Sebastian's Lady Spy (15 page)

His body clenched and his fingers flexed. “Gabby—”

“He will kill us regardless,” she said. “I just want you to know that I love you.” She didn't care that McFadden was listening. She just wanted Sebastian to know.

Sebastian's eyes closed for an agonizing moment. “I love you, too. Always have.”

“How incredibly touching,” McFadden mocked.

Gabrielle pulled her gaze from Sebastian to McFadden. “I will tell you nothing.”

The knife slid away from Sebastian's throat and hung at McFadden's side. “A pity that love did not prevail. But there are other ways to get the information I seek.” He sauntered out from behind Sebastian's chair and moved toward her.

“No,” Sebastian said as he strained against his bindings. “Damn you, no!”

Gabrielle tensed, and a calmness descended over her. It seemed as if her entire life from the age of twelve on had been primed for this moment, for this act. She had trained for this inevitability, had known from the beginning that it could come to this.

With a flick of his wrist, McFadden shooed Archie away. The man stepped back to huddle by the door. Gabrielle raised her chin, straightened her shoulders, and locked gazes with Sebastian. She hoped he saw her love through her eyes. She hoped he understood what she was trying to tell him. She hoped she would die honorably.

He was fighting his bindings, straining to get to her, but he was weak and he was tied securely and he wasn't going anywhere.

“I'm sorry,” she whispered to him. Sorry he had to witness this. Sorry they had foolishly wasted their time. Sorry that things could not be different.

“Gabby,” he cried out.
“Gabby.”

McFadden stood before her and looked her up and down. “A life for a life,” he said. “An eye for an eye. My Aileen was raped and murdered. It's only fitting that I do the same.”

“No!” Sebastian bellowed. He strained so hard against his bindings that his chair moved a few inches, but it was useless.

“It's all right, Sebastian,” she said, finding the need to comfort him. “It will be over soon.”

“No, Gabrielle. Don't do this. Tell him. Please, I beg you. Tell him.”

She looked at him sadly. “Mission first.” She pulled her gaze to McFadden. “Do what you must, but you will never get the information you need. Not from us.”

Though he smirked, there was surprise in his eyes and maybe a bit of admiration. “Too bad you were born on the other side of the border. You would have made a good Scotswoman.”

“Gabby,”
Sebastian bellowed. “Don't do this.”

McFadden pushed her against the wall so hard that the breath rushed out of her and she saw stars. His hands clawed at her skirts. A rush of air against her legs told her that he had raised them high. He pushed his pelvis against hers, leering down at her.

A noise from above gave him pause; he cocked his head to listen as he locked eyes with her. Enormous relief rushed through her. Atwater's men had arrived. That didn't mean her life was saved, but it meant Sebastian did not have to watch her be raped.

“What have you done?” McFadden said.

“You are caught, traitor.”

“No.” There was denial in his tone and in his eyes. He would fight to the very end because he believed in his cause and he believed in his absolute right to take revenge for his Aileen. In some ways Gabrielle respected him for that. But her respect went only so far.

“No,” he said more passionately as he raised his knife above him. Gabrielle tensed, prepared for the inevitable.

Suddenly the door crashed open and two of Atwater's men stormed in. Behind them came more. Archie tried to run, but he was caught.

McFadden spun Gabrielle around to use her as a shield. She dropped to the ground, slipping out of his grasp, and rolled, taking McFadden's legs out from underneath him. He was quickly scooped up by the men, his hands tied behind him, and dragged away at gunpoint.

Gabrielle grabbed the knife McFadden had dropped and crawled to Sebastian to cut his bindings. He slid off the chair to his knees and gathered her to him.

For long moments neither spoke. Sebastian simply held her and rocked her back and forth, and she buried her head in his shoulder and let the tears fall.

Eventually he pulled away and wiped her tears with the pads of his thumbs. “Damn, but that was far too close,” he said, making her smile before he pulled her back to him as if he couldn't let her go. “Never again, Gabby. We are never doing this again. I'm retiring, and so are you.”

She made a hiccupping sound that ended in a laugh. “I am?”

“You are. We'll retire to the country and do nothing more exciting than read by the fire with dogs at our feet.”

She gently placed her hands on either side of his bruised face and looked into his eyes. “That sounds like heaven.”

Atwater stared at two of England's former spies. “Married,” he said in disbelief. “You two are married.”

“By special license,” Sebastian said. He was holding on to Gabrielle's hand and refused to let go. Truth be told, he hadn't let her go in the seven days since their encounter on the ship, and he had no intention of letting her go anytime soon.

“You're not allowed to get married,” Atwater said.

Beside him, Sebastian felt his wife tremble, but he knew it was from mirth. It felt good to see her smile. She had done little of that in the past seven days, and at night he had to hold her tightly to keep at bay the nightmares that had her crying in her sleep. In time the nightmares would fade, just like the bruises and swelling on his body were beginning to do. He knew that, but it didn't stop him from worrying.

“Tell the vicar who married us,” Sebastian said. In truth, he couldn't care less what Atwater said. He was finished with the Office. All he wanted to do was take his new wife to his country estate, where they could both heal and learn to forget.

Atwater pressed his lips together. “This is unfortunate. What are we to do without the two of you?”

“I daresay you will find someone to replace us rather quickly. Come now, Atwater, did you really think we would do this forever?”

Atwater looked down at his desk and seemed to consider the question. “If not forever, then longer than this.”

“Can you not wish us happiness?” Gabrielle asked.

Atwater's head jerked up and he appeared chagrined. “Of course, Lady Claybrook. My felicitations. I am truly happy for you two. Sad for me but happy for you.”

“Thank you, sir,” Gabby said.

“You do know that operatives don't really retire, don't you? If there is a case—”

“No,” Sebastian said.

“I didn't think so, but I had to try.” Atwater's smile faded and he turned serious. “You might want to reconsider when you hear the news that I have just learned.”

Sebastian tensed and Gabrielle's hand tightened around his. “What happened?”

“We were transporting McFadden to Newgate when the convoy was attacked. McFadden escaped.”

Sebastian drew in a deep breath and looked at Gabrielle, who was looking up at him. It was amazing how important she had become to him, and how quickly. For the past year he'd been fooling himself into believing that he didn't love her and didn't need her in his life. He'd wasted precious time convincing himself that he was better off alone when he could have been spending that time with her.

And yet he had a burning hatred for McFadden, who'd put shadows in Gabrielle's eyes. He'd made her cry out in the middle of the night, and he'd stolen her smile.

But none of that was enough to bring Sebastian out of retirement. To bring
them
out of retirement. This was their time, and McFadden wasn't going to steal any more of it from them.

Sebastian turned back to Atwater. “Someone else will have to find him.”

Atwater shook his head. “Married
and
retired. What is this world coming to?”

“Are you certain?” Gabrielle asked Sebastian as they left Atwater's office.

“More certain than I've ever been.” He kissed her on the nose right there on Atwater's stoop, where anyone could see them, and he didn't give a damn. “It's someone else's turn to catch the bad blokes.”

Gabrielle squeezed his hand. He had meant it when he said he was never letting her go. Literally.

“I've already caught my bad bloke.” She smiled up at him, and his heart soared to see that sunny smile.

“And I have caught my lady spy.”

S
COTLAND,
T
HREE
M
ONTHS
L
ATER

Mairi McFadden raced up the front steps of her crumbling home. It was surprising that she had the energy to do so, after the afternoon she'd spent with the other ladies in the fields, hoeing the rough rows to ready the dirt for planting.

She was exhausted. Her body ached and she wanted nothing more than to fall into bed and sleep for a hundred days. But sleep was out of the question when she had so many mouths to feed and so many people relying on her.

Instead of entering the keep, she plopped down on the top step and ripped open the letter that had arrived that morning but no one had told her about. It was from her brother, Grant. It had to be. She would know his writing anywhere.

For a moment she held it close to her bosom and blinked tears away. If only Grant would return. He would take over his rightful place as laird of Clan McFadden. He would know what crops to plant, and he would know how to bring back the men to care for those crops.

Mairi blinked away the tears and read the letter dated three months ago. With a silent cry, she stood and looked around frantically. No. No, this was not happening. This could not happen.

Arrested for treason? She'd known, of course, that he was fighting the English, but
treason
? She raced back down the steps that she had climbed moments before.

“Whoa, there, what's the hurry, my lady?”

Mairi came to a skidding halt in front of James. He was one of the few men who remained behind with the castle full of women. He had never met Grant because he had arrived after Grant left, but James might know what to do. He'd been to England. He would know. He had to.

“Grant.” She waved the letter in the air and gulped some much needed breaths. After a few unsuccessful attempts, James managed to grab the letter and read it. He cursed and looked at her with concerned blue eyes.

“I need to go get him.” The thought was half formed before she spoke it, but she knew that was what she needed to do. England couldn't take Grant from her, not when it had already taken so much.

“But he's in the custody of the crown,” James said.

“It does not matter. I have money. I simply need to find someone willing to get him out. Someone I can pay.”

James seemed to consider her for a few moments. She had very little money, but he need not know that. She would scrape up what she could and ask others to contribute what little they had. After Grant returned and the land was producing like it should, she would repay everyone.

“There is someone,” James said haltingly. “But it is far too dangerous for a lady like you to go traipsing off in pursuit of him.”

“Who? You must tell me, James. Please. I don't give a rot about my reputation if it will help me bring Grant back.”

“I've never met this man, but I've heard of him. He can help, but the price will be high.”

“I'll do whatever it takes,” she said desperately. “Who is he, and how do I find him?”

“I heard that he was in Scotland—”

“Tell me,” she nearly shouted. “I will pay whatever I have to.”

“His name is Phin Lockwood. He's a pirate, but he hires himself out for other missions.”

Phin Lockwood. She had never heard of him, but a pirate seemed just the type of person she needed.

“Then I must find this pirate,” she said.

This book is for all my readers who emailed me asking for Sebastian and Gabrielle's book. Thank you so much for loving them enough to want their story. And, as always, for John, my best friend and my biggest advocate.

The Notorious Lady Anne

Loving the Earl

Pleasing the Pirate

His Saving Grace

Sebastian's Lady Spy

PHOTO: PAM JONES PHOTOGRAPHY

S
HARON
C
ULLEN
is the author of the historical romances
The Notorious Lady Anne, Loving the Earl, Pleasing the Pirate,
and
His Saving Grace,
as well as many novels of romantic suspense, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance. If you'd like to find out more about the author and her books, you can visit her blog or her website. She is addicted to social networking, so you can find her on Facebook and Twitter.
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She'd love to hang out with you and talk about her passion:
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