Charming a Spy (12 page)

“It’s too bad,” Jessica Grier said. “I feel awful there isn’t room for all of us to go.” The look on her face said volumes. In fact, it looked akin to delight.

“It’s no bother,” Katherine said to the group. “I’m happy to stay behind. I had a touch of a headache this morning anyway.”

“Nonsense,” Geoff interrupted. “Mrs. Seymour, you take my place on the carriage. I will take my phaeton. And Ms. Dubois, you can ride with me if you’re not too frightened,” he offered in his most gracious manner.

Kat almost refused. She was frightened. Not because she was going to ride in a speeding carriage, but she didn’t want to be alone with Geoff. What if he rejected her? She was about to decline his offer when she spotted the expression on Jessica’s face again, which resembled a cross between murderous rage and implosion. Kat gladly accepted. “I would be happy to ride with you, Your Grace. Thank you for the generous offer.”

Ten minutes later with everyone rearranged, Kat and Geoff were rolling down a country road in his phaeton. Neither said a word. Kat had never been so awkward in her life.

Geoff was probably trying to think of the kindest way to reject her proposal. He would have his reasons. Maybe it was too scandalous for a gentleman, even one with a reputation for being skilled with women, to accept. Possibly he didn’t believe her and thought, like everyone else, that Luke was dead. Perchance he didn’t want to share her bed.

She would not cry. Kat would say she really hadn’t meant it. She simply had too many glasses of champagne last night.

“I believe I had too much to drink last night…” Kat broke the silence.

Geoff interrupted, “I accept your proposition, Katherine.”

“You do?” she asked in honest surprise.

“Yes, I will help you find Luke.”

“In exchange for…”

“In exchange for you, Katherine. But I should warn you. I won’t take my payment all at once.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m going to accept your offer in installments. I will have my way with you as I wish.”

“That wasn’t part of the original bargain,” Kat protested.

“Those are my terms. I will help you find your brother today in exchange for taking you whenever and however I want, Katherine.”

Those words he was using—she wasn’t even sure exactly what he meant, but she became scared and excited all at once. “But how… I mean when…”

“Don’t worry, I will be discreet. No one will ever need to know. But I will have you, Kat.”

Kat thought about Geoff’s terms. Anytime, anywhere. She would be at his whim. He could take her next time they met in the portrait gallery. Or on this picnic. He could take her right now.

“I accept,” she said.

“Excellent.”

Geoff’s leg brushed hers on the phaeton bench again, a hot poker branding into her leg. Was anytime now? He said he’d be discreet. The others were in front of them, but not too far ahead. If one of them should turn around to wave or if they should stop to let the horses rest, they would be seen. Geoff promised to make sure they were not discovered.

She glanced at Geoff to see if she could read his thoughts. He smiled back at her, making her stomach do flip-flops. For a moment, she thought he might kiss her. Instead, he turned his eyes back towards the road and flicked the horses’ reins. “We’re almost there, Katherine,” he said. Kat wondered if he meant almost to the picnic or the time when he would ravish her. She wasn’t sure. How was it she found herself hoping for the latter?

The horses slowed and she noticed the other carriages had stopped along the side of the road. Geoff jumped off first and turned to lift Kat down. He put his hands on her waist and lifted her up and away from the carriage as if she weighed no more than a child, and then slowly lowered her to the ground. Every place their skin touched blazed like an internal fire. She would give herself to this man. Soon their bodies would be even closer than this without a stitch of clothing between them. Feeling faint when he placed her feet on the ground, she shook herself, smoothed her skirts, and walked away to join the others.

Look calm. Nothing happened. Not yet.

‡

T
he picnickers sat
on blankets spread out on the ground, feasting on pheasant sandwiches, freshly baked bread and strawberries with cream. Kat curled her legs beneath her on a blanket with Maribel, Trig, and Rafe. Geoff was seated next to Jessica, looking rather enraptured with whatever she was blabbering on about.

Kat wished she could take the bowl of cream Jessica was dipping her strawberry into and stick her face in it, even though she had no cause to be jealous. Even if Jessica ended up being the next Duchess of Stamwell, Kat was going to get what she needed from him first. He’d already agreed to her proposition. It was a done deal.

“Ms. Dubois, which game do you think we should play this afternoon?” Rafe asked. Thankfully he didn’t seem to be holding a grudge against her, even though she’d given him a headache talking about the war last night. On the contrary, he seemed to be doing the opposite of holding a grudge, paying her particular attention. He must be trying to show her there were no hard feelings. Rafe apparently had a more generous spirit than his beast of a sister.

“Let’s see. Perhaps we could play Sardines. We have a large enough group it could be quite fun,” Kat answered.

“Sardines?” Sage asked. “Are we going fishing?”

“Don’t tell me that you, of all people, don’t know Sardines, Mr. Townsey. You are so playful,” Kat answered.

“I am heartened to know you think so fondly of me,” Sage answered, practically blushing at her compliment. He’d been staring at her through the entire picnic. She’d tried to pretend she didn’t notice, but every time she glanced up, he’d caught her eye. Hopefully, he didn’t think she was, in fact, staring at him.

Kat was starting to think perhaps her aunt’s advice had worked almost too well. A man hadn’t courted her in years and all of a sudden she put on one crimson dress and she’d captured the attention of more than one gentlemen. Then again, she really hadn’t bumped into very many eligible men cloistered in her house. Maybe this was normal.

“Sardines is a child’s game,” Maribel explained. “It’s almost the opposite of hide and go seek. One person hides and all of the others go in search of that person, but each individually. When someone finds the hider, they link their arms together and also hide. The game progresses until all except one person are linked together and hiding. The very last person loses and is the hider for the next round.”

“It’s quite fun,” Jessica chimed in, for once agreeing with Kat. “I would let you escort me as we search for the hiding person,” Jessica said softly to the duke as if the others couldn’t hear her.

Maribel leaned over to Kat and whispered, “Apparently she didn’t hear the part about
each person looks individually
.”

“Capital idea, Jessica,” Rafe said to his sister. “Instead of individuals we should go in pairs. It shall be safer. After all, I wouldn’t want my sister, or any of the other ladies, venturing into the woods and twisting an ankle.”

“Probably the best thing,” Geoff conceded.

“Wonderful,” Jessica said, pulling Geoff to his feet. “Then we shall be a pair.”

“Ms. Dubois, would you do me the honor of joining me?” Rafe asked.

“I’d be delighted to,” Kat said. Her answer was genuine. Although a part of her wished she were walking with Geoff, perhaps she would have another opportunity to ask Rafe about the war. This time she would be kind and not push him beyond his comfort level.

Trig instantly snatched up Maribel’s hand. “Trig, you don’t have to always protect me,” Maribel said, exasperated. “You know I am no longer a clumsy young girl.”

“You are definitely no longer a girl,” Trig said. Kat and Maribel exchanged glances, giggling. He must have seen their unspoken communication because he amended his statement, “and you are most certainly not clumsy. It’s only that every tree root seems to be magnetically attracted to your boots. I would feel better if I could be there to ward off the errant rock or root trying to hurdle itself at your feet.” Maribel rolled her eyes towards Kat feigning anger, but she still took Trig’s arm. Maybe she was finally warming up to him.

Ivy and Rosemary immediately linked arms to form a pair. Poor girls really couldn’t stand to be apart. Jane dutifully decided to stay with her parents.

“Since I am the only one who hasn’t played before and apparently the odd man out,” Sage said, looking disappointedly at Kat, “I will volunteer to be the hider.”

“Thank you, Sage,” Kat said. He cheered at her attention.

The teams each devised their strategy while they gave Sage a five minute head start to find a hiding place within the established boundaries. Rafe and Kat headed towards the stream as the other teams were already scattered in every other direction.

“Shall we?” Rafe said, offering her his arm to begin their search. They walked along in companionable silence for a while. Kat didn’t remember the last time she was so happy. It was a gorgeous, cloudless day and the sun warmed Kat’s bonnet. She lifted her face up to the sun and drank in the rays, feeling like a daisy being nourished by the light. There were so many reasons to feel grateful. First, the English weather was, for once, cooperating. Geoff had agreed to help her. Also, she was going to find her brother. She knew it. Lastly, she was walking on the arm of Rafe Grier, who made it home from the war safely when so many others had not. He was lucky and she was lucky to be sharing this moment with him.

“It’s a beautiful day for picnic games and I’m grateful to spend it with you,” Kat said, bringing him into her thoughts.

“Yes, it is a lovely afternoon. But not as beautiful as my partner,” Rafe said.

“Oh, Mr. Grier, you’re being too kind.”

“No, I’m not. You’re absolutely stunning, Ms. Dubois,” Rafe said. He sounded sincere. This was getting a little ridiculous. First Sage and now Rafe. She was going to have to remember to ask Aunt Ellie how to get
rid
of suitors.

Kat stopped a second and caught her breath.

“Do you like to play cricket?” Kat asked, not so subtly trying to change the subject. Rafe ignored her question and went on with his speech.

“I can’t believe I was blind to you as a child. You were the kid sister of a classmate, I hardly even noticed you. But now you are transformed, Ms. Dubois. Katherine. May I call you Katherine? It’s the perfect name for you. So beautiful. So strong.”

“I haven’t changed at all,” Kat said, trying to deflect his attentions, which she did not want to hear. “I’m just the same old Katherine.” Rafe was a nice enough man and she supposed he could be called handsome if one fancied gingers. But he didn’t make her want to abandon all good sense as she did when someone else was near. One broad-shouldered black-haired giant of a man with turquoise-violet eyes. She knew he wasn’t the man for her, but he was the only one who caused her thoughts to stray in
that
direction.

“Katherine, I want to ask you a very important question,” Rafe started. Oh God. Was he going to propose to her? Right now, during a game of Sardines? Rafe Grier. Blast Aunt Ellie and her seduction advice. A silly red dress and some perfume and now every man was falling over himself to be with her. It was too much. She only meant to water one flower and she’d accidentally doused the whole garden.

“Perhaps we should have gone towards the church steeple,” she said, interrupting as quickly as possible in hopes Rafe might lose his train of thought. “In fact, I’m sure that’s where Trig would have gone. Let’s turn around.”

“But Rosemary and Ivy headed that way,” Rafe protested.

“Yes, I think they were on to something. We should go that way too.”

“Wait, I think I see something up ahead,” Rafe said. Luckily it seemed as if he was taking the bait and actually changing the subject.

Kat looked, but saw nothing. “Where?”

“See, below the sycamore tree at the base of the hill. It looked like someone’s leg. I bet Trig is hiding behind the tree.”

“I didn’t see anything,” Kat said.

“Exactly. That’s why we should go investigate. If it’s there one second and gone the next, it has to be human. Tree roots don’t move.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Kat said, thankful at least Rafe seemed distracted from whatever declaration he planned to make. Maybe the moment passed.

They walked towards the hill and made it to the sycamore tree several blissfully silent minutes later. Kat walked around the base of the tree, investigating. “No one’s here,” she said.

“Pity. Perhaps Trig already moved hiding places.”

“Perhaps, but doubtful,” Kat said. “We were staring at this tree on the entire walk across the field. We would have seen him move. Besides, that would be against the rules.”

Rafe didn’t answer but looked around, swiveling his head from side to side. Kat thought at first he was looking for Sage, but then he started approaching. Too close. She backed up one step, her spine bumping into the tree behind her. “Did you actually see anything near this tree?” Kat asked, a growing wariness overtaking her.