Chapter 18
R
ufus refused to notice the shaking in his fingers as he poured himself a stiff brandy. He could barely swallow the liquid past his guilt.
Had he learned nothing? He’d let his rampant desire for a woman cloud his judgment for a second time. Upon entering her room and seeing her lying naked in the tub, he should have immediately turned around and escaped. He should have let Stephen retrieve her. Could have, should have, would have ... But one step into the room was all it took for his resolve to crumble, for his driving need to possess her rise up from the ashes like the phoenix and burn every other thought out of his head.
His gut swirled in agony as the fiery liquid hit. He clenched his fist tightly around the glass. The thought of Stephen seeing Rheda’s nude body, touching her body—he wanted no other man to see her, or have her. The words,
you’re mine,
pounded through his brain.
She was certainly his now. He’d taken her virginity. He didn’t want to focus on the implications his bedding Rheda wrought. Finding Daniel and capturing the spy had to come first. He’d deal with the aftermath later. He hadn’t even withdrawn. What if he’d gotten her with child.
He took another swig of his drink.
Tonight had been an unmitigated disaster all around. He’d let Daniel slip through his fingers. He’d been knocked unconscious. He’d let smugglers escape, and worst of all he’d taken great pleasure in deflowering Miss Rheda Kerrich.
There would be a price to pay for each of his failures.
With a grim smile he recognized which one of his mistakes would demand the worst punishment. Rheda.
On the heels of his disparaging thoughts, the door opened and Rheda swept into the room. The fresh scent of orange blossom sent his senses reeling.
“I am here as you commanded, my lord,” she said, her tone sweet and slightly mocking. Then she curtsied deeply, almost to the floor.
For a moment he could not respond, deafened by his own heartbeat. Rheda’s spirited beauty made speech impossible. He gazed, riveted, upon that perfect heart-shaped face, sleekly framed by her long golden tresses spilling over her shoulders like a silken waterfall.
The golden flecks in her tawny green eyes sparkled with anger. Her tall, slender, and luscious body was once more fully clothed, but now that he’d seen the delights that lay underneath, Rufus’s memories became feral.
It took a supreme effort of will to pretend a casualness he did not feel. His pride and the raging hunger to take her again made his voice sound harsher than he’d intended. “Do you know what the
Crown
does to traitors? Have you ever seen a man hanged?”
The smile left her delicate features, to be replaced with a confused frown. “Traitor? I am not sure I understand you, Rufus. What is it you think my brother has done?”
Needing to dominate the proceedings, Rufus remained standing, leaning against the mantelpiece, one hand in the pocket of his jacket. A bitter smile twisted his mouth. “Your brother is the infamous leader of the Deal smugglers. They call him Dark Shadow, do they not?”
Rufus watched his beautiful prey, and he caught the flicker of fear passing over her delicate features.
A discreet cough came from a chair behind them. Rufus had purposely asked Stephen to join them. He couldn’t trust himself in Rheda’s presence. The urge to protect her rather than interrogate her overwhelmed him.
Stephen stood to reveal his presence. “Miss Kerrich, I would advise cooperating with Rufus. Your brother is in serious trouble.” Stephen’s words made Rheda’s bottom lip tremble, and she tilted her head in acknowledgment.
Stephen remained standing, as did Rufus. “I repeat. Your brother is the infamous leader of the Deal smugglers. I am not asking you, I’m telling you. I shot him tonight, at Jacob’s Point.”
Rheda rolled her hands in her lap. “I swear to you on my mother’s grave, Daniel is not Dark Shadow.”
Rufus moved to her chair, bending down until his hands rested on the arms, trapping Rheda in her seat. He looked directly into her eyes. “This is gone way past a game, Rheda. Men could get hurt—killed. Daniel could have been killed tonight.”
She gasped.
Rufus cursed and moved to the sideboard containing the much needed brandy.
Stephen spoke up. “If he is not Dark Shadow, then he certainly knows who he is.”
Rufus caught the glint of truth flash in her vibrant eyes. Rheda hung her head. Time ticked past, the silence almost deafening in the room. Finally, she roused herself. “You want me to betray—a confidence. I at least deserve to know why? Why is Dark Shadow so important to you?”
It was Stephen who answered her. “Not important to us, to the Crown.”
Rheda frowned. “The Crown?”
“The Crown believes Dark Shadow is aiding a French spy. The spy is using his smuggling ring to send England’s secrets to Napoleon.”
Rheda jumped to her feet in horror and cried, “No.” She vehemently shook her head. “That cannot be true.” Her face drained of color, and she began to sway on her feet.
“Rufus, brandy,” Stephen called as he caught Rheda before she hit the floor and laid her on the settee. Rufus pushed his friend aside and brought the glass to Rheda’s lips. Rufus made her drink until the color began to creep back into her cheeks.
She pushed Rufus’s hands away and made to sit up. “I’m fine. Stop fussing.” Rufus remained on his knees beside her. “I’m fine, Rufus. Really.” He held her gaze for what seemed like eternity before, with a curse, he stood and moved to the fireplace.
She swung her legs over the side of the settee and took in the grim faces of the men before her. She’d been such a fool. All this time they had been trying to aid England, and she’d thought only of the shame her illegal activities would bring down upon her brother. What about all the soldiers whose lives were in jeopardy because of her selfishness and arrogance?
Before fear made a coward out of her, she quietly said, “Daniel is not Dark Shadow. I am. Daniel helps occasionally, but the smuggling ring was my invention and I control it. Daniel would rather fall on his own sword than commit treason.” She paused. “As would I.”
Stephen let his breath out on a whoosh. “Heavens. I didn’t see that coming.”
Under his breath Rufus said, “I should have known.”
Rheda held her palms up. “When my father died, I was seventeen and penniless. I was so alone. Daniel was only eleven and did not understand the consequences of our impending bankruptcy.”
“Why did you not accept Lord Hale’s offer of marriage? A far more sensible thing to do.” Stephen’s words were filled with censure. She could not bring herself to look at Rufus, afraid of seeing the same disapproval on his face.
“I thought about it. Seriously. I thought about it so much my head almost burst. But have you ever felt trapped?” She wrung her hands, not waiting for confirmation. “One night I couldn’t sleep so I went for a walk along the cliff tops. That’s when I spied them—smugglers.” She hesitated, then defiantly added in a rush, “If they could do it, why couldn’t I?”
“Christ.” Rufus rubbed his hand across his face. “Who helped you? One of them must be the spy.”
Rheda shrugged her shoulders. “I doubt it. The ring is mostly run by the women in the village. I admit Jamieson and Meg’s brother Davidson helped me in the beginning. They set up the contacts. But it is the women who decide what contraband we buy and what gets sold back to the French. We were very clear, no coin was to exchange hands—because we didn’t have any to start with. We had to trade.”
The men looked even grimmer, if that was at all possible. Rufus would barely look at her. Her stomach churned. She wanted to beg him to understand, but with Stephen in the room she kept up the polite charade as if Rufus and she, only an hour earlier, hadn’t shared the most intimate act two humans can share. With a sickening lurch the truth hit her. Perhaps what they shared meant nothing to him. Why would it? He’d bedded countless women. Seduced to get what he wanted. She breathed in, trying to suck her pride back up off the floor.
Rufus slammed a quill and paper in front of her. “I want the names of everyone who ‘trades’ through your outfit.”
She eyed him suspiciously. “You won’t arrest them or hurt them? The women have children, families. Who would look after them? I know it is not one of my gang.”
Rufus’s face became a mask of anger. “You think a woman cannot betray?” He lifted his shirt; her pulse hammered not out of fear, his polished skin beckoned for her to touch. “I know exactly what women are capable of. I told you a woman did this to me. On a previous mission, a lover betrayed me, killed my friend, and damn well near killed me.” His voice shook fury. “In my profession trust is a commodity that can see you dead. A sweet smile, a luscious body, a beautiful face no longer works on me. I’ll not be fooled again. I trust no one—it’s safer that way.”
She saw the truth of it in his eyes, and her heart cracked. She could never be more than a bedmate to this man. He would never trust her. Not now.
She swallowed, understanding a man with his past would not listen to reason. The women of Deal would never be traitors. They simply wished to survive and feed and clothe their children. “You haven’t answered my question. Will they be harmed?”
“Not if they are innocent of treason.”
Somewhat pacified Rheda added, “I’m not sure what my list will tell you. They are all locals who have lived their whole lives in Deal. There is not a Frenchman among them.”
Stephen said coldly, “One of the locals is our spy. It can be no one else.”
Stephen gave her a suspicious look. “If Rheda is Dark Shadow and yet she really knows nothing about the spy, we have a bigger problem. How is he slipping the messages through the smuggling ring?”
Both men turned steely gazes her way. They doubted her innocence. She flushed with a mixture of fear and anger. “I am not a spy. All I wanted to do was get enough money to save Tumsbury Cliff and build my own horse stud.”
Rufus studied her face. She could see him weighing up her guilt or innocence. She had no idea how she could persuade him of her blamelessness. When he was in this mood, a cold, calculating aristocrat, she knew better than to appeal to his emotions. He had them too under control.
“I want a list of everybody involved in your operation—buyers and sellers,” growled Rufus, turning away from her.
It took her almost half an hour to write. The list was fairly extensive. It included most of the wealthy families of Deal and the surrounding area, as well as those among the lower ranks. During this time Stephen and Rufus talked quietly over by the window. “I’ve finished.”
Stephen crossed the room and took the paper from her hand.
Rufus chastised her. “Your silly games have cost us precious time. I pray we catch the spy before the latest intelligence is in Napoleon’s hands.”
Rheda felt her back stiffen. “If you’d tried talking to me like a human being instead of trying to lord it over me or seduce me at every turn, this could have been sorted out much sooner.”
“She’s got you there, old boy.”
“I don’t trust anyone.” Rufus’s face flamed with color, and he steadily approached until he was towering over her. “Stephen, I need a private word with Miss Kerrich.” His tone indicated his friend had better not refuse.
At Rheda’s panicked face Stephen chortled. “I shall not go far. Scream if you need me.”
“I won’t need any help, thank you,” she softly replied.
Stephen’s mouth twitched. “I was speaking to Rufus.” His mouth broke into a huge grin as he closed the door behind him.
With shaky breath Rufus withdrew to the hearth. “You have some explaining to do.”
“How so? I have told you all I know.”
Was she telling the truth? He clenched his teeth, disgruntled and frustrated at the predicament he was in. And he was furious with himself. He’d vowed he would keep away from the baron’s sister until he knew categorically she was not an innocent. He’d let his cock override his innate good sense. “You let me ravish you without telling me the truth. Why? Now that your smuggling operation has been discovered, it will come to an end. Did you hope my honor would elicit an offer of marriage in order to replace the business you have lost? Did you hope to gain a silk purse?”
Rheda stared speechlessly at him. “I have never wished to marry,” she replied coldly.
“You kept your virginity a guarded secret. Letting me think the scandal with Prince Hammed was true.”
“I believe I indicated when we first became acquainted that there was no scandal.”
“You never denied the allegation,” he stated flatly. “You knew I was trying to seduce you. Why didn’t you tell me the truth? Your behavior during the night was not exactly what one would call circumspect. In fact, I’d say you deliberately led me to believe you were other than an innocent miss.” He turned away, unwilling to face the unsettling knife cut of hurt her using him had slashed deep into his chest.