The Secrets of a Scoundrel (36 page)
Read The Secrets of a Scoundrel Online
Authors: Gaelen Foley
Tags: #Fiction, #Historical romance, #Regency
“Ready?” Nick asked, treading water when they had neared the rocks.
She nodded, too joyful to care that her teeth were chattering with the cold.
Then they swam together past the famous love-spell rocks of Corfu, making the watery journey that lovers had been taking together since the days of Odysseus and his faithful Penelope.
Nick stopped between the giant boulders and drew her into his arms, sporting in the waves. Exchanging salty kisses, they lingered there to let the magic wash over them completely. Just to make extra sure they had sealed their pact according to ancient specifications, they then swam well past the huge rocks, out into the deep open water, where they turned back to see how far they had come.
“Well, it’s d-d-done,” Gin declared.
Nick’s black hair was slicked back against his head. Water droplets starred his inky lashes, and his white shirt clung to his skin in the most seductive fashion.
He gazed back through the Canal d’Amour. Then he cast her a roguish, sideways glance. “No turning back now.”
“Who’d want to?”
He flashed a roguish grin and reached for her, pulling her close to kiss the saltwater off her frozen lips. “Come on, my little icicle. I’ll carry you.” Drawing her by her wrist, he turned around and put her on his back.
She held on to his broad shoulders. Then he swam through the bright aquamarine waves, but instead of returning to the beach, he bore her over to one of the great rocks. They climbed up onto it, dripping and shivering, but exuberant.
At the pinnacle, they lay on a flat, narrow bed of sun-warmed stone, and there, her true love kept his promise: With the fire of his passion, the magnificent rogue soon made her very warm, indeed.
“V
irgil had a daughter?
”
They all kept saying that.
Gin felt a trifle self-conscious as six pairs of eyes trained to scrutinize people studied her in amazement.
True to his word, Nick had made sure as soon as they reached England to assemble his fellow agents to meet her. In fact, he had gone one better and arranged for the introduction to take place inside the Order’s London headquarters of Dante House. The ancient Tudor palace by the Thames had been Virgil’s domain. She got to meet the illustrious Mr. Gray, butler to the spies, as well as the fierce German guard dogs.
Mostly, she was relieved to see Nick welcomed by his brother agents, fully forgiven and restored to their friendship—even Lord Trevor Montgomery’s.
Then, one by one, her father’s protégés greeted her: Max, the sly Marquess of Rotherstone. Rohan, the Duke of Warrington, the mighty Beast. Jordan, the Earl of Falconridge, the calm, cool diplomat.
Even Drake, the heroic Earl of Westwood, had ventured into Town with his wife, Emily, to meet her. As Gin shook his hand, she could see he wasn’t mad, only a little touched and perhaps still slightly damaged by all he had experienced, which had included torture at enemy hands. But Emily, Lady Westwood, was obviously devoted to him; Gin was moved to see how, from the moment they walked in the door, the two remained inseparable.
The dazzlingly handsome Viscount Beauchamp, Nick’s team leader, gave her a hug and welcomed her to the family.
Trevor, Nick’s former human shield, just kept staring at her and shaking his head in disbelief—not so much because she was Virgil’s daughter, like the others were, but because of the changes she had brought about in the Order’s lone wolf. “I’ve never seen anyone get through to him like this,” he kept saying. “It’s a miracle.”
“Oh, he’s a lamb,” Gin teased.
But if they were astonished to meet her, their handler’s daughter, one could have heard a pin drop when she called in Virgil’s grandson.
At that, six unshockable spies who had been everywhere and seen it all stood around gaping in amazement over one fifteen-year-old boy.
“What?” Phillip mumbled, shrinking back slightly from the ring of tall, intimidating warriors around him, all staring at him like he was the eighth wonder of the world.
Gin couldn’t help laughing.
At length, Rohan gave her son a friendly slap on the back that nearly sent the boy flying around the room. Cheerfully, the big duke boomed: “So, are you going to join the Order, lad?”
“Uh, I think I’m going to go back to my regular school, a-at least for now,” Phillip responded.
“Smart boy,” Jordan murmured.
Having seen what Phillip was capable of in Greece, and acknowledging that being a part of the Order
was
his rightful heritage, Gin had cautiously agreed to let him try a year at the school up in Scotland if he so desired.
But to her surprise, Phillip had reconsidered after witnessing Nick unleash hell’s wrath on Simon Limarque and his men. It was a lot for a boy his age to take in.
No doubt meeting these men also gave him fair warning of what he could expect in the spy life, besides just adventure and excitement. Their valiant service had cost each one of them, some visibly, like Rohan, with a scar on his face, or Drake, deaf in one ear and in need of tranquil surroundings, or in invisible ways, like Max, who could never quite trust anyone outside their inner circle, or Beau, whose sunny smile still concealed shadows he’d carry with him for the rest of his life.
All of these men had paid a price in one way or another—just like her sire. But they were heroes all the same, and each deeply loved by a good woman who had dedicated her life to helping him heal. Gin was set to meet the rest of the wives later that evening.
Thankfully, each of her father’s handpicked agents—even Nick—had reached his own kind of peace now that the war was done. If only Virgil could have been there to see it, she mused as her gaze wandered up to the mantel, where the old Scot’s portrait looked down on them.
Nick noticed her staring at the painting and came over to put his arm around her. “Are you all right?” he murmured in her ear, giving her shoulders an affectionate squeeze.
She nodded and kissed him on the cheek. “Never better.”
“Gentlemen,” Max spoke up all of a sudden. “And ladies,” he added, with a nod to Gin and Emily. As the senior agent present, he called them all to attention. “I propose a toast.”
“Gray! Bring us drinks, man,” Beau called.
Gray was already on his way, passing around short glasses and a very fine, old bottle of Scotch whiskey.
When all had their share (except for Phillip), Max lifted his glass. “To Virgil and the victory he made possible.”
“Hear, hear,” Nick assented in a hearty murmur.
Then they all raised their glasses and drank.
Gin smiled, savoring the moment as she suddenly found herself a part of their world, as she had longed to be since she was a girl.
You did well, Father,
she thought, mentally toasting to him, too.
Then she tossed back her drink in a brash style that made them laugh and exclaim she was indeed one of them.
“And so Virgil’s spirit lives on,” Max declared as he threw his arm around Phillip’s shoulders and rumpled his red hair.
The boy beamed, the future dancing in his eyes.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for coming along on the journey with Nick and Gin and me through this, the closing episode of the Inferno Club series. We’ve come a long way! Looking back, we started at the tail end of the Napoleonic Wars with top agent Max, Lord Rotherstone, (
My Wicked Marquess
) on the hunt for a bride beyond reproach and a marriage capable of restoring his family’s tainted reputation.
Next, it was on to Cornwall with Rohan, the Duke of Warrington, (
My Dangerous Duke
) as smugglers who had crossed “the Beast” tried to soothe his wrath by giving him the gift of a girl. A girl who changed his world. After that, Jordan, Lord Falconridge, got a second chance with his first love, Mara, in
My Irresistible Earl
. Fourth was Drake, Lord Westwood (
My Ruthless Prince
) bringing the Order a major victory, but at great cost—a price he couldn’t have paid without his quietly fierce Emily by his side.
From there, we moved on to Beauchamp’s three-man team. Seductive charmer Beau (
My Scandalous Viscount
) faced the amusing dilemma of being a secret-keeping spy who falls in love with a ton gossip—oh, forgive me—“lady of information.” Next came the noble Lord Trevor Montgomery, in a great sulk after his marriage plans fell through, but it was a blessing in disguise because only then did he meet Grace, the vicar’s daughter, in
My Notorious Gentleman
. Last but not least, as you’ve just seen, bad boy Nick finally got his comeuppance—and a much-needed shot at redemption—with Virgil’s daughter.
I hope you have enjoyed reading their stories as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for letting me entertain you for a while. Visit me anytime on the web at www.Gaelen
Foley.com for fun story extras, articles, videos, and more. If you sign up for my e-newsletter, you’ll be automatically entered into my monthly sweepstakes to win prizes like autographed copies of my books. You can also find me on Facebook. I look forward to hearing from you! And thank you once again.
Best always,
Gaelen
GAELEN FOLEY is the
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author of twenty historical romances set in the glittering world of Regency England. Her award-winning novels are available worldwide in sixteen languages. Gaelen holds a B.A. in English Literature and lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and a ridiculously cute Bichon Frise named Bingley.
Visit her website at www.gaelenfoley.com to learn more about her books and sign up for the newsletter to be notified when her new books are released.
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