, she heard Laurent entering the house, the front door closing. She felt a moment of relief, for, like a child, she disliked fierce storms. But now, the mare was settled and fed for the night, Laurent was on his way upstairs and the house was securely locked.

She removed the pins from her hair, which always made her head ache at this time of the day, letting it down. As she shook her hair out, she realized that she was exhausted. Undressing would be a chore, but she somehow removed her gown and underclothes, donning her white cotton nightgown. In France, the loose but luxurious garment with its puffed sleeves and lace trim was called a robe innocente.

She was just about to uncover the tray Adelaide had left for her and try to eat a morsel or two when she heard a movement downstairs. She stiffened, alarmed, until she realized that it was the sound of a shutter banging against the side of the house.

She was going to have to close those shutters—she would never sleep with all of that banging. Evelyn took the taper she had lit and hurried down the hall. Then she hesitated, and as the wind ceased, the rain became a quiet steady pitter-patter and the shutter was silent.

Thunder boomed.

She jumped, her heart skipping, and scolded herself for being a fool. Now she heard nothing but the gentle steady rhythmic rain.

She was about to turn and go back to her room when a light went on below her.

She froze, incredulous.

And then, as she inched closer to the top of the stairs, she realized that a taper had been lit in the salon.

Her heart thundered with alarm.

She stared down the stairs, across the entry hall and into the salon, which was in shadow, but clearly, a single light shone within.

Someone was in her salon.

She almost called out, hoping it was Laurent, but he had gone up to the room he shared with Adelaide—she was certain.

She needed a gun. She had a pistol under the mattress of her bed. Should she seize it, or should she get Laurent? And as she debated what to do she saw a man cross the salon.

Evelyn froze again.

His stride had been unrushed, indolent—familiar.

Every hair on her nape had risen. Now her heart slammed.

He came to the doorway of the salon, holding a drink in his hand, and looked up at her.

And even in the shadows, even as their gazes locked, there was no mistaking who he was.

“I hear you are looking for me,” Jack Greystone said.

CHAPTER THREE

HE WASN’T SMILING as he spoke.

Evelyn seized the banister to remain upright. For an entire moment, one that felt like an eternity, she could not speak. She had found Jack Greystone—or, he had found her.

And he hadn’t changed. He remained so unbearably attractive. He was tall and powerfully built, clad now in a rather wet riding coat, fashionable lace cuffs spilling from the sleeves, a darker vest beneath. He also wore doeskin breeches and high black boots with spurs, now splattered with mud.

And his golden hair was pulled casually back, some of it escaping from its queue. But that only made his high cheekbones seem sharper, his jaw seem stronger. And his gray gaze was intent upon her.

Evelyn’s heart slammed another time—he was regarding her attire, rather thoroughly.

She knew she flushed. But she was dressed for bed, not for entertaining. “You have scared me witless, sir!”

“I apologize,” he said, and she could not decide if he meant it. “But I rarely go anywhere in broad daylight, and I never use the front door.”

Their gazes were now locked. She continued to reel, remaining stunned by his appearance in her home. He was referring now to the bounty on his head. “Of course not,” she managed.

He said wryly, as calm as she was not, “I have not misheard, have I? Half a dozen of my acquaintances have alerted me to the inquiries you have been, rather recklessly, making. You are looking for me, Lady D’Orsay?”

“Yes,” she said, suddenly very aware that he had just identified her as the Countess D’Orsay, not the Vicomtesse LeClerc. She had never corrected the misinformation she had deliberately given him—when they had parted company, four years ago, upon landing just south of London, he had still believed her to be Lady LaSalle, Vicomtesse LeClerc. “I am desperate to have a word with you, sir.” As she spoke, she recalled their first meeting, four years ago. She had been desperate then, and she had said so.

But his gaze never flickered; his expression did not change. It occurred to her that he did not recall that meeting—and that he did not recognize her.

But how could he fail to recognize her? Was it even possible?

His stare was prolonged. It was a moment before he said, “That is an attractive nightgown, Countess.”

He did not recognize her, she was now certain. It was shocking! She had remarkable features—everyone said so. She might be tired and pale, but she was still an attractive woman. Trevelyan had thought so.

She was flushing, uncertain of what he meant, and whether there had been mockery in his tone. She did not know how to respond to such a remark—or what to do about his failure to recognize her. “I was hardly expecting to find a visitor, within my home, at this hour.”

“Obviously.” He was wry. “If it eases you, I have two sisters, and I have seen a great many female garments.”

She felt certain he was laughing at her now. It crossed her mind that a great many of those female garments had not belonged to his sisters. “Yes, I had heard.”

“You have heard that I am accustomed to the sight of women in their nightclothes?”

“You know that is not what I meant.” But of course, it was probably very true! “I am going to get a robe—I will be right back!”

He seemed amused as he sipped his wine, looking up the stairs at her. Evelyn turned and fled, her disbelief growing. In her chamber, she threw on a cotton robe that matched her nightgown. Maybe he would recognize her once she stepped fully into the light. But just then, she was feeling oddly insulted.

Didn’t he think her attractive?

She forced herself to a calmer pace and returned downstairs. He was in the salon—he had lit several tapers, and he watched her as she entered. “How do you know about my sisters?” His tone remained bland. “Have you made inquiries about them, too?”

She was trembling, and her pulse was racing but she stiffened, instantly sensing that she was venturing into dangerous territory. He was, she thought, displeased. “No, of course not. But they were mentioned in the course of a conversation.”

“About me?” His stare was relentless.

She shivered. “About you, sir.”

“And with whom did you have this enlightening conversation?”

“John Trim.” Was he worried about betrayal? “He admires you greatly. We all do.”

His gray gaze flickered. “I suppose I should be flattered. Are you cold?”

Her pulse was rioting but she was hardly cold—she was unnerved, undone, at a loss! She had forgotten how manly he was, and how his presence teased the senses. “It is raining.”

There was a wool throw on the back of the sofa and, very casually, he retrieved it. She tensed as he approached. “If you are not cold,” he said softly, “then you are very nervous—but then, you are also very desperate.”

For an instant, she thought he had inflected upon the final word—and that he recalled their first meeting, when she had been so desperate, after all. But his expression never changed as he laid the wool about her shoulders and she realized that he did not remember her, not at all. “I am unused to entertaining at this hour,” she finally said. “We are strangers and we are alone.”

“It is half past nine, Countess, and you asked for this rendezvous.”

It felt like midnight, she thought. And clearly, he was not shaken by their encounter, not at all.

“Have I somehow distressed you?” he asked.

“No!” She quickly, falsely, smiled. “I am thrilled that you have called.”

He eyed her, askance. Thunder cracked overhead and the shutter slammed against the house. Evelyn jumped.

He had just raised his glass and now he set it down. “It is incredible, that you live in this house with but one manservant. I will close the shutter.” He left.

And when he was gone, she seized the back of the sofa, trembling wildly. How did he know that she lived alone with Laurent, her only manservant? Obviously he had made some inquiries about her.

But he did not recognize her. It was unbelievable, that she hadn’t made any impression on him.

He returned to the salon, smiling slightly, and shutting both doors behind them. Evelyn clutched the throw more tightly across her chest as their gazes met.

He walked past the sofa, which remained between them, and picked up his glass of wine. “I would prefer that no one here is aware of my presence tonight, other than yourself.”

“Everyone in this house is utterly trustworthy,” she managed, standing on the other side of the couch.

“I prefer to choose when to take risks—and which risks to take. And I rarely trust anyone—and never strangers.” His smile was cool. There was that odd, derisive, inflection again. “It shall be our little secret, Countess.”

“Of course I will do as you ask. And I am very sorry if my asking about you, so openly, has caused you any alarm.”

He took a sip of the red wine he was drinking. “I am accustomed to evading the authorities. You are not. What will you say to them when they come knocking at your door?”

She stared, dismayed, as she had not considered this possibility.

“You will tell them that you haven’t seen me, Lady D’Orsay,” he said softly.

“Should I expect a visit from the authorities?”

“I think so. They will advise you to contact them the moment you have seen me. And those are games best left to those who wish to play in very high stakes.” He paced past the sofa. “Do you want me to light a fire? You are shivering, still.”

She was trying to absorb what he had said, and she faced him, distracted. She wasn’t shivering, she thought, she was trembling. “You have obviously just come in out of the rain, so, yes, I imagine you would enjoy a fire. And I would, too.”

He shrugged off his damp wool coat. “I assume you do not mind? As the attire is so casual tonight?”

Was she blushing yet again? Was he mocking her again? Somehow she walked to him and took the jacket. The wool was very fine, and she suspected the coat had Italian origins. “Hopefully this will dry before you leave,” she said, although the rain was pounding the house again.

He eyed her, then removed a tinderbox from his waistcoat, knelt and started a fire. The kindling quickly took. He poked the logs with the iron poker until the wood was burning. Standing, he closed the grate.

Evelyn stepped beside him, holding his coat up in front of the warm fire. He glanced down at her. As they were standing so closely now, she saw a somewhat intent gleam in his eyes. It seemed suggestive and it felt seductive—like a raw male appraisal.

“Would you care for a glass of wine?” he asked, softly. “I so dislike drinking alone. That Bordeaux is excellent. And I hope you do not mind, I helped myself.”

His tone had become soft, raising goose bumps on her skin. “Of course I do not mind. It is the least I can offer you. But, no, thank you. I cannot imbibe on an empty stomach,” she said truthfully.

He turned and moved one of the salon’s two chairs to the front of the fire. Then he took the coat from her and hung it on the back of the chair. “I remain curious about your desire to speak with me. I have not been able to imagine what the Countess D’Orsay wishes of me.” His stride unhurried, he walked to the bar cart and retrieved his glass of wine.

She watched him, knowing she must not be distracted by his tone, his proximity, not when she had to make her case. “I have a proposition, Mr. Greystone.”

He stared over the rim of his glass. “A proposition… I am even more intrigued.”

Had he just looked through her robe and nightgown? Evelyn walked over to the sofa and sat down, still unnerved. She reminded herself that the cotton was far too tightly woven for him to be able to look through it, but she felt as if he had just taken a quick glance at her naked body.

“Countess?”

“It has come to my attention, Mr. Greystone, that you are probably the best free trader in Cornwall.”

His dark brows lifted. “Actually, I am the best smuggler in all of Great Britain—and I have the accounts to prove it.”

She smiled a little; she found his arrogance attractive, his confidence reassuring. “Some might be put off by your bravado, Mr. Greystone, but bravado is exactly what I require now.”

“I am now entirely intrigued,” he said.

She met his probing gray gaze and wondered if he was intrigued with her, as a woman. “I wish to hire a smuggler, and not just any smuggler, but someone who is skilled and courageous, to retrieve family heirlooms from my husband’s château in France.”

He set his glass down and said slowly, “Did I just hear you correctly?”

“My husband died recently, and those heirlooms are terribly important to me and my daughter.”

“I am sorry for your loss,” he said, without seeming to mean it. Then, he said, “That is quite the task.”

“Yes, I imagine it is, but that is why I have been seeking to locate you, Mr. Greystone, as surely you are the man capable of accomplishing such a mission.”

He stared for a long time, and she was becoming accustomed to being unable to discern even a hint of his thoughts or emotions. “Crossing the Channel is dangerous. Traveling within France now is madness, as it remains in the midst of a bloody revolution, Countess. You are asking me to risk my life for your family heirlooms.”

“Those heirlooms were left to me and my daughter by my recently deceased husband, and it was his greatest wish that I retrieve them,” she said firmly. When his expression did not change, she added, “I must recover them, and your reputation is outstanding!”

“I am certain they are important to you. I am certain your husband wished for you to have them. However, my services are quite expensive.”

She wasn’t sure what his stare meant—but he had said the exact same thing to her four years ago. Intending to offer him a share of the gold once it was in her possession, she said carefully, “The heirlooms are valuable, sir.” She did not think it wise to tell him that Henri had left her a chest of gold.

“Of course they are.... This isn’t about nostalgia, or sentiment, obviously.” He nodded at the barely furnished room.

“We have fallen into very strained circumstances, sir. I am desperate and I am determined.”

“And I am neither desperate nor determined. I prefer to preserve my life, and would only risk it for a great cause.” His gaze was piercing. “One with just compensation.”

“This is a great cause!” she gasped.

“That is a matter of opinion.” He was final.

He was going to refuse her? “I have hardly finished making my case,” she said swiftly.

“But haven’t you? My services are very costly. I do not mean to be rude, but it is obvious that you cannot afford them. I would need a great incentive to risk my life for you.” His stare locked with hers. “You are hardly the only impoverished widow in Cornwall. You will surely find a way into a better fortune.”

She wet her lips, shaken by the realization that their discussion would soon be over—and she would not have achieved his help. “But those heirlooms are very valuable, and I am prepared to offer you a very fair share,” she said quickly.

“A share?” He laughed. “I am always paid in advance, Countess. And how would you do that?” His smile vanished. His stare hardened. It slipped down her robe and nightgown. Then he turned away, his expression grim. His head down, he began to pace, wine in hand.

She trembled, watching him. She must focus now. When they had fled France, she had paid him with rubies—in advance. Now, she had very little jewelry left. She could not imagine using her last pieces now.

“Clearly, you are in some financial straits,” he said, finally looking at her. “Unfortunately, it is a common practice to take payment in advance—and it is good business. I am not interested in ‘fair shares,’ after the fact.”

She stared, dismayed. Of course he wanted an advance payment—what if he went to France and failed to retrieve the gold? Or was hurt during the voyage? So much could go wrong, preventing him from attaining a successful conclusion.

But she could not pay him in advance. So now what was she to do? The only thing that Evelyn was certain of was that she could not give up.

“Can you not make an exception?” Evelyn finally asked slowly. “For me and my daughter? We have fallen on terrible times, which you can see. I am desperate—because I am a mother! If all went well, you would be handsomely rewarded, just not in advance, and I am vowing it!”

He slowly turned and looked at her, his gray eyes dark. “I am not prepared to risk my life for you, Countess.”

Her mind raced frantically, as he was denying her—denying Aimee. “But I can promise you that there will be just compensation—I give you my word! Surely you have the heart to make an exception now, not for me, but for my daughter!”

He lifted his wine and finished it. “Do not try to use your daughter to play me,” he warned.

She didn’t mean to do any such thing—but he was about to walk out her door—she simply knew it! She was desperate, and impulsively, she moved to stand in front of him—to bar his way. “Please, do not dismiss my proposal. How can I convince you to at least consider it?”

He looked very directly at her now. “I have considered it.”

She trembled, taken aback as never before. A terrible silence fell. It was thick with tension—and his relentless stare never wavered.

Couldn’t she convince him to help her? Men were always rushing to her side, to help her across the street, to open doors for her, to see her into her carriage. She had never paid much attention to her power as a beautiful woman before, but she was not a fool—Henri had fallen in love with her because of her beauty. It was only after he had become further acquainted with her that he had loved her for her character and temperament.

Greystone hadn’t recognized her, but she was certain of his interest. When he looked at her directly, it was a glance any woman would recognize.

Her heart lurched. Henri was surely turning over in his grave now! Going into this man’s arms would be the last recourse! “Mr. Greystone, I am desperate,” she said softly. “I am begging you to reconsider. My daughter’s future is at stake.”

“When I set sail, I not only risk my own life, I risk those of my men,” he spoke, now seeming impatient.

She could barely breathe. “I am a widow in great need, without protection, or means. You are a gentleman. Surely—”

“No, I am not.” He was abrupt and final. “And I am not in the habit of generously rescuing damsels in distress.”

Did she have any other choices? Aimee’s future was at stake, and he did not seem about to bend. She had to get that gold; she had to secure a bright future for her daughter! Evelyn lifted her hand; somehow, she touched his jaw.

His eyes widened.

“I am in mourning,” she whispered, “and if France is as dangerous as you claim, then I am asking you to risk your life for me.”

His thick, dark lashes lowered. She could not see his eyes, and another silence fell. Evelyn dropped her hand; it was trembling. He slowly lifted his lashes and looked at her.

“Aren’t you curious, Countess? Don’t you want to know why I came here?” he asked very softly.

She felt her heart slam. “Why?”

“You have a reputation, too.”

“What does that mean? What reputation could I possibly have?”

“I have heard it said, often enough, that the Countess D’Orsay is the most beautiful woman in all of England.”

It was suddenly so silent, that she could hear the rain, not just pounding over their heads, but running from the gutters on the roof. She could hear the logs and kindling, crackling in the hearth. And she could hear her own deafening heartbeat.

“And we both know that is absurdly false,” she said thickly.

“Is it?”

Evelyn wet her lips, oddly dazed. “Surely you agree… Such a claim is absurd.”

He slowly smiled. “No, I do not agree. How modest you are.”

Evelyn did not know what to do, and she couldn’t think clearly now. She had never been in any man’s arms except for Henri’s—and he hadn’t been young or good-looking or sensual. Her heart raced more wildly. There was alarm and confusion, there was even some dismay, but mostly, there was excitement.

She hesitated. “I was sixteen when I married my husband.”

He started. “What does that have to do with anything?”

She had been trying to tell him that she wasn’t really experienced, but now, it didn’t seem to matter. Jack Greystone was the most attractive man she had ever come across, and not just because he was so handsome. He was so utterly masculine, so brazen and confident, and so powerful. Her knees were buckling. Her heart was thundering. Her skin prickled.

She had never felt this way before.

Evelyn stood up on her tiptoes and as she prepared to kiss him, their gazes locked. His was wide, incredulous. But then it blazed.

Her insides hollowed in response and she brushed her mouth once upon his. And the moment their lips met, a shocking sensation of pleasure went through her.

Standing there with her mouth open was like being on fire!

He gripped her shoulders and kissed her. Evelyn gasped, because his mouth was very firm and even more demanding; he began kissing her with a stunning ferocity.

And Evelyn kissed him back.

Somehow, she was in his arms. Her entire body was pressed against his, enveloped by his, her breasts crushed by his chest. For the first time in her life, she realized she was in the throes of desire. It was maddening—senseless.

And then he stepped back and pushed her away from him.

“What are you doing?” she gasped.

He looked at her, breathing hard—his gray gaze on fire.

Evelyn clutched her robe to her body. She reached for the sofa so she could continue to stand upright. Had she just been in his arms? The arms of a veritable stranger? And since when did anyone kiss that way—with such hunger, such intensity?

“You are trouble, Countess,” he said harshly.

“What?” Evelyn cried. Some sensibility was returning, and she could not believe what she had just done!

“I am sorry you are desperate, Countess. I am sorry you are destitute. But one night in your bed isn’t enough to entice me to France on your behalf.” His eyes blazed with desire, but she saw anger, too.

Evelyn started. She had kissed him—she hadn’t suggested an affair. “I do need your help,” she heard herself cry.

“You are a dangerous woman. Most men are fools. I am not.” Giving her a grim look, he strode past her. At the door he paused. “I am certain you will find someone else to do your bidding. Good night.”

Evelyn was so bewildered that she could not move, not until she heard the front door slam. She collapsed upon the sofa. She had found Jack Greystone. She had dared to kiss him, and he had kissed her back, with fervor. And then he had refused her pleas and walked out on her!

She told herself that she was crying for Aimee—and not because Jack Greystone had had her in his arms only to reject her.

* * *

JACK WAS STILL IN A VERY foul mood. The sun now high, he slid from his mount, tied it to the rail in front of the inn and patted its rump. He had just dropped anchor on one of the beaches below the village of Bexhill, and as it was half past noon, he was late.

The Gray Goose Inn was a dilapidated white stucco building with a shingled roof, a dusty courtyard, and a great many suspicious patrons. Just north of Hastings, set in rolling green meadows, it was his preferred meeting place because he did not wish to pass through the Strait of Dover, just in case he was boxed in there by his enemies. He could outrun a naval destroyer and a revenue cutter, and he had, but there was not a great deal of room to maneuver in the Straits.

He sighed as he entered the dark, somewhat malodorous and smoky public room. It had stopped raining well before dawn, when he had been hoisting sail and leaving the cove near Fowey, but he was somewhat chilled from the entire damp, cold night. At least it was warm inside the inn, but it was a far cry from his uncle’s home on Cavendish Square in London, where he would greatly prefer to be now.

The bounty on his head had begun to truly restrict his movements. He had been amused when he had first learned of its existence a year and a half ago. But instead of meeting his brother and uncle in the comfort of the Cavendish Square townhome, he was confined to a clandestine meeting in the cramped back room of a foul, roadside inn. It wasn’t as amusing now.

Jack had been engaged with smugglers since he was a boy of five years old, when he had insisted on standing watch with the village elders, on the lookout for the preventive men. Nothing had pleased him more than to watch the smugglers drop anchor in Sennen Cove and begin to unload their wares, except when the night was lit up with the torches carried by the revenue men as they rushed down the cliffs and invaded the beach, guns blazing. Casks would be dragged into secret caves, while others were left behind for the authorities. Some smugglers would turn tail and flee, others would fire back at the customs agents. He would join in the fighting—until an adult would espy him and drag him, protesting, away.

At seven, he had been dragging ankers filled with brandy across the beaches at Sennen Cove, as he was too small to carry them upon his shoulders. At ten, he had put out to sea with Ed Lewes as a cabin boy, at the time one of the most notorious and successful Cornish free traders. At twelve he had been a rigger, at fourteen, first mate. At seventeen he had become captain of his own ship, a fore and aft rigged sloop. Now, he captained the Sea Wolf II, an eighty-gallon frigate built just for the trade, her hull so skillfully carved that she cut the water like a dolphin. He’d yet to be caught when challenged.

He had spent most of his life outwitting and outrunning the revenue men, the customs agents and now, the British navy. He was accustomed to the danger and pursuit, and he was thrilled by both. He especially loved being hunted, and then tacking across the wind and becoming the hunter. How he loved chasing his enemies and driving them aground—he enjoyed nothing more.

He was also used to lying low, or going into hiding. He had no intention of going to prison, being transported, or now hanging for the acts of treason he was charged with committing.

He did not think his life would have changed as much, if it were only for the bounty. But both of his sisters had married into the highest echelon of British society, marrying the earls of Bedford and St Just, respectively. And he had become a subject of fascination for the ton.

Gentlemen admired him at their dinner tables, while ladies swooned over tales of his exploits on their shopping expeditions. There was gossip, rampant speculation and even some idolatry. There were a dozen debutantes calling upon his sisters, in the hopes of soliciting his attentions!

As such, the authorities had placed him squarely in their targets. He was, without a doubt, the one smuggler the Admiralty most wished to catch and hang.

He hadn’t been to London in at least six months. His brother, Lucas, was staying at the Cavendish Square flat, and the house was frequently watched. Apparently lookouts were occasionally stationed at Bedford House and Lambert Hall. A few years ago, he could come and go in broad daylight, he could shop on Pall Mall, he could attend supper parties and balls. Even a year ago, he could enter London to visit his sisters, as long as there was no fanfare. Not anymore.

He had a niece and nephew he never saw. But he was hardly a family man.

He had to exercise the utmost caution wherever he went. In fact, he had been as careful when he had ventured to Roselynd last night. He had considered the countess’s inquiries a possible trap. But he had not been followed, and no one had shown up at her door to arrest him while they spoke.

He paused on the threshold of the public room, trying to peer through the smoke, a very dark, partly sexual, tension within him. The Countess D’Orsay was as beautiful as claimed. Curiosity had compelled him to meet her. He had wanted to see if she was such a great beauty—which she was—and he had also wanted to see if she was setting a trap for him—which she was not. But he hadn’t expected her to be the woman he had rescued in France, four years earlier.

And the moment he had recognized her, it had been like receiving a stunning blow to the chest.

He had realized, instantly, that she was the woman who had claimed to be the Vicomtesse LeClerc. He had been stunned, but he had hidden it.

He could easily forgive her that deceit. He did not blame her for hiding her identity from him, although he would have never revealed it had he known.

But he hadn’t ever really forgotten her. She had haunted him day and night for days and even weeks after that Channel crossing.

And now, that old man she had married was dead.

And for one moment, he did not see the dozen men within the tavern he’d stepped into. He could only see Evelyn D’Orsay, with her dark hair and vivid blue eyes, so tiny and petite.

He lived a dangerous life, and his survival depended upon his instincts. They were finely honed from years of outrunning the revenue men, and now, two navies. Every instinct he currently had warned him to stay far from Evelyn D’Orsay.

It wasn’t just that he had found her terribly beautiful four years ago, so beautiful he almost felt smitten at first sight. But when she’d looked at him with her big blue eyes, imploring him to rescue her, she awoke the strongest, most unfamiliar urges in him—urges to defend and protect. It was as if she had endured a lifetime of suffering and hurt, which he must somehow ease. He had been highly affected by her desperation back then. But he had hidden it, taking her rubies as payment for his services. He had remained as indifferent and aloof as possible.

Last night, he had steeled himself against her again.

It hadn’t been easy. He had forgotten how striking she was—how tiny. And the shadows in her eyes remained. When she looked at him, her eyes filled with desperation, he had those same consuming urges as before—urges to protect her from life’s ills. Urges to rescue her. Urges even to hold her tight.

It was absurd.

So while she might be destitute now, he reminded himself that she had hardly had a life of misery—she had married one of France’s premier titles. She had been wealthy for many years. The odd urges he had when she looked at him were senseless. The raging attraction, well, that he could certainly justify—and dismiss.

But the truth was that he had helped several families flee France without receiving any kind of compensation from them at all. These Frenchmen and women had left everything they had behind; he hadn’t considered turning them away. But with the Countess D’Orsay, it was different. He knew he must never come to her rescue in a personal way. Their relationship must remain a strictly impersonal one—he was sure of it.

She was simply too enticing and too intriguing. She stirred up too many feelings, and he could very easily become attached. And he had no use for attachments outside of those to his family. He was a rogue, a smuggler and a spy—and he liked his life exactly as it was—he liked living outside society, he liked being on the run.

As for the kiss they had shared, he had to stop thinking about it. Thus far, that had proven impossible. He could not recall ever being so aroused, but when he had kissed her, it had also felt as if he were holding an innocent debutante in his arms.

Yet he knew better—she was a countess, a grown woman, a widow and a mother. She was not innocent and inexperienced. And if he believed, even for a moment, that he could enjoy her bed without becoming entangled with her, he would do so immediately. But he did not think it would be easy to leave her after a single night, so he would stay away—far away.

Therefore, no matter what she offered, no matter how she offered it, he was not going to France for her. He had never been more resolved.

“You have made it—and you are in one piece,” his brother said, cutting into his dark thoughts. He was embraced, hard, by a tall golden-haired man, more politely dressed than Jack was. No one could mistake them for anything other than what they were—brothers. “We are in the back,” Lucas added unnecessarily.

Jack was thrilled to see his older brother. Their father had been an irresponsible rogue, and he had abandoned their mother when Jack was six years old. Lucas had been almost ten at the time. Their uncle, Sebastian Warlock, had managed the estate for them for several years, mostly from afar, as an absentee landlord. Lucas had stepped into the breach by the age of twelve or so, taking over the reins at an early age. Now the brothers were as close as brothers could be, although as different in nature as night and day.

For Lucas managed not just the estate, but the family. Jack knew that a great burden had been lifted from his brother’s shoulders when their sisters had fallen in love and married. Now Lucas spent most of his time in London—or on the continent.

“How are you?” Lucas asked.

Jack smiled. “Do you need to even ask?”

“Now that is the brother I know so well. Why were you glowering at the crowd?” Lucas led him across the room and into a private back room.

Jack debated telling him a bit about the Countess D’Orsay, but then he saw Sebastian Warlock standing facing the fireplace, his back to them. As usual, their uncle wore a black velvet coat and dark brown breeches. As Lucas closed the door, the prime minister’s spymaster turned. “You are rarely late.” His glance was skewering.

“Yes, I am fine, thank you for asking,” Jack returned.

“I imagine that he is late because it is difficult traveling about the country with a bounty on one’s head,” Lucas said, pulling out a chair from the table, which seated four. A fire blazed in the hearth. Bread, cheese, ale and whiskey were on the table.

“Your brother harps like a woman when he is concerned,” Warlock said. “And he is always concerned about you. However, that bounty is the perfect cover.”

“It is the perfect cover,” Jack agreed. Lucas specialized in extracting émigrés and agents from the enemy’s hands and lands. He was a patriot and a Tory, so his having become involved in the war was perfectly natural and Warlock had known it when he recruited him.

Jack had been a different story. For while Jack occasionally moved such human cargo for his brother or another one of Warlock’s agents, Warlock was more interested in receiving the information Jack ferried across the Channel. A great many smugglers moved information along with their cargo across the Channel. Most Cornish smugglers were French spies, however. Jack found it amusing to play such games, and he knew Warlock had known he would think so when he had first approached him some years ago.

“I may have been briefly deluded by such an argument nine or ten months ago,” Lucas said, “but I am not deluded now. It is a very dangerous game. I do not like it. Sebastian, you are going to get my brother killed.”

“You know I did not place that bounty on his head. However, my first rule is to exploit opportunity, and that bounty has provided us with vast opportunity. Were you delayed?” Warlock asked Jack.

Jack took the proffered seat. “I was delayed—but not by the bounty.” He decided to smirk, as if he had spent the night in Evelyn’s arms. And he sobered. He could have seduced her, and maybe, he should have done so. But then he would probably be halfway to France as her errand boy.

Lucas rolled his eyes and poured Jack a scotch before sitting down with him. Warlock smiled and took a seat. He was an attractive man, but unlike his nephews, he was dark, with a somewhat brooding air. In his late thirties or early forties, he had the reputation of being a recluse. The world thought him a rather impoverished and boorish nobleman. It was wrong. In spite of his reputation, he did not lack for the ladies’ attentions.

“What do you have for me?” Warlock asked bluntly.

“I have it on very good authority that Spain intends to leave the Coalition,” Jack said.

A shocked silence greeted his words. But the war had not been going well for Britain and her Allies; France had recently conquered Amsterdam and annexed the Netherlands. Holland was now the Batavian Republic. There had been a number of French victories since the Allies’ terrible defeat at Fleurus, last June.

“You are confirming a rumor that I have already heard,” Warlock said grimly. “Now Pitt will have to seriously press Spain, before we lose her.”

Jack shrugged. He was not interested in the politics of war.

“What of La Vendée?” Lucas asked.

Jack looked at Lucas, meeting his glance. Their sister Julianne had married the Earl of Bedford in 1793. He had been a royalist supporter, and actively involved in the La Vendée uprising against the revolution. Unfortunately, the rebels had been crushed that summer, but fortunately, Dominic Paget had made his way home to Julianne, surviving a great massacre. But La Vendée had been rising again. The Loire countryside was filled with peasants, clergy and noblemen who remained furious over the execution of the king, and the forced secularization of the church.

In the Loire, the rebels were led by a young aristocrat, Georges Cadoudal. “He claims he now has twelve thousand troops, and that there will be more by summer. And once again, his question is, when? When will Britain invade Brittanny?” Jack said calmly. But as he spoke, he recalled Cadoudal’s desperation and fury.

“Windham has yet to finalize the plans,” Warlock said. “We only have a thousand émigré troops amassed for an invasion of Brittany, but someone has suggested we use our French prisoners of war, and if we do, we will have about four thousand troops in sum.”

“At least we know they can fight,” Jack joked.

Lucas smiled a little, the tension inherent in such a discussion relieved.

“There must be a timeline, Sebastian,” Lucas said. “We all know that General Hoche has already sent a great number of rebels into hiding. We lost La Vendée once. Surely we will not fail the rebels there again.” Lucas was grim.

Jack knew he was thinking of their sister Julianne. When La Vendée had gone down in flames, her husband had lost his mother’s family estates. His heart had been broken—and so had hers.

“There are many issues, but I am trying to convince Windham and Pitt to invade Quiberon Bay in June,” Warlock said. “And you may relay that to Cadoudal.”

Jack was glad he had some news to convey, and news that might reassure the rebel. Warlock stood and looked at Lucas. “I assume you wish to spend a few more moments with your brother. I must get back to London.”

“I do not mind riding back the way I came,” Lucas said.

“Keep me apprised,” Warlock said to Jack before leaving.

Lucas leaned forward. “How difficult was it for you to contact Cadoudal?”

“Hoche’s interest in La Vendée has made it more difficult than it was,” Jack said. “But we have a prearranged means of communication—and it is in code. You worry like a mother hen.”

“If I don’t worry about you, who will?” Lucas said darkly. “And I wasn’t jesting—I am damned tired of that bounty. Every day, your life is at risk. And the risk is even greater when you are at sea.” He leaned forward. “Captain Barrow is gunning for you. He was bragging the other night at an affair at Penrose’s home.”

Barrow had quite the reputation, but Jack was amused, and he shrugged. “I welcome the gauntlet.”

“Will you ever take life seriously?” Lucas demanded. “Everyone misses you—everyone is worried about you—it isn’t just I.”

Jack felt himself soften. The truth was, he missed his sisters, very much.

“Amelia is about to have her first child.”

“The babe is due in May.”

“That’s right,” Lucas said. “But she looks like she is about to have the child at any time. You have to see her, Jack.” Then he smiled. “She is so happy. She is a wonderful mother and she is so in love with Grenville.”

Jack laughed, but he was thrilled for his sister, whom he had assumed would remain a spinster, but who was not just married, but a stepmother to three children, with her own on the way. “As long as he is loyal and true.”

“He remains besotted,” Lucas said, and both brothers finally laughed. Their sister was such a serious woman, and Grenville had been a catch. It was inexplicable, really.

Jack realized he looked forward to a long-overdue family reunion. “Tell Amelia I will come to see her as soon as I can.” He almost wished that he could simply ride back to London with his brother, and call on Amelia now. But the war had changed everyone’s life, including his. These were dark, dangerous times.

Evelyn D’Orsay’s pale, beautiful image came to mind. He tensed. Damn it, why couldn’t he dismiss her from his thoughts?

“What’s wrong?” Lucas asked.

“You will be pleased to know that I have turned down a beautiful damsel in distress—that I have decided not to risk my life for a woman seeking to reclaim her family’s fortune.” And he was careful to sound mocking, when he did not quite feel that way.

“Oh, ho. Have you been rejected?” Lucas was incredulous. “You sound very put out.”

“I have never been rejected!” he exclaimed. “It is incredible that her wealthy husband left her so destitute, but I have no time now to play the knight in shining armor to save her.”

Lucas laughed, standing. “You are in a twist because of a woman! This is rich! Are you certain she did not reject you? And whom, pray tell, are we discussing?”

“I rejected her,” Jack said firmly. But suddenly he recalled the way he had left Roselynd—and how shocked and hurt she had been. “We are discussing the Countess D’Orsay. And Lucas? I am not interested in becoming ensnared.” He added, “No matter how beautiful and desperate she is.”

“Since when have you ever been ensnared by a woman?” Lucas asked, surprised.

Jack looked grimly at him. Maybe it was time to be honest, not with his brother, but with himself. “I got her out of France four years ago, with her husband and her daughter. And the problem is that I could not forget her then, and I am afraid I cannot forget her now.”

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