No Longer a Gentleman by Mary Jo Putney
She closed the door and leaned back against it, one hand on the knob as if she was ready to bolt. Heart pounding, he got to his feet, thinking it was damned unfair of Kirkland to send Cassie. The atmosphere turned thunderous with tension. He wanted to cross the room and wrap his arms around her and drag her to his bed.
Instead, he forced himself to stay behind the desk. Skipping the preliminaries, he said flatly, “I’m not going to change my mind.”
She regarded him with a cool, assessing gaze. “So you think you can make your way across the channel and through France and rescue five people, at least one of them in poor health, from Castle Durand?”
“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “But I have to try. I owe Père Laurent and the Boyers too much not to do what I can.”
“You’re sure?” she asked. “You spent ten years in hell. Now you have regained everything. Your family, your wealth, your station in life. Are you prepared to throw it all away in an impossible quest?”
“I am.” Despite his spells of anger and wildness, life had been almost unbearably sweet since Cassie rescued him. After searching for words, he said haltingly, “I need to do this. I’ve had so many blessings from the accident of my birth, and I’ve never been required to do anything difficult in return. I’ve never risked myself on behalf of anyone else. I … I need to prove to myself that I’m a man, not a callow boy.”
She nodded as if his words confirmed her thoughts. “I’m not here to waste my breath trying to change your mind. I knew you couldn’t turn your back on them.”
“I have years of frivolousness to make up for. So”—he eyed her warily—“if you aren’t going to try to change my mind, why did you come? To tie me up and lock me in a wardrobe so I can’t leave London?”
Her brows arched. “To take charge of this mission, of course. Left to your own devices, you’ll get yourself killed and waste all the time and effort I put into you.”
He was torn between laughing and swearing. “No. You’ve already risked far too much for me. Père Laurent and his family are my responsibility, not yours.”
“That’s arguable since I drove us straight to the Boyers’ farm and benefited by their generosity,” she retorted. “What isn’t arguable is that you haven’t the experience and skills needed to make it safely into France and have a chance of coming out alive again.”
“You underestimate me,” he said shortly, knowing she was right. “I speak French like a native, and having traveled with you across France, I have some idea of how such things are done. Kirkland has also promised me a new set of papers.”
“Can you find transportation across the channel? Given that you were suffering from two bullet wounds when we reached England, I suspect you’d have a hard time finding your way back to my English smugglers.”
She was right that he’d been hazy from his wounds and seasickness, but he’d thought about this. “Their name is Nash and I have a fair idea of where we landed. I’ll find them, and offer to pay so much that it would be bad business to refuse me.”
“You might be able do that,” she agreed. “You could also probably make your way to Castle Durand, given the right papers, though some people might question a healthy young male who isn’t in the army. But what about when you reach the castle? Are you planning a one-man invasion?”
“I’ll think of something, and it won’t be straightforward assault. I may be inexperienced, but I’m not stupid.”
“Not usually, but refusing my help is profoundly stupid. Together, we have some chance. On your own …” She shook her head. “You told me that Peter didn’t want to inherit the earldom. Are you going to force the title on him?”
“Tactfully put,” he said with exasperation. He covered the distance between them in two long strides and kissed her with the passion that had been building since their last night together.
Touching her simultaneously soothed and inflamed. Her mouth was sweet and hot and her breasts crushed against him as she responded, her fingers digging into his back. Dimly aware that this wasn’t what he’d expected, he broke the kiss and retreated, breathing hard. “Do you seriously think we can travel together and keep our hands off each other?”
“Obviously not.” Her face was flushed and auburn hair tumbled to her shoulders. She gave him a ruefully mischievous smile. “That’s why we must travel as husband and wife.”
Chapter 42
Grey had to laugh. “Is sharing a bed my reward if I let you come with me?”
“Probably more of a rationalization. We’re both mad to attempt a rescue from Castle Durand.” She stepped forward and kissed him as she tugged at his cravat. “But I’m serious about the fact that I won’t allow you to go alone. If you try, you might find yourself locked in a wardrobe after all.”
Reason dissolved as he unfastened her gown, then her corset. He needed to see and touch all of her, to absorb her wonderful Cassieness into every fiber of his being.
She must have felt the same for she tore at his garments with a fever that equaled his. Though it had been only a fortnight since they’d been together, it seemed like years. He wanted to devour her, to delight in shimmering coppery hair and subtle scents and powerful woman.
When they were finally skin to skin, they fell onto the bed, kissing and touching with frantic need. When he could wait no longer and buried himself in her, he groaned with pleasure and held very still, knowing how quickly this might end. Wanting to prolong their union, he rolled over so she was on top of him.
“Yesss,” she breathed as she adjusted, finding a rhythm that suited them both. But she was equally impatient, equally needy, and all too soon she convulsed around him.
He culminated instantly, clutching her tight as he surged into her. Cassie, Cassie, Cassie …
With passion exhausted, he stroked her back as he struggled for breath. When he could speak coherently, he said, “I’d considered traveling as a priest, but I don’t think that will work.”
“Definitely not,” Cassie said with a choke of laughter. She slid off him and lay on her side along his left flank, her hand resting warmly on his midriff.
“Any moment, you’ll explain to me that this doesn’t alter the long-term situation and we have no future,” he murmured. “But that if we’re traveling together, it’s more sensible to behave as husband and wife than to try to keep apart.”
“Sensible,” she mused as she traced a finger around his navel. “That’s us.”
He grinned as he toyed with a glossy lock of hair. “Maybe that’s not quite the right word.”
“Probably not.” Voice sober, she said, “Our chances of successfully rescuing Père Laurent and his family are even odds at best. That makes the pleasures of the moment worth the possible pain of the future.”
“So if we fail, we won’t be alive to endure the pain of separation? That’s sensible, in a morbid sort of way.” He caressed her bare shoulder, thinking this intimacy was worth a very high price. Even years of his life.
She cuddled under his arm, all warm, soft curves. “How were you doing at Summerhill?”
“I’ve taken up running for amusement since it feels good and it’s healthy. I’ve also been riding out to visit tenants to remind them who I am and assure them I’m reliable.” He chuckled. “There are still some doubts, but I’ve been pretending to be gentlemanly with some success. My mother has also been inviting the gentry over one family at a time so I can renew my acquaintance with the neighbors.”
“Wise of her to keep the entertainments small,” Cassie observed.
“Her first event was a tea where she invited about two dozen guests despite my request to avoid large groups,” he said dryly. “When I walked in the door and saw the number of people in the drawing room, I bowed politely and left. That convinced her I was serious in my request.”
“But overall, you’re feeling better?”
Hearing the concern in her voice, he said reassuring
“Oh, yes. My Aunt Patience always wanted a daughter. I was a tomboy as a child, but now I rather enjoy being a surrogate daughter.”
And having a surrogate mother, he suspected. “Cassie, you asked if I was really sure I wanted to risk losing so much. I have to ask you the same question. You have rediscovered a life that you thought was gone forever. Are you really sure you want to risk losing it for a cause that isn’t really your own?”
“I’m sure.” She rested her forehead against his arm. “One rule I’ve lived by is that you don’t abandon people who helped you. The Boyers helped us. It’s damnable of Durand to use them to lure you back to France. I can no more stand back and say, ‘How unfortunate, but it’s no matter of mine’ than you can.”
He’d made the decision to go to France knowing the chance of success was negligible, but with Cassie at his side, he felt a stirring of optimism. “Since you’re the expert agent, how do you think we should proceed?”
“I started thinking as soon as Kirkland told me of your mad scheme.” She pulled the covers over them, which improved their comfort and reduced distractions. “How far had you gone with your ideas?”
“I was planning on coloring my hair and maybe growing a moustache to disguise my features, but that takes time. Can I attach a convincing false moustache?”
“False moustaches look false and they’re hard to attach for any length of time.” She ran a light fingertip along his upper lip, feeling the almost invisible pale hairs growing there. “In a couple more days, this hair can be colored. It will be a short moustache, but enough to distract attention from the rest of your face.”
“What about you? Will you be a gray old lady again?”
“I need to look different from before. Besides, I don’t think you can be made to look like a gray old man who would be a convincing mate.” She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “We should travel as a boring middle-aged couple of modest income. You can be a clerk or a low-grade government official. I will be prim and humorless. Monsieur and Madame Harel. People will avoid us.”
He studied her lovely face. “I’m having trouble remembering that I thought you old and plain at first, but if you did it once, you can do it again.”
She gave him a flat stare and … faded away. She hadn’t moved, her features and coloring were the same, but she was duller and less interesting. “How do you do that?” he exclaimed. “It’s like you had a candle burning inside, and then you pinched it out.”
“I can’t really describe how. I just think myself plain.” She gave a half smile. “I’ve spent most of my adult life as a plain woman unworthy of any man’s notice. It comes naturally to me.”
“I shall want you just as much even if you’re disguised as the drab wife of a boring off icial.” He chuckled. “Think how amusing it will be to peel away the drab layers to reveal the delicious mysteries hidden beneath.”
She smiled agreement. “Just remember that in public, we need to look like we haven’t touched each other since our wedding night.”
“Difficult, but I’ll try my best.” Having settled that, he moved to the next question. “How shall we travel once we reach France? A cart like you had before?”
“As boring Monsieur and Madame Harel, we can travel by public coaches, which will be much faster. We’ll take a different route, too. Come at Castle Durand from a different direction.”
“Shall we get a couple of good riding hacks when we get close?” he asked. “We’ll need transportation of our own, and horses can go places carriages can’t.”
She nodded. “I hope we don’t have to spirit the whole lot of them out of France, though. That would be much, much more difficult. We’ll need to arrange some sort of safe house before we move in. Kirkland will also need to get his fine forger to make papers for the whole family, just in case.”
They hadn’t even climbed out of bed, and already he was impressed by the advantages of working with an experienced agent. “Durand hates me and wants me dead, or he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to lure me within his reach. If at all possible, he’ll want to be at Castle Durand, but he can’t be sure when or even if I’m coming, and surely he has responsibilities in Paris. So my guess is that he’s hired a number of men to guard the castle, and they’ll have orders to capture rather than kill me if possible. Does that make sense to you?”
“Yes, but he might be in residence since he can deduce when you’re most likely to show up.” She frowned. “He might be able to convince his superiors that he’s investigating a ring of traitors near Castle Durand and must be based there so he can find them all.”
Grey hoped so. He wanted the bastard to be at Castle Durand so Grey could kill him with his bare hands. Which wasn’t likely since all the advantages were on Durand’s side, but a man could dream. Voicing his worst fear, he said, “Do you think that Durand has already killed Père Laurent and the Boyers?”
“It’s certainly possible,” Cassie said, her voice grave. “But I think it unlikely. France is a nation of laws, and since the revolution, many of those laws are designed to protect the weak from the strong.”
When Grey snorted, Cassie said, “Don’t laugh. The Code Napoleon is the only thing I give the emperor credit for. Before the revolution, the country was an impossible patchwork of feudal and church laws, with mandated privileges for the nobility and the clergy. The Code Napoleon specifically forbids privileges based on birth.”
“Durand’s behavior has been very close to the edge, hasn’t it? He may not have a title, but many of his actions are not unlike those of his aristocratic ancestors.”
“Exactly. He’s been able to get away with a private dungeon within the walls of his castle, particularly since he was holding a priest and an Englishman. But murdering a respected local property owner and his family would get him into serious trouble.” Cassie’s brow furrowed as she thought. “Most likely he’s had Père Laurent charged with treason and is investigating the Boyers as possible traitors. That allows him to hold them for some time while he investigates. He may release them if he has you.”
“Dear God, I hope so.” Grey’s words were a real prayer. “If you’re right, so far he hasn’t really done anything to get himself into serious trouble with his superiors. As you say, the revolution always hated priests and the power of the church, and no one would question killing an English spy. So the Boyers may be safe.”
Cassie caught his gaze and said with icy precision, “You will not, under any circumstances, offer yourself to Durand in exchange for their freedom. I will not allow you to do that.”
Grey’s eyes narrowed in response. “Do you think you could stop me?”
“It would be an interesting battle, wouldn’t it?” she said softly. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Grey agreed. The last thing he wanted was to be at odds with Cassie. Changing the subject, he said, “Your marching into Castle Durand when everyone was ill was a miraculous fluke. We won’t be so lucky again. You probably had a better look at the castle walls than I did. Will I be able to scale them with the right equipment?”
“We both can, and will. We’ll need to take dark garments to help conceal us if we go over the walls.” Cassie gazed at the ceiling as she thought. “Is it a fair assumption that prisoners would be put in the dungeons where you and Père Laurent were held?”
“I think so. They’re impossible to escape without outside help.”
“As I recall, the cells had slit windows high up on the wall. Too high and narrow for anyone to escape that way, but still, windows. Do you know where they opened?”
“On a quiet back courtyard between the castle and the stables, I think. There was very little noise or traffic. The windows are just above ground level. Occasionally castle maids wo
She laughed. “You were able to carry on flirtations even in durance vile?”
He thought of the curious girls who would sometimes stop by and exchange a few words. “I was so hungry for people that I’d have welcomed any voice. On some occasions, if I was really fortunate, a maid might toss down an apple. Heaven.”
Her amusement vanished. “It’s amazing that you came through such an ordeal as well as you did.”
“If not for Père Laurent, I would have been fit only for Bedlam,” he said, equally sober. “I can’t bear to think of him dying back in Durand’s dungeon.”
“We’ll do our best to see that doesn’t happen.” She bit her lip in a way he found very distracting. His body must be recovering from their passionate encounter.
Her mind still on business, she said, “We must do some careful scouting around the castle. Local help will be invaluable if we can find it.”
“That might be difficult to find.”
“We can start at the Boyer farm. If there’s anyone there, they might have information about the Boyers and Castle Durand.”
“More likely Durand gave the farm to some crony,” Grey said pessimistically. “If we ask for help, we’ll be arrested as spies.”
“Remember what I said about France being a nation of laws,” she said. “If Durand confiscated the property and the Boyers have yet to be charged with any crime, someone in the community would go to a magistrate and complain.”
“So he would probably not take over the property himself. Might the farm be sitting vacant?”
Cassie shook her head. “A farm can’t be neglected, especially not in springtime. There is a married daughter. My best guess is that she has returned to the farm with her husband to take care of the animals and the planting. She’s probably praying that her parents will be released. If they aren’t, or they’re executed, presumably she is the heir. If we can find her, she’ll be a source of information and aid.”